Digital Commons Network^™

Smart Fog: Fog Computing Framework For Unsupervised Clustering Analytics In Wearable Internet Of Things, Debanjan Borthakur, Harishchandra Dubey, Nicholas Constant, Leslie Mahler, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The increasing use of wearables in smart telehealth system led to the generation of large medical big data. Cloud and fog services leverage these data for assisting clinical procedures. IoT Healthcare has been benefited from this large pool of generated data. This paper suggests the use of low-resource machine learning on Fog devices kept close to wearables for smart telehealth. For traditional telecare systems, the signal processing and machine learning modules are deployed in the cloud that processes physiological data. This paper presents a Fog architecture that relied on unsupervised machine learning big data analysis for discovering patterns in physiological …

Respire: A Spectral Kurtosis-Based Method To Extract Respiration Rate From Wearable Ppg Signals, Harishchandra Dubey, Nicholas Constant, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we present the design of a wearable photoplethysmography (PPG) system, R-band for acquiring the PPG signals. PPG signals are influenced by the respiration or breathing process and hence can be used for estimation of respiration rate. R-Band detects the PPG signal that is routed to a Bluetooth low energy device such as a nearby-placed smartphone via microprocessor. Further, we developed an algorithm based on Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) regression for the estimation of respiration rate. We proposed spectral kurtosis features that are fused with the state-of the-art respiratory-induced amplitude, intensity and frequency variations-based features for the estimation …

Visualization Of Multidimensional Clinical Data From Wearables On The Web And On Apps, Travis M. Frink, Joshua V. Gyllinsky, Kunal Mankodiya

Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Health related IoT is an important field and is changing health care by recording the critical amount of patient data necessary to identify patterns in patient data. This big data requires big data visualization to be useful to clinicians. We present the design architecture of a new visualization tool based on web and mobile platforms for use in the clinical setting. Implementation information of four diagram views of chronological patient data are discussed, representing both continuous calendars and days as pie charts.

Inter-Comparison Of Phytoplankton Functional Type Phenology Metrics Derived From Ocean Color Algorithms And Earth System Models, Tihomir S. Kostadinov, Anna Cabré, Harish Vedantham, Irina Marinov, Astrid Bracher, Robert J.W. Brewin, Annick Bricaud, Takafumi Hirata, Toru Hirawake, Nick J. Hardman-Mountford, Colleen B. Mouw, Shovonlal Roy, Julia Uitz

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Ocean color remote sensing of chlorophyll concentration has revolutionized our understanding of the biology of the oceans. However, a comprehensive understanding of the structure and function of oceanic ecosystems requires the characterization of the spatio-temporal variability of various phytoplankton functional types (PFTs), which have differing biogeochemical roles. Thus, recent bio-optical algorithm developments have focused on retrieval of various PFTs. It is important to validate and inter-compare the existing PFT algorithms; however direct comparison of retrieved variables is non-trivial because in those algorithms PFTs are defined differently. Thus, it is more plausible and potentially more informative to focus on emergent properties …

Testing The Effectiveness Of Brief Psychoeducation To Improve Parent Problem Recognition, Caroline M. Segal

Open Access Dissertations

A significant discrepancy exists between the rate of mental health problems in children and adolescents and their engagement in mental health services. A major contributor to this problem is poor mental health literacy among parents. Parents are typically responsible for identifying mental health issues in their children, but studies show that they struggle with problem recognition. The current study is the first randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention to increase parents’ recognition skills of children’s mental health problems. Participants included 298 participants recruited from community and online settings. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 58 …

Insights Into Chromatin Modification And Fancd2 Phosphorylation In Dna Damage Repair, David Vierra Ii

Open Access Dissertations

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal X-linked recessive disorder, characterized by congenital abnormalities, pediatric bone marrow failure and cancer susceptibility. FA is caused by biallelic mutation in any one of 22 different genes. The main functions of the FA-BRCA pathway is the resolution of interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) within the DNA. The main activating step of the pathway is the monoubiquitination of the proteins FANCD2 and FANCI. In the first chapter of this dissertation I discuss how methylation and acetylation affect chromatin architecture and activation of the pathway. In the second chapter I will discuss the effects of FANCD2 phosphorylation …

Environmental Impacts Of Oyster Aquaculture On The Coastal Lagoons Of Southern Rhode Island, Chelsea Elizabeth Duball

Open Access Master's Theses

Coastal lagoons are shallow estuarine systems which hold significant ecological and economic value to Rhode Island and its coastal communities. As the land around these coastal lagoons has been developed, excess inputs of nitrogen (N) from anthropogenic activity have entered the ecosystems. These inputs have resulted in eutrophication, leading to loss of ecosystem services and poor water quality. Oyster aquaculture has the potential to reduce N inputs via filter-feeding, helping to maintain water quality and ecosystem services.

In this study, I monitored water quality within aquaculture and control sites in three coastal lagoons located in southern Rhode Island, to assess …

Using The Energy Of Membrane-Associated Folding For Tumor Targeting And Intracellular Cargo Delivery, Linden C. Wyatt

Open Access Dissertations

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Due to the increase in exposure to cancer-causing environmental factors, the presence of chronic conditions, and the increase in age-related mutations in normal tissue, cancer incidence is positively correlated with age. Because of the increase in life expectancy due to advances in medicine, the frequency of cancer incidence is expected to rise in the future. For these reasons, devising methods to efficiently diagnose and treat cancer is extremely important.

Effective targeting of cancer cells within tumors would allow for improvement in the efficacy of treatment and the reduction …

Molecular-Level Design Of Nanoscale Environments For Enhanced Single-Molecule Sensing, Julie Christine Whelan

Open Access Dissertations

Single molecule studies depend upon precise control over the chemical and physical structure of the nanoscale sensing instrumentation and environment, and this demand is particularly stringent in the case of nanopores, a unique tool for single-molecule sensing and manipulation. The size and shape of the nanopores are critical to their function, and each facet, alone, presents experimental hurdles; this dissertation contains an approach to address both, simultaneously. A method for electroless deposition of gold onto solid-state silicon nitride nanopores has been developed to provide a foundation for precision tailoring of surface properties and nanopore size to study single analyte molecules …

Investigation Of Novel Electrolyte Additives In Lithium Ion Batteries At Elevated Temperatures, Bo Zhang

Open Access Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are currently one of the leading energy storage systems behind our everyday portable devices, electric vehicles, and power grids. Due to global energy crisis and rising demands for alternative energy resources, state funded renewable energy programs and tax incentives have propelled a groundbreaking era of rapid research and development in LIBs. While we are witnessing the global shift away from conventional fossil fuels, a few major obstacles have undermined the scalability and reliability of lithium-ion batteries technology, including limited energy density, operational temperature, calendar life and safety concerns.

Among numerous attempts to circumvent the issues discussed above, …

Agency In Eating Disorders: American Literary And Visual Memoirs Of Anorexia And Bulimia, Jenny Platz

Open Access Dissertations

In my dissertation I examine the representation of self-creation through anorexia and bulimia in memoiristic narratives, blogs, and YouTube videos in contemporary American culture. I argue that the highly crafted characterizations and structures of the anorexic and bulimic memoirs and blogs implement the disorders into temporary tools of self-care that grant the subjects agency through their pursuits of maturation and identity creation and cannot be simplified into mere warnings and retellings of the dangers of the eating disorders. I am locating my research in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century to encompass the emergence of eating disorder memoirs, Ana …

A Study Of Chinese Consumer Preferences For Sustainably Farmed Seafood, Chao Zou

Open Access Dissertations

Sustainable seafood programs have developed and evolved for approximately two decades as a market-based mechanism to complement the traditional “command and control” fishery management scheme. In some cases, they have successfully incentivized fishmen/fish farmers around the world to implement more environmentally sustainable production practices. It is not a perfect system capable of solving every fishery management issue immediately, but it is unequivocally one of the most promising mechanisms to slow down the degradation of wild fishery stocks or reduce environmental impacts from aquaculture, while improving the resilience of coastal fishery communities. As wild fishery stocks continue to decline, aquaculture production …

Challenging And Supportive Factors Encountered By Underrepresented Minority Doctoral Students In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics, Tessy Tatiana Pumaccahua

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the supportive and challenging factors underrepresented minority students encounter in an academic setting as they obtain doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines. The study also explored the impact of students’ multiple social identities on their educational experiences, as well as the recommendations these students would provide to incoming doctoral students of color in STEM. Participants in this study consisted of 12 self-identified students from underrepresented minority backgrounds enrolled in STEM doctoral degree programs at predominately White institutions in the U.S.. Qualitative methods were utilized in this study. Specifically, the data was obtained …

Understanding Pregnancy Centered Medications: Characterizing The Interactions Of A Series Of Sulfonylurea Analogs And The Atp Binding Cassette Transporter Proteins, P-Glycoprotein And Breast Cancer Resistance Protein, Samuel D. Bell

Open Access Dissertations

The oral hypoglycemic agent Glyburide has been shown to be actively transported from various biological tissues though a pronounced interaction with the ATP binding cassette (ABC) active transport proteins. Specifically, Glyburide is actively transported by the ABC proteins, P-glycoprotein (Pgp), Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP), and the Multidrug Resistance Proteins (MRP). This active transport occurs at various locations throughout the body but has been identified as being responsible for Glyburide’s unique placental transport behavior. Glyburide has been shown to not cross the placental barrier to any appreciable effect and will leave the placental barrier against the concentration gradient. Understanding this …

Tools To Fight The Terrorist Threat, Matthew Michael Porter

Open Access Dissertations

Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) terrorist threats put law enforcement and soldiers at risk both at home and abroad. Law enforcement and soldiers must be provided with tools and knowledge to stay ahead of the capabilities of terrorists. Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD) is a homemade explosive easily synthesized from hexamine, citric acid, and hydrogen peroxide. Although HMTD is very sensitive and prone to stability problems, it has a history of terrorists use, such as in the London bombing of 2005. Because law enforcement personnel must handle this material with no guarantee of purity nor indication of additives, for …

Speaking Truth To Power: Stand-Up Comedians As Sophists, Jesters, Public Intellectuals And Activists, Jillian Belanger

Open Access Dissertations

Stand-up comedians are rhetors who use humor as a rhetorical tool to inform and persuade mass audiences in the classical rhetorical tradition. In this dissertation, I work to recover the rhetorical motives of stand-up comedy, just as rhetoric and composition scholars before me have reread and recovered the legacy of the Sophists. To that end, I align stand-up comedians first with the historical heritage of Sophists and jesters, and then with the more contemporary tradition of public intellectuals and social activists. Using excerpts from stand-up comedy performances, I demonstrate how stand-up comedians are able to persuade and educate with humor. …

Testosterone And Progesterone Concentrations In Blow Samples Are Biologically Relevant In Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas), Justin Thomas Richard, Todd R. Robeck, Steven D. Osborn, Lisa Naples, Alexa Mcdermott, Robert G. Laforge, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Psychology Faculty Publications

Steroid hormone analysis in blow (respiratory vapor) may provide a minimally invasive way to assess the reproductive status of wild cetaceans. Biological validation of the method is needed to allow for the interpretation of hormone measurements in blow samples. Utilizing samples collected from trained belugas (Delphinapterus leucas, n = 20), enzyme immunoassays for testosterone and progesterone were validated for use with beluga blow samples. Testosterone concentrations in 40 matched blood and blow samples collected from 4 male belugas demonstrated a positive correlation (R² = 0.52, p < 0.0001). Progesterone concentrations in 64 matching blood and blow samples from 11 females were also positively correlated (R² = 0.60, p < 0.0001). Testosterone concentrations (mean ± SD) in blow samples collected from adult males (119.3 ± 14.2 pg/ml) were higher (p < 0.01) than that of a juvenile male (< 8 years) (59.4 ± 6.5 pg/ml) or female belugas (54.1 ± 25.7 pg/ml). Among adult males, testosterone concentrations in blow demonstrated a seasonal pattern of secretion, with peak secretion occurring during the breeding season (February–April, 136.95 ± 33.8 pg/ml). Progesterone concentrations in blow varied by reproductive status; pregnant females (410.6 ± 87.8 pg/ml) and females in the luteal phase of the estrous cycle (339.5 ± 51.0 pg/ml) had higher (p < 0.0001) blow progesterone concentrations than non-pregnant females without a corpus luteum (242.5 ± 27.3 pg/ml). Results indicate that blow sample analysis can be used to detect variation in reproductive states associated with large differences in circulating testosterone or progesterone in belugas.

Reliable Estimation Of Minimum Embedding Dimension Through Statistical Analysis Of Nearest Neighbors, David Chelidze

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

False nearest neighbors (FNN) is one of the essential methods used in estimating the minimally sufficient embedding dimension in delay-coordinate embedding of deterministic time series. Its use for stochastic and noisy deterministic time series is problematic and erroneously indicates a finite embedding dimension. Various modifications to the original method have been proposed to mitigate this problem, but those are still not reliable for noisy time series. Here, nearest-neighbor statistics are studied for uncorrelated random time series and contrasted with the corresponding deterministic and stochastic statistics. New composite FNN metrics are constructed and their performance is evaluated for deterministic, correlates stochastic, …

Pdms Flow Cell For Monitoring Bacterial Adhesion Capacity Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Beverages, Assem Abolmaaty, D.M.L. Meyer

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Aims: To develop and standardize a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) flow cells for monitoring bacterial adhesion capacity of biofilm formation by Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Beverages industry.

Study Design: PDMS chip was fabricated in house and placed in a metal chamber. The bio-Ferrograph generated different flow rates of bacterial cell suspension in the PDMS cells.

Methodology: PDMS flow cells were used to monitor bacteria adhesion capacity of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated into some beverages. The Effect of fluid flow rate and temperature on bacteria adhesion capacity was studied in order to standardize the system. Buffer system of adhesion was …

Myofibrils In Cardiomyocytes Tend To Assemble Along The Maximal Principle Stress Directions, Hongyan Yuan, Bahador Marzban, Kevin Kit Parker

Mechanical, Industrial & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The mechanisms underlying the spatial organization of self-assembled myofibrils in cardiac tissues remain incompletely understood. By modeling cells as elastic solids under active cytoskeletal contraction, we found a good correlation between the predicted maximal principal stress directions and the in vitro myofibril orientations in individual cardiomyocytes. This implies that actomyosin fibers tend to assemble along the maximal tensile stress (MTS) directions. By considering the dynamics of focal adhesion and myofibril formation in the model, we showed that different patterns of myofibril organizations in mature versus immature cardiomyocytes can be explained as the consequence of the different levels of force-dependent remodeling …

Assessing The Quantity And Downstream Performance Of Dna Isolated From Beluga (Delphinapterus Leucas) Blow Samples, Justin Thomas Richard, Krystle Schultz, Caroline Goertz, Rod Hobbs, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Blow (exhale) sampling in cetaceans may provide a minimally invasive alternative to biopsy sampling for genetic analyses that may be favored in vulnerable populations. However, the utility of single-exhale blow samples has not been evaluated, and the relationship between the number of exhales collected and DNA yield and its subsequent performance during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is unknown. DNA was extracted from 98 blow samples collected from 11 aquarium- housed and 29 wild belugas in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Blow samples consisted of one, two, or four successive exhales, with at least nine samples per type from both aquarium-housed and wild …

Subtle Microbiome Manipulation Using Probiotics Reduces Antibiotic-Associated Mortality In Fish, Victor Schmidt, Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Chelsea Roy, Katherine Smith, Linda Amaral-Zettler

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Prophylactic antibiotics in the aquaculture and ornamental fish industry are intended to prevent the negative impacts of disease outbreaks. Research in mice and humans suggests that antibiotics may disturb microbiome communities and decrease microbiome-mediated disease resistance, also known as “colonization resistance.” If antibiotics impact fish as they do mice and humans, prophylactic administrations on aquaculture farms may increase downstream disease susceptibility in target hosts, despite short-term pathogen control benefits. We tested the effects of antibiotics on mortality after a pathogen challenge in the Poecilia sphenops black molly and subsequently tested if probiotic inoculations could reverse any antibiotic-induced losses of disease …

Assessing Dynamic Soil Properties In Southern New England Using An Ecological Site Framework, Andrew James Paolucci

Open Access Master's Theses

An ecological site is defined as a distinctive kind of land based on recurring soil, landform, geological, and climate characteristics that differs from other kinds of land in its ability to produce distinctive kinds and amounts of vegetation and in its ability to respond similarly to management actions and natural disturbances. The primary objective of this study was to initiate provisional ecological site concepts for upland, riparian, salt marsh, and subaqueous soils in southern New England by comparing sites that share similar geomorphic settings, but differing soil types. For each system, I also determined how a specific disturbance or management …

Mineral Identification And Preliminary Mapping Of Organic Compounds In Serpentinite-Related Lithologies Using Μftir, Abigail M. Johnson

Open Access Master's Theses

Serpentinization, the water-rock reaction forming serpentine mineral assemblages from olivine and pyroxene-bearing protoliths, can co-occur with the production of hydrogen, methane, and diverse organic compounds. Serpentinization is regarded as a geologic process important to the sustainability of the deep biosphere and the origin of life. Serpentinization has been found to support metabolisms involving anaerobic CO-oxidation, acetogenesis, reduction of sulfur compounds, H₂ oxidation, CO₂ fixation, and fermentation. There is on-going research to develop a method that can visually depict mineral associations in serpentinites with serpentinization-related organics. In this report, we describe new findings, using µFTIR to map minerals and …

Assessing Hydrology, Carbon Flux, And Soil Spatial Variability Within Vernal Pool Wetlands, Bianca N. Ross

Open Access Master's Theses

Vernal pools are small isolated wetlands that are covered by shallow water for variable periods in the winter and spring but may be completely dry for most of the summer and fall. Despite their small size, vernal pools are a dominant wetland type throughout New England. These wetlands are hotspots of floral and faunal biodiversity, as their unique hydrology and landscape characteristics allow them to serve as a home and breeding ground for many distinct plant and animal species. Because of their abundance in New England, vernal pools may also be an important long-term regional storehouse for organic carbon. Despite …

Effects Of 10 Weeks Of Periodized Resistance Training On Sarcopenia Classification In Older Women, Samuel Slezak

Open Access Master's Theses

Sarcopenia is defined as the progressive, age related loss of lean muscle mass, which in turn has been associated with osteoporosis, decreases in physical function, and loss of independence. Newly established sarcopenia classification criteria include measures of appendicular lean mass (ALM), grip strength, and gait speed. Periodized resistance training (PRT) has been investigated in older adults, however the impact of PRT, particularly daily undulating periodized resistance training (DUP) on current sarcopenia classification criteria is unknown. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effects of a 10-week DUP intervention on sarcopenia classification in older women. Inactive women …

Interactions Of Polymers And Energetic Materials, Rebecca M. Levine

Open Access Master's Theses

Trace explosive detection is the primary way for quick and easy sampling of various surfaces in a check-point environment, e.g. an airport. The swabs used for commercial explosive detectors, such as ion mobility spectrometers, are made of various materials. The difficulty in collection and analysis of explosive traces is that the swabs must be effective at adsorbing as well as desorbing materials, i.e. pickup from the surface and release into the detection device. This dichotomy results in a tradeoff for development of new swabs. Generally, desorption is considered to be the more desirable property; therefore, Teflon is one choice for …

A Native Lepidopteran Is Impacted By Host Defenses Induced By Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges Tsugae), Mary M. Mallinger

Open Access Master's Theses

Eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, is currently experiencing widespread mortality due to the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae). Eastern hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria), another hemlock pest, is a native lepidopteran that has reached outbreak levels in the past. While these insects share a host and overlap in range, little is known about their interactions. Research has shown that HWA infestation increases methyl salicylate concentrations (an indicator of the induction of the salicylic acid pathway) in hemlock tissue while hemlock looper, a chewing insect, likely elicits the jasmonic acid pathway. While plants are capable of inducing …

Assessment Of Salt Marsh Shoreline Degradation And Restoration On Benthic Invertebrate Infaunal Community, Anna Gerber-Williams

Open Access Master's Theses

The benthic invertebrate infaunal community is sensitive to disturbance and is an indicator for the overall health of estuarine ecosystems. To quantify the effect of salt marsh shoreline stabilization and restoration approaches on adjacent habitat quality, we compared invertebrate community assemblages of benthic infauna between four different shoreline types, two of which were erosion control methods, hardened and living shoreline, and two unaltered shorelines, natural and eroded. We quantified benthic infauna density, biomass, richness, and diversity and evaluated physical-chemical factors (water quality, sediment carbon and nitrogen content, and grain size) that may be influencing the benthic invertebrate community associated with …

Moderating Effects Of Gender And Coping Style On The Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment And Social Anxiety, Bryana E. Killion

Open Access Master's Theses

The relationship between childhood maltreatment and maladaptive outcomes, such as increased rates of psychopathology, is well-documented in the literature. Specifically, research has indicated that higher rates of social anxiety are observed in maltreatment victims in comparison to the general population. These rates also appear to differ according to gender, with higher prevalence rates being observed among females. However, although the relationship between childhood maltreatment and social anxiety has been substantiated, little is known about the mechanisms that contribute to its development and perpetuation over time. A developing body of literature has suggested that coping styles (i.e., task-oriented, emotion-oriented, avoidance) may …