Digital Commons Network^™

A Multi-Gpu Compute Solution For Optimized Genomic Selection Analysis, Trevor Devore

Master's Theses

Many modern-day Bioinformatics algorithms rely heavily on statistical models to analyze their biological data. Some of these statistical models lend themselves nicely to standard high performance computing optimizations such as parallelism, while others do not. One such algorithm is Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). In this thesis, we present a heterogeneous compute solution for optimizing GenSel, a genetic selection analysis tool. GenSel utilizes a MCMC algorithm to perform Bayesian inference using Gibbs sampling.

Optimizing an MCMC algorithm is a difficult problem because it is inherently sequential, containing a loop carried dependence between each Markov Chain iteration. The optimization presented in …

Toward General Purpose 3d User Interfaces: Extending Windowing Systems To Three Dimensions, Forrest Freiling Reiling

Master's Theses

Recent growth in the commercial availability of consumer grade 3D user interface devices like the Microsoft Kinect and the Oculus Rift, coupled with the broad availability of high performance 3D graphics hardware, has put high quality 3D user interfaces firmly within the reach of consumer markets for the first time ever. However, these devices require custom integration with every application which wishes to use them, seriously limiting application support, and there is no established mechanism for multiple applications to use the same 3D interface hardware simultaneously. This thesis proposes that these problems can be solved in the same way that …

A Comparison Of Image Processing Techniques For Bird Detection, Elsa Reyes

Master's Theses

Orchard fruits and vegetable crops are vulnerable to wild birds and animals. These wild birds and animals can cause critical damage to the produce. Traditional methods of scaring away birds such as scarecrows are not long-term solutions but short-term solutions. This is a huge problem especially near areas like San Luis Obispo where there are vineyards. Bird damage can be as high as 50% for grapes being grown in vineyards. The total estimated revenue lost annually in the 10 counties in California due to bird and rodent damage to 22 selected crops ranged from $168 million to $504 million (in …

Jester: A Device Abstraction And Data Fusion Api For Skeletal Tracking, Kevin Samuel Schapansky

Master's Theses

Humans naturally interact with the world in three dimensions. Traditionally, personal computers have relied on 2D mice for input because 3D user tracking systems were cumbersome and expensive. Recently, 3D input hardware has become accurate and affordable enough to be marketed to average consumers and integrated into niche applications. Presently, 3D application developers must learn a different API for each device their software will support, and there is no simple way to integrate sensor data if the system has multiple 3D input devices. This thesis presents Jester, a library designed to simplify the development and improve the accuracy of 3D …

Studies And Research Regarding Sound Reduction Materials With The Purpose Of Reducing Sound Pollution, Timothy G. Hawkins

Master's Theses

Noise can be defined as unwanted sound. There are many cases and applications that reducing noise level is of great importance. Loss of hearing is only one of the effects of continuous exposure to excessive noise levels. Noise can interfere with sleep and speech, and cause discomfort and other non-auditory effects. High level noise and vibration lead to structural failures as well as reduction in life span. The importance of noise issue could be well understood by looking at regulations that have been passed by governments to restrict noise production in society. Industrial machinery, air/surface transportation and construction activities are …

Oceano Community Health Plan, Eugene Phillip Brennan

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Oceano Community Health Plan

Phillip Brennan

Recent, mounting research shows that chronic disease, the leading causes of death and primary driver of health care costs, cannot be effectively addressed through education or preventative health alone. A physical environment that promotes health—through access to healthy food, opportunities for physical activity, quality housing, transportation options, and safe schools—is an integral part of making our communities healthier. This research and accompanying Healthy Community Plans will serve as a way for the County to begin looking in-depth at the ways the built environment (our streets, parks, and neighborhoods) contribute or detract from the …

Smarticles: A Method For Identifying And Correcting Instability And Error Caused By Explicit Integration Techniques In Physically Based Simulations, Susan Aileen Marano

Master's Theses

Using an explicit integration method in physically based animations has many advantages including conceptual and computational simplicity, however, it re- quires small time steps to ensure low numerical instability. Simulations with large numbers of individually interacting components such as cloth, hair, and fluid models, are limited by the sections of particles most susceptible to error. This results in the need for smaller time steps than required for the majority of the system. These sections can be diverse and dynamic, quickly changing in size and location based on forces in the system. Identifying and handling these trou- blesome sections could allow …

The Role Of Sirtuin Inhibitors On The Proteomic Responses Of The Mussels Mytilus Galloprovincialis And Mytilus Trossulus To Menadione Induced Oxidative Stress, Hayley C. Chilton

Master's Theses

Global climate change imposes physiological constraints on marine ecosystems that can alter the distribution of intertidal organisms. In one such instance, the native cold-adapted mussel Mytilus trossulus is being replaced along its southern range by the invasive warm-adapted Mytilus galloprovincialis. These blue mussels occur throughout rocky intertidal zones where they are subjected to greatly varying environmental conditions known to induce oxidative stress. We hypothesize that while under acute stress, related Mytilus congeners undergo a shift in redox potential from NADH-fueled respiratory pathways to pathways producing NADPH as a way to decrease the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and …

The Effect Of Fiber Depth On The Estimation Of Peripheral Nerve Fiber Diameter Using Group Delay And Simulated Annealing Optimization, Nam Tran

Master's Theses

Peripheral neuropathy refers to diseases of or injuries to the peripheral nerves in the human body. The damage can interfere with the vital connection between the central nervous system and other parts of the body, and can significantly reduce the quality of life of those affected. In the US, approximately between 15 and 20 million people over the age of 40 have some forms of peripheral neuropathy. The diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy often requires an invasive operation such as a biopsy because different forms of peripheral neuropathy can affect different types of nerve fibers. There are non-invasive methods available to …

Analysis Of Environmentally Friendly Marking Ink For Military Equipment And Electronics, Liang Li

Master's Theses

Recent advancements in corrosion-resistance coating technology has reduce the use of environmentally harmful compounds such as Hexavalent Chromium by replacing Hexavalent Chromium in primers and topcoat. However, marking inks were neglected in the process. Products such as Enthone 50 series are still widely used, which contain compounds such as lead, hexavalent chromium, bisphenol A (BPA), Cadmium Sulfide, and more. Excluding catalyst compositions in Enthone, the chemicals in the ink alone contained three reproductive toxicant and numerous carcinogens. Therefore, it was essential to search and validate the performance of potential marking ink that would meet the standards in military applications.

Eleven …

Directional Selective Neurons In Awake Lgn: Response Properties And Modulation By Brain State, Xiaojuan Hei

Master's Theses

Directionally selective (DS) neurons are found in the retina and lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of rabbits and rodents. In rabbits, LGN DS cells project to primary visual cortex. Here, we compare visual response properties of LGN DS neurons with those of layer 4 simple cells, most of which show strong direction/orientation selectivity. The response properties of these populations differed dramatically, suggesting that DS cells may not contribute significantly to the synthesis of simple receptive fields: (a) whereas the F1/F0 ratios of LGN DS cells are strongly nonlinear, those of simple cells are strongly linear, (b) whereas LGN DS cells have …

Matrilineal Asset Inheritance, Female Bargaining Power, And Household Welfare In Malawi, Nicholas T. Garcia

Master's Theses

Matrilineal inheritance practices in Malawi exogenously determine female land holdings at the time of marriage, allowing for the identification of the effect of increased female bargaining power on household consumption decisions. I use the matrilineal ethnicity of the head of household as an instrument for the share of total household land inherited by the female head or male head’s wife. I find that child’s height-for-age decreases with female assets, and evidence suggesting increased consumption from households’ own production. Since the food basket from own consumption is high in carbs but not nutritious, long-term child health suffers despite receiving more resources …

High Order Statistics Of Natural And Manmade Sounds, Rahul Narayan

Master's Theses

Environmental sounds, both man-made and natural, vary on multiple time and frequency scales generating a large range of temporal, spectral and amplitude modulations that are evident in the high-order statistics of the sound spectrogram. Healthy hearing humans perceive high-order statistical regularities and use this information to categorize and discriminate sounds. This paper tests the hypothesis that biologically motivated sound statistics can enable/enhance discrimination and identification of sound categories from a computational standpoint. A large catalogue of natural and man-made sounds and their associated high-order contrast and intensity statistics were developed, and the information carrying content of each statistic for sound …

Biocompatible Fluorescent Hydrogel Fiber For Glucose Monitoring, Srilaya Mopidevi

Master's Theses

Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading incurable diseases which may lead to severe health complications due to elevated blood glucose levels. This is mainly caused due to lack of insulin secretion by pancreas (Type I) or when the cells in the body become resistant to insulin (Type II). The key for diabetes treatment is regular monitoring and maintenance of blood glucose levels in the body. We present herein an optical glucose biosensor for glucose monitoring, where a fluorescent enzymatic hydrogel is incorporated with fluorescein, polyethylene glycol and glucose oxidase. Glucose oxidase catalyzes oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid that …

Treating Wastes With Microbial Fuel Cells(Mfcs) And Microbial Electrolysis Cells(Mecs), Yan Li

Master's Theses

Two typical oxidized-status metals (Fe (III) and Cr (VI)) were studied as electron acceptors on cathodes in single chamber microbial fuel cells (SCMFCs) to explore novel sustainable technology for metal treatment in wastewater. The batch-mode tests indicated that the voltages of SCMFCs steadily increased with Fe(III) concentrations (10mg L-1, 30mg L-1, and 50mg L-1) and Cr (VI) concentrations (1mg L-1, 3mg L-1, and 10mg L-1). The maximum power density and current density reached at 658.34mW m-2 and 0.46mA cm-2 at 50mg L-1 of Fe(III), and reached at 419.31mW m-2 and 0.27mA cm-2 at 10 mg L-1 Cr (VI). The conversion …

It Isn’T Just Skin Deep: Adolescents And Appearance In Connecticut, Avery Lachance

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Gender And Self-Representation In Maya Angelou's Autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 2014, Jay-Nel Steitz

Master's Theses

A voice that has been silenced for so long has much to say. Whether still confined or set free, the statement applies equally to both. The silenced voice wants not only to tell his or her story, but to share the life experiences which in turn reveal the identities of these individuals. These silenced voices then are not those of the oppressors, but the oppressed; and when an oppressor wants to share his or her story, the oppressed wants to tell their side of it as well. How can those labeled the marginalized outcasts of society express their feelings and …

Characterization Of Biomechanical Properties Of Mitral Valve Chordae Tendineae, Keping Zuo

Master's Theses

Objective: Mitral regurgitation and prolapse are the two most common diseases of the mitral valve and result in the leakage of blood back into the left atrium during systole. Rupture of the chordae tendinae is the most common cause of mitral insufficiency. The goal of this study was to characterize the biomechanical properties of the mitral valve chordae tendineae of aged human and ovine hearts.

Materials and Methods: A total of 115 chordae specimens from fresh ovine hearts (n=18, weight = 374.833 47.947g, age of 1-2 year old), and 152 from human hearts (n=14, weight = 516.538 125.718g, mean age …

Collected Short Stories, Arthur Ross Walton

Master's Theses

In this collection of short fiction, I draw upon the experience of growing up in a small southern town and my work as a researcher with the Center for Oral History to reach beyond the stereotypes and create a more accurate portrayal of life in Mississippi.

There are two central themes touched on in these stories. The first I call “Occupational Obsolescence” and delves into the tensions created when a person’s (or community’s) livelihood is taken away for reasons beyond their control. The second, “The Outsider Within,” considers the question of how a person can be a resident of a …

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction Of Marine Clay Nano- And Microstructure By Transmission Electron Microscopy: Analysis Of Fabric And Pore Network, Jessica Rae Gardner Douglas

Master's Theses

Three-dimensional reconstructions of marine fine-grained sediment open a new dimension for studying nano- and microscale organo-clay fabric important to improving and advancing organic matter (OM) sequestration and fluid flow dynamics modeling. I created 3-D reconstructions of clay fabric and pore pathways from serial sections and photographic mosaics obtained using transmission electron microscopy. These reconstructions show aggregations of clay domains, surrounding OM, and pore networks. I examined a Model sample (laboratory consolidated) with 1% OM and a Natural sample (polychaete fecal pellet) with high levels of OM. Three-dimensional reconstructions were segmented into 300 nm cube subsamples to make highly localized qualitative …

The Impact Of Serotonin And Dopamine On Human Aggression: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Caroline Isabelle Jalain

Master's Theses

Aggressive behaviors can have serious impacts on both the population at-large and the criminal justice system (Fish, DeBold, & Miczek, 2002); but despite these potential repercussions, no adequate treatment options have been identified to prevent (or reduce) such consequential actions. An increasing amount of research has, however, developed (over the years) in response to these treatment needs. Recently, the disciplines of neurobiology and neuropsychology have discovered specific anti-aggressive treatments. Studies on the prefrontal cortex specifically reveal that certain areas of the brain, along with an array of chemical imbalances, are related to aggressive behavior (Barrett, Edinger, & Siegel, 1990). Specifically, …

Southern Hospitality: A Mississippi Twilight, Pyran Sand Taylor

Master's Theses

This is a collection of stories about ordinary people and mice, and the occasional mythological creature whose lives become more complicated.

Assessing Landscape Change In Highland Peru With An Emphasis On Tree Cover Change, 1948-2012, Timothy Guy Sutherlin

Master's Theses

Tree cover change was examined around three cities in the central Andes of Peru, 1948-2012, using repeat photography, remote sensing, and ethnographic methods. Forest transition theory provided a framework to study the causes of the changes observed. The repeat photography results show that there were more trees on the landscape in 2012 than there were in 1948. There were increases in smaller groupings of trees visible in the photography that were associated with smallholder intensification in the form of new woodlots, field borders and dooryard trees. The remote sensing results show there was a significant increase in larger patches of …

The Effects Of Olfactory Stimuli On The Behavior Of The Far Eastern/Amur Leopard (Panthera Pardus Orientalis) In Captivity, Marks Stimson Mcwhorter

Master's Theses

Two Amur leopards from the Jackson Zoological Park were observed under continuous surveillance while on exhibit over 21 days to better understand the activity budget of leopards in captivity, and what effects olfactory stimuli may have on those activity patterns. Behaviors were observed through surveillance systems located around their enclosure and scored using an ethogram, and proportions of behaviors shown were calculated for each day, and by 15-minute increments throughout the day. Over the course of this study, leopards received three olfactory stimuli on separate occasions, where we then compared behaviors before stimuli presented to behaviors expressed during and after …

Investigating Present And Future Interactions Between Radio Frequency Identification, Additive Manufacturing And Supply Chain Management, Michael Nobuhiro Ochi

Master's Theses

A screening experiment was paired with research observing the past, present and futures of additive manufacturing (a.k.a. rapid prototyping, 3D printing), radio frequency identification, and supply chain management. The experiment tested different properties of objects created with a desktop fused deposition modelling printer to observe if any single factors or interactions affected the read range of embedded passive UHF RFID inlay. The combination of material and infill percentage had a statistically significant effect on read range, however the analysis is weak since the data could not justify the normality assumption of ANOVA. Furthermore, the size of the effect was small …

The Effects Of Stocking Density And Feeding Frequency On Aggressive And Cannibalistic Behaviors In Larval Hatchery-Reared Spotted Seatrout, Cynosion Nebulosus, Christopher Burton Manley

Master's Theses

The Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is a euryhaline fish that inhabits coastal regions from Massachusetts to Texas. Due to its predaceous nature and proximity to coastal shorelines it is the most important marine finfish in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of this importance, Spotted Seatrout has been identified as a possible candidate for stock enhancement. Stock enhancement is the practice of releasing hatchery-reared juveniles to increase local recruitment beyond existing levels. However, raising enough Spotted Seatrout in an intensive aquaculture system has proven difficult due to aggression and cannibalism during the larval stages.

The manipulation of stocking density …

Stories, Garrett Alden Ashley

Master's Theses

These short stories represent different genres, forms, ideals, and times. This collection contains the weird, the scientific, the fantastical, and settings that are real. The problems faced by the characters are a product of each story's genre, but the willingness of its characters to overcome change remains the same. In one story, a man wants to get rid of his mechanical daughter because she reminds him of his wife. In another, a man takes care of his brother who has returned from the dead as a pig. In others, a man believes his wife is trying to kill him, a …

Uh, Um, And Autism: Filler Disfluencies In Children With Optimal Outcomes From Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christina Anne Irvine

Master's Theses

Spontaneous speech is marked by the presence of frequent disfluencies, including fillers like um and uh, which are thought to serve distinct social-communicative functions (Clark & Fox Tree, 2002). People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social communication. The current study examines a) the production of fillers in spontaneous speech among children and adolescents with ASD as well as individuals who have achieved “optimal outcomes” (OO) from ASD, and b) the association between filler rate and autism symptom severity versus general cognitive factors, in order to illuminate the processes implicated in filler production. Speech samples from 64 individuals …

Efficacy Of Plant Compounds For Reducing Foodborne Pathogens On Fresh Produce, Tyler E. Mattson

Master's Theses

Four plant derived compounds, namely carvacrol (CAR), trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC), eugenol (EUG) and β-resorcylic acid (BR) were investigated as wash treatments for reducing Salmonella spp. on tomatoes. In addition, the efficacy of TC and CAR in inactivating E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes on iceberg lettuce in the presence and absence of 10% organic matter was studied. Results suggest that CAR, TC, EUG and BR were effective in rapidly reducing large populations of Salmonella spp. on tomatoes when used in wash water, and CAR rapidly decreased E. coli O157: H7 and L. monocytogenes populations on lettuce even in …

The Role Of Nrf2 In The Differential Susceptibility Of Male And Female Mice To Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity, Philip Rohrer

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.