Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Open-Source Forensics Tools Are Great Tools For Critical Used Machines, Erik Herrera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Open-Source software exists on everything from operating systems to daily productivity applications. In digital forensics, a very popular tool that is used to learn on and expand is Autopsy. Autopsy is known in the digital world due to its potential and wide usage. It is in many built packages of software inside the open-source world of applications. It is built into premade operating systems that are involved in Digital Forensics and Penetration Testing. Prebuilt OS includes Kali Linux and Computer Aided Investigative Environment (CAINE).

In the application to defend Open-Source software being just as good as closed-source software, I will …

Structural Characterization Of The Puma Diapir, Gulf Of Mexico Basin, Rodrigo Velasquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Basin has been a significant target for oil and gas since the 1990s and continues today as a leading exploration target. This super basin is home to an estimated 200 BBOE (Billon barrels of oil equivalent), with current production totaling 60 BBOE for both USA and Mexico. Even though the overall depositional evolution of the GOM has allowed for the key elements for petroleum accumulations to be met, a complex structural framework is present. This framework results from the asymmetric spreading of the North American Plate from the Yucatan block crating the GOM basin we …

Chinese Tallow Long-Term Impact On Stand Dynamics In A Bottomland Hardwood Forest Following Vegetation Management, Nicklaus R. Langlois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera (L.) Small) is an invasive tree known to have negative impacts on bottomland hardwood forests. Chinese tallow is proficient in reproducing and surviving in bottomland hardwood forests because it is more flood and shade tolerant than most native trees. The long-term effectiveness of Chinese tallow control is an important topic to research as only a few long-term studies of Chinese tallow control have been conducted. A 10-year re-measurement of 22 paired plots installed in 2012 on the Pineywoods Mitigation Bank near Diboll, Texas following herbicide treatments examined Chinese tallow and native tree stand structure. Each …

Breaking The Causality Limit For Broadband Acoustic Absorption Using A Noncausal Active Absorber, Kangkang Wang, Sipei Zhao, Chen Shen, Haishan Zou, Jing Lu, Andrea Alu

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

The principle of causality imposes a constraint between the thickness and bandwidth of absorbers. This trade-off applies to any linear, time-invariant, passive system, limiting the development of broadband-absorbing materials that demand a thin profile for sound, light, and radio waves. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to overcome this constraint in acoustics using a noncausal active absorber whose response is controlled over time. A theoretical framework is established, which sets a relation among minimum thickness, bandwidth, and a priori information about the incident signal, representing a relaxed physical bound for noncausal absorbers. We design an absorber based on this principle and …

Digital Scribes: A Possible Solution For Provider Burnout By Reducing Provider Workload, Shannon Storley

Theses and Graduate Projects

Background: Provider burnout is continuing to be a massive problem for our healthcare industry. One major contributor to provider burnout is burdensome administrative tasks associated with documentation of electronic medical records (EMR). This review aims to uncover the applications for artificially intelligent digital scribes as a solution to reduce EMR documentation burden. Purpose: Provider burnout has shown to increase the incidence of major mistakes and decreased patient safety grades. Digital scribes could be a solution in reducing provider burnout by reducing the administrative burden of EMR documentation. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted using articles from PubMed using search …

Association Between Residential Distance To Airport And Blood Lead Levels In Children Under 6 Living In North Carolina, 1992–2015, Abdul-Nasah Soale

Faculty Scholarship

Even with progress in lead poisoning prevention, research has consistently shown there is no safe blood lead level (BLL) for children.1 Behavioral and cognitive deficits are associated with lead exposure, even at low levels.2 Unfortunately, many piston-engine aircraft are still fueled by leaded aviation gas (avgas). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 5.2 million people live within 500m of an airport where avgas is used.3 Our past research in six North Carolina (NC) counties indicates that children living within 500m of airports where avgas is used have ∼4% higher BLLs than children who lived beyond 2,000m (reference group); …

Aquatics As A Therapeutic Intervention And Its Effects On The Quality Of Life Of People Diagnosed With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Brianna Barcelo, Lakesia Boykin, Helen Carey

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

: Interventions in the form of aquatics have been utilized with the profession of occupational therapy as the aquatic environment is a model setting for addressing occupational therapy interests (Becker, 2009). Although aquatic interventions are utilized within profession, there is limited research discussing how aquatics as a therapeutic intervention effects the quality of life (QoL) of people diagnosed with ALS. Therefore, the purpose of the research project was to explore the effects of aquatics as a therapeutic intervention on the QoL of those diagnosed with ALS.

Bmfou Berkeley Pit Waterfowl Protection Program - Request For Change, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Examining The Lived Experiences Of Educators Using Different Levels Of Support For Teaching Math To Students With Learning Disabilities In Math Computation And Problem-Solving For Teachers At Public Cyber Charter High Schools In The Northeastern United States: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Leeann E. Mccullough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of educators using different levels of support for teaching math to students with learning disabilities in math computation and problem-solving for teachers at public cyber charter high schools in the Northeastern United States. The theory guiding this study was Sweller’s cognitive load theory, as it explained the learning process of students with learning disabilities and how educators developed instructional methods that complement the learner’s needs. The central research question was, “What is the lived experience of 9-12th-grade mathematics teachers in supporting students with differing learning abilities in …

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 49 – Old Glory., Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 74 – West Gagnon Dump., Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 121 – Travona Dump., Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 125 – Child Harold-2 Dump., Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Extreme Ultraviolet And Xray Applications Of Carbon Nanotube Devices, Scott Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and xray ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum have many unique properties and applications, such as medical treatment, photolithography, and astronomical observation. However, these applications require unique optical element designs, setups, and materials. carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a fascinating material with thermal, mechanical, and chemical properties that may be beneficial for VUV, EUV, and xray applications. They are conductive, can be patterned into high aspect ratio structures, and are stable in high temperature vacuum. In this work, we report several carbon nanotube devices developed for the VUV, EUV, and xray range. These devices include …

Geological And Geophysical Model Of The Sand Wash Extensional Decollement, Utah, Brigham Louis Cardon

Theses and Dissertations

The Sand Wash Fault Zone (SWFZ) in the southern Uinta Basin is a significant extensional fault zone exhibiting complex deformation patterns. Our study integrates detailed structural analyses with a broader tectonic model to elucidate the tectonic evolution of the region. The SWFZ, extending over 34 km with a NW-SE strike, is underlain by an extensional decollement. Substantial deformation is observed in the upper layers, notably within the S2 sandstone of the Eocene Green River Formation. The deformation diminishes with depth, terminating at the oil-rich Mahogany oil shale zone, below which minimal deformation is observed. Our tectonic model, developed primarily through …

Remote Sensing With Airborne Infrared Thermography For Assessment Of Landscape Scale Wildfire Spread And Intensity, Christopher C. Giesige

Master's Theses

Wildland fire is one of the most complex environmental physical processes to quantify. The way in which we observe and measure wildland fire is critical in understanding how these processes drive fire dynamics. Fire behavior can be observed in several ways including the use of ground sensors and remote sensing packages aboard aircraft and satellites. Airborne sensors provide high spatial resolution and can provide high temporal resolution. Infrared thermography takes advantage of radiant heat transfer allowing for the study of fire characteristics such as fire spread and intensity. Aircraft observations utilizing infrared cameras have been a well-established method of fire …

Analyzing Live And Dead Fuel Moisture In California: Insights For Wildfire Management Decisions, Jack R. Drucker

Master's Theses

This study investigates trends in fuel moisture content (FMC) across California from 2000 to 2021. It utilizes two distinct sources of FMC data: the Fuel Moisture Repository, which integrates live fuel moisture content (LFMC) observations, and a novel dead fuel moisture content (DFMC) reanalysis product which provides spatial fuel moisture maps by integrating dead fuel moisture observations and a fuel moisture model driven by gridded weather data. The analysis uncovered a general downtrend in FMC across California, with the exception of LFMC in the Northernmost regions and coarse DFMC. Despite the differing long-term FMC trends, all the regions experienced a …

On The Colorability Of The Sphere Complex, Bennett Haffner

Master's Theses

One of the most prominently studied groups in geometric group theory is the outer automorphism group of the free group Out(F). The sphere complex provides a topological model for Out(F). We demonstrate the chromatic number of the sphere complex is finite.

Flora And Fauna Lexical Indicators Of Prehistoric Movement Of Yuman Peoples, Adam Ingwerson

Master's Theses

Amyloid fibrils are locally ordered protein aggregates characterized by a filamentous morphology held together by a hydrogen bonding motif known as cross-β structure whereby hydrogen bonds form between backbone amide bond moieties across separate protein segments. The most notable medical significance of amyloid fibrils is their central role in the etiology of Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and other human diseases. Although amyloid fibrils have been studied extensively, the mechanism of their formation is still not fully understood. X-ray crystallography is a leading experimental technique for resolving amyloid fibril structures from crystallized proteins; however, inherent limitations leave open the possibility …

Deep-Learning Approaches To Predict Remaining Useful Life Of Hard Disks, Rohan Mohapatra

Master's Theses

On a daily basis, data centers process huge volumes of data using inexpensive hard disks. Data stored in these disks serve a range of critical functional needs from financial, and healthcare to aerospace. As such, premature disk failure and consequent loss of data can be catastrophic. To mitigate the risk of failures, cloud storage providers perform condition-based monitoring and replace hard disks before they fail. By estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of hard disk drives, one can predict the time-to-failure of a particular device and replace it at the right time, ensuring maximum utilization whilst reducing operational costs. We …

Structure Of The South-Central Skagit Gneiss Complex: Implications For Rheological Response To Magmatic Flare-Ups, Jeffery Wegener

Master's Theses

The Skagit Gneiss Complex in the North Cascades magmatic arc consists of Late Cretaceous to Eocene orthogneiss and partially migmatitic paragneiss. Orthogneiss protoliths intruded during two magmatic flare-ups, making the Skagit Gneiss an ideal location to study the relationship between flare-ups and deformation. Geologic mapping, microstructural analysis, and U-Pb dating of zircon were used to construct a timeline of magmatism, metamorphism and deformation in a portion of the Skagit Gneiss. A tonalitic gneiss intruded between ~79-73 at the beginning of the older flare-up and an ~60 Ma, tonalitic to granodioritic, leucocratic orthogneiss intruded at the end of this flare-up. NW-SE …

Assessing The Role Of Steam Explosivity In Shallow And Deep Marine Environments, Frederick Ede

Master's Theses

Volcaniclastic deposits formed in shallow and deep marine environments show strikingly different characteristics resulting from the ability of steam to assist in lava fragmentation. Deep marine deposits come from recent lava flows at Axial Seamount, formed around 1,500 m water depth, while shallow marine samples come from Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) lava flows that were emplaced in a shallow marine to subaerial environment and are now exposed on the Oregon coast. Volcaniclastic material from these two environments was compared using granulometry, componentry, and mapping. Lithofacies from the CRBG contained abundant ash and lapilli sized clasts with a high …

The Impact Of “Multiple Looks” When Performing Survival Analysis, Quentin Eloise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Survival analysis is a critical statistical method in healthcare to assess patient treatment effects and disease progression. Another critical area of statistical methodology in health care is the practice of adaptive designs. Adaptive designs allow for interim analyses to take place during a study and various decisions and actions can take place more ethically. This is beneficial for studies that take multiple years to complete and allows administrators and healthcare providers to make sound decisions as early as possible. A challenging aspect of adaptive designs is that the number of interim analyses is known in advance which is applicable in …

Agnotology Of The E-Cigarette Industry: How The E-Cigarette Industry Continues The Tobacco Industry's Legacy Of Creating Controversy And Confusion Within The Scientific Community And The General Population, Calvin Lewis

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which the e-cigarette industry follows in the footsteps of the tobacco industry's attempts to disrupt science and cause controversy. Four tactics are described that the tobacco industry uses to disrupt science: funding research that is designed to show results that support their position, criticizing and suppressing research that goes against their position, changing risk assessment and scientific research standards to fit their aims, and spreading data created by their interest groups to politicians and the nonacademic press. Evidence is found to show that both the tobacco industry and e-cigarette …

Rna Secondary Structures: Structure-Function Studies In Viral And Neurodegenerative Diseases, Caylee Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The studies within this dissertation highlight the importance of RNA structure and function, highlighting potential mechanisms in the pathogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and hallmarks of ALS. Specifically, the s2m, a 41-nt structure found within the hyper variable region of the 3’ UTR of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, was investigated as this element has no definitive role in viruses but its high conservation in several viral families warrants investigation. We used various biophysical techniques to determine if a palindromic sequence in the terminal loop could participate in dimerization activities, which may have implications in recombination and the longevity of the virus. …

Syntheses, Characterizations And Reactions Of Acene-2,3-Dicarbaldehydes, Glen Miller, Qian Liu

Faculty Publications

Here, we report improved syntheses, detailed characterizations and reactions of a series of acene-2,3- dicarbaldehydes including tetracene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde. DFT calculations corroborate and complement the experimental results. Tetracene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde and the benchmark organic semiconductor pentacene have isoelectronic p-systems and similar HOMO–LUMO gaps. Tetracene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde is soluble in a host of organic solvents (e.g., DMF, toluene, THF, chloroform, dichloromethane) and shows excellent photooxidative resistance in solution phases exposed to light and air. Further, it is readily sublimed from the solid-state without decomposition, and can be functionalized using different chemistries. We have demonstrated the utility of acene-2,3-dicarbaldehydes as reactants in the syntheses of novel diaryl-2,3-acenedimethanols and …

Public Mass Shootings In Texas And California: Routine Activity Theory Comparisons, Mason R. Feinartz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Public mass shootings are a distinct and unique phenomenon that receives vast media and public attention due to the location, weapons used, and amount of people killed or injured. These mass shootings occur in places where people frequent daily in their routine activities and are unexpected, seemingly random, or symbolic events. This study used a casual-comparative quantitative research design using routine activity theory as the foundation to investigate public mass shootings in Texas and California from 1966 to 2023. This study used public open-source data collection and analysis to identify and substantiate all mass shootings that satisfy the research inclusion/exclusion …

Analyzing The Usability, Performance, And Cost-Efficiency Of Deploying Ml Models On Various Cloud Computing Platforms, Hongyu Wang

Masters Theses (Archived)

With the enhanced computing capabilities and accessibility to cloud resources, major cloud computing providers such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure offer Machine Learning (ML) and AI services. Their primary purpose is to provide efficiency, scalability, and adaptability in modern software development and IT operations while reducing overall costs and operational complexity. However, prospective customers of the services often question which ML-AI service will best suit their organizational and business needs. This study compares and analyzes the usability, performance, and cost-efficiency of deploying Machine Learning (ML) models across three cloud platforms: GCP, AWS, and …

Ethical Challenges And Solutions Of Generative Ai: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Mousa Al-Kfairy, Dheya Mostafa, Nir Kshetri, Mazen Insiew, Omar Alfandi

All Works

This paper conducts a systematic review and interdisciplinary analysis of the ethical challenges of generative AI technologies (N = 37), highlighting significant concerns such as privacy, data protection, copyright infringement, misinformation, biases, and societal inequalities. The ability of generative AI to produce convincing deepfakes and synthetic media, which threaten the foundations of truth, trust, and democratic values, exacerbates these problems. The paper combines perspectives from various disciplines, including education, media, and healthcare, underscoring the need for AI systems that promote equity and do not perpetuate social inequalities. It advocates for a proactive approach to the ethical development of AI, emphasizing …

Questioning Reality: The Progressive Development Of Modern Physics, Joshua Lancman

STEM Month

Humanity has a tendency to divide time. The past is distinct from the present which is entirely separate from the future. In supposedly 20-20 vision history is neatly divided into different sections, distinct eras with sharp lines between them. What is present and in the future is always modern. What is past is something else with another name.

Yet time is not divided so neatly. We know this living through it: years and decades blend into one another in a non-uniform progression. To divide human history into separate eras is a necessary simplification, as it helps to ascribe order onto …