Digital Commons Network^™

Accommodating Species Evolution: Aristotle’S Essentialism Revisited, Yin Zhang

Theses

In this paper I argue that Aristotelian essentialism is compatible with species evolution. My argument has two premises: (1) Aristotelian essentialism can describe what is going on with species evolution; (2) If Aristotelian essentialism can describe what is going on with species evolution, Aristotelian essentialism is compatible with species evolution. To support my first premise, I suspend “property essentialism” and develop a teleological conception of Aristotelian essentialism in terms of matter and form as potentiality and actuality. I propose and explicate my “multiple-potentiality strategy” that matter has multiple potentialities. I apply this strategy to describe what is going on with …

A Better Looking Brain: Image Pre-Processing Approaches For Fmri Data, Siddharth Khullar

Theses

Researchers in the field of functional neuroimaging have faced a long standing problem in pre-processing low spatial resolution data without losing meaningful details within. Commonly, the brain function is recorded by a technique known as echo-planar imaging that represents the measure of blood flow (BOLD signal) through a particular location in the brain as an array of intensity values changing over time. This approach to record a movie of blood flow in the brain is known as fMRI. The neural activity is then studied from the temporal correlation patterns existing within the fMRI time series. However, the resulting images are …

Development Of Value Added Products From Spent Kluyveromyces Marxianus Yeast, Rahul Sharma

Theses

Biochemical analysis of spent Kluyveromyces marxianus yeast confirmed the following composition on a dry matter basis: 43.16 % crude protein, 34.56 % total carbohydrate, 7.02 % RNA, and 13.12 % ash content. Carbohydrate components were shown to consist of 20.97 % β-glucan, 9.76 % mannan and 1.21 % chitin while protein characterisation confirmed this yeast’s protein to be a good source of essential amino acids. Total nitrogen, α-amino nitrogen, and descriptive sensory analysis was carried out on yeast extracts derived from yeast autolysis processes carried out at different pH and temperature values. Yeast extract obtained at 50ºC, pH 7.0 was …

Nanocluster Production For Solar Cell Applications, Haila M Aldosari

Theses

No abstract provided.

736940, May Alkharafi

Theses

736,940 is the number of females in Kuwait between the ages of 15 and 64 as of July 2012, the general age range that I address in my work. 736,940 is a visual exploration of the social status of Kuwaiti women in relation to tradition, religion, authority, and their physical and emotional negotiation of Kuwaiti society. The work explores the role of Kuwaiti traditions that create and maintain a lower status for Kuwaiti women. Through visualizing women's anonymity and representations of cultural authority I deconstruct the power struggle in a disconnected and unequal society. I employ various media to define, …

Assessing The Performance Of Digital Micromirror Devices For Use In Space-Based Multi-Object Spectrometers, Kenneth Fourspring

Theses

A current need in space-based instrumentation is a reconfigurable slit mask. Several techniques for slit masks have been employed for ground-based astronomical spectrographs. These ground-based instruments have used large discrete components, which are impractical for remote operation in space-based deployment. The Texas Instruments' Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) was originally conceived purely for display purposes, but is a viable candidate to be use as a slit mask in a space-based multi-object spectrograph (MOS). The Integrated Circuit (IC) manufacturing industry has enabled the robust integration of both silicon transistors and Micro-Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) optical components into a very reliable monolithic chip …

Transcriptional Analysis Of B-Cells Post Flu Vaccination Using Rna Sequencing, Manimozhi Manivannan

Theses

RNA-Seq (Nagalakshmi, et al., 2008; Mortazavi, et al., 2008), also known as Whole transcriptome sequencing investigates the RNA content from a sample through high throughput sequencing of cDNA. This exciting technology has important applications such as the improvement of existing genome annotations, discovery of novel genes and transcripts (Roberts, et al., 2011), revealing alternative splicing events and measuring the differential expression of genes across samples. This study examines the transcriptional responses of B-cells to the influenza vaccine using RNA-Seq. Five subjects received the flu vaccine. RNA was extracted at 11 different time points and sequenced using RNA-Seq. The RNA-Seq data …

Order Out Of Chaos: The Growth Of Botanical Science In Nineteenth Century St. Louis, Nuala F. Caomhánach

Theses

This thesis places the botanical community in nineteenth century St. Louis back in the centre of the development of botanical science in the United States. Historical models have been focused on east-coast centers, favoring the research of closet botanists in Philadelphia and Harvard University. By reevaluating the scientific research of collectors and residents in St. Louis it reveals the crucial role the community played in the emergence of a particularly American form of botany. In its early development, visiting naturalists explored and sent their collections to Philadelphia to be classified. By mid-century, resident botanists, such as Dr. George Engelmann, collaborated …

A Qualitative Examination Of Recent Public Participation Activities In Association With Ecosystem Management In The Great Lakes, Erin Muench

Theses

Government approaches to the management of the North American Great Lakes have evolved following the introduction of ecosystem management principles in the 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada. This approach was adopted as a way to address the complexities associated with the interconnections between the air, land, and water in the Great Lakes basin and its more than 30 million inhabitants. Although there is no universally accepted definition of ecosystem management, a key element is stakeholder participation in policy formulation and implementation to validate decisions within the public sphere. In this thesis I assess …

Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: A Survey Of Consuming Perceptions, Albert Blankley

Theses

INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE

New technology presents difficulties for policy makers in that it is impossible to determine every subsequent impact of a novel technology when it is introduced to society. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing exemplifies this problem while presenting the additional complication of having an impact on both individual and public health. Little research has been done on what consumer perceptions of information presented to them are. Some studies have demonstrated a need for further work and expert consensus has identified issues with advertisements but no research has been

done on consumer perceptions.

METHODOLOGY

A cohort of faculty and staff …

Automated Sleep Classification Using The New Sleep Stage Standards, Elizabeth Fehrmann

Theses

Sleep is fundamental for physical health and good quality of life, and clinicians and researchers have long debated how best to understand it. Manual approaches to sleep classification have been in use for over 40 years, and in 2007, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) published a new sleep scoring manual. Over the years, many attempts have been made to introduce and validate machine learning and automated classification techniques in the sleep research field, with the goals of improving consistency and reliability. This thesis explored and assessed the use of automated classification systems with the updated sleep stage definitions …

A Novel Approach To A Wearable Eye Tracker Using Region-Based Gaze Estimation, Aun Kei Hong

Theses

Eye tracking studies are useful to understand human behavior and reactions to visual stimuli. To conduct experiments in natural environments it is common to use mobile or wearable eye trackers. To ensure these systems do not interfere with the natural behavior of the subject during the experiment, they should be comfortable and be able to collect information about the subject's point of gaze for long periods of time. Most existing mobile eye trackers are costly and complex. Furthermore they partially obstruct the visual field of the subject by placing the eye camera directly in front of the eye. These systems …

Tree-Structured Small-World Connected Wireless Network-On-Chip With Adaptive Routing, Andrew Benjamin

Theses

Traditional Network-on-Chip (NoC) systems comprised of many cores suffer from debilitating bottlenecks of latency and significant power dissipation due to the overhead inherent in multi-hop communication. In addition, these systems remain vulnerable to malicious circuitry incorporated into the design by untrustworthy vendors in a world where complex multi-stage design and manufacturing processes require the collective specialized services of a variety of contractors. This thesis proposes a novel small-world tree-based network-on-chip (SWTNoC) structure designed for high throughput, acceptable energy consumption, and resiliency to attacks and node failures resulting from the insertion of hardware Trojans. This tree-based implementation was devised as a …

New Economy : Assessment Of The Institutionalization Of An Emerging Paradigm And Academic Field Through Inquiry Into Prominent Boundary Organizations, Jeanine Cava Rodgers

Theses

It is increasingly acknowledged that in order to reach global and regional sustai nabi l ity goals, economic growth and consumption levels in wealthy developed nations will need to stabilize or reverse. Organizations and projects of a wide variety have emerged and expanded to take on this challenge, and shape the so-called, "new economy". The purpose of this research is to gain a clearer picture of the impacts of efforts to develop a shared new-economy knowledge framework on the broader sustai nabi l ity conversation, and to assess the intellectual institutionalization of same. This thesis focuses in on the influence …

Diffuse Axonal Injury Effect On Myelinating Cells And Axons, Jennifer Alison Zalk

Theses

There is no supporting evidence whether myelin degeneration in diffuse axonal injury (DAI) of the white matter is due to death of myelinating oligodendrocytes or secondary axotomy. Cortical neurons are not able to remain healthy in culture to have their axons myelinated. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons have been shown to be myelinated by cortical oligodendrocytes in culture. An in vitro stretch injury model was used to analyze the DRG axon pathology during and after injury. DRG myelinating Schwann cells are analyzed to demonstrate what is expected from injury to oligodendrocytes. DRG axons demonstrated a high tolerance to stretch …

Quantification Of Human Motion On Roller Coaster Rides, Chirag Burman

Theses

Case reports have been published of people experiencing symptoms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or ailments of the vascular tissue around the head. These reports pointed towards G-forces, a scalar measure without a specified direction, which represent the measure of the acceleration of an object divided by acceleration caused by gravity (9.81 m/s²), as a cause of said injuries. Research has been conducted on quantifying the G-forces experienced while on roller coasters, as well as the change in heart rate. However these studies have not been able to show a link between roller-coasters and symptoms.

This thesis aims …

The Effect Of Magnesium On Angiogenesis Evaluated Utilizing The Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay, Lauren Ashlee Douglas-Byrd

Theses

Magnesium and magnesium alloys are emerging as possible novel biodegradable materials for medical implants such as cardiovascular stents. Understanding the angiogenic properties of magnesium would increase the level of knowledge regarding the healing process once the material is implanted. The chick chorioallantoic membrane assay is an effective, inexpensive method of assessing magnesium's angiogenic properties. The assay is more informative than an in vitro model, in terms of magnesium degradation environment, and provides similar results of an in vivo model. This model can be used as a preliminary method of assessing results before investing labor and finances into larger in vivo …

Team-Based Learning In Medical Education, Kathryn W. Smith

Theses

The main purpose of this study is to determine if the use of Team-Based Learning as a method of instruction is more effective in terms of student achievement than the traditional lecture method in an anatomy course at a state university medical school. Student scores from two academic years (2011-2012 academic year and the 2012-2013 academic year) for the average of four exams were analyzed using an independent sample t-test to determine if the intervention of Team-Based Learning made a difference on student achievement. Students were paired from each academic year based on final entering MCAT score, age at matriculation, …

Biocompatibility Of Magnesium-Based Biomaterials For Airway Stent Applications, Sara Dolly Tatum

Theses

Tracheomalacia, stenosis and other traumatic airway injuries (e.g., obstructive tracheobronchial tumors) often require airway stenting. Traditional polymeric stents are prone to cause infection, do not ‘grow’ with a child and often require surgical removal. Therefore, resorbable biometallics are ideal materials for tracheal stent devices. Magnesium (Mg) is an attractive material because of its biocompatibility, abundance within the human body, and intrinsic corrosive nature can be overcome via alloying elements. We hypothesize that resorbable magnesium-based materials can be utilized for the development of tracheal stents. The objective of the present study was to determine cytocompatibility of Mg alloys with fully differentiated …

Production Of Canola As A Biofuel Feedstock In The Piedmont Region Of North Carolina, Matthew Rhyan Miller

Theses

Canola in the past and present has been evaluated as a domestic fuel source and a means to stimulate rural economic development. In order to ease the transition of the economy in North Carolina new rotational crops can be looked upon as sources of additional revenue. Canola Brassica napus (L.) production was evaluated for cultivation in a Piedmont soil (Mecklenburg Sandy Clay Loam) at NC A&T State University research farm located in Greensboro, NC (Guilford County). The experiment was conducted using a split plot design with main plot factor cultivar (Virginia and DKW 46-15) and subplot factor fertilizer: (N-P2O5-K2O) in …

Synthesis Of Pcl/Keratin Composite Nanofibers For Nerve Repair Application, Angela Michelle Edwards

Theses

In the past decade, a wide variety of biomaterials comprised of both synthetic and natural polymers have been used to promote restoration of injured peripheral nerves. Despite making advances, none have matched performance of autographs, a gold standard in nerve repair. Mammalian-derived, protein-based conduits have shown good tissue biocompatibility and safe degradation products, but are mechanically fragile. Synthetic materials such as Polycaprolactone (PCL) typically have advantage of suitable mechanical properties and fine degradation rate tunability, but lack cell recognition signaling. Recent studies have shown that keratin promotes nerve cell attachment, differentiation and growth, but alone, it cannot be used as …

The Effectiveness Of Small Scale Photovoltaic (Pv) Systems Design And Cost Analysis Simulation On Saudi Arabian Economy, Faris Abdullah Almansour

Theses

The advantages of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are much more than the disadvantages, RES such as solar, wind energy, biomass, and geothermal, which can be used for generating distributed power but cannot directly replace the existing electric energy grid technologies. The latter are far too well established to abandon, while the new RES technologies are not sufficiently developed to meet the total energy demand. Therefore, it is sensible to gradually infuse RES into existing grids and transform the system over time Saudi Arabia (SA) is a semi-developed nation with a population of over twenty nine million people. It is the …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Boronic Acid Chalcones As Potential Cancer Chemoprevention Drug Candidates, Davia Lauren Mckoy

Theses

Carcinogenesis is the transformation of a normal cell into a cancerous cell. Cancer chemoprevention is the use of natural and synthetic compounds to stop carcinogenesis. These compounds have been labeled chemopreventives and they take advantage of the human body's natural defenses to stop carcinogenesis. Chalcones have demonstrated antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor, and anti-inflammatory properties. In this project, chalcones and their derivatives are synthesized with the goal to be used as possible chemopreventives. We believe that when tested on cancer cell lines, the boronic acid derivative will show greater chemopreventive activity because of the boronic acid's increased bioavailability. We have synthesized and …

Synthesis Of Biodiesel From Animal Fat And Polymerization Of Glycerin, Zixu Zhang

Theses

Biodiesel was synthesized using raw beef fat using esterification and transesterification reaction. The obtained biodiesel-glycerin mixture was tested using Fourier transform infrared resonance (FT-IR) and compared with the FT-IR of raw beef fat, glycerin, biodiesel made from vegetable oil and commercial biodiesel. The FT-IR spectrum of the synthesized biodiesel was identical to that of biodiesel made from vegetable oil. Poly-glycerin was synthesized from glycerin by water elimination reaction, where solid NaOH was used as a catalyst under a stream of nitrogen gas. The water-elimination reaction obeys the "N-1" rule. "N-1" is the degree of polymerization and "N" is the number …

Application Of Adaptive Extended Kalman Filtering Scheme To Improve The Efficiency Of A Groundwater Contaminant Transport Model, Elvis Boamah Addai

Theses

Pollution of groundwater can be harmful to the environment. The use of subsurface contaminant transport models, combined with stochastic data assimilation schemes, can give on-target predictions of contaminant transport to enhance the reliability of risk assessment in the area of environmental remediation. Observation data are required to guide the deterministic system model to assimilate the true state of the contaminant. Modeling the behavior of contaminant in groundwater is imperative in predicting the fate of the pollutant, in risk assessment, and as a preceding step of the remission process. In this study a two-dimensional transport model with advection and dispersion is …

Alzheimer's Disease Literacy In The African American Community, Angel Mckenzie Watson

Theses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a public health crisis in the African American (AA) community, as evidenced by both increased prevalence and familial risk among African Americans. African Americans are two times as likely to suffer with this disease, are diagnosed later in the disease process, and are considered to have less factual information about AD when compared to their white counterparts. Late diagnosis has been associated with significantly higher dementia-related morbidity and health care costs. Moreover, studies have shown that patients with increased health literacy have better health outcomes. Therefore, we want to assess how well African Americans understand Alzheimer's …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hydroxyapatite Doped With Strontium Carbonate Thin Film Coatings, Stephen Ayodeji Ajinola

Theses

The main purpose of the research is to investigate the corrosion rate and mechanical properties of thin film of strontium carbonate (Sr2CO3) doped with hydroxyapatite (HA) on titanium substrates using DC Corrosion of Potentiodynamic and Nanoindentation respectively. The variation in the weight percentages of strontium carbonate in hydroxyapatite on a titanium substrate was used to investigate the beneficial effect of strontium on surface modification in biological application such as to improve hardness of dentures and prevention of cavities, menopause bone loss and enhancement of remodeling. The corrosion rate, the hardness and elastic moduli of different weight percents of variation in …

Spectroscopic Study Of The Use Of Lanthanide Metalloporphyrins As Sensors For Benzene And Acetonitrile Detection In Aqueous Studies, Jr Carlos Crawford

Theses

This work entails the research on lanthanide metalloporphyrins for their potential use as chemical sensors for benzene and acetonitrile. This research is of importance due to the health implications that benzene and acetonitrile cause; benzene is a known carcinogen and acetonitrile is a known lung irritant. The use of UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, Gaussian DFT, and X-ray diffraction crystallography were used in the characterization and analysis of the lanthanide porphyrin complexes. Europium, terbium, dysprosium, cerium, and gadolinium were the lanthanides used in conjunction with 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin, TPP and 5,10,15,20 tetrakissulfonato porphyrin, TBSP. Based on the luminescence spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy data, …

Towards Understanding Cytotoxicity And Cellular Uptake Of Engineered Nanomaterials, Komal Sudam Garde

Theses

With a widespread use of nanomaterials in various manufacturing applications including consumer goods, semiconductor industry and pharmaceuticals, the safety of Engineering Nanomaterials (ENs) is a vital area of research. It is extremely important to analyze the risks posed by ENs in order to optimize design and/or control their use. The overarching goal of this work is to understand the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake potential of specific EN of well characterized physicochemical properties. Towards this objective, the specific aims of this project are to (a) comprehensively characterize the physical and chemical properties of starting ENs, (b) study their dose and time-course …

Experimental Investigation And Aspen Plus Simulation Of The Msw Pyrolysis Process, Emmanuel Ansah

Theses

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a potential feedstock for producing transportation fuels because it is readily available using an existing collection/transportation infrastructure and fees are provided by the suppliers or government agencies to treat MSW. North Carolina with a population of 9.4 millions generates 3.629 million metric tons of MSW each year, which contains about 113,396,356 TJs of energy. The average moisture content of MSW samples is 44.3% on a wet basis. About 77% of the dry MSW mass is combustible components including paper, organics, textile and plastics. The average heating values of MSW were 9.7, 17.5, and 22.7 MJ/kg …