Digital Commons Network^™

Patient Interpersonal And Cognitive Changes In Relation To Outcome In Interpersonal Psychotherapy For Depression, Samantha L. Bernecker

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Despite evidence for the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) for depression, there remains little understanding of its specific change-promoting ingredients. This study aimed to establish candidate change mechanisms by identifying whether patients’ interpersonal (theory-specific) and cognitive (theory-nonspecific) characteristics change in an adaptive direction during IPT, and whether such changes differentially relate to depression reduction and improvement in global functioning. The four interpersonal variables and one cognitive variable measured all changed significantly in an adaptive direction, with medium to large effect sizes. Reduced interpersonal problems were marginally associated with self-reported depression reduction (β = 2.846, p = .062), and greater …

Application Of Finite Element Method In Protein Normal Mode Analysis, Chiung-Fang Hsu

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study proposed a finite element procedure for protein normal mode analysis (NMA). The finite element model adopted the protein solvent-excluded surface to generate a homogeneous and isotropic volume. A simplified triangular approximation of coarse molecular surface was generated from the original surface model by using the Gaussian-based blurring technique. Similar to the widely adopted elastic network model, the finite element model holds a major advantage over standard all-atom normal mode analysis: the computationally expensive process of energy minimization that may distort the initial protein structure has been eliminated. This modification significantly increases the efficiency of normal mode analysis. In …

Effects Of Different Methods Of Aggregation Of Probabilities On The R&D Investment Portfolio For Optimal Emissions Abatement: An Empirical Evaluation, Olaitan P. Olaleye

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This thesis examines two possible orders of combining multiple experts in elicitations with multiple de-composed events: Should experts be combined early or later in the decision process? This thesis is in conjunction with the paper (Baker & Olaleye, 2012) where we show that it is best to combine experts early as later combination leads to a systematic error. We conduct a simulation to more fully flesh out the theoretical model. We also conduct a theoretical analysis aimed at determining how significantly these two methods differ. We find that all results are in accordance with the theory but combining experts later …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems Used As An Electricity Storage Technology In A Wind Farm With Large Amounts Of Intermittent Energy, Yash Sanghai

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

With the growing demand for electricity, renewable sources of energy have garnered a lot of support from all quarters. The problem with depending on these renewable sources is that the output from them is independent of the demand. Storage of electricity gives us an opportunity to effectively manage and balance the supply and demand of electricity. Fuel cells are a fast developing and market capturing technology that presents efficient means of storing electricity in the form of hydrogen. The aim of this research is to study the impact of integrating hydrogen fuel cell storage system with a wind farm to …

Background And Available Potential Energy In Numerical Simulations Of A Boussinesq Fluid, Shreyas S. Panse

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In flows with stable density stratification, a portion of the gravitational potential energy is available for conversion to kinetic energy. The remainder is not and is called “background potential energy”. The partition of potential energy is analogous to the classical division of energy due to motion into its kinetic and internal components. Computing background and available potential energies is important for understanding stratified flows. In many numerical simulations, though, the Boussinesq approximations to the Navier-Stokes equations are employed. These approximations are not consistent with conservation of energy. In this thesis we re-derive the governing equations for a buoyancy driven fluid …

Interference Cancellation In Wideband Receivers Using Compressed Sensing, Tejaswi C. Peyyeti

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Previous approach for narrowband interference cancellation based on compressed sensing (CS) in wideband receivers uses orthogonal projections to project away from the interference. This is not effective in the presence of nonlinear LNA (low noise amplifier) and finite bit ADCs (analog-to-digital converters) due to the fact that the nonidealities present will result in irresolvable intermodulation components and corrupt the signal reconstruction. Cancelling out the interferer before reaching the LNA thus becomes very important. A CS measurement matrix with randomly placed zeros in the frequency domain helps in this regard by removing the effect of interference when the signal measurements are …

Estructuras Desbordantes En Silvina Ocampo. Invenciones Del Recuerdo Como Poema Largo, Claudia Marcela Páez Lotero

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The subject matter of this work is the long poem entitled Invenciones del recuerdo, written by Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) between 1960 and 1988, a period of time which covers the majority of the developmental stages of this author’s literary career. The hypothesis that this study intends to prove is that Invenciones del recuerdo, by using the form of the long poem, a literary form of the Latin American Modernity, exceeds its own material limits in order to occupy other texts. Through its extensibility, comparable to a river that overflows its banks, Silvina Ocampo’s long poem establishes a dialogue with …

Nationalism And The Public Sphere: Tracing The Development Of Nineteenth-Century Latin American Identities, Lisa Ponce

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Through the combined usage of primary source documents and secondary source research, this thesis seeks to discern how the individual national identities of Argentina and Mexico came to fruition. This thesis will demonstrate that the early national period of each region was directly influenced by the colonial context out of which Argentina and Mexico arose. Additionally, this thesis is focused on the ways that a national identity is developed within the public sphere, and how the public sphere might be defined beyond printed newspaper accounts.

Response & Resistance: A Comparison Of Middle Connecticut River Valley Ceramics From The Late Woodland Period To The Seventeeth-Century, Julie Woods

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Native Americans from the middle Connecticut River Valley of New England experienced massive social disruptions during the seventeenth century due to European settlement, but not much is known about their cultural continuities and/or discontinuities during this dynamic period. As an additive technology, ceramics embody the technical choices of potters made at the time of manufacture thus enabling the study of the effect, if any, of colonialism on indigenous material culture and practices in New England. This study examines ceramic assemblages from one Late Woodland period site and one seventeenth-century site in Deerfield, Massachusetts to explore the extent to which ceramics …

Preferred Sensor Selection For Damage Estimation In Civil Structures, Matthew Styckiewicz

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Detecting structural damage in civil structures through non-destructive means is a growing field in civil engineering. There are many viable methods, but they can often be time consuming and costly; requiring large amounts of data to be collected. By determining which data are the most optimal at detecting damage and which are not the methods can be better optimized. The objective of this thesis was to adapt an existing method of data optimization, used for damage detection in mechanical engineering applications, for use with civil structures. The existing method creates Parameter Signatures based on characteristics from the system being analyzed, …

Policy Alternatives To Increase Access To Early Childhood Education And Care In Massachusetts, Meghan Lemay

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Access to early childhood education not only leads to improved social, academic, and health outcomes for children, but can also carry the same benefits into adulthood. Early education and care programs can work against some of the negative effects of social factors such as socioeconomic status, discrimination, social support, and work demands which have been linked to physical and mental health outcomes. Early education programs could intervene not only in the life of a child, but also impact parents, families, and populations. This thesis will review the research showing early childhood education leads to better social and health outcomes and …

Characterizing The Heavy Metal Chelator, Tpen, As A Ca2+ Tool In The Mammalian Oocyte, Robert A. Agreda Mccaughin

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

N,N,N’,N’-tetrakis-(2-Pyridylmethyl) ethylenediamine (TPEN) is a heavy metal chelator with high affinity for zinc. TPEN causes important responses in mammalian eggs. For example, these eggs are arrested at the MII stage by the Endogenous Mitotic Inhibitor 2 (Emi2), which prevents activation of the Anaphase Promoting Complex (APC) and degradation of Cyclin B. By chelating zinc, TPEN inactivates Emi2 and eggs undergo spontaneous exit of meiosis and egg activation. TPEN chelates Ca²⁺ with lower affinity, although in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), where Ca²⁺ concentrations are high, TPEN may sequester Ca²⁺ preventing release into the cytoplasm. Initial exposure of TPEN …

Design Of A Tunable Integrated Roofing Filter For Lte Bands, Nihar Athreyas

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The advent of new standards in wireless communication like the Long Term Evolution (LTE) has resulted in a need for newer and better design of receivers for wireless communication systems, the first step of which is to design a tunable integrated filter on the receiver front end.

In this work we propose a new design for a passive tunable integrated Roofing filter for LTE bands. The role of the Roofing filter is to protect the rest of the circuitry from overloading and distortions caused due to large out-of-band signals. This filter protects the rest of the circuitry and hence it …

Energy Efficiency Programs At All Utilities: An Analysis Of The Factors That Lead Electric Utilities To Invest In Energy Efficiency, Christopher J. Pletcher

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

While the utilization of energy efficiency has grown in recent years, it has not been distributed evenly across the country. In some states, over 2% of a utility’s budget is spent on energy efficiency; in other states that number is 0. Much of the growth in energy efficiency has been due to state policies and the development utility-level energy efficiency programs. Yet, all utility programs are not created equal. Because they are often exempt from state regulation (and therefore state energy efficiency policy), publicly-owned utilities have traditionally lagged behind IOUs when it comes to EE programs.

This research quantifies energy …

Relationships Among Source Credibility Of Electronic Word Of Mouth, Perceived Risk, And Consumer Behavior On Consumer Generated Media, Mei-Hsin Wu

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

As technology advances, the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) surpasses the influence of traditional face-to-face WOM communication on consumers’ decision making. Since the hospitality and tourism products and services contain more interpersonal interaction that needs to be experienced by consumers, the influence of eWOM in the hospitality industry is more significant than in other industries.

The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among source credibility of eWOM, customers’ perceived risk, and their behavior intentions to use consumer generated media. The result provides evidence about the influence of eWOM on overall perceived risk and how consumers use …

Low Cost Dynamic Architecture Adaptation Schemes For Drowsy Cache Management, Nitin Prakash

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Energy consumption and speed of execution have long been recognized as conflicting requirements for processor design. In this work, we have developed a low-cost dynamic architecture adaptation scheme to save leakage power in caches. This design uses voltage scaling to implement drowsy caches. The importance of a dynamic scheme for managing drowsy caches, arises from the fact that not only does cache behavior change from one application to the next, but also during different phases of execution within the same application. We discuss various implementations of our scheme that provide a tradeoff between granularity of control and design complexity. …

Regional Comparison Of Overwintering Mortality, Fecundity, And Virulence In The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Artemis Demas Roehrig

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Throughout the eastern United States, the spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand, has caused high mortality of eastern hemlocks Tsuga canadensis (L.). We recorded overwintering survival and fecundity of A. tsugae, and tree new growth at sites in the northeastern and southeastern United States and in a common garden experiment in Massachusetts.

Overwintering mortality of A. tsugae was much higher in the north (87%) than the south (37%) in 2009, and showed significantly positive density-dependence in the north only. In 2010, overwintering mortality decreased in both regions but remained higher in the north (54%) than the …

Factors Which Influence Key Entry Speed On Hard And Soft Keyboards: Experience, Eye Behaviors And Finger Movements, Seckin Celik

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Soft keyboards have become ubiquitous, especially with the introduction of the iPad. This study aims to determine for experienced touch typists whether there are characteristics of soft QWERTY keyboards that can make them easier to use and why those characteristics provide an advantage. Two characteristics would appear to be of central importance. First, hard keyboards provide home row positioning information that is not as easily provided by soft keyboards. Second, hard keyboards also provide auditory and tactile feedback when a key is depressed, something not generally provided with soft keyboards.

In order to test the hypothesis that the absence of …

Investigating The Ability Of Pro-Social Emotions To Enhance Cooperative Behavior, Lucía A. Vergara Sobarzo

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This research investigates the use of pro-social emotions to improve cooperation. In particular, it tries to reconcile the results from Noussair and Tucker (2007) and Lopez et al. (2010). To reach this goal the experiment considers different degrees of revelation: no revelation, partial and full disclosure of information. Additionally, I use different microeconometric specifications to accommodate different hypothesis about the motivation of the subjects.

My results diverge from those of Lopez et al. because I find that revealing the decision of a single subject at random does not significantly increase cooperation, which is the main result of these authors. Also, …

Seasonal Variation Of Suicide Rates Within Alaska: Associations Of Age And Sex, Jonviea Chamberlain

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Background: Suicide rates among Alaska Natives in rural Alaska are almost 16 times higher than the national average. Some studies in northern latitudes have shown seasonal variation among suicide rates, with differences in patterns by age and sex, reasons for this variation and contributing factors are unclear. We modeled our hypotheses based on the assumption that vitamin D deficiency influences seasonal variation of suicide. We assessed the relationship between age, sex and seasonal variation of suicidal behavior in a rural region of Alaska. Methods: We utilized data from 804 individuals who exhibited lethal and nonlethal suicidal behavior (1990-2009). Information on …

Resin Volatiles Of Eastern Hemlock Induced By Its Non-Native Herbivores, Joshua D. Pezet

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is in decline because of infestation by the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae; ‘HWA’) and, to a lesser extent, the elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa; ‘EHS’). Many conifers respond to insect herbivory by inducing oleoresin-based defenses, however it is unknown whether eastern hemlock is capable of this inducible response. We conducted a plantation setting study of artificially infested saplings to determine if feeding by HWA or EHS induces changes in the tree’s volatile chemistry. The induced changes in volatiles we found were unlike the terpenoid-based defenses of related conifers. Only HWA feeding …

Evaluating At-Grade Rail Crossing Safety Along The Knowledge Corridor In Massachusetts, Timothy P. Horan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Highway-rail grade crossings are safer than ever, but collisions between motor vehicles and trains persist. Some collisions could be prevented by actively maintaining such grade crossings, yet many at-grade rail crossings are only evaluated following collisions. Those crossings that experience no collisions may go decades without being inspected. In recent years, the Congress has allocated funds for a national High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail program, and it is in the public’s interest for state road/highway agencies to inspect all highway-rail crossings in high-speed rail corridors to ensure that the warning systems in place are commensurate with the crossings’ needs. The objectives …

The Evolution Of Four Hybrid Sterility Loci In Us Weedy Red Rice, Stephanie M. Craig

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The accumulation of independent mutations in two populations of an ancestral species over time often leads to reproductive isolation. Reproductive isolation between diverging populations is re-enforced by genetic mating barriers that occur either pre- or post-zygotically. Hybrid sterility is the most common form of post-zygotic isolation in plants. Four post-zygotic sterility loci have been recently cloned in Oryza sativa, Sa, s5, DPL1 and DPL2; these loci explain, in part, the limited hybridization that occurs between the domesticated cultivated rice varieties, O. sativa spp. japonica and O. sativa spp. indica. In the United States, cultivated fields of japonica rice …

An Integrated Study Of The South-Central Part Of The Springerville Volcanic Field; The Final Piece, Marissa Mnich

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The Springerville Volcanic Field (SVF) is a monogenetic volcanic field located in east-central Arizona and is the southernmost of several late Pliocene to Holocene volcanic fields along the margin of the Colorado Plateau. It encompasses an area of over 3000 km² and consists of over 450 vents, most of which are cinder cones, which produced mainly basaltic flows, between 2.1 and 0.3 Ma. About 85% of the SVF was previously mapped in detail by Condit, Crumpler and Aubele (1999). In the summers of 2010 and 2011, mapping was completed in the remaining portion of the field known as the …

Protecting Network Processors With High Performance Logic Based Monitors, Harikrishnan Kumarapillai Chandrikakutty

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Technological advancements have transformed the way people interact with the world. The Internet now forms a critical infrastructure that links different aspects of our life like personal communication, business transactions, social networking, and advertising. In order to cater to this ever increasing communication overhead there has been a fundamental shift in the network infrastructure. Modern network routers often employ software programmable network processors instead of ASIC-based technology for higher throughput performance and adaptability to changing resource requirements. This programmability makes networking infrastructure vulnerable to new class of network attacks by compromising the software on network processors. This issue has resulted …

Protesting Between The Lines: Carmen Martín Gaite's Frustration In Writing Vis-À-Vis 1950s Francoist Censorship, Emily Rose Spring

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This thesis considered the impact of censorship and authoritarian rule by dictator Francisco Franco on two novels by 20^th century Spanish author Carmen Martín Gaite: El balneario, (1955) and Entre visillos (1958). The two works utilize a “discourse of censorship” to express complaints about life as a young woman deprived of fulfilling relationships and self-determination. These novels were analyzed through a search for subtexts and hidden meanings to argue for their status as texts that contain a subversive message.

This investigation was accomplished through historical research on Francoist censorship and repression; use of Michel Foucault’s theories about panopticism; …

Intersecting Symbols In Indigenous American And African Material Culture: Diffusion Or Independent Invention And Who Decides?, Donna L. Moody

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Native American and African American material culture of mid-19^thcentury to present day appear to hold evidence for a more ancient spiritual and cultural relationship between these two diverse peoples. There is evidence of strikingly similar, and in some instances, identical, pre-Columbian (before 1492) symbols from Africa and North America which allows us to examine questions of diffusion or independent invention.

This thesis provides an examination of cultural practices and spiritual beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of North America and Africa through symbols incorporated in the material culture of each, focusing primarily on textiles and it provides an exploration …

José Martí Pedagogo: Educación Y Modernidad, William P. Kearney

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

El objeto de estudio de este trabajo de investigación es la visión de la educación del autor cubano José Martí presente en los escritos de los últimos años de su vida, efectivamente de 1882 a su muerte en 1895. El punto de partida del estudio es la afirmación del crítico uruguayo Ángel Rama (1926-1983) de que la preocupación principal de Martí durante esa época era la incorporación de la modernidad en América Latina. La hipótesis que se intenta probar en este trabajo es que esa mirada hacia la modernidad asume inflexiones particulares aplicadas a la visión educativa del autor. Para …

Habitat Heterogeneity Concentrates Predators In The Seascape: Linking Intermediate-Scale Estuarine Habitat To Striped Bass Distribution, Cristina Kennedy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Predators are key components of aquatic ecosystems and innovative approaches to understanding their spatial distribution are imperative for research, effective management, and conservation. Discontinuities, created by abrupt changes between two unlike entities, are irregularly-distributed, intermediate-scale features that can have a disproportionate effect on organismal distribution within the seascape. Here I use the discontinuity concept to relate the distribution of a predator, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), to physical features within Plum Island Estuary (PIE), MA. I mapped the distribution of 50 acoustically-tagged striped bass during four monthly surveys at 40 sites to evaluate if heterogeneity in physical features concentrated …

Interactions Between Pieris Oleracea And Pieris Rapae (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) Butterflies, And The Biological Control Agents Cotesia Glomerata And Cotesia Rubecula (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)., Megan V. Herlihy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Pieris oleracea, formerly Pieries napi, was once a widespread pierid butterfly in New England until the introduction of a biological control agent, Cotesia glomerata. It has been suggested that C. glomerata is responsible for the range reduction of P. oleracea. There are been several introductions of a second more specialized biological control agent, Cotesia rubecula, to the United States since the 1960’s. My first goal was to determine the current distribution and status of P. rapae parasitoids and the effectiveness of C. rubecula as a biological control agent since its release. The findings of a survey …