Digital Commons Network^™

The Top-Down Influences Of Characteristic Sounds On Visual Search Performance In Realistic Scenes, Ghazaleh Mahzouni

Master's Theses

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate whether meaningful sounds can facilitate visual search performance in the context of realistic scenes. It also aimed to determine whether the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) of sound and picture is a significant factor in enhancing performance. A 3 X 4 X 2 within subject design was used with independent factors sound congruency (congruent, incongruent and white noise), SOA (-1000, -500, 0, 300 ms), and target presence (present and absent). Participants were 55 (34 female and 21 male) college aged students at San Jose State University. On each trial participants were presented with …

The Effects Of A 6-Week Group Meal Prep Program On The Frequency Of Consumption Of Home-Cooked Meals, Shannon Mendez

Master's Theses

Consumption of food away from home is associated with higher caloric intake and poorer diet quality compared to home-cooked food. The advance quantity meal prep (AQMP) program is a group-based program developed to increase the frequency of consumption of home-cooked meals. The AQMP pilot study was a pre-experimental 6-week intervention aimed at analyzing the effects of the program on frequency of consumption of home-cooked meals, cooking attitudes, cooking self-efficacy, and anthropometric measures. Ten study participants met once a week at a commercial kitchen to prepare and package lunches, dinners, and snacks for the work week. A survey was administered and …

New Functional Groups For Sadmet Polymerization, Hasaan Rauf

Master's Theses

Olefin metathesis is one of the most widely used methods for the formation of carbon-carbon double bonds. Acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization has been extensively used in the synthesis of precision polymers by using well-defined monomers to form unique polymer morphologies with intriguing physical properties. Traditional ADMET polymerization cannot be used to synthesize block or alternating polymers. Selective acyclic diene metathesis (SADMET) polymerization synthesizes a polymer with non-reactive backbone double bonds by sequentially reacting electron deficient α,ω-dienes with the reactive internal olefin bonds to form block and alternating polymers. To date, only acrylates have been widely utilized as the electron …

Non-Invasive Hyperglycemia Detection Using Ecg And Deep Learning, Renato Silveira Cordeiro

Master's Theses

Hyperglycemia is characterized by an elevated level of glucose in the blood. It is normally asymptomatic, except for an extremely high level, and thus a person can live in that state for years before the negative - sometimes irreversible - health impacts appear. Unexpected hyperglycemia can also be an indication of diabetes, a chronic disease that, when not treated, can lead to serious consequences, including limb amputations and even death. Therefore, identifying hyperglycemic state is important. The most common and direct way to measure a person’s glucose level is by directly assessing it from a blood sample by pricking a …

Evaluating Tropical Tropospheric Ozone And Water Vapor In Merra-2, Era-Interim, And Cam-Chem Using Aircraft Observations From The Western Pacific, Kathryn Steinmann

Master's Theses

Tropospheric ozone (O3) negatively is a greenhouse gas, affecting global climate. To improve climate predictions, the behavior of O3 and the mechanisms affecting its distribution must be understood and accurately represented in model simulations. This study evaluates O3 and water vapor (H2O) observations from the Convective Transport of Active Species in the Tropics (CONTRAST) campaign with data from the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s (NCAR) Community Atmospheric Model with Chemistry (CAM-Chem), the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 (MERRA-2), and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Re-Analysis-Interim (ERA-Interim). In the tropical middle troposphere, CAM-Chem shows …

Predicting Switch-Like Behavior In Proteins Using Logistic Regression On Sequence-Based Descriptors, Benjamin Nathan Strauss

Master's Theses

Ligands can bind at specific protein locations, inducing conformational changes such as those involving secondary structure. Identifying these possible switches from sequence, including homology, is an important ongoing area of research. We attempt to predict possible secondary structure switches from sequence in proteins using machine learning, specifically a logistic regression approach with 48 N-acetyltransferases as our learning set and 5 sirtuins as our test set. Validated residue binary assignments of 0 (no change in secondary structure) and 1 (change in secondary structure) were determined (DSSP) from 3D X-ray structures for sets of virtually identical chains crystallized under different conditions. Our …

High-Throughput Screening Of A Metagenomic Library Using A Novel E. Coli Chip For Discovery Of Antibiotic Resistance Genes, Richard Paul Manarin Tiongco

Master's Theses

The growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges facing humankind today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that about 2 million people in the US each year develop an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and about 23,000 people die. To combat this growing crisis, efforts geared toward the discovery of novel compounds, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), have spurred. However, current approaches for identification of such compounds have proven to be costly, time-consuming and ineffective. This problem underscores the need for a new approach, one that is fundamentally different from traditional methods …

Association Of Food Pharmacy Participation With Type Ii Diabetes Risk Factors, Breanne Vinogradoff

Master's Theses

Food insecurity is defined as a lack of access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle and has been found to lead to higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In recognition of this relationship, many safety-net clinics and food banks have introduced “food pharmacies.” The term “food pharmacy” may be used to describe a treatment model that focuses on provision of disease-specific, medically appropriate food. This observational study examined data from a food pharmacy in the San Francisco Bay Area to determine if program participation improved clinical measures of T2DM status or risk, namely glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood …

Habitat Selection Of The Spotfin Killifish In Coastal Connecticut, Megan L. Upp

Master's Theses

The Spotfin Killifish (Fundulus luciae) is a salt marsh inhabitant, occupying a habitat subject to change from 1) historic changes from mosquito ditching practices to 2) more contemporary anthropogenic changes from sea level rise and coastal development. Though thought to be a habitat specialist along the Atlantic coast, Spotfin Killifish resource selection has yet to be quantified. Spotfin Killifish presence or absence data was recorded with measured habitat characteristics at sites along a 14 km stretch of coastal Connecticut. Three hypotheses were proposed to create probabilistic models that could predict Spotfin Killifish presence or absence using logistic regression: …

Allies In Training: The Construction & Management Of Cis Allyship At State University, Davida J. Schiffer

Master's Theses

Many universities provide LGBT Ally Training Programs, but who are the allies who attend them? My research examines how participants conceptualize cis allyship and how they enact it in their professional and personal lives. In describing the gendered and racialized role of cis allyship, I situate my analysis in theories of doing gender & performativity (West & Zimmerman 1987; Johnson 2013) and the scholarship around white allies in academic diversity narratives (Bonilla-Silva 2006; Collins & Bilge 2016). Focusing on an Ally Training program at State University, I conducted an ethnography of 4 Ally Trainings and performed 21 interviews with 12 …

Atrial Fibrillation Detection From Smartwatch Based Photoplethysmography Signals, Syed Khairul Bashar

Master's Theses

Detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) from a wrist watch photoplethysmography (PPG) signal is important because the wrist watch form factor enables long term continuous monitoring of arrhythmia in an easy and non-invasive manner. We have developed a novel method not only to detect AF from a smart wrist watch PPG signal, but also to determine whether the recorded PPG signal is corrupted by motion artifacts or not. In order to detect the motion and noise artifacts from PPG signal, we have used both the accelerometer signal and variable frequency complex demodulation based time-frequency analysis of the PPG signal. After the …

Exploring Parallel Algorithmic Choices For Graph Analytics, Akif Rehman

Master's Theses

Sequential graph algorithms are implemented through ordered execution of tasks to achieve high work efficiency. Exposing parallelism in these ordered workloads tends to be an elusive problem. Strict-ordered parallel implementations find nodes that don't have read-write dependencies and hence can be executed in parallel. They have the work efficiency of their sequential counter-parts due to strict ordering constraints. Larger amount of parallelism can be achieved at the expense of redundant work. Relax-ordered implementations remove the global order and only impose the local order. They go through multiple iterations and have the property of monotonically increasing or decreasing output values allowing …

Keeping Track Of Change: Developmental Insights Into The Ability To Represent Objects In Episodic Terms, Emily Yearling

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Late-Stage Deformation And Exhumation Of A High-Pressure Metamorphic Belt In An Active Arc-Continent Collision, Taiwan, Michael Chojnacki

Master's Theses

Structural analyses and fluid inclusion microthermometry were conducted within the blueschist facies, Yuli Belt in the Taiwan arc-continent collision in order to better understand the kinematics and pressure and temperature conditions associated with rapid exhumation (~10 km/myr) of high-pressure rocks. The most recent ductile deformation, observed as a penetrative fabric, S3, and relatively late, steeply dipping, mineral-filled, mode-I fractures, was characterized by vertical shortening, top-to-the southwest shear, and northeast-southwest extension. The late-stage veins record entrapment conditions ranging from 200°C to 450°C. To generalize, this structural and metamorphic history is interpreted to reflect the later stages of exhumation of the Yuli …

Conceptualizing The Promise Of Life Skills Education For Adolescent Girls In The Global South: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Olivia Casey

Master's Theses

In recent years, international development organizations have increasingly championed life skills education as a crucial tool for empowering girls in the global South. However, while life skills education continues to gain momentum and popularity within the international development landscape, the heterogeneity of life skills interventions remains significant. In this study, I aimed to uncover how key global actors differently conceptualize life skills and the promises they are understood to hold for adolescent girls in the global South at the current moment. Utilizing the methodology of critical discourse analysis, I examined key documents on girls’ life skills education published by central …

Cultivating Hope, Weaving Peace: Colombian Educators Building Pathways To Teach About The Armed Conflict, Laura Vesga Villalba

Master's Theses

Communities affected by conflict require additional educational support in order to adequately reflect on their situation and learn peacebuilding skills. Research is needed to examine how peacebuilding education is being approached through an intergenerational lens, to address the trauma that is carried throughout generations and the healing and reconciliation that may be brought about through successful critical peacebuilding education programs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the formal and informal educational approaches to teaching about the armed conflict in Colombia. The research methodology for this study was phenomenological research conducted through semi-structured interviews. Results illustrated that educational approaches …

The Workability Of Dominican University Of California (Duoc) Transitioning To A Community Choice Aggregation (Cca) Program Energy Supply, Alexandra Fuentes

Master's Theses

For almost 10 years Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), or community based energy programs, have been developing and or providing clean energy resources to both commercial and residential customers in various regions around the United States. Although there are several programs in communities in the surrounding regions of California, this study focuses on a specific California program known as MCE. This research examines the feasibility of Dominican University of California (DUoC) transitioning from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to becoming a client of MCE in the future. Out of the 19 community energy programs currently available in the state, MCE is …

The United States Eroding Global Military Advantage; Is There A Way Back?, Fatima Munib

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the U.S. eroding global military advantage in light of the current changing security environment. First, I examine the process and type of erosion taking place. I expand the existing debate and show that the erosion is not defined in monetary terms but in terms of the declining U.S influence within the established rule-based international order. Secondly, I use China and Russia as case-studies to define the present geopolitical rivalries and the (re)emergence of revisionist powers. Both China and Russia aim to shape the emerging international order and threaten the U.S. national security with the increased inter-state competition. …

Investigating The Relationship Between Hormone Receptors Dax-1 And Estrogen Receptor Within Prostate Cancer Cell Lines, Meghana G. Vijayraghavan

Master's Theses

Prostate cancer (PCa) is estimated to be the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States in 2019. While most prostate tumors rely on androgens for growth signaling, there are subsets of tumors that become androgen-resistant, therefore resisting conventional androgen-depravation therapy. Consequently, research has focused on targeting different hormone receptors for novel therapeutics. One such receptor is Dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia critical region, on chromosome X, gene 1 (DAX-1). DAX-1 is known to interact with other hormone receptors, such as androgen receptor (AR) and estrogen receptors (ERs) to suppress the proliferative effects …

Unfamiliar Territory: A Preliminary Exploration Of The Experiences Of International Junior Transfer Students, Nicole Mcintyre

Master's Theses

Over one million international students attend American institutions of higher education each year. For many of these students, community colleges are an accessible and increasingly popular enrollment option because they offer small class sizes, intensive English language courses, and affordable tuition costs. Many international students enrolled in community college seek to transfer to a four-year university and complete a Bachelor’s degree. To date, the experiences of international students who successfully complete this transfer pathway have gone largely unstudied. As a result, very little is known about the international junior transfer population. This qualitative study utilizes a phenomenology methodology to explore …

Characterization And Membrane Stability Study For The Switchable Polarity Solvent N,N-Dimethylcyclohexylamine As A Draw Solute In Forward Osmosis, Kevin K. Reimund

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Intramuscular Injection Of Plant Derived Antimicrobials: A Potenial Use Against M.Bovis In Cattle, Elizabeth Johnson

Master's Theses

Plant derived antimicrobials (PDAs) such as trans-cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and carvacrol, possess strong antibacterial properties yet are generally regarded as safe. In the current crisis of antibiotic resistance, the use of PDAs as alternatives to prevent and control bacterial infections in livestock has gained momentum. The inhibitory effects of PDAs on common bacteria such as C.difficile, Listeria, Salmonella have been widely studied. PDAs have also been found effective in wall-less bacteria such as Mycoplasma, for which common antibiotics are not effective and vaccines are not always effective. In animal husbandry, PDAs can be potentially added in feed to metaphalactively prevent …

Exploring The Gendered Nature Of Leadership Development For Female Student-Athletes At The United States Naval Academy, Jennifer Gobin

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Best Practices For Renovating Golf Course Fairways To More Sustainable Bentgrasses In The Northeastern United States, Zoe Esponda

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Sooting Propensities Of Face Gasolines In Counterflow Diffusion Flames, Peter Vannorsdall

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Fracture Analysis Of The Lower Oceanic Crust, Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge, Trent Jackson

Master's Theses

Atlantis Bank (AB) is an oceanic core complex (OCC), formed at the slow-spreading (spreading rate/yr) Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR)-Atlantis II transform junction. AB is a domal massif composed of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks exhumed along a normal-sense detachment shear zone/fault. OCCs are of high interest since oceanic crust comprises the majority of Earth’s crust and OCCs form up to 15% of the crust that is formed at slow-spreading ridges. Brittle deformation, such as faults and fractures provide pathways for fluids to interact with the crust, which increases heat and mass exchange between the crust and hydrosphere, and is …

Localized Method Of Approximate Particular Solutions For Solving Fourth-Order Pdes, Lionel Amuzu

Master's Theses

In the past, dealing with fourth-order partial differential equations using the Local Method was not reliable due to difficulties in solving them directly. An approach such as splitting these equations into two Poisson differential equations was adopted to alleviate such challenges. However, this has a limitation since it is only applicable to Dirichlet and Laplace boundary conditions. In this paper, we solve fourth-order PDEs directly using the LMAPS. The improvement on the accuracy of this method was as a result of the proposed distribution of boundary conditions to alternating boundary points. And, also the use of suitable shape parameter; calculated …

Processing Speed For Action And Semantic Memory, Tyler A. Surber

Master's Theses

Previous research suggests that the processing of affordances may require more perceptually relevant information than words can provide (Surber et al., 2018; Chainay & Humphreys, 2002). The present study investigates this hypothesis with the shoebox task used in Bowers and Turner (2003). A list of 81 object nouns (targets) and associated features (primes: affordance, semantic, and non-associates) was compiled from the McRae, Cree, Seidenberg, and McNorgan (2005) norms. Affordances denote possibilities for action in relation to the object (e.g. chair – sit), whereas semantic features indicate definitional characteristics (e.g. chair – has legs). Affordances and semantic features served as primes …

A Comparison Of The Army Corps Of Engineers Hydrologic Modeling System And Autodesk Storm And Sanitary Analysis For Hydraulic And Hydrologic Analysis And Design, Foster Josef Heifetz Campbell

Master's Theses

Hydrological and hydraulic effects of urban development is one of the key issues of study for improved water management. The addition of impervious surfaces to once pervious land and re-routing open channels and flow paths can cause flooding or declining water levels within a watershed. Many studies of these issues have found that there can be multiple factors causing hydrological and hydraulic impacts, and it can be hard to analyze and develop effective solutions without appropriate drainage software packages. However, there are multiple software packages available for use, and determining the correct one to use for a specific challenge can …

Hybrid Iii 95th Percentile Large Male Finite Element Model Neck Alteration, Eric Riley Day

Master's Theses

The motivation behind the project was to update the Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) Hybrid III 95th percentile finite element model, such that the neck assembly response under varying simulated loading conditions equals that of the federally regulated Hybrid III 95th percentile anthropomorphic testing device (ATD).

The family of Hybrid III crash test dummies approximate the physical properties and response of the human body in a frontal automotive crash. The Hybrid III is used to assess the effectiveness of vehicle restraint systems. LSTC offers Hybrid III finite element models for use in their Multiphysics simulation software package, LS-DYNA. The Hybrid …