Digital Commons Network^™

Nectar Bats And Their Flowers Across Cloud Forests Of Ecuador And The Effect Of Artificial Nectar Feeders, Nora Rossana Maguina Conde

Theses

Plant-pollinator interactions are important because they determine the reproductive success of animal-pollinated plant species, and contribute to speciation in plants and to the maintenance of biodiversity in the ecosystems. Plants pollinated by bats possess unique characteristics to attract them in order to be successfully pollinated. Also, pollinator bats have evolved several adaptations to feed from nectar and pollen. It is important to register and study these interactions, but also to analyze which activities could threaten them, in order to conduct optimal management decisions for their conservation. Our study addressed two topics related to bat-plant interactions. The first chapter is about …

Electrical Double Layer Potential Distribution In Nanoporous Electrodes From Molecular Modeling And Classical Electrodynamics Analysis, Evan Marshall Ney

Theses

When a solid surface is immersed in a solution, the surface can become charged in a variety of ways including crystal lattice defects, dissociation of atoms or molecules, ionization of surface groups, and adsorption of external ions or, in the case of an electrode, via the application of an external potential. The excess charge at the surface results in an accumulation of mobile ions in the solution near the surface. Relative to the charge on the surface, ions of opposite charge (counterions) build up near the surface to neutralize the surface charge, and ions of like charge (coions) are depleted …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Effectiveness, Efficiency And Equity Of Payment For Ecosystem Services In A User-Financed And A Government-Financed Program, Tanya Williams

Theses

Payment for Ecosystems Services (PES) programs which are considered as incentivized mechanisms has been implemented in Latin America as a strategy to reduce deforestation by rewarding landowners (sellers) to protect forests and to provide ecosystem services to ecosystem users/beneficiaries (buyers).

Two common management structures for PES programs have been implemented in Latin America: Government-financed and User-financed. User-financed PES programs are promoted as being more environmentally effective and cost-effective compared with Government-financed programs. Government-financed PES programs are perceived as less effective than User-financed PES due to the inclusion of equity as a critical policy outcome of PES.

In this thesis, an …

Identification Of Hyperelastic Anisotropic Properties In Vascular Biomechanics Based On In-­‐ Vivo And In-­‐Vitro Measurements, Nikhil Meshram

Theses

To clarify the complex interaction between mechanical and biological processes in natural or artificial (surgical) phenomena, the knowledge of the properties of biological tissues is required. It is also of interest for biochemistry, biophysics, cardiology, radiology, physiology, surgery, and pathology. In particular we require a constitutive formulation to be capable of reflecting an actual experimental data over the wide range of deformation and stresses. The constitutive equations should ideally be relatively simple, involving a few parameters, capable to predict the material response of biological tissue subject to a static or dynamic load.

Almost 30 years ago Y. C. Fung and …

Patient History Elicitation And Diagnostic Decision Making, Nicholas Iuliucci

Theses

Technology has changed the way people communicate, and communication between patients and medical professionals has not been exempt from these developments. Clinicians are now text messaging, emailing, and video conferencing patient. Understanding the impact of the new modalities on communication patterns is imperative to ensure quality care. Thirty-two medical professionals of varying experience conducted a patient interview with two confederate patients over an instant messaging system. The first interview was 15 minutes and the second 7 minutes, the latter condition inducing time pressure. The results demonstrated that time pressure has an adverse impact on the medical professionals’ communication patterns. The …

The Influences Of Different Socioeconomic Scenarios In Bioinformatics And Biotechnology Research: The Ethical Issues Arising From Technological Advances, Marcia Miki Sato

Theses

In the last couple decades, we could see the combination of technology and biology taking large steps in science. As new fields, bioinformatics and biotechnology also led to important discussions between excited scientists and social thinkers. The divergent opinions argue about the amazing possibilities of human advances and the social issues that follow the progress. This paper discusses ethical matters of new developments and compares policy choices with respect to research and use of biotechnology and bioinformatics in different countries. Even though the world is increasingly globalized, the comparisons suggest that different cultures have different ethical responses and public policies …

Preparation, Ignition And Combustion Of Reactive Metal-Sulfur Nanocomposites, Ziyue Zhong

Theses

Mechanical milling is applied to synthesize reactive metal-sulfur nanocomposites. Specifically, magnesium-sulfur, aluminum-sulfur and zirconium-sulfur nanocomposite powders are prepared. Each powder particle contained homogeneously mixed sulfur and respective metal. These materials are expected to be stable in room air. They are also expected to release sulfur upon ignition; the released sulfur may serve as a biocidal agent. The ignition temperatures of the three prepared sulfur-bearing materials fall in a range of 750 - 1000 K. All prepared materials are successfully ignited in electrostatic discharge experiment as well as in a constant volume explosion experiment. The most sensitive material to spark ignition …

Semi Supervised Weighted Maximum Variance Dimensionality Reduction, Pranitha Surya Andalam

Theses

In the recent years, we have huge amounts of data which we want to classify with minimal human intervention. Only few features from the data that is available might be useful in some scenarios. In those scenarios, the dimensionality reduction methods play a major role for extracting useful features. The two parameter weighted maximum variance (2P-WMV) is a generalized dimensionality reduction method of which principal component analysis (PCA) and maximum margin criterion (MMC) are special cases.. In this paper, we have extended the 2P-WMV approach from our previous work to a semi-supervised version. The objective of this work is specially …

Data Analytics With Mapreduce In Apache Spark And Hadoop Systems, Zongxuan Du

Theses

MapReduce comes from a traditional problem solving method: separating a big problem and solving each small parts. With the target of computing larger dataset in more efficient and cheaper way, this is implement into a programming mode to deal with massive quantity of data. The users get a map function and use it to abstract dataset into key / value logical pair and then use a reduce function to group all value with the same key. With this mode, task can be automatic spread the job into clusters grouped by lots of normal computers. MapReduce program can be easily implemented …

Diffusivity Of Drug Actives In Transdermal Drug Delivery (Tdd), Natali R. Gendelberg

Theses

Transdermal Drug Delivery (TDD) through skin patches has many advantages including the following: slow and continuous administration of the therapeutic over long periods of time, timely dosage, accessibility, kinetic maneuverability, elimination of the “First Pass Effect” and negative side effects on the digestive tract. All of the above justify investment into further development of TDD therapies, despite the skin permeability restrictions posed on size and charge by the skin. As skin permeability varies between all individuals based on age, ethnicity and lifestyle, the determination of the proper drug dosages to be contained in the skin patch is highly reliant on …

Antibacterial Efficacy Of Nanometals In Conjunction With Electrical Stimulus, Syed A. Hussain

Theses

Hospital related infections generally result from the combined effect of preexisting bacteria on the patient and invasive devices. This demonstrates the significance in improving these medical devices to increase the quality of life of the patients that require them. This study will attempt to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of nanocopper particles and an electrical stimulus for the usage in medical device development and the hospital environment.

For devices such as catheters, infections typically result from bacteria entering the body from the outside. This is accomplished by bacteria attaching themselves to the exterior of the device and producing biofilm which allows …

Response Of Stretch-Injured Schwann Cells, Stephanie Iring

Theses

Axon fibers are covered by myelin sheath. After axonal damage, demyelination follows with the production of debris. In the Central Nervous System many studies have been performed to observe and analyze stretch injured axons, but very little has been done to study the white matter axonal tracts, oligodendrocytes. Schwann cells can help take a first look into stretch injured glia cells from the Peripheral nervous system. In order to observe changes in Schwann Cells a stretch injury device is used to produce the effects of severe and moderate injuries. Schwann Cells are stretch injured in both their undifferentiated and differentiated …

Gene Network Understanding And Analysis, Maria E. Somoza

Theses

Gene regulatory network (GRN) is a collection of regulators that interact with each other in the cell to govern the gene expression levels of mRNA and proteins. These regulators can either be DNA, RNA, protein and their complex. Transcriptional gene regulation is an important mechanisms in which an in-depth study can lead to various practical applications, and a greater understanding of how organisms control their cellular behavior. One of the most widely studied organisms in gene regulatory networks are the Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032.

Gene co-expression networks are of biological interests due to co-expressed genes which are …

Development And Analysis Of Aluminum-Ptfe Reactive Composite Material, Siva Kumar Valluri

Theses

The shortcomings of micron sized aluminum due to the oxide barrier and two phase loses pose a hindrance for its efficient use as a fuel. In this study a fluoropolymer; Teflon’s inclusion in micron sized -325 mesh aluminum is suggested as a replacement to aluminum. Aluminum Teflon based energetic material see great potential for use in pyrotechnics, propellants and even explosives. A composite with composition Al-PTFE (90-10 wt. %) is prepared through Cryomilling and is shown to be a better method of preparation as compared to room temperature milling. The prepared materials are studied to identify best conditions. The analysis …

Dissolution Kinetics Of Model Api In Molten Polymer Excipients During Batch Processing, Shen Ji

Theses

In the pharmaceutical industrial application field, hot-melt extrusion (HME) has been recently introduced to develop new solid dosage forms and products. By dissolving the poorly–soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) into water-soluble polymers, the bioavailability of the Class II (with low solubility and high permeability in water) API in Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) could be significantly improved in the body. For readily water-soluble API, HME provides a new approach to produce a controlled release drug system. Hence, pharmaceutical HME is a promising processing method in the pharmaceutical industry.

However, HME has not been widely applied into the pharmaceutical industry. The thermal …

Effectiveness Of Water Quality Benefits Provided By Stormwater Management Facilities/Infiltration Basin, Vinicius Rodrigues De Mattos Barreto

Theses

Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) and devices are systems frequently built under assumed design performances, but rarely verified after construction. Their effectiveness in protecting the environment against pollutants carried by stormwater runoff has been extensively questioned and investigated. This research presents a case study of an infiltration basin in Medford, NJ to verify if the 80% expected Total Suspended Solids (TSS) removal as stated in the New Jersey Stormwater BMP Manual is actually achieved. A sampling pit was installed on the site and infiltrated water samples were collected during three rain events and TSS measurements were compared with the inflow. …

Effect Of Melt Method On Thoracolumbar Connective Tissue, Faria Sanjana

Theses

Approximately, 31 million adults in the United States suffer from low back pain (LBP). Altered connective tissue structure has been identified in adults with chronic LBP. Numerous novel treatments are being developed targeting the connective tissue and nervous system to relieve people from LBP. One such self-care treatment is the MELT method. The objective of this study was to determine whether thickness of thoracolumbar connective tissue and other biomechanical and viscoelastic properties of myofascial tissue in the low back region change in subjects with chronic LBP as a result of MELT.

Using ultrasound imaging and an algorithm developed in MATLAB, …

Multisensory Integration In Weakly Electric Fish, Andrea Roeser

Theses

Animals integrate information from across sensory systems, such as vision and hearing, to improve perception. To understand how neural circuits in the central nervous system integrate information from different senses, the responses of midbrain neurons to two categories of electrosensory stimuli in Eigenmannia virescens were studied. The first category of stimulus is electrical signals with frequencies below 50 Hz that are encoded in the activity of ampullary receptors. The second category is amplitude modulations of the electric organ discharge, which are encoded by p-type tuberous receptors. Six multisensory neurons were found that responded to both categories of stimuli. However, when …

Koh Etching Of Silicon, Ying Wang

Theses

In this research, a series of comparative etching experiments on silicon wafers have been carried out using potassium hydroxide (KOH) for different experimental etching conditions for concentration, temperature and time on (100) orientation p-type silicon wafers. Besides the basic etching conditions, the position of the immersed wafer also has unpredictable effect on the etching process. This may be attributed to the relative contact position between the surface of the immersed wafer and the flow patterns of the stirred etching solution.

The surface morphology analysis indicates that the specific position of the wafer, with respect to the flow of the etchant, …

Uusing The Kdj As A Trading Strategy On Biotech Companies, Shijie Zha

Theses

Mean Reversion is the most commonly used model in quantitative trading. This model is associated with several factors, like ma5 and ma10 line. These factors are the most significant in stock markets. However, the disadvantages of this model are lag and inaccuracy.

In this research, we get the historical and current stock data by web crawler, analyze the quantitative data and build a new model involved with the KDJ. Taking biotech companies marketed in the United States and B-share marketed in China as the research subjects, the result shows increased profits compared with the Mean Reversion model. It also shows …

Continuum Mechanical Analysis Of Space And Time Dependent Deformation Pattern Of Brain With Blunt Injury, Chen Miao

Theses

Deformation of human brain due to acceleration impact has been widely accepted as the direct connection to the Trauma Brain Injury (TBI). However, the limitation of obtaining deformation data of TBI is a major obstacle to understanding TBI mechanism. This experiment mainly focuses on developing a method to measure deformation pattern of brain with blunt injury. First of all, displacement data of markers on sagittal plane of an injury head model was collected using 3D reconstruction software after an impact test. Second, the displacement data was used to calculate 2D Lagrangian strain tensor and the principal strain. The temporal and …

A Computational Model For Transdermal Diffusion Of Lidocaine And Tetracaine Topical Patches, Qian Dong

Theses

In recent years, transdermal drug delivery patches (TDDP) have developed rapidly. This is because the TDD system has more advantages than traditional drug delivery systems such as oral medicine and intravenous injection. In order to reach the circulatory system of the human body, drug molecules have to pass through the epidermis (outer layer) of the skin. The barrier properties of epidermis originate from low permeability of stratum corneum (SC) which is the outermost layer of the human skin. The objective of this thesis is to build a Finite Element (FE) model, utilizing commercial FE software (ANSYS), that can be implemented …

Drivers Of Hotel Employee Motivation, Satisfaction And Engagement In Riyadh, The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz Alqusayer

Theses

A large and growing body of literature has investigated job satisfaction among hotel employees. However, far too little attention has been paid to the level of job satisfaction among hotel employees in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This research obtained data which may help to address this research gap. The research therefore explored and provided a review of the literature on job satisfaction, motivational factors, and engagement among hotel employees. Specifically, the research investigated the motivational factors, level of job satisfaction and engagement among hotel employees in Riyadh. The research employed a quantitative approach in the form of a survey, …

Augmentation Of Experimental Design Using Statistical Power, Anil Nair

Theses

Hypothesis testing is an integral part in the process of experimental design that is used to identify significant effects in a study. A significant effect is one that is statistically determined to influence the response variable of interest and is based on the results of a hypothesis test. Any hypothesis test is prone to two types of error. When an effect is not significant in reality but the null hypothesis is rejected, then it is called a type I error and specified as α. Conversely, when an effect is significant in reality but we fail to reject the null hypothesis, …

Heteronormativity And The Ideal Family, Ashton R. Snider

Theses

Abstract: In this work I argue that the heteronormative nuclear family (HNF) should not be considered the ideal family form as it has been in the past. The HNF assumes that the ideal family should include a monogamous heterosexual couple and their offspring. I argue that the HNF should not be used as an ideal by which to judge family health as there are many different family arrangements outside of the heteronuclear. The HNF should not be confused with particular heteronuclear households as the HNF as an ideal does not refer to any specific family. As some ideal by which …

Eba Playful Experiences, Lara Cardoso Goulart

Theses

This thesis is a study of the impact of busy lifestyles on children’s education, considering playtime. Eba Playful Experiences is the result of applied design methodology to solve the lack of play between children and parents, taking into account their routine and needs.

The research includes the study of the importance of play and the problems caused by its absence. The process contains user understanding considering children’s stages of physical, social and cognitive development. The project involves learning from different areas of study: product and interaction design, child psychology and business.

Eba Playful Experiences is an online company based on …

Vertourist: Providing Accuracy In Language Translations, Using An Online Workforce, Shubhneek Dhillon

Theses

Language is our greatest mediator that allows us to relate to and understand each other. Linguistic boundaries cause a massive downside for travelers. They often find it difficult to communicate with locals in another country to learn more about the foreign culture, country, aesthetics and life. It’s even more critical for the people who are deaf.

Human generated translation is much more accurate than computer generated translation. Travelers often rely on computer-generated translation that result in more confusion when the person is trying to communicate with in a foreign language. My thesis will address this issue using social media. A …

Development Of A System Model For An Indirect Passive Solar Dryer With Experimental Validation, Samantha Huselstein

Theses

Solar crop drying is a cheap and effective way to preserve food material, especially in developing countries where fuel and electricity are expensive or unavailable. Some tropical fruits are difficult to transport and store leading to significant spoilage. Without access to fuel and large drying systems, preserving fruits for later use is challenging or not possible for the rural farmer. Developing low-cost, easily assembled locally and low maintenance fruit drying systems would improve access to off-season and distant markets. A mathematical model of an indirect passive solar drying system was developed to design and optimize drying systems for use in …

Effect Of Substrates, Iba And Types Of Cuttings On Rooting, Salim Mohammed Ai Makhmari

Theses

Tamarix aphylla L. (Locally known as Athel) was selected for the present investigation. It is native to Middle East (which include UAE), North Africa and south Asia. The tree is drought, heat and salt tolerant. It has some traditional uses. The research leading to standardize the propagation of Tamarix aphylla L. is very rare and therefore it is not widely exploited in the urban landscaping. The present study was aimed to standardize the methodology and substrate for rapid propagation of Tamarix aphylla L. tree. The parameters studied were morphological growth parameters, chemical content, biochemical constituents and antioxidant enzymes activities in …

Random Subspace Learning On Outlier Detection And Classification With Minimum Covariance Determinant Estimator, Bohan Liu

Theses

The questions brought by high dimensional data is interesting and challenging. Our study is targeting on the particular type of data in this situation that namely “large p, small n”. Since the dimensionality is massively larger than the number of observations in the data, any measurement of covariance and its inverse will be miserably affected. The definition of high dimension in statistics has been changed throughout decades. Modern datasets with over thousands of dimensions are demanding the ability to gain deeper understanding but hindered by the curse of dimensionality. We decide to review and explore further to negotiate with the …