Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Different Forms Of Exercise And Adhd Symptomatology, Matthew A. Reynolds

Master's Theses

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with executive function deficits as well as negative life outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. Current treatments to reduce symptoms of ADHD include stimulant medications that act as catecholamine agonists. These medications often cause undesirable side effects, to which end better understanding the effects of non- pharmacological treatments on symptoms of ADHD is critical. Research conducted in children suggests that exercise may be an effective tool for symptom reduction. However, the relationship between exercise and ADHD symptoms remains unclear for adults. The aim of this study was to address this …

Quantification Of Red Blood Cell Deformability And Distribution In Venous Valve Mimics, Zyrina Alura Calderon Sanchez

Master's Theses

Red blood cells (RBCs) are vital to sustaining life as they are necessary for microvascular oxygenation and tissue perfusion, as well as inflammation and hemostasis. RBC deformability plays a key role in their distribution in blood vessels, and hence directly influences pathophysiology of sickle cell disease and deep vein thrombosis. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that RBC deformability will affect their distribution in venous valve pockets, the location of venous thrombosis. To test this hypothesis, we used confined microfluidic flows to quantify RBC deformability, and manipulated membrane cholesterol to alter RBC deformability. The effect of RBC deformability changes …

Humpback Whale, Megaptera Novaeangliae, Feeding Dynamics From The Perspective Of The Individual: Insights From Demography, Life History, And Bio-Logging, Jennifer Tackaberry

Master's Theses

Studies of fission-fusion societies provide a framework in which to compare the feeding dynamics across demographics, unrestrained by stable associations or relatedness. This study used bio-logger data and surface observations combined with long-term population data from the Gulf of Maine humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, population to investigate the influence of demographics on feeding methods, and time spent feeding, and to determine if a coordinated feeding method, kick-feeding, was a cooperative behavior. The results suggest that demographics did influence the feeding method used and highlighted the need to determine how energetic needs change across the feeding season. Adult females did not …

Examination Of Flow Patterns During Droplet Formation And In Venous Valve Mimic Using Μ-Piv, Vignesha Vijayananda

Master's Theses

In this work, particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used for fluid flow visualization in both continuous and segmented-flow microfluidics. Droplet microfluidics is known for its precise and consistent volume dispersion between microliters and picoliters in volume for application ranging from molecular synthesis, drug discover, and diagnostics. But the influence of junction geometry on the process of drop formation has not been investigated. In this study, µ-PIV was used to study the internal flow during the drop formation process in flow-focus microfluidic device with and without constriction. It was found that in case of flow-focus with constriction, the shear force on …

Analyzing The Scalability Of Parallel Microwire Arrays For Neural Recording, Yeena Ng

Master's Theses

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) improve the quality of life for patients with severe motor disabilities and sensory impairment by providing them a direct way to communicate with the outside world through computers. To gain higher temporal resolution for better devices, intracortical neural electrodes, such as microwire arrays, are used. Microwire electrode arrays bonded to CMOS sensors, for intracortical neural recordings, have been claimed to be scalable. Microwire electrode arrays of varying diameters and densities were constructed and evaluated for percentage connectivity after interfacing with a custom-made CMOS sensor. The results demonstrate that there is no significant difference in the mean connectivity …

The Relationship Between Trait Mindfulness And Servant Leadership, Harmeet Parmar

Master's Theses

In recent years, servant leadership has become a widely studied leadership style. Literature has focused on the outcomes of servant leadership, and only a few studies have looked at the antecedents of servant leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine trait mindfulness as an antecedent of eight dimensions of servant leader behaviors. It was hypothesized that trait mindfulness would have a positive relationship with the servant leader dimensions humility, authenticity, and standing back. In addition, a research question was posited to see if trait mindfulness would have a relationship with the other dimensions of servant leadership including empowerment, …

Perception Correction: Addressing Social Stigmatization Around Bdsm And Mental Health, Erin Afana

Master's Theses

Mainstream society’s characterization of activities and subgroups as abnormal can result in a long history of being shamed and pathologized, leading to discrimination and stigmatization. BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism) is an alternative lifestyle with a variety of identities, characteristics and practices that are viewed by many as being outside of societal norms. The consequences of this can be seen in how society, in general, views BDSM participants, how the criminal justice system responds to issues involving BDSM, and how the mental health system perceives those who participate in BDSM activities. The purpose of this thesis …

Evaluating Effect Of Folic Acid On Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast Cells With Impaired Dna Repair System, Suneeti Madhavan

Master's Theses

Mandatory folic acid (FA) fortification programs have been introduced in many countries since 1998 [1]. This fortification program, especially when combined with vitamin supplements taken for health purposes, can lead to higher-than-normal levels of synthetic FA in the body [2]. Recent research has linked high levels of synthetic FA (more than the daily requirement of 400μg/day) with increased incidences of cancer [2-7]. In comparison, low levels of FA have been shown to cause DNA damage due to impaired DNA repair processes [8,9]. This study hypothesizes that increased levels of FA give rise to DNA modification. Therefore, if cells harbor an …

The Effects Of Vine Age On Vine Performance, Fruit, And Wine Composition Of Zinfandel In The Templeton Gap Ava, California, Vegas L. Riffle

Master's Theses

A two-year study was conducted at a commercial vineyard in California’s Templeton Gap AVA to evaluate the effect of vine age on viticultural, enological, and sensory attributes of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Zinfandel grapes and wines. The experimental block was dry farmed, conventionally managed, with own-rooted Zinfandel vines that, when determined unproductive, were replaced with new vines of genetically identical scion plant material grafted onto St. George (Vitis rupestris Scheele) rootstock. Treatments included Young vines (5 to 12 years old), Control (representative proportion of young to old vines in the block), and Old vines (40 to 60 years old). …

Analysis Of Dietary Intake, Body Composition And Biomarkers In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Prediabetes And Without Diabetes, Sarah Thuytrinh Nguyen

Master's Theses

Our study provided an analysis and comparison of specific blood values, dietary intake, body composition, and inflammatory markers (high sensitivity-C-reactive protein (HS-CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) between adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and prediabetes (PDM) to adults without diabetes. A total of 22 participants (PDM/T2DM n=12, controls n=10) in the San Luis Obispo, CA area completed the study prior to our ending recruitment due to Covid-19. Body composition data were collected through DXA scans. Dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day food record survey and nutritional analysis conducted using ESHA food processing software. In addition, …

Analyzing Intramural Sport Participation At The State University Of New York College At Cortland 2021, Stephen D'Alessandro

Master's Theses

SUNY Cortland has historically had a robust and active Intramural Sports program. The program saw 2,380 students participate during the Spring 2016 semester, but that number has steadily declined in recent years. In the Fall 2019 semester, the participation rate had fallen to 1,482 participants. Research has been conducted on the topic, although it is not applicable to SUNY Cortland. Past research on intramural participation has focused on constraints to participation, finding a lack of time a primary constraint However, the research is 15 years old and conducted at universities with vastly different demographics than SUNY Cortland. The purpose of …

Do Conditional Cash Transfers Increase School Enrollment? Evidence From Brazil, Jeanette L. Silvernale

Master's Theses

Conditional cash transfer programs have been widely deployed across the globe. They seek to bolster human capital by providing benefits contingent upon a variety of actions such as school attendance and regular health checkups. Bolsa Familia is the most extensive conditional cash transfer program, serving 46 million Brazilian citizens. Despite its expansive size, there have been seldom large-scale micro evaluations of the program. Limited data has resulted in small sample sizes drawn from a single point in time. Our study diverges from the rest and utilizes a novel administrative dataset with an overall sample of nearly 60 million and a …

Cattle Producer Motivations And Willingness To Participate In Industry Animal Welfare Program Verification, Chase Decoite

Master's Theses

As consumers have become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, the cattle and beef industry is without exception. Many consumers are beginning to question traditional animal husbandry practices and on-farm animal welfare protocol. It is essential that the food system meets new demands and understands consumer views. In order to address these concerns, the industry has rallied around the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program to set the standard for cattle welfare and beef quality, with the explicit goal of improving consumer confidence. The goal of this research is to determine if cattle producers …

Graph Theoretical Modelling Of Electrical Distribution Grids, Iris Kohler

Master's Theses

This thesis deals with the applications of graph theory towards the electrical distribution networks that transmit electricity from the generators that produce it and the consumers that use it. Specifically, we establish the substation and bus network as graph theoretical models for this major piece of electrical infrastructure. We also generate substation and bus networks for a wide range of existing data from both synthetic and real grids and show several properties of these graphs, such as density, degeneracy, and planarity. We also motivate future research into the definition of a graph family containing bus and substation networks and the …

Upending The "Racial Death-Wish": Black Gay Liberation And The Culture Of Black Homophobia, Kailyn Pope

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the origin and impact of Black homophobia found in activist spaces of mid- to late-twentieth-century American society. Black gay Americans were subjected to intersecting forms of systemic and cultural oppression that were exceedingly hard to escape due to both the homophobia in Black spaces and the racism in gay spaces. Black gay activists and artists thus had to create their own avenues of expression where they and others could fully embrace what it meant to be Black and gay. This work utilizes a Black feminist framework to explore the roots of Black homophobia and how this type …

Insects As A Sustainable Food Ingredient – Utilization Of Carrot Pomace, Identification Of Early Adopters, And Evaluation Of Mealworm Acceptability, Dominic Rovai

Master's Theses

Insects have been proposed as a sustainable alternative to livestock to help feed the growing population. Edible insects such as mealworms require less land and resources and can utilize food by-products to grow. While insects are consumed by over 2 billion people worldwide, they are not widely accepted in developed countries like the United States because of their unfamiliarity and the perception of disgust associated with entomophagy. The objectives of this research are to 1) grow mealworms using carrot pomace and determine an optimum diet for growth and nutritional composition, 2) identify and classify early adopters of insects, and propose …

Design And Implementation Of A Modular Human-Robot Interaction Framework, Michael J. Juri

Master's Theses

With the increasing longevity that accompanies advances in medical technology comes a host of other age-related disabilities. Among these are neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke, which significantly reduce the motor and cognitive ability of affected individuals. As these diseases become more prevalent, there is a need for further research and innovation in the field of motor rehabilitation therapy to accommodate these individuals in a cost-effective manner. In recent years, the implementation of social agents has been proposed to alleviate the burden on in-home human caregivers. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is a new subfield of research …

Metal Dust Cloud Distribution Characterization Through Image Analysis, Shelby Lampshire

Master's Theses

With the increasing development of metal additive manufacturing technology, the present need for accurate explosivity testing of high density and exotic metal powders is under active research. The accuracy of such tests depends upon the uniformity of the dust dispersion within the testing chambers during ignition. There is a need for further research to understand the dust cloud dispersion process in order to determine the best time for ignition. This study explores a methodology of using high-speed footage and image analysis to characterize the uniformity of a dust cloud temporally that future applications may build upon.

This thesis consisted of …

Effects Of Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria And Fungi On Strawberry Plant Health, Fruit Yield, And Disease Susceptibility, Mary Maher

Master's Theses

Studies on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and fungi (PGPF) as biostimulants have shown significant positive effects on plant health, fruit yield, or pest management. However, very few published studies to date have been specific regarding their effects on strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa), particularly on soilborne disease prevalence in organically grown strawberries. Empirical data on the results of using these products in commercial growing applications under various conditions would be highly valuable, especially for organic growers who have limited synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers registered for use. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of …

Modeling Covid-19 Spread Using An Agent-Based Network, Stephen Yh Hung

Master's Theses

Beginning in 2019 and quickly spreading internationally, the Coronavirus disease Covid-19 became the first pandemic that many people have witnessed firsthand along with the severe disruption to their daily lives. A key field of research for Covid-19 that is studied by epidemiologists, biologists, and computer scientists alike is modeling the spread of Covid-19 in order to better predict future outbreaks of the pandemic and evaluate potential strategies to reduce infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This thesis proposes a method of modeling Covid-19 spread and interventions for local environments based on different levels of perspective. The goal for this thesis is to …

Analysis And Optimization Of A Colorimetric Nanosensor For Rapid Detection Of Escherichia Coli In Water, Sarah M. Stabler

Master's Theses

Safe drinking water is essential for life, yet at least two billion people around the world consume water contaminated with pathogens among other pollutants. Standard methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and membrane filtration have been developed to detect enteric pathogens in water. However, these methods are limited in their accessibility due to long wait times to obtain results, and the requirements of skilled expertise, electricity, and laboratory equipment. This research has focused on addressing some of these limitations by analyzing the mechanisms of work and optimizing an indirect colorimetric nanosensor developed in previous research. The colorimetric nanosensor investigated herein …

Migrant Management In The "Calais Jungle". Intentional State Disengagement Or Expression Of The French Model Limitations?, Sarah Bekrar

Master's Theses

This thesis aims to explore the disparities between the French state’s apparent participatory efforts in the human rights regime and the exclusionary practices against migrants within the territory. What has been labeled “the European refugee crisis”- here in France, has exacerbated states’ anti-migrant behaviors of hyper securitization, politics of refoulement, and practices of burden shifting. Under the Geneva Convention of 1951 relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, France, among 149 other signatories, has agreed to recognize and apply refugee rights as outlined by the Convention and to participate in the global effort to protect them. …

An Inclusive Design Approach To Integrating An External Human Machine Interface With Autonomous Vehicles, Sandra Roksic

Master's Theses

As autonomous vehicles become more prevalent in urban traffic settings, the safety of vulnerable road users, predominantly pedestrians, must be placed in high regard relative to the design of the autonomous vehicle's (AV's) external human machine interface (HMI). Traditionally, there exist communication methods between drivers and pedestrians, such as hand gestures, eye contact, and verbal cues that convey the driver's awareness of the pedestrian's presence. However, with autonomous vehicles, there is a shift in communicative responsibility from the driver to the vehicle itself. It is the vehicle's responsibility to intuitively and clearly indicate its actions to the pedestrian.

This research …

Will Oakland Burn Again: Understanding The Fire Hazard In An Urban Park System, Alessandra M. Zambrano

Master's Theses

Though almost thirty years have passed since the 1991 Tunnel Fire, the wildfire hazard is still present in the Oakland Hills. This study was conducted to determine if the vegetation in the Oakland Hills had reverted back to fuel conditions that contributed to the Tunnel Fire, examine how the fire hazard has changed since 1991, and evaluate planned wildfire mitigation. The goal was to determine how fuel conditions have changed since 1991 and compare potential fire behavior to that of the Tunnel Fire. Additionally, the study examined the effectiveness of the mitigation actions described in the East Bay Regional Park …

Applying Facial Emotion Recognition To Usability Evaluations To Reduce Analysis Time, Gavin Kam Chao

Master's Theses

Usability testing is an important part of product design that offers developers insight into a product’s ability to help users achieve their goals. Despite the usefulness of usability testing, human usability evaluations are costly and time-intensive processes. Developing methods to reduce the time and costs of usability evaluations is important for organizations to improve the usability of their products without expensive investments. One prospective solution to this is the application of facial emotion recognition to automate the collection of qualitative metrics normally identified by human usability evaluators.

In this paper, facial emotion recognition (FER) was applied to mock usability recordings …

The Ill-Treatment Of Their Countrywoman: Liberated African Women, Violence, And Power In Tortola, 1807–1834, Arianna Browne

Master's Theses

In 1807, Parliament passed an Act to abolish the slave trade, leading to the Royal Navy’s campaign of policing international waters and seizing ships suspected of illegal trading. As the Royal Navy captured slave ships as prizes of war and condemned enslaved Africans to Vice-Admiralty courts, formerly enslaved Africans became “captured negroes” or “liberated Africans,” making the subjects in the British colonies. This work, which takes a microhistorical approach to investigate the everyday experiences of liberated Africans in Tortola during the early nineteenth century, focuses on the violent conditions of liberated African women, demonstrating that abolition consisted of violent contradictions …

Comparison Of Hilbert Transform And Derivative Methods For Converting Ecg Data Into Cardioid Plots To Detect Heart Abnormalities, Robert George Goldie

Master's Theses

Electrocardiogram (ECG) time-domain signals contain important information about the heart. Several techniques have been proposed for creating a two-dimensional visualization of an ECG, called a Cardioid, that can be used to detect heart abnormalities with computer algorithms. The derivative method is the prevailing technique, which is popular for its low complexity, but it can introduce distortion into the Cardioid plot without additional signal processing. The Hilbert transform is an alternative method which has unity gain and phase shifts the ECG signal by 90 degrees to create the Cardioid plot. However, the Hilbert transform is seldom used and has historically been …

Understanding The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Within Educational Communities Using Longitudinal Analysis, Alexa Steidl

Master's Theses

At California State University, Los Angeles and California Polytechnic University, San Luis

Obispo, a longitudinal survey was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic for students within their respective engineering departments. A combination of nonparametric and longitudinal analysis is performed to evaluate the impacts of the transition to a virtual educational environment and the stressors brought on by the global pandemic. Additional qualitative evaluation is performed to gain insight and make program recommendations to enhance the resilience of individuals in the academic systems. Results demonstrate a large shift in circumstances immediately at the start of the pandemic, with a variety …

Design And Modeling Of A Distributed Network For The Dc House Project, Lauren N. Rotsios

Master's Theses

This thesis covers the design and simulation of a model for a distributed network of DC Houses in MATLAB Simulink. The model will allow for sharing of power between houses within the network. The developed model consists of five separate DC House branches with local power generation. Each branch consists of a PV MPPT charge controller subsystem, a resistive load, and a bidirectional buck-boost converter subsystem. The high voltage side of every bidirectional buck-boost converter is connected together through the transmission line at a single high voltage DC bus. The performance of the individual components of the model is verified …

Modeling And Solving The Outsourcing Risk Management Problem In Multi-Echelon Supply Chains, Arian A. Nahangi

Master's Theses

Worldwide globalization has made supply chains more vulnerable to risk factors, increasing the associated costs of outsourcing goods. Outsourcing is highly beneficial for any company that values building upon its core competencies, but the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have exposed significant vulnerabilities within supply chains. These disruptions forced a shift in the production of goods from outsourcing to domestic methods.

This paper considers a multi-echelon supply chain model with global and domestic raw material suppliers, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and markets. All levels within the supply chain network are evaluated from a holistic perspective, calculating a total …