Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating The Toxicity And Formation Of Halobenzoquinones In Point-Of-Use Chlorinated Drinking Water, Stephanie Hung

Masters Theses

Chlorine has effectively reduced the prevalence of waterborne diseases, however there are secondary consequences to this public health advancement. Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) are chemicals formed when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter (NOM) in water. A new class of DBPs, halobenzoquinones (HBQs), has recently been identified and data suggests it could be potentially carcinogenic and up to 1000 times more toxic than some regulated DBPs. So far, in vitro studies have assessed HBQ toxicity without taking into account its transformation in cell media into potentially less toxic compounds. This study evaluated the toxic effects of one HBQ, 2,6-DCBQ, and its …

The Effects Of Reward And Risk Level Associated With Speeded Actions: Evidence From Behavior And Electroencephalography, Xingjie Chen

Masters Theses

Choosing a course of action in our daily lives requires an accurate assessment of the associated risks as well as the potential rewards. The present two studies investigated the mechanism of how reward and risk level influence the motor decisions of speeded actions (Chapter 2) and its neural dynamics (Chapter 3) by focusing on the beta band (15-30 Hz) oscillation patterns reflected in the EEG signals. Participants performed a modified version of the Go-NoGo task, in which they earned reward points based on the speed and accuracy of response. On each trial, the reward points at stake (120 vs. 6) …

Life Course Effects Of Polyvictimization: Associations With Depression And Crime, Richard Carbonaro

Masters Theses

Exposure to multiple forms of victimization has been shown to have increasingly negative outcomes, but their unique trajectory-setting effects have been largely unexplored. Using a life course approach, this paper examines the trajectory-setting effects of childhood polyvictimization into early adulthood. I use a nationwide sample including 3,652 respondents after cleaning and preparation. Seemingly unrelated regressions were used to predict depression and criminal behavior in childhood and adulthood. Results suggest childhood polyvictimization sets children on a negative trajectory which grows increasingly worse through the life course. Researchers and interventions should take these trajectory-setting effects into account when attempting to aid polyvictims.

How Students Of Japanese Perceive And Use Technology, David Rubino

Masters Theses

The role of technology in education has expanded to a near universal reality. In foreign languages the field of Technology-enhanced Language Learning, has long sought to effectively implement instruction with these tools, and often to great success, often through the guise of Computer-assisted Language Learning. However, most studies investigating the student perception of class structures incorporating technology are based on what instructors have implemented.

Students, the counterparts of instructors, often own more than one technological tool and will often employ these tools in their studies. For learners of foreign languages, certain aspects of technology are selected for various tasks based …

Use Of Alamarblue As An Indicator Of Microbial Growth In Turbid Solutions For Antimicrobial Evaluation, Precious Henshaw

Masters Theses

The use of antibiotics in animal feed is a large cause of concern due to bacterial resistance, which occurs when bacteria change after exposure to antibiotics and become less affected by the drug. Consequently, the desire to find a replacement for these antibiotics has garnered interest in both farmers and consumers. The ideal substance would display antimicrobial activity without promoting bacterial resistance and would still function as a growth promoter in animals. One antimicrobial that fits this criterion is carvacrol, a compound found in oregano extract. Carvacrol exhibits antimicrobial activity in a number of bacteria, including E.coli O157:H7 and S. …

Electroplating Of Copper On Tungsten Powder, Richard Berdos

Masters Theses

Strengthening, resistant and shielding properties, to name a few, can be achieved by implementing a surface material coating onto an engineering component. Various elements of these compounded parts can augment the functionality of the part, such as, increased life time and more interactive surfaces. Tungsten has proven to be a challenge to plate with other metals, but if done correctly, the results can allow for the cold spray of tungsten. Cold spraying tungsten particles alone provides a challenge because the powder is too hard and instead of adhering, it erodes the surface it is attempting to plate. Coating tungsten in …

Mineral And Redox Controls On Soil Carbon Cycling In Seasonally Flooded Soils, Rachelle Lacroix

Masters Theses

Soils contain nearly three times the amount of carbon (C) than the atmosphere, with C turnover times ranging from centuries to millennia. Although wetland soils represent a relatively small portion of the terrestrial landscape, they account for an estimated 20-30% of the global C reservoir. Seasonally flooded soils are likely the most vulnerable wetlands to climate change, as changing temperature and precipitation patterns are expected to alter the timing and duration of flooding. Seasonal variations in soil moisture are recognized as a critical control on soil C stocks and CO₂emissions. However, the relative influence of associated changes in …

On-Chip Communication And Security In Fpgas, Shivukumar Basanagouda Patil

Masters Theses

Innovations in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) manufacturing processes and architectural design have led to the development of extremely large FPGAs. There has also been a widespread adaptation of these large FPGAs in cloud infrastructures and data centers to accelerate search and machine learning applications. Two important topics related to FPGAs are addressed in this work: on-chip communication and security. On-chip communication is quickly becoming a bottleneck in to- day’s large multi-million gate FPGAs. Hard Networks-on-Chip (NoC), made of fixed silicon, have been shown to provide low power, high speed, flexible on-chip communication. An iterative algorithm for routing pre-scheduled time-division-multiplexed …

Feronia-Related Receptor Kinase 7 And Feronia And Their Role In Receiving And Transducing Signals, David Vyshedsky

Masters Theses

Receptor kinases (RKs) are transmembrane proteins that have been shown to regulate an array of important processes in A. thaliana, including polar cell growth, plant reproduction, and many other plant growth processes. In this thesis, I examine RECEPTOR KINASE 7 (RK7) and FERONIA (FER), two closely related transmembrane RKs, and their effects on plant reproduction. The RK7 gene when knocked out (rk7) in conjunction with FER resulted in delayed plant growth, decreased seed yield, and a lower percentage of the seeds germinating as compared to the single FER knockout. Transgenic plants with GUS reporter driven by RK7 promoter …

Mid-Pliocene To Early Pleistocene Sea Surface And Land Temperature History Of Nw Australia Based On Organic Geochemical Proxies From Site U1463, Rebecca Smith

Masters Theses

Ocean gateways facilitate water circulation between ocean basins, and therefore directly impact thermohaline circulation and global climate. In order to better predict the effects of future climate change, it is critical to constrain past changes in ocean gateway behavior, and corresponding changes in thermohaline circulation, particularly during analogue periods for modern climate change. The Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) is a primary ocean gateway and vital component of the global conveyor that transports water from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean, however due to a lack of long and continuous sedimentary records from locations under its influence, changes in ITF behavior …

Influences Of Antroquinonol And 4-Acetylantroquinonol B On Inflammatory Tumorigenesis In The Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line With Or Without Tnf-Α Stimulation, Ting-Chun Lin

Masters Theses

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide that ~25% of new cancer cases diagnosed every year would be BC; moreover, ~15% of cancer deaths per year caused by BC makes it the leading cause of cancer death among women worldwide. To date, though the cause of a large proportion of BC are still unclear, recent studies have revealed that a supportive breast tissue microenvironment is critical for the development and progression of BC, especially the communication with immune cells within breast tissue. Therefore, breast inflammatory microenvironment is currently received a substantial attention in the …

Play In The Woods: The Role Of The Dramaturg In Facilitating A Holistic, Slow Theater-Making Process, Claudia Nolan

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I document the ideas behind and my process for Play in the Woods, an experiment in slow theater-making that serves as a model for how dramaturgs can facilitate sustainable, holistic methods of performance. This model is grounded in feminist theater practices and the aesthetic of poor theater. In creating the performance of Play in the Woods, I as dramaturg invited participants to serve as co-creators, individually crafting pieces that examined fairytales and the role those stories have played on their lives. The performance was held out of doors at the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area on …

Thermal Radiation Measurement And Development Of Tunable Plasmonic Thermal Emitter Using Strain-Induced Buckling In Metallic Layers, Amir Kazemi-Moridani

Masters Theses

An infrared radiometry setup has been developed based on a commercially available FTIR spectrometer for measuring mid-infrared thermal radiation. The setup was calibrated with a lab-built blackbody source. The setup was tested with a grating structure with 4-micron periodicity. Periodic microstructures using nickel and gold are fabricated on elastomeric substrates by use of strain-induced buckling of the nickel layer. The intrinsically low emissivity of gold in the mid-infrared regime is selectively enhanced by the surface plasmonic resonance at three different mid-infrared wavelengths, 4.5 µm, 6.3 µm, and 9.4 µm. As the thermal emission enhancement effect exists only for the polarization …

Influence Of Household Chaos On Associations Between Physiology And Behavior, Sarah Mccormick

Masters Theses

Internalizing behaviors, or behaviors related to behavioral inhibition and the tendency to withdraw from novelty or uncertainty, are stable over time. There is substantial evidence indicating the association between greater resting right lateralized frontal EEG alpha asymmetry and negative affect as well as internalizing behaviors (Coan & Allen, 2003; Henderson, Fox, & Rubin, 2001; Fox, 1991). Further, right frontal asymmetry has been shown to be a stable marker of the presence of psychosocial risk (e.g. child maltreatment; see Peltola, Bakermans-Kranenburg, Alink, Huffmeijer, Biro, & van IJzendoorn, 2014 for meta-analyses). However, little is known about the influences of the home and …

Understanding The Thermal Stability And Environmental Sensitivity Of Phycocyanin Using Spectroscopic And Modelling Tools, Cally Toong

Masters Theses

Phycocyanin (PC), a pigment-protein conjugate from Arthrospira platensis, is increasingly used in foods as a natural alternative to artificial blue dyes. Although PC has been classified as a color additive exempt from certification by the Food and Drug Administration, its limited stability has hindered its widespread application in food products. The objectives of this study were: a) to evaluate the photophysical properties of PC and their sensitivity to temperature, viscosity, and water activity, b) to monitor PC’s thermal degradation based on changes in the optical properties of its intrinsic fluorophores, namely its chromophores and aromatic amino acids, and c) to …

Crowdsourcing Based Micro Navigation System For Visually Impaired, Quan Shi

Masters Theses

Mobility and safety are primary concerns for blind and visually impaired (BVI) users when navigating in unfamiliar environments. Typically, a sighted person can locate a place of interest if they are provided guidance while approaching within a few meters of the location. However, this resolution of guidance is often insufficient for blind travelers. In this thesis, we propose a crowdsourcing based micro navigation system for BVI users in both indoor and outdoor environments. To achieve this goal, our system includes three parts: crowdsourcing reports generated by volunteers using the volunteer application, landmarks validation performed by the system administrator using the …

Application And Evaluation Of Lighthouse Technology For Precision Motion Capture, Soumitra Sitole

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the development towards a system that can capture and quantify motion for applications in biomechanical and medical fields demanding precision motion tracking using the lighthouse technology. Commercially known as SteamVR tracking, the lighthouse technology is a motion tracking system developed for virtual reality applications that makes use of patterned infrared light sources to highlight trackers (objects embedded with photodiodes) to obtain their pose or spatial position and orientation. Current motion capture systems such as the camera-based motion capture are expensive and not readily available outside of research labs. This thesis provides a case for low-cost motion capture …

Development And Application Of A Sers Needle For One-Step Multi-Phase Analysis, Haoxin Chen

Masters Theses

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is an emerging and sensitive technique in food analysis providing advantages of rapid detection, simple sample preparation and on-site detection capability over GC and LC methods. Most SERS applications focus on detecting trace amount of analyte in liquid as an alternative approach to HPLC. Herein, we invented an innovative SERS-active needle which is composed with an injection needle and a gold-nanoparticles coated fiber inside the injection needle. The gold nanoparticles-coated fiber was fabricated by reducing gold (III) on a chemically etched stainless wire. The SERS needle can be used to insert into the headspace and liquid …

Modulation Of The Redox Environment During Sensitive Developmental Periods Impairs Pancreatic Organogenesis In The Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Haydee Jacobs

Masters Theses

The developing pancreas has been identified as a potentially sensitive target for oxidative damage caused by environmental toxicant exposure in the developing zebrafish, Danio rerio. The objectives of this study were to 1) investigate the effects of exposure to a common pro-oxidizing toxicant, Mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), on pancreatic development, and 2) elucidate redox-sensitive temporal windows of pancreatic organogenesis in the zebrafish. We also investigated the involvement of Nrf2 (Nfe2l2), a transcription factor involved in the oxidative stress response, in toxicant-mediated pancreatic toxicity. In aim one, zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0 or 200 µg/L MEHP beginning at 3 hours post …

Apprendre Et Enseigner Avec La Bienveillance : Pour Une Nouvelle Pedagogie Française, Amena Moinfar

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on reflections made my contemporary thinkers in France concerning the wellness of children through their times in French public schools. Journalists, educators, parents seem to agree that the current French pedagogy instilled in the Education nationale system can no longer be acceptable and needs profound change. If academic performances are important, they cannot be the only center of interest in French schools. Instead, these writers propose and advocate for a pedagogy where wellness, benevolence and personal happiness occupy a crucial place.

The purpose of this thesis is to identify these voices and to take into account the …

Evaluation And Validation Of Distraction Detection Algorithms On Multiple Data Sources, Shashank Mehrotra

Masters Theses

This study aims to evaluate algorithms designed to detect distracted driving. This includes the comparison of how efficiently they detect the state of distraction and likelihood of a crash. Four algorithms that utilize measures of cumulative glance, past glance behavior, and glance eccentricity were used to understand the distracted state of the driver and were validated on two separate data sources (i.e., simulator and naturalistic data). Additionally, an independent method for distraction detection was designed using data mining methods. This approach utilized measures like steering degree, lane offset, lateral and longitudinal velocity, and acceleration. The results showed a higher likelihood …

The Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis As A Problematic: Beyond "Falsificationism", Paul Erb

Masters Theses

Halfway into its third decade, the debate surrounding the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis has stalled with political economists and socio-ecologists ascendant and modernization theorists scrambling to give their apparently moribund perspective new life. But beyond the rise and fall of the EKC, there remains a second-order question and decades of data: how do the theoretical perspectives of these contenders shape what their protagonists do and don't see? How have they mistaken episodes of "talking past each other" for genuine dialogue? Which perspective has had the biggest impact on the other’s way of thinking? A qualitative and quantitative analysis compares …

Real-Time Dengue Forecasting In Thailand: A Comparison Of Penalized Regression Approaches Using Internet Search Data, Caroline Kusiak

Masters Theses

Dengue fever affects over 390 million people annually worldwide and is of particu- lar concern in Southeast Asia where it is one of the leading causes of hospitalization. Modeling trends in dengue occurrence can provide valuable information to Public Health officials, however many challenges arise depending on the data available. In Thailand, reporting of dengue cases is often delayed by more than 6 weeks, and a small fraction of cases may not be reported until over 11 months after they occurred. This study shows that incorporating data on Google Search trends can improve dis- ease predictions in settings with severely …

A Study Of The Intertexts In The Stone Of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa Shi 女娲石), Zhimo Li

Masters Theses

As a novel on contemporary issues (shishi xiaoshuo 时事小说), the unfinished novel The Stone of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa shi 女娲石; 1904-1905) recounts a story about new women’s attempts to save the nation, which is a reflection of late-Qing China. From a historical perspective, I aim to provide a study of the Nüwa stone and characterization of new women in the novel with the help of multiple intertexts. My thesis explores how the stone and the characterization elaborate the theme and design of the novel: new women saving the nation, which includes radical ideas for women and national salvation …

Impact Of Perceptual Speed Calming Curve Countermeasures On Drivers’ Anticipation & Mitigation Ability – A Driving Simulator Study, Krishna Valluru

Masters Theses

A potential factor for curve accidents are anticipatory skills. Horizontal curves have been recognized as a significant safety issue for many years. This study investigates the impact and effectiveness of three curve based perceptual speed calming countermeasures (advanced curve warning signs, chevron sign, and heads-up display(HUD) sign) on drivers’ hazard anticipation and mitigation behavior across both left and right-winding curves, and sharp (radius 200m) and flat (radius 500m) curves. Experimental results show that the speed and lateral control in the horizontal curves differed with respect to curve radii, direction, and the type of countermeasure presented. These differences in behavior are …

You Must Estimate Before You Indicate: Design And Model-Based Methods For Evaluating Utility Of A Candidate Forest Indicator Species, Jillian Fleming

Masters Theses

The red-backed salamander (RBS; Plethodon cinereus) has a large geographic range and,

though it is common throughout, abundance varies spatially. It has been studied extensively for at

least a century and as a result; its distribution, habitat use, behavioral ecology, reproductive

ecology, and ecological role are well understood in comparison to other cryptic wildlife. Multiple

sampling methods have been developed to monitor RBS, and I discuss in detail one common

method – artificial cover objects (ACOs). Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) is uniquely suited to

estimate population parameters, including true density, and is paired well with spatially

referenced sampling methods, such as …

Plants, Parasites, And Pollinators: The Effects Of Medicinal Pollens On A Common Gut Parasite In Bumble Bees, George Locascio

Masters Theses

Declines in several pollinator species are due to a variety of factors, including pathogens. Incorporating pollinator-friendly plant species into wild and agricultural habitats could reduce the stress of pathogens if food sources act medicinally against pathogens. Previous research demonstrated one domesticated sunflower cultivar (Helianthus annuus) can dramatically reduce a gut pathogen (Crithidia bombi) of the common eastern bumble bee, Bombus impatiens. To ascertain the breadth of this medicinal trait, we tested whether pollen from several H. annuus cultivars and four relatives could also reduce C. bombi infections in B. impatiens. We also investigated whether …

Mapping A Pup-Responsive Pathway From The Medial Preoptic Area To The Ventral Tegmental Area., Matias Andina

Masters Theses

Maternal behavior is the complex array of caregiving behaviors females display towards offspring. In rats, the transition to motherhood depends on the action of various hormones, especially estradiol near parturition, which primes the maternal circuitry to respond to pups upon first encounter at parturition with appropriate maternal behavior. Although virgin rats avoid pups, new mothers are highly motivated to interact with pups, and their maternal behavior depends on the functional interaction between the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, a precise mapping of the VTA-projecting mPOA neurons remains to be elucidated. To determine whether pup-responsive …

Studies On L2 Acquisition Of Chinese Verbs Of 'Change' By English Speakers, Baoqing Qian

Masters Theses

When Chinese language learners reach intermediate level, approximately in the second year of their Chinese study, they start to encounter near-synonyms, words that have the same translations in English, and characters that look alike. These words are often called 易混淆词 yi hunxiao ci “easily confusable words” by Chinese scholars. This lexical acquisition study researches a group of near synonyms about Chinese verbs of ‘change’, which either express a stative change (where an argument which expresses the result of the change is required) or causative change (where an argument which expresses the instigator or cause of the change is required). The …

Exploring The Influence Of Pkc-Theta Phosphorylation On Notch1 Activation And T Helper Cell Differentiation, Grace Trombley

Masters Theses

The T cell-specific kinase, Protein Kinase C theta (PKCq) is essential to T cell activation and differentiation. PKCq integrates T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28 signaling, and ultimately activates transcription factors necessary for full T cell activation, proliferation, survival, and differentiation into T helper (Th) subsets. Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells compose the four major lineages of T helper cells, differentiated from CD4 T cells, and each have different requirements for PKCq.

PKCq, itself, is regulated through phosphorylation of specific resides, including tyrosine (Y)90 and threonine (T)538. Following T cell stimulation, PKCq is phosphorylated on Y90 by the kinase, …