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Access status: Embargo ,
Quantum Harmonic Neural Networks: Application and Determination within the Context of Physics-Informed Neural Networks and Comparative Anomaly Detection
(2026-07) Baroupe-Qualls, Renaldo
At the juncture of quantum-defined systems and classical digital structures, cybersecurity and computing are at an inflection point where both domains converge. This thesis examined the intersection of quantum information science and artificial intelligence, focusing on quantum harmonic analysis and physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). The research approach evaluated data and system behavior from a scientific, experimental perspective. Comparative studies were conducted to assess the proposed hypothesis. Specifically, the research question explored machine learning architecture and artificial intelligence design components in which PINN integration was engineered to support high mathematical precision and anomaly detection within a cybersecurity setting. The study involved coded experimentation using designated AI structures enhanced with simulated quantum processing, producing quantitative output for analysis and scientific interpretation. Methodologies were employed to formalize experimentation with a Geometrically Coherent Quantum Harmonic Neural Network (GCQHNN) and an enhanced physics-informed neural network. The experiment evaluated statistical variability and compared the proposed networks with classical machine learning models and related algorithms when challenged by known and unknown cyberattack vectors.
Access status: Embargo ,
Salinity Gradient Influence on the Tar-Pamlico River Fish Community Structure
(2026-07) Strickland, Jordan Elizabeth
Saltwater intrusion is increasing in estuarine systems worldwide as a result of sea-level rise, altered freshwater inflows, and climate change impacts on the water cycle. Changes in salinity have the potential to alter fish community composition as some species experience physiological stress, barriers to reproduction and larval dispersal, alterations to migration patterns of adult fishes, and reductions in suitable habitat. However, estuarine species are known to be resilient to environmental changes. The saltwater-freshwater interface of the Tar-Pamlico River is understudied, since sampling efforts generally target only freshwater areas or downstream, saltier portions of the estuary. The purpose of this study is to investigate how salinity structures fish communities in the Tar-Pamlico River at this interface to better understand how fish communities may respond to future saltwater intrusion brought about by climate change. The results indicated that biodiversity generally increased as bottom salinity increased. This pattern was correlated with salinity variations more than other variables examined, such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, or spatial factors. Furthermore, salinity was found to be the most influential factor causing variance in fish community composition. In a Redundancy Analysis (RDA), we identified three key species contributing to differences in community composition: spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). Using quotient curves and a Regional Oceanographic Modeling System (ROMS), we were able to identify the preferred salinity range of these species and determine how the spatial extent of this range varied under future climate and sea-level rise scenarios. The results indicated that suitable habitat for all three species is projected to move upstream.
Access status: Embargo ,
Along an expanding range: Parasitism and reproduction in the non-native green porcelain crab (Petrolisthes armatus) from Florida to North Carolina
(2026-07) Schulte, Mic
Climate-driven biological invasions and range expansions of marine and estuarine species are increasing in rate and frequency globally with rising ocean and sea surface temperatures. Species historically found at lower latitudes have migrated poleward to exploit increasingly favorable conditions in temperate regions. This trend is important to investigate as these organisms potentially disrupt recipient environments by altering ecosystem dynamics through novel species interactions (i.e. competition, predation, and parasitism). Along the western Atlantic, the northward movement of subtropical and tropical western Atlantic species up the southeast U.S. coast has been termed the “Caribbean creep”. One representative species of this phenomenon is the green porcelain crab (Petrolisthes armatus), an intertidal and subtidal filter-feeder inhabiting oyster reefs, mangroves, and rocky substrates. My research examined how parasitism by the marine bopyrid Aporobopyrus curtatus and reproductive maturity in P. armatus varied along a latitudinal gradient from the cryptogenic range in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, to the leading edge of the non-native range in Beaufort, North Carolina. This work represents the first range-wide study of A. curtatus infections in P. armatus in the United States. In 2024 and 2025, a total of 2,164 porcelain crabs were collected via passive samplers and by hand from sites in Florida (n = 5), Georgia (n = 1), South Carolina (n = 1), and North Carolina (n = 3). Upon analyzing patterns of bopyrid infection across the study range, generalized linear mixed models revealed that both individual infection probability and population-level infection prevalence decreased with increasing latitude. These findings are consistent with expectations of the enemy release hypothesis, which suggests that non-native species experience reduced pressure from parasites, pathogens, predators, and competition as they move into novel environments. Upon examining reproductive life history traits in Petrolisthes armatus, modeling showed that probability of ovigery varied with the interaction between body size and latitude, indicating that females at higher latitudes reached reproductive maturity at smaller body sizes. As tropical and subtropical species move into colder temperate environments, they are subjected to physiological stress that may impact their growth, development, and reproductive patterns. Together, these findings improve our understanding of how parasitism and reproductive traits vary across the range of Petrolisthes armatus in the southeast U.S., providing greater insight into the ecological processes that influence the establishment and success of these crabs and other invasive and range-expanding species.
Access status: Embargo ,
Examining The Associations Between Dietary Intake And Experienced And Internalized Weight Bias
(2026-07) Metzler, Abbie
Background: Weight bias (WB), defined as negative weight-based attitudes, stereotypes, judgments, and discriminatory acts because of an individual’s size, is perpetuated by many sources, including healthcare systems, the media, and close friends and family. Over time, individuals may internalize this bias and engage in self-stigma, known as internalized weight bias (IWB). The experience of weight stigma (EWS) and IWB may impact eating. Indeed, EWS and IWB have been associated with maladaptive eating patterns, disordered eating, and emotional eating. Despite these findings, no studies known to the authors have examined the impact of IWB and EWS on dietary intake from grocery purchases and fast-food intake. Thus, this study sought to examine the relationships between EWS, IWB, healthfulness of grocery purchases, and fast-food intake. Methods: Participants (N=435, 18+ years old, household’s primary grocery shopper) were recruited for a Qualtrics research panel. The sample was recruited to reflect the US population’s age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, and income. Two hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted using bias corrected accelerated bootstrap sampling of 5000. The first model was fit with IWB and EWS predicting dietary intake from grocery purchases and the second model was fit with IWB and EWS predicting frequency of going out to eat. Covariates for the analyses included age, ethnicity, gender, income, subjective social status, education, BMI, and race (model two only). Two mediation models using PROCESS Macro model 4 were also conducted. The first model examined whether internalized weight bias mediates the relationship between EWS, and diet quality. The second model examined whether internalized weight bias mediates the relationship between EWS, and eating out frequency. Results: After controlling for covariates, internalized weight bias (p=.004), but not experienced weight stigma (p=.054), was statistically significant, with higher IWB predicting less healthy food intake from grocery store purchases. Experienced weight stigma (p<.001), but not internalized weight bias (p=.337), was statistically significant, with higher EWS predicting consumption of more fast-food. Conclusion: These findings suggest that more experiences of weight stigma are associated with increased fast-food intake, whereas higher internalized weight bias is associated with less healthy dietary intake from grocery purchases. Both EWS and IWB may impact food purchases whether in the grocery store or fast-food restaurants. This study revealed a reliable association between EWS/IWB and grocery store and fast-food purchases. Whether the type of weight stigma experience is associated with a particular purchasing pattern (EWS and fast-food and IWB and groceries) will be an important area of future inquiry. Future research should continue to examine the impact of IWB, EWS, and newer measures, such as fat microaggressions, on dietary intake. Examining eating patterns and their temporal relationship with IWB thoughts and EWS will provide necessary insight to create just-in-time adaptive interventions.
Access status: Embargo ,
Environmental Drivers of Species Community Dynamics over 37 Years in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina: A Multivariate Approach
(2026-07) Menzel, Caid
Coastal ecosystems are subject to a number of anthropogenic pressures, including fisheries impacts, climate change, and habitat loss. Understanding how estuaries are changing on the system level in the face of dynamic pressures, anthropogenic and natural, is crucial for managers and stakeholders. To illustrate the strength of both species abundances and abiotic pressures on aquatic species community structure, multivariate techniques (nonmetric multidimensional scaling or NMDS) were employed on the largest lagoonal estuary in North America, the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System. The primary dataset was from a fisheries-independent trawl survey by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries spanning from 1987 to 2025. To provide additional context to the community dynamics, a suite of other indices investigated species temperature preferences, habitat specialization, and taxon-level changes over time. Results from the NMDS and cluster analyses indicated that June and September sampling seasons represent distinct assemblages, and that the estuary experienced rapid restructuring around the year 2000, in addition to several other minor community reorganizations. The regime shift detected was defined by dominance of new species and groups including pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides), southern kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus), two penaeid shrimp species, and batoid rays. In contrast, other species such as blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus) represented the “historic” year grouping (1987-2000) based on higher abundances at the beginning of the time series. Of the two most dominant species, spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) increased their abundance while Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) catch per unit effort (CPUE) remained stable, while system-wide CPUE nearly doubled between the start of the time series and the end. A change of phase in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation correlated most with species abundances over time, and water temperature also characterizes the changes in the biotic community well. Species that responded positively to these factors included pelagic species, which are increasing in relative abundance, and elasmobranchs, which have overtaken invertebrates in average biomass per haul. Higher average temperature preferences in the annual communities was observed through increases in the Community Temperature Index, especially for the fall season. Biodiversity is increasing mainly due to an influx of novel species that increased richness, because species evenness continues to decrease in a system that has been consistently dominated by less than ten species. This work illustrates the need to view and manage biological systems from an assemblage-scale perspective. It also highlights ongoing community shifts that could indicate a lack of stationarity in the system, which is contrary to most assumptions used by fisheries managers. Both global climate forcing and localized species interactions may be factors in driving these changes. Finally, this research contributes to a growing body of work, previously dominated by single-species studies or work limited to relatively few species, that Pamlico Sound is experiencing significant decadal-scale change.