Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Incorporating Place And Space: A Hierarchical Spatial Approach To Exploring Preventable Congestive Heart Failure Hospitalizations In New York City, Rachael Weiss Riley

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Faced with rising medical care costs, increasing prevalence, and widening health disparities, preventing congestive heart failure (CHF) hospitalizations is a central public health concern. Despite evidence of geographical clustering in preventable CHF admissions, there is a lack of research designed to examine spatial patterning of CHF and the local area neighborhood determinants that contribute to this variability. This study sought to assess and evaluate the importance of both space and place in analyzing preventable CHF hospitalizations and readmissions by applying appropriate statistical techniques, clarifying the assumption inherent in each method, and interpreting the findings within the context of existing …

Mechanisms Of Shear Zone Localization And Raman Thermobarometry In Spinel Peridotites From The Alpine Fault, New Zealand, Emily J. Lubicich

Dissertations and Theses

A suite of xenoliths from two localities on South Island, New Zealand, exhibit rare microstructures and provide information on deformation during the early stages of development of the Alpine Fault. The first set of samples has evidence of dislocation creep with subgrains, recrystallized grains, undulose extinction and a lattice preferred orientation. These samples also show evidence of post deformation static grain growth with polygonal grains, 120° triple junctions, and euhedral grains within larger grains of the same phase. Samples from the second locality also show evidence of dislocation creep but with minimal static grain growth. This set also has a …

Temporal Variability Of Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter At A Brackish, Tidal Marsh-Estuary Interface, Alana B. Menendez

Dissertations and Theses

Marshes are both terrestrial and aqueous, sitting as an intermediate between land and water. Studies over constrained numbers of tidal cycles have demonstrated that these marshes are net exporters of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to adjoining estuaries, however, there is need for continuous monitoring to better understand the temporal variability of this flux: tidally, seasonally, and during episodic rain events. Through use of a YSI EXO2 sonde, an in situ optical sensor at the interface of the brackish, tidal Kirkpatrick Marsh and Rhode River sub-estuary in Edgewater, Maryland (located on the northwestern shore of the Chesapeake Bay), we were able …

Enzymatically Active Microspheres For Self-Propelled Colloidal Engines, Jungeun Park

Dissertations and Theses

Micro- and nano-motors have attracted numerous attentions from various scientific areas due to their potential applications. Most studies on self-propelled colloidal engines have exploited catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to drive the motor. Since the hydrogen peroxide is caustic, it is not suitable to use in biological applications, encouraging people to develop “greener” fuels. The aim of this research is to study a new transduction mechanism for self-propulsion not tied to hydrogen peroxide, and which can in particular be used with biological molecules as fuels. In this study, we focus on making particles with enzymatic activity which can effectively decompose …

2d Vector Map And Database Design For Indoor Assisted Navigation, Luciano Caraciolo Albuquerque

Dissertations and Theses

In this paper we implemented a 2D Vector Map, map editor and Database design intended to provide an efficient way to convert cad files from indoor environments to a set of vectors representing hallways, doors, exits, elevators, and other entities embedded in a floor plan, and save them in a database for use by other applications, such as assisted navigation for blind people.

A graphical application as developed in C++ to allow the user to input a CAD DXF file, process the file to automatically obtain nodes and edges, and save the nodes and edges to a database for posterior …

Marsh-Exported Dissolved Organic Matter Fate In Estuaries, Laura Ann Logozzo

Dissertations and Theses

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a significant driver of estuarine productivity and nutrient cycling. The colored component of DOM, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), impacts coastal optical properties, ocean color, and light attenuation. While marshes are largely considered sinks for carbon due to their high productivity and low soil carbon degradation rates, laterally they are sources of carbon as optically and chemically distinct DOM to surrounding aquatic ecosystems; these inputs are often essential in sustaining a net heterotrophic system. However, the photoreactivity and bioavailability of marsh-exported DOM is largely uncategorized, thus making it difficult to quantify its impacts on estuarine …