Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Applications Of Machine Learning For Evaluating Downward-Coupled Stratosphere-Troposphere Interactions And Subseasonal Forecasts Of Opportunity, Elena M. Fernandez

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Wintertime stratospheric dynamics provide key information for understanding atmospheric teleconnections and improving subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) predictions on timescales of two weeks to two months. Periods of enhanced predictability, often referred to as forecasts of opportunity, arise from large-scale teleconnected variability, within which the stratosphere serves as an important precursor for tropospheric states, such as near-surface temperatures. While traditional diagnostics of downward coupled stratosphere-troposphere interactions typically rely on zonal-mean representations of wind and geopotential height, this dissertation presents an alternative vortex-centric framework through metrics that capture the daily geometric and dynamical evolution of the stratospheric polar vortex. The proposed stratospheric …

Scalable Single-Erbium Telecom Qudits With Record Room-Temperature Quantum Coherence In Silicon-Based Nanostructures, Alexander Kaloyeros

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Advancing quantum information science demands solid-state quantum systems that maintain long quantum coherence at elevated temperatures while supporting scalable, CMOS-compatible fabrication and telecom C-band operation. No existing platform has simultaneously achieved these requirements, as state-of-the-art demonstrations of coherent control of erbium ions, with an intrinsic telecom-band optical transition, have been confined to cryogenic temperatures below < 10 K under controlled vacuum conditions. This thesis introduces a new paradigm in which materials science and engineering provides the enabling pathway to quantum coherence.

A foundry-compatible nanofabrication approach, paired with targeted materials engineering, is developed to realize a new class of CMOS-scalable quantum system: arrays of spatially isolated single-erbium-ion qudits (five-level systems) embedded in silicon-based (e.g., silicon carbide (SiC) and SiC_xO_y) hollow nanopillars (HNPs). Non-lithographically …

Retrieval And Characterization Of Aerosol Optical And Microphysical Properties Following Pyrocumulonimbus Events From Sageiii/Iss, Vishal G. Bagadia

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Stratospheric aerosols play an important role in maintaining global radiative balance with impacts to stratospheric equilibria through physical and chemical forcings.  Stratospheric aerosol size distributions, in particular aerosol size, are vitally important in determining the physical and chemical impacts of aerosols in the stratosphere. The representation of aerosol size and size distributions in most climate models contain large uncertainties due to relatively sparse sampling of stratospheric aerosols. Occultation measurements from satellite provide an unique opportunity to retrieve the aerosol size distribution using high quality aerosol extinction measurements. A retrieval algorithm is developed to characterize size distributions of stratospheric aerosols from …

The Impact Of Downdraft Ventilation On Tropical Cyclone Intensity And Structure Using Aerial Reconnaissance Observations, Nicholas E. Johnson

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Tropical cyclone (TC) intensity can be challenging to predict since it is modulated by many physical processes. One of these processes is ventilation: the injection of relatively cool, dry environmental air into the warm core of a TC that acts as “anti-fuel”, inhibiting intensification and increasing uncertainty with intensity forecasts. While ventilation has been examined in numerical modeling studies, there have been a limited number of observational studies investigating ventilation. The two primary objectives of this dissertation are to develop methods for measuring downdraft ventilation from aerial reconnaissance observations and to use those observations to better understand how ventilation affects …

Medical Linear Accelerator Water Tank Measurements Optimization For Commissioning, Tyler R. Laugh

Theses and Dissertations

Beam commissioning is a critical component of linear accelerator (LINAC) implementation, requiring accurate measurement of percent depth dose (PDD), beam profiles, and output factors across a wide range of field sizes. Conventional commissioning workflows often require multiple detectors and can be time-intensive, particularly for small-field dosimetry where measurement accuracy is highly sensitive to detector characteristics. This study evaluated the performance of a plastic scintillation detector (BP-PSD) for full water tank commissioning and its potential to improve efficiency while maintaining dosimetric accuracy.

Beam data were acquired for field sizes ranging from 1 × 1 cm² to 40 × 40 cm² using …

Towards Sample-Efficient Deep Reinforcement Learning, Guang Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL), combining reinforcement learning and high-performance function approximations such as deep neural networks (DNN), is a powerful approach to solving complex sequential decision-making problems. However, due to the complex solution space of the sequential decision-making problems and the inefficient design of the DRL algorithms, DRL algorithms usually require a prohibitively large number of data samples to train effective strategies. Consequently, it is difficult to apply these DRL algorithms to complex real-world problems that require high costs to collect a large volume of data samples. This dissertation proposes new mechanisms to address this sample inefficiency issue, realizing sample-efficient …

An Integrated Data-Driven Framework For Arctic Shipping: Analyzing Vessel Speed, Environmental And Ecological Factors Through Innovative Statistical Spatio-Temporal Methods, Inverse Optimization And Machine Learning, Mauli Pant

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops an integrated data-driven framework to analyze vessel navigation and ecological risk in the United States Arctic from 2010 to 2019. As environmental change and maritime activity increase in the region, understanding how vessels respond to dynamic conditions and how those responses interact with marine ecosystems has become increasingly important. A central theme of this dissertation is the treatment of vessel speed as both an observed outcome and a decision variable reflecting trade- offs among operational, environmental, and ecological factors. The first chapter develops a predictive framework for vessel speed over ground (SOG) using Gaussian Process Boosting (GPBoost), …

Absolute Quantification And Identification Of Rna From Rna-Lipid Nanoparticles Using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry, Jason C. Funderburk

Theses and Dissertations

RNA therapeutics are a rising drug category with potential use for a range of conditions encompassing infectious diseases to therapies for cancer, diseases, and genetic disorders. RNA-lipid nanoparticles (RNA-LNPs) are the prominent delivery method for these therapeutics approved products include mRNA vaccines and polyneuropathy treatments. The emergency use authorizations and orphan drug status of current RNA-LNP drugs has allowed approval without finalization of the regulatory analytical procedures for quality monitoring. The objective of the study was to develop an LC-MS assay to simultaneously measure identity and concentration of two therapeutically relevant intact RNA constructs extracted from RNA-LNPs to enhance quality …

The Effects Of Overwash On Barrier Island Evolution And Building A Barrier Island Measure Of Resistance, Beth Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Barrier islands are critical for coastal communities, as they serve as a natural buffer against storm surge, waves, and the effects of rising sea levels, protecting life and property. These islands continuously evolve due to both normal and severe environmental conditions; global warming makes it increasingly difficult to predict the evolution of these islands due to increases in storm frequency and intensity. We present a cellular model of barrier island evolution consisting of biotic and abiotic processes including the effects of vegetation, wind, ocean currents, and gravity. The model is used to predict the future evolution of barrier islands off …

Mathematical Models With Clinical Applications For Improving Health Outcomes, Helen Harris

Theses and Dissertations

In clinical settings, patients are exposed to many risks and stressors that could result in adverse health outcomes. Here we present mathematical models that seek to address these risks. First, we present a Markov Chain model to investigate the effect of medication reconciliation (MR) completion on patient health outcomes in the intensive care unit. Using this model, we simulate the annual incidence of adverse drug events (ADEs) for three different ADE rates. Based on the simulated results, we conduct a cost-benefit analysis for various levels of compliance to determine the financial implications of increasing MR completion depending on the baseline …

Advancing Cybersecurity Through Userland Memory Forensics: From Runtime Analysis To Security Applications, Hala Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Memory forensics has become a crucial component of digital investigations, particularly for detecting malware operating solely in system memory. As operating system vendors implemented kernel access restrictions, malware authors shifted to userland malware. However, existing memory forensics techniques have largely focused on kernel-level analysis, leaving userland runtimes insufficiently covered. This dissertation addresses this gap by expanding memory analysis capabilities across two distinct paradigms: interpreted and compiled runtimes. The first phase targets the Python runtime, developing automated recovery techniques that enable several security applications. For malware detection, these techniques extract critical forensic artifacts such as encryption keys and command-and-control configurations. For …

Proof Of Recovery: A Model To Enhance Data Integrity In Data Management Systems, Gustaf Barkstrom

Theses and Dissertations

Businesses lose millions of dollars every year when they can’t restore data from backups. Research shows that Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) testing is not conducted frequently enough, nor are records maintained that demonstrate full data recovery from backups. This work introduces a design science artifact called PRTOK that aims to increase DRP testing. The design science artifact is a software solution that integrates with Data Management Systems (DMS)

such as iRODS and DSpace, and can work with formats such as HDF5 and BagIt. Proof-of- recovery records, or tokens, are recorded in a replicated, resilient, and indelible proof-of- authority blockchain data …

Evaluation Of Chromium-Crosslinked Amps-Hpam Copolymer Gels: Effects Of Key Parameters On Gelation Time And Strength, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Controlling CO₂ channeling in heterogeneous reservoirs remains a major challenge for both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and secure geological storage. AMPS-HPAM copolymers exhibit high-temperature resistance and brine tolerance compared with conventional HPAM gels, making them well suited for the harsh environments associated with CO₂ injection. Chromium-based crosslinkers (CrAc and CrCl₃) were investigated because sulfonic acid groups in AMPS can coordinate with trivalent chromium ions, enabling dual ionic crosslinking and the formation of a robust gel network. While organic crosslinked AMPS-HPAM gels have been widely studied, the behavior of chromium-crosslinked AMPS-containing systems, particularly their gelation kinetics under …

Effect Of Ionic Strength On Gelation Time And Strength Of Amps-Based Polymer Gels, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Xuyang Tian, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polymer gel treatment has been widely applied for improving sweep efficiency and controlling excessive water and gas production. Their performance depends on gelation time and final gel strength. In most studies, brine salinity is used to describe the effect of formation water on gel behavior. However, changing salinity also changes ionic strength and ion composition at the same time. Because of this coupling, it is difficult to identify the mechanisms controlling gelation, which has led to inconsistent trends in the literature. Increasing salinity has been reported to either slow or accelerate gelation and to weaken or strengthen gels depending on …

Measuring The Efficiency Of The Arts And Culture Sector Relative To Gdp: A State-Level Analysis Of The United States, Ameerkhan Jaffar Khan Khader Khan

Selected Full-Text Master Theses 2021-

Arts and cultural production contributed $1.17 trillion to United States gross domestic product in 2023, 4.2% of the national total, but that contribution is spread very unevenly across states, and the official statistics describe how large the sector is rather than how efficiently it operates (Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024). This study asks how efficiently each state convert growth in arts and culture employment into growth in value added, how many inputs the efficiency model can carry before it stops distinguishing 51 observations, and whether observable state characteristics explain the differences found. The analysis uses 2023 state-level data for all …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors H2/Z14 And C6/Z96 In Order To Combat Small Cell Lung Cancer, Lauren M. Graves

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The use of ubiquinone inhibitors to combat cancer is a recent development in medicinal science and procedures to efficiently synthesize these drugs remain limited. C6/Z96 and H2/Z14, two succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors, have been previously tested in vitro against NSCLC with positive results. Their similarity to ubiquinone is what makes them a strong candidate for a succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor at the ubiquinone binding site. The heterocyclic scaffolds and substituents are proposed to bind strongly through a combination of electronics, hydrogen-bonding, and fit, allowing them to bind well and prove to be more favorable than ubiquinone when competing for the Q-site. By …

Optimizing Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithms For Fairness, Scalability, And Interpretability In Electoral Redistricting, Madhukara Kekulandara

Open Access Dissertations

Gerrymandering undermines democratic representation by manipulating electoral district boundaries to dilute the political influence of targeted communities. While Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based redistricting algorithms have become a standard computational tool for detecting partisan gerrymandering, their effectiveness in addressing racial gerrymandering and their scalability on modern computing systems remain limited. This dissertation advances the theory and practice of algorithmic redistricting by optimizing MCMC-based approaches across three dimensions: racial fairness, computational efficiency, and interpretability.

First, this work introduces the Partial Map MCMC algorithm, a novel redistricting method designed specifically to address racial gerrymandering under the legal framework of Section 2 …

Mg-Spair: Multi-Grade Sparse-Guided Implicit Representation For Training-Data-Free Image Restoration, Jianmin Liao, Lei Huang, Ronglong Fang, Ashley Prater-Bennette, Lixin Shen, Yuesheng Xu

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

MG-SpaIR is a training-data-free framework for restoring a clean image from a single observation corrupted by a mixture of blur, downsampling, noise, and missing pixels. Building on implicit neural representations (INRs), we introduce a multi-grade residual hierarchy that progressively refines the reconstruction from low to high spatial frequencies across grades, improving representational fidelity and mitigating spectral limitations. To stabilize reconstruction optimization and suppress INR-induced artifacts, we further propose an explicit sparse proximal regularization (e.g., ℓ0 type) applied directly in the high-resolution image domain, which discourages spurious high-frequency patterns while preserving sharp structures. The resulting optimization is solved efficiently via a …

Machine Learning-Based Intrusion Detection System For Iot Networks Using The Rt-Iot 2022 Dataset, Bukunmi Ebenezer Afolabi

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has transformed modern computing by enabling seamless connectivity among heterogeneous devices across diverse application domains. However, this increased interconnectivity has significantly enlarged the attack surface of IoT networks, exposing them to a wide range of sophisticated cyber threats. Conventional security mechanisms often lack the capability to detect emerging attacks in real time, thereby necessitating the development of intelligent Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) capable of accurately identifying malicious network activities. This study developed and evaluated a machine learning-based intrusion detection framework for multiclass IoT attack detection using the RT-IoT2022 dataset. The dataset …

Artificial Intelligence, Fundamental Motives, And Evolutionary Mismatch, Amy J. Lim, Jose. C. Yong, Edison Sora Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In recent years, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and psychology has garnered unprecedented attention, particularly following the advent of generative AI tools in 2022. These tools, capable of producing human-like text, images, and even deepening our understanding of cognitive processes, have not only captured the public imagination but also sparked new concerns and debates within the psychological community. While AI has been a subject of research for decades, the emergence of its generative capabilities has truly thrust AI into the spotlight. This article explores how these advancements are reshaping our understanding of human cognition and behavior, as well as …

High-Energy Η(′)Π Photoproduction And The Nature Of Exotic Waves, Glòria Montaña, Vincent Mathieu, Vanamali Shastry, Łukasz Bibrzycki, César Fernández-Ramírez, Nadine Hammoud, Robert J. Perry, Alessandro Pilloni, Arkaitz Rodas, Wyatt A. Smith, Adam P. Szczepaniak, Daniel Winney

Physics Faculty Publications

The observation of hybrid mesons in photoproduction experiments can provide essential insight into the inner workings of quantum chromodynamics in the strong coupling regime. In particular, the study of final η^(′)π states is of great interest due to the presence of the lowest lying hybrid candidate with manifestly exotic quantum numbers, the π₁ (1600). In this work, a double-vector exchange model with Reggeized ρ and ω trajectories is developed to describe the photoproduction of η^(′)π in the high-mass region. Results are presented for the differential cross sections and forward-backward asymmetries in the energy region of interest …

Backward-Angle Electroproduction Of Η′ Mesons Off Protons At W = 2.13 Gev And Q² = 0.46 (Gev/C)², T. Akiyama, P. Bydžovský, T. Gogami, K. Itabashi, S. Nagao, S. N. Nakamura, K. Okuyama, B. Pandey, D. Skoupil, K. N. Suzuki, L. Tang, D. Abrams, D. Androic, K. Aniol, C. Ayerbe Gayoso, J. Bane, S. Barcus, J. Barrow, V. Bellini, H. Bhatt, D. Bhetuwal, D. Biswas, A. Camsonne, J. Castellanos, J. -P. Chen, J. Chen, S. Covrig, D. Chrisman, R. Cruz-Torres, R. Das, E. Fuchey, K. Gnanvo, F. Garibaldi, T. Gautam, J. Gomez, P. Gueye, T. J. Hague, O Hansen, W. Henry, F. Hauenstein, D. W. Higinbotham, C. E. Hyde, M. Kaneta, C. Keppel, T. Kutz, N. Lashley-Colthirst, S. Li, H. Liu, J. Mammei, P. Markowitz, R. E. Mcclellan, F. Meddi, D. Meekins, R. Michaels, M. Mihovilovič, A. Moyer, D. Nguyen, M. Nycz, V. Owen, C. Palatchi, S. Park, T. Petkovic, S. Premathilake, P. E. Reimer, J. Reinhold, S. Riordan, V. Rodriguez, C. Samanta, S. N. Santiesteban, B. Sawatzky, S. Širca, K. Slifer, T. Su, Y. Tian, Y. Toyama, D. Trnková, K. Uehara, G. M. Urciuoli, D. Votaw, J. Williamson, B. Wojtsekhowski, S. A. Wood, B. Yale, Z. Ye, J. Zhang, X. Zheng

Physics Faculty Publications

The electroproduction of η′ mesons from a ¹H target at W = 2.13GeV, Q² = 0.46(GeV/c)² and cos θ^CM_𝛾*η ≈ -1 has been experimentally measured. The differential cross section of virtual-photoproduction has been obtained as 4.4 ± 0.8(stat.) ± 0.4(sys.)nb/sr in the One-Photon-Exchange Approximation. This value is one-sixth of that of real-photoproduction at backward angles. A comparison with newly-developed isobar model calculations not only shows validity of the theoretical framewark employed, but also imposes new constraints on coupling strength between the η′p final state and nucleon resonances.

Flavor, Transverse Momentum, And Azimuthal Dependence Of Charged Pion Multiplicities In Semi-Inclusive Deep-Inelastic Scattering With 10.6 Gev Electrons, P. Bosted, H. Bhatt, S. Jia, W. Armstrong, D. Dutta, R. Ent, D. Gaskell, E. Kinney, H. Mkrtchyan, S. Ali, R. Ambrose, D. Androic, C. Ayerbe Gayoso, A. Bandari, V. Berdnikov, D. Bhetuwal, D. Biswas, M. Boer, E. Brash, A. Camsonne, M. Cardonna, J. P. Chen, J. Chen, M. Chen, E. M. Christy, S. Covrig, S. Danagoulian, M. Diefenthaler, B. Duran, C. Elliot, H. Fenker, E. Fuchey, J. O. Hansen, F. Hauenstein, T. Horn, G. M. Huber, M. K. Jones, M. L. Kabir, A. Karki, B. Karki, S. J. D. Kay, C. Keppel, V. Kumar, N. Lashley-Colthirst, W. B. Li, D. Mack, S. Malace, P. Markowitz, M. Mccaughan, E. Mcclellan, D. Meekins, R. Michaels, A. Mkrtchyan, C. Morean, G. Niculescu, I. Niculescu, B. Pandey, S. Park, E. Pooser, B. Sawatzky, G. R. Smith, H. Szumila-Vance, A. S. Tadepalli, V. Tadevosyan, R. Trotta, H. Voskanyan, S. A. Wood, Z. Ye, C. Yero, X. Zheng, Hall C Sidis Collaboration

Physics Faculty Publications

Measurements of semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering multiplicities for 𝜋⁺ and 𝜋⁻ from proton and deuteron targets are reported on a grid of hadron kinematic variables 𝑧, 𝑃𝑇, and 𝜙* for leptonic kinematic variables in the range 0.3< 𝑥< 0.6 and 3< 𝑄²< 5GeV². Data were acquired in 2018 and 2019 at Jefferson Lab Hall C with a 10.6 GeV electron beam impinging on 10-cm-long liquid hydrogen and deuterium targets. Scattered electrons and charged pions were detected in the High Momentum Spectrometer and Super High Momentum Spectrometer, respectively. The multiplicities were fitted for each bin in (𝑥,𝑄²,𝑧,𝑃_𝑡) to extract the 𝜙*—independent 𝑀₀ and the azimuthal modulations ⟨cos⁡(𝜙*)⟩ and ⟨cos⁡(2⁢𝜙*)⟩. The 𝑃_𝑡 dependence of the 𝑀₀ results was found to be remarkably consistent for the four cases studied: 𝑒⁢𝑝→𝑒⁢𝜋⁺⁢𝑋, 𝑒⁢𝑝→𝑒⁢𝜋^−⁢𝑋, 𝑒⁢𝑑→𝑒⁢𝜋⁺⁢𝑋, 𝑒⁢𝑑→𝑒⁢𝜋^−⁢𝑋 over the range 0GeV< 𝑃_𝑡< 0.4GeV, as were the multiplicities evaluated near 𝜙*=180∘ over the extended range 0GeV< 𝑃_𝑡< 0.7GeV. The Gaussian widths of the 𝑃𝑡 dependence exhibit a quadratic increase with 𝑧. The cos⁡(𝜙*) modulations were found to be consistent with zero for 𝜋⁺, in agreement with previous world data, while the 𝜋⁻ moments were, in many cases, significantly greater than zero. The cos⁡(2⁢𝜙*) modulations …

First Displaced Vertex Search For Electroproduced Dark-Sector Strongly Interacting Massive Particles By The Hps Experiment, P. H. Adrian, N. A. Baltzell, M. Battaglieri, M. Bondí, S. Boyarinov, C. Bravo, S. Bueltmann, P. Butti, V. D. Burkert, D. Calvo, T. Cao, M. Carpinelli, A. Celentano, G. Charles, L. Colaneri, W. Cooper, B. Crowe, C. Cuevas, A. D' Angelo, N. Dashyan, M. De Napoli, R. De Vita, A. Deur, M. Diamond, R. Dupre, H. Egiyan, T. Eichlersmith, L. Elouadrhiri, R. Essig, V. Fadeyev, C. Field, A. Filippi, A. Freyberger, S. Gaiser, M. Garçon, N. Gevorgyan, F. X. Girod, N. Graf, M. Graham, K. A. Griffioen, A. Grillo, M. Guidal, R. Herbst, M. Holtrop, J. Jaros, R. P. Johnson, G. Kalicy, M. Khandaker, V. Kubarovsky, E. Leonora, K. Livingston, L. Marsicano, T. Maruyama, S. Mccarty, J. Mccormick, B. Mckinnon, K. Moffeit, O. Moreno, C. Munoz Camacho, T. Nelson, S. Niccolai, A. Odian, R. O'Dwyer, M. Oriunno, M. Osipenko, R. Paremuzyan, S. Paul, E. Peets, N. Randazzo, B. Raydo, B. Reese, A. Rizzo, P. Schuster, Y. G. Sharabian, G. Simi, A. Simonyan, V. Sipala, A. Spellman, D. Sokhan, M. Solt, S. Stepanyan, H. Szumila-Vance, L. Tompkins, N. Toro, S. Uemura, M. Ungaro, H. Voskanyan, L. B. Weinstein, B. Wojtsekhowski

Physics Faculty Publications

The Heavy Photon Search experiment (HPS) is a fixed-target, electron beam experiment designed to search for 𝑒⁺⁢𝑒⁻ mass resonances and displaced decays using a forward acceptance spectrometer. This paper details the search for naturally long-lived “dark” vector mesons (𝑉_𝐷) arising from a dark sector of beyond-Standard-Model strongly interacting massive particles, characterized by a QCD-like 𝑆⁢𝑈⁢(3)_𝐷 symmetry and coupled to the Standard Model photon via a new 𝑈⁢(1)𝐷 gauge interaction mediated by the “heavy photon,” or 𝐴′. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 10 608  nb⁻¹ collected during the 2016 HPS …

Critical Success Factors For An Effective Security Risk Management Program: An Exploratory Case Study, Jason A. Williams, Humayun Zafar, Saurabh Gupta

Faculty Articles

This paper evaluates the perceived effectiveness of the security risk management (SRM) programs at a Fortune 500 firm. Layers of management and staff participated in the study. Perceived effectiveness of their SRM programs was based on nine critical success factors (CSFs). Interviews confirmed six initial CSFs (Executive Management Support, Organizational Maturity, Open Communication, Risk Management Stakeholders, Team Member Empowerment, and Holistic View of an Organization) that were extracted from the literature. They were confirmed and synthesized with three additional CSFs (Security Maintenance, Corporate Security Strategy, and Human Resource Development). Implications for SRM are discussed.

Empirical-Based Model Of Spatio-Temporal Errors, Godwin Naaba Ndaa

Masters Theses

This research develops an empirical model to characterize spatial-temporal InSAR errors and improve the accuracy of deformation time-series analysis. Using standardized Sentinel-1 HyP3 products and MintPy, the study quantifies how correlated noise affects velocity precision and validates the results against continuous GNSS velocities.

Residual velocities are near-Gaussian, with σ ~0.92–2.04 cm/yr and ~1 cm/yr on average. Variograms show power-law spatial structure with a non-zero nugget implicating troposphere and decorrelation while errors drop exponentially with more acquisitions; spatial uncertainty is strongly affected by unwrapping errors, coherence, and tropospheric noise, not simply troposphere.

A comparative assessment of on-demand cloud processing with other …

Benchmarking And Advancing Heterogeneous Data Reasoning With Large Language Models, Yebowen Hu

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Large language models (LLMs) increasingly face complex real-world tasks requiring complex reasoning over heterogeneous inputs, including text, numbers, and structured data. This dissertation first investigates the capability boundaries of LLMs under such scenarios. Through the MeetingBank and SportsMetrics benchmarks, we show that while LLMs exhibit linguistic fluency, they struggle with factual accuracy, information density, and quantitative cross-referencing in meeting summarization and sports analysis. Using DecipherPref, a pair-wise evaluation framework grounded in the Bradley-Terry-Luce model, we further probe LLMs' inherent preferences for information-rich and lengthy inputs, and we identify critical deficiencies in financial decision-making through DeFine, where models lack precise insight …

Unpolarized Gpds At Small X And Non-Zero Skewness, Yuri V. Kovchegov, M. Gabriel Santiago, Huachen Sun

Physics Faculty Publications

We study the small-x asymptotics of unpolarized generalized parton distributions (GPDs) and generalized transverse momentum distributions (GTMDs). Unlike the previous works in the literature, we consider the case of non-zero (but small) skewness while allowing for non-linear contributions to the evolution equations. We first show that unpolarized GPDs and GTMDs at small x are related to the eikonal dipole amplitude N, whose small-x evolution is given by the BK/JIMWLK evolution equations, and to the odderon amplitude 𝒪, whose evolution is also known in the literature. We then show that the effect of non-zero skewness ξ ≠ 0 is to modify …

Proton Transparency And Neutrino Physics: New Methods And Modeling, Clas Collaboration, S. Dytman, M. Betancourt, N. Steinberg, L. B. Weinstein, A. Ashkenazi, J. Tena-Vidal, A. Papadopoulou, G. Chambers-Wall, J. Smith, P. Achenbach, J. S. Alvarado, M. J. Amaryan, H. Atac, L. Baashen, N. A. Baltzell, L. Barion, M. Bashkanov, M. Battaglieri, F. Benmokhtar, A. Bianconi, A. S. Biselli, M. Bondi, F. Bossù, S. Boiarinov, K. -Th. Brinkmann, W. J. Briscoe, W. K. Brooks, S. Bueltmann, V. D. Burkert, T. Cao, R. Capobianco, D. S. Carman, J. C. Carvajal, P. Chatagnon, V. Chesnokov, H. Chinchay, G. Ciullo, P. L. Cole, M. Contalbrigo, A. D'Angelo, N. Dashyan, R. De Vita, M. Defurne, A. Deur, S. Diehl, C. Djalali, R. Dupre, H. Egiyan, A. El Alaoui, L. El Fassi, L. Elouadrhiri, M. Farooq, S. Fegan, I. P. Fernando, A. Filippi, G. Gavalian, G. P. Gilfoyle, R. W. Gothe, L. Guo, K. Hafidi, H. Hakobyan, M. Hattawy, F. Hauenstein, T. B. Hayward, D. Heddle, A. Hobart, M. Holtrop, Yu-Chun Hung, Y. Ilieva, D. G. Ireland, E. L. Isupov, H. Jiang, H. S. Jo, S. Joosten, M. Khandaker, A. Kim, F. J. Klein, V. Klimenko, A. Kripko, V. Kubarovsky, S. E. Kuhn, L. Lanza, P. Lenisa, D. Marchand, V. Mascagna, D. Matamoros, B. Mckinnon, T. Mineeva, M. Mirazita, V. Mokeev, C. Munoz Camacho, P. Nadel-Turonski, T. Nagorna, K. Neupane, D. Nguyen, S. Niccolai, M. Osipenko, L. L. Pappalardo, R. Paremuzyan, E. Pasyuk, S. J. Paul, W. Phelps, N. Pilleux, S. Polcher Rafael, J. W. Price, Y. Prok, T. Reed, J. Richards, M. Ripani, J. Ritman, A. A. Rusova, S. Schadmand, A. Schmidt, R. A. Schumacher, M. B. C. Scott, Y. G. Sharabian, E. V. Shirokov, S. Shrestha, N. Sparveris, M. Spreafico, S. Stepanyan, I. Stakovsky, S. Strauch, J. A. Tan, M. Tenorio, N. Trotta, R. Tyson, M. Ungaro, D. W. Upton, S. Vallarino, L. Venturelli, T. Vittorini, H. Voskanyan, E. Voutier, Y. Wang, D. P. Watts, U. Weerasinghe, X. Wei, M. H. Wood, L. Xu, N. Zachariou

Physics Faculty Publications

Extracting accurate results from neutrino oscillation and cross section experiments requires accurate simulation of the neutrino-nucleus interaction. The rescattering of outgoing hadrons (final state interactions) by the rest of the nucleus is an important component of these interactions. We present a new measurement of proton transparency (defined as the fraction of outgoing protons that emerge without significant rescattering) using electron-nucleus scattering data recorded by the CLAS detector at Jefferson Laboratory on helium, carbon, and iron targets. This analysis uses a new data-driven method to extract the transparency. It defines transparency as the ratio of electron-scattering events with a detected proton …

Studying Electroweak Few-Body Observables In Chiral Effective Field Theory, Alex Gnech

Physics Faculty Publications

The use of nuclei to study electroweak probes is becoming increasingly relevant experimentally. The success of dark matter and neutrino experiments strongly depends on the ability to control nuclear effects in order to extract the fundamental parameters associated with external probes. Therefore, reliable theoretical calculations of nuclear structure and reactions, with well-controlled errors, are crucial for the success of experimental efforts. Currently, chiral effective field theory (χEFT) coupled with {\it ab-initio} methods represents one of the best approaches that fulfills these requirements. To use this approach as a tool for studying fundamental physics, it is essential to validate it against …