Digital Commons Network^™

Invertebrate Drift In Estill Fork, Jackson County, Alabama, Brittany Holmes

Theses

No abstract provided.

Heuristics Modeling Optimization-Oriented Element Behaviors In Discrete, Repulsive Systems, David Barber

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Irrigation On Nutrient Export From Agricultural Fields, Walter Lee Ellenburg Ii

Theses

No abstract provided.

Acoustic Emission Detection In Carbon Composite Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Optical Sensors, Nehemiah J. Mabry

Theses

No abstract provided.

Purification And Phytotoxic Analysis Of Ceratoplatanin Proteins In Botrytis Cinerea, Subodh Rathi

Theses

No abstract provided.

Development, Validation And Application Of Uhplc-Ms/Ms Methods For The Detection Of Veterinary Drug Residues In Food Of Animal Origin, Michelle Whelan

Theses

Ultra high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) technology was utilized for the development of analytical methods for the detection of veterinary drug residues in foods of animal origin. Initial work focused on the development of the mass spectrometry (MS) method for the detection of the analytes of interest and subsequent chromatographic separation. The MS method was optimised to detect both positively and negatively ionised analytes from different classes in a single injection in a 13 minute run time at μg kg^-1levels.

Sample preparation procedures were modified to extract the residues from muscle and …

Rit Influenza Virus Database And Evidence For Differential Selection Pressures On Geographically Distinct Human Influenza A/H3n2 Virus Populations, Bindhu Satheeshkumar

Theses

Increasing amounts of data available from influenza virus genome sequencing projects have necessitated the need for centralized repositories for the collection, integration, and dissemination of these data to researchers for further research. The RIT Influenza Virus Database, a complete genome database for influenza viruses, has been created with a web interface so that users could query for viruses of interest and download complete genome sequences and metadata of isolates. The interface of the database is publicly accessible at http://bucatini.bioinformatics.rit.edu/bindhuURMC/. Even though it is known that influenza viruses are under constant evolution at the surface glycoproteins to develop drug resistance or …

Reconfiguring Phenomena Of Presence, Erika Strickland

Theses

Not included

Neurorehabilitation Of The Hand Using The Cybergrasp[Tm] And Mirror Image, Amy Frances Boos

Theses

In recent years, researchers have explored the use of a mirror image as a means of rehabilitation for individuals suffering from hemiparesis. Through neuroimaging and functional testing, neurological improvement has been demonstrated in those that engage in mirror therapy. Bilateral training, or simultaneous movement of both sides of the body, has also been studied as a treatment method to improve function after cerebral vascular accident. The development of robotic systems to assist movement of the human body has played a major role in the fabrication of bilateral training devices.

In this experiment, the CyberGrasp™ robotic exoskeleton was used to assist …

From Seed To Fruit: A Posthuman Journey From Stage To Page, Nicole E. Wood

Theses

This thesis uses Cybernetic Fruit: A Posthuman Fairytale (a show directed by Shauna MacDonald and Nico Wood) to explore notions of posthumanism. The thesis of this project is that every being possesses beingness (one could say, a soul), be it raccoon, raspberry, or rock; that nothing is perfect or ever can be, for perfection and imperfection (like order and disorder) are human constructions spun from human vantage points and seen with a human-level of resolution; that collaboration fosters propagation of a posthuman discourse and compassionate behavior; and finally, that staging philosophical inquiry, in the flesh and for the community, is …

The Effects Of Two Insecticides On California Anurans (Rana Sierrae And Pseudacris Sierra) And The Implications For Declining Amphibian Populations., David Dimitrie

Theses

Evidence is growing that agrochemicals are playing a role in the decline of amphibians in California. An area of concern is the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where insecticides used in the Central Valley are aerially transported to amphibian habitats. I examined the effects of two of these insecticides, endosulfan and chlorpyrifos, in two experiments on anuran larvae. For the first experiment I exposed Sierra Mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana sierrae) larvae starting at Gosner stage 25 to each insecticide for 63 d to determine median lethal concentrations (LC50) and sublethal effects on growth and development. In the second experiment Sierran treefrog (Pseudacris …

The Effect Of Dividing Attention On The Maintenance Of Object Representations, Jillian Christine Mayer

Theses

Numerous theories have been developed in explanation of object perception, such as Feature Integration Theory, which posits that an object is perceived after two stages: a pre-attentive stage and a focused attention stage. It is during the focused attention stage that a representation of the perceived object is formed. Theories such as object file theory account for the maintenance of these object representations following their creation. Evidence for object file theory has been provided by studies of the object specific preview benefit. This thesis seeks to examine the effect that dividing attention has on the maintenance of object representations. Using …

A Multimedia Instructional Animation And Website On Anti-Glomerular Disease, Mary Roche

Theses

Immunology is a field of study that is expanding in the biomedical community. Current research has given the study greater consideration in understanding the nature and origin of disease. The purpose of this project was to explore the immunology of a particular type of kidney disease: Anti–Glomerular basement Membrane disease. The kidneys provide a visual landscape that is anatomically unique. The nephron, in particular, provides anatomical structures that lend themselves nicely to engaging visual graphics. The animation of Anti–Gomerular Basement Membrane Disease provides a visual format for understanding structures and processes that have not been previously presented in a visual …

Relative Abundance, Population Structure, And Habitat Utilization Of The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii) And Eastern Snapping Turtle (Chelydra Serpentina) In Southeastern Missouri, Timothy Charles Lescher

Theses

GENERAL ABSTRACT---Alligator Snapping Turtles have not been surveyed extensively in Missouri since 1993-94. Six sites that were sampled in the early nineties were re-sampled in 2009 at the same locations where previous researchers trapped. Significantly fewer significantly fewer Alligator Snapping Turtles were captured per trapnight at all six sites. The population structure of the Alligator Snapping Turtles had a significantly different distribution in 2009 compared to 1993-94. The population structure had shifted toward smaller individuals, and fewer adult males and adult females were captured in 2009 compared to 1993-94. The 1993-94 structure was normally distributed while the 2009 structure exhibited …

How Does The Abundance And Distribution Of Resources Affect Female Raccoon Home Ranges In An Urban Park?, Karen L. Bauman

Theses

Urban development fragments the natural landscape and, as a result, remaining natural habitats, which are much reduced in size, are island-like and often embedded in an inhospitable matrix. While these changes are generally considered to have a negative impact on wildlife, the process of urbanization also creates new habitats in which some species appear to thrive despite the altered conditions and increased human density. The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an ideal model for investigating the effects of urbanization on spatial patterns of habitat use because they are known to inhabit all landscapes along the urban to rural gradient. When studying …

Reposition, Ratna Khanna

Theses

Landscape should be an instrument of cultural force. This work contemplates the relationship between the artificial and the natural. It resulted from thinking about matters concerning my interactions with public space; the combination of nature and the culture we inflict upon it. By including "nature" here, I use it to denote an outside environment that includes biological activity that is untamed, yet still capable of being influenced by human agency. This human agency takes the form of culture, that which appropriates nature towards our social needs. Hence, this agency benefits the formation of landscapes. A cultural artifact such as an …

Interactive Stem Cells: Education Through Game Design, Sarah Hudson

Theses

In my thesis I developed an interactive website intended to educate the non-scientific or lay public about stem cells. Most people have heard about stem cells but few truly understand them. It would be beneficial to those wishing to engage in the current stem cell debate to be more thoroughly educated. Currently, the information available is all geared towards scientists or from a biased source. I used a series of Flash games to convey the important information in an engaging way. The site is intuitive enough that even users unfamiliar with the Internet and basic high-school science knowledge will be …

Appendages, Emily Winton

Theses

Appendages explores my sexuality, identity and the concepts of heteronormativity, queer theory, and gender norms. Through the creation of sculptures called DilNO's, I was able to engage the audience in experiencing my interpretation of my own sexuality. By mocking and bending the concept of the dildo, I was challenging the stereotypes of gender, and lesbian sexuality and intimacy. The sensations of touching and feeling played a vital role in both the creation and presentation of the pieces in my thesis exhibition. Moving from my previous photographic work into the three-dimensional realm of sculpture helped me express the physical and sensual …

Autonomous Robot Patrolling Of A Sparsely Populated Unknown Environment, Patrick Larocque

Theses

The increasing availability and affordability of autonomous robots has expanded their uses for many new applications, such as exploration, surveillance and threat containment. Most research considers a team of a large number of robots that contain global information. This work explores distributed and low overhead algorithms for patrolling and threat containment within a region sparsely populated with few robots. The robots patrol the area without the global knowledge of the region, but each is equipped with an omni-directional range finder and a positioning system for keeping track of its location and metering distance and directions of events. This study presents …

A Life Reviewed: George Eastman Through The Viewfinder, Emma Powell

Theses

How do we look back on a time that has gone by? On a life that is over? How do we appraise and commemorate those responsible for making photography what it is today? A Life Reviewed: George Eastman through the Viewfinder addresses the legacy of George Eastman, the founder of Kodak and one of photography's most significant entrepreneurs. A visionary who sought to expand the scope of photography from the wealthy to the average person, he recognized photography's power in the context of many scientific advances in industry and society. A Life Reviewed serves as visual biography as well as …

Marketing Special Academic Events To College Professors And Students, Julie Johnson

Theses

The study examined the communication channels that professors, graduate students, and undergraduates use to learn and tell others about special academic events on college campuses, as well as individuals' motivations for attending academic events and mentioning them to others. Broad similarities emerged among the groups. Email announcement was the most common way to learn about academic events, and face-to-face communication was the most common means of telling others. Beyond the similarities, significant differences emerged. Overall, students showed more diversity in channels of communication for learning and sharing information about academic events, as well as in motivations for attending events and …

Characterization And Sensitivity Analysis Of Hyperelastic Materials In Biaxial Tension, Lowell Smoger

Theses

The focus of this study was to improve characterization of hyperelastic materials in biaxial tension through improved design and validation of an existing test fixture and specimen geometry. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis of the material properties to variations in selected test parameters was conducted to better understand material response. Misalignment and binding in the original tensile test fixture resulted in non-equibiaxial loading and inaccurate stress-strain data. Analysis and modification were required to improve accuracy and repeatability. Vector analysis of the link system and the Minimum Constraint Design method were used to achieve this aim. Based on a proposed set of …

The Image – By Any Means, Richard Minard

Theses

Art is inherently a reflection of the human condition. As I am working, my intention is to make images that, at the very least, capture the audience's attention. By adding layers and fracturing the images, I want the audience to see through various visual relationships. These visual relationships can be interpreted as a metaphor of the often hectic and unstable qualities of daily life. As the human figure is my connection to the work, it also serves as the viewer's connection. The blending of media and mixing up of figurative representation with abstraction is my attempt to challenge the viewer …

Mtprimer3: Pcr Primer Design For Mtdna, Psalm Mizuki

Theses

Due to their usefulness in tracking the evolution of man and the discovery that they cause many different diseases, the scientific community has become extremely interested in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. PCR is a key component in nearly all genotyping methods, but using it can be problematic for mtDNA since mtDNA's highly polymorphic nature makes it difficult to design adequate primers. This is because polymorphisms can easily obscure the source sequence, preventing primers from annealing properly. For this reason, we modified a popular online primer design program, Primer3, to create mtPrimer3, a primer design program specially designed to create primers …

Exploratory Analysis Of Pathogen Resistance Responsible Genetic Elements In Two Eudicots From Whole Genome Sequence, Aubrey Bailey

Theses

Agricultural products are becoming more homogenous in order to conform to consumer expectations. In doing so, they have become a high-risk target for widespread crop failure due to pathogens or other agricultural maladies. Presented here are a collection of tools and a work-flow for the wholesale detection and characterization of disease resistance-associated proteins from whole-genome sequences. These techniques were also adapted for identifying potential miRNA regulatory sequences. Putative R-gene sequences identified from the Malus x Domestica 'Golden Delicious' genome were acquired for verification against wild apple species. Resistance gene analogs were PCR amplified from R-gene associated domains (TIR, NBS, and …

Microarray Analysis Of Gene Expression Profiles Of Tetrahymena H2b Ubiquitylation Mutant Strains, Zhe Wang

Theses

Microarray analyses were performed to compare the gene expression profiles of wild-type and mutant strains of Tetrahymena thermophila. These studies suggest that, in Tetrahymena, ubiquitylation of histone H2B is not required for H3K4 methylation. Even though the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc2 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Bre1 are required for H2B ubiquitylation, these two enzymes affect the expression of a much broader spectrum of genes than H2B ubiquitylation, suggesting that Ubc2 and Bre1 are involved in pathways other than H2B ubiquitylation in Tetrahymena.

Mitochondrial Control Region Variation Among The Subspecies Of Sarus Crane (Grus Antigone), Ranajit Das

Theses

Sarus cranes (Grus antigone) are the tallest members of the crane family, Gruidae. They are found in four geographically distinct regions: northwest India (Indian Sarus- Grus antigone antigone), southeast Asia (Burmese Sarus- Grus antigone sharpei) and northern Australia (Australian Sarus- Grus antigone gillae). Although the three subspecies are morphologically distinct, their genetic distinctness is unclear. In this study, I focused on control region sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to assess the genetic and phylogeographic distinctness of Sarus subspecies. I used samples from four fragmented populations, seven from India, 16 from southeast Asia, five from Myanmar and eight from Australia. Phylogenetic …

Synthesis Of Polyfunctionalized 1,2-Disubstituted Cyclopropene Compounds, Kate E. Higgins

Theses

The objective of this thesis project is to synthesize 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropene compounds from internal alkynes and diazoacetate compounds via (2÷1] cycloaddition reactions catalyzed by rhodium acetate (Rh2(OAc)4). To date, there is no known synthetic transformation to achieve this substitution pattern. 1,2-disubstituted cyclopropene compounds are versatile synthetic intermediates because their functionalization enables further synthetic manipulation. In this work, three cyclopropene compounds were synthesized using this methodology. Their syntheses are described herein.

Modeling Of Micro-Scale Touch Sensations For Use With Haptically Augmented Reality, Adam Woodrow Weissman

Theses

Possessing dexterity and sensory perceptions, the human hand is a versatile tool that can grasp, hold, and manipulate objects using various postures and forces interacting with the environment. Many industrial tasks are replacing human hands with anthropomorphic robotic hands. In skillful tasks such as micro surgical operations, a master-slave interface system of robotic hands is required to emulate a human hand's dexterity by using glove controllers with force sensors for telemanipulation. Although these interface techniques are widely applied for large scale robots, little has been accomplished for micro-scale robots due to the constraints and complexity imposed by miniaturization. To provide …

Event-Driven Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Protein Mixtures, Marek Cyran

Theses

The structure of liquids is central to their thermodynamic properties and is described in a probabilistic manner. The structure is a consequence of the forces between the molecules and may be investigated with the use of many techniques. One of these techniques is the use of computer simulation, and in particular the techniques are called Monte Carlo Statistical Thermodynamic simulation, and Molecular Dynamics. In this thesis we construct a program that is capable of carrying out Event-Driven Molecular Dynamics simulation of mixtures of particles that have stepwise constant pair potential energies. We have implemented our simulation for the case of …