Digital Commons Network^™

Purification And Detection Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria From Whole Blood With Nano-Sieve, Xinye Chen

Theses

Life-threatening bloodstream infections (BSI), such as sepsis, mainly caused by the body’s syndromic response to pathogen infection, are a major public health concern, leading to ~11 million deaths each year. The identification of sepsis presents significant challenges in the diagnostic process, as the isolation of low concentration pathogens from bodily fluids (e.g., human blood) is extremely demanding, and typically relies on time-consuming and complicated isolation processes. Therefore, this work aims to explore the potential of microfluidics as a powerful tool for rapid purification and concentration of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) from blood samples, meanwhile developing a molecular diagnostic technology by combining …

Dual Function Molecular Imaging Probes For Breast Cancer, Christopher Denyse

Theses

Breast cancer (BrCa) is a pressing health concern, necessitating the development of effective imaging and therapeutic agents. To address this need, we designed and synthesized molecularly targeted imaging and therapeutic agents that combine visualization and treatment of tumors in real-time. Our approach involved the development of dual-modal agents, incorporating the fluorescent near infrared (NIR) dye, IRDye78, and a chlorin-based photosensitizer (PS) dye, Mesopyropheoborbide-a (mPPa), coupled to a BrCa-targeting peptide, "18-4." Additionally, we created a water-soluble, single-modal targeted PS probe for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of BrCa for use guided by other imaging methods. Our methodology was based on a modular approach, …

Optimized Generative Pre-Training Eeg To Sentiment Classification (Ogptsc), Amira Hassan

Theses

This research aims to revolutionize electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis by proposing and developing an innovative method for sentiment classification, introducing the groundbreaking "Optimized Chat Generative Pre-training EEG to Sentiment Classification (OGPTSC)." This novel approach harnesses the power of Generative Pre-training (GPT2) as the vocabulary language model while utilizing an intelligent hyper-parameter selection method to fine-tune and optimize the model's performance. Extensive testing is conducted on a widely recognized dataset to evaluate the OGPTSC's prowess, demonstrating its exceptional capabilities in sentiment classification. Notably, this research extends its scrutiny beyond the OGPTSC by applying the same hyper-parameter selection technique to well-established models such …

Amulet: Addressing Emotional Abuse, Wentao Sun

Theses

In a world grappling with the scourge of psychological violence, particularly gaslighting, in intimate relationships, the "Amulet" project presents a visionary design solution. Positioned at the intersection of emotional abuse and technology, the project conceptualizes Amulet as a biometric system embodied in a hypothetical skin tattoo and extendable across digital devices. The Amulet project explores the potential role of design in challenging and addressing this insidious form of abuse. The core elements of the project include designing a unique brand identity for Amulet and the creation of a user-friendly interface that offers an intuitive and empowering user experience. The designed …

Programmable Processing-In-Memory Core And Cluster Design And Verification, Namita Bhosle

Theses

The surge in demand for semiconductors and AI-driven applications has led to an amplified requirement for swift and efficient semiconductor design production cycles. These shortened cycles, however, pose a challenge as they reduce the time available for complex chip design and verification, consequently increasing the likelihood of producing error-prone chips. Current research concentrates on utilizing a Lookup Table (LUT) based pPIM (Programmable Processor in Memory) technology to deliver efficient, low-latency, and low-power computation specifically tailored to 4-bit data requirements, ideal for repetitive and data-expensive AI algorithms. This thesis presents the user-defined Generation 2 pPIM, a redesigned and enhanced version of …

Biomimetic Aerosol Exposure System For In Vitro Human Airway Exposure Studies, Samantha Emma Sarles

Theses

Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, disproportionately affecting residents of rural areas, people who are financially disadvantaged, and adults who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The impact that electronic cigarettes will have on public health is not yet fully understood. Combinations of electronic cigarette products, human airway geometries, and user behaviors create barriers to understanding products’ interaction with the human airway and their health effects. Current in vitro emissions systems, also called smoking robots, lack biomimicry, use unrealistic flow conditions, produce unrealistic aerosol dose, and provide inaccurate bio-mechanical cues to cell …

A Familiar Unknown, Samantha Sonnenfeld

Theses

This thesis examines how using glass can challenge perceptions of small moments and their importance by overlaying stellar imagery on everyday spaces to imbue notions of investigative leisure with cosmic importance. I use many types of glass to reinterpret what function can mean and how objects can create lenses for understanding each other, our universe, and ultimately ourselves. Looking at where conversations are shared and introspection blossoms, I find that objects hold their own gravity and can draw us into a moment that sets the scene for solo or group development.

Understanding Natural Resource Conflicts As Causes And Consequences Of The Transition Towards Ecosystem Management: A Case Study Of The Shawnee National Forest In Southern Illinois, Usa, Nicole Mooar

Theses

Since the 1980s, approaches to managing forest resources in the US and around the world have been shifting from the conventional sustained yield approach towards ecosystem management. Ecosystem management is a resource management paradigm that seeks to employ a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to landscape scale conservation, as well as the integration of socio-economic and biophysical considerations with the overall goal of enhancing the health and resilience of coupled social-ecological systems. While the role of natural resource conflicts as drivers of the transition towards ecosystem management has received some research attention, the potential roles of ecosystem management in emerging natural …

Differential Movement Response Of Silver Carp To Individual And Environmental Conditions In The Illinois And Wabash Rivers, Taylor Mogavero

Theses

Knowledge about the spatial dynamics of invasive species is essential to predict, restrict, and prevent their spread to new areas. Invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations are expanding on all fronts and are threatening to establish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Understanding their movement patterns is vital to prevent their populations from spreading further and to improve management efficiency. This study looked at multiple factors to understand which have an influence on the movement of invasive Silver Carp in two different river systems. Chapter 1 examined the relationship between individual and environmental factors—including length, body condition, temperature, and discharge—and movement …

Comparing Various Staff Training Modalities Within Applied Behavior Analysis, Jason Joseph Starr

Theses

Behavioral skills training (BST) has continuously demonstrated to be an effective means of training others in new skills and techniques. A limitation of BST, however, is that it requires extensive time and a professional trainer. Currently, there is a lack of literature comparing BST to alternative and effective training methods that require less resources, such as written directions and video modeling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which training modality (i.e., behavior skills training, written directions, or video modeling) was most effective at increasing staff members' correct implementation of applied behavior analysis procedures, specifically forward chaining, shaping, …

Additive Manufacturing Of 4008 Aluminum Via Magnetohydrodynamic Droplet Jetting, Usama Abdullah Rifat

Theses

Liquid metal jetting is an additive manufacturing process where molten metal is ejected and deposited droplet by droplet to build a three-dimensional part. Liquid metal jetting provides significant advantages over powder-based metal additive processes in terms of faster printing time and less material wastage. The option of using feedstock material in wire form also makes the use of this process less complicated than powder-based processes. At the time of this writing, the only commercially available non-contact liquid metal jetting system is the ElemX machine sold by Xerox. The ElemX uses magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) droplet jetting technology (also termed Magnetojet) to eject …

Design Of An Accelerated Lifetime Tester For Industrial Gas Compressor Poppet Valves, Michael W. Anderson

Theses

There is increasing interest within the petrochemical industry in the development of predictive maintenance algorithms for gas compressors and pipelines. To this end, this thesis outlines an analysis of the feasibility and design of a lifetime accelerator for poppet valves used in industrial gas compressors. First, we investigate the most common compressor and valve types. We then compare existing valve accelerators to determine the gap in current research on poppet valve lifetime accelerators. We demonstrate our design for a lifetime accelerator with the ability to actuate poppet valves at 100[Hz], which is more than 15 times higher than the normal …

The Effect Of Heating Area And Wheatstone Bridge Materials On A Thermally Actuated Mems Viscosity Sensor, Connor Michael Levine

Theses

Being able to accurately measure oil viscosity in real time is critical for multiple applications. It can ensure that the oil being used to protect and lubricate gears and other mechanical elements is good. To do this a thermally actuated micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) based sensor has been previously developed. The sensor is able to measure viscosity by having the fluid couple with the oscillating diaphragm and monitoring the frequency, amplitude and quality factor of the waveform. To improve the accuracy of the sensor, 5 different versions were created to study the effects of heating area and the sensing material …

Lidar Voxel Segmentation Using 3d Convolutional Neural Networks, Yuval H. Levental

Theses

Light detection and ranging (lidar) forest models are important for studying forest composition in great detail, and for tracking objects in the understory. In this study we used DIRSIG, a first-principles and physics-based simulation tool, to turn the lidar data into voxels, towards classifying forest voxel types. A voxel is a 3D cube where the dimension represents a certain distance. These voxels are split into categories consisting of background, leaf, bark, ground, and object elements. Voxel content is then predicted from the provided simulated and real National Ecological Observation Network (NEON) data. The inputs are 3D neighborhood cubes which surround …

Large Dry Metal Electrodes For Physiological Monitoring, Krittika Goyal

Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In-home physiological monitoring systems have a potential to track daily changes in cardiovascular health and to provide health care professionals data about the recovery or deterioration of their patient’s cardiac health. Various in-home monitoring systems have been designed to capture physiological signals from both standard (chest, wrist) and non-standard (palms, buttocks) locations. Unfortunately, most in-home monitoring systems provide poor signal quality due to the use of dry electrodes. Dry electrodes have an unstable electrochemical interface that results in high and variable contact impedance and poor signal quality. The …

Development And Validation Of Epidemiological Models For Informing Intervention Strategies And Preventing Critical Resource Shortages, Kimberly A. Dautel

Theses

Epidemiological models have been used to measure, understand, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Both model development and model validation are important when utilizing models to help inform public health responses. The goal of this work is to advance mathematical modeling efforts of infectious diseases of current worldwide importance through model development and validation. The model development portion focuses on modeling interventions strategies for two infectious diseases. The first model formulated captures education campaign as the collective effort aimed at educating the public about the nature of the Ebola virus, its transmission routes, and the importance of early detection and …

Outness Among Transgender And Non-Binary Adults: Effects Of Identity And Agency On Mental Health, Beau M. Gibbs

Theses

The present study investigated binary transgender (BT) and non-binary (NB) individuals both as an entire transgender non-binary (TNB) group and as two separate groups to examine entire group mental health trends and discern differences in mental health problems between groups. Outness, agency, experiences of transgender identity based microaggressions, and internalized transphobia in particular were investigated in relation to mental health. This study was conducted via an online survey and included 34 BT participants and 58 NB participants (92 participants in total). The correlation matrices and ANCOVAs revealed that none of the study hypotheses were supported. However, it was found that …

Stacking The Deck In The Learner's Favor: Behavioral Skills Training Improves Safmeds Implementation, Lauren Olsen

Theses

“Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffled” (SAFMEDS) is a structured, evidence-based protocol for using flashcards. The protocol is a sequence of steps that are designed to promote accurate and quick responding to learn the information presented on flashcards. Although the benefits of using SAFMEDS have been well-documented, much of the literature fails to adequately describe the methods used to train participants on how to use the protocol. In addition, few studies measure participant procedural integrity (i.e., the extent to which the protocol is implemented as planned). To date, no study has systematically examined the effects of different training methods …

An Evolutionary Comparative Study Of Congenital Stationary Night Blindness-Associated Trpm1 Genetic Variants Of Uncertain Significance In Horses And Humans Utilizing Caenorhabditis Elegans, Gabrielle Davis

Theses

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a heterogeneous collection of genetic diseases affecting the eyes and vision in horses and humans. Current research has implicated several genetic mutations impacting different genes involved in phototransduction and signal transmission, including TRPM1. In horses, genetic mutations in TRPM1 also result in a leopard spotting pattern or leopard complex. The goal of this study is to examine the potential impact of CSNB associated TRPM1 missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Previous research in Caenorhabditis elegans have revealed an orthologous TRPM1 gene known as gon-2 that allows for comparative studies. The evolutionary relationship of …

Technology Takeover And Transformation: Humans Vs. Technology, Mikayla Tjeerdsma

Theses

When looking at the history of the fashion industry up to the present day, technology can easily distinguish the progress of fashion throughout the ages. The direction of this research is to gain insight and a deeper realization of how technology is taking over and transforming those in and revolving around fashion by slowly taking over and replacing human involvement or presence. Statistics and research show due to the adverse effects of COVID-19, technological development within fashion has seen a significant increase. COVID-19 was either the final push towards making technological ideas a reality or was the birth of new …

Being Authentic On Social Media With Generation Z, Soyombo-Erdene Ariunbold

Theses

This paper discusses the evolving landscape of social media and the significance of authenticity on social media platforms for Generation Z. It emphasizes the rise of social media platforms, shedding light on their authenticity and the profound influence they have on users' mental well-being. The paper also highlights the necessity for content creators and brands to adapt by incorporating more unpolished content on social media platforms.

The final deliverable will include a detailed survey analysis of the content authenticity on BeReal application. The findings of this study will offer valuable insights into the increasing demand for authenticity on social media …

Characterization Of Antimicrobial Properties Of Excrement And Functional Microbiome Of Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus), Bridgette Gray

Theses

Black vultures, Coragyps atratus, are obligate scavenging birds that consume and dispose of decaying carcasses and carrion. They fulfill a key ecological niche in the environments in which they live. It has been observed that these vultures sometimes excrete bodily waste onto their legs. This adaptive behavior could help aid them in controlling bacteria and other microbes they encounter while stepping into a carcass to eat. This study directly examined the antimicrobial properties of the excrement of black vultures across various bacterial species utilizing a zone of inhibition test and a nematode species utilizing a survival assay. The black vulture …

Fsmlock: Sequential Logic Locking Through Encryption, Matthew Krebs

Theses

As the technology node size for integrated circuit (IC) designs decreases, the cost of building and maintaining an IC foundry rapidly increases. Companies unable to afford local manufacturing have become reliant on outsourcing the physical manufacturing process. This introduces confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity security vulnerabilities into the IC design lifecycle. Even companies that manufacture in-house and use field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips may require third-party system integrators to assemble the final product. When said product is sent to a third-party foundry or system integrator, the embodied IC/FPGA circuitry is susceptible to IP theft, Trojan insertion, and reverse engineering (RE) attacks. …

Cybersecurity Attacks Detection For Mqtt-Iot Networks Using Machine Learning Ensemble Techniques, Sahar Mohamed Bukhari Abdelbasit

Theses

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the technical advancements that is progressing swiftly. which promises to be revolutionary soon. IoT systems are convenient due to its device centralized and computerized control. This technology allows various physical devices, home applications, vehicles, appliances, etc., to be interconnected and exposed to the Internet. On the other hand, it entails the fundamental need to protect the network from adversarial and unwanted alterations. Machine-to-machine protocols like Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) are typically used by IoT devices to communicate. Numerous techniques to attack networks employ the lightweight messaging protocol known as MQTT (Message …

An Effective Heuristic To Reduce Total Flowtime For Randomly-Structured Flowshop Problems, Arun John Abraham

Theses

We propose a heuristic to reduce total flowtime in a six-job, four-machine permutation flowshop scheduling problem. This work contributes to the prolific research efforts reported in the permutation flowshop scheduling problem (PFSP).

The heuristic was applied to 102 randomly structured flowshop scheduling problems, with job processing times generated using an integer uniform distribution in the interval [1,100]. The results of computational experiments were deemed satisfactory after being evaluated by using the ordinal and percentile ranks of the resulting total flowtime for the six jobs.

An Examination Of The Associations Between Eating Competence, Physical Activity, Mealtime Activities And School Behavior In Adolescents, Nicole Watson

Theses

Background: An association between eating competence (EC) and physical activity, diet quality, less stress, greater weight satisfaction and many other outcomes has been identified in adult populations. However, limited research has been conducted into EC and associations in the adolescent population. Specifically, the associations between eating competence and physical activity, mealtime activities, and school behavior in adolescents has not been examined. Purpose: To examine the congruence between eating competence and physical activity, mealtime activities, and school behavior in adolescents (ages 11-16) who had participated in the Fuel for Fun study as 4th graders. Methods: Secondary data analysis of collected data …

Enhancing User Learning Experience Of A New Therapeutic Approach For Scleroderma Using Vr, Joanne Park

Theses

The transient receptor potential cation 6 (TRPC6) channel is an integral membrane protein that alters the intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration and is also responsible for a variety of tissue expression, physiological functions and channel properties (Ong et al., 2016). Recently, researchers at RIT have discovered a new therapeutic approach for scleroderma, also known as skin fibrosis, that involves the inhibition of the TRPC6 channel. To help spread awareness of their research and to enhance the user learning experience, an interactive virtual reality (IVR) experience was created, as well as supplemental 3D animations, that will be available through the researcher’s website. …

The Impact Of User-Generated Content On Consumer Purchase Intention, Alyssa Anderson

Theses

This project investigates how various forms of user-generated content impacts consumer purchasing decisions. Primary and secondary research is executed for a broader understanding of UGC implications on modern consumers. The final deliverable is a website that offers an in-depth analysis of the culture of creators and how the dynamic has shifted in recent years. Additionally, UGC cases are studied to determine the impact they have on consumers, and guides are offered to director brands on how ensure consistency and alignment with their brand identity and implement UGC into their marketing strategy.

Digital Transformation In Local Governments: A Case Study Of Abu Dhabi Municipality Transport Department, Alia Sahmi Al Ahbabi

Theses

The new generation is rapidly adapting to the digital era, where government and private services are being transformed into electronic services, commonly known as Eservices. Cities are leveraging digitalization to streamline their business processes and business services. This digitalization has improved service delivery time and quality for individuals. With digitalization, business processes align with technology, enhancing performance and customer satisfaction. However, there are challenges associated with digitalization, particularly people working in various municipality departments who find it challenging to adapt to digitization. Employees may take time to adjust to the new techniques and technologies, which may hamper the actions of …

Standardizing Sustainable Aquaponic Production Of Leafy Greens And Fish: A Comparison With Conventional Systems In The United Arab Emirates, Drishya Nishanth

Theses

The production of leafy green vegetables through aquaponics is established worldwide, but the production of herbs which are used in day-to-day life in the United Arab Emirates is not yet explored in this system in terms of production efficiency, water usage and the nutrient parameters. In the current study, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), the two commonly used herbs, were grown in a traditional aquaponics system using tilapia fish and catfish effluent water (soil-less agriculture) and an irrigation-based greenhouse cultivation system (soil cultivation). The study's major goal is to evaluate several growth techniques for …