Digital Commons Network^™

Calling For Justice In The Goldfields Of Tanzania, Madoshi H. Makene, Jody Emel, James T. Murphy

Geography

Tanzania is the third largest gold exporter in Africa, thanks in part to the liberalization of the mining sector which started in the early 1990s. Neoliberal mining reforms promised a win-win situation in which government, investors and local host communities would benefit through export earnings, profits, local employment, andcorporate social responsibility initiatives (e.g., the building of schools and clinics). While the rising price of gold and foreign investments in mining activities have delivered on some of these promises, many residents in mining regions have not benefited socioeconomically. Worse still, their communities have unjustly borne the brunt of the environmental, social, …

Neural Correlates Of Phantom Auditory Perception, Paul Joseph S. Deguzman

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Rugose, A Drosophila Akap And Loco, A Rgs Protein In Synaptogenesis And Development, Kemeh Georgina

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Human Lung Cancer Cytochrome C-Gfp Reporter Cell Line To Study Anti-Cancer Drug Responses In Apoptosis Pathways, Sidra A Piracha

Dissertations and Theses

"Currently chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most popular methods for cancer treatments after surgery, but lack of specificity and are thus toxic to the healthy human cells. Studies have shown that targeted therapies have been linked to activation of apoptosis signal pathways (cascade of caspases) in cancer cells including intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. One of the major pathways leading to caspase activation involves the release of cytochrome-c from mitochondria. However, in some tumor cells this pathway is inactivated due to the mutation of mitochondria membrane stabilizing proteins (e.g. Bcl-2, Bcl-xL). Therefore, the overall objective of this proposal was to understand …

Using Virtual Reality Modelling To Enhance Electrical Safety And Design In The Built Environment., Martin Barrett

Doctoral

This thesis presents a prototype desktop virtual reality model entitled ‘Virtual Electrical Services’, to enhance electrical safety and design in the built environment. The model presented has the potential to be used as an educational tool for third level students, a design tool for industry, or as a virtual electrical safety manual for the general public. A description of the development of the virtual reality model is presented along with the applications that were developed within the model. As part of the VR development process, this research investigates the cause and effects of electrical accidents in domestic properties. This highlights …

Automatic Food Intake Assessment Using Camera Phones, Fanyu Kong

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Obesity is becoming an epidemic phenomenon in most developed countries. The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. It is essential to monitor everyday food intake for obesity prevention and management. Existing dietary assessment methods usually require manually recording and recall of food types and portions. Accuracy of the results largely relies on many uncertain factors such as user's memory, food knowledge, and portion estimations. As a result, the accuracy is often compromised. Accurate and convenient dietary assessment methods are still blank and needed in both population and research societies.

In …

Finite Element Analysis Of 2-D Representative Volume Element, Mandar Kulkarni

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

A New Formulation Method For Solving Kinematic Problems Of Multiarm Robot Systems Using Quaternion Algebra In The Screw Theory Framework, Emre Sariyildiz, Hakan Temeltaş

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

We present a new formulation method to solve the kinematic problem of multiarm robot systems. Our major aims were to formulize the kinematic problem in a compact closed form and avoid singularity problems in the inverse kinematic solution. The new formulation method is based on screw theory and quaternion algebra. Screw theory is an effective way to establish a global description of a rigid body and avoids singularities due to the use of the local coordinates. The dual quaternion, the most compact and efficient dual operator to express screw displacement, was used as a screw motion operator to obtain the …

Investigations Of Oxidative Stress Effects And Their Mechanisms In Rat Brain After Systemic Administration Of Ceria Engineered Nanomaterials, Sarita S. Hardas

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Advancing applications of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) in various fields create the opportunity for intended (e.g. drug and gene delivery) or unintended (e.g. occupational and environmental) exposure to ENM. However, the knowledge of ENM-toxicity is lagging behind their application development. Understanding the ENM hazard can help us to avoid potential human health problems associated with ENM applications as well as to increase their public acceptance. Ceria (cerium [Ce] oxide) ENM have many current and potential commercial applications. Beyond the traditional use of ceria as an abrasive, the scope of ceria ENM applications now extends into fuel cell manufacturing, diesel fuel additives …

Application Of Thin Film Analysis Techniques And Controlled Reaction Environments To Model And Enhance Biomass Utilization By Cellulolytic Bacteria, Hsin-Fen Li

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cellulose from energy crops or agriculture residues can be utilized as a sustainable energy resource to produce biofuels such as ethanol. The process of converting cellulose into solvents and biofuels requires the saccharification of cellulose into soluble, fermentable sugars. However, challenges to cellulosic biofuel production include increasing the activity of cellulose-degrading enzymes (cellulases) and increasing solvent (ethanol) yield while minimizing the co-production of organic acids. This work applies novel surface analysis techniques and fermentation reactor perturbations to quantify, manipulate, and model enzymatic and metabolic processes critical to the efficient production of cellulosic biofuels.

Surface analysis techniques utilizing cellulose thin film …

Modeling Collective Dynamics Of Social Systems: Incorporating Various Social Mechanisms Into Agent-Based Models, Dene L. Farrell

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

I present three original papers demonstrating complex behavior arising from collective dynamics in agent-based models (ABM) focusing on evolutionary and cognitive mechanisms. The first report demonstrates the coupled emergence of cooperation and selfish punishment behavior in groups of individuals playing an iterated public goods game. The second report demonstrates the effects of mental modeling within groups of decision makers. The third report demonstrates a synthesis of evolutionary and cognitive mechanisms.

Computational Investigation Of Drag Reduction With A Rear Flap On Trucks, Yangyang Hu

All ETDs from UAB

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of the steady state Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations using the second order k — ω turbulence model were performed to investigate the Drag Coefficients (Cd) of the Class 8 trucks under different geometric configurations. The reduction rates of aerodynamic drag using several add-on devices such as base flap, boat tail, underbody skirt, and tractor-trailer gap are investigated through the CFD simulations. Moreover, simulations by using different lengths and angles of the base flap and boat tail were conducted; the comparison indicates that the base flap design is more effective for the drag reduction. The optimized …

Regulation Of Paps Synthetase 2 By Tranforming Growth Factor-Beta And Its Role In The Maintenance Of Mouse Articular Cartilage, Girish Ramaswamy

All ETDs from UAB

Articular cartilage is a special type of hyaline cartilage present at the end of long bones and facilitates smooth functioning of joints and transfer of load. While most cartilage elements in the body are transient, articular cartilage is permanent and functions throughout life. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint degenerative disease and the leading cause of disability in the industrialized world. A multitude of factors including aging, orthopedic trauma, genetics etc. have been associated with OA. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) is a multifunctional polypeptide which plays an important role in chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation and synthesis of extracellular matrix. Previously, mice with …

Model System Using Controlled Receptor Expression For Molecular Ultrasound Imaging Applications, Reshu Saini

All ETDs from UAB

Ultrasound is a noninvasive, inexpensive imaging modality used to characterize biological tissues. Targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging is an emerging preclinical strategy which uses contrast agents for characterization of biological processes on a molecular level. These microbubble agents are lipid shelled micron-sized particles that have the capability to be coated with ligands such as antibodies or small peptides in order to bind to their target receptors. Molecular ultrasound imaging, using these targeted contrast agents, allows for a quantitative assessment of molecular targets with a high sensitivity. Although this technique is in preclinical research, further advances in contrast agent design and potential …

The Effects Of Venlafaxine On Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Don E. Mccormick

All ETDs from UAB

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can significantly alter a person's physical and psychological health over their lifetime. Depression in persons with SCI is often treated with antidepressants which alter serotonergic and adrenergic signaling, both regulators of plasticity. However, the effects of antidepressants functional recovery after SCI have never been evaluated. Therefore, we hypothesize that antidepressant therapy would alter functional recovery and neuropathic pain behaviors in a SCI rodent model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of venlafaxine (VEN) administration on functional recovery in the rehabilitation setting using a SCI rodent model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received a …

Monitoring Arm Use In Daily Life Via Rfid Tracking Of Household Objects, Joydip Barman

All ETDs from UAB

After stroke, capacity to complete tasks in the treatment setting with the moreaffected arm is an unreliable index of actual use of that extremity in daily life. Available objective methods for monitoring real-world arm use rely on placing movement sensors on patients. These methods provide information on amount but not type of arm activity, e.g., functional vs. nonfunctional movement. This paper presents an approach that places sensors on patients and household objects, overcoming this limitation. An accelerometer and the transmitter component of a radio-frequency proximity sensor are attached to objects; the receiver component is attached to the arm of interest. …

Sonication Treatment Of Diesel Fuel Laden Sump Water, Roxanne E. Bessette

All ETDs from UAB

Diesel engines are the work horses of industry and transportation. Pervasive diesel fuel use impacts stormwater, by increasing petroleum releases to surface waters. Sump containment of diesel-adulterated stormwater commonly keeps diesel from contacting surface waters. Once contained, the quandary lies in effective stormwater treatment that allows discharges within the local watershed. On-site treatment of diesel sump water ordinarily involves gravity oil-water separation technologies. These technologies' treatment times range from hours to days. Commonly, they cannot meet National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater discharge standards for oil and grease because they best remove `free' oil not commonly occurring emulsions. Oil-water …

The Influence Of Microscale Heterogeneity Of The Collagen Network Of Healthy Rabbit Ventricular Subepicardium On Action Potential Propagation And Interstitial Potential Distributions, Claire Elizabeth Bourgeois

All ETDs from UAB

The goal of the present study was to identify the microstructural variability in myocyte orientation and in the arrangement of the collagen network to explore the interstitial compartment's contribution to discontinuous propagation. Microstructural data was obtained from healthy rabbit ventricular subepicardium through a sequence of image processing steps. Collagen quantity was measured in successive serial sections using established histological techniques. Binary 2D maps of collagen quantity were obtained from each section as a difference of images acquired under (i) brightfield illumination with a rhodamine filter and (ii) polarized illumination. Images were then registered by x-y translation and rotation to align …

Connexin 43 Remodeling Contribute To Slowed Conduction Velocity In An Irreversible Arrhythmogenic Canine Model Of Non-Ischemic Heart Failure, Jiajie Yan

All ETDs from UAB

Heart failure is associated with a high mortality due to ventricular tachycardia leading to ventricular fibrillation that could arise from impaired conduction velocity. Myocardial conduction relies on intercellular coupling maintained primarily by the gap junction protein connexin43. The objective of this research is to assess the correlation between connexin43 remodeling and altered conduction in our novel irreversible and arrhythmogenic HF large animal model that mimics human heart failure. A novel heart failure canine model was established with combined strategy of creating aortic insufficiency and aortic constriction. We measured conduction velocity in heart failure and control left ventricular epicardium (n=5, 5) …

Engineering Of Pulsed Laser Deposited Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials In Controlled Atmospheres, Saulius Edmundas Drukteinis

All ETDs from UAB

Synthetic calcium phosphates (CAP) such as hydroxyapatite (HA) have been used as regenerative bone graft materials and also as thin films to improve the integration of biomedical implant devices within skeletal tissue. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) can deposit crystalline HA with significant adhesion on titanium biomaterials. However, there are PLD processing constraints due to the complex physical and chemical interactions occurring simultaneously during PLD, which influence ablation plume formation and development. In this investigation PLD CAP films were engineered with a focus on novel decoupling of partial pressure of H2O (g) (P(H2O)) from total background pressure, in combination with substrate …

Processing And Evaluation Of Long Fiber Thermoplastic Composite Plates For Internal Fixation, Paul Benjamin Warren

All ETDs from UAB

The metallic plates used in internal fracture fixation may have up to ten times the elastic modulus of normal bone tissue, causing stress shielding-induced osteopenia in healed bone that can lead to re-fracture after plate removal and prolonged and painful recovery. Thermoplastic polymer matrix composites reinforced with long carbon fiber are promising alternative materials for internal fixation plates because they may be produced with relative ease and be tailored to have specific mechanical properties, alleviating the stress shielding problem. Long carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (LCF PEEK) plates were produced using the extrusion / compression molding process. Static flexural testing determined that …

Investigating Potential Novel Angiogenic And Immunogenic Properties Of Heme Oxygenase-1, Carl Antonio Frizell

All ETDs from UAB

INVESTIGATING POTENTIAL NOVEL ANGIOGENIC AND IMMUNOGENIC PROPERTIES OF HEME OXYGENASE-1 According to the American Heart Association and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular diseases comprise the primary causes of death in the United States. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an inducible microsomal enzyme, catalyzes the rate limiting step in heme degradation releasing equimolar amounts of biliverdin, iron and carbon monoxide. Importantly, the induction of HO-1 is an adaptive response that affords protection in these disease states and several others. Expression of HO-1 has been demonstrated in several disease states and pathophysiological processes, including ischemia-reperfusion, inflammation and organ transplantation. This protection is …

Modulation Of Morpho-Functional Characteristics Of Astrocytes Using Chemically-Functionalized Water-Soluble Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Manoj K. Gottipati

All ETDs from UAB

In this thesis, I report the use of chemically functionalized water-soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes (ws-SWCNTs) for the modulation of morpho-functional characteristics of astrocytes. When added to the culturing medium, ws-SWCNTs were able to make astrocytes larger and stellate/mature, changes associated with the increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity. Thus, ws-SWCNTs could have more beneficial effects at the injury site than previously thought; by affecting astrocytes, they could provide for a more comprehensive re-establishment of the brain computational power.

Hydrologic Efficiency In Water Conservation, L. Douglas James

Reports

Introduction: The hydrologic cycle can be subdivided into three phases: 1)Humidity is transported within the atmosphere and becomes precipitation, and 2) Water moves downhill until eventually reaching the sea while all the time 3) Evapotranspiration returns exposed moisture to the atmosphere. During its movement, flowing water transports suspended sediments and dissolved minerals to reshape landforms and redistribute the mineral composition of the earth's surface throughout geologic time. It is during the second phase that flowing water can be diverted for uses that generally add to evaportranspiration (through consumptive use) and transport (through waste disposal). The water resources development that serves …

Bod5 And Cod Data Analysis From The Northwest And Robert R. Bustamante Wastewater Treatment, Juan Carlos Adame

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objectives of this thesis are to explore the use of basic Statistical Process Control in a Wastewater Treatment Plant with secondary treatment. Additionally, to describe statistical behavior and review normality of some reportable parameters, also to analyze mainly parameters like BOD5 (Biological Oxygen Demand), Electrical Conductivity, and COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) with seasons of the year and days of the week, using data from the Northwest (NW) and Robert R. Bustamante (RRB) Wastewater Treatment Plants from El Paso Texas.

The scope of this analysis is to understand how Statistical Process Control can help to predict peak and valleys of …

Sustainable Water Management In The University Of Texas At El Paso, Cora Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis showed how to improve water and financial savings for UTEP and El Paso by improving water conservation and sustainability of the UTEP campus. The goals of this research were successfully accomplished by focusing in three principal objectives.

1. Analyze historical data of water consumption of the UTEP campus for the past decade.

2. Evaluate water consumption to quantify water consumption by buildings and type of use, as well as provide recommendations for water and cost savings.

3. Synthesize a water management framework within the UTEP Facilities' Geographic Information System (GIS) for long-term monitoring and evaluation

Multi-Objective System Design Optimization Considering Environmental Emissions, Olivia Carolina Moreno

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The well-known reliability optimization problem, the redundancy allocation problem (RAP) involves the simultaneous selection of system components and a design level configuration that can meet several design constraints in order to optimize the predefined objective function(s). The RAP has been predominantly solved as a single objective optimization problem with the reliability of the system to be maximized or system design cost to be minimized. When considered as a multiple objective reliability optimization problem, the system reliability is maximized and the cost and weight of the system are minimized. In this work, the RAP was formulated as a multiple objective optimization …

A Study Of International Wastewater Challenges And Policy In The Tijuana River Watershed, Gloria Ann Villaverde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1930s, untreated and undertreated sewage from Tijuana, Baja California, México has been released into the Tijuana River Watershed causing contamination of the water supply, crops, the Tijuana Estuary and California beaches. Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has exacerbated the problem by causing population and industrial growth explosions for which there have been insufficient services to meet the needs of the people. The waters of the Tijuana River flow (from México) north over the International Border, into the Tijuana Estuary, discharge out to the Pacific Ocean and often flow north, up the California Coast; therefore, …

Automated Identification And Reconstruction Of Youtube Video Access, Jonathan Patterson, Christopher Hargreaves

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

YouTube is one of the most popular video-sharing websites on the Internet, allowing users to upload, view and share videos with other users all over the world. YouTube contains many different types of videos, from homemade sketches to instructional and educational tutorials, and therefore attracts a wide variety of users with different interests. The majority of YouTube visits are perfectly innocent, but there may be circumstances where YouTube video access is related to a digital investigation, e.g. viewing instructional videos on how to perform potentially unlawful actions or how to make unlawful articles. When a user accesses a YouTube video …

Soil Phosphorus Availability And Buffering Capacity In Eastern South Dakota Assessed Using Quantity-Intensity Relationships And Diffusive Gradients In Thin Films, Rose Eitemiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phosphorus (P) availability is influenced by soil properties and depth, creating challenges for nutrient management across agricultural landscapes. This study evaluated two complementary approaches for quantifying P availability and adsorption dynamics in eastern South Dakota soils: Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) and P quantity–intensity (Q–I) relationships. The objectives were to (1) quantify bioavailable P using DGT, (2) compare DGT measurements with established soil test P (STP), (3) evaluate Q–I parameters describing P adsorption characteristics, and (4) assess spatial variability in P availability across eastern South Dakota soils. DGT-measured P increased with STP levels and was strongly correlated with Bray-1, …