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Masters Theses

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Power Optimization Of Solar Powered Standalone Wireless Sensor System, Rajan Amatya Dec 2018

Power Optimization Of Solar Powered Standalone Wireless Sensor System, Rajan Amatya

Masters Theses

Wireless sensor systems are common in applications where harsh environmental conditions or remote locations make it difficult to run wires. Having these sensor systems self-powered is essential as it is difficult for battery replacement. Using solar as an alternative source of energy can be a medium to charge the battery in such scenarios. With an increasing number of portable devices powered by battery; more and more research is focused on low-power design technique. For this thesis, a microcontroller (Texas Instruments MSP432) was used along with a digital sensor (Bosch BME280) to provide temperature, pressure and humidity information, and Wi-Fi module …


Is Tpmt Testing A Predictor Of Duration Of Use Or Long-Term Benefit Of Thiopurine Agents?, Shatoya R. Wilson Dec 2018

Is Tpmt Testing A Predictor Of Duration Of Use Or Long-Term Benefit Of Thiopurine Agents?, Shatoya R. Wilson

Masters Theses

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affects as many as 1.3 million Americans and includes both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Recent practices have moved towards using immunomodulators early in the course of disease to prevent disease progression. Patients have shown improved outcomes on immunomodulators compared to aminosalicylates, and reduced risk for tachyphylaxis compared to corticosteroid treatment. Thiopurine agents such as azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine are immunomodulators often used to treat IBD. Unfortunately, many patients experience cytotoxicity from thiopurine use. Recent studies have shown that patients deficient in thiopurine-S-methyltransferase (TMPT), produce an overabundance of the therapeutic end product, 6-thioguanine nucleotide …


Enabling Robust Distributed Real-Time Hybrid Simulation Method And Expanding Its Applications In Floating Wind Turbine Systems, Mehmet Cinar Dec 2018

Enabling Robust Distributed Real-Time Hybrid Simulation Method And Expanding Its Applications In Floating Wind Turbine Systems, Mehmet Cinar

Masters Theses

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS), which integrates physical experiment and numerical simulation, plays an essential role in understanding the time-dependent behavior of structures when subject to hazardous loadings. On the other hand, RTHS might not yield accurate results for complex structural systems due to experimental and computational limitations. Distributed real-time hybrid simulation (dRTHS), which takes the advantage of distributed laboratory facilities using network communications, was proposed and proven to address some limitations in RTHS. During dRTHS, Internet delay due to the network communication is added to the actuator delay in RTHS, which may cause inaccurate results or even unstable tests. To …


Establishing Delay-Based Criteria For Installing Traffic Signals At Two-Lane Roundabouts, Oluwaseun Ayomide Adegbaju Dec 2018

Establishing Delay-Based Criteria For Installing Traffic Signals At Two-Lane Roundabouts, Oluwaseun Ayomide Adegbaju

Masters Theses

A roundabout is a circular intersection where drivers travel counterclockwise around a center island in the United States. Roundabouts can be more beneficial than the conventional intersections because they increase the capacity of the intersection and reduce delays and crashes at the intersection. However, the performance of roundabouts can be severely affected by unbalanced traffic flows among the approaches. While the resulting delays can be mitigated by installing traffic signals, there is a lack of clear criteria on when to install a traffic signal at a roundabout. This research focuses on establishing criteria for installing traffic signals at two-lane roundabouts …


The Spark Of Recovery: Artistic Methods That Generate Dialogue And Reduce Stigma In Families Affected By Mood Disorders, Adara Jensen Dec 2018

The Spark Of Recovery: Artistic Methods That Generate Dialogue And Reduce Stigma In Families Affected By Mood Disorders, Adara Jensen

Masters Theses

Mood disorders, such as major depression and bipolar disorder negatively affect family dynamics, often resulting in trauma, antipathy, mistrust, and the breakdown in communication between the individual suffering from mood disorder and members of his or her family. The impact of mood disorder on family members impedes recovery for the person suffering from the disorder as well as the health and well-being of the family as a whole. Even emotionally healthy families suffer from the subsequent pain, trauma, isolation, and stigma. The project proposes a solution to broken or inhibited family communication: the engagement of all family members in healing …


Limited By Design: Expanding The Boundaries Of Schooling Policies From Demanded Passivity To Transformative Practice, Natalia T. Carvalho-Pinto Dec 2018

Limited By Design: Expanding The Boundaries Of Schooling Policies From Demanded Passivity To Transformative Practice, Natalia T. Carvalho-Pinto

Masters Theses

Schooling is often imagined as the great equalizer and the primary venue towards personal and collective liberation. However, hegemonic ideals and practices have limited the ability for educators to craft and utilize policy in a way that best benefits their students. In this thesis, I utilize the state of Michigan’s Common Core curriculum to examine the limits beyond policy and practice. Specifically, I argue that the demands for student passivity and institutional measurable as signs of success, prohibit student growth. Throughout the document, I describe hope in the ability to instill a variety of transformative educational theories and practices that …


The Role Of Music In Worship Among Deaf Culture Christianity, Mallory Ruth Dunn Dec 2018

The Role Of Music In Worship Among Deaf Culture Christianity, Mallory Ruth Dunn

Masters Theses

Throughout the Word of God, we are called to worship our Creator through music. "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--shout for joy before the Lord, the King" (Psalm 98: 4-6 [NIV]). It has been said that music is a universal language: but all cultures use it differently and therefore it is not a universal language but a universal phenomenon. What about the individual who cannot hear the music or …


Finding Identity Through Irish Music In The Appalachian Mountains, Marina Delores Rayl Dec 2018

Finding Identity Through Irish Music In The Appalachian Mountains, Marina Delores Rayl

Masters Theses

The Appalachian Mountains are filled with remnants of Scot-Irish heritage. The music found in this region includes bluegrass, Old-time, and country music, all created from the blending of Scottish and Irish traditional music with other ethnic sounds. Despite these music variations, traditional Irish music has remained consistent in its original form in the mountain region. This concept is supported by the popularity of two key events occurring in both the northern and southern sections of the Appalachians. Through fieldwork and personal interviews, the rationales of those who participated were discovered. The research brought to light three people sub-groups revealing the …


Stereotypic Repetitive Hand Flapping Movement Detector Children With Autism, Subodh Ashok Bansode Dec 2018

Stereotypic Repetitive Hand Flapping Movement Detector Children With Autism, Subodh Ashok Bansode

Masters Theses

The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased at a significant rate in recent years, especially in developed nations such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Extensive research is being carried out to study the behavioral characteristics of the disease. Children affected with autism tend to exhibit a spectrum of symptoms depending on the severity of the disease. These behaviors are primarily repetitive, self-stimulatory, and stereotypic behaviors such as hand flapping (i.e., repeatedly shaking their hands), body rocking (i.e., swaying their body back and forth), drumming, walking around in a confined space, and walking with shortened steps …


The Determinants Of Affect, Emotional Arousal, And Autobiographical Memories On Music-Evoked Nostalgia, Alycia Sterenberg Dec 2018

The Determinants Of Affect, Emotional Arousal, And Autobiographical Memories On Music-Evoked Nostalgia, Alycia Sterenberg

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to further explore both person – level and context – level constructs established by Barrett et al. (2010) in relation to music-evoked nostalgia. This study also measures the strength of the relationship between self-reported arousal levels and electrodermal activity (EDA) as well as if they are good predictors of nostalgia. Methods include listening to personalized playlists to elicit feelings of nostalgia while electrodermal activity collects changes in arousal. Participants then answer questions of song familiarity, pleasure, arousal, and autobiographical salience to gather context – level constructs. Results indicate that both person – level and …


The Effect Of Patterned Sensory Enhancement On Balance And Ambulation In Persons Diagnosed With Parkinson’S Disease, Brittany Barko Dec 2018

The Effect Of Patterned Sensory Enhancement On Balance And Ambulation In Persons Diagnosed With Parkinson’S Disease, Brittany Barko

Masters Theses

One rehabilitation protocol effective in delaying the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is Lee Silverman Voice Training BIG (LSVT BIG), comprising pre-gait exercises and gait training. This study seeks to determine if combining Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE), a music therapy intervention, with LSVT BIG will improve quality of movement. During physical therapy sessions with three participants, a music therapist adapted the PSE stimuli to support each patient’s motor needs, which were then recorded on CD and sent with patients to exercise with at home. Results showed improved balance and ambulation comparing pre- and post- measures of the BERG balance scale …


Church Conflict In The Atlanta-Rome District: Developing A Systematic Approach To Conflict And Membership Attrition, James C. Clements Dec 2018

Church Conflict In The Atlanta-Rome District: Developing A Systematic Approach To Conflict And Membership Attrition, James C. Clements

Masters Theses

The decline in church membership and attendance of the 22 churches and 18 ministries of the Atlanta-Rome District (ARD) of the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church has dramatically impacted the ministries and effectiveness of the Atlanta-Rome District churches in conducting what Jesus Christ commanded in the Great Commission. The congregations whose membership once boasted governmental officials and civil rights icons have all but dwindled to a faithful few that continue to support the Spiritual and fiduciary obligations of the local churches. The rise of non-denominational churches with a more contemporary style of worship as well as internal conflicts within the …


Growing A Healthy Childhood: The Value Of Cultivating Young Minds Through Gardening Using Design, Sarah Hoyt Dec 2018

Growing A Healthy Childhood: The Value Of Cultivating Young Minds Through Gardening Using Design, Sarah Hoyt

Masters Theses

This research analyzes the effects of introducing gardening as an educational and developmental tool in early childhood. Research includes an in-depth exploration of the benefits of gardening regarding physical, mental, and social health. Furthermore, the research studies why parents do not already implement gardening. The thesis delves into the power that artwork can have as a call to action. The thesis concludes with a visual solution that is intended to draw out a desire for parents of young children to introduce gardening in their home.


Technology And The Printed Book: Pursuing A Holistic Human Experience With A Sacred Text, Rachel Dugan Dec 2018

Technology And The Printed Book: Pursuing A Holistic Human Experience With A Sacred Text, Rachel Dugan

Masters Theses

There exists a sort of gravitas attached to a book that is printed and bound by hand that gets lost on the production line. When holding a hand-printed (or hand-written), hand-bound codex next to a mass-produced book, there is between the two a visible and tactile difference in quality and harmony between form and content. With the modern technological advancements now available, how can the craftsmanship and beauty — the gravitas — evident in books of the past be replicated in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, harmonious in message, and reflective of the present time? As objects, books are …


Equals: Redefining The Way Graphic Design And Narrative Film Combine To Create Visual Metaphor, Kevin Harris Dec 2018

Equals: Redefining The Way Graphic Design And Narrative Film Combine To Create Visual Metaphor, Kevin Harris

Masters Theses

This paper provides a methodology for combining Graphic Design and Narrative Film together in a way that creates a type of visual metaphor that is central to the story and characters of the film. Because visual mediums of communication are so intrinsically tied to verbal means of communication, this methodology is grounded in the linguistic study of poetry and metaphor. Thus, the concept of metaphor will be analyzed thoroughly in language, poetry, fine arts, and modern arts. The ways in which metaphor is created visually through the art forms of graphic design and narrative film will be of upmost interest …


Music Therapy: Effects On Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jennifer Lynn Mahr Nov 2018

Music Therapy: Effects On Children Diagnosed With Asd, Jennifer Lynn Mahr

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to focus on the use of music therapy as a treatment to serve people of special needs, including individuals with ASD. The research seeks to inform parents/students of children with ASD that music therapy could be the avenue in which their children/students are treated in certain areas. The information in this research can assist parents with the knowledge and understanding they need relating to music therapy in order for their child to overcome weaknesses associated with ASD. Similarly, music teachers can gain further insight into the world of music therapy to encourage students who struggle in …


Tearing The Guts Out Of The Wehrmacht: A Re-Examination Of The Russo-German War, Randall Wells, Jr. Oct 2018

Tearing The Guts Out Of The Wehrmacht: A Re-Examination Of The Russo-German War, Randall Wells, Jr.

Masters Theses

Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. Hitler’s plan to annihilate Germany’s Eastern neighbor and populate the vast Russian expanse with his own people was as ambitious as it was adventuristic. Although it began successful, the Russo-German War quickly devolved into a quagmire as Russian troops outfought their German opponent and beat them back to Berlin. Contrary to prevailing historiography, the Wehrmacht’s loss on the Eastern Front cannot be solely attributed to a failure to equip German troops with proper winter clothing, an inadequate logistics network or Hitler’s interference in military decisions. For an army that had …


Sinister Subshade: The Revival Of The Ku Klux Klan In Modern America, Taylor Ashton Spicer Oct 2018

Sinister Subshade: The Revival Of The Ku Klux Klan In Modern America, Taylor Ashton Spicer

Masters Theses

Through the implementation of qualitative analysis this study purposes to discover if there exists possible correlation between President Trump’s assent to power and the increasing legitimacy of the Ku Klux Klan. Using Ernest Bormann’s (1972) Fantasy Theme Criticism, the Knights Party official website and the Donald J. Trump official website are systematically analyzed for dramatis personae (character), setting and action. The rhetorical visions compiled from each analysis are compared employing Ernest Bormann’s (1980) Symbolic Convergence Theory. Resulting analysis suggests little to no correlation between the two movements. The two websites provide very different rhetorical visions with no overlap. The work …


C.S. Lewis And The True Myth: A Reconciliation Of Theology, Philosophy, And Mythology, Courage Lowrance Sep 2018

C.S. Lewis And The True Myth: A Reconciliation Of Theology, Philosophy, And Mythology, Courage Lowrance

Masters Theses

C.S. Lewis was both a student of pagan philosophy and mythology and a Christian. He never was divided between these two pursuits in his life, though he gave the latter its proper priority. What allowed Lewis to keep this balance was his idea of the gospel as the True Myth, an idea that helped lead to his conversion and remained at the core of his thinking throughout his life. By this idea of True Myth, Lewis was able to not only unite the pagan myths to Christian truth, but also the rest of human thought as well. Thus, in order …


Examining Keswick For Benefits To Chaplain Resilience Ministry, Caleb Walker Sep 2018

Examining Keswick For Benefits To Chaplain Resilience Ministry, Caleb Walker

Masters Theses

The Keswick Convention movement, which began in Keswick, England in 1870 and emphasized deeper knowledge and experience of God, has often been criticized and marginalized in evangelical theological circles. The structure of the conferences, with an emphasis upon six major theological themes and their application for daily Christian living, seems to have value for many attendees in deepening their Christian life. This study examines the potential benefits of the Keswick themes with particular application to the military chaplaincy setting and the issue of spiritual resilience. By examining criteria for resilience (steadfastness, perseverance, courage, and recuperation) and utilizing a qualitative research …


A New Formula For Voter Turnout, Elliot Pope Sep 2018

A New Formula For Voter Turnout, Elliot Pope

Masters Theses

This paper proposes a new, modified decision matrix for voter turnout: Likelihood of Voting = Personal Connection + Sense of Duty + Self-Interest – Difficulty in Voting – Sense of Apathy. It introduces a new variable, “Personal Connection.” This variable combines the important contributions of social pressure and canvassing research as a summary motivation of the two. In order to test this hypothesis, I complete an initial review of ANES data and a metanalysis of relevant literature. The conclusion is that there is enough data to support further research into the proposed formula and new variable for voter turnout.


The Paternal Lineage Of Nathan Hale: A Puritan Tradition, Andrew Rossignol Aug 2018

The Paternal Lineage Of Nathan Hale: A Puritan Tradition, Andrew Rossignol

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the paternal family history of Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Hale. A history of Robert Hale, John Hale, Samuel Hale, and Richard Hale is told as well as information regarding Connecticut and Hale’s hometown of Coventry. The thesis concludes with an examination of Nathan Hale and his actions as well as a critique of commonly accepted Hale myths.


Deep Reinforcement Learning For Autonomous Search And Rescue, Juan Gonzalo Cárcamo Zuluaga Aug 2018

Deep Reinforcement Learning For Autonomous Search And Rescue, Juan Gonzalo Cárcamo Zuluaga

Masters Theses

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent every day. In addition, advances in battery life and electronic sensors have enabled the development of diverse UAV applications outside their original military domain. For example, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations can benefit greatly from modern UAVs since even the simplest commercial models are equipped with high-resolution cameras and the ability to stream video to a computer or portable device. As a result, autonomous unmanned systems (ground, aquatic, and aerial) have recently been employed for such typical SAR tasks as terrain mapping, task observation, and early supply delivery. However, these systems were …


“Who Has A Right To Say What Focus Is The Legitimate Focus?” Tennessee Williams And Julia Margaret Cameron’S Theatrical Portraits Of Women, Jennifer M. Klug Aug 2018

“Who Has A Right To Say What Focus Is The Legitimate Focus?” Tennessee Williams And Julia Margaret Cameron’S Theatrical Portraits Of Women, Jennifer M. Klug

Masters Theses

In the production notes preceding The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams said: “Everyone should know nowadays the unimportance of the photographic in art: that truth, life, or reality is an organic thing which the poetic imagination can represent or suggest, in essence, only through transformation, through changing into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance.” In spite of Williams’s emphasis on the limitations of literal representation, some of his most famous female characters were created in a tradition similar to that of portraits of women by the Victorian-era photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Both Cameron and Williams made …


Implemenatation Of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes For The Development Of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani Aug 2018

Implemenatation Of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes For The Development Of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani

Masters Theses

This work focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of novel flexible thermal sensors using additive print manufacturing processes. Initially, a carbon nanotube (CNT) based negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using screen and gravure printing processes. The thermistor consists of two silver (Ag) electrodes deposited using screen printing process. A CNT based sensing layer was deposited using gravure printing process on the Ag electrodes. Finally, a primary polymer and a secondary Ag encapsulation layer were deposited using screen printing process. The capability of the fabricated thermistor was investigated by measuring its …


Time Evolution Of Ecog Network Connectivity In Patients With Refractory Epilepsy, Michael J. Selesko Aug 2018

Time Evolution Of Ecog Network Connectivity In Patients With Refractory Epilepsy, Michael J. Selesko

Masters Theses

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that causes recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Focal, refractory epilepsy is characterized by seizures that start in a specific area in the brain and do not respond to antiepileptic medication. This study was conducted to characterize the connectivity of the focal brain region where seizures originate, known as the epileptogenic zone. Connectivity was measured from electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings, during seizure events, using information theoretic measures mutual information (MI) and (TE). MI is the amount of information shared between two discrete random variables. TE is the directed information transfer between two discrete random variables. MI provides information …


A Case Study On Application Of Fuzzy Logic Based Controller For Peak Load Shaving In A Typical Household's Per Day Electricity Consumption, Krishna P. Sharma Aug 2018

A Case Study On Application Of Fuzzy Logic Based Controller For Peak Load Shaving In A Typical Household's Per Day Electricity Consumption, Krishna P. Sharma

Masters Theses

The cost of electricity for consumers depends on the cost of generation, transmission, and distribution of power. The electrical load consumed by consumers per day is not constant throughout the day. The utilities must be capable of meeting the load demand, which means they must have enough electricity generation potential and necessary infrastructure. This cost is significant. However, the revenue they generate will only be for the actual use of electricity by the consumers. In general, the electrical power generation is done in stages, always generating a base load. As demand changes throughout the day, additional stages of power generation …


Identification Of The Seizure Onset Zone By Auto-Regressive Model Residual Modulation Applied To Intracranial Eeg And Its Correlation To Channels With High Preponderances Of Detected Hfos, Allison L. Rogutich Aug 2018

Identification Of The Seizure Onset Zone By Auto-Regressive Model Residual Modulation Applied To Intracranial Eeg And Its Correlation To Channels With High Preponderances Of Detected Hfos, Allison L. Rogutich

Masters Theses

The objective of this thesis was to examine the ability of the Autoregressive Model Residual Modulation (ARRm) method to identify the Seizure Onset Zone (SOZ) in intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) of patients with refractory epilepsy. Patients who have not become seizure free after multiple trials of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may seek treatment through epilepsy surgery. Cortical electrodes are implanted directly on the cerebral cortex, then iEEG is collected. A specialized neurologist reviews the iEEG, then in consultation with the neurosurgeon, the SOZ is determined and areas of the brain may be chosen for resection. The success rate of epilepsy surgery varies, …


Effects Of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (Epa) On Mouse Endothelial Cell Health, Spencer C. Pageau Aug 2018

Effects Of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (Epa) On Mouse Endothelial Cell Health, Spencer C. Pageau

Masters Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of adults in the US (~800,000 lives every year:1 in 3 deaths). Evidence suggests omega-3 fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in fish oils, reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Many of these diseases are caused by atherosclerotic plaque development in vessels due to endothelial cell damage initiating inflammatory responses. Recent work argues omega-3 fatty acids stimulate anti-inflammatory responses by binding to Free Fatty Acid (FFA) receptors. Inflammatory responses in endothelial cells alter the expression of many proteins that affect the function of those cells. In particular, gap junction protein (connexin: …


The Effect Of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Ala) On Endothelial Cell Expression Of Connexin43, Benjamin Pichette Aug 2018

The Effect Of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Ala) On Endothelial Cell Expression Of Connexin43, Benjamin Pichette

Masters Theses

Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases like myocardial infarctions and strokes. The formation of these atherosclerotic plaques occurs through localized inflammatory responses in blood vessels. Epidemiological evidence suggests omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) decrease vascular inflammation. The omega-3 FAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reduce inflammation through pathways that may include the free fatty acid-4 (FFA-4) receptor. While EPA and DHA are well studied, less is known about the essential omega-3 FA from which they are synthesized: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Thus, this study will investigate whether ALA can activate the FFA-4 receptor and thereby contribute to anti-inflammatory …