Digital Commons Network^™

Women In Wartime Shipyards: Operating A Drill Press Was Like Using An Egg Beater, Carol A. Strohmetz

Master's Theses

This research examines the duality of the roles of American women during World War II. The research draws upon oral histories, newspaper accounts and advertisements, music and films of the time, letters and family scrapbooks, and primary and secondary sources. Most prior research focuses on either women in the workforce or women in the home. This research synthesizes all aspects of the lives of women as they navigated the hostile terrain of the male workforce and continued to perform the duties assigned to them by society. This research highlights the multiple roles that women successfully executed as they cared for …

Towards Efficient Computation In Real-Time Systems, Hamza Omar

Master's Theses

Graph algorithms have gained popularity and are utilized in high performance and mobile computing paradigms. Input dependence due to input graph changes leads to performance variations in such algorithms. The impact of input dependence for graph algorithms is not well studied in the context of approximate computing. This thesis conducts such analysis by applying loop perforation, which is a general approximation mechanism that transforms the program loops to drop a subset of their total iterations. The analysis identifies the need to adapt the inner and outer loop perforation as a function of input graph characteristics, such as the density or …

Selection Criteria And Referral Patterns Of Clinicians Utilizing Cbct At Uconn Health Center, Jenna Fewins

Master's Theses

The most recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/American Dental Association (ADA) guidelines on dental radiograph examinations were released in 2012.¹ Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a three dimensional radiographic exam first introduced in the in the early 2000s.⁷ In the 2012 guidelines, CBCT was excluded from the criteria; the guidelines were meant only for “standard dental imaging techniques of intraoral and common extraoral examinations, excluding cone-beam computed tomography.”¹

CBCT is in the armamentarium of radiographs utilized in general dentistry and can be ordered by a dentist, a dental specialist, or dental student. There is a large …

Enhancing Phylogenetic Resolution With Taxonomic And Geographic Characterization Of The Chilean Species Of The Cicada Genus Tettigades, Katherine Nazario

Master's Theses

The Patagonian cicada genus Tettigades, although abundant and diverse, was poorly documented until Torres (1958) reviewed the species of the genus, describing 17 new species and redescribing others. His review provided useful insights on variation and distribution of species in the genus. However, despite Torres’ efforts, some species descriptions remained vague and many lacked descriptions of morphological variation within or among populations.

The goal of this thesis is to compile, evaluate, and integrate previous work with new data to serve as a reference for future studies of this genus. Morphological, geographical, and molecular data are combined in order to treat …

Early Empirical Evidence For The Effects Of Adaptive Ramp Metering On Measures Of Travel Time Reliability, Travis Charles Low

Master's Theses

Adaptive ramp metering (ARM) is a critical component of smart freeway corridors under an active traffic management portfolio. While improving capacity through smart corridors and application of proactive traffic management solutions is less costly and easier to deploy than freeway widening, conversion to smart corridors still represents a sizable investment for a state department of transportation. Early evidence of improvements following these projects can be valuable to agencies. However, in the U.S. there have been limited evaluations, of smart corridors in general and ARM in particular, based on real operational data. This thesis explores travel time reliability measures for the …

Exploring The Relationship Of Urban Form And Mental Health In The 500 Largest Cities Of The United States, Daniel Sam Harrison

Master's Theses

Sustainable development efforts frequently focus on understanding and promoting the factors that influence health and wellbeing. Urban environments have received attention in recent years as spaces which can increase psychological distress. Despite hypothesized reports of urban environments being less conducive to good mental health then natural environments, few studies have investigated the effects of urban form characteristics (size, density, nuisances, transportation, and housing characteristics) and mental health measures at the city level. Using 2014 data from the 500 largest cities in the United States, this thesis evaluates the relationship between urban form and aggregate self-report scores of poor mental health. …

Physicians’ Opinions On Connecticut’S Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, Carolyn Kwiat

Master's Theses

Background: The increase in prescription opiate misuse has become one of the largest public health crises facing the United States. Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) are large online databases that states use to monitor prescribing and filling of controlled drugs by physicians and pharmacies to identify patients who are misusing prescription drugs and to reduce the prevalence of opioids misuse. However, the literature is not conclusive as to whether or not PDMPs are effective in decreasing opioid misuse, and the rates of PDMP usage among physicians remains low, even in states where usage is mandatory.

Objectives: To investigate physicians' attitudes …

3-D Coverage Path Planning For Underwater Terrain Mapping, Zongyuan Shen

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an autonomous approach of 3-D coverage of underwater terrain using multi-level coverage trees. An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) equipped with multi-beam sonar sensors, Doppler velocity log (DVL) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors is used to achieve this goal. The underwater 3-D search space is represented by a multi-level coverage tree which is generated online based on the obstacle information collected by the AUV. The nodes of the tree correspond to safe sub-areas for AUV navigation which are identified based on obstacle density in neighborhood of free cells. Standard tree traversal strategies like depth-first-search (DFS) and breath-first-search …

Individual Differences In Sensitivity To Homophony In Visual Word Recognition, Henry George Wolf Vii

Master's Theses

Most research involving division of labor and visual word recognition has focused on the typical reader. More recently, there has been a shift toward research involving individual differences in division of labor between readers. While the imageability effect has been established as a measure of individual differences in use of the semantic pathway, a measure of the phonological pathway has yet to be established. The current study investigated the homophone effect in a semantic categorization task as one such possible measure. Data was also collected regarding imageability, wordlikeness, and pseudohomophony in a lexical decision task. Additionally, participants completed a battery …

Force-System Generated By Rigid Archwires With V-Bends: A 3-D Analysis Of Varying Activations, Meenakshi Vishwanath

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Rank Aggregation Of Feature Scoring Methods For Unsupervised Learning, Tara N. Yankee

Master's Theses

The ability to collect and store large amounts of data is transforming data-driven discovery; recent technological advances in biology allow systematic data production and storage at a previously unattainable scale. It is common for biological Big Data to have an order of magnitude or more features than samples. Feature scoring with selection is therefore an essential pre-processing step to finding meaningful clusters in these data. Many feature scoring algorithms have been proposed; they are based on dramatically different ideas about what constitutes a “good” or “important” feature. Motivated by studies in data classification, we use a rank aggregation (RANKAGG) method …

Privacy Leakage Via Write-Access Patterns To The Main Memory, Tara M. John

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A 12-Week Exercise Intervention On Joint Kinetics During Curb Negotiation In Cancer Survivors, Anastacia Fraijo

Master's Theses

Cancer is very prevalent in the United States and many people who live with cancer are older adults. Cancer and cancer treatments can be very difficult on the body causing many symptoms that can increase the survivor’s risk of falling. Risk of falling can be even greater when people are required to negotiate obstacles such as curbs or stairs. Research has shown that exercise can reduce symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments and potentially decrease risk of falling. Fourteen cancer survivors, recruited from University of Northern Colorado Cancer Rehabilitation Institute, completed a pre assessment session followed by a gait assessment …

Evidence Of Multidecadal Recruitment In The Ocean Quahog, Arctica Islandica In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Sara M. Pace

Master's Theses

Ocean quahogs (Arctica islandica) are the longest-lived, non-colonial animals known today, with a maximum life span exceeding 500 years. Limited information is available regarding recruitment, making the sustainable management of this valuable fishery a challenge. The objective of this research was to describe the age structure and growth rates for four populations of ocean quahogs from the mid-Atlantic stock to evaluate long-term recruitment trends. Clams were sectioned for age estimation to develop population age frequencies. Initial colonization began approximately 175-250 years ago depending upon site. All sites experienced an increase in recruitment beginning in the late 1800’s to …

Black And Blue: Competing Social Constructions Of Police On Instagram And Twitter, Mary Frances Thornhill

Master's Theses

Mass media outlets newspapers and television were traditionally where individuals gathered their news information; however, with the growth of new media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, individuals are now co-producers of the content that is seen by the public. Previous research indicated that media-generated images of the police influence public perception and that new media outlets are becoming increasingly influential, particularly in regards to social and political conflicts. This means that research on the role of new media outlets in socially constructing reality is essential, though not much of this research has yet been completed. This current analysis fills …

Potential Of Ozone And Hydroxyl Radicals To Degrade Emerging Organic Contaminants, Lisa Elaine Vance

Master's Theses

Advanced water treatment processes are necessary for the treatment of emerging organic contaminants. Traditional treatment processes do not filter or treat these contaminants causing humans and animals to come into contact and ingest them, both causing illness. Advanced oxidation processes are a good alternative method, but are cost and time intensive.

Previous research on ozone and hydroxyl radicals leads to the conclusion that they might be a vial option for advanced water treatment processes. To test the effects of ozone and hydroxyl radicals on the destruction of algae, ozonated phosphate buffer was mixed with Anabaena and modified BG11 culture media …

How Did We Get Here? An Inquiry Into Pop Culture, Pop Culture Icons, And America's Support Of The Degradation Of Humanity Through Mass Media Consumption, Thomas Steele

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the contemporary human condition associated with the consumption of current entertainment media. Sampling on modes of thought from anthropological, biological, psychological, sociological, and biographical points of view I sought to define what it means to be uniquely human. Furthermore, I sought to compare and contrast contemporary human interactions as described through research studies associated with tabloid news sources, and the entertainment industry. The results of this study were then articulated through four works of art that visually describe that which was found amongst a variety of resources. They describe the rise and fall of the careers …

Solitary And Social Object Play In The Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus), Briana M. Cappiello

Master's Theses

Many comparative studies have focused on the emergence of solitary and social play in early development. However, few consider observer and parallel forms of solitary play. In this study, use of video analysis revealed that there is a significant difference between the frequency of solitary, observer, parallel, and social object play states, in calf, juvenile, subadult, and adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). While juveniles engaged in solitary play significantly more than any other age group, both juveniles and calves engaged in observer and social play significantly more than adults and subadults. Within their own age group, calves, juveniles, …

"To Mississippi, Alone, Can They Look For Assistance:” Confederate Welfare In Mississippi, Lisa Carol Foster

Master's Theses

In 1860, few destitute white citizens lived in Mississippi, and they were supported by their home counties. The Civil War drastically increased county indigent levels due to the high service and casualty rates of Mississippi soldiers. This thesis explores how Mississippi provided for its soldiers and their families during and immediately after the war (1861-1868), through post-war pensions (1888-1992), and through the Beauvoir Jefferson Davis Memorial Soldiers’ Home (1903-1957). This thesis challenges the existing historiography, showing that Mississippi began aiding indigent soldiers and families as early as 1861, and the 1888 pension law operated outside the Lost Cause movement, providing …

Textural Analysis Of Historical Aerial Photography To Determine Change In Coastal Marsh Extent: Site Of The Present-Day Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Gbnerr), Mississippi, 1955-2014, Heather Michelle Nicholson

Master's Theses

Coastal marshlands are among the world’s most highly productive ecosystems but they have diminished greatly in the past several decades owing to sea-level rise and direct anthropogenic influences. An effective means of quantifying loss or gain in marsh area is through the use of aerial image data, which offers synoptic views of the landscape at decadal-scale sampling frequencies. However, a potential problem with older panchromatic, or black-and-white, imagery is the absence of multispectral information that might be used otherwise in remote identification of vegetation types. Nevertheless, the analysis of horizontal variability in image brightness values, or image texture, can be …

Investigating The Potential Of Plant-Derived Antimicrobials And Probiotic Bacteria For Improving The Microbiological Safety Of Dry Pet Food, Chi-Hung Chen

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Neurophysiological Characteristics Of Magnetic Seizure Therapy Vs. Electroconvulsive Therapy In Geriatric Patients With Severe Depression, Monica T. Ly

Master's Theses

Objective: Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is under development as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), as it offers reduction in depression symptoms with fewer adverse cognitive effects. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of MST versus ECT in a randomized trial of geriatric patients with severe depression, then compared the neurophysiological characteristics of seizures induced by MST or ECT and investigated potential links between seizure expression and therapeutic response.

Method: Six patients (mean age: 64.8) with severe depression were randomized to receive MST (n=3) or ECT (n=3) until maximal antidepressant effect (mean number of sessions: 14.67). Depression symptoms were …

In Colbert We Trust: Teenagers And Comedic Persuasion, Peter G. Kistler

Master's Theses

In this study, high school students were exposed to either a comedy or conventional television news editorial segment, and each video’s persuasive effect was compared with the other. The sample consisted of 271 high school students from Valley Christian High School in San Jose, CA, a majority of whom were juniors and seniors. Students were separated into sample groups; one group viewed a Colbert Report editorial and guest interview focused on the concept of net neutrality, while the other group viewed an All In with Chris Hayes editorial and guest interview focused on the same subject. Both sample groups were …

Latino Representation On Primetime Television In English And Spanish Media: A Framing Analysis, Gabriela Arellano

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide updated data on the Latino portrayals on primetime English and Spanish-language television. Three major contributions of this study are baseline data on the percentage of white actors as well as all racial and ethnic minorities on English-language television, the portrayal of Latinos on both English and Spanish-language television, and the development of five frames that measure the representation of Latino characters. The results of this framing study showed that only 7.4% of the characters in primetime TV on ABC and CBS were Latino. Although the Latino representation in primetime American television was …

Devil In A White Dress: Marie-Antoinette And The Fashioning Of A Scandal, Sarah Lorraine Goodman

Master's Theses

The portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, known as La Reine en gaulle, has been discussed widely in art history owing to the scandal it provoked when it was exhibited in the Paris Salon in August 1783. Analysis has focused primarily on socio-economic issues of late-ancien regime France as a means of understanding how a relatively benign portrait of the Queen of France could engender so much anger when displayed for public consumption, centering around the queen’s identity as a public figure in contrast to the private individual painted by Vigée-Lebrun. However, very little has been discussed about the clothing …

The Moderating Effect Of Gender And Tenure On The Relationship Between Perceived Supervisor Support And Organizational Commitment, Megan Evelyn Little

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which the demographic variables of gender and tenure influence the strength and direction of the relationship between perceived supervisor support and organizational commitment. Responses to a 2014 organization-wide employee opinion survey from 383 employees within a computer software company were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. In support of previous research, results from this study lay credence to the finding that perceived supervisor support has a positive, significant relationship with organizational commitment such that individuals who felt supported by their supervisors were more likely to report higher levels of organizational …

Structural Analysis Of Eocene Dike Swarms In And Near The Duncan Hill Pluton, North Cascades, Washington, Kathleen Bryant

Master's Theses

Voluminous Eocene dikes in the North Cascades are thought to provide insights into the regional strain field during postulated ridge–trench interaction in the Pacific Northwest. One understudied area with a large number of dikes is spatially associated with the elongate (NW-SE), ~46 Ma granodioritic Duncan Hill pluton. The ~80 km2 study area contains the shallow part of this pluton and the host schist of the Twentyfive Mile Creek unit and tonalite and migmatite of the Cretaceous Chelan Complex. Field observations and petrographic analyses indicate that the dikes in the study area can be sub-divided compositionally and texturally into three types: …

Remains Of The 19th Century: Deep Storage Of Hydraulic Mining Sediment Along The Lower Yuba River, California, Tyler Kou Nakamura

Master's Theses

Since the onset of hydraulic mining in the Sierra Nevada in 1852, the environmental damage caused by displacement and storage of hydraulic mining sediment (HMS) has been a significant problem in downstream environments. Large volumes of mercury-laden HMS from the Yuba River watershed were deposited within the river corridor between the present site of Englebright Dam and the city of Marysville, CA, creating the anthropogenic Yuba Fan. However, there are outstanding uncertainties about how much HMS is still contained within this fan. To quantify the deep storage of HMS, I collected sediment from borings and outcrops along the lower Yuba …

A Feminist Focus Group Analysis Of Women's Experiences In Postpartum Yoga Classes With Babies Present, Ky Carnell Russell

Master's Theses

Women in the postpartum period face a number of physical and emotional challenges that research results indicate could be alleviated through exercise. Unfortunately, many new mothers are unable to participate in regular exercise due to a variety of personal and societally constructed obstacles. There is a growing trend to incorporate babies into yoga classes in an effort to increase the accessibility of postpartum exercise. There has been limited research conducted regarding the effectiveness of this emerging trend, and none have examined the feelings of participants engaged in mother and baby yoga classes. To address this gap in the literature, the …

Parent–Child Reciprocity? Parental Aggression And Oppositional Defiant Symptoms In Girls, Olivia J. Derella

Master's Theses

Objective. Evidence suggests that parents’ verbal aggression, corporal punishment, and inter-partner conflict are linked to children’s heightened conduct problems and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). While children mutually influence parenting, strength of bidirectional relationships among these specific behaviors have been inconsistent across gender; further investigation is warranted to understand links between parental aggression and girls’ ODD symptoms. The current study tests independent reciprocal effects between specific forms of parental aggression and girls’ ODD dimensions of oppositionality, antagonism, and irritability. Method. Annual data from the longitudinal Pittsburgh Girls Study were used to evaluate parental aggression and girls’ ODD symptoms in a …