Digital Commons Network^™

Benthic Macroinvertebrate Pre-Assessment Of A Proposed Restoration In The Grand River, Grand Rapids, Mi, Usa, Matthew L. Bain

Masters Theses

River restoration is the dominant field of applied water resources management in the United States. Ecological improvement should be the goal of all river restorations, though many restoration projects fail to produce positive results due to limited scope or inadequate assessment methodologies. Pre-restoration, biotic data is essential for such projects as it can be paired with post-restoration data to gauge ecological outcomes. A major restoration effort is now underway in Michigan's longest river, the Grand River, where it flows through downtown Grand Rapids. The primary restoration measures will occur in-stream at local scale. We conducted a pre- restoration survey for …

Beyond All Worlds: George Macdonald, The Pre-Tolkienians, And The Forgotten Possibilities Of Fantasy, Ethan Patrick Stevens

Masters Theses

The history of modern fantasy has been powerfully shaped by the worldbuilding paradigm so successfully executed in J.R.R. Tolkien's 1954-55 trilogy The Lord of the Rings. However, there were nearly a hundred and fifty years of creative work between the birth of fantasy as a genre and Tolkien’s publication of The Lord of the Rings. By examining the pre-Tolkienian fantasists, we find that Tolkien's way of exhaustive consistency was not, and is not, the only way to write fantasy. Phantastes (1858), the first novel by the influential Victorian fantasist George MacDonald, defies contemporary worldbuilding standards almost constantly in …

Joint Failure Probability Of Dams Based On Probabilistic Flood Hazard Analysis, Matthew G. Montgomery

Masters Theses

Probabilistic risk methods are becoming increasingly accepted as a means of carrying out risk-informed decision making regarding the design and operation of structures such as dams. Probabilistic risk calculations require the quantification of epistemic and aleatory uncertainties not investigated through deterministic methodologies. In this hydrological study, a stochastic sampling methodology is employed to investigate the joint failure probability of three dams in adjacent, similarly sized watersheds within the same Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 6 basin. A Probabilistic Flood Hazard Analysis (PFHA) framework is used to simulate the hydrologic loading of a wide range of extreme precipitation events across the combined …

Benchmarking Of Embedded Object Detection In Optical And Radar Scenes, Vijaysrinivas Rajagopal

Masters Theses

A portable, real-time vital sign estimation protoype is developed using neural network- based localization, multi-object tracking, and embedded processing optimizations. The system estimates heart and respiration rates of multiple subjects using directional of arrival techniques on RADAR data. This system is useful in many civilian and military applications including search and rescue.

The primary contribution from this work is the implementation and benchmarking of neural networks for real time detection and localization on various systems including the testing of eight neural networks on a discrete GPU and Jetson Xavier devices. Mean average precision (mAP) and inference speed benchmarks were performed. …

Rumen Biogeographical Regions And Their Impact On Microbial And Metabolome Variation, Macey P. Soltis

Masters Theses

The rumen microbiome is a complex microbial network critical to the health and nutrition of its host, due to their inherent ability to convert low-quality feedstuffs into energy. In rumen microbiome studies, the ventral sac is sampled from due to ease of access and repeatability. However, anatomical musculature demarcates the rumen into five sacs which may support distinct microbial communities. The distinction among the microbes may generate functional variation among the rumen microbiome, thus, specialized tasks within different sacs. The objective of this study was to determine the rumen liquid metabolome and epimural, planktonic, and fiber-adherent bacterial communities among each …

Predicting Immunization Status At Arrival In Tennessee Stocker Calves, Claire E. Hunkler

Masters Theses

Bovine respiratory disease is a multifaceted disease with agent, host, and environmental factors. Stocker calves are at high risk of contracting the disease through many stressors like weaning, transportation, commingling, etc. The purpose of this project was to test if externally observed physical characteristics of calves on arrival at a stocker facility can be used to predict calfhood vaccination status determined based on antibody titer levels. Knowledge of highly correlated characteristics could allow stocker operators to reduce the occurrence of BRD through targeted management strategies, thus lowering morbidity, mortality, and treatment costs. Ear notches, blood, and visual characteristics were collected …

Suicide At The Intersection Of Race And Gender, Marina Geider

Masters Theses

Sociological studies have examined suicide rate differences between groups since the work of Durkheim in 1897, and current literature still draws on his classic theories and methods. Although research has begun identifying the social factors that affect the suicides of Black and White populations differentially, little progress has been made towards an understanding of Black female suicide. The present study takes an intersectional approach to Durkheim's social integration-regulation thesis to bridge this gap. Several negative binomial regression analyses were employed to model suicide counts for Black men, Black women, non-Hispanic White men, and non-Hispanic White women in the United States. …

Development Of A Low-Dose Radiation Therapy Device For Acute Respritory Distress Syndrome, Thomas Heath Davis

Masters Theses

This research focuses on the development of a low dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) device for treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a respiratory illness that affects millions of people a year. The use of orthovoltage (200 – 500 keV) X-ray energy provides many advantages over traditional radiotherapy delivery with linear accelerators, such as low cost and greater accessibility. In addition, X-ray tubes have been shown throughout history to provide good treatment outcomes for pneumonia, and research has shown LD-RT to be just as effective with ARDS. This proposal summarizes my efforts in determining the dosimetric properties of a LD-RT system …

A Study Of The Link Between Poor Quality And Poor Performance Of Various Health Care Indicators, Lamara L. Glass

Masters Theses

Abstract

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of present research investigation is to explore the correlation between poor performance indicators and poor quality in the Health care industry and to present an idea on improving the quality of the outcome in health care services by altering the KPIs.

The Nature of the Problem

The quality of healthcare may be evaluated using a variety of parameters, including safety, efficacy, and person-centeredness. For example, the former relates to the degree of precision with which procedures may produce desired results. External comparisons between different health care facilities, as well as KPIs specified for …

Electric Vehicle Aggregation Considering Fast-Charging For Power System Applications, Trey I. Mingee

Masters Theses

The electric grid has become one of the most important pieces of technology for modern society, providing power to homes and businesses at all hours of the day. Future increases of worldwide electricity demand along with growing threats of contingency scenarios such as cyberattacks cause great concerns regarding the reliability of the grid. Further, the gradual shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources creates a significant need for grid support services to aid in its operation. Electric vehicles will become more prevalent in coming decades; these modules present unique loads to the system that are prime candidates for use …

Repeatability And Reproducibility Analyses For Structured Light Scanning, Leah Jacobs

Masters Theses

Structured light scanning is used to create a digital twin of a manufactured part. Features can be extracted from this digital twin to determine if the part meets the designer’s intent and required tolerances. This paper describes a repeatability and reproducibility study for a selected structured light scanning system and measurement artifact.

A Study Comparing “Better Body Bags” Versus Standard White Body Bags To Estimate Relative Preservation Of Human Genomic And Morphological Information, Serena A. Thariath

Masters Theses

In disaster scenarios, identification of the dead usually is delayed until after help is given to the living. During delays in recovery and transport of deceased individuals, decomposition of soft tissues will occur at a fast rate if individuals are not refrigerated. The Better Body Bag, or BBB, was designed for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with features such as a vacuum seal, reflective coating, and absorbent pad to help delay the onset of decomposition that could render someone unidentifiable. In this study, the BBB was tested to determine if the individuals placed within a BBB yielded …

Path Planning For Additive Manufacturing Of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing And Blue Light Fringe Projection Scanning, Tiffany Patricia Quigley

Masters Theses

Current methods of manufacturing large scale parts can take up to six months to generate the objective product. The objective of the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) hybrid cell is to significantly reduce lead time associated with large scale parts. The WAAM process utilizes a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) robot manipulator in addition to a 2 DOF part positioner. 5 degrees of freedom are necessary for an effective WAAM process, leaving 3 DOF as redundant in this cell. This thesis serves to prove successful implementation of redundant kinematics on a WAAM robotic system. This is accomplished by maintaining a gravity aligned …

The Rhythm Of The Land: Women’S Use Of Plants During The Pigeon Phase Of Magic Waters (31jk291) In Cherokee, North Carolina, Kelly Dean Santana

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on the paleoethnobotanical remains of the Pigeon phase village component of the Magic Waters site, 31JK291. The Pigeon phase represented the early Middle Woodland period in the western North Carolina region and spans from approximately 200 BC to AD 200, situated in between the earlier Swannanoa phase (1000 BC to 200 BC) and the later Connestee phase (AD 200 to AD 800; Ward and Davis 1999). The site of Magic Waters is located adjacent to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel in Cherokee, Jackson County, North Carolina, among the Blue Ridge ecoregion of the Appalachian Summit. The site …

Optimized 3d-Printing Of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polyether-Ether-Ketone (Cfr-Peek) For Use In Overmolded Lattice Composite, Ryan C. Ogle

Masters Theses

Current orthopedic implants are overwhelmingly composed from metallic materials. These implants show superior mechanical properties, but this can additionally result in stress shielding due to a modulus mismatch between the bone tissue and implanted device. Polymeric implants reduce this stress shielding effect but have much lower mechanical properties, limiting their use. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a widely used biodegradable thermoplastic polymer, however, its use has been limited by the polymer’s mechanical properties and rapid loss of strength during degradation in vivo. Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is another common biocompatible polymer , with chemical and mechanical properties which make it a popular alternative …

Body Size Interactions With Pubic Symphysis Age-At-Death Estimation: A Critical Analysis Of Senescence Of The Pubic Symphysis Components, Elizabeth A. Ronald

Masters Theses

Biological anthropologists struggle with accuracy and precision during age-at-death estimation when attempting to correlate biological age with chronological age, especially in older adults. Research has shown that intrinsic and extrinsic factors can cause this discrepancy. Anthropologists have recently found that body size may affect age-at-death estimation, with larger individuals being more commonly overaged and smaller individuals being underaged (Merritt, 2019; Wescott and Drew, 2015). This study elaborates on previous work in three ways. First, by applying Hartnett’s (2010) pubic symphysis phase method as the age-at-death estimation method used, which has not been assessed for body size interactions and is likely …

Disclosure Of Sexual Trauma To Romantic Partners: Examining Ptsd Clusters, Partner Reactions, Perceived Partner Responsiveness, And Relationship Satisfaction, Lynsey Hinnenkamp

Masters Theses

The present study examined romantic relational outcomes among individuals who have experienced unwanted or forced sexual contact. Specifically, we explored the relationship between disclosure of sexual trauma to a romantic partner and relationship satisfaction among a sample (N = 214) of community participants, and examined whether PTSD clusters, partner reactions, and perceived partner responsiveness mediated that relationship. Individuals were recruited via announcements and flyers from community organizations and advertisements on social media. Participants completed a number of measures that assessed level of disclosure, PTSD symptoms, partner reactions to disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness, and relationship satisfaction in regards to the romantic …

Secular Change In Croatian Male Crania: 1812-1973, Ileana Ilas

Masters Theses

The study of secular change is the study of changes that have taken place in the human body during recent centuries. Although changes that affect populations are generally understood to occur over many centuries and millennia, anthropological studies have shown that population changes have occurred in the last two centuries, over a relatively small time period comprising a mere two hundred years. Biological anthropologists in particular are interested in how the human skeleton has changed in recent history, whether in the limbs, the torso, or the cranium. Changes have been observed in all areas of the skeleton, and these changes …

Performance Evaluation Of Sediment Basin Designs For Highway Construction Sites In Tennessee, Jeffery Cole Emmett Jr

Masters Theses

Performance of three sediment basin designs were tested; they were: 1) the TDEC standard design with a forebay, 2) the TDOT design with an inlet check dam, and 3) the TDOT standard design that does not include an inlet check dam. An 1/17 of an acre scaled physical model sediment basin, was constructed next to an elevated outdoor open flume used to mix known water volumes and sediment mass routed by gravity-flow into the basin. The measurement for performance was simply the percent sediment mass retained in the basin from the total input per experimental run (percent sediment removal). Three …

A Two-Phase Multicommodity Flow Approach For Classroom Assignment, Hannah Smith

Masters Theses

A common problem faced by universities is the assignment of courses to campus-hosted spaces. An optimal solution is difficult to reach, given the number of constraints present. Increasing student enrollment across campus leads to a need for a model that optimally assigns courses to spaces that maximizes the total number of courses taught in person. This paper poses a solution to this problem by generating a two-phase model to allocate courses to campus-hosted spaces. The two-phase approach to classroom assignment consists of a minimum-weighted bipartite matching for priority assignment and a multicommodity flow model to assign remaining courses. The optimal …

Iron Nanoparticles For Magnetic Imaging Applications, Aleia Williams

Masters Theses

Extensive research on iron oxide nanoparticles for various applications including nanomedicine, energy applications, environmental remediation, and magnetic imaging have previously been performed. Many are currently FDA approved as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents and tracers for magnetic particle imaging applications. Magnetic properties of such materials are crucial to obtain good contrast and resolution. However, studies have shown the magnetic properties of iron oxide nanoparticles are less in comparison to those found in pure iron nanoparticle.

This research involves the synthesis and characterization of iron nanoparticles for applications in magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, magnetic particle imaging tracers, and therapeutic agents …

Psychological Flexibility, Music Performance Anxiety, And Perceived Performance Quality: A Correlational Study With University Music Students, Tracy Lianne Viator

Masters Theses

Despite the pervasiveness of music performance anxiety (MPA) among musicians, the scientific literature on effective psychological interventions is relatively limited. While some MPA researchers regard cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) as the best suited psychotherapeutic option, others position acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as both a promising treatment for MPA and means of performance enhancement. A third-wave behavioral therapy, ACT stands apart from traditional CBT in that the treatment does not attempt to reduce symptoms, but rather aims to increase psychological flexibility: the ability to contact the present moment with full awareness and engage in values-congruent action, even if doing so elicits …

Staphylococcal Surface Proteins As Vaccine Candidates For The Control Of Staphylococcal Mastitis In Dairy Cows, Jessica Jean Vidlund

Masters Theses

Bovine mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, is the single most costly disease of dairy cattle. Staphylococci, a major bacteria that cause bovine mastitis, are commonly divided into two major groups: Staphylococcus aureus and non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), previously known as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (CNS). Current mastitis control programs are not fully effective against staphylococcal mastitis and antibiotics are not sustainable due to limited success and the emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria. Non-antibiotic sustainable control tools, such as effective vaccines, are critically needed. Our lab developed and evaluated Staphylococcus aureus surface associated protein (SASP) and Staphylococcus chromogenes surface associated protein …

Implementation Of The Plan For Every Part (Pfep) Tool And Additional Methodologies For Operational Improvement., Bernardo Luis Borges Pedroso

Masters Theses

The work focused on the inventory management of Dimplex Thermal Solutions, which had a profoundly overstocked warehouse and was suffering from significant operating expenses, due to the absence of a grounded ordering policy and the need to rent external storage space, respectively.

The main objective of the thesis was to solve the primarily mentioned problems, by constructing a Plan For Every Part (PFEP) tool, followed by the application of an inventory policy and the proposal of a redesigned warehouse layout, to compute ideal stock values and calculate the footprint requirements for Dimplex’s updated inventory levels, respectively. The execution step concerned …

Microplastic Accumulation In Terrestrial Gastropods And Soils, Gregory B. Bonilla

Masters Theses

Microplastics (MPs) have become an emerging threat to ecosystems across the world. Transport, impacts, and fates are grossly understudied, especially in terrestrial environments. Current research on MP bioaccumulation has focused mainly on aquatic organisms with little study of terrestrial organisms, including snails where data are nearly nonexistent. To address this, we collected and examined land snails and their surrounding soil for MP content in shell and tissue. From September 11, 2020, to October 25, 2021, cover boards were placed (n=30) along relatively undisturbed sites in hardwood, forested areas, and tall grasses in a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Oak Ridge …

Systematic Evaluation Of Database Builds In Metaproteomics For The Advancement Of Microbiome Research, Katherine E. Ostrouchov

Masters Theses

The microscopic life that inhabits a human shares a unique bond with its host. Microbes perform many functions that are vital to the survival of the human species and have long been shown to regulate the absorption of nutrients and to promote immune function. A lack of exposure to certain microbes early in life, excessive antibiotic usage, and improper diet can perturb human microbiomes and lead to disease. Since the emergence of omic sequencing technologies, it has now become possible to measure and monitor the genes and proteins made by these microorganisms to better understand how they contribute to host …

Quantifying Support Practice Factor Values For Sediment Retention Devices Using Wepp, Karen W. Abercrombie

Masters Theses

Sediment is the most prevalent pollutant in waterways in the United States. Construction sites and roadways have both been identified as considerable contributors to sediment pollution, as they experience 10 to 20 times more soil loss than agricultural sites; however, this erosion can be mitigated through the utilization of best management practices, including erosion prevention and sediment control devices. An estimation of soil erosion can be determined empirically through the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), the industry standard, or via a deterministic model, the water erosion prevention project (WEPP), to determine the optimal sediment control device to employ. Due …

Comparison Of Bone Mineral Density In Female Mountain Cyclists, Road Cyclists, And Runners, Sierra Sims

Masters Theses

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are far more common in women than men. The levels of bone mineral density (BMD) in women mountain cyclists are unknown. PURPOSE: To compare the BMD of recreational road (n = 12) and mountain (n = 15) women cyclists with age- and training volume-matched women runners (n = 17), 20-40 years of age. METHODS: Forty-six women volunteered to take part in the study. All participants completed food frequency questionnaires that assessed calcium, vitamin D, and caffeine intake and a life-long physical activity questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and age) and 1-repetition maximal tests to find leg and …

Instagram Ideals: College Women's Body Image And Social Comparison, Paige K. Hill

Masters Theses

The present study unveils several themes that detail female college students’ experience, usage, and social comparison trends on Instagram, with a particular emphasis on body image. Compared to a study conducted by Meta Inc., which found that social comparison disproportionately affected young females (Social Comparison Exploratory Research, 2020), this study highlights insights directly expressed by young females in college concerning their past and current experiences on the platform. With over 90% of women in colleges across the United States reporting body and image dissatisfaction (Pritchard & Cramblitt, 2014), this study aims to contribute to existing literature, showcasing whether female students …

Uranium Holdup Mass Quantification By Hybrid Gamma Imaging, Blake R. Montz

Masters Theses

Accurate quantification of uranium holdup is crucial in the efficient operation of many processing facilities involved with special nuclear material (SNM). The varying shapes and sizes of holdup deposits can make accurate quantification a challenge. The most common approach is the Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) method which simplifies the shape of the deposit to a point, line, or area source. Although the GGH method is quick and easy to implement, the oversimplifying assumptions can lead to systematic uncertainties as high as 50%. The research presented here is exploring gamma-ray imaging as a more accurate method of quantifying deposits. A PHDs …