Digital Commons Network^™

In Vivo Ultrasonic Detection Of Polyurea Crosslinked Silica Aerogel Implants, Firouzeh Sabri, Merry E. Sebelik, Ryan K. Meacham, John Dudley Boughter, Mitchell J. Challis, Nicholas Leventis

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background:Polyurea crosslinked silica aerogels are highly porous, lightweight, and mechanically strong materials with great potential for in vivo applications. Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated the biocompatibility of this type of aerogel. the highly porous nature of aerogels allows for exceptional thermal, electric, and acoustic insulating capabilities that can be taken advantage of for non-invasive external imaging techniques. Sound-based detection of implants is a low cost, non-invasive, portable, and rapid technique that is routinely used and readily available in major clinics and hospitals.Methodology:In this study the first in vivo ultrasound response of polyurea crosslinked silica aerogel implants …

Developing And Assessing Curriculum On The Physics Of Medical Instruments, Warren Christensen, James K. Johnson, Grace R. Van Ness, Elliot E. Mylott, Justin C. Dunlap, Elizabeth A. Anderson, Ralf Widenhorn

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Undergraduate educational settings often struggle to provide students with authentic biologically or medically relevant situations and problems that simultaneously improve their understanding of physics. Through exercises and laboratory activities developed in an elective Physics in Biomedicine course for upper-level biology or pre–health majors at Portland State University, we aim to teach fundamental physical concepts, such as light absorption and emission and atomic energy levels, through analysis of biological systems and medical devices. The activities address the properties of electromagnetic waves as they relate to the interaction with biological tissue and make links between physics and biomedical applications such as microscopy …

What High School Principals Do To Develop, Implement, And Sustain A High Functioning Character Education Initiative, Jacob A. Francom

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Principal leadership is crucial to the success of a high school character education initiative. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory research was to identify the roles and effective practices that high school principals utilize in developing, implementing, and sustaining a high functioning character education program. Fourteen high school principals from around the country, representing different schools, were interviewed one-on-one through Skype, Google Hangout, or by telephone. Data were collected during these one-on-one semi-structured interviews and analyzed through three separate coding procedures: (a) open coding, (b) axial coding, and (c) selective coding. Open coding analyzed the concepts emerging from the …

Modeling Connectivity In Landscape Genetics: Applications, Optimization And Assessing Uncertainty, Brian Kevin Hand

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Connectivity modeling and corridor identification are an essential part of landscape genetics and important tools for the future of conservation biology. The previous decade has shown a steadily increasing interest and rise in publications in landscape genetics. This enthusiasm has led to advances in the methods and theoretical background of the field; however, there remain important, yet unresolved, challenges. Many of these are related to validation and uncertainty testing for resistance surfaces (hypotheses of connectivity). These fundamental issues need to be addressed before landscape genetics can gain the full recognition of a scientific discipline such as population genetics or landscape …

Interactions Between Arenavirus Proteins And Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Infection, Emily L. Messina

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Arenaviruses are globally distributed, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses which persist in specific rodent host species. Of the 32 known arenaviruses, 10 have been associated with human disease. Of these, Lassa, Junín, Machupo, Guanarito, and Sabia viruses cause severe hemorrhagic fevers. The only current option for the treatment of arenavirus infection is the off-label use of ribavirin. However, ribavirin is associated with severe side effects. Clearly, there exists a need for the study of arenavirus biology and of novel drugs for the treatment of arenaviral infection. My work focused on two attractive targets for inhibition of infection: the arenaviral RNA-dependent RNA …

Predation, Turbidity, And Other Factors Influencing Juvenile Salmonid Survival In The Lower Snake River, Devin M. Sontag

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The object of this study was to quantify consumption rates of juvenile salmonids by three introduced species, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), walleye (Sander vitreus) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Consumption information is crucial because the construction of the Snake River hydrosystem has created a series of reservoirs, which have altered the river 's flow regimes, riparian vegetation, and turbidity. Further, several non-native fishes have been introduced as sport fish into the Lower Snake River. This combination of physical alterations and new biological interactions with introduced species has reduced the survival of anadromous salmonids in the Lower Snake River. Currently all …

The Ogbanje In Little Bee By Chris Cleave, Courtney A. Harler

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"In Chris Cleave's 2008 novel Little Bee, he offers readers a literary representation of the Nigerian spirit-child for the purpose of political and post-colonial examination. Cleave's intentions are revealed through a full study of this traditional Nigerian concept. The Nigerian spirit-child, known as the ogbanje in the lgbo language and the abiku in the Yoruba language of Western Nigeria, is imprisoned in an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The concept of the ogbanje-abiku is indeed related to the overall concept of reincarnation, but it differs in the sense that the child who is unduly linked to the spirit …

GöDel's Incompleteness Theorem, Christopher Mullins

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"This thesis gives a rigorous development of sentential logic and first-order logic as mathematical models of humanity's deductive thought processes. Important properties of each of these models are stated and proved including Compactness results (the ability to prove a statement from a finite set of assumptions), Soundness results (a proof given a set of assumptions will always be true given that set of assumptions), and Completeness results (a statement that is true given a set of assumptions must have a proof from that set of assumptions). Mathematical theories and axiomatizations or theories are discussed in a first- order logical setting. …

Dna Barcoding Of Jatropha Curcas, Terence L. Stephens

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"DNA barcoding involves sequencing a standard region of DNA to be used as a tool for rapid species identification. The cytochrome C oxidase gene (COXI) is widely accepted as the standard barcode for animals and currently there is no barcode for land plants. The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) has proposed two regions of DNA to be used as a dual-locus barcode. In this study I examine the two proposed barcoding regions, ribulose-1 ,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) and maturase K (matK) for their ease of amplification, discrimatory power, and sequence quality in Jatropha curcas, Jatropha podagrica, Latuca sativa, and …

Fractal Dimension And Julia Sets, Robert Delorto

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study On The Impact Of Occupational Therapy Mentors On Children From Disadvantaged Homes And The Implications For Future Success, Melinda Cervantes, Jennifer Prevett

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Research into childhood development has shown that the impacts of a traumatic life event can have adverse effects on the development and future success of a child. Traumatic live events can be defined as any experience that varies from a typical pattern of childhood development, for example divorce, death of a parent, addiction concerns, domestic violence, or incarceration of a parent. Often a positive role model cannot be found in these children’s lives, keeping them from reaching success later in life. Researchers have studied the impact of a mentoring relationship on children from disadvantaged homes and have found the mentoring …

Occupational Therapy For Adolescents: A Nature-Based Interventions Approach, Amanda Cruze, Myrtyce Remus

Occupational Therapy Capstones

PURPOSE: The first purpose of this scholarly project was to address current trends in relation to adolescents’ increased reliance on technology, decreased exposure to natural settings, and utilization of nature in adolescent occupational therapy care. The second purpose of the scholarly project was to provide occupational therapists with an interventions guide for nature-based activities to be used with the adolescent population.

METHOD: A literature review was conducted on adolescents, technology and nature using PubMed, CINAHL, AJOT, OT Search, MESH, Google Scholar, and textbooks.

RESULTS: A review of the literature indicated that the target population, Generation Z, had grown up with …

An Occupational Therapy Guide To Assessment Of Executive Function Of Rural Agriculture Workers, Cayleigh Gerstner, Alyssa Lopez

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Develop a guide for occupational therapists working with rural agricultural-based individuals’ experiencing cognitive deficits. Methodology: A comprehensive literature review was completed with major topics including the definition of executive functioning, common duties of ranch/farm workers, relationship between executive functioning and work, rural agriculture culture. The goal of the literature review was to gain an understanding of the influence of executive functioning skills on engagement within occupational duties and tasks of rural agriculture workers. Results: An occupational therapy guide was developed to provide a list of common tasks/duties of ranchers/framers and the associated executive functioning skills as well as client …

An Occupation Based Intervention Protocol For Carpometacarpal Joint Arthroplasty, Joshua A. Gillbertson, Christopher G. Johnson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The carpometacarpal (CMC) joint is located at the base of thumb and, functionally, is the most important joint within the hand due to its extensive mobility and the importance it has on the dexterity of human prehension. Due to the hypermobility and high degrees of utilization of the CMC joint, it is a common area for increased pain, joint disease, and the development of arthritis. Arthritis can be a debilitating condition as it is associated with instability, deformities, and limited range of motion, which all impact engagement in activities of daily living and meaningful occupations. When conservative treatments and non-surgical …

Occupational Therapy Screening Tool For School-Aged Children With Sleep Problems, Jenae Becker, Kathryne Kitchen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project was to review the occupational therapy literature and develop a guide to instruct occupational therapists in screening children with sleep problems and associated occupational performance issues.

The primary method used for this project was the use of an extensive literature review of common sleep problems, co-morbidities of sleep problems, the impact of lack of sleep, sleep interventions, and the role of occupational therapy when addressing sleep problems in school-aged children. A number of search engines were utilized including PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, OT Search, OT Seeker, and OT textbooks.

The literature indicated there was a …

Motivating The Unmotivated Child: Using Psychosocial Intervention Methods In The School, Kristi Fickes, Kelsey Hoffmann

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: School-based occupational therapists have reported barriers to working with children with psychosocial needs including a limited knowledge of psychosocial methods (Barnes, Beck, Vogel, Grice, & Murphy, 2003; Case-Smith & Archer, 2008). These issues prevent children with motivational and behavioral issues from receiving the best care possible and, in some cases, from receiving therapy at all.

Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted to understand current utilization of psychosocial strategies in school-based occupational therapy practice, barriers therapists experience in applying these strategies, and effective psychosocial strategies for children with motivational issues. Findings of the literature suggested that continuing education was …

K-12 Teachers' Perceptions About Social Media Integration Into Instruction In Saudi Arabia, Hamdan Abdulaziz Alamri

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Energy Expenditure In Your Shape [Trademark] Fitness Evolved 2012 Calorie Counter And Indirect Calorimetry, Robert D. Cimball

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Alsafeer Software For Teaching Computer Literacy, Zieb Rabie Alqahtani

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Study Of The Effects Of Changing Physiological Conditions On Dielectric Properties Of Breast Tissues, Abas Sabouni, Camerin Hahn, Sima Noghanian, Edward Sauter, Tim Weiland

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper addresses the changes in the physical characteristics (temperature and water/blood content) of breast tissue under different physiological conditions. We examined ex vivo specimens of breast tissue excised at the time of surgery to study the effects of physiological conditions on dielectric properties. We observed that the dielectric properties strongly depend on tissue physiological state. When the biological tissues undergo physiological changes, such as those due to disease or those induced by external changes such as variations in the environmental temperature, the microscopic processes deviate from their normal state and impact the overall dielectric properties. This suggests that microwave …

Phronetic Implications: Making A Case For Cross-Disciplinary Conversations In Higher Education, Mark Fretts

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Problems faced by society in today's global infrastructure are more complex than ever; these social, political and environmental issues require an interdisciplinary skill set to even begin to understand them let alone tackle them with a comprehensive strategy. Higher Education can better prepare people for real world problem solving by interacting in cross-disciplinary or interdisciplinary conversations with peers, faculty, colleagues etc. Professors from across the social sciences at Eastern Washington University that are engaged in an interdisciplinary conversation were interviewed for this qualitative case study. The dialogue generated from these interviews confirms that there are many intrinsic as well as …

Using Phishing To Test Social Engineering Awareness Of Financial Employees, Rebecca M. Long

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"Social engineering is the biggest security threat to financial institutions because it exploits the weakest link in any security system: the human element. It is proposed here that combining specialized training on social engineering followed by repeated audit tests will be more effective at lowering employee vulnerability than standard security training alone. This research developed a training module specializing in social engineering with an extra emphasis on phishing, then used phishing trials on financial employees to audit their awareness and knowledge of social engineering to determine if it lowers the vulnerability level to phishing attacks"--Document.

The Guayule Plant: A Renewable, Domestic Source Of Binder Materials For Flexible Pavement Mixtures, David Newton Richardson, Steven Michael Lusher

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the rising price of crude oil, flexible pavement costs have increased significantly. This price pressure has resulted in the increased use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and/or reclaimed asphalt roofing shingles (RAS) because of the binder (asphalt cement) they contain. This has increased demand for recycling (rejuvenating) agents which return the RAP/RAS binders to their original state by 1) restoring maltenes (petroleum oils and resins) that have been depleted due to age-hardening/oxidation, and 2) reducing their viscosity. The project concept was to design a flexible pavement mixture (FPM) produced with little-to-no virgin petroleumbased binder which implied the use …

Rapid Repair Of Severely Damaged Rc Columns With Different Damage Conditions: An Experimental Study, Ruili He, Lesley Sneed, Abdeldjelil Belarbi

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Review Of Anchorage Systems For Externally Bonded Frp Laminates, Stephen V. Grelle, Lesley Sneed

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Aggregate Shape Characterization Using Digital Image Processing, Norbert H. Maerz, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aggregates must meet certain specifications to be acceptable in asphalt and concrete applications. Among these are specifications that deal with the various aspects of aggregate shape, including flatness and elongation and aggregate angularity. The current practice for ensuring those specifications is the use of manual-mechanical tests. These tests are time consuming, labor intensive and subjective. In addition, tests such as the compacted or uncompacted voids tests (Figure 1), are taken to be a shape (angularity) indicator, even thought the measured quantify is the void ratio. This report describes a prototype of an automated digital video image analysis system that measures …

Effect Of Crumb Rubber Modifier Dissolution On Storage Stability Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalt, Amir Ghavibazoo, Magdy Abdelrahman, Mohyeldin Ragab

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Crumb rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) extensively suffers from high-temperature storage instability. Because of the higher density of the crumb rubber modifier (CRM) particles, they settle down to the bottom of storage tanks and cause variation between physical properties of the top and bottom samples. The storage stability of the CRMA changes under different interaction parameters and consequently different mechanisms of interaction. In this research the mechanism of separation under different levels of CRM dissolution was investigated by using Stokes' law. The extent and mechanism of CRM dissolution in asphalt was controlled through regulating interaction temperature and interaction mixing speed. A standard …

Data Fusion Techniques For Nondestructive Evaluation And Medical Image Analysis, Soumya De

Doctoral Dissertations

"Data fusion is a technique for combining data obtained from multiple sources for an enhanced detection or decision. Fusion of data can be done at the raw-data level, feature level or decision level. Applications of data fusion include defense (such as battlefield surveillance and autonomous vehicle control), medical diagnosis and structural health monitoring. Techniques for data fusion have been drawn from areas such as statistics, image processing, pattern recognition and computational intelligence. This dissertation includes investigation and development of methods to perform data fusion for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and medical imaging applications. The general framework for these applications includes region-of-interest …

Establishing Well Operability Limits For Frac Pack Sandface Well Completions Using A Screen Erosion Model And Well Completion Score Card, Rickey Hendrix

Doctoral Dissertations

"Completion quality has a direct impact upon the maximum production rate at which a frac pack well should be operated. Best practices for frac pack well completions ensure the highest possible quality for the well completion. A novel frac pack well completion score card was developed based on best practices for frac pack well completions identified through consultation with industry experts. The score card systematically combines and assesses completions data readily available standard completion reports. The outcome of the score card process is a numerical completion quality rating, which combines all well design and frac pack operations information.

The completion …

Two Essays On Dynamic Programming And Reinforcement Learning, Shuva Ghosh

Doctoral Dissertations

"The semi-Markov decision process (SMDP) is a variant of the Markov decision process (MOP). This dissertation work focuses on the application of SMDPs to disaster response management and to maintenance management. Average and discounted reward are two popular performance metrics for MDPs/SMDPs. While both dynamic programming (DP) methods, i.e., value iteration and policy iteration, are commonly used to solve MDPs/SMDPs, value iteration is easier to apply than policy iteration. The existing value iteration algorithms for average reward SMDPs have some noteworthy limitations, which are sought to be overcome in this work. Reinforcement learning (RL) techniques, which are also studied in …