Digital Commons Network^™

Customized Feminine Hygiene Wash Containing Postbiotics From Lactobacillus Spp. To Treat Urinary Tract Infections (Uti), Veena G. Nair

Theses and Dissertations

Probiotics, which support host health by maintaining normal microbial flora, offer a promising approach for preventing recurrent infections. To evaluate the prophylactic potential of vaginal probiotics against urinary tract infections (UTIs), we conducted a study on 54 healthy South Indian women aged 18–40 who visited the Obstetrics and Gynaecology outpatient clinic at Trichy SRM Medical College and Research Centre between June and July 2022. Vaginal swabs were collected following ethical guidelines, and commensal microbiota were isolated for probiotic characterization, with the broader objective of developing a customized feminine hygiene wash enriched with vaginal postbiotics.

Lactobacilli cell-free supernatant (CFS) demonstrated potent …

Sentiment Analysis For Stock Market Prediction Using Machine Learning Techniques, Rajendiran P

Theses and Dissertations

Sentiment analysis has become one of the most important procedures to predict the stock market behaviour according to the customer reviews about a particular topic such as news, movie, event, and remarks related to the product. Due to the huge number of reviews generated from the customer, for analyzing information in an accurate manner. In order to detect general view of product, sentiment analysis technique is performed. Lately, the majority of research works is designed for Sentiment analysis by application of an organization and ranking techniques. But it suffers less exactness of the accurate classification of the customer reviews.

The …

Using Satellite Image Segmentation To Detect Trails, Jeremy Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

This masters thesis proposes an innovative approach to satellite image segmentation by focusing on the detection and mapping of walking, hiking, and biking trails. The motivation behind this project comes from the underexplored area in segmentation techniques for trail identification and offers potential benefits for urban planning, environmental monitoring, and public health. The problem statement addresses the need for a model that can differentiate between various trail types and other natural or man-made elements. The project aims for efficiency and scalability in processing satellite imagery across different compute hardware. The work details several stages: researching existing segmentation techniques, specifically road …

Autistic Female University Students And Their Experiences With Depression: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Rosemarie Joy Hopkins Keenan

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (autism) can have significant impacts on the lives of those who experience it. However, as autism can affect each person in unique ways, the exact impacts of the condition on a person's experiences are not well understood. This is especially the case for women and girls with autism, who are on diagnosed later in life and have historically been neglected in research studies when compared to autistic men and boys. Autistic people are underrepresented in university populations, and characteristics of a university education present new challenges for autistic students. Little research has been done to inform supports …

A Randomized Trial Of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Leah D. Talbert

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects over 1.7 million people annually in the U.S., often leading to autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation and reduced heart rate variability (HRV), which may impact cognitive performance. This study investigated whether HRV biofeedback (HRV-B) improves HRV at rest and recovery after stress in individuals with TBI. Secondary aims examined links between HRV improvements and reductions in physical symptoms, enhanced emotional functioning, and better cognitive performance, as well as the role of practice adherence in moderating HRV-B effects. This randomized controlled trial compared HRV-B treatment to a sham control using a pre- and post-assessment design. Of …

Investigating The Thermodynamic Properties Of Fat10 And Fat10ylated Proteins, Aravind R

Theses and Dissertations

Degradation of proteins by the proteasome is crucial in regulating protein levels in the cell. Post-translational modifications, such as ubiquitylation and Fat10ylation, trigger proteasomal degradation of the substrate proteins. While ubiquitylation orchestrates multiple cellular processes, Fat10ylation is primarily involved in the inflammatory response. Unlike ubiquitin, recycled upon substrate degradation, Fat10 is degraded along with its substrate. Although the thermodynamic properties of the substrate are critical for effective proteasomal degradation, they remain poorly understood for the Fat10-proteasome pathway.

Here, we demonstrate that Fat10 exhibits markedly lower thermodynamic stability and faster unfolding kinetics compared to ubiquitin. This is due to the absence …

Stability Of Lif Mirror Coatings On Space Telescopes At L2 Orbit, Devin M. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

A team at Goddard Space Flight center has developed a coating of aluminum mirrors they term XeLiF. This coating has high ultraviolet reflection and improved environmental stability over similar LiF coatings. For these reasons, it is a potential candidate for the future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) flagship space telescope mission. However, the stability of XeLiF at the planned L2 orbit of HWO has not been investigated. This study highlights the potential damage to XeLiF when irradiated by electrons that will be present at L2. This radiation will begin removing LiF after 6 years of exposure as well as start roughening …

The Latter-Day Saint Indian Placement Program: An Examination Through An Experiential Lens, Quinn Elise Christiansen

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian Placement Program, operated by the LDS Church from around 1947 to 2000, was influenced by the Church's belief in a connection between Native Americans to a Book of Mormon group known as the Lamanites. This group held a special status within the LDS Church because of their believed Israelite heritage as well as a prophecy promising their conversion in the last days. Spencer W. Kimball, motivated by both personal goals and his authority within the LDS Church, expanded on a successful experience of a young Native girl, Helen John, growing it into the broader Indian Placement Program. This …

Origami Without Paper: Surrogate Folds For Origami-Inspired Mechanisms, Ivyann Oveson Running

Theses and Dissertations

Origami is a useful tool for generating novel spatial mechanisms that can address needs in a variety of fields. However, replicating paper folding in other materials requires surrogate folds---some way to approximate folding in otherwise rigid materials. This work presents a collection of potential surrogate fold designs suitable for use in origami-inspired applications. The designs are sorted into families and rated against several design characteristics of interest to engineers and designers to create the Surrogate Fold Catalog. The catalog is formatted to be searchable and filterable based on manufacturability, kinematic motion, and additional utility. Using this collection of surrogate folds …

Rhythm Machine: Polyrhythmic Dimensions, James Elam

Theses and Dissertations

James Elam combines visual and aural mediums with technology to capture and manipulate sound. Here, Elam discusses how the repetitive elements in his work serve a practical purpose and add a conceptual and tactile layer to his sculptures and echo the hypnotic qualities in his DJ practice.

It Is Not Her Fault She Didn’T Know Mary Had A Lamb, Samer Ridikkuluz

Theses and Dissertations

“It is not her fault she didn’t know Mary had a lamb” is not an Arab Queer conflict. It is the genocide of everything they told me art was and the decolonial clarity of what art can be. Whether it be bridging the gap between the East and the West, the straights and the gays, or me and the world—I investigate the human condition, the parts we play, and how identity evolves and hides.

How Eye See, Now I See, Michael Anthony Simon

Theses and Dissertations

Michael Anthony Simon’s paper addresses ideas surrounding the fluid nature of perception, time, and ideas of control, or lack there-of. Creating a symbolic relationship between paintings and sculpture. Simon both embraces and confuses the notion that understanding is never truly stable or secure.

Ultraviolent, Jin Mateo Kim

Theses and Dissertations

How do you reconceive yourself in a society that has failed you? Jin Mateo Kim's works examine the reckoning of self-conception in postwar youth subculture of the 1960s.

To Swallow The Stars, Catie Dillon

Theses and Dissertations

Through abstract paintings of illuminated voids, Catie Dillon explores ideas of interconnectedness. In "To Swallow the Stars", she traces the layers of her process, examining the function of gesture, color, light, and space as a means to capture the ineffable.

List Of No's, Hwi Hahm

Theses and Dissertations

Through abstract paintings with an emphasis on the absence of the human form, Hwi Hahm creates an esoteric, veiled expression, prompting the question: when do swaths of paint become something? In this paper he discusses the dissociation of identity, and how it offers a balance between material properties and the illusionistic possibilities of painting.

You Are Not A Good Photographer, Byungsuk Yoon

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the medium of photography as a dynamic space for exploring the interplay between reality, memory, and imagination. It positions photography as an imperfect medium that operates on the boundary between predictability and uncertainty, embracing its inherent limitations as a source of creative potential. By addressing the tension between subjective experience and objective reality, this study redefines photography as a tool for continuous questioning and reinterpretation, highlighting its role in navigating the gaps between what is seen and what is imagined.

The Epiphany, Maja-Lisa Flodin-Ali

Theses and Dissertations

Maja-Lisa Flodin-Ali explores her interest in constructing spaces and occupying sets, while navigating the complexities of living with a mood disorder. She draws parallels between the multilayered nature of New York City and the layers of her own identity, retracing her personal history and examining its impact on her art practice. By engaging with classic narratives, such as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, Flodin-Ali reframes her journey and personal history, using these stories as a lens to explore healthier and more sustainable approaches to making.

Victim/Perpetrator, David D. Moy

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout this text, David Moy will discuss the inner working of his investigation on image overload and materialization. Through tactics of blurring, erasure, and layering he achieves obfuscation in his printed media. In doing so, he questions the compounding nature of image/text that negate themselves in the larger context of time in the digital age.

Shapes That Hide Their Shadows, Jennifer Blaine

Theses and Dissertations

shapes that hide their shadows concerns itself with the mutability of memory. The complexities of girlhood to womanhood, and the way we are shaped by place and space, are explored through the artist recounting childhood memories connected to her grandparents' hometowns. Divided into three different sections, the artist discusses drawing as medium, creating a lexicon through using visual symbols, and the logistics of building your own archive.

The Farthest I Can Sense Time, Danielle Alhassid

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the experiences of immigration, identity, and language through the lens of diasporic memory and intergenerational storytelling. At its core lies Communion of Empty Mouths (2024), a multi-channel video installation exploring the physical, communal, and ephemeral dimensions of language development and loss. The work juxtaposes live animation, tactile materials like ceramics, and experimental soundscapes to delve into the ancestral and embodied nature of linguistic expression.

Anchored in Yiddish poet Celia Dropkin’s text My Hands and inspired by familial narratives, the thesis critiques hierarchical and gendered dimensions of language, focusing on Yiddish as a diasporic medium of resistance and …

Xxx, Samuel Tucker Claxton

Theses and Dissertations

In XXX Tucker correlates the rise in online hookup apps and the fall of queer nightlife spaces to show how the internet has affected gay cruising spaces. They relate their installation-based work to the ideas of liminal spaces and Jean Baudrillard's

hyperreal. Further, they contextualize their practice within the scope of Robert Grober's work.

“Watch Me!” The Impact Of Training Experience On Dogs Social Referencing Human Emotional Cues, Madison Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Dogs utilized human facial expression and vocal tone to drive decision making during a novel object choice task, displaying a preference for negatively valenced objects. Training experience was not correlated to dog likelihood to social reference.

Geospatial Machine Learning Approaches For Studying Urbanization Impact, Surface Reflectance Patterns, And Groundwater Health Risks, Bibhash Nath

Theses and Dissertations

Geospatial machine learning techniques have been used to study: the impact of urbanization on land use and land cover change, surface reflectance patterns in boreal regions, and groundwater health risks from arsenic in India. These studies combined spatial data, remote sensing, and predictive models to gain valuable insights for sustainable living and protecting human health.

Resurrection In The Regensburg Pendant: Materials And Iconography, Devotional Object As Sacred Jewelry, Margarita Benacerraf

Theses and Dissertations

The Regensburg butterfly (1310-1320), an exquisitely crafted reliquary pendant, was found in the head of a fourteenth-century crucifix in 1991. The locket’s butterfly shape—and the ways in which the butterfly serves as a metaphor for Christ’s redemption—remains a fascinating window into late medieval Christianity and devotional practices in the medieval world.

Identifying Personality In Reptiles And Assessing Welfare Implications For Their Roles As Ambassador Animals In An Educational Setting, Valery Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined behavioral variability and personality in 13 reptiles used as ambassador animals at the American Museum of Natural History. Observations across seasons and novel object tests revealed individual differences, behavioral components, and correlations. Findings emphasize reptilian complexity, highlighting welfare implications while underscoring the need for further research.

Examining Risk Factors For Comorbidity Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder In A Sample Of Trauma-Exposed Transgender Adults, Dylan Seeley

Theses and Dissertations

Comorbid PTSD-OCD post trauma exposure is understudied. Little research examines specific risk factors and marginalized populations. This study examined gender-based victimization, emotional avoidance, and executive functioning as risk factors. Findings suggest gender-based victimization is a unique gender minority stressor that may pose significant risk for transgender populations.

Using Spatial Network Analysis To Explore Migration Of Extended Families In Historical Research, Rock Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This project proposes a geoinformatics approach for understanding the migration of extended families in historical contexts. It uses full-count longitudinal census data (developed by the Minnesota Population Center) and graph methods to define multi-generational extended family relationships and to model the locational structures of these families as a spatial network. Graph algorithms and mapping methods are used to interrogate these structures as reflections of the patterns of family outmigration and extension over time. The study is based on a set of extended families resident in a 15-county study area in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky in 1870, and their evolution …

Factors Associated With Intimate Partner Violence Among Non-Binary Individuals Assigned Male At Birth (Nbamab), Ahmad Z. Mouazzen

Theses and Dissertations

One hundred-fifty partnered Nonbinary assigned male at birth (NBAMAB) people completed an online survey assessing experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV), and associated factors, including mental health, internalized and anticipated stigma, and relationship power and functioning. The results contribute to understanding of IPV among NBAMAB people, with further research suggested.

Afro-Caribbean/Afro-Caribbean Descendant Students' Attitudes Towards Mental Healthcare, Imani Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

The low mental healthcare utilization rates for Afro-Caribbean College students living in the USA has been seldom studied. This study sought to add to the literature by measuring if Afro-Caribbean cultural affiliation, an Afrocentric worldview, and/or student generation influences mental health seeking actions and mental illness stigma in this group.

Serious Music With Bea Witkin: An Upper West Side Audio Walk, Megan Hattie Stahl

Theses and Dissertations

Serious Music with Bea Witkin is a site-specific audio walk on New York City’s Upper West Side produced by Megan Hattie Stahl. This immersive, musical documentary explores and extends the life and work of composer Beatrice Witkin (1916-1990). Across four stationary chapters and three walking interludes, participants follow a one-mile route from Riverside Park to Straus Park by way of Witkin’s longtime residence on West End Avenue. Through guided narration, archival music, interviews and recordings of contemporary musicians sight-reading a 1985 string quartet piece by Witkin, Serious Music invites listeners to consider where music begins and ends.

Witkin, who graduated …