Digital Commons Network^™

Reconstructing Electrocardiogram Leads From A Reduced Lead Set Through The Use Of Patient-Specific Transforms And Independent Component Analysis, Michael H. Ostertag

Theses

In this exploration into electrocardiogram (ECG) lead reconstruction, two algorithms were developed and tested on a public database and in real-time on patients. These algorithms were based on independent component analysis (ICA). ICA was a promising method due to its implications for spatial independence of lead placement and its adaptive nature to changing orientation of the heart in relation to the electrodes.

The first algorithm was used to reconstruct missing precordial leads, which has two key applications. The first is correcting precordial lead measurements in a standard 12-lead configuration. If an irregular signal or high level of noise is detected …

From Apologia To Benoit: An Empirical Test Of Image Restoration Strategies, Joseph D. Blosenhauer

Theses

This study looked at the effectiveness of William Benoit's image restoration strategies by using a post-test only experiment which featured four treatments. It compared consumers' feelings following responses made by a company after an image threat. Each response consisted of a combination of image restoration strategies, and while not all of Benoit's strategies were tested, the ones which seemed to be most commonly used were chosen. The present study showed two strategies, mortification and corrective action, were more effective than others tested. In addition, there were outside factors, such as perceived sincerity, which also had a role in the effectiveness …

Evaluation Of Electrocoagulation For The Removal Of Chromium (Vi) From Brackish Groundwater, Shaima S Hamdan

Theses

Electrocoagulation (EC) has been evaluated for the removal of Cr (VI) from brackish groundwater using three different bench-scale EC reactors, namely batch stirred tank reactor (BSTR), continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a continuous electrocoagulation column (ECC). Batch EC process was experimentally examined at room temperature and the results indicated that Fe-Fe electrode pair was the most efficient arrangement and was able to achieve 100 % Cr removal at an electrocoagulation time of 5 minutes, a current density of 7.94 mA/cm², and pH of 8. A kinetic study of batch EC was then performed using both pseudo-first-order and …

Molecular Characterization Of Vim Carbapenemases In The Arabian Peninsula, Nour Yahfoufi

Theses

The emergence and global spread of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae is alarming world-wide phenomenon that also affects the Middle East due to limited treatment options for such infections and their common association with high level of fatality. The most important mechanism of such resistance is caused by the production of various carbapenemase enzymes. In the Arabian Peninsula, so far, NDM and OXA48-like carbapenemases have been reported, while elsewhere other enzymes, e.g. VIM, IMP and KPC are also commonly found. Our aim was to systematically look for the VIM-type carbapenemases among local isolates and to characterize their genetic background.

Initially, screening isolates …

Use Of Nanoparticles In Disinfection Of Desalinated Water In United Arab Emirates, Laila Masoud Rashid Al-Issai

Theses

United Arab Emirates (UAE) as well as most Gulf Countries depends mostly on desalinated sea water as the main source of drinking water. The drinking water disinfection process has been routinely carried out since the turn of the century to destroy pathogenic organisms and prevent waterborne diseases. When chemical disinfection is applied before or after desalination, a number of harmful compounds are formed posing potential risks to the health of human or aesthetic quality of drinking water. As such, a tremendous number of studies have been conducted to identify new alternative methods of disinfecting water without formation of harmful Disinfection …

Using Latent Semantic Analysis To Detect Non-Cognitive Variables Of Academic Performance, Daniel Richard Aalderks

Theses

This thesis explores the possibilities of using latent semantic analysis to detect evidence of intrapersonal personality variables in post-secondary student essays. Determining student achievement based on non-cognitive variables is a complex process. Automated essay scoring tools are already in use today in grading and evaluating student texts based on cognitive domain traits, but at this time are not utilized to analyze non-cognitive domains such as personality. Could such tools be configured to detect non-cognitive variables in student essays? Key concepts in this proposal—personality traits, latent semantic analysis, automated essay evaluation, and online cinema reviews—are explored followed by a literature review …

The Winds Of Change: The Political Ecology Of Renewable Energy Transition In Vermont, Jill Mcnulty Clegg

Theses

This research presents a case study of renewable energy transition (RET) in Vermont, illustrated by a recently completed commercial wind project in the Lowell Mountains. Preliminary analysis maps out the current political landscape of Vermont’s RET – its stakeholders, political climate, and important policy advances. Subsequent analysis focuses on the relationship between RET and the unique aspects of Vermont’s institutions, culture, and communities. Important elements of this analysis include the ways that community groups form a vital link between citizens and the State, the unique opportunities and challenges presented by Vermont’s pastoral land perception and activist heritage, and the way …

Mapping Ms-Ptc Programmatic Core Competencies To Emerging Professionalization Standards: Are Our Students Fully Prepared?, Faye Newsham

Theses

This paper explores evaluation of graduate student preparedness for work in technical communication and emerging professionalization standards by way of an alumni survey. This paper argues that these core competencies can be evaluated and aligned and provides an example confirming both the New Jersey Institute of Technology Masters of Science in Professional and Technical Communication (NJIT MS-PTC) and the Society of Technical Communication (STC) Body of Knowledge (BOK) and core competencies used in STC certification. The study was conducted through the month of October 2013 and queried alumni of the NJIT MS-PTC program. This paper seeks to suggest a method …

Mathematically Modeling The Mechanical Constants Of Thoracolumbar Fascia Under Compression, In Vivo, Vrajeshri Patel

Theses

The thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) is a complex structure made of many interconnecting aponeurosis and muscle fascia. It plays a role in posture, stabilizing the lumbosacral spine, load transfer, and respiration. Its complex structure and connections have mostly been observed through cadaveric studies while its mechanical properties have been addressed in only a few studies. Recently, new advances in ultrasound imaging have made it possible to move towards measuring tissue strain. Since this is an in vivo method, mechanical data of tissues in their natural environment allows a more accurate representation of tissue strain. However, many different methods of analyzing ultrasound …

Home Security: The Psychological Threshold, David Strauss

Theses

Home Security: The Psychological Threshold, explores how a thoughtful, intelligent product design solution can psychologically affect two user groups (homeowners and intruders) into opposing emotional states; safety and intimidation.

Using available statistical data and research on home burglaries, as well as inspiration from nature, present day solutions, and the environment, a conceptual security system was designed to meet the needs of suburban homeowners.

The central product, a security system, employs the use of lighting notifications to create a variety of reactive states and monitor individuals who approach a home. Based on the users intentions the monitor can; notify surrounding people …

Using Radio Frequency Identification Technology In Healthcare, Sr. Avery Williamson

Theses

In the healthcare industry, medical treatment can be a matter of life and death, so that any mistakes may cause irreversible consequences. As hospitals have sought to reduce these types of errors, Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) has become a solution in the healthcare industry to address these problems. Since 2005, RFID has generated a lot of interest in healthcare to make simpler the identification process for tracking and managing medical resources to improve their use and to reduce the need for future costs for purchasing duplicate equipment. There are rising concerns linked to the privacy and security issues, when …

Evaluating Cecal Ligation And Puncture- Induced Kidney Injury In Diabetic Meprin Deficient Mice, Kasheena Burris

Theses

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD), and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Key histological changes observed in DN include accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Meprins are metalloproteinases that are abundantly expressed in the brush border membranes of proximal kidney tubules. Meprins are also expressed in leukocytes (monocytes and macrophages) and podocytes. Meprins cleave/degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen IV, collagen VI, fibronectin, laminin, and nidogen-1 in vitro. Meprins have been implicated in the pathology of DN. Sepsis is a complex medical condition, where the …

The Effects Of Moringa Oleifera On Stress Induced Immune Modulation In Mice, Jr. Glenn Drue

Theses

In both humans and animals, stress causes the body to release adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones that cause changes within the body, which include modulation of the immune system. Stress in mammals can cause changes in the profile of immune cells circulating in the blood. Environmental and nutritional stressors can be considered two of the most common animal stressors. In the presence of stress there is an increase in the number of circulating neutrophils and a decrease in the number of lymphocytes within the blood. The physiological changes that occur in animals in response to acute and chronic stress …

Chemical Reactive Separations In Energy And Environmental Processes, Md Arif Khan

Theses

The main objective of this study was to investigate the application of chemical reactive separation (reactive separation, advanced oxidation) in bio-oil upgradation and air pollution control. Aspen simulation for reactive distillation of pyrolysis bio-oil for the reactive distillation with n-butanol is carried out using RADFRAC module and UNIQUAC property method by minimizing Gibbs free energy. The binary and ternary interaction and chemical and phase equilibrium (CPE) between the components were studied to determine the azeotropes and homogeneous region of mixture. The conversions for the esterification reactions were found to be 70-90% for various simulated bio-oils, and water was separated from …

Impact Of Supply Air Flow Rate On System Performance And Space Comfort Of Residential Air Conditioning Systems, Rifaie Fouad Al

Theses

The amount of air flow rate supplied to the space by the residential air conditioning system can have significant effect on the whole system performance and on the thermal comfort level. This study investigates the impact of air flow rates when they are higher or lower than the current practices or manufacture's specified values on system performance and on space comfort. In addition, this work examines the performance operation data such as (1) the annual and hourly energy consumption, (2) the system operation hours, (3) the temperature of air supplied to the space, (4) humidity ratio of the space, (5) …

Effect Of Feeding Sows Diets Supplemented With Oat And Yeast Culture On The Incidence Of Post Weaning Diarrhea In Their Offspring, Torel Daniels

Theses

Post Weaning Diarrhea (PWD) is a leading cause of mortality in piglets during the first two weeks of weaning. According to the Fairbrother, Nadeau et al. (2005) report, PWD is a major gastrointestinal disease caused by stress, pathogenic intestinal bacteria and immature immune responses. Antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) are used to combat PWD but there is public concern surrounding their use (Casewell, Friis, Marco, McMullin, & Phillips, 2003). The purpose of this study is to investigate natural alternatives to AGP that prevent PWD. Therefore, we designed a study whereby yeast culture and oat were fed to sows during the last …

Measurement Of Optical Properties Of Soot Using Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy And Integrating Nephelometry, Damon M. Smith

Theses

Since black carbon and brown carbon are among the greatest contributors to radiative forcing (black carbon being second only to carbon dioxide), this work focuses on the laboratory measurement of their optical properties using cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) and integrating nephelometry. Water soluble soot is collected using an impinger and cascade impactor by burning different fuel types to mimic ambient aerosols dominant in regions where biomass burning is the main source of aerosols. Using an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) as a light source, we are able to measure extinction and scattering over a wide range of wavelengths. A correction factor …

Techniques For Type I Collagen Organization, Latecia Diamond Anderson-Jackson

Theses

Tissue Engineering is a process in which cells, engineering, and material methods are used in amalgamation to improve biological functions. The purpose of tissue engineering is to develop alternative solutions to treat or cure tissues and organs that have been severely altered or damaged by diseases, congenital defects, trauma, or cancer. One of the most common and most promising biological materials for tissue engineering to develop scaffolds is Type I collagen. A major challenge in biomedical research is aligning Type I collagen to mimic biological structures, such as ligaments, tendons, bones, and other hierarchal aligned structures within the human body. …

Antibacterial And Antioxidative Properties Of Essential Oils From Armoise (Artemisia Herba-Alba), Bay (Laurus Nobilis) And Rose Geranium (Pelargonium Capitatum X Radens) In Vitro, Ragina B. Rafiq

Theses

The prevalence of food contamination by pathogenic bacteria resulting in foodborne illness has raised concern to the food industry. In addition, oxidation in food, which affects the shelf life and quality of the food through the formation of off odor and off flavor, is another concern to the food industry. Nitrates, sulfates, benzoates of sodium and potassium, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) are commonly used as preservatives in the food industry. However, long-term safety issues of synthetic preservatives in human health along with negative perception of consumers have lead researchers to find alternative natural preservatives. The purpose of …

Smart Polyacrylonitrile (Pan) Nanofibers With Thermal Energy Storage And Retrieval Functionality, De’Andre James Cherry

Theses

Phase change materials (PCMs) are generally substances with a high heat of fusion in the process of solid to liquid phase change. The nature of PCMs make them efficient materials to store and retrieve large amounts of thermal energy. Presently, high efficiency thermal energy storage/retrieval in applications where flexibility and space saving are required, such as smart textiles, still remains as a challenge. In this study, lauric acid (LA) and myristic acid (MA) were combined to prepare a specific binary fatty acid eutectic (LA-MA) with a melting point near the operating body temperature of a human being and then encapsulated …

The Electrochemical Detection Of Explosive Compounds Using Polymer And Chemically Modified Electrodes, Hollis Rachial D

Theses

The detection and quantification of explosive compounds is extremely important in global security, antiterrorist, and forensic activity. While there are sensitive and reliable methods for detection, the development of electrochemical techniques is used here because they are simple, affordable, and can be made for field use. In this investigation, chlorogenic acid (CGA) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used to detect hydrazine in concentrations as low as 0.05mM; aspartic acid modified GCE was used to detect both nitrobenzene and 4-nitrotoluene in concentrations as low as 3.3μM and 1.3μM, respectively; and finally phenol red coated GCE was used to detect nitrobenzene …

Enhancing Asphalt Binder's Rheological Behavior And Aging Susceptibility Using Nano-Particles, Renaldo C. Walters

Theses

The life expectancy of Asphalt Binder (AB) has been negatively impacted by the harsh bombardment of UV rays. UV rays cause asphalt to oxidize faster which results in deterioration of asphalt rheological characteristics that can lead to pavement distresses. This study investigates the impact that nano-particles and bio modification have on the aging susceptibility of asphalt binder. As such, the following hypothesis was investigated: Introduction of nano particles to asphalt binder will reduce asphalt oxidation aging by increasing the inter layer spacing of the nano particles. Two nano scale materials were used for this study, nano-clay and bio-char as well …

Wear Behavior Characterization For The Screening Of Magnesium-Based Alloys, Paul R. Mcghee

Theses

This research is focused on the development of a systematic approach to evaluate the selection of materials for Mg-based alloys under wear conditions for biomedical applications. A pilot study was carried out in order to establish an accurate and reliable wear testing technique for magnesium and its alloys. This pilot study was conducted on aluminum (Al) and pure Mg, and showed that aluminum has a lower wear rate compared to Mg. The technique displayed good repeatability and high precision. For the main study, an ERC Mg-based alloy was to be compared with pure Mg. The same technique, when applied to …

Stochastic Approach In Groundwater Modeling: A Case Study Of The Buffalo Creek Watershed, Jenberu Lemu Feyyisa

Theses

Simulation and prediction of groundwater flow and solute (contaminant) transport highly depends upon aquifer parameters and their spatial distribution. Since this variability in space is in fact random, solutions for groundwater flow and contaminants transport are better defined through a statistical approach. This study acknowledges and considers spatial variability of horizontal hydraulic conductivity values and compares calibrated steady-state condition groundwater flow both in deterministic and stochastic approach using MODFLOW model. Based upon the discretized model, for each model run 10, 495 different horizontal hydraulic conductivity values (set) were generated using Kriging statistical distribution method and results of groundwater depth was …

The Impact Of Diet On Goat Rumen Microbes And Innate Immune Gene Expression, Ahmed Abdalla

Theses

Gastrointestinal nematodes in goats have developed resistance to chemical anthelmintics, resulting in the need for alternative control strategies. One approach is incorporation of Sericea Lespedeza (SL) as high quality forage that suppresses these parasites in goats due to its high condensed tannin (CT) content. However, little is known about its effect on rumen microorganisms and innate immunity in goats. A diverse collection of microorganisms is found in the goat rumen and Bifidobacteria is one of the important organisms in the immunity, yet its presence in the goat rumen is not fully studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate …

Toxicity Of Potassium Permanganate And Potassium Peroxymonosulfate Controlled Released Biodegradable Polymer To The Non-Target Organism Daphnia Magna, Niya Sade’ King

Theses

Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) and potassium peroxymonosulfate (Oxone®) are chemical oxidants widely used in natural surface waters and wastewaters for the control and removal of pathogens and the prevention of disease caused by bacteria. However, KMnO4 and Oxone® have the ability to be toxic to aquatic life. Moreover, there is limited information within literature about the toxicity of these oxidizing agents to non-target organisms such as the microcrustacean Daphnia magna (D. magna). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of KMnO4 and Oxone® to D. magna. The focus for this work is to determine the toxic effects …

Using Capec Attack Patterns For Developing Abuse Cases, Emmanuel Borkor Nuakoh

Theses

To engineer secure software, it is imperative to understand attackers' perspectives and approaches. This information has been captured by attack patterns. The Common Attack Patterns Enumeration Classification (CAPEC) repository hosts over 450 attack patterns that contain information about how attacks have been launched against software. Researches have indicated that attack patterns can be utilized for developing secure software; however, there exists no systematic methodology to address this concern. This research proposes a methodology for utilizing CAPEC attack patterns for developing abuse cases at the requirements stage of the secure software development lifecycle (SDLC). In previous research, a tool for retrieving …

Applying Machine Learning Techniques In Diagnosing Bacterial Vaginosis, Yolanda Sherene Baker

Theses

Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) is the most common of vaginal infections diagnosed amongst women of child bearing years. Yet, there is very little insight as to how it occurs. There are a vast number of criteria that can be taken into consideration in determining the presence of BV. The purpose of this thesis is two-fold: first, to discover the most significant features necessary to diagnose the infection, and second, to apply various classification algorithms on the selected features. In order to fulfill our purpose, we conducted an array of experiments on the data. We tested the full set of raw data, …

Determining The Presence, Genetic Variability, And Function Of Cytolethal Distending Toxin In Samoa Strains Of Haemophilus Ducreyi, Andrea Faye Anstead

Theses

Haemophilus ducreyi is the causative agent of the genital ulcerative disease chancroid. Chancroid is an important facilitator for increased transmission of HIV amongst heterosexuals. Chancroid is endemic to Asia, Africa, and Latin America, but there have been several outbreaks within the United States. Chancroidal ulcers are categorized as soft, painful, bloody ulcers that may remain chronic if untreated. H. ducreyi produces and secretes a cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) that causes various cell types to undergo cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. The CDT holotoxin consists of three genes: cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. In 2006, the first report of nonsexual transmission of …

Evaluating The Interaction Between Protein Kinase C And Meprins In Diabetic Nephropathy, Sada Boyd

Theses

Meprin metalloproteinases have been shown to play a role in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in both mice and humans. However, the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Protein Kinase C (PKC) family members are a group of phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinases that regulate signaling pathways involved in cellular growth, proliferation, differentiation, and cell death. PKC signaling pathways have also been implicated in diseases such as DN. Specifically, PKCα has been shown to play a role in the development of albuminuria in mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine whether PKCα is …