Digital Commons Network^™

Development And Modeling Of An Innovative Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device For Quantitative Elisa, Ashutosh Kumar

Open Access Dissertations

This work contributes to the burgeoning field of paper-based analytical devices, with a particular focus on advancing global health outcomes through the development of an innovative paper-based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (p-ELISA) platform. At its core, this research seeks to address the critical need for accessible, efficient, and reliable diagnostic tools by leveraging the unique properties of paper as a substrate for fluid dynamics and biochemical reactions. The motivation behind this endeavor is the potential for such devices to significantly improve diagnostic capabilities, especially in resource-limited settings where traditional laboratory infrastructure is scarce.

The work is structured around a comprehensive exploration …

Automated Solutions For Dynamic Subset Target Identification And Tracking, Rupasinghe Perera

Open Access Dissertations

In this dissertation, we investigated a multi-target tracking filter, specifically the Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter, for tracking non-homogeneous targets with varying characteristics. In traditional tracking systems, targets are assumed to have fixed characteristics with constant sensor detection rates. However, targets like cyanobacterial blooms exhibit different sizes and shapes at each tracking step, introducing additional uncertainty for the tracking system.

In this study, we propose a novel formulation of the multi-target tracking problem, in which the target represents a variable shape and size subset of the state space. Due to the lack of a proven model and the non-linear nature …

High-Speed Cops And Robbers, Nikolas Townsend

Open Access Dissertations

We focus on two variants of the game Cops and Robbers in which players are allowed to move faster than in the original game. Specifically, we study the infinite-speed game, wherein the robber is allowed to traverse any cop-free path on the underlying graph G on his turn. We also study the speed-(s,s) game, in which both the cops and the robber are allowed to move along paths of length at most s on their respective turns. In each variant, we seek to establish bounds on the cop numbers of different classes of graphs, with a focus …

Best Management And Egg Washing Practices For Small-Scale Poultry Producers To Improve Food Safety, Julie Bosland

Open Access Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation research was to determine the best management and egg washing practices for small-scale egg producers and backyard chicken owners to help improve food safety. The main goals were to establish the most effective management and egg washing procedures to reduce total coliform bacteria load on eggshells and increase egg cleanliness. To determine the methods used for experiments in chapters 3-5, a survey was conducted on egg handling, washing and management techniques in backyard poultry and small-scale producers within the Northeastern U.S. The effect of management practices and egg washing methods on the eggshell cuticle was …

Flux To Flow: A Clearer View Of Earth’S Water Cycle Via Neural Networks And Satellite Data, Albert Eric Larson

Open Access Dissertations

Earth’s weather and climate changes dynamically, and humans must monitor the evolution of our environment or fail to plan and adapt. Water is our most valuable resource, and as such it is of the utmost importance to have a continuous view of its movements as water cycles over, in, and under land, in the atmosphere, and in the sea. One way that we observe the water cycle is with satellite measurements. Unfortunately, the resolution of these instruments is typically too coarse to visualize many transient phenomena of interest. If their vision is fine enough, the instrument captures only a small …

The Immigrant Experience Of Latina Mothers From A Strengths Perspective: A Focused Ethnography, Esperanza Gutierrez

Open Access Dissertations

Latina mothers are part of a rapidly growing ethnic minority group in the United States (U.S.). Researchers have largely illuminated their challenges and problems in their immigration process. A problem-oriented approach leads to labeling of the individual based on vulnerabilities, pathologies, and deficits. Nursing needs a greater emphasis on the strengths perspective, empirical studies, and a broader culturally based conception of strengths, including Latina mothers who immigrate to the U.S. A strengths perspective would be beneficial in encompassing Latina mothers’ capabilities and potentialities.

Focused ethnography was used to identify and describe the strengths of Latina mothers who immigrated to the …

Microfluidic Paper-Based Devices For The Detection Of Chemical And Biological Agents, Hojat Heidaribafroui

Open Access Dissertations

This work was motivated by two needs: to develop low-cost, high-sensitivity, and accurate systems for detecting phosphate in seawater, and to create a platform technology by integrating Bi-Material Cantilever (B-MaC) valves for rapid and affordable biosensors that can be used at home or point-of-care settings to detect pathogens.

Detecting low levels of phosphate in the seawater using an inexpensive sensor is crucial for marine scientists to make informed decisions on where to measure next, compared to the current method of collecting samples and analyzing them ashore. To address these needs, we developed a portable infrared lightbox that can be wirelessly …

Valuing The Impact Of Wind Turbines On Housing Prices, Luran Dong

Open Access Dissertations

In Chapter 1, I evaluate the impact of offshore wind turbines on housing prices using the Block Island Wind Farm (BIWF) as an example. Using properties from the mainland, I estimate difference-in-differences hedonic valuation models with treatment defined by views of BIWF. Across many specifications and samples, I find no evidence of negative impacts to property values. Coefficient estimates are both negative and positive, but none are statistically distinguishable from zero. I additionally estimate hedonic models using properties on Block Island, which is only 4.8 km from the BIWF, meaning the BIWF is more of a visually dominant feature there …

Femtosecond Time-Resolved Coherent Raman Spectroscopy Of Equilibrium Phonons In Cubic Perovskites, Jeremy Sylvester

Open Access Dissertations

Essential to green energy technologies are new materials for high-power electronics, especially wide-bandgap semiconductors such as Barium Stannate (BSO) and Strontium Titanate (STO) which promise outstanding performance in high power transistor applications. Design and performance of these materials relies on detailed knowledge of basic physical parameters, including charge-carrier mobility. The mobility values can be as high as 500 cm2/Vs for electron concentrations >1x10¹⁹ /cm³ provided that the effect of impurity scattering is reduced using special doping techniques. In this case, the inelastic carrier-phonon scattering is the only mechanism that strongly affects the mobility as the polar optical (LO) …

Designing Accessible Computing Device Authentication For People With Upper Extremity Impairment, Brittany Lewis

Open Access Dissertations

Computing device authentication, the process of proving one's identity to a computing device (e.g., laptop, tablet, smart phone, etc.), is critical to protecting the sensitive data these devices contain. However, computing device authentication often makes assumptions about the user's ability to perform complex tasks with their arms, hands, and fingers. For example, entering complex passwords, or accurately positioning a camera for facial recognition. This can create barriers for people with upper extremity impairment (UEI) who have reduced strength, accuracy, dexterity, speed, and/or range of motion in their shoulders, upper arms, forearms, hands, and/or fingers. My goal is to design new, …

Home Health Care Nurses’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Providing Care To Older Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Descriptive Study, Joan R. Dugas

Open Access Dissertations

Home health care nurses were essential front line healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Research in this area has primarily focused on the experiences of nurses in the acute and long-term care settings. This study aims to: (1) gain an understanding of the subjective experiences and perceptions of home health care nurses providing care to OAs during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) elucidate aspects affecting the care provided to OAs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Twenty nurses were interviewed between July 2022 and September 2022. The interviews were semi-structured and were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four …

Resisting Arrest: An (Auto-Theoretical) Essay On Prison Literature, James A. Ferry

Open Access Dissertations

All philosophy, according to Nietzsche, amounts essentially to “the confession of its originator, and a species of involuntary and unconscious autobiography.” Wayne Booth, author of The Rhetoric of Fiction, maintains that the creative writer is never ideologically disinterested, that “there is always some deeper value” at the core of the text. The current project explores the intersection of these two assertions; the degree to which the theoretician betrays his ideology is in dialectical tension with the idea that the life-writer is a latent ideologue. This project employs an auto-theoretical approach: an integration of theory and philosophy with autobiography. A …

Development Of Polymeric Nano- And Microparticle-Based Controlled Release Platforms, Ryan Ivone

Open Access Dissertations

The success of the development of drug delivery formulations hinges upon their ability to maintain therapeutic efficacy, while simultaneously aiming to minimize off-site side effects and reduce the dosing burden often faced by patients. Localized formulations deliver therapeutics directly to the disease site and can help circumvent physiological obstacles such as the first pass effect, which remains one of the primary barriers for oral drug delivery. Barriers such as the first pass effect can drastically reduce the overall bioavailability of a formulation, potentially requiring a higher initial dose to remain therapeutically effective. However, many compounds demonstrate dose dependent side effects, …

Development And Characterization Of Nano- And Microparticles For Pulmonary Drug Delivery, Matthew Freeman

Open Access Dissertations

Pulmonary drug delivery is a rapidly growing area of interest in the field of inhalable therapeutics and provides the possibility for specialized engineered inhalable drug-loaded particles capable of improving treatment efficacy. Pulmonary drug delivery provide several advantageous when compared to other routes of administrations, as therapeutics delivered to the lungs avoid the first-pass effect of the liver, which is a major hurdle for other routes of administration. The potential for drug degradation is also decreased as the lungs have low to no enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the lungs have a large surface and are highly vascular, resulting in rapid onset of …

Investigating The Mechanism And Expanding The Reactivity Of Cu(I)-Catalyzed [2+2] Photocycloaddition Reactions Of Olefins, Gethmini Kasunka Jayasekara

Open Access Dissertations

Light-matter interactions can change the physical and chemical properties of a substance. The energy of photons can be used to dissociate the chemical bonds as well as to generate new bonds. The work in this dissertation is an attempt to understand how photon energy governs the formation of new carbon bonds via alkene groups in the presence of copper catalyst.

Intermolecular and intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions facilitate the generation of cyclobutane moieties which are otherwise difficult to synthesize. Transition metal-based salts are used as catalysts to promote photocycloaddition reactions. The structure and the ring strain of a substrate can affect …

Photochemical And Photophysical Dynamics Of The Aqueous Ferrate(Vi) Ion, Cali Antolini

Open Access Dissertations

Ferrate(VI) has been suggested as a ‘green’ alternative to current oxidation and disinfection methods used in water treatment, especially in combination with ultraviolet light. UV-activation of the ferrate salts has been shown to improve the efficiency of treating water due to the generation of highly oxidizing Fe(V) and Fe(IV) species. However, the incomplete understanding behind the nature of these intermediates, the mechanisms by which they form, and their roles in downstream oxidation reactions have limited the full-scale use of ferrate salts in facilities. Our goal is to advance the engineering of UV/ferrate(VI)-based water treatment processes by gaining a better understanding …

Design, Dynamic Modeling And Control Of Soft Robots, Xiaotian Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Inspired from biological systems, researchers are designing soft robots to replace conventional rigid body robots in many applications, including human-machine interaction, manipulation, medical instrumentation and wearable devices.

Soft robots, due to their flexible bodies capable of achieving complex movements, are suitable for motion in unstructured complex environments. Moreover, soft robots can provide a more pleasant interaction experience for humans, or grip and manipulate fragile objects. However, because of the potential ability of the soft robot, controlling the soft robot still remains as a difficult task, as the soft robot contains high complexity and non-linearity. Currently, machine learning is involved in …

The Effect Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy On Value Consistency During A Weight Loss Program, Leah Dorfman

Open Access Dissertations

In the last decade, the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in populations worldwide. It is well established that overweight and obesity are associated with a host of deleterious health consequences. Standard Behavioral Therapy (SBT) for weight loss has been demonstrated to yield only modest outcomes with poor long-term maintenance. Therefore, efforts must be made to improve upon what is currently considered to be best practices in weight loss interventions, especially with a goal of improving retention and long-term maintenance. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral and cognitive intervention that implements both acceptance and mindfulness processes, and commitment …

A Study Of The Structure-Activity Relationships Of Carcinogenic Protein- And Dna-Binding Chemicals, Alicia M. Crisalli

Open Access Dissertations

Chapter 1

Chemical contaminants in our environment may interact with macromolecules such as proteins and DNA in our bodies and have the potential to disrupt normal biological processes, leading to diseases such as cancer and metabolic conditions. Elucidation of these mechanisms, particularly the relationship between their structure and subsequent biological outcomes, is paramount to mitigating the harm associated with human exposure to such contaminants. It is also an important tool in the drug design/discovery process. This introductory chapter shall serve as background knowledge for readers unversed in the field, outlining several families of persistent chemical contaminants known to cause cancer …

Computational Close Reading: A Critique Of Digital Literary Methodology, Damiano Consilvio

Open Access Dissertations

Computational Close Reading intervenes in digital humanities and American literary scholarship to negotiate a significant institutional and disciplinary problem: the devaluation of close reading and interpretation in digital humanities applications to literary studies in favor of more distant modes of reading. To remedy this issue, I pursue a core question meant to bring the literary and the digital into a more perfect confluence, as a demonstration of possibilities meant to run counter to these preconceptions about computational reading: how “close,” if close at all, can digital technologies bring us to the interpretive elements of literary texts? I argue that they …

“If You Are Trying To Help Students, You Should Probably Ask Them How You Can Help”: Testimonios Of Latina/O/ Hispanic College Students Who Persisted To Graduation, Joise Garzon

Open Access Dissertations

Latinx student enrollment in higher education institutions has been increasing and will continue to rise (McFarland et al., 2018), yet Latinx students have lower degree completion rates than their peers from other racial and ethnic backgrounds (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Higher education institutions need to learn directly from the lived experiences of this diverse population of students to better support their college completion efforts (Arbelo-Marrero & Milacci, 2018; Flink, 2018). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of Latinx students who persisted to graduation at a four-year Hispanic Serving Institution by examining two research …

The Global Dynamics Of Some Rational Difference Equations Exhibiting Neimark-Sacker Bifurcation, Connor O'Loughlin

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis is presented in manuscript format. The first chapter will introduce preliminary definitions and theorems that will be used in the succeeding chapters.

The second chapter will consider the dynamics of a second-order sigmoid Beverton-Holt equation

x_n+1 = x²_n / ax²_n + x²_n-1 + d

where the parameters a and d are positive numbers and the initial conditions are non-negative numbers. For this equation, we will begin by giving a description of the local dynamics of the equation, and then will also examine the global dynamics, including an investigation into the basins …

Pelagic-Benthic Coupling In The Gulf Of Maine: Multidecadal Molecular Isotope Records Of Zooplankton And Deep Sea Corals Bioarchives, Catherine Nowakowski

Open Access Dissertations

The export of organic matter from the surface to deep ocean has major implications for global biogeochemical cycles, the transfer of energy across food webs, and the sequestration of carbon through the biological pump. Therefore, understanding the physical and biological conditions that control these processes is important to understanding pelagic-benthic coupling and resulting controls on ocean productivity, fisheries production, and Earth’s climate regulation. Equally important is consideration of and collaboration with diverse audiences that need to understand this information to make scientifically informed decisions about climate and environment policies that come from this research. Despite the importance of this knowledge, …

Groundwater Dynamics In An Unconfined Coastal Aquifer: Geophysical Investigations And Modeling, Jeeban Panthi

Open Access Dissertations

Coastal groundwater plays a vital role in the sustainability of coastal ecosystems and the freshwater supply for over one billion people worldwide. Understanding the movement and interaction of saltwater and freshwater in coastal aquifers is crucial for effective water resource management. The interface between these density-contrast waters is highly dynamic and sensitive to natural drivers, such as sea level rise, storm surges, and drought, as well as anthropogenic factors, including groundwater over-pumping. In recent years, the drivers of coastal groundwater dynamics have been increasingly well understood and quantified. However, there is a need for data-model fusion, including integrating different forms …

Cell Stress, Protein Quality Control, And Activation Of Toxin Antitoxin Systems In Escherichia Coli, Benjamin Piraino

Open Access Dissertations

Responding to environmental stress is critical for all organismal survival, including in bacteria. One of the key bacterial responses to stress is protection of proteins within the cell, which helps to maintain proteins in a functional state. Protection of the proteome is done through a collaborative network of proteins and systems, all functioning to protect the cell. Within Escherichia coli (E. coli), three main proteomic protection systems are chaperones, proteases, and toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems. They work together, with overlapping functions, to regulate stress responses. Chaperones, such as DnaK(Hsp70) and SecB, are major regulators of protein folding within the cell, …

Improving Quality: Exploring Ceramic Water Filters In Developing Communities, Hem Kumar Pokharel

Open Access Dissertations

The main objectives of this dissertation were to determine the underlying factors involved in the ceramic water filter (CWF) manufacturing and assist in quality control of the CWFs using peer reviewed articles, empirical models, and statistical procedures. First, the progress, bias and gaps in the ceramic filter research were identified based on the peer reviewed articles published after 2011. Second, flow rate (FR) and nominal pore diameter (NPD) values as parameters were used to predict the microbial removal of CWFs. Two empirical models (flow rate model, FRM, and nominal pore diameter model, NPDM) were developed based on the log removal …

Fluid-Structure Interaction Of Collapsing Volumes In Confined Environments, Craig Tilton

Open Access Dissertations

Implosion is the sudden inward collapse of a submerged structure caused by hydrostatic loading. Confined implosion is characterized by a surrounding structure that significantly effects the flow of fluid around the collapsing volume. The goal of this work is to further understand the physics of collapsing volumes in confined environments. To do so, multiple studies are conducted, each exploring a portion of the parameter space. The first chapter of this work utilizes a unique facility to perform a comprehensive experimental study investigating the implosion of thin, aluminum cylinders with the addition of flow restriction. These experiments take place inside a …

Seismological Investigation Of The Hawaiian Volcanoes Following The 2018 Kilauea Eruption, Xiaozhuo Wei

Open Access Dissertations

Volcanoes are one of the most prominent geological features on earth and on extraterrestrial planets, such as Mars. Shield volcanoes are one of the major types of volcanoes and a better understanding of their structures and activities could help decipher the interaction of mantle plumes and the tectonic plates, and mitigate future volcanic hazards for local communities. A large number of shield volcanoes were formed along the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, where the Pacific plate moves relative to the Hawaiian mantle plume. At the easternmost end of the seamount chain, the Island of Hawai’i consists of five shield volcanoes, two of …

Testing The Efficacy Of Behavioral Nudges For Reducing Plastic Bag Use And Perception Of Levy-Based Policy Among Retail Customers In Bangladesh, Md Tahsin Hasan

Open Access Dissertations

Over the last five decades, plastics have penetrated our lives slowly yet with such certainty that we cannot imagine a day without plastic products. From bottled water to injection syringes, we are submerged in plastics. Plastics have significantly improved human lifestyles and reduced living costs by providing cheap household items. However, it is also evident now that plastics threaten the natural environment and animal and human health. Specifically, single-use plastics are the most ubiquitous nuisance to the environment. Food packaging, pet bottles, and single-use plastic bags are the most found plastic items in household garbage. According to statistics from the …

Underlying Mechanisms Of Ubiquitin Specific Peptidase 2 Isoforms Regulation In Hepatocellular Carcinoma By The Farnesoid X Receptor Signaling Pathway, Winifer M. Ali

Open Access Dissertations

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), or liver cancer, is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In 2023, an estimated 41,210 new HCC cases and 29,380 deaths have been reported in the United States with an overall 5-year relative survival rate of 20.8%. It has been predicted that by 2025, there will be more than one million cases of HCC globally. Unfortunately, there are limited effective treatments and current treatment options available are invasive and burdensome. HCC patients are usually diagnosed at the late stages of liver cancer when the only viable treatment options are …