Digital Commons Network^™

Effect Of Nicotine Exposure On Fatigue Mechanics Of Murine Arteries, Elizabeth Ho

Master's Theses

Nicotine is an addictive substance found in electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and cigarettes, and the use of such products has growing concern because of the prevalent use by young adults. Nicotine exposure degrades arterial tissue and results in increased arterial stiffness, which is linked to cardiovascular events, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. The hypothesis of this research is that fatigue loading reveals changes to the mechanical behavior of nicotine-treated arteries that is more informatively discriminating than stiffness alone. Ten murine arteries, five untreated and five nicotine-treated, were subjected to cyclic fatigue loading in an open-circumferential configuration by a custom tensometer …

Determination Of Demagnetizing Factors In Nanomagnets By First-Order Reversal Curves And Ferromagnetic Resonance, Karl Scott Muster

Master's Theses

Magnetic reversal in nickel nanowire arrays due to an axial, external magnetic field was studied through first-order reversal curve (FORC) measurement. A general function modeling the observed Preisach distribution was developed using the moving Preisach model. Fitting allowed determination of the sample's demagnetizing field at saturation and modeling magnetic reversal with respect to the internal magnetic field. Magnetization dynamics in the sample were studied through ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurement to aid in interpreting FORC fit results. Combining FORC and FMR results yielded the saturation magnetization and effective demagnetizing factors of the sample. Similar analysis was performed for a thin film …

Extended Producer Responsibility And The Environmental Policy Implementation Process In California: A Case Study Of Paintcare, Justin Ian Weiss

Master's Theses

Due to increasing volumes of certain types of waste and the cost of municipal waste management, California and local jurisdictions are pursuing legislation to engage manufacturers in the collection and disposal of the products they manufacture. These legislative frameworks take many forms, but many employ the “producer pays” principle commonly referred to as “extended producer responsibility” (EPR). These policies, which are more common in the European Union, are often contentious and difficult for U.S. governments to pursue, as targeted and influential industries resist policy implementation. The objective of this thesis was to better understand the reasons for the successful implementation …

A Comparative Study Of The Influence Of Level Of Automation And Reliability Of Ids Systems On Cyber Situation Awareness, Ian Anderson Cooke

Master's Theses

Computer network defense (CND) protects organizations and individuals against cyber threats by monitoring, identifying, analyzing, and defending network infrastructure from infiltration. Network defenders must maintain high levels of cyber situation awareness (CSA) in order to correctly identify and act on threats to the network. Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are automated systems designed to assist network defenders in building CSA by sifting through network traffic and flagging potential threats. These systems are plagued by high false alarm rates that inhibit the ability of network defenders to build CSA. More capable IDSs have been developed that are capable of increasing the hit …

Bilingual Development: Language Input At Home In Sequential Spanish-English Children, Vanessa Noemy Bermudez

Master's Theses

The literature on language input provided to sequential Spanish-English bilingual children has largely been focused on children attending Head Start. The role of siblings in children’s language outcomes has only been investigated in simultaneous bilinguals. The current longitudinal study extended research on language input by investigating early developmental changes in language input and the role of siblings in the language outcomes of 112 sequential Spanish-English bilingual children. Relative exposure was assessed via a parent interview when children were 18 and 56 months of age. Standardized measures of receptive vocabulary and expressive language in Spanish and English were administered at 56 …

Reforming Beauty: The Casa Delle Zitelle And Female Asylums In Early Modern Venice, Kelly Renee Cricchio

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the Casa delle Zitelle (the House of Unmarried Girls), a female asylum created to care for poor, beautiful young girls who were at risk of becoming prostitutes in early modern Venice. The institution was founded, as well as funded and administered, by a group of pious patrician women in 1559. The Casa delle Zitelle was not only sponsored by and for women, but also the predominant patrons of the institution were Venetian women. The institution’s commitment to transform the zitelle (unmarried girls) into the sixteenth century ideal of womanhood was best articulated in the design of the …

Effect Of Neighborhood Approximation On Downstream Analytics, Saranya Soundar Rajan

Master's Theses

Nearest neighbor search algorithms have been successful in finding practically useful solutions to computationally difficult problems. In the nearest neighbor search problem, the brute force approach is often more efficient than other algorithms for high-dimensional spaces. A special case exists for objects represented as sparse vectors, where algorithms take advantage of the fact that an object has a zero value for most features. In general, since exact nearest neighbor search methods suffer from the “curse of dimensionality,” many practitioners use approximate nearest neighbor search algorithms when faced with high dimensionality or large datasets. To a reasonable degree, it is known …

Development Of A Computational Elbow Joint Model To Analyze The Effects Of Synovial Fluid On Articular Cartilage During Joint Motion, Abhishek Yellapragada

Master's Theses

While significant advances have been made in the development of computational elbow joint models, fluid-structure interaction (FSI) in the elbow joint has not yet been explored. The objective of this study is to develop a computational elbow joint model to simulate the effects of synovial fluid on articular cartilage during flexion, extension, pronation, and supination. The model was developed with anatomically accurate 3D bone geometries; articular cartilage geometries that were derived from the 3D bone geometries; ligaments defined as linear springs; muscles embedded as joint non-linear stiffness; and a fluid domain that encompassed the joint articulations with a homogenous, incompressible, …

Numerical Simulations Of Atmospheric Rivers And The Rain Shadow Over The Santa Clara Valley, Jesse Dalton Behringer

Master's Theses

This study investigated precipitation distribution patterns in association with atmospheric rivers (ARs). The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was employed to simulate two strong atmospheric river events. The precipitation forecasts were highly sensitive to cloud microphysics parameterization schemes. Thus, radar observed and simulated Z_H and Z_DR were evaluated to provide information about the drop-size distribution (DSD). Four microphysics schemes (WSM-5, WSM-6, Thompson, and WDM-6) with nested simulations (3 km, 1 km, and 1/3 km) were conducted. One of the events mostly contained bright-band (BB) rainfall and lasted less than 24 h, while the other contained both BB and non-bright-band …

The Role Of Metacognition In Visual Art Education, Renae P. Mccollum

Master's Theses

Metacognition is a conscious activity that occurs in the brain when an individual monitors or controls his or her thinking. Research in multiple fields has found that metacognition plays a significant role in a person’s learning. It is currently a popular trend in general education to teach students metacognitive strategies, and research has shown that it is a practical tool to boost student success. Moreover, metacognition is most effective when it is taught explicitly and regularly practiced by the students. There is a need for more research into the effectiveness of explicitly teaching metacognition in middle and high school visual …

A Phonetic Distance Approach To Intelligibility Between Mam Regional Dialects, Megan Simon

Master's Theses

Mam, an indigenous Mayan language spoken primarily in Guatemala, has considerable internal diversity among its regional dialects. The purpose of this thesis is to estimate their varying degrees of intelligibility and to present groups of dialects whose speakers can be reasonably expected to understand one another. The analysis consists of two parts, the computation of a phonetic distance network and a series of sociocultural interviews. Phonetic distance was measured by Levenshtein distance between cognates in word lists and analyzed with a Neighbor-Net network. Interviews with Mam speakers focused on subjective judgments of intelligibility, contact, and social attitudes. Four main dialect …

Stem Cell Based Delivery System In A Non-Regenerative Nail Injury Model, Aundrya Montgomery

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Improving Paper-Based Microfluidic Mixing With The Incorporation Of Flow Disrupting Structures, Hannah C. Green

Master's Theses

Paper-based microfluidic devices provide a light-weight, cost effective platform for diagnostic and analytical testing. The goal of this project is to enhance paper-based microfluidic mixing by incorporating fluid flow disrupting structures (referred to here as rib bones) into the microdevice design to expand the analytical capabilities of paperbased microfluidic devices. The devices are fabricated on Whatman CHR-1 chromatography paper. The devices are designed in SolidWorks and printed using a solid ink printer (ColorQube 8580). The wax is penetrated into the paper to create hydrophobic barrier regions by heating in a convection oven until the wax is fully penetrated. The parameters …

Optimal Direct Yaw Moment Control Of A 4wd Electric Vehicle, Winston James Wight

Master's Theses

This thesis is concerned with electronic stability of an all-wheel drive electric vehicle with independent motors mounted in each wheel. The additional controllability and speed permitted using independent motors can be exploited to improve the handling and stability of electric vehicles. In this thesis, these improvements arise from employing a direct yaw moment control (DYC) system that seeks to adapt the understeer gradient of the vehicle and achieve neutral steer by employing a supervisory controller and simultaneously tracking an ideal yaw rate and ideal sideslip angle. DYC enhances vehicle stability by generating a corrective yaw moment realized by a torque …

In-Plane Cyclic Shear Performance Of Pipe Stem Reinforced Cob Wall, Dezire Q'Anna Perez-Barbante

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates full-scale pipe stem reinforced cob walls under in-plane cyclic shear loads. Cob is the combination of clay subsoils, sand, straw and water that is built in lifts to produce monolithic walls. There is insufficient amount of information on cob as a building material in today’s age. The prior research that exists has examined varying straw content and type, water content, and mixture ratios to determine their effect on strength. There is currently one report that analyzes full-scale cob walls under in-plane loading. This thesis looks to iterate the full-scale tests and specifically studies the effect of reinforcement …

Modeling And Testing Powerplant Subsystems Of A Solar Uas, Luke J. Bughman

Master's Theses

In order to accurately conduct the preliminary and detailed design of solar powered Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the systems involved. In particular, it is desirable to have mathematical models and analysis tools describing the energy income and expenditure of the vehicle. Solar energy income models may include available solar irradiance, photovoltaic array power output, and maximum power point tracker efficiency. Energy expenditure models include battery charging and discharging characteristics, propulsion system efficiency, and aerodynamic efficiency. In this thesis, a series of mathematical models were developed that characterize the performance of these …

The Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory (Tasi): Use In Diagnostic Evaluations Of Toddlers, Kirsty Coulter

Master's Theses

Although symptoms of autism are present early in life and early diagnosis can lead to better outcomes, there is a lack of validated parent interviews for children under the age of three. We developed the Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory (TASI), an interview form designed to assess the presence and absence of skills and symptoms in children aged 12-36 months. Reliability of symptoms and diagnosis, and validity of algorithms designed in accordance with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th Edition (DSM-5) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic criteria were established. Reliability and validity of four …

A Feasible And Tailored Nutrition Education Intervention For Middle-Schoolers: Coordination With School Nutrition Program And Preliminary Outcomes., Heidi Karner

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Cubesat Astronomy Mission Modeling Using The Horizon Simulation Framework, Alexander W. Johnson

Master's Theses

The CubeSat Astronomy Network is a proposed system of multiple CubeSat spacecraft capable of performing follow-up observations of astronomical targets of interest. The system is intended to serve as a space-borne platform that can complement existing systems utilized for astronomical research by undergraduate and high school students. Much research and development work has been performed to develop model-based system engineering methodologies and products for CubeSat missions, including the Horizon Simulation Framework. The Horizon Simulation Framework enables the development of system models using the Extended Markup Language (XML), and its simulation program can generate system simulations over model-specified timespans. System requirements …

Millimeter Wave Radar Object Detection Through Frequency Selective Surfaces, Jacob D. Trevithick

Master's Theses

Millimeter wave (mmWave) radar systems are a leading technology in autonomous vehicle object sensing. The radar’s ability to detect surrounding objects is critical to its performance. One method of increasing object detection performance is to enhance object visibility. Frequency selective reflectors can increase object visibility. This work examines the performance of a mmWave 77 GHz radar system developed by Texas Instruments in conjunction with frequency selective surfaces. Two bandpass frequency selective surfaces are designed and fabricated using a loaded cross aperture configuration to analyze their application to object detection. The chosen design frequencies are 8 GHz and 79 GHz. The …

A Comparison Of Crushing Parameters Of Graphite Composite Thin-Walled Cylinders Cured In Low And High Pressures, Trenton John Matson

Master's Theses

Out-of-Autoclave (OoA) processes for manufacturing aerospace-grade parts needs to be better understood to further the development and success of industries that are manufacturing reusable launch vehicles, military and commercial aircraft, and spacecraft. Overcoming the performance limitations associated with OoA, also known as low-pressure prepreg curing, methods (void count, energy absorption, etc.) will help decrease the costs associated with aerospace composite manufacturing and the negative environmental effects correlated with high-pressure composite curing methods. Experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches are used to explore both low and high-pressure curing cycles and how the two different processes affect final cured parts. Quasi-static uniaxial compression …

The Effects Of Cluster Thinning On Vine Performance, Fruit, And Wine Composition Of Pinot Noir (Clone 115) In The Edna Valley Of California, Paul F W Mawdsley

Master's Theses

A three-year study was conducted at a commercial vineyard site in California’s Edna Valley AVA to evaluate the physiological and agronomical effects of the timing of cluster thinning on Pinot noir (clone 115) grapevines. Vines were thinned to one cluster per shoot at three selected time-points during the growing season (bloom, bloom + 4 weeks, bloom + 8 weeks), and fruit from each treatment was harvested and made into wine. Across all growing seasons, yield decreased 43% in thinned vines relative to un-thinned control vines. No effect of cluster thinning or interaction with growing season was found in vine shoot …

Predictors Of Ransomware From Binary Analysis, Aaron M. Otis

Master's Theses

Ransomware, a type of malware that extorts payment from a victim by encrypting her data, is a growing threat that is becoming more sophisticated with each generation. Attackers have shifted from targeting individuals to entire organizations, raising extortions from hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this work, we analyze a variety of ransomware and benign software binaries in order to identify indicators that may be used to detect ransomware. We find that several combinations of strings, cryptographic constants, and a large number loops are key indicators useful for detecting ransomware.

Community Attitudes Toward Complementary, Alternative And Integrative Medicine In North Hartford, Connecticut, Andria Matthews

Master's Theses

Background: This study explores the attitudes of residents of North Hartford, CT toward Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine. Methods: Twenty-five semi-structured, 10-15 minute in-person interviews were conducted at five sites over a two-week period in March 2019. Results: Few respondents were familiar with the term “Integrative Medicine.” Familiarity with modalities such as massage was higher (92%). Massage therapy was most often tried in the past (56%). Meditation and relaxation and yoga were the most frequently requested offerings. Cost, transportation, time of day and day of week, all emerged as potential barriers to participation. Pain-related complaints were prevalent amongst respondents. Conclusions: …

The Effects Of Creative And Cognitive Exercises On Body Balance, Gina Digiacomo

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Appraisal And Coping Profiles In Response To Workplace Incivility Experiences, Courtney Pfeifer

Master's Theses

At least seventy percent of employees report experiencing an incivility incident in recent years (Cortina, 2008), and incivility has been linked to negative outcomes, such as stress and turnover (Beattie & Griffin, 2014). The current study applies Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional model of stress to examine predictors of incivility targets’ patterns of appraisal and coping. In particular, I propose that the frequency with which incivility occurs, resilience, and work contexts, such as organizational justice and civility norms, can influence the target’s appraisals and coping. Additionally, incivility research has utilized different time frames to examine incivility and predictors (Cortina, Kabat-Farr, …

3d Printed Robotic Arm As A Developmental Platform For Education, Samuel Soifer

Master's Theses

Modern engineering courses provide students with exposure to the theory and derivations of problems. Rarely do these courses require students to apply their theoretical knowledge to problems that an engineer would face in industry, thus leaving a gap in a student’s education. In order for future engineers to effectively prepare to apply their engineering education to problems in industry, it is vital that engineering students take courses in which they can learn how to integrate different engineering topics and apply theoretical knowledge to industry problems.

The objective of this thesis is to develop an educational platform that both integrates and …

Tidally Resolved Carbon And Nutrient Exchange Through Eastern Long Island Sound, Allison L. Byrd

Master's Theses

Long Island Sound (LIS) is an urbanized estuary that undergoes seasonal hypoxia in its western and central regions. Approximately 90% of the water exchange between LIS and the adjacent continental shelf, the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB), occurs at the eastern LIS (ELIS) boundary. The contribution (import/export) of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) from ELIS to the MAB has not been well constrained, though it is important for the management of LIS and coastal biogeochemical budgets. As a tidal estuary, sampling efforts are subject to a degree of natural variation that is currently not well quantified. To assess the …

Heat Activation Of Bacillus Anthracis Persists Over A Seven Day Period, Nathan T. Ross

Master's Theses

Bacteria of the Bacillus genera are capable of forming dormant and resilient cells called spores in response to starvation. Spores can break dormancy in the presence of nutrients in a process called germination. Historically, spores are exposed to sublethal heat treatments to increase the extent and rate of germination. This process is known as heat activation (HA). Previous studies on Bacillus species indicate the effects of HA are reversible after 72 hours. After this time period, the spores must be reactivated. However, spores of Bacillus anthracis, a member of the Bacillus family, have not been tested to see how long …

The Effect Of Lateral Deviation On Triple Jump Performance, Kourtney Symone Jones

Master's Theses

Field events in track and field consist of throws (e.g., hammer, shot put, discus, javelin), vertical jumps (e.g., pole vault, high jump), and horizontal jumps (e.g., long jump, triple jump). Of the two horizontal jumps, triple jump is the most complex consisting of three phases: hop, step, and jump. Research has been conducted to examine limb motion and phasing distribution during triple jump performance; however, the effect of lateral deviation on triple jump performance in unknown. Purpose: The purpose of this study is 1) to determine the effect of lateral deviation on total triple jump performance within high school triple …