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Potential Local Extirpation Of An Imperiled Freshwater Mussel Population From Wildfire Runoff, Andrew J. Lawrence, Cindy Matuch, Jacquelyn J. Hancock, Andrew L. Rypel, Laura A. Eliassen Dec 2022

Potential Local Extirpation Of An Imperiled Freshwater Mussel Population From Wildfire Runoff, Andrew J. Lawrence, Cindy Matuch, Jacquelyn J. Hancock, Andrew L. Rypel, Laura A. Eliassen

Western North American Naturalist

Effects of wildfire and subsequent hydric erosion on freshwater communities are of increasing interest. While freshwater biodiversity is in a global state of decline, examples of climate-driven wildfire impacts to freshwater mussel populations are especially limited. We discovered a population of native floater mussels (Anodonta californiensis/nuttalliana), documented fish species, and recorded data on river substrate characteristics before and after an influx of wildfire runoff in Monterey County, California, USA. Pre-wildfire runoff surveys documented robust and naturally reproducing populations of mussels and 3 species of native fishes (Monterey sucker, Catostomus occidentalis mnioltiltus; Monterey roach, Lavinia symmetricus subditus; …

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Parametric Structural Optimization Of A Wheel Using The Flex Representation Method, Gregory John Vernon Dec 2022

Parametric Structural Optimization Of A Wheel Using The Flex Representation Method, Gregory John Vernon

Theses and Dissertations

The use of the finite element method within an optimization workflow is fraught with challenges that limit the automation of such workflows. These challenges are inherent to the traditional finite element formulations which are heavily dependent on a manual meshing process that introduces variability that is challenging to account for within an automated workflow. The recently developed flex representation method (FRM) provides a salient solution to the manual meshing process without sacrificing solution accuracy. In response to the development of FRM a global automotive company requested a study to explore the applicability of FRM to one of their sizing-optimization problems: …

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Methemoglobin Formation Via Nitric Oxide And Comparison Of Methemoglobin, Deoxyhemoglobin, And Ferrous Nitrosyl Hemoglobin As Potential Mri Contrast Agents, Roya Ayati Dec 2022

Methemoglobin Formation Via Nitric Oxide And Comparison Of Methemoglobin, Deoxyhemoglobin, And Ferrous Nitrosyl Hemoglobin As Potential Mri Contrast Agents, Roya Ayati

Theses and Dissertations

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are in widespread use to enhance magnetic resonance angiography images for evaluating vascular pathology. However, there are safety concerns and limitations regarding the use of GBCAs. It has been shown that the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal intensity (T1-weighted images) in some of the brain's tissues is higher for patients who had multiple exposures to GBCAs compared to patients who had never had exposure to GBCAs. This implies that GBCAs are not sufficiently removed from body such that GBCAs may potentially have long-term effects on the human body. These potential safety concerns have led to an …

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Evaluating Equitable Access To Nutrition In Utah, Emma Stucki Dec 2022

Evaluating Equitable Access To Nutrition In Utah, Emma Stucki

Theses and Dissertations

One of the more recent topics in transportation policy making and project prioritization in DOT's across the United States is how to improve quality of life. This quality of life focus is an intersection of public health and transportation and has many different branches including traffic safety, pollution, active transportation, equity, and accessibility to resources. The topic among these that seems to receive the least attention is equitable access to resources. However, with the proven impact that equitable access to resources has on physical and emotional well-being, as well as economic opportunity it is important to ensure that all populations, …

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The Flex Representation Method: Versatile Modeling For Isogeometric Analysis, Christopher David Whetten Dec 2022

The Flex Representation Method: Versatile Modeling For Isogeometric Analysis, Christopher David Whetten

Theses and Dissertations

The Flex Representation Method (FRM) leverages unique computational advantages of splines to address limitations in the process of building CAE simulation models from CAD geometric models. Central to the approach is the envelope CAD domain that encapsulates a CAD model. An envelope CAD domain can be of arbitrary topological and geometric complexity. Envelope domains are constructed from spline representations, like U-splines, that are analysis-suitable. The envelope CAD domain can be used to approximate none, some, or all of the features in a CAD model. This yields additional simulation modeling options that simplify the model-building process while leveraging the properties of …

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Developing A Quantitative Understanding Of U-Substitution In First-Semester Calculus, Leilani Camille Heaton Fonbuena Dec 2022

Developing A Quantitative Understanding Of U-Substitution In First-Semester Calculus, Leilani Camille Heaton Fonbuena

Theses and Dissertations

In much of calculus teaching there is an overemphasis on procedures and manipulation of symbols and insufficient emphasis on conceptual understanding of calculus topics. As such students to struggle to understand and use calculus ideas in applied settings. Research shows that learning calculus topics from a quantitative reasoning-perspective results in more powerful and flexible conceptions of calculus topics like integration. However, topics beyond introducing integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, like u-substitution, have yet to be explored from a quantity-based perspective. In this study, I conducted a set of two clinical interviews where we discussed quantitative meanings of integrals, …

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A Machine Learning Approach For Identification Of Low-Head Dams, Salvador Augusto Vinay Mollinedo Dec 2022

A Machine Learning Approach For Identification Of Low-Head Dams, Salvador Augusto Vinay Mollinedo

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying Low-head dams (LHD) and creating an inventory become a priority as fatalities continue to occur at these structures. Because obstruction inventories do not specifically identify LHDs, and they are not assigned a hazard classification, there is not an official inventory of LHD. However, there is a multi-agency taskforce that is creating an inventory of LHD. All efforts have been performed by manually identifying LHD on Google Earth Pro (GE Pro). The purpose of this paper is to assess whether a machine learning approach can accelerate the national inventory. We used a machine learning approach to implement a high-resolution remote …

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Performance Criteria For Knee-Brace Timber Frames With Mortise And Tenon Joints, Zachary J. Halisky Dec 2022

Performance Criteria For Knee-Brace Timber Frames With Mortise And Tenon Joints, Zachary J. Halisky

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional mortise and tenon timber frames have been used in modern construction for a substantial period of time with acceptable performance against weather phenomena and other hazards. However, performance criteria for this style of timber framing are not well defined in current codes and standards. To determine performance criteria for free-standing timber frames with knee-braces, three tasks were undertaken: (1) Two timber frame specimens were tested under cyclic loads to determine hysteretic behavior, damage states, and to explore rehabilitation of a damaged member using self-tapping screws. Three damage states for were identified: peg shear, tenon tearout, and post or beam …

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Principles For Using Remote Data Collection Devices And Deep Learning In Evaluating Social Impact Indicators Of Engineered Products For Global Development, Bryan J. Stringham Dec 2022

Principles For Using Remote Data Collection Devices And Deep Learning In Evaluating Social Impact Indicators Of Engineered Products For Global Development, Bryan J. Stringham

Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating the social impacts of engineered products, or effects products have on the daily lives of individuals, is critical to ensuring that products are having positive impacts while avoiding negative impacts and to learning how to improve product designs for a more positive social impact. One approach to quantifying a product's social impact is to use social impact indicators that combine user data in a meaningful way to give insight into the current social condition of an individual or population. However, determining social impact indicators relative to engineered products and individuals in developing countries can be difficult when there is …

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An Augmented Reality Maintenance Assistant With Real-Time Quality Inspection On Handheld Mobile Devices, James Thomas Frandsen Dec 2022

An Augmented Reality Maintenance Assistant With Real-Time Quality Inspection On Handheld Mobile Devices, James Thomas Frandsen

Theses and Dissertations

With the advances of industry 4.0, augmented reality (AR) devices are being deployed across the manufacturing sector to enhance worker perception and efficiency. AR is often used to deliver spatially relevant work instructions on mobile devices for maintenance procedures on the factory floor. In these situations, workers use their mobile devices to view instructions in the form of 3D animations and annotations that directly overlay the equipment being maintained. Workers then follow the AR instructions and must ultimately rely on their own judgement and knowledge of the procedure as they progress from step to step. An AR assistant that could …

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“Surfaces And Appearances”: Character, Physiognomy, And Communication In Charles Dickens’S And Wilkie Collins’S A Message From The Sea, Rachel Gouff Dec 2022

“Surfaces And Appearances”: Character, Physiognomy, And Communication In Charles Dickens’S And Wilkie Collins’S A Message From The Sea, Rachel Gouff

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis analyzes the way physiognomy works within Charles Dickens’s and Wilkie Collins’s novella, A Message from the Sea. The novella develops and promotes a version of physiognomy with limits, illustrating these limits through the experiences of its characters and through the symbolism of various objects such as tombstones, ghosts, and—most notably—the message in the bottle. Physiognomy, used repeatedly by various characters throughout the text, is nearly always able to correctly predict people’s general moral character. However, using physiognomy alone leaves a character’s history, motivations, and deep emotions as indecipherable as the parts of the bottle’s message where the ink …

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Missionaries And Manipulation: Exploring Vulnerabilities And Safeguards For Young Missionaries In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Sowa Ray Dec 2022

Missionaries And Manipulation: Exploring Vulnerabilities And Safeguards For Young Missionaries In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Sowa Ray

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project aims to better understand the vulnerabilities of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they relate to emotional abuse stemming from companions, mission leaders, and those they teach. It compiles the current research on relationship abuse and draws connections between these issues and missionaries. Emotional abuse is defined. We review various elements of missionary life, including the age of missionaries, religious pressures, pressures inherent in missionary life, and cultural naiveté. Each of these is tied to potential weaknesses in which emotional abuse can impact the life and relationships of a missionary. Suggestions for safeguards …

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Friction Taper Plug Welding As A Repair Method For Fatigue Damage Around Fastener Holes In Aerospace Structures, David Carl Sumsion Dec 2022

Friction Taper Plug Welding As A Repair Method For Fatigue Damage Around Fastener Holes In Aerospace Structures, David Carl Sumsion

Theses and Dissertations

This work details an adaptation of the friction taper plug welding (FTPW) process to repair fatigue damage in 6.35mm AA 7050 t-7451 plate. Aircraft components experience fatigue damage around fastener holes. This damage can be mitigated by enlarging fastener holes. There is no effective repair procedure once holes reach a maximum allowable size. Damaged components must be replaced. A suitable repair process would lead to substantial savings in both time and money. A simulated repair process was developed by machining holes in 6.35mm AA 7050 t-7451 plate. These hoes were then plugged using the FTPW process. Microhardness testing and metallographic …

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Development Of A 3d-Printed Microfluidic Droplet-On-Demand System For The Deterministic Encapsulation And Processing Of Biological Materials, Chandler A. Warr Dec 2022

Development Of A 3d-Printed Microfluidic Droplet-On-Demand System For The Deterministic Encapsulation And Processing Of Biological Materials, Chandler A. Warr

Theses and Dissertations

The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is among the largest concerns in the world today. One method under development to combat this issue is the encapsulation of microbes in microfluidic droplets for single-cell testing. This method may be able to circumvent the need for a traditional positive cell culture which consumes the majority of the testing time using current diagnostic methods. This dissertation presents a method by which to deterministically encapsulate microbes using an artificial intelligence object detection algorithm and a Droplet-On-Demand microfluidic device. To accomplish this, the Droplet-On-Demand microfluidic device was first developed using a unique 3D-printing manufacturing method. …

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Exploring Heuristics And Best Practices For Redesigning Instructional Video, Kelly L. Murdock Dec 2022

Exploring Heuristics And Best Practices For Redesigning Instructional Video, Kelly L. Murdock

Theses and Dissertations

Instructional video is a common staple for delivering content in online courses. However, if the included videos are not properly created, many students will skip the video and its content. Improving instructional video has been the topic of many research projects, and we can learn from these studies how to create effective and engaging instructional videos--this is the topic of my dissertation. The first paper is an extended literature review that examines which key instructional design principles are supported in the literature. This helps developers to know which principles to focus on when designing video. The second paper is a …

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Methods For Engineers To Understand, Predict, And Influence The Social Impacts Of Engineered Products, Phillip Douglas Stevenson Dec 2022

Methods For Engineers To Understand, Predict, And Influence The Social Impacts Of Engineered Products, Phillip Douglas Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

Engineered products can impact the day-to-day life of their users and other stakeholders. These impacts are often referred to as the product's social impacts. Products have been known to impact the people who use them, design them, manufacture them, distribute them, and the communities where they exist. Currently, there are few methods that can help an engineer identify, quantify, predict, or improve a product's social impact. Some companies and organizations have tried to identify their impacts and, for example, set goals for achieving more sustainable business practices. However, engineers, in large part, do not have methods that can help improve …

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Transforming Gps Points To Daily Activities Using Simultaneously Optimized Dbscan-Te Parameters, Gillian Michele Riches Dec 2022

Transforming Gps Points To Daily Activities Using Simultaneously Optimized Dbscan-Te Parameters, Gillian Michele Riches

Theses and Dissertations

With the recent upsurge in mental health concerns and ongoing isolation regulations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to understand how an individual's daily travel behavior can affect their mental health. Before finding any correlations to mental health, researchers must first have individual travel behavior information: an accurate number of activities and locations of those activities. One way to obtain daily travel behavior information is through the interpretation of cellular Global Positioning System (GPS) data. Previous methods that interpret GPS data into travel behavior information have limitations. Specifically, rule-based algorithms are structured around subjective rule-based tests, clustering …

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Forecasting Ride-Hailing Across Multiple Model Frameworks, Christopher Stephen Day Dec 2022

Forecasting Ride-Hailing Across Multiple Model Frameworks, Christopher Stephen Day

Theses and Dissertations

The advent of on-demand transport modes such as ride-hailing and microtransit has challenged forecasters to develop new methods of forecasting the use and impacts of such modes. In particular, there is some professional disagreement about the relative role of activity-based transportation behavior models -- which have detailed understanding of the person making a trip and its purpose -- and multi-agent demand simulations which may have a better understanding of the availability and service characteristics of on-demand services. A particular question surrounds how the relative strengths of these two approaches might be successfully paired in practice. Using daily plans generated by …

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An Investigation Into The Role Of Geometrically Necessary Dislocations In Multi-Strain Path Deformation In Automotive Sheet Alloys, Rishabh Sharma Dec 2022

An Investigation Into The Role Of Geometrically Necessary Dislocations In Multi-Strain Path Deformation In Automotive Sheet Alloys, Rishabh Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple strain path changes during forming lead to complex geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) development in strain gradient fields, inducing internal stresses that contribute to the Bauschinger effect, residual stresses, and springback which alters the final geometrical shape of the part. In order to analyze and design improved processing routes, models must capture the evolution of these internal stresses. However, most models capture the effects of these stresses via phenomenological approaches that require calibration to each new material and strain path. The development of models that capture the underlying physics at the sub-grain level is underway but requires in-depth studies of …

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Methods For Single-Cell And Low-Input Proteomics, Yiran Liang Dec 2022

Methods For Single-Cell And Low-Input Proteomics, Yiran Liang

Theses and Dissertations

Single-Cell Proteomics (SCP) can provide unique insights into biological processes by resolving heterogeneity that is obscured by bulk measurements. Gains in the overall sensitivity and proteome coverage through improvements in sample processing and analysis increase the information content obtained from each cell, particularly for less abundant proteins. In addition to achieving in-depth proteome coverage from single cells, higher throughput measurements enable large-scale and statistically significant features within single cell populations. This dissertation focuses on method development to improve the sensitivity and throughput of SCP based on the nanoPOTS (nanodroplet Processing in One pot for Trace Samples) platform. The methods discussed …

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Fault Tolerant Robotics Using Active Diagnosis Of Partially Observable Systems And Optimized Path Planning For Underwater Message Ferrying, Devon M. Webb Dec 2022

Fault Tolerant Robotics Using Active Diagnosis Of Partially Observable Systems And Optimized Path Planning For Underwater Message Ferrying, Devon M. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Underwater robotic vehicles are used in a variety of environments that would be dangerous for humans. For these vehicles to be successful, they need to be tolerant of a variety of internal and external faults. To be resilient to internal faults, the system must be capable of determining the source of faulty behavior. However many different faults within a robotic vehicle can create identical faulty behavior, which makes the vehicles impossible to diagnose using conventional methods. I propose a novel active diagnosis method for differentiating between faults that would otherwise have identical behavior. I apply this method to a communication …

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Pollination Ecology Of Island Endemic Plants: A Case Study On The California Channel Islands, C. Sheena Sidhu, Giselle E. Lozano, Michelle C. Miner, Emily Howe, Erin E. Wilson-Rankin Dec 2022

Pollination Ecology Of Island Endemic Plants: A Case Study On The California Channel Islands, C. Sheena Sidhu, Giselle E. Lozano, Michelle C. Miner, Emily Howe, Erin E. Wilson-Rankin

Western North American Naturalist

Understanding the pollination requirements of threatened species is critical for the success of long-term conservation strategies. In a series of greenhouse experiments, we assessed the effects of different pollination treatments, including autogamy, facilitated autogamy, and cross-pollination on fruit and seed set for 2 generations of a rare island endemic plant. Santa Cruz Island rockcress, Sibara filifolia (Brassicaceae), is a rare, endangered annual herb that is endemic to the California Channel Islands. While efforts are underway to monitor and conserve this rare plant species, little is known about its pollination biology. We quantified the index of self-compatibility and multiplicative fitness. We …

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Ascat Wind Estimation At 2.5 Km Resolution Supported By Machine Learning Rain Detection, Joshua Benjamin Kjar Dec 2022

Ascat Wind Estimation At 2.5 Km Resolution Supported By Machine Learning Rain Detection, Joshua Benjamin Kjar

Theses and Dissertations

The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) is a C-band scatterometer designed to be less sensitive to rain contamination than other higher frequency scatterometers. However, the radar backscatter is still affected by rain which increases error during wind estimation. The error can be reduced in rainy conditions by combining a rain backscatter model with the existing wind only (WO) backscatter model to perform simultaneous wind and rain (SWR) estimation. I derive and test several 2.5 km resolution rain backscatter models for ASCAT data which are used with the WO model to estimate the near surface winds. Various rain models optimal for different purposes …

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The Applicability Of Joint Source-Channel Coding Systems To Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry Data, Jesse Richmond Dec 2022

The Applicability Of Joint Source-Channel Coding Systems To Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry Data, Jesse Richmond

Theses and Dissertations

Broadcast spectrum restrictions require greater efficiency from wireless transmission systems, particularly in applications where sections of spectrum previously reserved for military purposes have been sold to private interests. A joint source-channel coding system, in tandem with smart data selection techniques, is proposed as a potential solution to this problem. The workings of this joint source-channel coding system are detailed, with particular attention given to the decoding process.

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Building Software Compliant Multidimensional Datasets Through Programmatic Solutions, Jon Enoch Jones Dec 2022

Building Software Compliant Multidimensional Datasets Through Programmatic Solutions, Jon Enoch Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Meteorological and other multidimensional, georeferenced data is used extensively in science and engineering. These datasets are produced, shared, and used by organizations all over the world. Conventions have been developed specifying the metadata and format of these datasets in an effort to standardize the data and make it compatible with current and future software and web services. By necessity, the conventions are complex and difficult to implement correctly, resulting in useful datasets that are unusable in many applications due to lack of compliance with the conventions. By programmatically assigning metadata and guiding the dataset creator through the dataset creation process, …

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Hybrid Machine Learning And Physics-Based Modeling Approaches For Process Control And Optimization, Junho Park Dec 2022

Hybrid Machine Learning And Physics-Based Modeling Approaches For Process Control And Optimization, Junho Park

Theses and Dissertations

Transformer neural networks have made a significant impact on natural language processing. The Transformer network self-attention mechanism effectively addresses the vanishing gradient problem that limits a network learning capability, especially when the time series gets longer or the size of the network gets deeper. This dissertation examines the usage of the Transformer model for time-series forecasting and customizes it for a simultaneous multistep-ahead prediction model in a surrogate model predictive control (MPC) application. The proposed method demonstrates enhanced control performance and computation efficiency compared to the Long-short term memory (LSTM)-based MPC and one-step-ahead prediction model structures for both LSTM and …

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Fragments And Foreignness In Claudia Rankine's Citizen, Cutter Mendenhall Dec 2022

Fragments And Foreignness In Claudia Rankine's Citizen, Cutter Mendenhall

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

This analysis investigates Claudia Rankine’s redefinition of foreignness as the fragmenting force of microaggressions that splinters the African American identity. This fragmentation has implications that shatter and reconstruct the traditional understanding of the African American self, the source and fallacies of both white and black anger, and what it means to be native to mainstream American society. Ultimately, Rankine asserts that the foreignizing nature of microaggressions is a socially constructed form of oppression. This foreignness breaks the African American identity into easily accessible subhuman caricatures that leave the black identity in a ruptured state of cognitive dissonance. While making coherence …

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Reservoir Computing Solutions For Streamflow Modeling And Prediction In Real World Scenarios, Paden Allsup Nov 2022

Reservoir Computing Solutions For Streamflow Modeling And Prediction In Real World Scenarios, Paden Allsup

Undergraduate Honors Theses

With severe drought continuing in the western United States and the effects of climate change becoming more apparent across the world, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to predict the impact of extreme weather events like storms, droughts, and fires on streamflow dynamics. This includes flow regime as well as biogeochemical behavior of river systems and their watersheds. This project explores the use of Echo State Networks (ESN), a subset of Reservoir Computing, on modeling and predicting streamflow variability with a focus on biogeochemical patterns. In this project ESNs are tested and compared in the hope of creating …

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The Development Of A Genomic Toolbox For Studying The Evolutionary Genetics Of Reptilian Lungs Using The Chicken Model, Logan Thomas Edvalson Nov 2022

The Development Of A Genomic Toolbox For Studying The Evolutionary Genetics Of Reptilian Lungs Using The Chicken Model, Logan Thomas Edvalson

Theses and Dissertations

There is a vast diversity in tetrapod lung branching morphology. Phylogenetically, much of the pulmonary diversity among vertebrates appears to arise from the way epithelial tubes branch or form saccular (cyst) structures. Fgf10 activity has been shown to play a critical role in regulating branch versus cyst morphology. We hypothesize that the species-specific differences in lung morphology may be primarily due to species-specific differences in Fgf10 expression. To test this hypothesis, we have performed bioinformatic analyses on the Fgf10 locus and have identified a conserved 11 kb noncoding region that potentially contains the Fgf10 lung enhancer. We are taking a …

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Mindful Musicians: Trait Mindfulness, Deliberate Practice, Anxiety And Depression In College Musicians, Sally S. Wynn Nov 2022

Mindful Musicians: Trait Mindfulness, Deliberate Practice, Anxiety And Depression In College Musicians, Sally S. Wynn

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Background. Mindfulness is understood as a capacity to cultivate moment-to-moment awareness with a sense of nonjudgement, curiosity, and kindness. Anxiety and depression are prevalent in the undergraduate musician population, despite positive effects on mental health that are often associated with listening to music. This study explored factors of music practice including instrument category, practice time, and the use of deliberate practice techniques. Our objective was to test the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, musicianship, and mental health among college instrumental musicians. I hypothesized first, that dispositional mindfulness would be positively associated with musicianship; second, that mindfulness would be negatively associated with …

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