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Dna And Protein Sequence Analysis Of Neuronal Markers Neuronal Nuclei (Neun) And Doublecortin (Dcx) In The Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus Oreganus) And Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus Occidentalis)., Brett M. Vassar

Master's Theses

Neuronal Nuclei (NeuN) and Doublecortin (DCX) are neuron specific proteins that are used in histological studies of brain structure in a variety of vertebrate taxa.Antibodies against NeuN (anti-NeuN) bind to the Fox-3 protein, an RNA binding protein common in mature neurons. Anti-DCX labels a microtubule-associated protein expressed in actively dividing neural progenitor cells and migrating neurons. The DCX gene encodes a protein that is well conserved across mammalian, avian, and a few reptilian species, therefore anti-DCX staining has been used successfully across a range of vertebrate taxa. Successful neuronal staining using anti-NeuN has been demonstrated in mammals, birds, and the …

Inventory Of Aging-Friendly Pedestrian Environment, Qijun Zeng

Master's Theses

The dimension of humanization has been neglected for decades. Planning themes such as automobile and transportation have erroneously occupied a dominant position. While public space, pedestrian activities and urban space as a gathering place for urban residents have been placed in a very minor position. As motorization in contemporary cities develops, the overall pedestrian environment of cities is deteriorating, and the street spaces are seriously lacking in the care and consideration of pedestrians, especially the vulnerable groups. Urban design generally, and pedestrian environment in particular, has a significant influence on pedestrian activity. Also, with the aging of the Baby Boomer …

Compact Rake Boundary Layer Data System Module, Nathan Jeffry Hoyt

Master's Theses

This Thesis describes the design, assembly, programming, and evaluation of the BLDS-M-RAKE, the newest addition to the family of devices called the Boundary Layer Data System (BLDS). The BLDS-M-RAKE is a continuation of the BLDS-M series of devices, a modular approach with updated electronics for boundary layer measurements. The BLDS-M-RAKE records data from a number of sensors, intended to be routed to an array of probes, or rake. Through preliminary testing, a new flexible manifold design from molded silicone and the hardware used on the RFduino development boards from the BLDS-M proof-of-concept modules were validated for use in the final …

Cmos Design Of An 8-Bit 1ms/S Successive Approximation Register Adc, Ameya Vivekanand Ganguli

Master's Theses

Rapid evolution of integrated circuit technologies has paved a way to develop smaller and energy efficient biomedical devices which has put stringent requirements on data acquisition systems. These implantable devices are compact and have a very small footprint. Once implanted these devices need to rely on non-rechargeable batteries to sustain a life span of up to 10 years. Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are key components in these power limited systems. Therefore, development of ADCs with medium resolution (8-10 bits) and sampling rate (1 MHz) have been of great importance.

This thesis presents an 8-bit successive approximation register (SAR) ADC incorporating an …

Development Of A Prototype System For Distributed Spectrum Sensing Via Wireless Sensor Networks, Christopher R. Barber

Master's Theses

This thesis describes the research and development results of designing a system that can detect an unknown transmitter that is operating within a wideband spectrum covering 240-960MHz. The system design, development, and integration of a Prototype Spectrum Sensing Platform for the MEMSIC IRIS wireless sensor network platform [1] can be used for detection, monitoring, and localization of emitters in diverse RF propagation environments. Decoupling the dependency of the Received Signal Strength (RSS) measurements from the primary transceiver by the addition of a secondary receiver provides for continuous real-time analysis of the RF environment signal levels. The goal is to provide …

Physical Layer Security For Mimo Wireless Systems, Joseph R. Childress

Master's Theses

A steadily growing portion of modern communication systems in use today is based on wireless technologies that make use of smaller and more portable electronic devices. As a result, the need to provide a light-weight security strategy for these systems is becoming a more important problem. This thesis focuses on two techniques that belong to an active research area known as Physical Layer Security (PLS). While the underlying techniques of PLS have been known for some time, the potential secrecy benefits of them need further investigation. These potential benefits have generated a rising interest with the development of Multiple Input …

The Real-Time Application Of Control Theory To Pharmacokinetics, George W. Carpenter Iii

Master's Theses

An optically-based injection control system has been developed as a proof-of- concept that such is of use for an intravenous drug delivery application. Current clinical drug delivery for oncology typically provides for intravenous administration without providing awareness of achieved plasma concentration, yet interpatient variability produces consequences ranging from toxicity to ineffectual treatments. We report a closed loop injection system integrating a pulse-photoplethysmograph to measure the concentration of indocyanine green (ICG) in the circulating blood of a one-compartment murine model. A proportional-derivative (PD) controller manages the injection rate in real-time. The target function for the controller is the population estimate of …

Surface Engineering Solutions For Immersion Phase Change Cooling Of Electronics, Brendon M. Doran

Master's Theses

Micro- and nano-scale surface modifications have been a subject of great interest for enhancing the pool boiling heat transfer performance of immersion cooling systems due to their ability to augment surface area, improve wickability, and increase nucleation site density. However, many of the surface modification technologies that have been previously demonstrated show a lack of evidence concerning scalability for use at an industrial level. In this work, the pool boiling heat transfer performance of nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) films, copper oxide (CuO) nanostructure coatings, and 1D roll-molded microfin arrays has been studied. Each of these technologies possess scalability in …

Food Systems Adverse Health Impacts On Latinx Immigrant Communities By Lisa Marquez, Lisa Marquez

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the adverse health impacts food systems have on Latinx immigrant communities. Marquez looks closely at emergency services programs using the food bank run by the Our Lady of the Pillar in Half Moon Bay, California, and interviewed five Latina immigrants from Mexico and Central America. While the food banks provided these families with fresh produce, the women expressed that it is substandard to the produce in their home countries. The interviews are supplemented with the analysis of three spoken word poems by youth who are second generation or whom have spent the majority of their lives …

Play Behavior And The Development Of Boldness And Caution In Juvenile Belding’S Ground Squirrels (Urocitellus Beldingi), Madelene Shehan

Master's Theses

The ubiquity of play among juvenile mammals suggests it provides adaptive benefits, potentially through influences on the development of temperament in young animals. Juvenile Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) must balance competing demands for boldness and caution imposed by the fundamental trade-off between their short active season and their vulnerability to predation. In this study, I evaluated whether play helps to facilitate the development of an appropriate balance between boldness and caution in juvenile U. beldingi.I observed the play behavior of juvenile U. beldingiand conducted flight-initiation distance tests to measure boldness-caution at the beginning and toward …

Temperature And Tempers: Heats Impact On Mood And Language, John Sutton

Master's Theses

Abstract: Temperatures above 20° Celsius have shown to adversely impact human behavior, leading to increased aggression and violence. Climate change will contribute to both the magnitude and severity of this pattern as temperatures continue their rise. Contributions to this field of research have only recently begun to analyze online behavior and language as a proxy for hedonic state, or well-being. From a development perspective this study is relevant since the poor tend to live in some of the warmest regions on earth, and would thus be disproportionately impacted by increased temperatures. We use several sources of data; U.S. based …

Cariño In The Clase: Understanding How Teachers And Staff In San José Navigate Caring, Protecting, And Empowering Undocumented Latinx High School Students In The Trump Era, Nancy Haro

Master's Theses

Latinx students in low-income public schools face structural oppression that limits their educational and career opportunities. Those opportunities are further limited when we consider how many of those students might be undocumented. The current political climate is replete with anti-immigrant sentiment and has already created further difficulty for undocumented students with the recession of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Public high school teachers and staff play an important role in the lives of these students, for they interact in a space in which preparation for adulthood is the goal. However, these spaces do not exist in a vacuum but …

Eugenics In Education Policy And The Impact On African American Students, Ruth Jones

Master's Theses

Eugenics was defined as a science which used selective breeding as a mechanism to increase desirable traits in a population while restricting and eliminating undesirable traits. Eugenicists fell out of favor in the United States after the fall of Nazi Germany. Yet, eugenic ideas continued to prevail as they heavily influenced medical, social, and academic systems in the U.S. The country’s education system still carries the legacy of eugenicists who helped to build it. The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify eugenic ideas in federal, district and local school policy and determine their connection to the very local …

Bridging The Gender Gap: Women In Stem Management, Kathryn Skeeters

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study the current effects of training and accommodations on women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields. Currently, there is a lack of women at the senior levels in the STEM field. This study evaluates the current literature as well as the personal experiences of 14 subjects. This information was collected through interviews. No personal data besides gender and age is communicated in the paper, with company names and signifiers removed. With the information gleaned from this research, the study evaluates the current programs and assesses a path forward. The assumption from …

Indigenization Of Genocide Healing: A Grounded Action Of Culturally And Contextually Relevant Educational And Psychosocial Strategies To Reduce Impacts Of Societal Toxic Stress In Rwanda Post-Genocide, Jean Pierre Ndagijimana

Master's Theses

Sixty percent of the current Rwandan population were born after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and those born since or who were young at the time of the genocide have remained among those affected most. Although Western trauma theorists and interventionists have played the role of experts in the genocide healing, the exclusion of the indigenous population’s experiences, knowledge, and wisdom has limited them from meeting local needs. The post-genocide situation raises various issues, genocide ideology, and increasing family homicides; however, locals do not want to seek counseling services, or run the risk of being labeled as mentally ill. …

Multiple Contacts Of Drug Contaminated Fingermarks And Their Analysis With Raman Microspectroscopy, Victoria Deprimo

Master's Theses

This thesis research aimed to determine if substrate, enhancement technique, and multiple contacts affect the detection and identification of drugs in fingermarks using Raman Spectroscopy. It has the potential to be of great importance in forensic science as fingermarks are one of the most important traces left behind at crime scenes and illicit drugs are a significant criminal justice problem. Thus, being able to associate illicit drugs with a specific fingermark has great potential for forensic science, as it can put the drugs in the hands of a specific individual.

The ridges of fingerprints trap trace amounts of material that …

Bilinguals’ Double Phonemic Boundary: Not One Of Normal Nature, Gianna Duncan

Master's Theses

The present investigation reports the conditions that propel bilinguals’ double phonemic boundary, a phenomenon where bilinguals’ perception of speech sounds is affected by the linguistic context in which they are immersed, and theories that support bilinguals’ phonetic category structures while taking into consideration different auditory biases that could influence the double phonemic boundary such as contrast-effects, range-effects, and resource allocation. Thirty-three right-handed participants performed a Go/No-Go-Task. The sample consisted of 16 English monolinguals and 17 Spanish-English bilinguals. Participants were instructed to press a response button, using the right or left hand, when detecting 3 target sounds embedded in 6 background …

The Challenging Experiences Of The Graduate Mathematics Teaching Assistant, Zoe Cramer

Master's Theses

This study investigates the challenges that beginning graduate mathematics teaching assistants (MTAs) face and suggests possible solutions to aid in their transition to teaching. Interviews and surveys were conducted with both beginning and experienced MTAs to better understand their experiences.

Overactive Bladder: Shortcomings Of Current Diagnostic And Treatment Approaches And A New Etiological Paradigm, Nina L. Franzen

Master's Theses

Aims: To examine the effectiveness of the current diagnostic and treatment approach of overactive bladder (OAB) and the relative impact of cognition on what is currently a bladder-centric condition. Methods: A review of the literature on OAB from the population to organ/brain level was conducted. The impact of age-induced bladder dysfunction via cognitive changes to sensory integration and attention control are discussed. Results: OAB uses bladder-centric terminology to represent a collection of symptoms with inconsistent and often unknown pathology. Proposed etiologies and therapeutic models for overactive bladder focus on the bladder organ, but evidence suggests that age-related degradation to inhibitory …

Exploring Uncertainty In Real-Time Hybrid Substructuring, Connor H. Ligeikis

Master's Theses

Real-time hybrid substructuring (RTHS) is a cyber-physical vibration testing method that partitions a structural system into numerical and physical substructures. RTHS incorporates sensing, actuation, and computing technologies to couple these substructures in real time. RTHS can be used to realistically examine the performance of structural systems with rate-dependent structural components that may be difficult to accurately model. However, uncertainty can be found in many aspects of RTHS testing including noise in sensor measurements, actuator performance and tracking, non-linearities in the physical test specimen, and numerical modeling assumptions. In the numerical substructure, uncertainty in material properties, stiffness, damping, or geometry may …

“Stop! In The Name Of Civility”: Testing The Effectiveness Of An Intervention To Reduce Workplace Incivility, Corey Grantham

Master's Theses

Workplace incivility is a common problem within organizations. Recent data estimates that 96% of the total workforce population in the United States has experienced incivility at one time or another. Individual targets of incivility face detrimental effects to their psychological and professional well-being. Workplace incivility also leads to poor outcomes for workgroups and for organizations as a whole. Results are mixed for the use of formal training programs to curb incivility in organizations. A workshop designed to train employees on behaving in a civil manner in the workplace, as well as how to respond to workplace incivility, was implemented across …

Using Google Translate To Prepare Discharge Instructions: Spanish-Speaking Patients With Limited English Proficiency In The Emergency Department, Alexis Cordone

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project is to evaluate whether Google Translate can be used to accurately translate discharge instructions from English to Spanish, and whether native speakers prefer translations provided by a certified interpreter or Google Translate upon leaving the Emergency Department. In order to study this question, 211 patient charts with discharge instructions in English were translated by a certified human interpreter and by Google Translate; then, those translations were analyzed by two independent reviewers who counted the number of errors in each translation. The human translations contained substantially less errors than those provided by Google Translate, and the …

Risk Factors For Attrition From A Pediatric Weight Management Program, Richika Makol

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

La Marquise De Merteuil : Le Corps, Le Voile, L'Écriture, Clara Matet

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Malaria Related Issues In Western Uganda During A 9-Year Period Of Implementing Prevention Strategies, Natalie Moore

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

« Mind The Gap » : Les Pièges Cognitifs Dans Cinq Œuvres D’Eugène Ionesco, Olivia Merchen

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

How Slps Assess, Treat, And Make Discharge Decisions For People With Mild Aphasia: A Survey Of Current Practice In The U.S., Andrea Pascariello

Master's Theses

The goal of the present study is to provide a comprehensive overview of how speech-language pathologists (SLP) are currently assessing, treating, and discharging patients with mild aphasia. In addition, the present study aims to learn which factors may be limiting SLP involvement with this population and how, as a field, we can better serve these patients. A 26-question survey, consisting of both open-ended and closed ended questions, was developed and distributed via email and social media to selected groups of speech-language pathologists. A total of 133 speech-language pathologists responded to the survey. Reports of assessment, treatment, and discharge procedures were …

Implementing An Sbirt Interprofessional Simulation Curriculum: When More Is More, Iwona Pawlukiewicz

Master's Theses

Background. Regular screening for psychoactive substance misuse in primary care and other health care settings enables earlier identification and management of substance misuse; however, wide-scale implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services is lagging. The early exposure of health professional students to simulated interprofessional SBIRT education is one solution to address barriers in the uptake of service delivery methods in health care settings. Methods. The feasibility of a newly-developed SBIRT simulation curriculum was tested with 35 interprofessional Urban Service Track Scholars during two separate training events in April and November of 2018. Results. The evaluation …

The Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation On Quadriceps Muscle Function In Individuals With A History Of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Justin L. Rush

Master's Theses

Context: Altered quadriceps activation is common following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and can persist for years after surgery. These neural deficits are partially due to chronic central nervous system alterations. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive modality that is believed to immediately increase motor neuron activity by stimulating the primary motor cortex, making it a promising modality to use during ACLR rehabilitation. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if a single treatment of tDCS would result in increased quadriceps activity and decrease levels of self-reported pain and function during exercise. Design: Randomized crossover design. …

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Physical Literacy In Children, Emma Zuk

Master's Theses

Context: Physical literacy is a growing concept throughout the United States. In order to be physically active, children must develop physical literacy, which is the competency to control their body, and the confidence and motivation to be active. Socioeconomic status of children’s living communities may influence opportunities for physical activity and motor development, but this has not been examined in relation to physical literacy in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate physical literacy competency between a low-resourced community and a high-resourced community. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to compare children between high-resourced (HIGH) …