Digital Commons Network^™

Convex Approach To Data-Driven Optimal Control With Safety Constraints Using Linear Transfer Operator, Joseph Raphel Moyalan

All Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the data-driven solution to the optimal control problem with safety constraints for a class of control-affine nonlinear systems. Designing optimal control satisfying safety constraints is a problem of interest in various applications, including robotics, power systems, transportation networks, and manufacturing. This problem is known to be non-convex. One of this thesis's main contributions is providing a convex formulation to this non-convex problem. The second main contribution is providing a data-driven framework for solving the control problem with safety constraints. The linear operator theoretic framework involving Perron-Frobenius and Koopman operators provides the convex formulation and associated …

Monitoring Vehicle Seat Occupancy Status And Tracking Human Passenger Activities Inside Vehicle Passenger Cabins, Rahul Prasanna Kumar

All Dissertations

An autonomous vehicle (AV) is a promising engineering innovation that can operate without a human driver. Nonetheless, to ensure passenger safety and comfort in the absence of human drivers, the vehicle must continuously monitor and predict how the cabin’s state will evolve in the immediate future. The two major factors influencing the cabin’s state are the occupancy statuses of vehicle seats and the activities of human passengers occupying them. Therefore, this dissertation presents a system employing a capacitance-sensing mat and a machine learning unit to monitor vehicle seat occupancy status and track passenger activities non-intrusively. While the mat integrates with …

Essays In Industrial Organization And Regulation, Micah D. Thomas

All Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of two essays; in the first, I develop a model to show that when there is a sufficiently large segment of uninformed consumers and an existing norm regarding the advertising of bundled good prices that price obfuscation through base good advertisements can be both: (1) profit maximizing, and (2) result in an equilibrium where only some firms obfuscate. I provide the first empirical evidence of this setting by estimating the increase in prices charged by retail gasoline stations, finding a statistically and economically significant obfuscating premium of 5-7 cents per gallon. I also provide evidence of …

Efficient And Secure Data Transmissions In Emerging Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Sihan Yu

All Dissertations

The widespread deployment of wireless devices facilitates the Internet of everything, greatly enhancing communication efficiency and improving people’s daily experiences. The interconnectivity of wireless devices relies on wireless communication technologies. With the development of various emerging communication technologies, wireless networks have become increasingly vast and complex, giving rise to numerous new challenges such as efficiency and security concerns.

In wireless networks, different devices may utilize different communication protocols, resulting in heterogeneous wireless networks. Communication among heterogeneous devices is challenging, often leading to conflicts and low communication efficiency when utilizing limited communication resources (e.g., spectrum resources). Moreover, the coexistence of heterogeneous …

Efficient First-Order Methods For Some Smooth Nonlinear Optimization Problems, Yunheng Jiang

All Dissertations

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Virtually Coached Nature-Based Activities For Perceived Stress In Rural-Dwelling Families With A Teenager With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Deborah R. Logan

All Dissertations

Families with teenagers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience more stress than families without teenagers with ASD due to individuals with ASD often exhibiting social behaviors that differ from social norms, and parents having to adjust their expectations and future goals for their child with ASD. Rural-dwelling families of teenagers with ASD may experience additional stress due to their having to travel to access therapeutic services. Research focused on family-based services aimed at decreasing stress among rural-dwelling families of teenagers with ASD is lacking. The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to explore the feasibility of an …

Recommendations And Implementation Considerations For The Routine Collection Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Data In Research And Practice

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Plasma Proteins Associated With Plant-Based Diets: Results From The Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (Aric) Study And Framingham Heart Study (Fhs), Morgan E Grams, James S Floyd, Nona Sotoodehnia, Nicholas L Smith, Dan E Arking, Josef Coresh, Casey M Rebholz

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background & aims: Plant-based diets are associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases. Large-scale proteomics can identify objective biomarkers of plant-based diets, and improve our understanding of the pathways that link plant-based diets to health outcomes. This study investigated the plasma proteome of four different plant-based diets [overall plant-based diet (PDI), provegetarian diet, healthful plant-based diet (hPDI), and unhealthful plant-based diet (uPDI)] in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and replicated the findings in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring cohort.

Methods: ARIC Study participants at visit 3 (1993-1995) with completed food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data and proteomics …

Using Gps-Defined Venue-Based Affiliation Networks Among Black Sexually Minoritized Men And Transgender Women To Identify Locations For Hiv Prevention Interventions, Seann D Regan, Justin Knox, Kayo Fujimoto, John A Schneider

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: HIV biomedical intervention uptake is suboptimal among Black sexually minoritized men (SMM) and transgender women (TW). Venues where people meet and interact shape HIV-related risk and prevention behaviors. We aimed to construct GPS-defined venue-based affiliation networks and identify the unique set of venues that could maximize reach of HIV biomedical interventions among Black SMM and TW.

Methods: We used baseline survey and GPS data from 272 Black SMM and TW in the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) Cohort Study in Chicago, Illinois (2018-2019). We mapped participants' GPS data to the nearest pre-identified SMM- and TW-friendly venue (n = 222) to …

Sleep Disturbance As A Precursor To Anxiety, Depression, And Ptsd Among Rural Kenyans: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis From A Rural Kenyan Interventional Cohort, Elizabeth Vaughan, Fridah Mukiri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Sleep quality is essential to biopsychosocial functioning, yet there remains limited longitudinal research on sleep and mental or social well-being within low- or middle-income countries. This study utilised longitudinal cohort data from a community-based empowerment programme in Meru County, Kenya to assess cross-lagged correlations between sleep disturbance, social support, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Participants (n = 373; 92% women; age range 18-86 years) who reported more sleep disturbance at T1 reported significantly more symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and significantly less social support at T2 (average 11 weeks later), controlling for all within-time correlations across measures, …

"The Hotel Of 10,000 Stars": The Impact Of Social-Structural Determinants Of Health Among Im/Migrant Shrimpers In The Gulf Of Mexico, Anabel Rodriguez

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives. To identify appropriate interventions to prevent injury, we conducted a qualitative study among commercial shrimp fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico.

Methods. Using qualitative and participatory research methods, including interviews, photovoice, and workplace observations in southeast Texas and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, we examined the social‒structural dimensions that contribute to physical and psychological injury.

Results. We found that multiple layers of vulnerability and danger exist among shrimpers with interacting themes: (1) recognizing risk, (2) precarious employment, and (3) psychological distress.

Conclusions. Our results add to the growing body of knowledge that emphasizes the negative health impacts of …

“It Is Like A Curse”. The Lived Experiences Of The Intersection Of Intergenerational Violence, Pregnancy, And Intimate Partner Violence Among Urban Wisconsin Indigenous Women, Jeneile Luebke, Nicole Thomas, Yamikani B. Nkhoma, Angela R. Fernandez, Kaylen M. Moore, Alexa A. Lopez, Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern that disproportionately impacts Indigenous American women more than any other ethnic/racial group in the United States.

Purpose

This study aims to inform the work of nurses and allied health professionals by providing insight into the lived realities of Indigenous women in urban areas and how IPV manifests in the lives of Indigenous women.

Methods

Postcolonial and Indigenous feminist frameworks informed this qualitative study. Using thematic analysis, we analyzed data from semi-structured individual interviews with 34 Indigenous women in large urban areas in the upper Midwest.

Findings

This manuscript discusses …

High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C Combined With Docetaxel In Men With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Phase Ii Trial, Channing Paller, Marianna Zahurak, Adel Mandl, Nicole Metri, Aliya Lalji, Elisabeth Heath, William Kelly, Christopher Hoimes, Pedro Barata, Jason Taksey, Dominique Garrison, Kartick Patra, Ginger Milne, Nicole Anders, Julie Nauroth, Jennifer Durham, Catherine Marshall, Mark Markowski, Mario Eisenberger, Emmanuel Antonarakis, Michael Carducci, Samuel Denmeade, Mark Levine

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

UNLABELLED: High-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC) administered to produce pharmacologic concentrations shows promise in preclinical models and small clinical trials, but larger prospective randomized trials are lacking. We evaluated the clinical benefit of combining HDIVC with docetaxel in patients with progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In this double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial, 47 patients were randomized 2:1 to receive docetaxel (75 mg/m2 i.v.) with either HDIVC (1 g/kg) or placebo. Coprimary endpoints were PSA50 response and adverse event rates. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, radiographic progression-free survival, and quality of life measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate …

Strength And Endocrine Adaptations From The Combined Use Of Accentuated Eccentric Loading And Cluster Sets During A Strength Endurance Training Block, Kurt Mcdowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the chronic effects of accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) paired with cluster sets (CS) on dynamic and maximal strength, the endocrine system, and body composition. Seventeen recreationally active subjects (male = 11, females = 6, age = 23.05 ± 4.07, height = 172.09 ± 9.98, body mass = 81.29 ± 22.18, back squat to body mass ratio = 1.55 ± 0.33, bench press to body mass ratio = 1.06 ± 0.28) participated in one familiarization week, 2 weeks of testing, and 4 weeks of training. A strength-endurance block (4 wks) was used for …

Soreness And Perceptual Responses From The Combined Use Of Accentuated Eccentric Loading And Cluster Sets During A Strength-Endurance Training Block, Ryan Lis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of the current study was to analyze palpation and movement soreness via the visual analog scale (PVAS and MVAS, respectively) between accentuated eccentric loading (AEL) and traditional resistance training (TRAD) during a month of strength-endurance training. This was measured at the lower body (LB: gluteus maximus and vastus lateralis) and the upper body (UB: pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and triceps brachii) every day of training (1-20 days) immediately before warming up and after finishing the training session. The MVAS was conducted at a self-selected fast speed. The second purpose was to measure perceptual responses between AEL and …

Racial Discrimination Increases The Risk For Nonremitting Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms In Traumatically Injured Black Individuals Living In The United States, Lucas Torres, Timothy J. Geier, Carissa W. Tomas, Claire M. Bird, Sydney Clare Timmer-Murillo, Christine L. Larson, Terri A. Deroon-Cassini

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Traumatic, life-threatening events are experienced commonly among the general U.S. population, yet Black individuals in the United States (i.e., Black Americans) exhibit higher prevalence rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more severe symptoms than other populations. Although empirical research has noted a range of symptom patterns that follow traumatic injury, minimal work has examined the role of racial discrimination in relation to PTSD symptom trajectories. The current study assessed racial discrimination and PTSD symptom trajectories at 6 months postinjury across two separate samples of traumatically injured Black Americans (i.e. emergency department (ED)–discharged and hospitalized). Identified PTSD symptom trajectories largely …

How To Design Equitable Digital Health Tools: A Narrative Review Of Design Tactics, Case Studies, And Opportunities, Amy Bucher, Beenish M Chaudhry, Jean W Davis, Katharine Lawrence, Emily Panza, Manal Baqer, Rebecca T Feinstein, Sherecce A Fields, Jennifer Huberty, Deanna M Kaplan, Isabelle S Kusters, Frank T Materia, Susanna Y Park, Maura Kepper

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

With a renewed focus on health equity in the United States driven by national crises and legislation to improve digital healthcare innovation, there is a need for the designers of digital health tools to take deliberate steps to design for equity in their work. A concrete toolkit of methods to design for health equity is needed to support digital health practitioners in this aim. This narrative review summarizes several health equity frameworks to help digital health practitioners conceptualize the equity dimensions of importance for their work, and then provides design approaches that accommodate an equity focus. Specifically, the Double Diamond …

Expanding A Behavioral View On Digital Health Access: Drivers And Strategies To Promote Equity, Maura M Kepper, Lauren A Fowler, Isabelle S Kusters, Jean W Davis, Manal Baqer, Sara Sagui-Henson, Yunyu Xiao, Adati Tarfa, Jean C Yi, Bryan Gibson, Kristin E Heron, Nicole M Alberts, Marissa Burgermaster, Veronica Ps Njie-Carr, Lisa M Klesges

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

The potential and threat of digital tools to achieve health equity has been highlighted for over a decade, but the success of achieving equitable access to health technologies remains challenging. Our paper addresses renewed concerns regarding equity in digital health access that were deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our viewpoint is that (1) digital health tools have the potential to improve health equity if equitable access is achieved, and (2) improving access and equity in digital health can be strengthened by considering behavioral science-based strategies embedded in all phases of tool development. Using behavioral, equity, and access frameworks allowed for …

Trends In Central Nervous System-Active Polypharmacy Among People With Multiple Sclerosis, Leorah Freeman

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) are at risk of concurrently using multiple central nervous system (CNS)-active drugs, yet the prevalence of CNS-active polypharmacy remains unmeasured in pwMS.

OBJECTIVE: The objective is to measure the prevalence of CNS-active polypharmacy in pwMS.

METHODS: This serial, cross-sectional study measured CNS-active polypharmacy in people with MS in the United States from 2008 to 2021 using insurance claims data. CNS-active polypharmacy was defined as the concurrent prescription of ⩾3 CNS-active drugs for >30 continuous days. CNS-active drugs included antidepressants, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine benzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics, opioids, and skeletal muscle relaxants.

RESULTS: The …

Mmwave Tx-Rx Self-Interference Suppression Through A High Impedance Surface Stacked Ebg, Adewale K. Oladeinde, Ehsan Aryafar, Branimir Pejcinovic

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper proposes a full-duplex (FD) antenna design with passive self-interference (SI) suppression for the 28 GHz mmWave band. The reduction in SI is achieved through the design of a novel configuration of stacked Electromagnetic Band Gap structures (EBGs), which create a high impedance path to travelling electromagnetic waves between the transmit and receive antenna elements. The EBG is composed of stacked patches on layers 1 and 2 of a four-layer stack-up configuration. We present the design, optimization, and prototyping of unit antenna elements, stacked EBGs, and integration of stacked EBGs with antenna elements. We also evaluate the design through …

Automatic Uncovering Of Patient Primary Concerns In Portal Messages Using A Fusion Framework Of Pretrained Language Modelsautomatic Uncovering Of Patient Primary Concerns In Portal Messages Using A Fusion Framework Of Pretrained Language Models, Sunyang Fu, Dezhi Wu, Hongfang Liu, Ming Huang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: The surge in patient portal messages (PPMs) with increasing needs and workloads for efficient PPM triage in healthcare settings has spurred the exploration of AI-driven solutions to streamline the healthcare workflow processes, ensuring timely responses to patients to satisfy their healthcare needs. However, there has been less focus on isolating and understanding patient primary concerns in PPMs-a practice which holds the potential to yield more nuanced insights and enhances the quality of healthcare delivery and patient-centered care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We propose a fusion framework to leverage pretrained language models (LMs) with different language advantages via a Convolution Neural …

Artificial Intelligence In Fusion Protein Three-Dimensional Structure Prediction: Review And Perspective

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have accelerated the prediction of unknown protein structures. However, accurately predicting the three-dimensional (3D) structures of fusion proteins remains a difficult task because the current AI-based protein structure predictions are focused on the WT proteins rather than on the newly fused proteins in nature. Following the central dogma of biology, fusion proteins are translated from fusion transcripts, which are made by transcribing the fusion genes between two different loci through the chromosomal rearrangements in cancer. Accurately predicting the 3D structures of fusion proteins is important for understanding the functional roles and mechanisms of action …

Patient-Centered Clinical Decision Support Challenges And Opportunities Identified From Workflow Execution Models, Nicole A Gauthreaux, James Swiger, Edwin A Lomotan, Prashila Dullabh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: To use workflow execution models to highlight new considerations for patient-centered clinical decision support policies (PC CDS), processes, procedures, technology, and expertise required to support new workflows.

METHODS: To generate and refine models, we used (1) targeted literature reviews; (2) key informant interviews with 6 external PC CDS experts; (3) model refinement based on authors' experience; and (4) validation of the models by a 26-member steering committee.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We identified 7 major issues that provide significant challenges and opportunities for healthcare systems, researchers, administrators, and health IT and app developers. Overcoming these challenges presents opportunities for new …

Serl: Style-Embedding Representation Learning For Unsupervised Ct Images Synthesis From Unpaired Mr Images, Xiaobo Zhou

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and the fastest-growing cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are the key image-based examination methods for HCC patients. Patients may alternatively undergo CT and MR exams given a radiation dose of the former and the cost of the latter. Due to organ representation differences between CT and MR, it's a great challenge to detect the tumors from a time series of data consisting of both CT and MR by a single model. The annotations for these time series …

Challenges In Lncrna Biology: Views And Opinions, Ekaterina G Derevyanchuk, Tatiana P Shkurat, Jeffrey A Loeb, Ivan Martinez, Leonard Lipovich

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This is a mini-review capturing the views and opinions of selected participants at the 2021 IEEE BIBM 3rd Annual LncRNA Workshop, held in Dubai, UAE. The views and opinions are expressed on five broad themes related to problems in lncRNA, namely, challenges in the computational analysis of lncRNAs, lncRNAs and cancer, lncRNAs in sports, lncRNAs and COVID-19, and lncRNAs in human brain activity.

Perspectives Of Speech-Language Pathologists On Strategies And Skills To Support Parental Involvement In Language Stimulation And Co-Viewing, Jeanelle Canelo

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to guide the role of parents in language stimulation and parental co-viewing as it relates to linguistic development and adult-child facilitated screen use in toddlers. The study explored New York State licensed and certified speech language pathologist’s (SLPs) perceptions of a healthy balance of screen time (ST), playtime, and parent-child interaction. Objectives included understanding the impact of ST on communication skills and exploring how adult–child engagement influences language development outcomes in children under age 5. The methodology involved one-on-one interviews via Zoom with the SLPs, using semi-structured questions. Data was collected, transcribed, …

The Prevalence And Experience Of Burnout Among Physical Therapists In Home Health Care: A Mixed Methods Study, Sherry Kessler

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this dissertation research study was to investigate burnout in physical therapists working in the growing field of home health care. The existing body of literature shows the prevalence and impact of burnout within the general sector of health care; however, evidence is limited in the setting of home health care, and there is less research with physical therapists. A convergent parallel mixed methods approach was used to combine quantitative data from the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS [MP]) with professional demographic information and qualitative data from an open-ended questionnaire. The study recruited 60 …

Navigating The Storm: Addressing Youth Mental Health In New York State Public High Schools, Sheila Mashack

Education Doctoral

The United States is experiencing a mental health crisis among its youth. This crisis is, characterized by rising suicide rates, persistent sadness, and increased psychiatric visits. Comorbid conditions further complicate this crisis. Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, this study explores challenges faced by high school counselors and social workers. According to Bitsko et al. (2022), 88% of schools lack confidence in their capacity to provide sufficient mental health services. Key findings highlight substantial gaps in mental health service delivery, including overwhelming caseloads and insufficient resources, which impede the effectiveness of interventions.

The study recommends increasing staff diversity, ensuring equitable resource …

Interagency Collaboration And The School-To-Prison Pipeline: Perspectives Of Public High School And Juvenile Detention Facility Administrators, Michael A. Allen Ii

Education Doctoral

The academic plight of Black and brown youth who enter the United States juvenile justice system is well-documented. Their likelihood of graduating from high school decreases, while the likelihood of dropping out and being further involved with the justice system increases. Although many factors contribute to this conundrum, this study explored the relationship between the public education system and the juvenile justice system. Using an adaptive leadership theoretical framework, this transcendental phenomenological study sought to ascertain the perspectives of administrators working in public high schools as well as those working in juvenile detention facilities across New York State. Through semi-structured, …

The Influence Of Business Development Areas On Leadership Positions Within Landscape Architecture Professional Practice, Catherine E. Frost

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Landscape architecture is a discipline that connects natural, physical, and human sciences, and which operates as a professional design practice. While technical skills and design proficiency have historically been the focus of landscape architecture programs, the literature indicates a recognition of the indispensable role of entrepreneurial skills alongside design expertise (Marsh, 1928; Pray, 1911; Rice, 2017; Shepphard et al., 2018). However, there remains a scarcity of research specifically investigating business development skills within landscape architecture practice (Evans & Leccese, 1991; Gobster et al., 2010; Granet, 2021; Littlefield, 2015; Powers & Walker, 2009).

To bridge this gap, this study engaged in …