Digital Commons Network^™

Protecting Return Address Integrity For Risc-V Via Pointer Authentication, Yuhe Zhao

Masters Theses

Embedded systems based on lightweight microprocessors are becoming more prevalent in various applications. However, the security of them remains a significant challenge due to the limited resources and exposure to external threats. Especially, some of these devices store sensitive data and control critical devices, making them high-value targets for attackers. Software security is particularly important because attackers can easily access these devices on the internet and obtain control of them by injecting malware.

Return address (RA) hijacking is a common software attack technique used to compromise control flow integrity (CFI) by manipulating memory, such as return-to-libc attacks. Several methods have …

Blockchain Design For A Secure Pharmaceutical Supply Chain, Zhe Xu

Masters Theses

In the realm of pharmaceuticals, particularly during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the supply chain for drugs has faced significant strains. The increased demand for vaccines and therapeutics has revealed critical weaknesses in the current drug supply chain management systems. If not addressed, these challenges could lead to severe societal impacts, including the rise of counterfeit medications and diminishing trust in government authorities.

The study identified that more than the current strategies, such as the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in the U.S., which focuses on unique authentication and traceability codes for prescription drugs, is needed to …

Use Of Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (Drones) Based Remote Sensing To Model Platform Topography And Identify Human-Made Earthen Barriers In Salt Marshes, Joshua J. Ward

Masters Theses

Elevation is a foundational driver of salt marsh morphology. Elevation governs inundation and hydrological patterns, vegetation distribution, and soil health. Anthropogenic impacts at grand scales (e.g., rising sea levels) and local scales (e.g., infrastructure) have altered the elevation of the salt marsh surface, changing the topography and morphology of these ecosystems. This study establishes and assesses means to document and analyze these impacts using Unoccupied Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing to model platform topography. This thesis’s first and primary study presents and compares methods of producing high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs) with UAV-based Digital Aerial Photogrammetry (DAP) and Light …

Multi-Method Approach To Assess The Impact Of Off-Fault Deformation During Fault Evolution, Christ Faviana Ramos Sanchez

Masters Theses

Scaled physical experiments using analog materials that simulate deformation processes in the Earth’s crust provide direct observations of deformation during strike-slip fault evolution. Carefully scaled experiments allow us to directly observe millions of years of deformation within hours and document the behavior of experimental faults. My thesis is composed of three distinct chapters that use scaled physical experiments to help us better understand partitioning of deformation on and off of strike-slip faults within the Earth’s crust. For my first project, I built a workflow that allows the measurement of off-fault deformation manifested as vertical motions along faults. When combined with …

Evaluation Of Antioxidant Strategies In Low-Moisture Foods, Vinatee Patil

Masters Theses

Lipid oxidation in foods is vastly studied and yet less is known about lipid oxidation mechanisms in low-moisture food systems. Low-moisture foods are comprised of almost all snacks. Most of these snacks are baked or deep-fried foods consisting of a major chunk of saturated fat in consumers’ diets. Therefore, the goal is to improve the nutritional profile of these products to ultimately deliver a healthy product to the consumer. Replacing saturated fats with healthy unsaturated fatty acids is a challenge the food industry faces daily due to oxidative stability.

This study aims to mimic and optimize the industrial cracker model …

Buffering Effects Of Negative Intergroup Contact Through Complex Social Identities, Liora Morhayim

Masters Theses

Although negative intergroup contact occurs less frequently than positive contact, negative contact can more strongly influence outgroup attitudes and behaviors due to the effect of category salience in the generalization process. The present study (N =306) tests whether being aware of an outgroup member’s complex social identity will serve as a buffer against the adverse impact of a negative intergroup contact experience on outgroup attitudes. In a 3X2 between-subjects design, social identity complexity (SIC) of an outgroup confederate (high versus low versus control) and the valence of contact (neutral versus negative) were manipulated. Participants interacted with an outgroup confederate …

Unraveling Intermolecular Vwfa1-Gp1bα And Vwf C4-Gp2b3a Interactions Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Sherly Makar

Masters Theses

Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is one of the largest and most complex glycoproteins. It is the main player in maintaining hemostasis at injury sites in the blood vessels as it bridges the interaction between blood platelets and the extracellular matrix (ECM). VWF acts as a mechanosensor in high-shear surroundings, leading to a conformational change in its domains. VWF is a mosaic protein with many different domains that are receptors to the proper ligands on the blood platelets. The A1 domain is the initial point of contact between the VWF and the blood platelets as it binds to the glycoprotein 1b- …

Investigating The Role Of Got2 In Murine Organogenesis And Placenta Development, Olivia Macrorie

Masters Theses

According to the Knockout Mouse Project (KOMP), loss of glutamatic oxaloacetic transaminase 2 (Got2) results in lethality between embryonic day (E) 9.5 and E12.5, which is a critical period for organ and placenta development. The first aim of this project is to characterize the KOMP-generated Got2 null allele. In situ hybridization reveals that while Got2 is ubiquitous throughout much of the embryo, it is highly expressed in the liver and throughout the developing labyrinth layer of the placenta by E9.5. While Got2^-/- embryos are lethal at E10.5, at E9.5 Got2-deficient embryos have pharyngeal arch defects, do not turn properly, …

Extracting Dnn Architectures Via Runtime Profiling On Mobile Gpus, Dong Hyub Kim

Masters Theses

Due to significant investment, research, and development efforts over the past decade, deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved notable advancements in classification and regression domains. As a result, DNNs are considered valuable intellectual property for artificial intelligence providers. Prior work has demonstrated highly effective model extraction attacks which steal a DNN, dismantling the provider’s business model and paving the way for unethical or malicious activities, such as misuse of personal data, safety risks in critical systems, or spreading misinformation. This thesis explores the feasibility of model extraction attacks on mobile devices using aggregated runtime profiles as a side-channel to leak …

Structural Racism, Black Out-Group Preference, And Mental Health, Alexander J. Kellogg

Masters Theses

Structural racism has increasingly been implicated as a root cause of racial disparities in health and well-being. Specifically, areas where White Americans hold more negative attitudes toward Black Americans have been associated with both anti-Black discrimination and poorer Black physical and mental health. However, previous research has relied on cross-sectional designs and has neglected the potential effects of Black community-level attitudes on mental health. We hypothesized that higher aggregate pro-White bias among White Americans would be associated with higher implicit out-group preference among Black residents living in the same communities, above and beyond the effects of traditional measures of structural …

An Antiviral Response Unleashed: Deciphering The Relationship Between Shiftless And Rna Granules During Kshv Infection, David C. Hatfield

Masters Theses

Herpesviruses persist as a parasitic actor among many species. These viral agents can rapidly seize control over host cells by influencing global gene expression. Through a process known as host shutoff, herpesviruses cause a widespread degradation event of host transcripts within the cytoplasm. Specifically, Kaposi Sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) encodes for an endoribonuclease, termed SOX, that orchestrates this manipulation of gene expression. We and others have discovered certain transcripts that escape this fate; we suggest that this is an active escape, where transcripts have 3’ UTR elements that disallow SOX cleavage. One of the escapees that has been found is …

'Our Sacred Rights': The Southern Baptist Convention And The Rhetoric Of Oppression, 1845 And Present Day, Katlyn Durand

Masters Theses

My master’s thesis focuses on the endurance of white supremacy and patriarchy in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), founded in 1845 and currently the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. I look at two moments in the SBC’s history and place these moments within their broader contexts to elucidate the political and cultural characteristics that shaped these moments: its founding in 1845 upon proslavery partisanship, as well as its current sexual abuse scandal. I argue that the Nullification Crisis of 1828-1834 and the cult of domesticity greatly influenced SBC policy and culture at its origins. Additionally, I examine the …

Technical Evaluation Of Floating Offshore Wind Plants And Installation Operations, Cengizhan Cengiz

Masters Theses

Offshore wind energy is witnessing remarkable growth, driven by the global shift towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. A pivotal innovation in this domain is floating offshore wind technology, which represents a transformative opportunity in harnessing wind energy from deep waters, where conventional fixed-bottom offshore wind systems face limitations due to depth constraints and escalating costs. In light of regional commitments to lower carbon emissions in energy generation, the accessibility of deep-water zones, rich in offshore wind resources, becomes increasingly critical. Despite the promising prospects, the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) developments present intricate challenges encompassing design, installation, and operational …

Effects Of Habitat, Density, And Climate On Moose And Winter Tick Ecology In The Northeastern U.S., Juliana Berube

Masters Theses

Over the past several decades, moose (Alces alces) populations in New England have been in decline due to winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) parasitism. Winter ticks have been known to infest moose, with over 90,000 ticks being recorded on a single moose. These severe infestations, known as epizootics, are associated with high annual calf mortality rates (> 50%) and reductions in annual productivity (adult calving and twinning rates < 60% and 5%, respectively). Given this, it is increasingly important to effectively monitor moose and winter ticks to address consistent population decline of moose due to winter tick epizootics. The objectives of this work were to measure off-host winter tick abundance and associated environmental variables and compare off-host tick abundance in relation to moose abundance.

To assess moose and winter tick abundance, I used a combination of camera traps and winter tick sampling. I set an array of 60 cameras across central-western Massachusetts, which …

The Impact Of A Non-Ionic Adjuvant To The Persistence Of Pesticides On Produce Surfaces, Daniel Barnes

Masters Theses

Adjuvants can enhance the performance of the pesticide active ingredients in many ways including decreasing surface tension and reducing evaporation. Understanding how adjuvants effect pesticide behavior (e.g., surface persistence) is crucial for developing effective pesticide formulations, as well as facilitating the development of effective approaches to reduce pesticide residues from the surface of fresh produce post-harvest. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of a non-ionic surfactant, Surf-Ac 910, on the persistence of two model pesticides, thiabendazole and phosmet on apple surfaces. The result shows that the addition of Surf-Ac 910 increased both the maximum wetted area …

Comparing Likelihood Of Tree Failure Assessments Using Different Assessment Techniques, Ari Okun

Masters Theses

Tree risk assessment is an important arboricultural practice used to determine a tree’s risk of failing and causing damage to property or injury to people. Risk assessment includes three assessments: the likelihood of failure, the likelihood of striking a target, and the severity of consequences. To assess the likelihood of tree failure, arborists consider factors that affect the loads a tree experiences (for example, whether it is sheltered or exposed to strong winds, whether the crown is porous or dense, and how tall and wide is the crown) and factors that affect its load-bearing capacity (for example, what is the …

Reproduction, First Year Growth And Distribution Of Anadromous Rainbow Smelt, Osmerus Mordax (Mitchill), In The Paker River-Plum Island Sound Estuary, Massachusetts, Gary R. Clayton

Masters Theses

The reproductive biology of anadromous rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax (Mitchill), in the Parker River-Plum Island Sound estuary was investigated during the fall 1974 and spring 1975. Only one set of maturing eggs was observed within the ovaries of fish examined; all ovarian locations matured at a similar rate. Larger fish produced larger ovaries and eggs but fewer eggs per gram of ovarian weight. Mean maturity indices for females and males during November through March increased 576.7% and 72.1%, respectively. Total fecundity ranged from 7,038 eggs for an age I, 127 mm female to 44,241 eggs for an age II, 204 …

Reproductive Biology Of Anadromous Rainbow Smelt, Osmerus Mordax, In The Ipswich Bay Area, Massachusetts, Frederick C. Sutter Iii

Masters Theses

The reproductive biology of anadromous rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, was investigated in the Parker River and Essex Bay systems from 1977 through 1979. Variations in growth and seasonal energy content of body tissue of young-of-the-year (YOY) anadromous smelt were examined to investigate their relationships to spawning of precocious (age I) fish. By late fall of their first year, YOY that will spawn precociously in the spring have developing gonads, are longer in total length and have a higher energy content (kcals/g) of body tissue than non-precocious fish. The number of fish spawning at age I increased during the spawning …

Zal And Simorgh From Shahnameh (Book Of Kings) A Design And Fabrication Film Project In Stop Motion Puppetry, Maryam Taghizadeh Hemayati

Masters Theses

This thesis is a reflection of the design, fabrication, and production of the Zal and Simorgh story in Shahnameh in puppet and stop motion. It is an original performance piece of my concept, design, and fabrication and it was presented to the public in August 2023.

Association Among Neurophysiology, Cognition And Mobility In Older Adults, Nikou Nikoumanesh

Masters Theses

Age-related structural and molecular changes in older adults have been shown to significantly affect their cognitive and motor functions (Trollor and Valenzuela, 2001). Given the growing population of older adults, it is imperative to bridge the gaps in scientific understanding of cognition and motor capabilities in healthy older adults’ population. This study investigates five major neurochemicals and their potential correlations with gait, balance, executive function, and attention in healthy older adults. Additionally, we explore the interplay between cognition and motor performance in our participants. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the neurochemical values of interest may serve as predictive indicators for motor …

(K)Ein Ausweg Für Hedda? Eine Analyse Von Henrik Ibsens Hedda Gabler (1890) Aus Der Feministischen Perspektive Von Helene Stöcker Und Rosa Mayreder, Nikoletta Strasser

Masters Theses

My research identifies the existing parallels between the repressive societal structures portrayed in the play Hedda Gabler (1890) and central political issues addressed by representatives of the German and Austrian women’s movement at the turn of the 19th century. Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen shows how oppressive social conditions negatively affect his female characters, but he does not offer satisfactory alternatives to their suffering. I selected the theoretical writings of Helene Stöcker and Rosa Mayreder as more “radical” opinions of the first German and Austrian women’s movement because they present solutions to the repressive societal structures Ibsen addresses. Since many voices …

A Multi-Regional Assessment Of Eastern Whip-Poor-Will (Antrostomus Vociferus) Occupancy In Managed And Unmanaged Forests Using Autonomous Recording Units, Jeffery T. Larkin

Masters Theses

State and federal agencies spend considerable time and resources to enhance and create habitat for wildlife. Understanding how target and non-target species respond to these efforts can help direct the allocation of limited conservation resources. However, monitoring species response to habitat management comes with several logistical challenges that are exacerbated as the area of geographic focus increases. I used autonomous recording units (ARUs) to mitigate these challenges when assessing Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) response to forest management. I deployed 1,265 ARUs across managed and unmanaged public and private forests from western North Carolina to southern Maine. I then …

The Near-Synonymous Classifiers In Mandarin Chinese: Etymology, Modern Usage, And Possible Problems In L2 Classroom, Irina Kavokina

Masters Theses

Many Chinese classifiers are nearly synonymic – they can be used with the same head nouns without changing the meaning of the sentence, in other words, such classifiers can be used interchangeably or almost interchangeably. This poses a challenge for Chinese language learners, especially those who lack such a grammatical category in their own native language. Another complication arises from the ambiguous English translations of many classifiers.

In this paper we investigate the collocation behavior of near-synonymous Chinese classifiers, focusing on their semantic nuances and interchangeability. Analyzing 6 pairs of classifiers — 栋 and 幢, 匹 and 头, 批 and …

Optimizing Channel Formation In Peg Maleimide Hydrogels, Bakthavachalam Kannadasan

Masters Theses

Blood vessels including the arteries, veins, and capillaries are a critical and indispensable component of various organisms. Some studies estimate that if all the blood vessels present in our body are arranged in line, they would amount to a total length of approximately 60,000 miles. This distance is enough to circle the world two and a half times! In addition to being all pervasive, blood vessels perform certain key functions such as delivery of oxygen and nutrients to various tissues in the body. They also assist in the spread of diseases such as cancer. Therefore, it is important to study …

Production And Characterization Of Monoclonal Antibodies To Xenopus Proteins, Brett A. Horr

Masters Theses

Monoclonal antibodies are powerful and versatile tools that enable the study of proteins in diverse contexts. They are often utilized to assist with identification of subcellular localization and characterization of the function of target proteins of interest. However, because there can be considerable sequence diversity between orthologous proteins in Xenopus and mammals, antibodies produced against mouse or human proteins often do not recognize Xenopus counterparts. To address this issue, we refined existing mouse monoclonal antibody production protocols to generate antibodies against Xenopus proteins of interest. Here, we describe several approaches for the generation of useful mouse anti-Xenopus antibodies to multiple …

Collaborative Storytelling In The Parable Task: The Dramaturg As Game Designer In Pervasive Performance, Percival Hornak

Masters Theses

Proceeding from a framing of theater as collaborative storytelling, I argue for defining role-playing games as a kind of performance and for their value in structuring experiential and participatory theater. Building on the impulse at the heart of experiential and immersive theater to place the audience within the world of the performance and center their experience, I explore what it means for theater artists to cede control over how audiences make meaning of their work in favor of letting narrative emerge from the participation of the audience during the performance event. I propose a framework called pervasive performance that merges …

Diagnostic Feature Detection And Sequential Eyewitness Lineups, Jerome D. Hoover

Masters Theses

Prior work has demonstrated that the sequential presentation of lineup members in eyewitness lineups can result in undesirable position effects. For example, some studies have shown that placing the suspect in later positions increases discriminability. However, the evidence for this late-position discriminability advantage is mixed and the processes by which the discriminability increase occurs are unclear. However, one theory in particular, diagnostic feature detection theory (DFDT) explicitly predicts a late-position discriminability increase. According to DFDT, because shared features across lineup members cannot be used as reliable recognition cues to guide identification, discounting these features from consideration improves recognition. In sequential …

Evaluating The Potential Of Ozone Microbubbles For Inactivation Of Tulane Virus, A Human Norovirus Surrogate, Bozhong Guan

Masters Theses

Microbubbles are small gas-filled bubbles with diameters ranging from 50 to 1 μm, and less than 200 nm are called nanobubbles. Their small sizes and large specific surface area result in a high gas dissolution rate and long lifetime in liquid. Ozone is a strong oxidant that destroys microorganisms and only produces oxygen as the final by-product in fresh water. However, due to the poor stability of aqueous ozone, critical gas waste happens during treatments which leads to a high economic loss. Microbubbles have shown promising enhancement of ozone treatment. In previous studies, ozone microbubbles exhibited excellent efficacy in the …

Imagining The “Day Of Reckoning”: American Jewish Performance Activism During The Holocaust, Maya C. Gonzalez

Masters Theses

Scholars of American Jewish history have long debated the complicity of the American Jewish community in the loss of six million Jewish lives in Europe during the Holocaust. After Hitler took power in 1933, American Jewish leaders took to the streets to protest the Nazi Party’s abuse of German Jews. Two central figures in this history are Reform Rabbi Stephen Wise and Revisionist Zionist Ben Hecht because of their wide-reaching protest movements that operated in competition with each other. Although the historiography presents Wise and Hecht's inability to unite as the product of difference, my examination of their protest performances …

Impact Of Fermented And Non-Fermented Plant-Based Foods Supplementation On Gut Microbiota And Metabolites In C57bl/6j Mice, Priya Darshan Gandhi

Masters Theses

Plant-based proteins have gained popularity because of their high nutritional value and more sustainable alternative to animal-based proteins. Soybean and chickpea are two widely consumed plant-based proteins, whereas tempeh is a popular plant-based fermented whole food product that is rich in protein. With the increase in the development of plant-based food products, there is little research into how plant proteins affect gut microbiota characteristics and metabolites. Therefore, there is a need to understand the underlying mechanisms surrounding the consumption of these foods. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health benefits of soybean, chickpea, and their tempeh counterparts’ …