Digital Commons Network^™

Fluorescent Carbon Nanoparticles For Sensitive And Selective Detection Of Palladium (Pd2+), Sichen Zhang

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Modeling Site Suitability Of Living Shoreline Design Options In Connecticut, Jason M. Zylberman

Master's Theses

Erosion is both a natural and anthropogenic phenomenon that threatens many properties along the coast. Installing hard structures has been the status quo method to protect waterfront property. However, structural barriers such as seawalls and groins have adverse environmental impacts on coastal processes and ecosystem services, such as food, recreation, and storm protection. Living shorelines are viable alternatives to shoreline armoring in low to moderate wave energy climates. Living shorelines are nature-based shoreline protection strategies which also enhance natural habitat and promote ecosystem services. In an attempt to improve coastal resilience in Connecticut, this study developed an automated geospatial model …

Use Of The Heat Stress Score To Predict Preparedness To Run In An Outdoor, Warm Weather Race, Rachel K. Katch

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Quantifying Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition To U.S. Waterways, Xuanwen Chen

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Stem Gender Achievement Gap: Investigating Factors Influencing Female Students’ Major Choices, Shiyu Song

Master's Theses

Taking the first step to unveil female’s underrepresentation in STEM, this study adopts a mixed method design to explores possible factors that influence female college students’ choices to stay in or leave STEM. Undergraduates at University of Connecticut (N=386) completed an online questionnaire and female students who had either left (N=5) or were staying in STEM fields (N=7) were further selected to participate in the interview.

Results from the quantitative analysis showed that female students’ level of stigma consciousness is a significant predictor of their choice to stay in or leave STEM. Specifically, females who are more vulnerable to gender …

Internalized Stigma Among Hiv-Positive Men On Antiretroviral Therapy In Urban India, Mitchell L. Irving

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Differential Gene Expression In Trap-Positive Cells During Mouse Embryonic Skeletal Development, Melissa Carr-Reynolds

Master's Theses

The skeleton is formed via intramembranous ossification and endochondral ossification. Endochondral ossification, which is the focus of this research, is the process by which the long bones of the skeleton undergo chondrogenesis followed by osteogenesis. The objective of this project is to define the genetic profiles of two types of clastic cells in endochondral ossification: osteoclasts and chondroclasts, which are responsible for breaking down bone and calcified cartilage, respectively. The goal of this project is to validate the hypothesis that these two very similar cells types, which arise from a common precursor, are distinguished by a pattern of differentially expressed …

Long-Term Feeding Ecology Of Early-Stage Striped Bass (Morone Saxatilis) And American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima) In The Hudson River Estuary, Michael G. Smircich

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Hyperproliferation And Parathyroid Neoplasia Due To Genetic Variants, La Shondra A. Ellis

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Design And Development Of Seco-B Ring Compounds As Effective Non-Classical Antifolates Against Gram-Negative And Gram-Positive Pathogens, Kyle Wickersham

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Modulating The Release Of Therapeutic Agents From Plga Coated Cancellous Allografts, Seth Malinowski

Master's Theses

Bone grafts are used in 2 million annual surgeries with that statistic expected to rise due to the increasing elderly population as well as sports related injuries. At a certain size bone fracture or defect, the body is unable to heal spontaneously, and a bone graft must be implanted into the defect site. Allografts are used as bone grafts due to their availability and elimination of donor site morbidity, however they show poor bioactivity and bone regeneration. This study utilizes a degradable poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) polymer coating applied to cancellous allografts, loaded with a variety of therapeutic agents aimed to improve …

Exploring Maternal Emotion Masking As A Contribution To Kindergartener's Emotion Regulation, Erin Donohue

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Native Parasitoids And Rearing Diet Efficacy For The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Halyomorpha Halys, Zachary R. Donais

Master's Theses

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys (Stål), (Hemiptera; Pentatomidae) is an insect native to Asia. It was first discovered in the United States in the mid-1990s near Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was found in Connecticut in 2008 and since then numbers have continuously grown to where the pest is becoming an agricultural problem. A study was done to detect what native parasitoids attack the BMSB. Two different parasitoids were detected along with numerous accounts of egg predation. A second study focused on the effect of rearing diets on BMSB development. Time to maturation and longevity were significantly affected by …

Mechanical Stimulation And Stiffness Characterization Device For Electrospun Cell Culture Scaffolds, Soliman A. Alhudaithy

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Vitamin D On Blood Pressure At Rest And In Response To A Peak Graded Exercise Test, Braden Armstrong

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of Mentally Ill Offenders, Kimberly Nicole Rayborn

Master's Theses

Since deinstitutionalization, the responsibility for mentally ill members of society has shifted to the criminal justice system in a process of trans-institutionalization or “criminalization of mental illness” (Slate & Johnson, 2008). Though various groups have been studied to ascertain their perception of mentally ill individuals and offenders, previous research focuses largely on students of psychology, social work, and medicine. Little research has been conducted regarding the perceptions of students of criminal justice toward mental illness, despite the increasing involvement of the criminal justice system in treating and handling mentally ill individuals in the past thirty years. This exploratory research serves …

The Effect Of Descriptive Norms On Resistance Exercise Self-Efficacy In College-Aged Females 2016, Justin Kompf

Master's Theses

Resistance training is a form of physical activity that provides substantial health benefits. Despite these widespread benefits, participation in resistance training is considerably low, particularly among females. To engage in a skill-related activity such as resistance training, individuals need to have confidence in their abilities. Self-efficacy is a cognitive construct that is used to describe situation-specific self-confidence. Descriptive norms are a type of social norm that describes the behavior of others. Descriptive norms have been useful in positively changing health related behaviors. The exact mechanism of how descriptive norms alter behavior is unknown. However, it has been show in research …

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms As A Mediator Of The Relation Between Social Perception And Social Skills And Adaptability In Preschoolers, Brandi Michelle Ellis

Master's Theses

ADHD symptoms have been linked empirically to both social perception deficits as well as impairments in social skills and adaptability. The current study built on existing literature by examining whether social perception abilities indirectly predicted social skills and adaptability through ADHD symptoms in preschool-aged children. The sample consisted of 3- to 6-year-old children attending Head Start Programs and private preschools (N = 76). It was expected that social perception abilities would positively relate to both social skills and adaptability. It was also expected that these relations would occur indirectly through ADHD symptoms. Specifically, social perception abilities would relate negatively …

The Scripture Of Helices, Jessica M. Ramer

Master's Theses

This thesis comprises poems written during my two years of study for the Master of Arts Degree in English with a creative writing emphasis. The majority of the poems are written in either a received or contemporary form, although a substantial minority are written in free verse. Many of the poems deal with extreme circumstances such as combat and imprisonment. Others address family stresses due to birth, death, remarriage, and clashes of values. Some poems have a religious emphasis while others are firmly rooted in the natural world. All, however, are explorations of human nature.

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The National Alliance Of Mental Illness's Ending The Silence Program, Sarah L. Taniyama

Master's Theses

The National Alliance of Mental Illness’s Ending the Silence (ETS) program focuses on the epidemic of mental illness stigma among school- aged youth. The program is targeted specifically at high school- age youth, and aims to educate, dispel myths about mental illness and instill a message of hope and recovery all while encouraging students to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. A trained presentation team containing two people, one of whom is a young adult who is living with mental illness or recovered from mental illness, delivers the program. Participants (n=142) completed assessments measuring their thoughts and attitudes towards …

Parenting Practices And Young Adults’ Emotional Distress: The Moderating Roles Of Family Structure And Race, Nathan Alexander Winner

Master's Theses

Authoritarian parenting practices are more common among African American families, and appear to include fewer disadvantages in regards to child outcomes compared to White/non-Hispanic families who use these same practices. Little is known about why these racial differences occur, although family structure may play a role. The present study sought to understand the role of family structure and race in moderating the effects of parenting practices on college student mental health outcomes. College students reported on the parenting practices of their caregivers, as well as their race, family structure, characteristics of their familial environment, and socioeconomic status. Levels of depression, …

Alluvial Sedimentation Associated With Logging In Low Gradient Watersheds In Desoto National Forest, Mississippi, Andrew W. Simmons

Master's Theses

Forestry and related businesses are an important factor of Mississippi’s economy, contributing between $11 and $14 billion annually (Mississippi Forestry Commission, 2006). The timber industry is not only important in Mississippi but is an important sector of the economy throughout the Gulf Coast region. While providing positive economic benefits to the region, the forestry industry can also negatively affect soil properties, hillslope stability, and increase sedimentation rates in local streams and rivers. The aim of this research is to determine if forestry removal causes an increase of soil erosion and how it affects floodplain sedimentation in the low gradient watershed …

Social Interactions Among Two Males In A Captive Group Of Rough-Toothed Dolphins (Steno Bredanesis), Pepper Reid Hanna

Master's Theses

There is relatively little known about the social behavior of rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) particularly in comparison to information on the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, (Tursiops truncates). The purpose of the current study is to describe the social behavior of two juvenile male rough-toothed dolphins housed at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, FL. Rates of affiliative social behaviors were greater between the two males within this group compared to the other pairs of dolphins. The males exhibited a high rate of association, calculated using the half-weight index. Following aggressive behavior within the overall group, the …

Age, Growth, Reproduction, And Diet Of The Finetooth Shark, Carcharhinus Isodon, In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Jeremy Michael Higgs

Master's Theses

The current study examined life history parameters of the finetooth shark, Carcharhinus isodon, in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) to provide an accurate description of the species’ reproductive biology, age, growth and diet composition. A total of 1,489 finetooth sharks (830 female; 659 male) were collected from coastal waters of the nGOM between Apalachicola Bay, Florida (29.873° N and 84.514° W) and East Bay, Louisiana (28.959° N and 89.279° W) from June 2006 through October 2013. Peak reproductive development occurred during May/June for both males and females, which was followed by mating and an 11-12 month gestation period. …

Fishery And Population Dynamics Of Mississippi’S Spotted Seatrout, David Arthur Dippold

Master's Theses

Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) is the most popular recreational inshore fishery in Mississippi coastal waters. Because of the popularity of Spotted Seatrout in Mississippi as a recreational target and the magnitude of harvest, quantitative approaches to describe the population and fishery dynamics of the Mississippi stock are needed to continue the sustainability of the stock. Quantitative approaches to describing stock dynamics are useful because they can help describe population characteristics, assess the current status of the stock, and be used to evaluate alternative management strategies. In this thesis, I use a suite of quantitative methods to describe, evaluate, …

Predicting Dna Methylation State Of Cpg Dinucleotide Using Genome Topological Features And Deep Networks, Yiheng Wang

Master's Theses

The hypo- or hyper-methylation of the human genome is one of the epigenetic features of leukemia. However, experimental approaches have only determined the methylation state of a small portion of the human genome. We developed deep learning based (stacked denoising autoencoders, or SdA) software named “DeepMethyl” to predict the methylation state of DNA CpG dinucleotides using features inferred from three-dimensional genome topology (based on Hi-C) and DNA sequence patterns. We used the experimental data from immortalised myelogenous leukemia (K562) and healthy lymphoblastoid (GM12878) cell lines to train the learning models and assess prediction performance. We have tested various SdA architectures …

A Study Of Osteocyte Apoptosis In Mechanically Loaded And Unloaded Murine Tibiae, Josiah Elihu Kessler

Master's Theses

Previous research has provided evidence in support of apoptotic osteocytes playing a role in the bone remodeling process. In this study, we examined the regional and quadrantal variations of apoptotic and viable osteocytes in cyclically loaded and unloaded samples. Left tibias of C57 Black 6 Taconic mice (C57Bl/6) were cyclically loaded for either 2 weeks or 5 weeks, with the right tibias being used as controls. After loading, tibias were resected, processed, and then stained using either a TUNEL stain, to show apoptotic osteocytes, or a 2.0% methyl green solution, to reveal viable cells. Cross-sectional images from each tibia were …

Preschool Predictors Of School-Age Academic Achievement In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lauren Miller

Master's Theses

Objective: Characterization of academic functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly predictors of achievement, may have important implications for intervention. The current study aimed to characterize achievement profiles, confirm associations between academic ability and concurrent intellectual and social skills, and explore preschool predictors of school-age academic achievement in a sample of children with ASD.

Method: Children with ASD (N = 26) were evaluated at the approximate ages of two, four, and ten years. Multiple regression was used to predict school-age academic achievement in reading and mathematics from both concurrent (i.e., school-age) and preschool variables.

Results: Children with …

Investigating Simple Shear Mechanics Of Bovine Cartilage Using A Triaxial Shear Test Machine, Stephany Santos

Master's Theses

Objective: Articular cartilage is a non-homogeneous tissue with complex structure-function relationships. Damage to articular cartilage leads to traditionally irreparable conditions such as osteoarthritis, a disease that is both painful and debilitating to a large human population. The objective in this thesis is to perform triaxial mechanical tests on articular cartilage that are quasi-static and large-shear strains, in order to understand tissue mechanical behavior. Methods: Cartilage explants were taken from three healthy adult bovine femurs. Specimens were categorized by joint contact and contact stress regions with respect to the femoral condyle. Specimens were subject to applied shear parallel and perpendicular …

Predicting Changes To Source Code, Justin James Roll

Master's Theses

Organizations typically use issue tracking systems (ITS) such as Jira to plan software releases and assign requirements to developers. Organizations typically also use source control management (SCM) repositories such as Git to track historical changes to a code-base. These ITS and SCM repositories contain valuable data that remains largely untapped. As developers churn through an organization, it becomes expensive for developers to spend time determining which software artifact must be modified to implement a requirement. In this work we created, developed, tested and evaluated a tool called Class Change Predictor, otherwise known as CCP, for predicting which class will implement …