Digital Commons Network^™

Get A Grip: How Consumers Interpret Images Of Women Golfers And The Impact On The Back9network's Marketing Strategy, Alexandra M. Badalucco

Master's Theses

For centuries, sport has been a space dominated by men and served as a microcosm of society in which women’s subordinate position has been highlighted. Despite the great strides women have made within the sport industry, sport continues to serve as a realm that is more welcoming to men than it is to women and that reinforces hegemonic masculinity (Cunningham & Singer, 2012; Connell, 1987). Although many sports reinforce male hegemony and patriarchy through use of violence and physicality, golf has also reproduced notions of male hegemony through the on-course rituals men take part in, the gendered language used on …

Estimating Paleo Ice Volumes Beneath Collapse Kettles: A Case Study Of John’S Pond, Mashpee, Massachusetts, Daniel Nelson Lolos

Master's Theses

Kettle morphology is related to the initial burial depth of the ice, the sediment surrounding kettles, and the mode of ice emplacement. The conversion between a buried ice mass to a present day kettle has not been pursued in detail. This research clarifies the series of changes that take place during this transition during a case study of John’s Pond, Mashpee, Massachusetts. The results may benefit future paleoglaciological investigations.

The research problems were addressed using conceptual and mathematical models, GIS, and a physical model. The conceptual and mathematical models were applied in three dimensions, using integration to obtain numerical solutions …

Management Alternatives To Reduce Pumping Effects In The Fenton River During Periods Of Low Stream Flow, David W. Payne

Master's Theses

The University of Connecticut relies on the Fenton River water supply wells to support 25% of their overall water supply. Low stream flow can commonly be seen from June - October, in which the University must reduce pumping based on stream flow thresholds to prevent adverse effects to fish habitat. The objective of this study was to investigate the stream/aquifer interaction in order to increase water withdrawals while minimizing adverse impacts to in- stream flow. A groundwater flow model was developed using MODFLOW to investigate the influence of well location and pump timing on in-stream flow in the vicinity of …

A Perspective On Work Life Balance In The Ncaa Division I Setting: From The Female Athletic Trainer, Elizabeth M. Ferraro

Master's Theses

Factors and Strategies that Contribute to Work Life Balance of Female Athletic Trainers Employed in the NCAA Division I setting

Ferraro EM, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Context: Work life balance (WLB) can be challenging particularly for female athletic trainers (ATs). Evidence suggests female-ATs persist in the profession because of job enjoyment, increased autonomy, and social support networks. Departure factors such as long hours, travel, and inflexibility of schedules often comprise issues with WLB. Time management, support networks, and setting boundaries are strategies used to find WLB, however, little is known about the strategies female-ATs use to maintain WLB in …

Contextual Influences On Phonetic Categorization In Developmental Populations, Jean Alexandra Campbell

Master's Theses

A major goal of research in the domain of speech perception has been to describe how listeners recover individual consonants and vowels from the speech stream. A major challenge to this task is explaining how this is possible given the extreme variability present in the speech signal. In healthy adults, findings have repeatedly demonstrated that the key to healthy perceptual processing system is dynamically adjusting phonetic boundaries to accommodate contextual influences in speech production. The current study seeks to determine if school-aged children demonstrate the same functional plasticity for systematic variation. Collectively, we found that older children (8-10 years of …

The Effects Of Hydration Status On Pacing And Performance During An Ironman Triathlon, Tracy L. Hicks

Master's Theses

Context: Dehydration can negatively impact aerobic performance. Objective: To observe the effect of hydration status on Ironman Triathlete performance and their ability to maintain pace; and to observe the effect of hydration status on pacing and performance for athletes who monitor heart rate for pacing feedback. Design: Observational ironman triathlon study Setting: Lake Placid Ironman racecourse (WBGT, 22.1±2.0 °C). Participants: 41 (30 males, 7 females) triathletes (age, 39±7 yrs; height, 174.0±9.9 cm; pre-race weight, 72.4±10.1 kg; body fat, 15.3±5.6%.) divided into groups based on use(HR) or no use(NHR) of heart rate as pacing feedback, and hydrated(HY) or dehydrated(DHY); based on …

Advanced Techniques In Emergency Preparedness And Geoprocessing, Dean P. Chauvin Jr

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Leisure Time Physical Activity Among Non-Smoking, Normal Weight Adults: Assessing Prevalence Of Central Adiposity, Insulin Resistance, And Systemic Inflammation, Maria M. Corallo

Master's Theses

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) has been examined as a preventive intervention against pre-diabetes, diabetes, and low-grade systemic inflammation, however, it remains unknown if normal weight individuals who do not engage in regular PA are at increased risk.

METHODS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2006 were utilized. Three measures of PA (i.e., intensity level, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for frequency, intensity, and time/duration (FIT) of PA, and ACSM recommendations for MET-Mins Per Week) were analyzed in relation to elevated waist circumference, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA), and immune system cells. In addition, …

Sulfonated Polyethersulfone As A New Platform For Thin Film Composite Membranes, Brendan R. O'Grady

Master's Theses

Membrane based separations are widely in many technically and commercially relevant processes, including sea and brackish water desalination and treatment. Current drawbacks from membrane-based processes are fouling propensity and low water fluxes. One solution to remediate these issues is the use of intrinsically hydrophilic support layers in composite membranes. The hydrophilic nature of the substrates will facilitate increased water transport across the membrane and provide anti-fouling characteristics.

This study investigated the use of sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) as a new material for thin film composite membranes. Four degrees of sulfonation were examined. Asymmetric membranes were cast with polymer loadings between 12-20 …

Auditory And Visual Stimuli Elicited Saccades, Xiu Zhai

Master's Theses

In current society, many people are at a high risk of suffering a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The pathology of a concussion is related to neuronal dysfunction. It has been indicated that a diagnosis of MTBI can be provided by analyzing fast eye movements. This involves characterizing the neurosensory control of human visual and auditory system.

Saccades are very fast eye movements that allow the eyes to quickly move from one target or image to another. A saccadic eye movement can be triggered by either visual or auditory stimuli. In this work, saccades induced by visual, auditory and auditory-visual …

Grotesque Drag Queens And Toxic Matriarchs: Motherhood And The Subversive Female Body In Disney Animated Films, Allison Footit

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Working In The Gay Front Line: A Model Of Workplace Heterosexist Harassment, Daniel Herres

Master's Theses

Research on harassment by sexual orientation is becoming increasingly relevant in society. Gay rights have progressed to be in the forefront of the political and social awareness, and organizations are turning their focus toward improving workplace diversity. Still, discrimination and harassment of LGB people continue to be a problem. Although a number of studies have begun to address this issue, large gaps still exist in the literature. The goal of this study was to identify antecedents and outcomes of workplace heterosexist harassment, as well as the influences of contextual and individual moderating variables. Participants from multiple organizations completed an online …

Effects Of A Hospital-Wide Quality Improvement Initiative On 30-Day Readmissions For Patients With Heart Failure, Senthilraj Ganeshan, Raj Ganeshan

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Halinity In Tidal Soils Of The Connecticut River, Marissa Theve

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Understanding Hiv-Related Risk Behaviors Among Returnee Male Migrant Workers In Nepal, Roman Shrestha

Master's Theses

Background: Migration of Nepali workers to India is a longstanding phenomenon. Studies have indicated that migrant workers are at higher-risk of HIV infection due to their engagement in unsafe sexual and substance use behaviors, while abroad. This study aims to evaluate the possible association between migration and increased prevalence of HIV-risk behaviors among Nepali migrant workers and their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among male migrant workers (n=40) in Dhanusha district of Nepal - a neighboring region to India with high levels of male-out-migration. The interview questionnaires assessed participants’ socio-demographics, migration characteristics, loneliness, HIV/AIDS …

A Meta-Analysis Of Candidate Gene Association Studies On The Blood Pressure Response To Aerobic Exercise, Michael L. Bruneau Jr

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Aerobic exercise (AE) lowers blood pressure (BP) 5-7 mmHg among those with hypertension, but there is considerable variability in the BP response to AE. Genetic predispositions account for 40-65% of this variability; however, identifying genetic variants that associate with the BP response to AE is a challenge. We performed a meta-analysis to integrate the small number of studies that examined the influence of candidate genes on the BP response to AE. Methods: Studies retrieved included an acute or chronic AE intervention; BP before and after AE by genotype; and candidate gene polymorphisms. Effect sizes were the standardized mean …

Development Of An Analysis And Simulation Package For Protein Molecules & Improving The Graphics Of Their Conformational Transition, Hima N. Khoshreza

Master's Theses

Proteins are the building blocks of many living organisms and to study them is to discover many of nature’s processes. Abnormalities of these superb molecules make them also accountable for a wide range of human diseases. Every sixty seconds an American will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The mystery behind this disease and many others might well be revealed by novel protein prediction techniques. This thesis investigates developments of two tools to benefit such techniques.

First, a user-friendly graphical interface (GUI) was developed based on a previously perfected program named ProtoFold. ProtoFold is a protein simulation software that examines the …

A Method For Network Clustering And Cluster Based Routing, Jonathan Adelson

Master's Theses

Social networks and sensor networks are two very different types of networks that have been made possible by modern technology. Portable wireless devices, including laptops and cell phones, have made social networks part of our daily lives. Similarly, cheap, fast, portable devices are ideal for sensor networks. The common thread is the underlying graph structure, which is decentralized and can naturally form groups. However, human groups are messy, and can best be modeled by graph clusters that can be allowed to overlap with each other. We apply this idea to the identification of pre-existing groups as well as discovering a …

Polyphenol Composition Of Underutilized Aronia Berries And Changes In Aronia Berry Polyphenol Content Through Ripening, Rod Taheri

Master's Theses

Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa, Aronia prunifolia, Aronia arbutifolia) is notable for its high phytochemical content, particularly anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. Aronia berries of different genotypes may vary in their polyphenol content, so it is important to characterize these compounds based on species, and to determine whether or not aronia fruit color correlates with phytochemical content. Using normal-phase HPLC, UPLC-MS, and the DMAC and Folin-Ciocalteu assays, polyphenols in twelve different aronia accessions were quantified and characterized based on fruit color. Significant diversity was observed in anthocyanin content among berries of different colors, with black aronia berries (mean = 10.47 mg/g DW) …

Pbzrtio3 And Bifeo3 Ferroelectric Domains, Domain Boundaries, And Switching Investigated With Piezo Force Microscopy, Linghan Ye

Master's Theses

The domain structure of ferroelectric and multiferroic materials can have a significant effect on piezoelectric, dielectric, and thermal transport properties. Piezo Force Microscopy is an ideal tool based on Atomic Force Microscopy that allows unique investigations of such nanoscale effects, and can further be implemented to monitor domain switching dynamics.

A new method for polarization orientation mapping and statistical analysis is first employed to determine the domain variants present in a range of BiFeO₃ epitaxial (001) thin films with specifically engineered domain distributions. This allows domain wall densities to also be calculated, along with interfacial polarization angles between adjacent …

The Relation Between The Blood Pressure Response To Exercise During Training And Detraining Periods, Emily A. Moker

Master's Theses

Exercise training lowers blood pressure (BP) 5-7 mmHg, but the relation between the BP response to exercise training and detraining is unclear. PURPOSE: To examine the BP response after 6m of training followed by 2wk of detraining among a subsample from the Studies of a Targeted Risk Reduction Intervention through Defined Exercise study. METHODS: Subjects were 38 men and 37 women 50.2±10.6y with a body mass index of 30.5±3.2kg·m^-2 and resting BP of 120.0±13.7/79.1±9.2mmHg. Subjects completed 1of 3 types of exercise training: aerobic (AE) vigorous intensity (n=34); resistance training (RT) (n=28); or AE vigorous and RT (n=13). Simple …

Attachment Of Pentafluorophenylporphyrin Dye To Tio2 Film For Use In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Avinash Badagala

Master's Theses

The dye sensitized solar cells have been interesting a lot of researchers for their low-costs and effective conversion of light energy into electrical energy. The porphyrin molecules can absorb light at different wavelengths which can be used as sensitizers in the dye-sensitized solar cells. The number of reaction sites and the feasibility of fine tuning of the optical, physical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of porphyrins is also an advantage of using them as sensitizers. One of the derivatives of the porphyrin molecule is the pentafluoropheylporphyrin, which in turn serves as the starting material for an extensive set of modified porphyrins …

The Pilot Study Of Students’ Perception On Teachers’ Moral Character Scale In Indonesia, Ifa H. Misbach

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to develop a new instrument of Students’ Perception on Teacher’s Moral Character Scale (SPoTMCS). The sample consisted of 12^th grade Indonesian students (n=228), completing the SPoTMCS using a-paper-and-pencil format. This report describes the results of the inter-correlation of items, and Cronbach’s Alpha to calculate and estimate of the internal reliability. To support a questionnaire development of SPoTMCS, factor analysis procedures were also undertaken to determine the number of factors necessary to explain the interrelationship among a set of dimensions of moral character and the underlying dimensions of the construct of moral character in …

The Acute Effects Of An Injury Prevention Program On Landing Technique And Performance Measures In Youth Athletes, Hayley Root

Master's Theses

CONTEXT: Exercise-based injury prevention programs can improve performance outcomes and reduce injury risk over the course of an athletic season but are not widely implemented. Identifying acute benefits to utilizing an injury prevention warm-up program compared to common dynamic and static warm-ups may encourage more teams to adopt injury prevention programs.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the acute effects of 3 warm-up protocols on performance measures and jump-landing technique in active children.

DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: Junior boarding school and high school.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: 89 health youth athletes (male n=60, female n=29, age=13±2 years, …

Effect Of Positional Dependence In Recognizing Transcription Factor Binding Sites, Saad A. Quader

Master's Theses

Background: Many consensus-based and Position Weight Matrix-based methods for recognizing transcription factor binding sites are not well suited to the variability in the lengths of binding sites. Besides, many methods discard known binding sites while building the model. Moreover, the impact of Information Content (IC) and the positional dependence of nucleotides within an aligned set of TFBSs has not been well researched for modeling variable-length binding sites. In this paper, we propose ML-Consensus, a consensus model for variable-length binding sites which does not exclude any input binding sites. We consider Pairwise Score (PS) as a measure of positional dependence of …

The Influence Of Neurocognitive Impairment On Hiv Risk Reduction Intervention Outcomes Among Drug Dependent Methadone‐Maintained Patients, Maryam Sadeghi-Najafabadi

Master's Theses

Injection drug users (IDUs) represent a significant vector for contracting and transmission of HIV infection, which occurs through preventable drug- and sex-related risk behaviors. Accordingly, IDUs remain a target population of HIV risk reduction behavioral interventions. Previous findings show that it is feasible to provide a brief behavioral risk reduction group intervention to high risk HIV-infected IDUs in a community-based setting to reduce HIV risk-related outcomes. In order for behavioral interventions to be effective, a relatively high level of cognitive abilities is required. Evidence shows that chronic drug use can affect the central nervous system and this may result in …

Perceived Stigma As A Function Of Social Influence, Anne Thompson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Herbivory As An Ecological Constraint Of Willow Growth At A Restored Riparian Corridor, Jacqueline A. Mccrory

Master's Theses

A critical component of nearly all riparian restoration projects is the rapid successful recovery of native vegetation. The dynamic conditions and diverse biotic community supported by riparian ecosystems can present numerous constraints to restoration efforts. This study investigated stunted growth of arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis) cuttings planted along the banks of Redwood Creek as part of the National Park Service’s Muir Beach Restoration Project to restore habitat for special status species in California. Based on observations of deer browsing, as well as signs of extensive biomass removal, I designed a field experiment using exclusionary fencing to test the significance of …

The Status Of Economic And Social Rights In Appalachia, Logan Thomas

Master's Theses

This research examines the status of economic and social rights (ESR) in Appalachia by examining county-level data for both the region and entire United States. Individual rights and total ESR fulfillment are examined based upon indices utilized in the research. Effort to fulfill ESR is also examined based upon available resources, as measured by per capita income in the counties. Findings indicate that the northern part of the region experiences both high fulfillment and effort, the central part of the region experiences low fulfillment and average effort, and the southern part of the region experiences average fulfillment and low effort.

Utilization Of An Anti-Nnk Recombinant Antibody To Reduce The Harm Associated With Smokeless Tobacco, Heather L. Wanczyk

Master's Theses

Tobacco products, both combustible and smokeless, contain abundant amounts of toxic chemicals and carcinogens capable of causing extensive damage to the body. Tobacco specific nitrosamines, including 4-(methylnitrosoamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and N’-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), are among the most potent of these carcinogens and are capable of eliciting cellular transformations within the body after bioactivation by cytochrome P450 enzymes. In order to reduce the harm associated with smokeless tobacco, a recombinant anti-NNK antibody has been constructed from a hybridoma secreting a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for NNK.

In work performed previously, hybridomas were created by constructing a structurally-related benzoyl derivative …