Digital Commons Network^™

“What’S Supp” Developing An In Vitro Model For Healthy Oral Biofilms, Alex Labossiere

Open Access Dissertations

The study of oral plaque has largely been influenced by the study of pathogens. Here in Chapter 1, I will discuss how this pathogenic focus has been dominant until the onset of microbiome research and begin to explain microbiomes in the context of supragingival plaque in homeostatic communities. From there we will then discuss the possible roots where dysbiosis may arise from plaque to cause disease and ways in which we can study healthy supragingival plaque by in vitro models.

In chapter 2, I will discuss molecular commensalism and how it can be viewed as a tool to further understand …

A Multispectral Analysis Of High Redshift Quasars And Their Energy Production Mechanisms, Erik Carlson

Open Access Dissertations

We present a complete sample of radio-loud (P_3.0 GHz = 10^27.26 W/Hz) high-redshift (z ≥ 2.5) quasars in the Northern Hemisphere (δ ≥ 0). Each source was imaged with a user-defined imaging protocol developed for the Very Large Array Sky Survey. Higher-resolution images were generated from archival observations and new Enhanced Very Large Array observations (Project Code: 24B-010).  We produced 407 images of galaxies, where we are likely the first humans to see them. Twenty of these sources were high-redshift jets which increased the number of known high-redshift jets by 69%. This sample represents one of the largest …

"Understanding Obesity Experiences And Treatment Decision-Making In Hispanic-Latino Communities”, Viviane Fornasaro-Donahue

Open Access Dissertations

Obesity disproportionately affects Hispanic-Latino adults in the United States, yet rates of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) remain lower in this population compared with non-Hispanic White adults. This dissertation comprises three interconnected phases aimed to (I) explore perceptions of obesity, obesity treatment, and patient-provider communication, (II) inform the development of a culturally responsive bilingual educational material about obesity and MBS, and (III) evaluate its acceptability among Hispanic-Latinos adults with obesity.

Phase I involved a qualitative exploration using semi-structured interviews with Hispanic-Latino adults (n=26) recruited from a community and a clinical MBS setting. These interviews explored participants’ perceptions of …

Ischemia-Induced Cytoskeletal And Nuclear Disruptions Drive Neuronal Death And Dysfunction: Insights Into The Connection Between Stroke And Dementia From In Vitro And In Vivo Models Of Stroke, Emily Potts

Open Access Dissertations

Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) represent two of the leading causes of neurological disability worldwide, and their prevalence is expected to rise as the global population ages. Although stroke is traditionally viewed as an acute vascular event, a growing body of evidence suggests that transient ischemic injury can trigger lasting cellular disturbances that increase neuronal vulnerability to later neurodegeneration. Understanding how ischemic stress alters neuronal structure and function, and how these changes may overlap with pathways implicated in ADRD, is an emerging focus for stroke and neurodegenerative researchers. This dissertation addresses these questions through an integrated combination …

Ultra-Processed Food Intake And Dietary Intake Behaviors In Young Adults, Alexandra Black Larcom

Open Access Dissertations

Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has been positively associated with adverse health outcomes and poor diet quality (DQ). UPFs tend to be of lower nutritional quality (NQ) than less processed foods, though NQ varies widely within each category of food processing. Young adults are the highest consumers of UPF, but UPF intake and related behaviors have not been examined in college students, a key subset of young adults. UPF overconsumption at meals has been proposed as a mechanism for the association between UPF intake, poor DQ, and adverse health outcomes, though no existing studies have considered NQ. Further, consumer understanding of …

Assessing Distribution And Density Changes Of The Ecosystem Engineers, Rockweed And Kelp, In Narragansett Bay, Ri, Rebecca Venezia

Open Access Dissertations

Climate change and anthropogenic stressors in marine costal habitats include increased sea surface temperatures (SST) and precipitation. The impacts of these stressors can affect ecosystem engineer species, which create three-dimensional habitat space in and provide various ecosystem services that modify and maintain ecosystem resources. In Narragansett Bay, RI, USA there is anecdotal evidence that the habitat forming species of kelp, Saccharina latissima, and rockweeds, Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus spp, are changing but few long-term studies have been conducted to verify this. We compared the historical studies from the 1960s to 2010s on seaweeds in Narraganset Bay to modern SCUBA …

Microplastics Detection, Characterization, And Cytotoxicity Evaluation Via Lab-On-Chip, Liyuan Gong

Open Access Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) pose a growing challenge to the ecological system, prompting increasing research efforts in diverse directions. Accurate characterization of MPs is essential for understanding their properties, relying on efficient sampling and detection techniques. Additionally, studying the cytotoxic effects of MPs is critical for evaluating their impact on biological systems. Lab-on-chip (LoC) systems offer significant advantages for precise particle manipulation and compatibility with advanced analytical instrumentation, making them valuable for MP detection and characterization. Microfluidic-based on-chip cell-culturing systems provide a controllable, physiologically relevant microenvironment for more realistic in vitro tissue modeling. By leveraging advanced LoC concepts and integrating state-of-the-art machine …

Analysis Of Early Interventions To Retain Underrepresented Students In Computer Science, Michael Conti

Open Access Dissertations

Computer science, like many STEM disciplines, faces persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining women and individuals from racially and ethnically minoritized backgrounds. This study examines whether targeted interventions can produce sustained improvements in academic performance and sense of belonging among these underrepresented groups. By analyzing longitudinal data, this research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in promoting equity and persistence in computer science education.

Comprehensively Understanding And Manipulating The Heat Transfer Mechanisms In Next-Generation Battery Materials, Connor Jaymes Dionne

Open Access Dissertations

Rechargeable batteries are paramount to the further development of green energy infrastructure as they allow for energy storage during peak production times, energy distribution during off-peak times, and provide the impetus to transition away from standard combustion engines in the transportation sector. The ability for rechargeable batteries to safely charge and discharge over multiple cycles is key to their successful application and long-term use. Moreover, the growing use of rechargeable batteries necessitates designs utilizing materials that are abundant and accessible to meet the ever-increasing demands required by the green energy and transportation sectors.

To address these needs, we first investigate …

The Chemical Ecology Of A Caribbean Boulder Coral During Restoration And The Interplay Between Fish Predation And Microbiome Variation, Catherine E. Raker

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems on the planet. In recent decades, however, climate change and other global threats have caused severe declines in live coral cover worldwide. Coral propagation, or “gardening,” is a popular strategy to attempt to restore healthy corals to degraded reefs. Slow-growing boulder corals are often restored using microfragmentation, where cutting coral colonies into roughly 1 cm² fragments can increase their growth rates up to 5x. However, extreme early mortality of fragments has been observed in the field, which has been at least partially attributed to predation. It has been …

Machine Learning Guided Insights Into Phonon Scattering Mechanisms For Tunable Thermal Transport In Materials From First-Principles, Niraj Bhatt

Open Access Dissertations

As device dimensions shrink in the current era of miniaturization, effective thermal management at the material level has become critical. In ultrasmall device lengths, traditional electronic heat transport becomes severely limited as boundary scattering effects curtail the electronic transport because the electronic mean free paths substantially exceed those of phonons. The resulting high-power- density devices generate thermal hot spots that compromise both performance and long-term reliability. This challenge has intensified the search for materials with superior phonon-mediated heat transport, a key requirement for effective thermal management in next-generation nanoelectronics. Accurately predicting thermal transport properties with near-experimental accuracy is therefore essential. …

Prediction Of Radiation Exposure From Genetic Expression And Treatment Of Resulting Cancers, Adam Vanasse

Open Access Dissertations

In the absence of a physical device to measure radiation exposure, the general population has little to no efficient way of precisely measuring dose received long after the initial exposure. Even after this exposure, ionizing radiation greatly increases the likelihood of developing cancers and other health problems. This research focuses on three main experiments related to both tracking radiation exposure and treating the cancers that may arise from it.

The first of these experiments is an analysis of human blood samples irradiated at two different nuclear research facilities looking into the development of a biological dosimetry method. Using RNA sequencing, …

Development And Application Of A Hurricane Boundary Layer Wind Model For Landfalling Hurricanes, Mansur Ali Jisan

Open Access Dissertations

The impact of land surface roughness on the hurricane boundary layer (HBL) wind structure is crucial for understanding and predicting wind damage during landfall. Accurate representation of these surface conditions is essential for realistic wind simulations. This Ph.D. dissertation investigates the impact of land surface roughness on hurricane wind prediction during landfall. By simulating the flow within the HBL using a 3D boundary layer wind model, we evaluate the model's ability to predict wind speeds over land surfaces. A new approach for hurricane vortex generation was developed for the HBL model to ensure a realistic representation of the hurricane wind …

From Woke-Washing To Authentic Brand Activism: Essays On Its Impact On Consumer Identity, Brand Morality And Brand Responses, Priscilla Yamilet Peña

Open Access Dissertations

Brand activism, in which a brand publicly takes a political or social justice stance, has gained momentum, positioning brands as agents of societal change. However, accusations of inauthentic brand activism or "woke washing" present a significant challenge. Understanding the basis for these accusations and their effects on consumer identity, particularly among stigmatized groups, requires further exploration. This dissertation aims to shed light on consumers' perspectives of inauthentic brand activism and proposes effective brand messaging strategies. The first manuscript explores consumer accusations of woke-washing using the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), uncovering emerging themes, and assessing the damage to identity within …

Developing A Transition Program For College Students On The Autism Spectrum, Katharine Musella

Open Access Dissertations

The diagnosis of individuals on the autism spectrum (AS) has received international attention in recent years. This is partly due to the potentially distressing and challenging barriers individuals and their families face as well as a rise in prevalence rates (Weiss & Rohland, 2014). Research has indicated an increase in individuals on the AS, making it one of the fastest-growing diagnosed disabilities in children (Hartley-McAndrew et al., 2014). Current estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) place the diagnostic rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at approximately 1 in 36 children (Maenner et al., 2023). Paralleling this reported …

This Could Be Heaven Or This Could Be Hell: Figurations Of Urban Life In Contemporary California, Diana Turken

Open Access Dissertations

This project examines city space as a material and conceptual process within contemporary California. Concretized in differing figurations, my work investigates the urban as a distinct praxis reimagining subject and space. If California is truly a “non-canonical” landscape as Krista Comer argues, its vision of “Westness” must offer an alternate geography that, while gesturing to the West as an historical event, departs from dominant narratives to envision a counter-site somehow “west of West.” My first chapter looks to Tommy Orange’s There, There (1996). Evoking Deleuze’s theorization of the Fold, I read the novel’s depiction of Oakland as a folded configuration …

Ultrafast Dynamics Of Intrinsic And Hybrid Phonon Modes In Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors, Chandra Prasad Neupane

Open Access Dissertations

Wide-bandgap semiconductors, such as Barium Tin Oxide (BaSnO₃) and Strontium Titanate (SrTiO₃) are important for advanced electronic device applications. These materials offer high electron mobility and a high breakdown voltage, addressing limitations commonly found in traditional silicon-based transistors, such as low forward voltage and instability in harsh conditions. The high breakdown voltage resulting from wide bandgaps allows for operation at higher voltages, which is essential for high-power electronic devices. Additionally, wide-bandgap semiconductors exhibit significantly high electron mobility, a key factor in switching speed. For instance, BaSnO₃ demonstrates electron mobility in the range of 100-300 cm …

Treading Carefully In The Deep Ocean: Insights Into The Effects Of Artificial Light And Sound From Robotic Platforms On Pelagic Animal Surveys Using Active Acoustics And Low-Light Imaging Techniques, Rendhy Moreno Sapiie

Open Access Dissertations

Science and technology are coupled disciplines. Breakthroughs in ocean science are often pertinent to the ability to observe physical, chemical, and biological processes at the right temporal and spatial scales, which typically involves the use of robots. Large, powerful, and extremely capable, the scientific work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is the golden standard when observing fine temporal scale intricate processes in the full ocean stratum and has unraveled important discoveries in deep-sea biology and ecology. Sound, light, and hydrodynamic forces produced from these vehicles are sources of disturbances that may impact quantitative observations in the twilight zone, an environment absent …

Early Childhood Educators’ Values, Behaviors, And Perceived Barriers Of Stem Education, Kelly Houle

Open Access Dissertations

The National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC) and the Fred Rogers Center Joint Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media in the Early Childhood Programs (2012) calls for early childhood educators to intentionally and appropriately integrate technology into their teaching practice. Intentional and appropriate integration not only requires educators to find reputable resources but also necessitates new pedagogical approaches to teaching media literacy. Digital tools have the potential to enhance the educational experiences for students and provide opportunities for our youngest learners to feel empowered and develop agency in their communities. Early childhood educators lack professional learning opportunities …

From Page To Stage: Enlightenment Common Sense & The Semiotics Of The Body, 1660–1820, Nilton X. Gomes

Open Access Dissertations

How did eighteenth-century audience members or novel readers come to see beyond the facades of literary characters and narrators? By looking into moments of bodily concealment in the eighteenth-century novel and theater, this dissertation examines how authors and playwrights in this period wrote with subtly and force to make the body as and in many instances more legible to their readers as the words on the page or the dialogues on the stage in attempts to suture the gap that lies between what a writer intends and what a reader grasps in a literary work. It also stresses the body’s …

Using Fishing Industry Input And Fishery-Dependent Data To Improve Understanding Of Offshore Fishing Activity And Business Operations, Julia C. Livermore Sheehan

Open Access Dissertations

As the US Blue Economy expands, the commercial and recreational fishing industries in Southern New England face a plethora of challenges. Demand for ocean space is increasing with the expansion of offshore wind development, proposals for additional marine monuments and sanctuaries, and plans for offshore aquaculture farms. Spatial conflicts are therefore increasing, while climate change is driving physical oceanographic changes and biological responses in species at all levels of the food web, resulting in shifts in species distributions and therefore fishing grounds. These challenges contribute to the conditions that businesses must adapt to in order to survive. Therefore, fishing businesses …

Altered Transcriptional Regulation Is An Early Driver Of Disease In An In Vitro Model Of C9orf72 Als/Ftd, Michelle Jean Gregoire

Open Access Dissertations

Neurodegenerative disorders affect millions of people worldwide and are only expected to increase in prevalence as the world’s population ages. The progressive loss of neurons, their structure, and function can lead to detrimental effects as neurons are responsible for the integration of signals in the brain and spinal cord. Despite the association of genetic mutations leading to neurodegeneration, the etiology of many of the disorders is unknown. Understanding how cellular pathologies affect different subsets of neurons is a major goal in the field of cell and molecular neuroscience. Similarly, understanding the mechanisms that may drive these pathologies is of interest …

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Electrode Designs And Gels For Use In Electroencephalography, Jay Vincelli

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the challenge of improving spatial resolution and signal quality in electroencephalography (EEG), focusing on tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCREs) and conductive gels. The research aimed to develop standardized evaluation methods for TCREs, optimize gel performance, and explore non-invasive EEG techniques for studying brain activity in octopuses.

A novel planar EEG phantom was developed, enabling systematic evaluation of TCREs and gels. Sixteen commercial EEG gels were assessed using this phantom, revealing significant performance variations with TCREs. Based on these findings, a custom high-impedance gel was formulated specifically for TCREs. Additionally, the potential of TCREs for non-invasive EEG techniques …

Understanding Groundwater Depletion And Water Security Challenges In The Transboundary Aquifer Systems Of The Middle East And North Africa Region, Mohammed Obaid Altayyar Alotaibi

Open Access Dissertations

The Arabian Peninsula countries are characterized by arid and semi-arid climates, relying heavily on groundwater as their primary source of freshwater. However, human activities are rapidly depleting and contaminating this resource, making its sustainable management increasingly crucial. Groundwater in these countries is stored in transboundary aquifer systems, such as the Wajid, Umm Er Radhuma, and Wasia, which are shared with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Oman. These shared resources require Groundwater-sharing agreements for effective management. Yet, the lack of such agreements has resulted in poor data sharing, uncoordinated and unsustainable development, rapid water depletion, declining water quality, and land …

Performance Of Multifunctional Composite Structures In Static And Dynamic Conditions, Birenda Chaudhary

Open Access Dissertations

Chapter 1: Multifunctional composites and smart textiles are an important advancement in material science, offering a variety of capabilities that extend well beyond traditional structural functions. These advanced materials are poised to revolutionize applications across a wide range of industries, including aerospace, healthcare, military, and consumer electronics, by embedding functionalities such as structural health monitoring, signal transmission, power transfer, self-healing, and environmental sensing. This review, which draws on insights from various disciplines, including material science, engineering, and technology, explores the manufacturing techniques employed in creating multifunctional composites, focusing on modifying textiles to incorporate conductive fibers, sensors, and functional coatings. The …

Multi-Sensor Fusion For Uuv Localization At The Ice-Water Interface, Lin Zhao

Open Access Dissertations

The polar oceans are crucial in influencing global overturning circulation, biological carbon pumps, and the carbon cycle. Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are promising tools to explore this area for scientific sampling and monitoring. However, underwater localization is challenging because of the lack of GPS. To improve the robustness of UUV under-ice navigation ability, in this dissertation, we investigated a multi-sensor fusion localization system for ice-water inter-face exploration. Specifically, the state-of-the-art Multi-State Constraint Kalman Filter (MSCKF) is leveraged to perform state estimation using Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Pressure, Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Forward-looking Sonar (FLS) and Mono-camera. Furthermore, robust feature estimation …

Enhancing Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus Drobachiensis) Production Toward Sustainability, Tara Plee

Open Access Dissertations

The green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) fishery was once prosperous in the Gulf of Maine, peaking in the 1980s and early 1990s. However, since the early 1990s, the fishery has dramatically declined despite having harvesting restrictions. To sustain the industry, production through aquaculture is necessary, but hatchery production methods are not yet optimized, with settlement success and post-settlement survival as low as 1-5%, and the spatial scale for field grow-out may be limited in some regions due to climate change. Additionally, there are knowledge gaps in fishery management regarding whether oversized S. droebachiensis help sustain natural stocks. This …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Hospital Practices That Support Breastfeeding In The United States, Jane Lazar Tucker

Open Access Dissertations

Breastfeeding is the optimal form of infant nutrition and has many health benefits for mothers as well as infants (CDC, 2022a; Victora et al., 2016). Though rates of breastfeeding have improved in recent years, disparities in breastfeeding persist among Black and Hispanic women compared to White women (Beauregard et al., 2019; Chiang et al., 2021), despite similar intentions to breastfeed across all racial/ethnic groups (Hamner et al., 2021). Hospital practices that support breastfeeding, such as the baby being placed skin-to-skin immediately after delivery or staying in the room with the mother throughout the hospital stay, are known to predict breastfeeding …

The Impact Of Multi-Tier Supply Chain Complexity And Network Centrality On Buying Firms’ Performance, Li Liu

Open Access Dissertations

Firms establish business relationships and exchange products and services in multi-tier supply chains. Lower-tier suppliers provide parts, components, and services to buying firms through tier-1 suppliers in the multi-tier supply network. The complexity and network characteristics of those lower-tier suppliers could impact buying firm’ performance. These firms are more likely to be driven by the supply-side economics to pursue innovativeness and support in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, due to the shift from physical processes to information and resource-based integration across the entire supply chains. Despite the potential, it is challenging for buying firms to identify and manage …

House Of Horrors: Shirley Jackson And The Perils Of The Domestic In American Literature, 1945-1965, Annmarie Demichiel

Open Access Dissertations

Recent years have seen a slight rise in academic and popular interest in the works of author Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). Jackson’s novella The Haunting of Hill House (1959) was adapted into a Netflix series in 2018, while Ruth Franklin’s 2016 biography of Jackson brought previously unknown or overlooked details of Jackson’s life to the attention of scholars and general readers alike. Scholarly treatments of Jackson’s work are steadily increasing, and the focus of such treatments remains consistent and somewhat narrow: interpretations include attention to homosocial and possible homosexual relationships in Jackson’s fiction; her fiction’s placement in the lineage of gothic …