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Mother and Daughter Portraits
No full textAzaela City Quilters\u27 Guild quilting challenge exhibit for 2014.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/acq-challenge/1006/thumbnail.jp
Tulip Roundup
No full textAzaela City Quilters\u27 Guild quilting challenge exhibit for 2014.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/acq-challenge/1011/thumbnail.jp
Sense of Belonging and Self-Efficacy of Women in STEMM at the University of South Alabama
No full textDespite decades of calls and initiatives to diversify science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) disciplines, females are still more likely to leave STEMM career paths compared to their male peers, which is often depicted as a \u27leaky pipeline\u27. Females in STEMM often report greater social alienation, greater selfdoubt, lower sense of belonging and academic satisfaction due to a mismatch in values in STEMM disciplines. STEMM values have traditionally been normed by cisheteronormative, white, male ideologies . While extensive research has focused on the barriers females experience in STEMM that reduce sense of belonging , less research has focused on the positive experiences in classrooms, within STEMM departments, and institutions that reinforce and strengthen sense of belonging and commitment to STEMM careers.
To address these biases in literature, we applied the Bioecological Systems Theory to contextualize the complex drivers of sense of belonging for female students within STEMM classrooms, STEMM departments, and across an academic institution. Through interviews conducted in 2021, we found common themes among classroom, department, and institution settings that strengthened belongingness and self-efficacy for females in STEMM. We found that 43.33% of female students reported that their classroom belonging increases when they perceive their professors genuinely caring for student success. Additionally, 76.67% of females report greater departmental belonging when their faculty are friendly and open, and 43.33% of females reported that institutional belonging is strengthened by their sense of community at the University of South Alabama. However, 26.67% of females feel that classroom belonging is eroded by faculty they perceive as lacking care, 20% of females reported departmental belonging is eroded by elitist departmental culture, and 16.67% of females have experienced a lack of transparency with the university that eroded their institutional belonging. Taken together, our results can provide some strategic and intentional community building and practices that STEMM instructors, departments, and academic institutions could implement to strengthen the sense of belonging for females in STEMM to spearhead retention efforts
Out-of-Band Anomaly Detection for Real Time Operating Systems
Full text linkReal Time Operating Systems (RTOS) are increasing present throughout the industrial, business, defense, and healthcare spaces. These lightweight and efficient operating systems are designed to run on embedded, resource constrained devices, often within cyber-physical systems (CPS). A defining characteristic ofRTOSs is that they are deterministic. Tasks are scheduled to run on fixed timelines within guaranteed execution windows. In Industry 4.0 applications for example, sensors must receive and process inputs within a fixed schedule to ensure products are properly manufactured. This requires guaranteed service at fixed time periods. To accomplish this, RTOSs must conform to worst case execution times (WCETs) as design parameters. WCET is the maximum time a particular task can take to complete. Exceeding the WCET could cause system failure and lead to damage, injury or even death. Thus, if the system exceeds its WCET estimate it could be assumed anomalous activity is occurring in the software. Unfortunately, many of the systems using RTOSs are extremely resource constrained, with limited power, computing capacity, and memory. In addition, these systems may be difficult or impossible to update. These factors make security controls difficult since conventional security mechanisms put a burden on already strained resources.
This research aims to determine the viability of using out-of-system timing cues to detect timing anomalies in cyber-physical systems, which could indicate some form of attack. This approach would use physical manifestations at the beginning and end of the execution of code regions and compare observed execution time to the expected WCET to detect timing anomalies. To accomplish this, we developed an algorithm which scans the control flow graph of a RTOS based program and determines both the single entry and exit points, as well as any general-pmpose input output (GPIO) occurrences. Our algorithm defines measurement regions that are bound by GPIO activity. We use existing processes to determine the WCET of the selected measurement regions and develop a prototype system to compare the actual execution time with the calculated WCET of the measurement regions. We tested the system by injecting additional code into the measurement regions and were able to determine that the dynamically calculated WCET was exceeded. This novel system would allow enhanced security in the form of timing anomaly detection for resource constrained cyber-physical systems without adding processing, memory, or power requirements to the system itself. In this way, we could provide needed protection to otherwise under protected or unprotected systems. These results confirm the viability of the proposed method of out-of-band monitoring to detect timing anomalies in RTOS based cyber-physical systems. The experiments show that using various levels of delay, we can detect changes in FreeRTOS programs using external indicators, in this case, LED flashes. In simple programs we were able to detect anomalies as small as 400 cycles. In more complex programs we can detect changes in the one millisecond range. xii
Comparison of Functional Movement and Balance Function Between Reserve Officers\u27 Training Corps Cadets, Yoga Practitioners, and Healthy Non- to Lightly-Active Peers
No full textArmy soldiers participate in functional fitness training designed to help them improve on the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Prior research suggests certain physical training programs may improve vestibular and balance function, but other studies conclude that physical training only makes the individual movements practiced better and does not transfer into better functional movement ability. Also, it has been suggested that better functional movement ability may in turn lead to better balance function. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate balance function and functional movement ability in Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets undergoing ACFT training and individuals who practice yoga. A total of 36 young, healthy adults (18-32 years) were divided into three groups of 12: a functional training group (6 male, 6 female), a yoga training group (12 female), and a control group (1 male, 11 female). Participants completed two vestibular/balance and functional movement ability assessments, including the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) and the Functional Movement Screen (FMS). Results showed no significant group or gender differences for the mCTSIB, but did for the FMS. FMS results revealed the yoga group had significantly higher scores for the deep squat compared to the controls and significantly higher scores for shoulder mobility compared to the functional group. Findings and trends from both assessments suggest that regular participation in functional fitness training to increase lower body and core strength may help improve postural sway and that regular participation in yoga may help improve dynamic balance more than living a less-active lifestyle or participating in functional training alone. Implications, recommendations, and further research of physical training programs like the ACFT and yoga are discussed
Topical Text Segmentation for Stream of Consciousness Writing
Full text linkStream of consciousness writing has a long history, including novelists James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. However, there has been little work done in automated and semi-automated analysis of such writing, which is the focus of this work. We plan to divide real streams of consciousness writing into distinct topical units and then capture different momentary meaningful topics from these units. By doing this, researchers and readers could gain a more nuanced understanding of the narrative structure and thematic elements. In addition, it would also support applications in fields like psychology and linguistics, where understanding thought processes and narrative structures is crucial. To accomplish this task, we conduct an initial manual segmentation and then refine the segmentation using automated tools. First, we perform topical segmentation, a natural language processing approach that divides text into semantically coherent sections or topics. Next, we use topic modeling to combine the segments via methods such LDA or deep learning. This results in a macro-level representation of the evolution topics in stream of conscious writings along with a listing of finer grain segments. To test out approach, we use publically available collections of writings, including children stream writing, collections of graduate admission essays, along with examples from stream consciousness novels. Initial qualitative results indicate our model effectively identifies narrative flow sections where the focus shifts significantly along topical boundaries. Our future work will include additional qualitative and quantitative analysis, along with examining applications in the fields of musicals with linguistics stream expression.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/southalabama-shgrf-posters/1035/thumbnail.jp
Modelled Flooding Impacts on Lower Fish River Watershed
Full text linkThis study investigates the impacts of compound flooding in the Lower Fish River watershed, Baldwin County, Alabama, with a focus on the potential effects of sea level rise due to climate change. Coastal flooding, particularly in smaller watersheds, is a growing concern as it results from the interaction of multiple factors, including rainfall, tidal changes, and extreme weather events. Compound flooding, which involves multiple flood drivers, is expected to worsen with climate change, as increased precipitation and rising sea levels create heightened flood risks. However, existing research on compound flooding predominantly focuses on large-scale watersheds, leaving a knowledge gap in smaller coastal areas. The study utilizes the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics-Two-Dimensional (SRH-2D) model, which simulates two-dimensional flow dynamics and sediment transport, to explore how changes in water levels and precipitation patterns affect flooding in the Lower Fish River basin. By simulating future sea level rise scenarios for 2050 and 2100, this research aims to assess how flood extents and durations will evolve. This research will provide insights into the non-linear impacts of sea level rise on coastal flooding, offering valuable data for local communities in Baldwin County and similar coastal areas. The results will also contribute to the growing body of knowledge on managing flooding risks in smaller, more vulnerable watersheds. The research is still at an early stage and there are no results generated yet, but the expected outcome will show an exponential increase in flooded areas due to sea level rise and a longer flood duration in the watershed.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/southalabama-shgrf-posters/1032/thumbnail.jp
Thermal Stability Analysis of Aqueous Ionic Amines for Sustainable CO2 Capture
Full text linkIn closed air cabin atmospheres such as those of spacecraft, CO₂ accumulation jeopardizes crew respiratory function and may gradually affect sensitive equipment, making effective air revitalization critical. Traditional CO₂ capture methods like monoethanolamine (MEA) efficiently capture CO₂ but suffer from high volatility, leading to solvent loss and unpleasant odor, as well as corrosion and degradation, requiring frequent replacement. These flaws demand eco-friendly, durable alternatives. This study addresses these limitations by exploring a series of aqueous ionic amines (AIAs), salts similar to MEA in CO₂ capture efficiency but with improved thermal stability—crucial for preventing degradation under high regeneration temperatures and prolonged CO₂ exposure in maintenance-limited settings. Thermal stability was assessed using two complementary methods: thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with the Flynn-Wall method for short-term measurement of decomposition rates and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for quantifying long-term chemical degradation under isothermal conditions at 200°C and 220°C over 7, 15, 30, and 60 days, with changes in color and smell also monitored as supporting indicators. Testing indicates that certain AIAs exhibit less degradation and reduced odor than others. This suggests that variations in molecular structure, resulting from different cation pairings with an amine-based anion, influence thermal stability outcomes. These findings highlight the potential of AIAs as robust and thermally stable alternatives to conventional amines. Future work will use Aspen Plus simulations to assess heat capacity, enthalpy, and CO₂ loading efficiency while optimizing process performance and operating conditions for practical applications.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/southalabama-shgrf-posters/1018/thumbnail.jp
Comparative Analysis of Conventional Cryptographic and Post-Quantum Cryptographic Algorithms
No full textPresentation slides for a presentation given at the 1st annual Shelby Hall Graduate Research Forum at the University of South Alabama
Dynamic Control of ReRam
No full textResistive Random-Access Memory (ReRAM) is a promising non-volatile memory technology that offers high-speed operation, low power consumption, and high scalability. It is suitable for modern computing applications, including neuromorphic and AI-driven architectures. However, efficient control of ReRAM programming operations, such as SET, RESET, and FORM, is critical to improving endurance, accuracy, and energy efficiency [1].
This work presents a dynamic ReRAM control system that leverages Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs), and adaptive voltage control to optimize ReRAM programming. The proposed control method dynamically adjusts pulse width and voltage levels to minimize power consumption and improve memory reliability.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/southalabama-shgrf-posters/1026/thumbnail.jp