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 …

Effective Establishment Of Native Plant Communities Along New England Roadsides, John M. Campanelli

Master's Theses

The New England Transportation Consortium commissioned research to find the most effective methods for establishing native plant communities along New England roadsides and document these findings in a manual that would guide state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) efforts to transform their roadside revegetation management practices. These installations would replace the introduced cool-season turf grasses commonly used along highways, which require greater resource inputs and frequent mowing. State DOTs hope that, by transitioning to these more sustainable management practices, they can save on fuel costs, decrease machinery emissions, increase pollinator populations, adapt to changing climates, reduce erosion, and improve storm water …

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.

Environmentally Sustainable Practices At Small Community Sport Facilities, John Schumacher

Master's Theses

Despite the “greening” trend of professional/university sport organizations adopting more environmentally friendly approaches to the management of their sport facilities, a significant “greening gap” has grown between those organizations and the thousands of small community sport facilities (SCSFs) across the country that have yet been able to integrate environmentally sustainable (ES) policies into their operations and management.

As limited research existed in this area, I conducted a qualitative research investigation utilizing the framework of the diffusion of innovation theory to explore SCSF managers’ perceptions concerning the implementation of ES in the maintenance and operation of their facilities. I conducted interviews …

The Roles Of The Phospholipid Pip2 In Regulating The Activities Of Kcnq Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels, Kevin M. Duignan

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Wh-Question Comprehension: A Grammatical Deficit In Children With Asd, Manya Jyotishi

Master's Theses

Wh-questions are problematic for children with ASD. Prior research has shown delays in comprehension of subject-wh and object-wh questions in children with ASD compared to TD peers. However, earlier comprehension studies may have been limited because their stimuli included unfamiliar verbs (e.g., hit, produced by a few children with ASD) and events featuring inanimate agents and patients (e.g., an apple and a flower). The current study addressed both of these issues by investigating whether familiar verbs and animate characters elicit robust comprehension of wh-questions with children with ASD. We also investigate whether early grammatical abilities predict later wh-question comprehension. One …

Differential Effects Of The Mao Inhibitors Deprenyl, Moclobemide And Pargyline On Effort-Related Choice Behavior, Hector M. Contreras-Mora

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Active And Observational Experience On Eeg Activity During Early Childhood, Lauren Bryant

Master's Theses

How we encode and understand others’ actions is a core problem in social learning. In recent decades, the human neural mirroring system (NMS) has been implicated as a potential neural mechanism of action understanding. To investigate the effects of experience on NMS activity, we manipulated 3– to 6-year-old children’s (N = 16) active and observational experience with two tools and then examined EEG mu (7-10 Hz) and central beta rhythm (17-21 Hz) desynchronization as measures of NMS activity during observation and execution of these actions. Children exhibited neural mirroring within both individualized and standard mu bands. Although mu and …

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 …

The Examination Of Medical Coverage, Emergency Policies And Procedures, And The Implementation Of Prevention Strategies Before And After Sudden Death In The Secondary School Setting, Joseph M. Olivadoti

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Time Loss, Injury Rates, And Factors Associated With Injury In Ncaa Division I Men’S Soccer, Andrea Fortuntati

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Phonetic Retuning In Accented Speech: Is There A Role Of Expectation?, Iliana Meza-Gonzalez

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

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 …

Prediction Of Internal Body Temperature Using Machine Learning Models, Luke N. Belval

Master's Theses

Context: The only validated methods for assessment of deep body temperature during exercise in the heat are invasive or logistically difficult to implement. Non-invasive prediction of deep body temperature has the potential to provide critical information to individuals who exercise in environmental extremes. Objective: To examine the use of machine learning methods for the prediction of deep body temperature using non-invasive measures. Setting: Research laboratory. Participants: Twenty-five recreationally active participants (mean±SD; male, n=19; female, n=6, age, 24±4 y; height, 177±10 cm; body mass, 75.94±12.45 kg; body fat, 15.31±6.55%). Interventions: We pooled data from two studies wherein participants walked and ran …

Physical Activity: Lack Of Mitigation Of Adverse Effect Of Pro-Inflammatory Diet, Aivi T. Doan

Master's Theses

BACKGROUND: To date, no studies have evaluated if moderate and/or vigorous PA physical activity (mv-PA) mitigates the adverse effect of a pro-inflammatory diet. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and constructed the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) score. Expenditure of mv-PA was obtained from two sources. Multivariate Logistic Regression was performed to calculate Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Participants with a DII score in the top quartile were 33% more likely to exhibit elevated CRP than persons with a DII score in the lowest quartile (referent). …

Physicians’ Perceived Roles In And Barriers To Identifying, Evaluating, And Managing Intimate Partner Violence, Adam F. Pennarola

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Emergency Shelter Resource Allocation And Location Analysis, Brett T. Decker

Master's Theses

This study formulates a mixed-integer facility location model to optimize emergency shelter location and resource allocation based on a set of existing candidate shelters. This model minimizes network access time between an affected census block and a potential emergency shelter, the operating costs of a shelter as a function of shelter capacity, and the cost of not accommodating all evacuees with emergency shelter capacity at the planning stage. This study consists of two parts, one conducting a sensitivity analysis for model parameters and executing the model for a worst case scenario and the second part expanding the model to include …

A Retrospective Study Assessing The Predictive Performance Of A Lung Cancer Screening Risk Prediction Model In A Clinical Lung Cancer Screening Program, Andrea K. Borondy Kitts

Master's Theses

Background: United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommendations for annual screening for lung cancer with low dose CT (LDCT) scans rely on age and smoking history to identify those at high risk for lung cancer. The Tammemagi et al. six year lung cancer risk prediction model, PLCOm2012, developed and validated in large lung cancer screening clinical trials, demonstrated good predictive performance in screening selection. However, the model has not been validated in clinical practice. Validating the model in clinical practice would increase confidence in its ability to provide information for shared …

Influence Of Conducting Carbons On The Capacity Retention Of Nio//Licoo2 And Graphite//Licoo2 Full Cell Lithium Ion Batteries, Mengchen Liu

Master's Theses

Lithium ion batteries are the dominant energy storage system in the market today. Based on its high energy density, power density and ideal cycleability, research on lithium ion batteries has gone through several generations in a short timeframe. However, the constantly increasing demand for this portable energy source, which could be used for hybrid electric vehicles, tablets, computers, phones and even micro-electronics for medical apparatus and instruments, drives the design of next generation materials and designs with improved performance and safety.

In this thesis, the influence of conductivity on Lithium-ion battery half cell capacity retention was investigated with graphite and …

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.

Viewing Loneliness From An Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection Perspective: Pilot Testing A New Loneliness Measure And Testing The Relation Of Loneliness To Adults' Remembrances Of Parental Acceptance And Rejection In Childhood, Alex D. Molaver

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Characterization Of Msh2-Msh6 And Mlh1-Pms2 Interactions, Nilse Lene G. Dos Santos

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Biodegradable Polymer-Metal Composite As A Novel Biomaterial, Tyler Stahl

Master's Theses

Poly(lactide-co- glycolide) (PLGA) is a versatile biomaterial and is desirable for use in tissue engineering applications requiring a degradable matrix or fixation. PLGA degradation rate can be controlled through manipulation of the ratio of its constituent monomers PLA (polylactic acid) and PGA (polyglycolic acid). When PLGA degrades it can lead to the development of acidic conditions eliciting an inflammatory response. We have investigated the addition of biodegradable Magnesium (Mg) particles to a PLGA matrix, aiming to achieve neutral byproducts. Within the body Mg degrades into a basic oxide and hydrogen gas, so through varying its concentration in a PLGA scaffold …

Does The Shortened Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire Accurately Represent Physiological Adaptations Following A 10 Day Heat Acclimation Protocol And The Decay Thereafter?, Rachel Marie Vanscoy

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.

Modeling And Computationally Efficient Algorithms For Analysis Of Battery Equalization Systems, Chen Zhou

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.