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Item Open Access The early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathy: the development and validation of a novel smartphone application(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-12)The dissertation project developed and validated a novel smartphone application capable of measuring postural instability in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN). DPN is a common complication of T2D and is associated with impaired balance and increased risk of falls. Conventional diagnostic methods often rely on subjective reports or expensive equipment, limiting accessibility in many clinical and at-home settings. Given the widespread use of smartphones, this project explored whether a novel smartphone application using built-in sensors could detect subtle postural changes associated with DPN. By leveraging smartphone accelerometers, Aim 1 demonstrated both construct and criterion-related validity of a custom application in relation to force plate center of pressure (COP) and motion capture system center of mass (COM) postural data. Participants completed quiet stance tasks under varying visual (eyes open/closed) and surface (firm/foam) conditions. The application demonstrated strong test-retest reliability within and across devices as well as high criterion-related validity. It was sensitive to changes in postural control across sensory conditions; however, no differences were found between each device when synchronously collecting postural data, supporting its use as a reliable, accessible measurement tool. Aim 2 examined whether the application could detect differences in postural control between healthy individuals, individuals with T2D, and those with DPN. The smartphone successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using a validated application capable of detecting subtle postural changes across different diagnostic groups, specifically differentiating individuals with and without DPN using postural outcome measures. Measures such as sway area and sway velocity were especially sensitive, highlighting the progressive impact of diabetic symptoms on balance and the critical role of multisensory integration. Building on these findings, Aim 3 evaluated the application’s diagnostic performance relative to the Utah Early Neuropathy Scale (UENS). By comparing the postural outcome measures for diagnostic performance against the established UENS in a “known groups” analysis, this investigation provides evidence supporting postural instability, particularly under sensory-challenging conditions, as a viable biomarker for early neuropathic dysfunction. Sway velocity emerged as a robust metric, capable of distinguishing between groups even in the early stages of neuropathy. The findings suggest that postural sway metrics collected through a widely available and low-cost device could offer a practical solution for early screening and remote monitoring. This work laid the foundation for broader implementation of balance assessments in diabetic care, especially in underserved or resource-limited settings, with the goal of enabling earlier intervention, enhancing clinical judgment, and improving patient outcomes.Item Open Access Sahraei failure criteria for detection of short circuit in lithium-ion batteries(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-12)The increasing reliance on Li-ion batteries for Electric Vehicle (EV) propulsion brings forth significant safety challenges, particularly in ensuring battery resilience under mechanical abuse and accidental impacts. A critical concern is the potential for internal fracture within battery cells, which can trigger short circuits, leading to thermal runaway and explosions. Consequently, understanding battery behavior under various loading conditions and developing predictive models for failure is essential for enhancing safety and optimizing protective structures in EVs. This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of Li-ion battery behavior under multiple loading scenarios, supported by two novel modeling approaches: a universal homogenized model for cylindrical cells and the Sahraei Failure Criterion for short circuit prediction. The first part of this research focuses on the development of a universal homogenized model for 18650 cylindrical battery cells, capable of accurately predicting cell behavior under axial, lateral, and three-point bending loads. Unlike previous models that addressed one or two loading conditions, this model incorporates uncoupled axial and lateral property calibrations and employs anisotropic crushable foam modeling for enhanced accuracy. The model is validated through experimental data and demonstrates superior performance in predicting cell response, particularly in axial and bending scenarios. The second part introduces the Sahraei Failure Criterion, a universal failure model designed to predict internal fractures and short circuits in both cylindrical and pouch cells. This criterion, derived from microstructural simulations of the electrode-separator assembly, is implemented in commercial simulation software, including Altair RADIOSS and Ansys LS-DYNA. The failure model is validated under various loading conditions, such as hemispherical and rod indentations, in-plane loading, and three-point bending. By defining the jellyroll’s failure strain based on the interaction of compressive and tensile strains, the model accurately predicts the onset of internal fractures, providing a critical tool for battery safety analysis. Furthermore, real physics has been added to the base failure criteria. By testing battery cell’s mechanical response under different physical conditions, enhanced failure criteria have been built and validated. Together, these models offer a robust framework for understanding and predicting Li-ion battery behavior under mechanical stress, contributing to safer EV designs and more effective protective structures. This research advances the field by combining detailed material calibrations and computational modeling, offering a comprehensive solution to address the safety concerns associated with Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles.Item Open Access Passive sensing and active protection: privacy and security challenges in emerging virtual environments and mobile systems(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-12)Emerging virtual environments and mobile systems are increasingly integrated into daily life, offering immersive and ubiquitous experiences. However, these systems also introduce novel privacy and security risks, particularly due to the often-unrestricted access to sensor data. This dissertation investigates the dual role of passive sensing—as both a vector for privacy leakage and a foundation for designing privacy-preserving interaction mechanisms. We first reveal how passive motion sensing in virtual reality (VR) systems can result in severe biometric privacy breaches. To demonstrate this, we present BPSniff, the first practical system capable of inferring users’ blood pressure (BP) from subtle motion data captured by VR headset built-in motion sensors. BP is a critical health indicator protected under HIPAA, yet BPSniff shows that it can be estimated covertly without user consent. Leveraging the insight that blood-induced microvibrations in the skull propagate to the headset, BPSniff reconstructs fine-grained blood flow patterns using a variational autoencoder (VAE) and continuously estimates BP using an LSTM-based regression model. We evaluate BPSniff through extensive experiments and a longitudinal study of 8 weeks, involving 37 participants and two VR headset models. The results show that BPSniff can achieve low mean errors of 1.75 mmHg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 1.34 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure (DBP), which are comparable to commercial BP monitors and satisfy the standard (i.e., mean error 5.0 mmHg) specified by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) protocol. To overcome limitations in real-world datasets, we extend BPSniff with an AI-augmented framework that uses a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) to synthesize realistic PPG and accelerometer signals conditioned on physiological and demographic factors. This approach expands the training dataset by 3× while preserving physiological integrity and correcting demographic imbalances. Domain-aligned retraining with quality-gated data integration yields up to 50\% reductions in mean absolute error and root mean squared error, along with improved correlation with ground-truth BP. These enhancements significantly improve model generalization, robustness to motion artifacts, and scalability in real-world VR health monitoring. We then transition from exposing privacy risks to exploring structural privacy defenses for mobile devices. We propose a novel approach that leverages device enclosures (e.g., smartphone cases or VR headset shells) as functional surfaces for privacy-preserving interaction. By embedding miniature acoustic structures into these enclosures, the physical layer itself can regulate and localize signal propagation, providing secure input zones and mitigating unauthorized sensing. As an initial demonstration of this concept, we develop CasePad, a smartphone-based prototype that enables fine-grained back-of-device finger activity recognition using passive acoustic sensing without requiring additional sensors or user calibration. By exploiting unique acoustic signatures created by mini-structures during finger interactions, CasePad supports secure mobile interactions in public spaces. A multi-task learning framework with multilayer perceptron (MLP)-based encoding and tailored long short-term memory (LSTM)-based decoders enables accurate gesture detection. Experiments across multiple phone models demonstrate CasePad’s high accuracy (98.76%) and precise tracking capabilities for direction, distance, and speed. Collectively, this dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of passive sensing as both a privacy threat and a design opportunity. Through practical systems like BPSniff and CasePad, and the integration of generative AI techniques, we offer foundational insights for building secure, privacy-aware mobile and immersive systems in the age of pervasive sensing.Item Open Access Multilingual management at the Uruguayan-Brazilian border: mapping negotiations between identity, language ideologies, and language attitudes(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-12)Since the late 19th century, significant governmental efforts have supported the teaching of Portuguese in Uruguay as a “foreign” language, disregarding the border region shared with Brazil, where Spanish and Portuguese have coexisted for centuries. Portuguese, Spanish, and Portuñol/Portunhol (a contact variety between Portuguese and Spanish) have historically dominated this border and constitute a crucial element of identity for its residents. However, since the foundation of the Uruguayan nation-state in the 19th century, a monolingual habitus has permeated language planning, establishing Spanish as the sole national language. This habitus underscores the gap between widespread multilingualism and the monolingual planning imposed in the region (Piller, 2016). Additionally, it characterized Uruguayan border schools until the socioeconomic integration processes of the region led to decrees promoting multilingual policies in 2008. These decrees positioned Portuguese as both a regional and national language. Most educators in this border region, as well as the general public, have long maintained the belief that Portuguese was inappropriate for use in schools given that it was not an official language. Consequently, whether Portuguese should have a prominent role in education continues to be a subject debate. The alarming school dropout rates and low academic performance in the border area—considered a vulnerable zone—are possibly tied to the failure to achieve educational goals based on a monoglossic model (ANEP, 2008; Brovetto, 2010). Nonetheless, as shown in the volume on empirical studies compiled by Acevedo and Nossar (2018), recent decades evidence a shift from a dominant negative view of multilingualism to a more polarized vision, resulting in the revalorization of both Portuguese and the contact variety. The linguistic context of the Brazilian-Uruguayan border has sparked significant interest among sociolinguists, particularly in the study of language attitudes (Brovetto, 2010; Carvalho, 2007; Elizaincín et al. 1987; Hensey 1973; Waltermire 2012). However, there are no studies that incorporate a critical framework integrating language ideologies to analyze the three speech varieties and how they shape language use and attitudes within educational environments. Language ideologies assign social meanings to linguistic practices and enable speakers to evaluate others based on how they speak. As cultural systems, language ideologies influence the valorization of speakers and their linguistic practices, affecting the maintenance and (re)production of social inequality (Del Valle, 2007). Thus, they can be examined through speaker assessments and language policy (Leeman & Fuller, 2021). Multilingual planning in Uruguay has largely focused on standardized language varieties, which differ significantly from the vernacular varieties spoken at home and in informal contexts by border residents. As a result, the sociocultural and cognitive development of emerging bilinguals has been impacted. Centering educational praxis, this study examines how everyday interactions in schools can serve as key battlegrounds where language educators are socialized into ideologies about Portuguese, Spanish, and Portuñol/Portunhol. More precisely, I investigate how language educators challenge notions of “appropriate language use” through pedagogical strategies and negotiations of agency. My longitudinal mixed-methods study involves regular data collection from language teacher education programs in Uruguay. This approach follows a convergent design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data to validate and contrast findings. The quantitative corpus is generated using information collected through the self-reported Bilingual Language Profile (BLP) questionnaire, while the qualitative corpus is constructed from relevant language policy documents and semi-structured interviews. Thus, data is gathered from both documentary and conversational sources using different methods. This methodological triangulation enables the analysis of participants’ agency and identity negotiations as they challenge language ideologies imposed by linguistic markets (i.e., the socioeconomic value of languages) as a result of globalization. Agency, understood as the socioculturally mediated capacity to act—particularly as it manifests through language (Leeman & Fuller, 2021)—offers a unique lens to explore how teachers respond to and navigate linguistic inequality within postcolonial educational settings. Among the findings, a strong preference for normative Spanish stands out, confirming the persistence of the standard language ideology and monolingualism. Institutional documentation reinforces these ideologies as a transversal axis by referencing this standard variety as the most legitimate and prestigious within the Uruguayan national context. Spanish is positioned as indispensable in shaping Uruguayan national identity, even as BLP results show a decreasing connection between teachers and Spanish-speaking cultures. Nonetheless, standard Spanish, as linguistic capital, continues to be considered central to academic and professional success. Regarding Portuguese, attitudes were more heterogeneous and flexible. Although institutional documentation exclusively recognizes standard Portuguese—specifically its urban Brazilian variety—as the only legitimate language of instruction, educators demonstrated greater openness toward non-standard varieties. The study also highlights how the imposition of the standard language erases local repertoires. The evaluations of Portuguese reveal heteroglossic ideologies that frame its value primarily in terms of market profitability, which presents challenges and carries important implications for the implementation of multilingual management strategies.Item Open Access Dental student’s perception of the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-07)Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) programs offer essential postdoctoral training that enhances clinical proficiency and prepares dental graduates for complex, real-world practice. Despite their potential benefits, interest and enrollment in AEGD programs remain limited, and the factors influencing students' decisions are not well understood. This study aimed to evaluate dental students’ awareness, perceptions, and willingness to pursue AEGD training, while identifying the key barriers and motivators that shape these decisions. A cross-sectional survey was administered to third- and fourth-year students at Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry from August to October 2023. The survey, distributed via SurveyMonkey, assessed demographic characteristics, awareness levels, career intentions, perceived barriers, and preferences regarding AEGD training. Statistical analyses were performed using MATLAB, including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression modeling to explore associations and predictors of awareness and application likelihood. Among the 156 respondents, only 26.5% reported being very aware of AEGD programs, while 46.2% indicated they were very unlikely to apply. Financial concerns emerged as the most frequently cited barrier (63.9%), followed by eagerness to begin working and a lack of career incentives. Conversely, advanced training opportunities—especially in implantology (81.9%) and digital dentistry (60.6%)—and financial incentives (83.1%) significantly increased students’ interest in AEGD enrollment. Logistic regression identified year of study as a significant predictor of AEGD awareness, with D4 students being more aware but less likely to apply than D3 students. These findings underscore the need for earlier outreach, clearer communication of AEGD program benefits, and programmatic adaptations that align with student priorities. Modernizing AEGD curricula to include emerging technologies and offering financial support may help increase participation and sustain the future of postgraduate dental training.