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Mechanism Of Adipose Tissue Specific Response To Heat Stress In Pigs., Huan Qu

Open Access Dissertations

Heat stress (HS) is a major problem facing the swine industry all over the world, especially during the hot summer months. The two major reasons pigs are highly susceptible to elevated ambient temperature are that they have substantial subcutaneous fat layer that serves as a barrier against effective heat dissipation and their lack of functional sweat glands on their skin surface for evaporative heat loss. Paradoxically, HS results in increased fat deposition in pigs. However, the fundamental causes of the increased adiposity during HS are unknown. Therefore, we conducted several in vivo and in vitro experiments to elucidate the precise …

Evaluating The Effect Ofsnap-Ed On Household Food Securitystatus And Dietary Intake Of Snap-Ed-Eligible Participants In Indiana., Rebecca Lynn-Anne Rivera

Open Access Dissertations

High prevalence of food insecurity and poor diet quality characterize the US low-income population qualifyingfor the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when compared with higher income populations. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) is a federal nutrition education program available at no cost to the income-eligible population with the goal to improve diet qualitybypromoting adherence to the DietaryGuidelines for Americans (DGA) through nutrition education while also supporting the goal of SNAP to improve food security. Limited evidence suggests that SNAP-Ed improves diet-related outcomes such as food security, intake of fruits and vegetables, and other targeted positive health behaviors over short-term …

Measurements Of Transition Dominated By The Second-Mode Instability At Mach 6, Brandon C. Chynoweth

Open Access Dissertations

Hypersonic boundary-layer transition can be caused by many different mechanisms. This research focuses on studying the growth and breakdown of the second-mode instability. Experiments were performed in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel located at Purdue University. This facility has freestream noise levels similar to conditions in flight making it an excellent facility to study laminar-turbulent boundary-layer transition.

Using a flared cone model, measurements were first made with a smooth wall to characterize natural second-mode transition. As the second-mode amplitude increased up to a maximum of nearly 30% of the mean static pressure, streamwise streaks of heating were observed forming around …

Electro-Thermal Transport In Non-Homogenous Network, Sajia Sadeque

Open Access Dissertations

Nano-structured networks have drawn attention as potential replacements for bulk-material approaches in applications including transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs). As TCEs, these systems can provide relatively low sheet resistances in the high optical transmission regime along with excellent mechanical flexibility. While percolation models have been developed to describe the general trends in sheet resistance and transmittance on nanowire density, prior experiments have not yielded details such as distributions of junction resistances and current pathways through the networks. Most experimental studies on nanostructured TCE properties have focused on large area steady state exploration of electrical and optical properties or more microscopic studies …

Ground States Of The Two-Dimensional Electron System At Half-Filling Under Hydrostatic Pressure, Katherine A. Schreiber

Open Access Dissertations

A many-body electron system in two dimensions at high magnetic field hosts a diverse set of electron ground states. Many of these ground states have been well understood for years, yet some continue to challenge researchers. The ν =5/2 fractional quantum Hall state at half-filling is perhaps the most mysterious state. It holds the promise of novel physics such as non-Abelian statistics, and it possesses topological order, both properties of great interest due to potential applications for robust quantum computing. However, despite many experiments to this date, questions surround the exact nature of ν =5/2 fractional quantum Hall state. This …

Evaluation Of A Redesigned Chemistry Course Sequence For Undergraduate Life Science Majors, Carly Lynn Schnoebelen

Open Access Dissertations

In response to both nationwide calls for reform and a perception that the existing chemistry curriculum was not meeting the needs of life science students, faculty in the department of chemistry at Purdue created a redesigned chemistry course sequence specifically aimed at preparing biology majors. The new sequence, called the 1-2-1 curriculum, spans four semesters of instruction, including one semester of general chemistry, two semesters of organic chemistry, and one semester of biochemistry. The 1-2-1 curriculum was implemented in the 2013-2014 academic year, and students appeared to be progressing through successfully. However, there was a need for a more systematic …

Quantum Transport In The Algaas/Gaas Two Dimensional Electron System At Half-Fillings., Qi Qian

Open Access Dissertations

Recently great research effort has been put toward the study of strongly correlated electron systems, of particular interest is the intriguing quantum phases at half-filled Landau levels (LL), including the exotic fractional quantum Hall state (FQHS) at filling factor ν = 52 in the N = 1 LL, and density modulated phases in high LLs (N ≥ 2). The state of the art AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure grown by molecular bean epitaxy provides a superior platform to study these many-body interactions. In this thesis, a brief introduction of different phases in half-filled LLs is given in Chapter 1. The remaining chapters, summarized …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Model Acrylic-Based Polymer Gels, Travis Lawrence Thornell

Open Access Dissertations

Materials made from polymer gel networks are important to many everyday applications in health care to building materials. These gel materials can be easily synthesized in various ways, but characterizing the overall material mechanics and properties are challenging due to the soft nature of their respective bulk structures. Model acrylic-based copolymer gels were investigated to understand the fundamental characteristics and mechanical properties from different crosslinking and gelation processes. First, model hydrogels with fracture-healing characteristics similar to materials needed for injectable drug delivery systems were studied using shear rheology to determine timescales of fully healed networks. The industrially available gel was …

Synergistic Effects Of High Particle Fluxes And Transient Heat Loading On Material Performance In A Fusion Environment, Gregory Poppy Sinclair

Open Access Dissertations

The work presented in this thesis focuses on the thermal and structural evolution of different materials when exposed to both high-flux ion irradiation and high intensity pulsed heat loading. Nuclear fusion devices create an intense radiation environment consisting of very energetic deuterium (D+) and helium (He+) ions. During operation, off-normal plasma events, such as edge-localized modes (ELMs), could cause intense heating of the plasma-facing component (PFC) surface, leading to melting and possible splashing into the fusion plasma. High-Z, refractory metals, such as tungsten (W), are therefore seen as favorable, due to their high melting point, high thermal conductivity, and low …

Multi-Dimensional Simulation And Experimental Benchmarking Of Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Interactions With Metallic Targets, Anastassiya Suslova

Open Access Dissertations

In this work, ultrashort pulsed laser interactions with metallic targets and laser-induced effects were theoretically investigated, and the multi-dimensional simulation package FEMTO-2D was developed based on the solution of two non-linear heat conduction equations for electron and lattice sub-systems. Inverse Bremsstrahlung absorption was considered as primary light absorption mechanism. The laser-target interaction was assumed to occur at solid-like material density since laser pulse duration is orders of magnitude shorter than the time required for material thermal expansion. A theoretical approach based on the collision theory had been implemented to define the thermal dependence of target material optical properties and thermodynamic …

Understanding And Improving The Non-Cognitive Factors That Affect First-Year Engineering Performance, Ryan Senkpeil

Open Access Dissertations

To maintain America’s status as a global technological leader, there has been a longstanding effort to increase the quality and quantity of engineers in the workforce. Previous research and government reports have called on the education system at all levels to increase enrollment and persistence in college engineering programs. Additionally, engineering employers continue to be dissatisfied with the skills obtained by those students who do persist to graduation, in part because those students that may become the best engineers are leaving engineering. In order to effectively recruit and retain the best engineering students, the factors that affect engineering student success …

“Though Troubled Be My Brain:” Madness In Early Modern England, 1603-1714, Alison R. Shimko

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of madness in Stuart-era England. Madness was pervasive in early modern England. it was in the streets, performed on stage, discussed in political pamphlets and legal treatises, and physically housed in Bethlehem Hospital. Madness, therefore, serves as a significant lens because in differentiating between madness and sanity, contemporaries regularly drew clear boundaries between acceptable, or “normal” behavior, and unacceptable, or “abnormal” behavior, that was particular to seventeenth-century English culture and society. Specifically, I argue that madness serves as a channel to examine the diagnoses and treatment of mental disorders that contemporaries believed altered the body …

Haremization Of Desdemona: A Comparative Study Of Shakespeare’S Othello In The Ottoman Context, Tulin Ece Tosun

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation takes a comparative approach by setting Shakespeare’s Othello within the context of Ottoman history and the Ottoman harem to represent current Middle Eastern trends in the field of Comparative Literature. I argue that Othello paints a portrait of stereotypical Muslim characteristics drawn from the travel narratives of Richard Hakluyt, Richard Knolles, and Paul Rycaut. I use these travel narratives to identify cross-cultural relationships, comparisons, interactions, and psychology. In my final chapter, I argue that from a certain perspective, Othello is a Turk because Shakespeare turns the citadel in Cyprus into a harem. The word harem, stemming from the …

Spin-Torque Sensors For Energy Efficient And High Speed Global Interconnects, Zubair Al Azim

Open Access Dissertations

Reduction of power dissipation in global interconnect lines while maintaining fast performance is an ongoing challenge in scaled CMOS technology. In order to address this issue, we propose low-voltage, low-current interconnect architectures using spin-torque (ST) sensors that can optimize the overall delay and energy consumption. Conventional techniques for reducing power dissipation on long interconnects involve low voltage swing on the interconnect lines. However, such techniques require power consuming voltage converters or trans-impedance amplifiers at the receivers. We propose ST sensor based signal conversion at the receiver that offers an efficient signal conversion process. The proposed ST sensor devices consist of …

Pre-Service Teachers' Understanding The Measurement Of The Area Of Rectangles, Cetin Kursat Bilir

Open Access Dissertations

Existing research has identified pre-service teachers’ (PTs’) difficulties with measuring the area of rectangles and explaining their approaches to area measurement. Yet, little is known about elementary PTs’ understandings of area measurement. Existing research has focused on children’s understanding of area measurement in the context of rectangles and has identified mental processes they use to construct area measurement. The study described in this report contributes to and extends this literature by exploring elementary PTs’ understandings of area measurement in the context of rectangles. Clinical interview methodology was used to investigate four PTs’ mental processes used in area measurement tasks. Study …

Multi-Hazard In-Plane Response Of Steel-Plate Composite (Sc) Walls: Out-Of-Plane And Accident Thermal Loadings, Saahastaranshu R. Bhardwaj

Open Access Dissertations

Steel-plate composite (SC) walls have been used for the third generation of nuclear power plants, and are being considered for small modular reactors of the future. Modular SC walls are also being considered for commercial applications, owing to their structural efficiency and construction economy. Walls in important structures may be subjected to a combination of loadings due to cascading hazards. Experimental and numerical studies were conducted to evaluate the in-plane response of SC walls (with boundary elements) and wall piers (without boundary elements) subjected to out-of-plane and accident thermal loadings. First series of experiments comprised of four SC wall pier …

Sex, Culture, And The Politics Of Fashion In Stuart England, Emilie M. Brinkman

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is the first full-length study to analyze the politicization of dress and material objects, exploring the manner in which fashion served as a site for political discourse and agency, during the seventeenth century, specifically from 1603–1702, an era characterized by profound political, religious, and social turmoil as well as increased international trade and luxury consumption. This dissertation demonstrates how fashion, which encompassed clothing, accessories, hairstyling, and cosmetics, was an important facet of political culture within Stuart England and, furthermore, was absolutely fundamental to how the English understood themselves, others, and the turbulent world they lived in. I argue …

Religion And Movement Activism In 1960s Chicago, D. Trevor Burrows

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation examines the place of religion within various forms of movement activism in Chicago’s 1960s. Although scholars have documented religious participation in the period’s civil rights and peace movements, less attention has been paid to how religious leaders and institutions fit into the complicated institutional networks that drove such activism, or how religious participation was perceived by activists themselves. This is especially true of student activists whose relative lack of religious affiliation has often been interpreted as a lack of interest in religion altogether. This dissertation argues that the category of religion occupied a particular place and performed a …

Using Tangible Interaction And Virtual Reality To Support Spatial Perspective Taking Ability, Shen-Kuen Chang

Open Access Dissertations

According to several large-scale and longitudinal studies, spatial ability, one of the primary mental abilities, has been shown as a significant predictor for STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and career success. Frameworks in HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and TEI (Tangible and Embodied Interaction) also indicated how the spatial-related aspects of interaction are a common design theme for interfaces using emerging technologies. However, currently only very few interactive systems (using TEI) are designed around a target spatial ability. TEI’s direct effects on spatial ability are also not well-investigated. Meanwhile, a growing body of research from cognitive sciences, such as embodied …

Characterization Of Type I Collagen And Osteoblast Response To Mechanical Loading, Silvia P. Canelón

Open Access Dissertations

Bone is a composite material made up of an inorganic (hydroxyapatite mineral) phase, a proteinaceous organic phase, and water. Comprising 90% of bones organic phase, type I collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. Both hydroxyapatite and collagen contribute to bone mechanical properties, and because bone is a hierarchical material, changes in properties of either phase can influence bulk mechanical properties of the tissue and bone structure. Type I collagen in bone is synthesized by osteoblasts as a helical structure formed from three polypeptide chains of amino acids. These molecules are staggered into an array and the …

Magnetic Resonance Imaging For The Functional Analysis Of Tissues And Biomaterials, Luyao Cai

Open Access Dissertations

Articular cartilage provides mechanical load dissipation and lubrication between joints, and additionally provides protects from abrasion. At present, there are no treatments to cure or attenuate the degradation of cartilage. Early detection and the ability to monitor the progression of osteoarthritis is important for developing effective therapies. However, few reliable imaging biomarkers exist to detect cartilage disease before advanced degeneration in the tissue. One specialized MRI technique, termed displacements under applied loading by MRI (dualMRI), was developed to measure displacements and strain in musculoskeletal tissues, hydrogels and engineered constructs. However, deformation information does not directly describe spatial distributions of tissue …

Experimentally Validated Quantum Transport Models For Tunneling Devices Based On Novel Materials, Tarek A. Ameen Beshari

Open Access Dissertations

The desire to reduce the power consumption of consumer electronics has driven the semiconductor industry to seek smaller transistors and to operate them at lower supply voltages. A reduction in the transistors dimensions by a certain fraction can reduce the power consumption by the same amount, for a specific operation speed. The semiconductor industry employs a 14nm feature size for its latest technology node and is pushing it down to 10nm. Moreover, reducing the supply voltage can also significantly lower the power consumption. However, the limit on the supply voltage is set by the threshold voltage, which is more than …

Couple-Based Stress Management Intervention And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfs) Biopsychological Processes, Sara F. Milrad

Open Access Dissertations

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness that is characterized by heterogeneous, systemic symptoms that impact patients’ and their caregiving partners’ quality of life. Extant literature has found hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and neuroimmune biomarkers associated with the disorder, but the impact of relationship satisfaction and patients’ communication satisfaction about symptoms on these CFS-relevant biological markers and on CFS patients’ CFS symptom severity has not been examined. Like others suffering from incapacitating chronic illnesses, CFS patients are often homebound, on disability, and/or face unemployment; however, people suffering from CFS report significantly less social support and more stigma from society, as …

A Contemporary Improvisational Methodology For The Cellist, Ian Calder Flatt

Open Access Dissertations

Musical improvisation curriculums are currently in the process of being created as part of the performance training of classical string players. However, as a performance practice there is currently no educational method that addresses technical methodology as related specifically to the cello. This dissertation provides background research into areas of learning that include theories of improvisational methods specifically designed for the cellist and creative practice approaches that compliment conservatory-style repertoire based education. This is all framed within a new approach to fingerboard visualization as maps of tonal harmony for creative interpretation and continual study. Recommendations for further study and additional …

Phantom Arabic, Dislocated French: Auto-Anthropological Imaginaries:Jean Genet, Abdellah Taia,Leila Sebbar, Nabil Ayouch, Amine Zidouh

Open Access Dissertations

This study combines sociolinguistics with literary, cultural and cinematographic studies in the analysis of works by Jean Genet, Abdellah Taia, Leila Sebbar and Nabil Ayouch. This dissertation’s main argument is that an understanding of the relationship between what is to be conceived as Phantom Arabic and Dislocated French is crucial to the critical repositioning and re-questioning of a significant part of postcolonial cultural production emanating from North Africa and/or the North African diaspora. This thesis intervenes in current debates in French and Francophone Studies, in Arabic and Comparative Studies, but also in Sociolinguistics (particularly as related to North Africa, the …

The Struggle For Meaning: The Faces And Voices Of The Muslim Experience In Miami, Ramsey Dahab

Open Access Dissertations

This project, as a participatory-research endeavor, seeks to empower Muslim-Americans with a sense of place and voice in an environment that has been more conducive to denying both of these considerations. Previous research on Muslims has not dealt with them fairly, despite any good intentions that may have existed. The point of the PAR project is to gain access to the Muslim experience, rather than speaking for these persons. Rather than use their voice, be their voice, or to speak for Muslims, a participatory research project desires to: speak with Muslims, echo their experiences, co-produce knowledge, and leverage resources as …

Boycotting Or Buycotting? An Investigation Of Consumer Emotional Responses Towards Brand Activism, Cheng Hong

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the emotive and attitudinal antecedents of consumer boycotting and buycotting behaviors in the context of brand activism. Public support was introduced as a potential moderator interacting with (a) attitude consistency, and (b) discrete emotions, in terms of their impact on attitudinal and behavioral outcome variables. The dissertation integrated the discrete emotion approach, as well as the theoretical framework of spiral of silence theory, the social loafing effect, and bystander effect. It was argued that not all discrete emotions impacted boycotting and buycotting behaviors equally. Furthermore, opposite moderation directions of public support were proposed based on two different …

Memorization: Survey And Application With Special Emphasis On The Left Hand, Deyana Ilieva Valchinova

Open Access Dissertations

Memorization plays an important role among music performers, especially pianists, since pianists are expected and encouraged to give performances, exams, and juries from memory. Memorization is not often addressed by pedagogues, and students seldom approach memorization with specific techniques and strategies. More importantly, the chief reason for memory slips as well as poor understanding of the music material is not discussed in depth: the left hand. The need for this study stems from the importance of focusing on the left-hand memory, and how to develop practical and sound memorization habits for it. Furthermore, the purpose of the essay is to …

A Time-Dependent Color Preference In Adult Drosophila, Stanislav Lazopulo

Open Access Dissertations

Light is essential for the survival of almost all organisms. Development of biological light detectors, called photoreceptors, allowed bacteria, plants, and animals to sense light. The evolution of the photoreceptor organs led to the appearance of visual systems. Through light perception, organisms started to adapt their behavioral and physiological processes to variations of light intensity and spectrum. Animals developed stereotypical behavioral responses to light. Profound understanding of photoreception in fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster allow to study how the light information is processed and responses are generated. In this study, we report previously undescribed color-specific behavioral responses of fruit flies to …

Idiosyncratic Spatial And Temporal Modifications Of Seismic Waveforms, Nicholas Peters

Open Access Dissertations

Seismic reflection has been an ongoing and active research discipline since the first experiments in 1921. Seismic reflection research has been overwhelmingly concentrated on the reflection characteristics of the subsurface. These characteristics are derived from instantaneous measurements of the seismic signal. Since the first seismic experiments, to the present day, analysis of the seismic signal stationary values for accurately defining a reflection horizon, and subsequently the morphological changes in the discrete strata, has been an ongoing goal of seismic processing. Initially, the interpretation consisted of imprecise conversion of event times to depth for determination of subsurface geologic structure. The advent …