Digital Commons Network^™

Survival Analysis Of Commercial Stock Pinus Radiata (D.Don) Outplanted In A Pitch Canker Infected Stand, Nathan A. Smith

Master's Theses

Fusarium circinatum (Nirenberg & O'Donnell) or pitch canker, has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the economies which depend on the harvest and refined processing of Pinus radiata (D.Don) saw/”fiber” logs. This negative financial impact is compounded with environmental implications. These reasons are why Chile, New Zealand, and Australia, the principal producers of exotic Pinus radiata have entered into a coalition under ENSIS with the title of the IMPACT project (Balocchi et al., 1999). The field trial associated with the IMPACT project was located at Swanton Pacific Ranch; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s Ranch in Davenport, California. Soil …

The Relation Between Externalizing Behaviors Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder And The Externalizing Behaviors, Internalizing Symptoms, And Social Problems Of Their Typically-Developing Siblings, Theodore S. Tomeny

Master's Theses

Existing literature regarding the maladjustment of siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains inconclusive. Some studies suggest that difficulties associated with having a child with an ASD in the family result in an adverse experience for both parents and siblings. Dissent within. the literature suggests that certain factors, both environmental and genetic, must be present for maladjustment to occur in typically-developing siblings. Parents of a child with an ASD and a typicallydeveloping sibling (ASD group) and parents of two typically-developing siblings (Control group) provided data via online questionnaires. Both diagnostic category and autism symptoms severity were tested …

Antecedents And Continuity Of Compliance In Preschoolers, Lauren Gindin

Master's Theses

Self-regulation, and compliance behavior specifically, has been implicated in the development of successful socialization. Difficulty self-regulating has led to negative outcomes in areas such as academic success and mental health, and a number of possible contributors, such as temperament, maternal sensitivity and attachment, have been identified. In this study, we examined these possible predictors of preschool compliance behavior through causal modeling utilizing a large and diverse longitudinal dataset from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. We aimed to predict compliance and delay of gratification performance in children across 2, 3 and 4.5 years of age by …

Possibility Of Consolidated Wetland Mitigation In A Multi-Layered Legislated State, Juan P. Correa

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Cdse-Zns Core-Shell Quantum Dots For Increased Quantum Yield, Joshua James Angell

Master's Theses

Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that have tunable emission through changes in their size. Producing bright, efficient quantum dots with stable fluorescence is important for using them in applications in lighting, photovoltaics, and biological imaging. This study aimed to optimize the process for coating CdSe quantum dots (which are colloidally suspended in octadecene) with a ZnS shell through the pyrolysis of organometallic precursors to increase their fluorescence and stability. This process was optimized by determining the ZnS shell thickness between 0.53 and 5.47 monolayers and the Zn:S ratio in the precursor solution between 0.23:1 and 1.6:1 that maximized the relative …

Effects Of Milk Processing On The Milk Fat Globule Membrane Constituents, Xiomara E. Elías-Argote

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Effects of Milk Processing on the Milk Fat Globule Membrane Constituents

Xiomara E. Elías-Argote

The milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) is avidly studied by many groups of scientists around the world due to its unprecedented nutritional and functional properties; however, limited research has been performed on the effects of milk processing on the chemical changes of the MFGM. Thus, this study highlights the changes that lipids and proteins undergo from the time milk leaves cow’s udders. Cooling (4 °C) was included along with subsequent pasteurization by different traditional thermal processes and cold pasteurization by pulse light ultra violet treatment. …

Evaluation Of Vacuum Packaging On The Physical Properties, Solubility, And Storage Space Of Dairy Powders, Hadi Eshpari

Master's Theses

As many of the dairy powders manufactured have to travel long distances to reach their customers, both domestically and internationally, there is considerable interest among dairy powder manufacturers to maintain the quality of their products for relatively long storage periods. Dairy powders can have a long shelf life if packaged and stored properly. Vacuum packaging can be an attractive packaging strategy to maintain the quality of dairy powders and provide added value by improving the efficiency of using the storage space; because of the inherent compactness of these products. Vacuum packaged dry dairy ingredients may also have added ease of …

The Education Reform Of Tap And Value-Added Assessment: Teacher Merit Pay That Reinvigorates Standardized Testing And Detracts From 21st Century Learning Skills, Shawn Scharer Greenelsh

Master's Theses

In the last two decades, ignoring the bulk of educational research findings, policymakers shaped educational policy into a standardized testing movement that now dominates education. Now, to comply with No Child Left Behind, teachers and administrators shape curriculum in a way that maximizes student achievement measured by these tests. Recently, business and educational leaders initiated a reform movement to broaden curriculum, narrowed by this inadequate standardized testing movement, so that necessary 21st century learning skills can be practiced through project-based learning. The Federal Government’s enforcement of power over education created the climate that defined the current educational policy that gave …

Flexural Behavior Of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block Shear Walls Subjected To In-Plane Loading, Bradley James Stirling

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the flexural behavior of interlocking compressed earth block (ICEB) shear walls. In-plane cyclic tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of three flexure dominant large scale ICEB specimens: a slim wall with a 2:1 height to width aspect ratio, a flanged wall, and a wall with an opening at the center. Following the experimental investigation, two types of analyses were conducted for calculating the ultimate strength of flexure dominant ICEB walls: a nonlinear static analysis model assuming lumped plasticity and a plastic analysis model. In addition, incremental dynamic analysis was conducted to address the seismic performance of …

Creating Software Libraries To Improve Medical Device Testing Of The Pacing System Analyzer (Psa) At St. Jude Medical, Joel Canlas

Master's Theses

Software testing, specifically in the medical device field, has become increasingly complex over the last decade. Technological enhancements to simulate clinical scenarios and advancements in communicating to medical devices have created the need for better testing strategies and methodologies. Typical medical device companies have depended on manual testing processes to fulfill Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submission requirements specifically Class III devices which are life supporting, life sustaining devices. At St. Jude Medical, software testing of Class III devices such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), pacemakers, and pacing analyzers are given top priority to ensure the highest quality in each product. …

Investigation Of Mirnas Expression In A Citron-Kinase Mutant Model Of Microcephaly, Shan Parikh

Master's Theses

Mutation of Citron-Kinase (Cit-K) in rodents causes substantial reductions in the number of neurons generated in the CNS and results in a primary microcephaly-like phenotype. Evidence from drosophila genetics has further established a genetic link between Cit-K and a protein Argonaut 1 (AGO1), which is required for proper functioning of the miRNA machinery (2). Experiments characterizing the role of miRNAs in the developing cortex demonstrate the requirement of miRNAs for differentiation of neural progenitor cells starting at embryonic day 12.5 (3). Together, this evidence links the role of miRNAs to neurogenesis and thus this relationship warrants further investigation. Here miRNA …

A Comparative Analysis Of Different Fields Of View In Cone Beam Computed Tomography Imaging To Identify The Inferior Alveolar Nerve Canal, Ibrahim Yamany

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Reconfigurable Sampling For Enhanced Energy Efficiency In Power-Constrained Wireless Systems, Timothy Kurp

Master's Theses

Advancement in microelectronics and wireless communications has nurtured the development of low power and low cost wireless systems such as sensor networks. Each node is typically driven by a battery, which has a limited energy capacity that directly constrains node, and network lifetime. This presents a bottleneck for the widespread exploitation of wireless sensing technology. Therefore, improving the energy efficiency of wireless sensing devices is of critical importance and has attracted the attention of the research community.

In this work, a data-driven method has been proposed and systematically investigated. Specifically, this technique reconfigures, in real time, the rate of data …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Xanthophyll Composition On Energy Transfer And Quenching In Light-Harvesting Complexes From The Diatom, Phaeodactylum Tricornutum, Jose L. Robinson Duggon

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Open Space Planning; Utilizing Green Infrastructure To Preserve Community, Cynthia V. Reynolds

Master's Theses

Current sprawl development patterns typical of contemporary development in the United States are unsustainable. The uniform development guidelines prevent context sensitive community design, degrading our communities and consuming large amounts of natural and cultural resources. Significant progress has been made in reorganizing community planning towards sustainable development practices. However, these alternatives still work under the misconception that there is a disconnect between planning open space networks and planning development. Through a comprehensive land use planning approach, this project explores combining concepts of landscape ecology, green infrastructure planning and conservation subdivision patterns to design an integrative open space/community network.

The Regulation Of Liv-1 Mrna In Mda-Mb-231 Human Breast Cancer Cells And Its Association With E-Cadherin (Cdh1), Leelyn Chong

Master's Theses

LIV-1, the estrogen-regulated gene encoding a member of the ZIP family of zinc transporters (SLC39A6), has been implicated in both growth and metastasis of estrogen-receptor (ER) positive (+) and negative (-) breast cancer cells. In ER⁺ breast cancer cells, LIV-1 expression is induced by both estrogen and insulin. In embryonic cells, LIV-1 has also been negatively associated with the expression of the cell adhesion protein, E-cadherin (CDH1), thought to play a role in metastasis. In the present study, we investigated the regulation of LIV-1 and its relationship to CDH1 in MDA-MB-231 ER^- breast cancer cells. Cells were …

The Power Of Networks: Social Capital And Its Influence In College Student Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment Of Female Sports Reporters, Brittany M. Perotti

Master's Theses

For decades, women have sought legal remedy as they tried to break through the metaphorical glass ceiling in a male-dominated workforce. In their efforts to make it to higher positions of power, many endured the subtle taunts and comments, while others struggled with blatant discrimination and environments that clearly did not welcome women (Hardin & Shain, 2005a; 2005b), including their own place of work (Hardin & Whiteside, 2009). In multiple studies, female sports journalists admitted to sexual harassment, but dismissed it as part of the job (Hardin & Shain, 2006; 2005a; 2005b). Public outcry over this phenomenon is minimal, and …

Three-Dimensional Evaluation Of The Effect Of Maxillary Incisor Retraction On The Palatal Bone And Root Resorption, Jessica R. Lynch Dmd

Master's Theses

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare pre-treatment and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography images of patients to quantitatively evaluate the effect of orthodontically retracting maxillary incisors on the height and labiolingual thickness of labial and palatal alveolar bone and incisor apical root resorption. Methods: Maxillary central incisor apical root resorption, labial and palatal alveolar bone height, and labiolingual thickness were assessed on pre-treatment and post-treatment cone-beam computed tomography scans of 59 subjects (mean age, 13.00 years) with premolar extractions and 63 subjects (mean age, 13.40 years) who were treated with non-extraction therapy. Results: The mean incisor apical root …

Applied Control Strategies At A Cogeneration Plant, Joseph William Burns

Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of “classical strategies for dynamic control” on authentic cogeneration processes. These strategies are applied to several processes at the University of Connecticut’s cogeneration plant. Case studies of their applications are presented in this paper. Strategies that are applied include the following:

1) The classical SISO feedback structure

2) The First Order Plus Dead Time (FOPDT) process model

3) The Internal Model Control (IMC) correlations for PI controller tuning

4) Static feed forward with feedback trim

5) Cascade Control

Understanding The Behavioral Determinants Of Retention In Hiv Care: A Qualitative Evaluation Of The Situated Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills Model Of Care Initiation And Maintenance, Laramie Smith

Master's Theses

The goal of this study is to identify the content and context of critical informational, motivational, and behavioral skills related facilitators and barriers influencing retention in HIV care in an inner-city clinic population receiving clinic- and outreach-based HIV care services. Elicitation of retention-relevant factors was guided by the Situated Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model of Care Initiation and Maintenance, using qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive content coding were used to identify important theory-based dynamics of retention in HIV care and to identify factors discussed as important to retention in HIV-care that were not well specified by the model. Participants’ experiences …

Model Based Assessment Of Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On The Flow Of The Main Headwaters Of The Nile River: Equatorial Lakes Region And Blue Nile Basins, Fisseha G. Berhane

Master's Theses

Berhane Fisseha. Model based assessment of potential impacts of climate change on the flow of the main headwaters of the Nile River: Equatorial Lakes Region and Blue Nile basins (Under the direction of Dr. Richard Anyah).

Spatially and temporally detailed assessment of the hydrologic processes of the main sources of the Nile River headwaters (Blue Nile basin and Equatorial Lakes Region) is vital for basin-wide scale management to cope with the pressing water problems due to burgeoning populations, a growing demand for electricity, irrigation for food production and possible climate change.

The main objectives of this study were to use …

Isolation Of Antifungal Lactic Acid Bacteria From Food Sources And Their Use To Inhibit Mold Growth In Cheese, Dan Zhao

Master's Theses

A large amount of cheese is lost every year due to mold contamination. Biopreservation, which is the use of biological entities (microbes) and their metabolites to suppress microbial spoilage instead of chemical preservatives has lately gained increasing interest. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have the potential for use in biopreservation, because they are safe to consume and naturally exist in many foods. In this study, fifteen strains of lactobacilli isolated from dairy products, vegetables, and fermented pickles were tested by agar overlay assay for their anti-mold activity. Six strains grown on MRS agar showed strong inhibitory activity against a target mold …

Part A: The Use Of Nonionic Associative Polymers For The Thickening And Emulsifying Of Personal Care Products/ Part B: The Synthesis Of A Manganese Sod Mimetic For Reactive Coatings, Mallory Lynn Mcmahon

Master's Theses

Part A

The use of nonionic associative thickeners was proposed for personal care applications.  Various limitations of current rheology modifiers used in personal care were discussed.  Nonionic associative polymers were examined as both thickeners and emulsifiers.  The structure/property relationship for nonionic polymers and their ability to thicken and emulsify were fully examined.  Results showed an increase in thickening efficiency for nonionic associative polymers with higher log(P) (partition coefficient) values.  This was due to the formation of smaller aggregates and increased bridging between aggregates.  The connection between oil polarity, log(P) of the associative polymer, and emulsion stability showed no relationship however; …

Groundwater Recharge Areas: Identification And Protection Within The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Jurisdiction, Justin Corser Sutton Iv

Master's Theses

This master’s project was conducted under the direction of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) to assist with augmenting their Basin Plan.    An investigation of the current practices for identifying and managing groundwater recharge areas was conducted, and strategies for protecting water quality by managing land uses in groundwater recharge areas were developed.  Data sources included a review of agency documents, websites, and maps; interviews with stakeholders, and literature research.  Data from these sources provided the foundation on which to base strategies for maintaining and improving groundwater quality in the Central Coast Hydrologic Region.  This project …

The Effect Of Processing Parameters And Methylcellulose On Texture And Consumer Acceptability Of A Non-Melting Dairy Protein Gel, Joshua Goldman

Master's Theses

The overall goal was to understand the capabilities of a dairy based meat alternative.  This was done in three phases: 1) the production of a dairy protein gel as a base for a dairy based meat alternative, 2) texturization of the dairy protein gel base to produce a nugget like texture, and 3) a consumer test to determine the acceptability of the dairy based nugget compared to meat and meat alternatives on the market.

For phase I, a dairy protein gel base was tested to understand the textural attributes.  Milk to whey percentages and level of acidification were examined to …

In-Plane Cyclic Shear Performance Of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block Walls, David William Bland

Master's Theses

This thesis presents results from testing of interlocking compressed earth block (CEB) masonry shear walls.  CEBs are low strength earth masonry units sometimes stabilized with cement or lime.  The interlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEBs) used in this experiment are dry stacked interlocking hollow units, which can be reinforced and grouted after they are laid.  Although significant research has been undertaken to optimize the material properties of CEBs, little has been done to investigate the performance of structural systems currently being built using this technology.

Test results are reported for three 1800 mm x 1800 mm wall specimens constructed with cement …

Structure Climbing Monkey Robot, Paul Bessent

Master's Theses

This report describes the design, building, and testing of the Structure Climbing Monkey Robot (SCMR). It is composed of seven successive joints and linkages with two grippers at the two ends. Each gripper can act as the base or the end of the robot. The SCMR has the ability to climb any structure. The gripper plates can be changed to grab different kinds of structures, but this one is made to grab 2x4‘s. A program was written to assist the user to grab four non-coplanar, non-orthogonal points.

The SCMR is actuated by a total of nine motors: two to open …

A Novel Exercise Device For Users In Wheelchairs: A Study Of Abdominal Muscle Activation, Rebecca Jo Campbell

Master's Theses

This study evaluates the use of a wheelchair balance board. The balance board was created as a sensory stimulation tool for users with various disabilities. It was originally designed to create vestibular stimulation for the person after they were loaded on.  This study was used as a way to test if the balance board could be used for other things such as physical therapy and exercise.  Ten able-bodied individuals were used to show the functionality of the device.  They were asked to perform six different abdominal exercises while the muscle activity of their rectus abdominis and external obliques was measured …

The City Of Lake Charles Bicycle And Pedestrian Master Plan, Anthony Adams

Master's Theses

This thesis was done in the professional project format.  It was completed as a deliverable to the City of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  It was developed in accordance with the State of Louisiana Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

A bicycle and pedestrian master plan is a document meant to serve as a guide to staff and decision-makers on how to best develop future bicycle and pedestrian improvements.  It is a comprehensive document that identifies and prioritizes new projects for sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and off-street paths.  It accomplishes this by following these steps:

1.      Identify existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

2.      Provide …

Forced Vibration Testing And Analysis Of Pre- And Post- Retrofit Buildings, Erica Dawn Jacobsen

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Forced Vibration Testing and Analysis of Pre- and Post- Retrofit Buildings

Erica Dawn Jacobsen

The primary goal of the thesis was to detect the retrofit through vibration testing of both buildings.  The secondary goal focused on correctly identifying the behavior of the building through FVT, comparing that behavior to computational model predictions, and determining the necessary level of detail to include in the computational modeling.  Forced vibration testing (FVT) of two stiff-wall/flexible-diaphragm buildings yielded natural frequencies and mode shapes for the two buildings.  The buildings were nearly identical with the exception that one had been retrofitted.  Both buildings were …