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The Interactions Of Offshore Renewable Energy Farms And The Ocean Environment: A Numerical Study Off The Us Northeast Coast, Boma Kresning

Open Access Dissertations

Ocean renewable energy technology - including tidal-streams, wave power, and offshore wind - can help provide a clean energy source, particularly for coastal communities located near the ocean. However, the development of ocean renewable energy projects faces many challenges due to the interaction of ocean renewable energy farms and the natural environment. For instance, ocean energy devices need to survive the extreme and uncertain environmental loads particularly during storms; on the other hand, deployment of large scale arrays of energy devices (e.g., offshore wind farms or tidal energy farms) can lead to significant physical, ecological, and social impacts in an …

Exploring Causal Mechanisms Between Behavior And Cognition In A Theory-Based Alcohol Intervention, Sara Balestrieri

Open Access Dissertations

While the efficacy of Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-based interventions has been demonstrated time and time again, little has been done to understand the causal mechanisms responsible for the change resulting from exposure to a TTM-based intervention. The proposed study is to leverage sophisticated statistical techniques to examine the causal relationship among TTM constructs to better understand the direction of influence TTM-based interventions have. To accomplish this, a secondary data analysis using longitudinal data collected during a trial evaluating the efficacy of a TTM-based alcohol intervention targeting adults whose drinking exceeds national recommended guidelines was completed.

This study used a 2 x …

Making Energetic Materials Safer, Michelle D. Gonsalves

Open Access Dissertations

Canine (K9) units and scientists developing explosives trace detection devices (ETDs) work with and are exposed to energetic materials when imprinting the dog or building instrument libraries. However, access to extremely hazardous materials, such as explosives, is limited, with a great need for training aids that provide a safe-handling and long shelf-life material. In order to address these needs, encapsulation of energetic materials, such as triacetone triperoxide (TATP), erythritol tetranitrate (ETN) and trinitrotoluene (TNT) in a polymer matrix have been developed, and extensively characterized to ensure explosive desensitization, controlled released, clean background odor and delivery of the pure explosive as …

Learning Practices In Chinese Character Recognition: An Analysis Of Student Outcomes And Perceptions, Xiaoyan Hu

Open Access Dissertations

Research has shown that memorizing a character by its strokes is perhaps the most difficult aspect of learning the Chinese language, particularly for beginning students. Since learners can handwrite Chinese characters without knowing the meaning or the pronunciation, emphasizing drawing the characters from the beginning is not an efficient way of learning Chinese characters. Meanwhile, character recognition, grammar pattern drills, and memorization are not enough for college Chinese language learning. Currently, there is a gap in the literature about Chinese language acquisition research from classroom contexts to naturalistic settings, from an acquisition metaphor to a participation metaphor, and from Chinese …

Understanding Principals’ Perceptions Of Effective Communication In Suburban And Urban Schools: A Cross-Case Study, Abdelnasser Hussein

Open Access Dissertations

The research explored the perceptions of effective communication with parents in suburban and urban school districts from the perspective of the school principals. To achieve this purpose, the study was guided by five research questions: 1) What are the principals’ perceptions of effective communication with parents?; What are principals’ perceptions of effective strategies of school-home communication?; How does a principal’s perception of effective communication influence the strategies implemented to communicate with parents?; How does the cultural context of a school setting affect principals’ perceptions of school-home communication?; and What are the barriers that may obstruct effective communication between principals and …

Investigation Of Vortex-Induced Vibration Of A Cylinder By Employing Cross-Flow And In-Line Motion, Erdem Aktosun

Open Access Dissertations

Vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) has a large impact on solid structures such as marine risers, offshore and deep water structures which subject to strong ocean currents. This dissertation primarily presents investigation of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) of a rigid circular cylinder by doing experiment in towing tank to form database and better understand basic mechanism of VIV. Forced motions of a rigid cylinder with two degree of system are performed for building a database of force coefficients and wake measurements to be used for better understand basic principles of VIV. In this study, the combined effect of in-line and cross-flow of prescribed …

How Landscape Change Affects Commercial And Recreational Fishermen’S Perceptions And Place Meanings, Talya Syvann Ten Brink

Open Access Dissertations

It is critical to plan for environmental change in order to mitigate its adverse effects on human wellbeing. This series of manuscripts examines the impacts of landscape change on commercial and recreational fishermen. Each manuscript provides a unique perspective on place meaning and place change. Using a mixed methods approach, data were collected and analyzed on fishermen’s perceptions of familiar places and on the changes that these places undergo. The first manuscript investigates the impact of offshore wind farms on commercial and recreational fishermen, using the first offshore wind farm in North America – the Block Island Wind Farm (Rhode …

Tailoring Digital Health To Improve The Nutrition And Health Of People With Parkinson’S Disease, Dara Lyn Lobuono

Open Access Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an incurable, neurodegenerative movement disorder, impacting nearly one million Americans. By 2030 the number of people with PD (PwPD) is expected to double and with this growing population, informal caregiver responsibility will also increase. Nutritional status worsens as PD progresses, which impacts cognition, body composition, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QOL), and increases caregiver burden. Nutritional screening and intervention for PwPD can improve health outcomes, but are often excluded from PD treatment plans.

Given the negative impact of PD on mobility and increased caregiver burden, digital technology could improve …

Investigating The Relationship Between Living-Learning Communities And Sense Of Belonging In First-Year Engineering Students, Michele Martel

Open Access Dissertations

Sense of belonging and its various factors has been identified as one of the most important aspects that affects college students’ success, retention, and persistence. The purpose of this quantitative research was to explore the relationships and examine the differences between experiences in a living-learning community and students’ sense of belonging, with specific attention to underrepresented minority groups in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM): females and students of color. Specifically, this research examined how engineering students’ perceived experiences in their living-learning community during their first year, with their peers and the campus community, related to their sense of belonging …

Untangling The Complexities Of Patient Navigation Interventions For Engagement In Care Among People Living With Hiv Who Use Drugs Or Alcohol, Sharleen M. Traynor

Open Access Dissertations

Engaging and retaining individuals with HIV who also use drugs or alcohol in care is essential to reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. HIV-infected individuals who use substances are less likely to access care, adhere to treatment plans, and achieve viral suppression compared to those who do not report substance use. This leads to uncontrolled infection and contributes to ongoing disease transmission. Multiple factors are associated with poor engagement in HIV care and often include a combination of syndemic psychosocial factors, comorbid conditions, and structural barriers to healthcare utilization. Patient Navigation (PN) is a client-centered intervention designed …

Nucleus Pulposus Of The Intervertebral Disc: The Effect Of Environmental Factors On Metabolic Activity, Lukas M. Jaworski

Open Access Dissertations

Lower back pain is a major socioeconomic concern in developed nations. Moreover, it is a condition which a majority of people will experience an episode within their lifetime, with a portion becoming chronically afflicted. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) is believed to play a critical role in initiating lower back pain. Poor nutrient supplies are implicated as a one of the root causes of this degeneration and much effort has been spent to better elucidate the behavior of IVD cells. The IVD is the largest avascular structure within the body, relying on diffusion to migrate nutrients in and clear …

Reimagining Gender Violence: Understanding Community-Based Organizations’ Use Of Restorative And Transformative Justices As Social Change Strategies, Ahjané D. Billingsley

Open Access Dissertations

Currently, the “violence against women” (VAW) frame that informs dominant responses to gender violence has had limited success. This frame often excludes victims who are men, gender diverse, and those of sexual minorities, and the omissions have resulted in collateral harms to victims and communities. Scholars and community psychologists have noted the need for multilevel, ecological, and multidimensional gender violence interventions and preventions. Some community-based organizations are responding to the limitations of the VAW frame by using restorative justice and/or transformative justice/community accountability social change strategies within social settings to understand and address gender violence. This study used interpretive phenomenology …

Non-Sovereign Poetics: Rethinking Nationalism And Independence In Puerto Rico, Martinique, And Guadeloupe, Fély Catan

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation reconsiders the notion of political sovereignty, independence and nationalism in the non-sovereign Caribbean context. I explore the ways in which writers and artists from Puerto Rico, Martinique, and Guadeloupe envision alternative epistemologies to the Western concepts of sovereignty and the nation-state. By questioning the traditional model of state sovereignty through the linguistic, aesthetic, and thematic components of their texts, plays, and visual, I argue that these artists have expressed other ways to be sovereign. This dissertation analyzes a defiant artistic production that originates in a contemporary crossroads for economic survival in a Caribbean context. I investigate how the …

Functional Significance Of The Hexosamine Biosynthesis Pathway In Pancreatic Cancer, Nikita Satish Sharma

Open Access Dissertations

Pancreatic cancer is a notoriously lethal disease. Late detection, lack of effective biomarkers, presence of a treatment refractory population of cells, an impermeable stroma, metastasis and tumor recurrence are some of the factors contributing to the dismissal 5-year survival rate of 8% for this disease. Hexosamine Biosynthesis Pathway (HBP) is a unique node in cancer metabolism. Its end product, UDP-GlcNAc is used by both tumor cells and the extracellular matrix component Hyaluronan for signaling, proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. While there have been reports examining the significance of HBP in individual factors contributing to tumor aggressiveness, a comprehensive …

The Ecophysiology Of Photosynthetic Heat Tolerances In Tropical Plants, Timothy More Perez

Open Access Dissertations

Temperature governs several biological processes from molecular to macroecological scales. Underlying many ecological processes is the assumption that fitness is constrained by the physiological limits of species’ metabolic function. The thermal limits of metabolic function, termed thermal tolerances, are often assumed to directly translate into the environmental conditions that define species’ abiotic thermal niches. When species exceed their physiological thermal tolerances, it is expected to negatively impact fitness, and may therefore provide a basis for understanding the environmental constraints on species distributions. Given the rising temperatures caused by climate change, heat tolerances are of particular interest for understanding these constraints. …

Induction Of Beta-Cell Regeneration By Activin-Like Kinase 3 Stimulation, Mirza Muhammad Fahd Qadir

Open Access Dissertations

Glucose homeostasis is maintained and tightly regulated via production of key hormones that control the uptake and metabolism of glucose. β-cells, which secrete insulin, are the subject of autoimmune destruction in type 1 diabetes. From a developmental standpoint, Bone Morphogenetic Protein receptors (BMPRs) have a key role in multiple cell processes, including proliferation and differentiation. Targeting these receptors to identify and induce the proliferation of progenitor cells could have therapeutic applications. Previous studies have shown the conversion of the exocrine compartment of the pancreas to form insulin-producing cells. In this context, we have identified a cell residing in the pancreatic …

The Effect Of A High Intensity Interval Exercise Bout On Addictive Behaviors In Overweight/Obese Adults, Sarah Zaldivar

Open Access Dissertations

Addictive snacking can contribute to excessive caloric intake having an adverse effect on body weight and the obesity pandemic. Studies have reported that moderate intensity exercise decreases chocolate consumption. However, the effect of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on addictive snacking is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a brief HIIE bout on cravings, affect (affective valence and affective activation), and attentional bias to chocolate. Twelve regular chocolate eaters (10 premenopausal females; 2 males; mean age: 30.5 ± 7.37 years, mean BMI: 28.67 ± 4.5 kg/m2) abstained from chocolate consumption for 24 h prior to evaluation. Participants …

Contemporary Central American Imaginaries Under (Re)Construction: Landings In A Postwar Cultural Landscape, Rosario Catalina Ramírez

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation maps contemporary Central American cultural production in literature, music and grassroots networks for culture. It is focused on the postwar period in the region, from the signing of the Peace Accords in the 1990s onwards. I focus on emergent cultural narratives in order to analyze the reconstruction of isthmian imaginaries through a constructive lens. Cultural texts and discursive imaginaries are analyzed from a perspective grounded in local histories versus the grand homogenizing narratives that have historically defined the Central America isthmus, such as mestizaje and the revolutionary as paradigm. Through the analytical constructs of aterrizaje and descendencia, …

Genomic Analyses Reveal The Evolutionary Dynamics Of Speciation In Two Tropical Avian Systems, Sarah Alison Cowles

Open Access Dissertations

The process of speciation is long and complex, and takes place in multiple stages, with a variety of potential outcomes. Studying lineages at different stages in the speciation process can lend insight into the evolutionary factors that generate and maintain biodiversity. For my dissertation, I used two genomic datasets generated from field-collected DNA samples in two tropical avian systems to examine the early and late stages of the speciation process. I studied the initial stages of speciation in the Amazilia Hummingbird (Amazilia amazilia) subspecies complex. Found across Ecuador and Peru, this species is split into six phenotypically differentiated …

The Effects Of Environmental Variables And Anthropogenic Pollutants On The Physiology And Behavior Of Marine Fishes, Lela S. Schlenker

Open Access Dissertations

In the face of rapidly changing environmental conditions due to human mediated climate change and large-scale pollution events such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is critical to understand the relationship between environmental stimuli and the behavior of marine fishes. Sustainable management of commercially important and highly migratory fish species, such as mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), as well as unfished reef species, like the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus), depend upon our understanding of their physiology and behavior in response to changing habitat conditions. Olfaction is critical for fish to detect environmental cues and triggers behaviors that …

Multi-Scale Analysis Of Multifunctional Composites And 3d Printed Polymers, Daniel Branden Perez

Open Access Dissertations

Methods of multi-scale analysis through combined physical testing and computational FEM were used to investigate structural battery composites and 3D printed polymers. Multifunctional composite structural batteries are materials capable of storing electrical energy while providing structural rigidity. Two battery cell configurations were considered: a carbon paper based cell with copper and aluminum foils, and a woven carbon fiber-based battery with nickel and iron deposition coatings. Flexural simulations were performed through simulated and physical three-point bend testing. Unidirectional carbon fiber layers in the place of the carbon paper can lead to up to a 233.73 GPa stiffness, significantly greater than the …

Perceptual Experience And Understanding Language, Seong Oh

Open Access Dissertations

Can we literally see and hear meanings? In my dissertation, I argue first that we have a conscious understanding experience which is (1) non-inferential, (2) cognitively impenetrable, and (2) with a specific sensory modal. Under the characterization of the experience, I conclude that the experience is literally perceptual. Thereafter, I argue that this characterized understanding experience is conceptual by virtue of being a high-level perceptual experience, and then plays the role of epistemic justifier for the belief of what an utterance means just as high-level perceptual experience in general performs as a justifier for perceptual belief.

Cervical Cancer Prevention And Control In Haitian Women Living In South Florida And The Central Plateau Of Haiti, Rhoda K. Moise

Open Access Dissertations

The cervical cancer burden in Haiti is among the highest in the world, despite being a largely preventable disease through primary (i.e., vaccination against Human papillomavirus (HPV), the principal cause of cervical cancer), and secondary (i.e., routine cervical cancer screening) prevention strategies. Haitian women likely face multiple barriers to disease prevention though knowledge of these barriers remains limited, particularly from a multilevel, transnational orientation. This dissertation aims to fill this gap. Guided by the PEN-3 model and the tenets of Community Engaged Research, the three associated papers rely on mixed methodologies to articulate the complex interplay between socio-cultural, environmental, political, …

Air-Sea Interaction Dynamics Under Hurricane Wind Conditions, Sanchit Mehta

Open Access Dissertations

Understanding turbulent fluxes of momentum, mass, and energy across the air-sea boundary are fundamental to our ability to model and parameterize a number of multidimensional geophysical processes, such as wind-wave generation, oceanic circulation, and air-sea gas transfer. The physical nature of the near surface boundary layer remains less known, especially under high winds due to the development of an intermediate substrate layer of large spray droplets known as spume, between the atmosphere and ocean surface. Presence of these spume droplet effects the aerodynamic resistance of the prevailing winds over the surface and thus the behavior of surface drag coefficient. The …

Engineering A Compartmentalized Hydrogel Platform For In Vitro Assembly Of Neuromuscular Junctions, Rachel Besser

Open Access Dissertations

This study reports the first hydrogel based compartmentalized in vitro platform for neuromuscular junction (NMJ) formation. The study was performed in three parts including the fabrication of a biomimetic substrate adhesive to both cell types involved in NMJ formation, optimizing the media formulation for these cells, and designing and testing a compartmentalized hydrogel system. A laminin coated gelatin (GEL-LN) hydrogel was fabricated and used to assess C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells, primary rat Schwann cells, and human induced pluripotent stem cell derived spinal spheroid (SpS). The GEL- LN substrate increased maturation and improved morphology when used to culture C2C12 cells …

High Rate Quasi-Steady-State Pattern Visual Evoked Potentials For Brain-Computer Interface, Ibrahim Kaya

Open Access Dissertations

Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs) are electrophysiological signals recorded from occipital areas of the scalp in response to visual stimulation. VEPs are used for clinical monitoring of diseases and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). Depending on the stimulation rate, there are two types of VEPs, transient (low stimulation rates < 3Hz) and Steady-State (higher stimulation rates >5Hz). However, a novel VEP stimulation paradigm was developed at the University of Miami, Neurosensory Laboratory. This paradigm generates low jittered VEPs similar to Steady-State VEP (SSVEP) and called Quasi-Steady State VEPs (QSS-VEPs). QSS paradigm has proven itself in the fast acquisition of Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) and Pattern Electroretinograms (PERGs). One major advantage …

Bayesian Filtering Methods For Dynamic System Monitoring And Control, Erotokritos Skordilis

Open Access Dissertations

Real-time system monitoring and control represent two of the most important issues that characterize modern industries in critical areas of civilian and military interest, including the power grid, energy, healthcare, aerospace, and infrastructure. During the past decade, there has been a rapid development of robust dynamic system monitoring and control methods for fault diagnosis and failure prognosis. Among various monitoring and control policies, condition-based maintenance (CBM) has been studied by many researchers due to its ability to enable a large amount of monitoring data for real-time diagnostics and prognostics. A considerable amount of literature has been published on the subject, …

Food Insecurity: Deconstructing Its Predictors And Relationship To Hiv Medication Adherence, Lacey Critchley

Open Access Dissertations

In recent years, increasing attention and research has been placed on how to better engage people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in the HIV care continuum, as treatment for HIV/AIDS is now extremely effective. However, several marginalized populations continue to be disproportionately affected by the virus, hampering efforts to end the epidemic. Substance users remain one of the most difficult groups to engage and retain in HIV care and often have unsuppressed poorly controlled HIV infection as a result of inadequate antiretroviral (ART) adherence. Research shows substance users are also more likely to have multiple co-occurring social syndemics and engage in …

A Study Of Upper Ocean Dynamic Features Based On Advanced Coherent Marine Radar Techniques, Lisa Nyman

Open Access Dissertations

During three research cruises in the Pacific, a vertically-polarized X-band Doppler Marine Radar (DMR) was installed onboard the research vessels. One of the goals during these cruises was to measure near-surface currents. Ocean currents have been measured with marine radar since the 1980’s using the dispersion shell technique. However, currents measured in this classical way cannot resolve fine-scale current variations. To fill this gap, the Doppler Velocity Synthesis algorithm (DoVeS) is developed to synthesize radial Doppler velocity information from a moving ship in order to obtain a two-dimensional surface current vector field around the ship track. During the first cruise, …

The Association Of Breastfeeding Practices And Postpartum Depression Risk, Christine Toledo

Open Access Dissertations

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant maternal health problem afflicting nearly 800,000 new mothers in the United States every year. Mothers suffering from PPD endure feelings of sadness, anxiety, extreme fatigue that makes it difficult to care for one’s self or for others, feeling worthless, and even thoughts of harming oneself or child. Mothers who are not treated for PPD may have negative health outcomes, including difficulty bonding with and caring for their children, chronic anxiety, and are at an increased risk for substance abuse. PPD is considered the single greatest risk factor for maternal suicide and infanticide. The important …