Digital Commons Network^™

An Open-Source, Student-Centric Approach To The Cyber Kill Chain, Justin Lane Wooten

Theses and Dissertations

The cybersecurity landscape demands professionals with practical skills and a deep understanding of attack methodologies. However, many institutions face significant challenges in providing comprehensive cybersecurity education due to the high costs associated with commercial tools and platforms. This thesis presents a student-centric, open-source curriculum for teaching the Cyber Kill Chain, designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application while addressing the financial constraints faced by many educational institutions. Our approach leverages freely available tools and hands-on exercises to cover each phase of the Cyber Kill Chain, emphasizing ethical considerations and collaborative learning. We detail the curriculum development …

The Effect Of Teacher Efficacy On Career Technical Education Program Participation In Select Mississippi Schools, Lori Parkman Nail

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine to what degree school staff understood the benefits and outcomes of Career Technical Education programs and how this level of understanding impacted Career Technical Education program enrollment in five selected schools in Mississippi. The levels of understanding keyed in on three pivotal factors. First, perceptions of the availability and accessibility of Career Technical Education programs to students in the participating schools were measured. Second, the perceptions of the benefits students reap from being involved in Career Technical Education programs were examined. Next, the perceptions of the benefits Career Technical Education programs …

Physics-Based And Data-Driven Constitutive Modeling Of Unsaturated Soils Under Multi-Physics Loading Conditions, Mohsen Ajdari

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the behavior of unsaturated soils under multi-physics loading is crucial for addressing several challenges related to emerging geo-energy technologies, climate change, and geohazard mitigation. The main objective of this research is to enhance the state of the art for modeling unsaturated soils under multi-physics loading conditions through physics-based and data-driven approaches. Toward this objective, this dissertation is divided into two distinct yet interrelated parts. In the first part (Chapters 2, 3, and 4), thermodynamic principles are employed to develop new constitutive functions to describe soil suction and stress-dilatancy of unsaturated soils under temperature-dependent conditions. Building upon the insights gained …

Numerical Predictions Of Turbulent Heat Transfer In Liquid Metal Flows, Mohammed Elmellouki

Theses and Dissertations

Fast breeder nuclear reactors use liquid metals such as Sodium (Na), Sodium-Potassium (Na-K), and Lead (Pb) as coolants since these liquids have high thermal conductivity, high thermal diffusivity, and lower heat capacity compared to water and air, thus involving low Prandtl numbers (Pr). However, liquid metals solidify at room temperature which poses challenges for experimental studies, making computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is considered a valuable analysis and design tool. Furthermore, the accurate modeling of turbulent heat transfer in low Pr flows remains one of the main challenges due to the gap between momentum and turbulent thermal diffusion. The study aims …

Multi-Cloud Identity Security Utilizing Self-Sovereign Identity, Morgan Lee Reece

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing use of multi-cloud environments, security professionals face challenges in configuration, management, and integration due to uneven security capabilities and features among providers. As a result, a fragmented approach toward security has been observed, leading to new attack vectors and potential vulnerabilities. Other research has focused on single-cloud platforms or specific applications of multi-cloud environments. Therefore, there is a need for a holistic security and vulnerability assessment and defense strategy that applies to multi-cloud platforms. This dissertation explores risk and vulnerability analysis to identify attack vectors from software, hardware, and the network, as well as interoperability security issues …

Examining Special Education Programming Through The Lens Of Upper Elementary And High School General Education Teachers In Select Black Rural Schools In Mississippi - Do They Feel Prepared To Serve?, Natasha Michelle Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the perceptions of upper elementary and high school general education teachers towards special education programming and whether they felt prepared to meet the needs of students with Individualized Education Plans. The literature review provided a comprehensive synthesis of existing research on the topic researched, offering an in-depth exploration of key themes, trends, and findings in the relevant academic literature. It critically examined assorted studies, theories, and methodologies researchers employ, identifying gaps and areas of consensus. The purpose of this study was to build from the foundation set by existing bodies of related literature, to gain formal …

Deep Learning - Based Automated Detection And Classification Of Foreign Materials In Poultry Using Color And Hyperspectral Imaging, Rohini Maram

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the use of Deep learning for detection and classification of small foreign materials (FMs) in poultry meat using color and hyperspectral imagery (HSI). The study employs You only look once (YOLO) object detection models on color images for precise localization, and one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D CNN), two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D CNN) was used on HSI (600 – 1700 nm) for classification. Twelve different FMs commonly known as polymers including PVC, PET, LDPE and HDPE, were examined using 52 color and 52 hyperspectral images. Four YOLO models (v5x, v7x, v8x, v10x) were implemented, trained, tested and …

Evaluation And Characterization Of Two Capacitive Sensors For Cotton Moisture Measurement In Static And Dynamic Modes For Real-Time Use In Cotton Gin, Sushma Perati

Theses and Dissertations

Two capacitive sensors, a commercial FP-32C and a custom design capacitor plate were evaluated for real-time cotton moisture content (MC%) measurement in ginning environment. The sensors were able to measure MC ranges of 3.56%–19.7% and 4.56%–21.04% MC for FP-32C and custom capacitor pate, respectively. In dynamic mode, the ranges were 4.9%–14.5% and 4.9%–14.7% respectively. Results showed that measurements of both sensors had strong correlations with results obtained from oven method. A comparison of moisture content measurement methods using a moisture balance (M5 Thermo 163M,) and oven method was conducted with the result showing that Lint-Only samples were the most closely …

Improved Vector Pruning For Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes, Thomas Jonathan Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Exact dynamic programming algorithms for planning problems that are represented as partially observable Markov decision processes rely on a subroutine that removes, or ``prunes", dominated vectors from sets of vectors that represent piecewise-linear and convex value functions. The classic vector pruning subroutine solves one linear program per vector, where the number of variables is equal to the size of the state space and the number of constraints is equal to the number of vectors shown so far to be undominated. Thus, its scalability is limited not only by the number of linear programs it solves, but especially by their size. …

Review Of Inverter Functionality Requirements In Ieee 1547 For Voltage Fault Ride-Through, Tyler Coby Jonathan May

Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of Distributed Energy Resources such as energy storage systems, solar, and wind create system dynamics which modern electric grids cannot reliably handle in such large quantities without properly coordinated protections. One such tool is the concept of Fault Ride Through, which allows a system to continue operation during a long-term minor or short-term major disturbance. Standards are in place to control and monitor the operation and recovery of this capability but are meant to be minimum or maximum requirements. Since these standards must be used nationally, or sometimes internationally, they tend to be left very flexible. The rise …

Assembly And Analysis Of A Mobile Reactor System For The Continuous Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Benjamin Eston Gibens

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy changes have shifted research and development to pursue technology that promotes a circular economy and net zero emissions by 2050. Current research is actively developing “drop-in” sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that reduce emissions and are compatible with modern-day jet engines, mimicking conventional jet fuel's physical and chemical properties. While ensuring sustainable engine performance and operability using drop-in SAF is critical, several challenges remain in the economic outlook of SAF production. Biogas reforming and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) can be used in series to convert landfill gas to SAF; however, novel design approaches must be considered to alleviate capital and …

Engineering Functionalized Nanomaterials For Targeting And Ablating Biofilms On Surfaces, Dhanush Lakmal Yapa Amarasekara

Theses and Dissertations

Biofilms on both the surface and interior of medical devices pose major challenges, including hindering device performance and serving as infection sources. These biofilms form a protective layer around bacteria, shielding them from the body’s immune system and antibiotics. This makes infections difficult to treat, as the bacteria within the biofilm are resistant to both antibiotics and immune defenses. Additionally, biofilms can induce inflammation and irritation in nearby tissues, leading to further health complications. Antibiotic resistance raises concerns about the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. MDR infections are difficult to treat, leading to prolonged hospital stays and the need …

Effects Of A Snap-Ed Social Marketing Campaign On Behavior Change, Andrew Beall Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: This research studied the use of a social marketing campaign to address chronic diseases in the U.S., such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases by assessing audience self-reported actions and evaluating message framing effects on participant intentions to change nutrition behavior and daily physical activity. Approach: Evaluate a social marketing campaign for effects on SNAP-Ed eligible clients and research message framing effects on audience’s intention to change health behaviors. Discussion: The HappyHealthy social marketing campaign launched in 2018 by Mississippi State University Extension. Outcome evaluation data (collected 2023) reported multiple correlations between core messages recalled and increased …

Understanding Stream Litter Loading Through Watershed Characteristics, Elinor Reed Mallon

Theses and Dissertations

Litter, whether river-based, marine, or terrestrial, is an ever-increasing environmental and economic issue. However, litter in freshwater environments is studied less than in marine environments. To better understand factors impacting stream-transported floating litter, seven watershed characteristics were assessed across a network of thirty litter collection devices. The research objective for this study was to quantify litter loading and assess watershed characteristics relative to litter loading. Of the various watershed characteristics in this study, land cover classification had the greatest impact on the amount of litter collected from the Litter Gitters followed by median household income. Results from this study can …

Exploring Single Particles Through Optical Trapping And Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Techniques, Haifa Hassan Alali

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the innovative integration of optical trapping (OT) with advanced laser spectroscopy techniques to investigate the physicochemical properties of single particles from a variety of atmospheric aerosols, such as bioaerosols, terrestrial dust, and extraterrestrial dust. Each technique offers unique insights, significantly enhancing our understanding of these critical atmospheric components. The first work focuses on employing OT in conjunction with cavity ringdown spectroscopy (OT-CRDS) to measure the single-particle extinction of interplanetary dust particles at ultraviolet wavelengths (~308 nm). This method allows for the stable trapping of individual dust particles in air, facilitating precise characterization with minimal external interference. Our …

Mass Timber Utilization In Architecture: Carbon Sequestration, Building Materials And Construction Practices, Jacob Alan Gines

Theses and Dissertations

The built environment must innovate and adopt new materials and construction practices in order to meet current and forecasted environmental challenges, economic uncertainties and construction pressures. The specification of mass timber materials and building assemblies will play a major role in addressing these issues. The objectives of this research are fourfold: 1) Develop a deeper understanding among construction professionals of the role mass timber buildings can have in greatly reducing CO2 emissions through the use of renewable forest products and the storage of carbon in buildings; 2) Provide insights into the utilization of mass timber products for architectural application that …

Beyond Clear Paths: Training With Neural Style Transfer And Auto-Augmentation For Domain-Generalized Segmentation Of Soiled Images, Jacob Randall Kutch

Theses and Dissertations

The use of image segmentation within mission-critical autonomous vehicle applications is contingent on reliability of visual sensors, which may become significantly compromised by environmental occlusions such as mud, water, dust, or ice. This thesis explores semantic segmentation techniques tailored for identifying occluded regions, addressing the limitations of conventional methods under unpredictable real-world conditions. Given the scarcity of training datasets with realistic occlusions and the resulting reliance on synthetic data, this research leverages style transfer augmentations and a novel augmentation policy optimization framework to diversify training datasets and improve model generalization. A newly-curated dataset of naturally occurring occlusions evaluates the efficacy …

The Digital Divide Among Urban University Students In The Post-Pandemic Era, J. B. Oleet

Theses and Dissertations

This survey study, N = 44 university students, from an urban campus, measured post-pandemic digital divide perceptions, focusing on motivational, physical, skills, and usage access to ICTs through the lens of van Dijk’s resources and appropriation theory. Statistical tests, including one-sample t-tests, correlation analyses, one-way and repeated measure ANOVAs, and independent sample t-tests, highlighted both the perceptions and relationships among different dimensions of digital divides. The findings showed that participants perceive their post-pandemic digital divide perceptions positively. Intrinsic Motivational Access (IMA) mean scores were particularly high, suggesting a strong internal drive among students to engage with ICTs, significantly surpassing extrinsic …

Predicting Vegetation Override Force For Off-Road Autonomy, Marc Nicholas Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation override is an important aspect of off-road ground vehicle mobility. An autonomous ground vehicle’s (AGV) perception system must distinguish between vegetation that can be easily driven through from vegetation that cannot. Predicting the resistance of vegetation could allow path- planning systems to make this distinction. However, despite its importance, direct measurement of vegetation resistance is rare, as most studies use indirect proprioceptive data, such as inertial measurements, as proxies for override force. Notably, there is a lack of empirical data on the override resistance of small stems (< 2.5 cm) and clusters of vegetation on medium-sized (approx. 1000kg) vehicles. To address this gap, a comprehensive dataset of override measurements was collected for clumps of small vegetation relevant to intermediate-sized AGVs navigating off-road terrain. This dataset includes over 70 recordings using the Robot Operating System (ROS) during controlled driving experiments through small trees, grasses, and bushes. The collected data includes light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scans, imagery, force measurements from integrated load cells, and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) information. A key contribution of this research is the development and calibration of a custom push bar system equipped with load cells to directly measure override forces. These measurements are compared to empirical models previously developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for larger single-stem vegetation. A preprocessing pipeline was developed to automatically extract and label LiDAR and camera data according to these force measurements. This self-labeled dataset was then used to train machine learning models that predict override resistance of vegetation from LiDAR and camera scans alone. This research characterizes the relationship between override forces and the observable features of vegetation as measured by LiDAR and camera sensors. Deep learning models were developed and trained to predict override forces based on different input modalities and features derived from point clouds and images. The performance of these models was compared across various input features to investigate how deep learning can create a generalizable and accurate force prediction system.

Invasive Bigheaded Carp Distribution Patterns In Oxbow Lakes Of The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Michaela Ann Palmieri

Theses and Dissertations

Large populations of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis), collectively called bigheaded carps, may have significant impacts where they are invasive. In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), bigheaded carps have been documented in major rivers; however, knowledge of their distribution in oxbow lakes is lacking. Species distribution models are tools that can be used to estimate species distribution with presence data and environmental variables. As a cost-effective alternative to onsite sampling, I administered a questionnaire to biologists to inventory bigheaded carp presence and obtained environmental data from existing datasets. I used Maximum Entropy (Maxent) to illustrate …

Investigation Of Coupled Fluid-Structure Interactions In Supersonic Flows, Seshendra Palakurthy

Theses and Dissertations

The skin panels used in high-speed flights are exposed to various types of loads, such as inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic loads. In addition, oblique shock impingement can cause flow separation and unsteady aerodynamic loading, which can reduce vehicle performance and result in acoustic noise and viscous heating. These loads, when combined, can result in a complex dynamic response, such as flutter. Flutter is characterized by sustained unsteadiness or structural vibrations. Although flutter might not be immediately harmful, it can lead to fatigue failure of the structural components. A vast amount of literature already exists on the panel flutter induced by …

Mapping Invasive Aquatic Plants Using Deep Learning Classification And Segmentation Models, Ruchitha Yadav Prakash

Theses and Dissertations

High-resolution imagery from Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with multispec tral(MSI) and RGB sensors can be used for mapping invasive aquatic species. This research employs classification models like CNN, AlexNet, VGG16, ResNet, and DenseNet, alongside segmentation models such as FCN, U-Net, SegNet, DeepLabV3+, and Mask R-CNN, to analyze and visualize four invasive aquatic species including Cuban Bulrush (Oxycaryum cubense), Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Juncus (Juncus effusus), and Cattail (Typha latifolia). Among the tested models, ResNet (97.44% for RGB)andDenseNet(96.20%forMSI)exhibitedthehighest classification accuracies. For segmentation tasks, FCN (75.5% for RGB) and SegNet (79.6% for MSI) excelled. The study also examines the computational complexity …

The Impact Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Trainings And Study/Work Abroad Experiences On The Ability Of Staff And Faculty To Build Systems Of Support For International Students, Alina Fasirovna Nigmatullina

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of effective communication with the international students and their comfortable adaptation play an important role in developing the U.S. higher educational system in the field of competition of educational services. The international student population benefits from higher education just as much as higher education benefits from them. If universities are willing to recruit and retain more international students, they must be sensitive to the perceptions, needs, and concerns of prospective and enrolled international students. In order to sustain this, staff and faculty have to be exposed to certain trainings and experiences that will allow them to gain basic …

Identifying Opportunities For Nature-Based Solutions With Geospatialized Life Cycle Assessments And Fine-Scale Socioecological Data, Gabriela Shirkey, Annick Anctil, Ranjeet John, Venkatesh Kolluru, Leah Mungai, Herve Kashongwe, Lauren T. Cooper, Ilke Celik, Joshua B. Fisher, Jiquan Chen

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

As we increasingly understand the impact that land management intensification has on local and global climate, the call for nature-based solutions (NbS) in agroecosystems has expanded. Moreover, the pressing need to determine when and where NbS should be used raises challenges to socioecological data integration as we overcome spatiotemporal resolutions. Natural and working lands is an effort promoting NbS, particularly emissions reduction and carbon stock maintenance in forests. To overcome the spatiotemporal limitation, we integrated life cycle assessments (LCA), an ecological carbon stock model, and a land cover land use change model to synthesize rates of global warming potential (GWP) …

Courting Success

DePaul Magazine

DePaul men’s basketball shoots for a comeback with new head coach Chris Holtmann and a revitalized program.

Decision Making And Performance Optimization In Distributed Cyber Physical Networks, Md Sahabul Hossain

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) integrate computation, networking, and physical processes, while Cyber-Physical Networks (CPNs) enable communication and coordination among components. With advances in IoT and smart devices, CPSs are increasingly vital for applications such as smart grids, industrial automation, and autonomous vehicles. This dissertation explores decision making and performance optimization in Distributed Cyber-Physical Networks (DCPNs), focusing on efficiency, reliability, decentralization, and security. Using network economic theories (e.g., game theory, contract theory) and machine learning (e.g., Reinforcement Learning, Federated Learning), it addresses key problems: 1) a cost-effective positioning system with Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) and RL, 2) energy-efficient task offloading in Multi-access …

Ready, Set, Woes: A Narrative Inquiry Into Special Education Teacher Attrition By Transfer To General Education, Brent G. Collom

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Despite the prevalence of unfilled special education teaching positions nationwide, it is fair to ask whether there is truly a shortage of special education teachers (SETs). While SETs leave education at high rates, they are almost twice as likely to transfer to general education positions. Many former SETs are employed in schools yet outside of special education.

This narrative inquiry examined the stories of 10 former SETs who transferred to general education. This study found that former SETs continue to identify as teaching special education. Former SETs want general education teachers (GETs) and administrators to have training in special education …

Training Machine Learning Algorithms For The Transient Startup Of A Long-Life Modular Microreactor, Ahmad N. Shaheen

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

There is an increasing interest in developing and deploying small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) and micro modular reactors (MMRs). They could be operated with minimal on-site personnel or remotely with a high degree of autonomy. This can be enabled through the use and application of Artificial Intelligence (AL) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms and methods. The objective of the present work is to train machine learning algorithms for remote control mimicking the transient startup of the Very-Small, Long-LIfe, Modular (VSLLIM) microreactor. This walk-away safe microreactor design and a fully integrated transient model have been developed at the University of New …

Study The Effects Of Temperature On Laser Cladding Process With Two Different Geometries Using Comsol Multiphysics, Luban Hamdy Hameed Al-Qudsy

AUIQ Technical Engineering Science

Due to the advancement of laser material processing and the high-demand of high-quality processing, COMSOL Multiphyiscs emerges as a powerful solution to the problem, offering multiple simulation in virtual environment with both 2D and 3D geometries. In this work, we aim to study the effects of thermal properties on the laser cladding using both 2D and 3D geometries with Nickle and Copper as promising candidates for rapid processing of materials. The work was done on a personal computer using commercially-available package of COMSOL Multiphysics 5.0. Results shows a notable increment of heat affected zone when the laser power increased. Additionally, …

Disturbance Observer-Based Control Schemes For Off-Grid Renewable Energy-Based Distributed Generation Systems Feeding Unbalanced And Nonlinear Loads, Samantha Sasi Stephen

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This thesis addresses two critical issues in Renewable Energy-based Distributed Generation (REDG) systems that operate autonomously to supply unbalanced and nonlinear loads. The first issue concerns voltage regulation in grid-forming three-phase Pulse Width Modulation Voltage Source Inverters (PWM VSIs), which convert DC power generated by Distributed Generators (DGs) into three-phase AC power. These inverters often face challenges when feeding unbalanced and nonlinear loads, leading to poor voltage quality. To address this, a voltage controller was developed for grid-forming three-phase PWM VSIs to deliver symmetrical and high-quality voltage to such loads. The proposed controller integrates a Disturbance Observer (DO) into a …