Digital Commons Network^™

An Environmental Systems Engineering Framework For The United States Space Force: Multi-Objective Optimization Of Co2 Emissions And Biodiversity Trade-Offs, Julio Roberto Pinto Covelli

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing demand for sustainable defense operations has prompted the US Space Force to explore advanced strategies that reduce carbon emissions and preserve biodiversity across its installations. This dissertation proposes a scalable systems-engineering framework that quantitatively integrates CO₂ emissions modeling and ecological simulation at RAF Feltwell and RAF Lakenheath, two strategically signi?cant installations with notable ecological value. Using toolsincluding Python, MATLAB, ArcGIS, and InVEST, this research models emissions and habitat quality under various operational scenarios. The study incorporates engineering performance metrics, including emissions intensity, resilience indicators, and energy efficiency rates, to inform trade-off modeling for real-time mission and environmental decision-making. …

Spirituality And Well-Being Among Native College Students, Emma Reese Smith

Theses and Dissertations

In the current literature surrounding spirituality, definitions and conceptualizations of the construct differ. Researchers have proposed common themes of spirituality–self-awareness, interconnectedness to the world, and a relationship to a higher power or greater purpose (Hamilton & Jackson, 1998). While definitions of spirituality and how it is operationalized vary across studies, the current view in the field is that spirituality has positive outcomes on those who practice it, including their overall degree of well-being. While these positive effects have been showcased in the literature, due to the influence of western Christian perspectives on many measures of spirituality, there are methodological issues …

Beyond The Manual: Training Troubleshooting Skills Through Augmented Reality, Lawrence Allen Smith Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Many industrial maintenance departments implement and utilize Augmented Reality Technology (ART) and Augmented Reality Technical Training (ARTT) in their day-to-day operations. This study aims to examine technicians' troubleshooting skills by exploring two main questions: (1) how these skills are impacted by Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), and (2) how they are influenced by using either paper manuals or ARTT manuals. The research will compare the effects of traditional paper manuals and ARTT manuals on the learning outcomes of troubleshooters. The measurements of learning outcomes will include cognitive ability, professional specific knowledge, and skill retention. Keywords: augmented reality (AR), industrial maintenance, augmented …

Predicting Diversity Gaps In Clinical Trials Using Digital Twin Modeling, Abigail Tubbs

Theses and Dissertations

Demographic underrepresentation in clinical trials continues to limit the external validity, equity, and generalizability of biomedical evidence. While regulatory reforms have increased the availability of aggregate demographic reporting, most existing approaches assess representation retrospectively, after recruitment has begun, offering limited support for design-stage decision-making. This dissertation presents a digital twin–based framework for prospective assessment of demographic diversity in clinical trials using trial-level metadata. The work integrates three core contributions. First, an open, reproducible, no-code extraction tool was developed to enable bulk retrieval and harmonization of baseline demographic data (race, ethnicity, sex/gender, and age) from ClinicalTrials.gov using National Clinical Trial identifiers. …

Enhancing Geothermal Productivity In The Red River Formation, Williston Basin: Utilization Of Unconventional Stimulation Technology And Sco2 Injection To Improve Geothermal Inlet Temperature, Fluid Flow Rate, And Project Economics, Etochukwu Jude Uzuegbu

Theses and Dissertations

Geothermal energy is a reliable renewable energy source capable of delivering consistent baseload electricity while emitting very low concentrations of greenhouse gases. In very low permeable geothermal reservoir, the geothermal system’s efficiency and economic feasibility are heavily dependent on reservoir productivity, which includes the fluid circulation and heat extraction efficiency. This research assesses the geothermal inlet temperature dynamics, fluid production and techno-economic viability of two reservoir productivity enhancement approaches: Hydraulic Fracturing (Base Case model) and Fishbones stimulation (Proposed Case model) under various operational conditions. The research aims to evaluate the influence of these two approaches on the geothermal inlet temperature, …

Unified Deep Learning Techniques For Spatial Detection And Temporal Forecasting Across Visual Domains, John Olawale Olamofe

All Dissertations

This dissertation proposed a unified deep learning framework for spatial detection and temporal forecasting across visual domains, designed to address limited supervision, class imbalance, and scale variability. The framework was structured around four complementary principles: Domain-Aware Input Rebalancing, Representation-Centric Learning, Diversity-Driven Robustness, and Transfer Across Scale and Modality, which together enabled robust visual representation learning across heterogeneous data sources.

Domain-Aware Input Rebalancing mitigates non-uniform and sparse data distributions by actively reshaping inputs before learning via class-aware augmentation, sampling, resolution manipulation, and super-resolution. This principle underpins object detection in overhead satellite imagery (xView), dense urban aerial scenes (CADOT), temporally sparse NDVI …

Software Integration In Personal Healthcare Devices And The Patient User Experience, Yassine Chahid, Patrick Slattery

Publications and Research

This study examines the current landscape and future direction of medical device hardware and software integration, focusing on how each contributes to patient care. It begins by analyzing hardware focused medical devices, such as implantable tools patients may rely on to assist with their condition, alongside diagnostic and monitoring equipment used to treat conditions in a variety of medical areas (e.g. cardiovascular conditions). It then evaluates how software is currently integrated through embedded systems, data processing, and user interfaces that support real time monitoring and clinical decision making, and how this impacts quality of care for the patient whilst minimizing …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Pfas Induced Protein Dysfunction: Implications For Neurodegenerative Risk, Daisy Lee Wilson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with widespread human exposure and well-established links to adverse health outcomes. However, despite increasing epidemiological and experimental evidence, the molecular mechanisms underlying PFAS-induced neurotoxicity remain incompletely defined. This dissertation investigates PFAS toxicity across biological scales, integrating protein biophysics with neuronal cell models to elucidate pathways relevant to neurodegeneration. At the molecular level, we demonstrate that PFAS disrupts the structure and function of globular proteins, including the impairment of α-lactalbumin's calcium-binding capacity and of β-lactoglobulin's retinol binding, through concentration-dependent conformational destabilization. By applying these findings to a neuronal model, we show that …

Riemannian Manifold-Coupled Joint Sparse Graphical Models For Spatially Structured Precision Matrix Estimation, Abdul Rahman Adam

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis introduces a novel geometry-aware framework for joint precision matrix estimation in spatially structured data. Unlike existing joint Gaussian graphical model estimators that rely on Euclidean coupling mechanisms such as fused or group graphical lasso, our approach incorporates intrinsic Riemannian geometry through geodesic distance penalties on the symmetric positive definite manifold.

The method measures similarity between precision matrices of adjacent spatial regions using the affine-invariant Riemannian distance, capturing deformations of concentration ellipsoids rather than entrywise differences. This is particularly suited for spatial transcriptomics, where regions may share dependence structures despite differences in scale or composition.

An efficient Alternating Direction …

A Systems Engineering-Based Method For Enabling Digital Transformation In A Binational Small Healthcare Enterprise, Manuel Adrian Alvarez Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The year 2020, often described as "the great accelerator" for emerging technologies, marked a period of significant transformation in lifestyles, work patterns, and business strategies. For instance, online meetings have become more convenient than in-person interactions, even with colleagues in neighboring offices. For small businesses, rapid regulatory and technological changes required swift adaptation, including the acquisition of new technologies, tools, and software to ensure survival. This transition also necessitated adopting indirect engagement, revising communication protocols, and digitally transforming information. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in essential service sectors face also a fundamental paradox: their dependence on the skills, relationships, and …

Comparative Case Studies Of How General Chemistry Ii Students Explain Entropically-Driven Phenomena, Raymundo Aragonez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding how students conceptualize entropy remains a central challenge in chemistry education. Often referred to as a "driving force" of chemical reactions, the dispersal of energy as a process proceeds is indicative of a process's spontaneity or thermodynamic favorability. Students frequently default to discussing phenomena in deterministic terms, potentially reflecting the language choice and heuristics selected by the instructor such as "disorder". In this study, assessment prompts about entropy from a convenience sample of general chemistry textbooks were characterized as to their potential to elicit three-dimensional learning, and students' responses to assessment prompts from a curriculum aligned with three-dimensional learning …

Automated Arctic Coastal Boundary Extraction From Multispectral Satellite Imagery, Harshavardhini Bagavathyraj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic coastlines are changing rapidly as permafrost thaw and coastal erosion accelerate under a warming climate, creating a need for accurate and scalable methods to monitor landscape change. Two geomorphically important indicators of this change are the shoreline, which represents the land--water boundary, and the bluff edge, which marks the transition from vegetated tundra to the coastal slope or cliff. However, delineating these features from high-resolution imagery remains challenging because Arctic scenes are spatially extensive and visually complex. In this study, we address these challenges by developing deep learning methods for automated shoreline and bluff-edge extraction from high-resolution satellite imagery …

Bayesian Deep Learning For Photovoltaic Power Forecasting: A Probabilistic Framework For Uncertainty Quantification And Grid Reliability Optimization, Pablo Abraham Bustamante

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The global energy landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the urgent need to decarbonize power systems, enhance energy security, and meet growing electricity demands. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power has emerged as a critical component of future energy infrastructure due to its abundance, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. However, PV generation is inherently variable and weather-dependent, introducing significant uncertainty into grid operations and complicating the task of balancing supply and demand. Accurate forecasting of PV power generation-particularly on day-ahead and hour-ahead horizons-has become a strategic necessity for grid stability, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. PV output is influenced by numerous factors, …

From Infiltration Pathways To Aquifer Recharge: An Electrical Resistivity And Vadose-Zone Isotope Study In Pecan Agroforestry Systems, Jose Josue Cabral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Groundwater in arid or semi-arid regions is critical for agricultural production, yet the contribution of irrigation return flow to regional aquifer recharge remains poorly constrained. As is the case beneath flood-irrigated pecan orchards in the Rio Grande floodplain of Far West Texas. This study integrates time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) with stable water isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) in vadose-zone soil-pore water to evaluate how irrigation water infiltrates. This study tracks how irrigation return is stored and may contribute to recharge of the Hueco Bolson aquifer. The objectives are to (1) relate observed resistivity variations to stratigraphic heterogeneity influencing infiltration, (2) characterize …

Computational Studies Of Dna-Wrapped Carbon Nanotubes: From Enantioselective Dna Binding To Molecular Recognition Of Small-Molecule Analytes, Sayantani Chakraborty

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) exhibit chirality-dependent optoelectronic properties and near-infrared fluorescence that make them promising platforms for biosensing. When functionalized with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), SWCNTs form conjugates capable of selective molecular recognition. However, the molecular mechanisms governing chirality recognition and analyte-induced optical modulation remain incompletely understood. This dissertation investigates these mechanisms through an integrated computational approach combining molecular dynamics simulations, enhanced sampling techniques, and machine learning. First, atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) and replica exchange MD simulations were used to investigate how short ssDNA sequences interact with enantiomers of (7,5) SWCNTs. Analyses of base stacking, nucleotide orientation, sugar-phosphate positioning, and contact …

Health Disparities In El Paso's Low-Income Hispanic Communities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Acculturation, Obesity Metrics, And Socio-Cultural Determinants, Karen Del Rio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Health disparities among low-income Hispanic immigrants in the United States are shaped by complex interactions between acculturation, structural inequality, and socio-cultural determinants that behavioral and epidemiological models have not fully explained. This dissertation examines the relationship between acculturation and obesity-related outcomes among uninsured and low-income Hispanic adults of Mexican descent in El Paso, Texas, using a three-article, sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design grounded in Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit).Article 1 presents a systematic review of 20 peer-reviewed studies examining acculturation and obesity among Mexican Americans, finding consistent evidence that longer U.S. residence is associated with increased BMI and obesity prevalence, mediated …

Lena's Shadow, Rebecca Lynn Dolloff

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Horror as a History and as a Comfort to preface Lena's Shadow.

From Covid-19 To Influenza: Transforming Public Health Surveillance Through Freeze-Drying Innovations, Rui Dong

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Public health surveillance increasingly relies on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a non-invasive, community-level early warning system for infectious diseases like COVID-19 and influenza. However, detecting minute viral concentrations in complex wastewater matrices remains a significant analytical challenge. Traditional concentrating methods, such as ultrafiltration, are limited by high performance variability and significant viral signal loss due to necessary pretreatment steps, such as pre-clarification, which inadvertently discard solid-associated viral fractions. To address these limitations, this dissertation introduces and evaluates freeze-drying as a novel, pretreatment-free concentrating method for wastewater viral surveillance. By sublimating water, freeze-drying uniquely retains both liquid and solid-phase viruses within …

A Diagnostic Test For Confounding Under Collapsibility In Generalized Linear Models (Glms), Samuel Dela Gadah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis develops and validates a diagnostic framework for assessing potential confounding in generalized linear models (GLMs) with collapsible link functions. Under collapsibility and effect homogeneity, the absence of confounding implies equality between marginal and covariate-adjusted treatment effects on the link scale, which motivates the change-in-estimate parameter δ = γ − γ(c) as the target of a formal hypothesis test. Two complementary inferential routes are developed: a nonparametric bootstrap and an independent estimating equation (IEE) procedure based on a stacked-data construction that yields a closed-form sandwich variance and is implementable in standard generalized estimating equation software. A backward elimination procedure …

Development Of A Simulation-Driven Evaluation System For Foreign Objects In Aircraft Structures, Daniela Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the use of simulation-driven methods to evaluate the behavior and potential impact of foreign objects within aircraft structures. Foreign Object Damage (FOD) remains a major concern in aerospace safety, as small components unintentionally left inside aircraft compartments can create uncertainty regarding their effect during flight. Although current inspection methods can detect the presence of foreign objects (FOs), they often cannot determine whether these objects pose a significant structural risk, leading to conservative maintenance decisions. To address this limitation, this work develops a simulation-based framework that integrates Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate …

Prediabetes Prediction Before Disease Onset Using Multimodal Health Data: A Machine Learning Approach, Luisa Veronica Gracia Mazuca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prediabetes is a critical health condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test diagnoses patients with prediabetes, but the disease has already caused metabolic alterations. Early detection is essential for timely interventions, and machine learning models offer a promising approach to identify prediabetic individuals through the analysis of biomarkers such as cytokines. We compared four classifiers-logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and k-nearest neighbors - using cytokines (TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ), age, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Models were evaluated using stratified 5-fold cross-validation and ROC-AUC. K-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) achieved the highest …

Development Of A High-Throughput Framework For Studying Choice-Movement Dynamics In Freely Moving Rats Across Motivational And Pharmacological States, Atanu Giri

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis develops and applies high-throughput behavioral assays and analysis pipelines to study how external contingencies and internal state shape rodent decision-making. First, it introduces RECORD (Reward-Cost in Rodent Decision-making), a modular platform that combines 3D-printed arenas, microcontroller-based control, and closed-loop trial structure to deliver graded rewards and costs in a foraging-like environment. RECORD supports scalable data collection across multiple arenas and a software stack for parsing, databasing, and extracting spatiotemporal behavioral features and psychometric choice functions. Using this framework, the thesis quantifies how animals integrate sucrose reward magnitude with aversive light cost, revealing structured individual differences and sex-dependent movement …

Ai-Based Framework For Elucidating The Ring Opening Energy Of Cycloalkanes, Evan Griffin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cycloalkanes are a prominent component of jet fuels due to their high volumetric energy density and lower soot yield compared to aromatics. However, the structural nuance of cycloalkanes can make predicting their combustion kinetics challenging. The present study aims to develop a quantitative structure-property relationship of the ring opening energy (ROE) of cycloalkanes. A total of 253 cycloalkanes were curated from the ZINC15 database, ranging from monocycloalkanes to tetra-cycloalkanes. The 3-D cartesian coordinates of the closed shell and open shell diradical states for all curated cycloalkanes was generated with RDKit in Python and used MMFF94 to optimize the molecular geometries. …

Exploratory Proxy Occupational Health Risk Assessment On Pm2.5 Exposure Among Outdoor Personnel At International Ports Of Entry, Josdell Maria Guerra Ruiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite growing public health concerns on PM2.5 exposure and its respiratory health effects, no documented evidence has been found on the application of proxy methods to perform occupational health risk assessments for PM2.5 exposure among outdoor personnel. The purpose of this research study was to conduct a descriptive and predictive occupational health risk assessment for cancer and non-cancer respiratory health outcomes related to PM2.5 exposure among outdoor personnel at targeted international ports of entry (IPOE). A total of 61 samples were collected, for 24 hours, at two targeted IPOEs (every sixth day) over 12-month period. Samples included measurements on PM2.5 …

What Do Captains And Lieutenants Believe To Be The Most Effective Professional Development For Fire Officers?, Claudia Haley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the professional development of fire officers through a blend of research methods and theoretical frameworks. The primary question driving this research is: "What do captains and lieutenants consider to be the most effective professional development for fire officers?" The framework employed to conduct this study was constructivist grounded theory. It was essential to consider the perspectives of those actively working in the industry when developing a professional development program for officers, as their expertise lends significant credibility to the study. The research utilized the Delphi method to identify and ensure the key elements that experts believe are …

The Effect Of Temperature And Hydroperiod On Rotifer Hatching Diversity And Phenology In Ephemeral Playas, Brent Samuel Hogue

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As climate continues to change, weather events such as heat waves and precipitation are expected to become more extreme, and organisms living in these ephemeral habitats will experience unprecedented conditions that may test their limits. However, some organisms that live in these habitats are adapted for resiliency in the face of fluctuating conditions. The focal taxa of this study are rotifers, which have the ability to produce diapausing eggs, that are stored in sediment egg banks. Diapausing eggs will hatch once suitable conditions occur in the habitat, while the rest remain stored in the sediment. This strategy assists in the …

Validity Of The Cultural Determinants Of Help-Seeking Model Among Hispanic Women With A History Of Intimate Partner Violence And Psychological Distress, Genevieve Marie Jessen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hispanic women experience disproportionately higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alongside low treatment engagement and greater alcohol use, even after intimate partner violence (IPV) has ended. Sociocultural factors may exacerbate the lasting impacts of IPV by contributing to a greater burden of disease. Prior research suggests that both psychological symptoms and sociocultural influences shape trauma recovery following IPV. However, little is known about how these factors interact after IPV cessation to impact Hispanic women's help-seeking and drinking. To address this gap, the present study applied the Cultural Determinants of Help-Seeking (CDHS) framework to examine whether inhibitory factors (e.g., barriers …

Robust Logistic Regression With Elastic Net For Contaminated High-Dimensional Data, Chitra Bahadur Karki

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

High-dimensional logistic regression is particularly vulnerable to outliers, which can distort estimation, weaken variable selection, and harm prediction accuracy. This dissertation introduces RobENetLog, a robust elastic net logistic regression method that jointly selects informative variables and reliable observations by extending ideas from least trimmed squares regression to the classification setting. The proposed approach combines adaptive outlier detection with trimmed penalized estimation so that it can address contamination in both predictors and responses across a wide range of dimensional settings. Simulation studies show that RobENetLog consistently improves predictive performance and robustness in the presence of outliers, while remaining competitive with standard …

Three Essays On Consumers' Financial Decision-Making, Zakieh Kaveh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines how emerging financial and service technologies shape consumer decision-making and consumption behavior. Across three essays, this research investigates how technological features embedded in payment methods, self-service systems, and artificial intelligence influence consumers' psychological processes and behavioral outcomes in financial and marketplace contexts.

Characterization Of The Synhalokinetic Megaflap Lithofacies And Stratigraphy At Sinbad Valley, Paradox Basin, Western Colorado, Michael David Laase

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study documents the halokinetic evolution of the Sinbad Valley salt wall and flanking megaflap through the characterization of its lithofacies, stratigraphy, and major structures. Sinbad Valley salt wall is in the northern Paradox Basin, in western Colorado, and is the most proximal salt diapir to the Uncompahgre Uplift, the clastic sediment source for the basin. Megaflaps are recently defined structures involving early minibasin strata that are folded up to form steeply dipping "stratal panels" along the sides of steep diapirs. The Sinbad Valley megaflap crops out as a ~7.5km long and 400m wide panel of folded and deformed Pennsylvanian- …