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TRUSTWORTHY EMBEDDED SYSTEMS BASED ON DEEP NEURAL NETWORKS
No full textThis dissertation focuses on the development of Deep Neural Networks (DNN)-based reliable embedded systems. The study has been conducted under three topics, spanning three application areas: power grids, computer vision, and Electronic Design Automation (EDA).The first study (Chapter 2) is to develop a novel reliable DNN-based approach embedded in the central controller of power systems to detect False Data Injection Attacks (FDIAs). The focus of this study was to assess the vulnerability of the existing time series analysis DNN-based methods and develop an enhanced method to alleviate failures in FDIA detection using state-of-the-art DNN architectures.Data drift detection in image classification DNNs is crucial for ensuring reliable operation. Existing methods do not identify the drift magnitude except for noise effects. The second topic of the dissertation (Chapter 3) focuses on developing a generalized method to detect and quantize data drift in image classification neural networks due to various effects such as noise and weather effects. The third topic (Chapter 4) focuses on developing a reliable DNN-based method to accelerate the evaluation of Boolean functions. The study assessed the learnability of Boolean functions by the DNNs and developed a novel Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture to enhance accuracy. The speedup of the proposed DNN-based Boolean function evaluation approach was evaluated considering Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and Memristor Crossbar Arrays (MCAs). Furthermore, the proposed method is applied in single Stuck-At-Fault (SAF) evaluation of combinational circuits and results are presented
The Effects of Outdoor Education Programs on Outdoor Leaders: Self-Efficacy Perspective
No full textExperiential education is an intentional method of educating that allows learners to engage with direct experiences and reflections to increase knowledge, gain skills and enhance relationships (AEE, n.d.; Adkins & Simmons, 2002). Outdoor education, one application of experiential education, occurs outdoors, covers interdisciplinary material, employs experiential learning, and fostering relationships with people and nature (Priest, 1986). The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of outdoor education programs on self-efficacy among outdoor leaders to contribute data for further research. This pilot study integrated quantitative data from the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) with qualitative responses to explore perceived self-efficacy. The study focused on eleven summer program staff of a local outdoor education center’s summer day camp program. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS software to evaluate changes in self-efficacy over the duration of the program and open-ended responses were reviewed using an inductive and thematic process. Average pre-survey results revealed a mean score of 6.17 (SD = 1.009) and post-survey results showed a mean score of 6.575 (SD= 0.949), indicating an overall increase in perceived self-efficacy. The open-ended responses revealed two observations: (1) self-efficacy components are interactive, and (2) participants expressed achieving desired outcomes. Findings imply that outdoor education programs foster the refinement of self-efficacy among outdoor leaders. While increases were modest, participant responses showed meaningful growth. Future research should expand methodologies including qualitative aspects, examine structures of outdoor education programs in relation to self-efficacy development, and heavily emphasize exploration in diversity in outdoor education experiences
OPTIMIZING DEMAND RESPONSE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INTEGRATION IN SMART HOMES: AN ILLINOIS CASE STUDY
No full textThis research evaluates the applicability of distributed energy resources (DERs) utilization for a residential customer and its effectiveness in reducing energy costs. In this case, a full year of hourly estimates for wind speed, ambient temperature, solar radiation, and electricity consumption are developed with a forecasting model based on artificial neural networks (ANN). The proposed methodology is assessed through a real-life example in Herrin, Illinois. The optimization model combines DER elements of solar electric panels, micro wind turbines, battery storage, and household appliances that incorporate demand response technologies. The model attempts to reduce the cost of energy while maintaining a reliable power supply and operational requirements. The optimization problem is formulated as mixed integer linear programming (MILP) and Gurobi is used as the tool to solve it.An optimized DER system was able to reduce annual energy costs by 29%. Based on the cost and benefit analysis considering initial investment, component lifetime, and other financial elements, a payback period of approximately four years is expected. Though promising, the accuracy of ANN-based forecasting does not come easily, especially with cost savings expectations in regard to wind speed predictions. This study demonstrates the applicability of DER integration in smart homes. Future studies in this area can focus on improving the electric vehicles model, improving the forecast model, and considering uncertainties in the analysis. It will improve the applicability of the solutions and lead to more realistic results
SOCIAL DISPARITY PROBLEMS FOR ABORTION LAWS AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
No full textThe discourse on abortion and reproductive rights is not new. Birth control methods are practices as old as ancient civilizations, as they were common in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome (Hull, Hoffer, W. and Hoffer, P. 2004). Modern discourse on the abortion debate has largely bordered on the morality of abortion and the question of granting the fetus personhood and, thus, rights as a human being (Markowitz 1990). However, such considerations do not do justice to the complexities of abortion (Markowitz 1990). Now that the Constitution no longer protects the right to obtain a legal abortion, according to the Dobbs v Jackson Supreme Court ruling in 2022, as was the situation before Roe v. Wade, and reproductive rights are clamped down in many states in the US, the abortion debate once again holds serious weight and implications. Among these are the social disparity problems of the existing abortion laws in the United States and recent abortion restrictions in place in many states, which form an essential framework of this research. I argue that abortion laws cause women, especially women of ethnic and racial minorities; Black women, women of color, women with disabilities, or women with low income, to become even more oppressed, discriminated against, or marginalized. There are a lot of socio-economic implications of abortion laws for women regardless of race, color, or any other social categories. For instance, how does a woman with an unintended pregnancy deal with work-life or career balance? Are the available childcare support plans sufficient to ascertain the woman\u27s and future child\u27s quality of life? These are some of the challenges many women face against the background of restrictive abortion laws. How affordable are healthcare and childcare for single mothers or women who do not have the available resources—as many women are economically disadvantaged or dependent on men? The state\u27s interest should be in who bears the burden, not morality, since, in my view, borrowing from the liberal position—opponents of legal moralism —that rules out the justification of restricting people’s liberty based on moral acts except to prevent injustice (George 1990, 1427), the law does not establish the morality or immorality of a practice. The law should articulate and protect civil rights and its universal correlate, human rights. Rights themselves are morally important, but the law does not establish or create these rights; they are rights with or without the law. Ever since abortion became constitutionally legal in 1973 before it was overturned in 2022, there were restrictions on the use of federal funds for most abortions by the 1976 Hyde Amendment (in addition to state restrictions), backed by the Supreme Court, which denied abortion or ensured a longer waiting period, where the burden of not obtaining an abortion was determined not to be undue, in the Planned Parenthood v. Casey Supreme Court decision in 1992, regardless of the circumstances. This decision made abortion rights under Roe v. Wade a meaningless abstraction for countless women who could not afford an abortion or incur additional expenses for the procedure (Baer 2002; McDonagh 1996). The state’s interest is solely based on determining the presence of life in the womb from conception (Henderson 2014). Thus, abortion is often viewed as inherently immoral (Kaczor 2011). Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion was formulated, policies on abortion have not been legally treated as an issue of women’s equality or the lack of it (Siegel 1995). Therefore, critics and feminists alike have tried to situate abortion laws within the context of sex equality to remedy this oppression (Siegel 1995). Feminists acknowledge that rights are applicable in some situations based on gender (Markowitz 1990). This research aims to establish that the denial of abortion rights translates to an issue of sexual inequality, which in turn creates or reinforces social disparity problems for women.Keywords: Abortion, Reproductive Rights, Sexual (In)Equality, Social Disparity Problem
The Surge of the Populist Radical Right: How Transnationalism and Party Systems Influence Populist Radical Right Success and Decline
Get PDFMy dissertation examines the causes behind the slows and surges of the populist radical right (PRR) success. I attempt to answer the following question in the context of the growing global legitimacy of the populist radical right (PRR). What process contributes to the slows and surges of populist radical right (PRR) legitimacy? Previous explanations have narrowed the possible conditions influencing populist radical right success in two ways. First, the available literature often analyzes separately the structural and strategic conditions behind populist radical right success. This has created a gap in the literature, especially regarding the possible interaction between the structural and the strategic factors. Second, most studies retain their focus at the level of the state. As a result, insufficient attention has been given to the consequences of increasing transnationalism and its influences on populist radical right success. My dissertation attempts to show how including the interaction of structural and strategic conditions and the effects of transnationalism can better explain the growth and decline of populist radical right parties. I argue that the interaction of structural and strategic conditions and the effects of transnationalism may contribute toward a surge of populist radical right (PRR) success even in countries that seemed to be immune to it for a long time. I conceptualize and operationalize what I call the transnational cultural localist cleavage (TCL). The transnational cultural localist cleavage forms and is sustained by an ongoing process of interactions between a variety of national and transnational actors. Individuals, political parties, transnational organizations, and governments by interacting with each other create a shared understanding of culturalist and localist issues. Culturalism and localism are umbrella terms that represent a distinct set of priorities. Culturalism places emphasis on one’s ethnic, racial, or religious group. A voter who supports culturalist positions will support issues such as tougher immigration laws or social and economic policies that place one’s ethnicity or racial group in a superior position. People prioritize localist connections with those whom they share the most in common with such as location as in a neighborhood or town they live in, or educational and market skills. Localism emphasizes a distrust of political, economic, and intellectual elites or those that are physically distant from most of the people’s day-to-day interactions. My dissertation describes how the level of party system stability impacts party competition norms among cartel parties. A cartel party is a party that is more likely to dominate the party system because of greater availability of financial state resources and collusion with other similarly powerful parties in the party system. I outline two possible norms of competition among cartel parties – antagonistic and friendly. Party systems dominated by antagonistic cartel parties are characterized by lower levels of cartelization and greater levels of party system instability. In contrast, party systems dominated by friendly cartel parties have greater levels of cartelization and greater levels of party system stability. My theory suggests that competition norms among cartels may influence their ability to counter the populist radical right (PRR). A key dynamic exists between the transnational cultural localist (TCL) cleavage and the level of party system stability. In party systems characterized by greater levels of cartelization and greater TCL cleavage influence the populist radical right (PRR) may be encouraged to focus more on transnational learning and cooperation. PRR parties may be incentivized to take up strategic resource displacement by shifting their time and effort to the transnational level rather than solely focusing on the national level. My theory argues that by spreading their time and effort outside of the state the populist radical right party may be able to positively increase its chances for success. My theory is tested using an original dataset, a multiple pooled cross-sectional time-series dataset. The dataset includes twenty-seven countries and 245 elections spanning the years 1990 – 2023 (N = 245). I test my three hypotheses using six variables (the TCL among Voters, the TCL among Cartels, Behavioral Cartelization, Financial Cartelization, Cooperation, and Learning among PRR parties) I created against five available variables (the percentage of Foreign Born population, the percentage of Unemployment, whether Ostracism or Accommodation occurred, and the extent of Party Sophistication of the PRR party) that are commonly used among populist radical right scholars. I ran a fixed effects lagged regression model. The model supports my theory of strategic resource displacement by the populist radical right parties. The increasing transnational learning between the populist radical parties and the increasing transnational cooperation between the populist radical right parties increases the total vote share that the populist radical right parties receive in national elections. Additionally, increasing behavioral cartelization and increasing values associated with transnational cultural localism (TCL) among the cartel parties of a party system help increase the total vote share of the populist radical right. In contrast, the variables of the TCL among the voters and the financial cartelization among the cartel parties are insignificant in my final model. Overall, the model findings support my theory of strategic resource displacement among the populist radical right parties and show the strength of supply-side accounts over the demand ones in helping us better explain the successes of the populist radical right. Lastly, I present my theory in the context of a comparative analysis of German and Lithuanian party systems. The focus here is on the cartel parties of both party systems, their interactions with the broader party system, and how the different relational patterns led to different outcomes regarding the success of the populist radical right. Due to the greater instability of the Lithuanian party, the cartel parties of the Homeland Union and the Social Democrats adopted a more antagonistic relational pattern. The parties utilized strategic floating as a strategy for coalition formation. This meant that the two Lithuanian cartel parties avoided forming relationships with one another and instead formed coalitions with minor parties, irrespective of whether the ideological profile matched among the coalition partners. This strategy contributed toward lower reactionary activism at the demand level and made the strategic resources displacement strategy by the PRR parties less viable in Lithuania, leading to lower success of the PRR parties overall. In contrast, the greater stability of the German party system led the cartel parties of CDU/CSU and the SPD to adopt more friendly relational patterns. The parties focused on the political rejection of opponents rather than ideological rejection. This made the German cartel parties ineffective when facing the populist radical right. Inadvertently, the political exclusion of the AfD by the cartel parties at the political level created more activism among the cultural localists at the voter level. It led the party to focus more on strategic resource displacement, focusing their time and energy on fostering transnational populist radical right contacts. The German cartel parties\u27 closing off the political space to outsiders inadvertently contributed to AfD’s electoral success
Don’t Stop Game, The Effects of a Demerit-Based System
Get PDFPhysical activity is an essential component of an overall healthy lifestyle. It has been shown that implementing weekly physical activities reduces the risk of non-communicative diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. There have been an increasing number of studies showing that the physical activity of those with learning disabilities is much lower than that of neurotypical individuals. More studies are needed to identify effective interventions to increase the physical activity of those with learning disabilities. The current study evaluated the effect of the Don’t Stop Game on the mean number of steps taken per minute with adults that have a learning disability. Participants were divided into two teams, and the teams were asked to remain active for the entire session without stopping; if a participant stopped, a demerit would be delivered to the team. The team with the least number of demerits at the end of the sessions would participate in a prize drawing. A multielement design, the Don’t Stop Game was compared to the Step it UP! Game and baseline conditions. The mean step count increased from 44.60 during baseline and 90.85 during the Step it UP! Game to 95.73 during the Don’t Stop Game intervention
Elliptic Curves and Their Applications in Cryptography
Get PDFThis thesis explores the mathematical foundations and cryptographic applications ofelliptic curves. To understand elliptic curves, we start by introducing group theory, ring theory, and field theory. Then, we dive into elliptic curves, their algebraic structure, and the group law defined on their points. We then examine elliptic curves over finite fields, leading to the discrete logarithm problem and key cryptographic applications such as Weil Pairings, the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, Digital Signature Algorithm, and Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithms. Using the theory and its application, this thesis highlights the significance of elliptic curves in modern cryptography
What is the Distribution of National Historical Parks?
Get PDFIn an increasingly polarized nation, which no longer can reach any consensus about what is meant by the term “common good,” it might be wise to extend additional protections to national monuments from executive branch interference. But prior to doing so, the U.S. Congress may want to undertake some additional research work. Such research could build on the existing charge of the National Park Service as well as other interested parties. By doing so, Congress gains insight into whether and how this federal legislature should make greater use of the national historical parks designations.
This article explains, at least in part, how Congress could carry out such research and policy work in the wake of recent expansions in executive power. It does so by introducing a new national historical parks dataset. This dataset, which draws upon National Park Service (PS) data about the sixty-three (63) existing national historical parks and how they are distributed across national space, may be used to undertake a range of useful analyses. One example of a case in point is a distributional analysis, which could explain how all 63 national historical parks are distributed across U.S. national space on the basis of race, income and population.
The article undertakes this type of distributional analysis in its four (II-V) additional parts. Part II describes the applicable federal law for national parks. Part III explains this article’s methodological approach. Part IV contains its analysis. Part V contains its conclusions and recommendation, as well as a potentially viable implementation plan
Book Review of The Power of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World
Get PDFThis book review examines the impact a leader has once they set a tone of positivity. It examines the importance of a leader\u27s mindset, as it will be the determination of success for an organization. A single individual has the power to change the culture of an organization to allow for improvement within the organization. This book shows the strategy of positive leadership and how it can create a transformative workplace