Digital Commons Network^™

A Performance Study Of Genetic Algorithm-Assisted Beamforming In Distributed Cognitive Radio Networks, Andrew Minturn

Department of Computer Electronics and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cognitive Radio (CR) is a technology that has gained much interest recently due to the increasing scarcity of the radio frequency spectrum. Large portions of the radio frequency spectrum are licensed to users who then have exclusive access to the bandwidth, and unlicensed bands can be a challenge to use due to interference from unlicensed users. Despite the seeming scarcity, tests of bands allocated by the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) to licensed and unlicensed user have shown that many are underutilized and often unoccupied by the user to whom they are licensed. CR aims to exploit this unused spectrum and …

Fern Community Reassembly In Secondary Forests Of Puerto Rico: Predictors, Complexity, And Niche Model Assessment, Thomas J. Schmidt

Masters Theses

Approximately 94% of Puerto Rico’s forests were converted into agricultural systems by 1950. Since then, extensive abandonment of agricultural land has resulted in a considerable amount of forest regeneration throughout the main island. Ferns are a major non-woody component of oceanic, tropical island forests comprising up to seventy percent of the flora. Consequently, the composition and community structure of ferns may be indicative of the relative richness of these secondary forests. I used Maximum Entropy (Maxent), a widely-used mathematical tool for distinguishing suitable versus unsuitable fern niche space, along with ENMTools, a tool that assists Maxent with proper model selection, …

A Large-Scale, Rapid Public Health Response To Rabies In An Organ Recipient And The Previously Undiagnosed Organ Donor, R. M. Wallace, Danielle Stanek, S. Griese, D. Krulak, Neil M. Vora, Virginia Kan, +14 Additional Authors

Medicine Faculty Publications

This article describes and contrasts the public health response to two human rabies cases: one organ recipient diagnosed within days of symptom onset and the transplant donor who was diagnosed 18 months post-symptom onset. In response to an organ-transplant-related rabies case diagnosed in 2013, organ donor and recipient investigations were conducted by multiple public health agencies. Persons with potential exposure to infectious patient materials were assessed for rabies virus exposure. An exposure investigation was conducted to determine the source of the organ donor's infection. Over 100 persons from more than 20 agencies spent over 2700 h conducting contact investigations in …

Whole Genome Sequencing Of A Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Pseudo-Outbreak In A Professional Football Team., Deverick J. Anderson, Simon R. Harris, Eliot Godofsky, Todd Toriscelli, Thomas H. Rude, Kevin Elder, Daniel J. Sexton, Elliot J. Pellman, Thom Mayer, Vance G. Fowler, Sharon J. Peacock

Medicine Faculty Publications

Two American football players on the same team were diagnosed with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) skin and soft tissue infections on the same day. Our investigation, including whole genome sequencing, confirmed that players did not transmit MRSA to one another nor did they acquire the MRSA from a single source within the training facility.

Whole Exome Sequencing In Family Trios Reveals De Novo Mutations In Pura As A Cause Of Severe Neurodevelopmental Delay And Learning Disability, David Hunt, Richard J. Leventer, Cas Simons, Ryan J. Taft, Kathryn J. Swoboda, Mary Gawne-Cain, Alex C. Magee, Perter D. Turnpenny, Diana Baralle

Genomics and Precision Medicine Faculty Publications

Background De novo mutations are emerging as an important cause of neurocognitive impairment, and whole exome sequencing of case-parent trios is a powerful way of detecting them. Here, we report the findings in four such trios.

Methods The Deciphering Developmental Disorders study is using whole exome sequencing in family trios to investigate children with severe, sporadic, undiagnosed developmental delay. Three of our patients were ascertained from the first 1133 children to have been investigated through this large-scale study. Case 4 was a phenotypically isolated case recruited into an undiagnosed rare disorders sequencing study.

Results Protein-altering de novo mutations in PURA …

Integrative Therapy Use For Management Of Side Effects And Toxicities Experienced By Pediatric Oncology Patients, Shana Jacobs

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Integrative Therapies (IT), otherwise known as Complementary and Alternative Medicine, are widely used among pediatric oncology patients, despite a paucity of available evidence. This review summarizes surveys that describe the prevalence of IT use by pediatric oncology patients, both during therapy and in survivorship, as well as the modalities being used. Additionally, the evidence that exists for specific treatments that appear to be efficacious in controlling specific symptoms is described. Finally, there are recommendations for practitioners on how to best counsel patients about IT use.

Review Of "The Pku Paradox: A Short History Of A Genetic Disease" By D. B. Paul And J. P. Brosco, John B. Jenkins

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

University Magazine Winter 2014, University News Service, Office Of Alumni Relations

University Publications

This is the official magazine for RIT Alumni. Issued thrice a year in spring, fall and winter. Printing began in 1999.

Relationship Between Relative Hive Entrance Position And Dance Floor Location, Chelsea E. Corrigan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

It has been observed that returning honey bee foragers congregate with unemployed foragers and food receiver bees in a localized region of the hive known as the dance floor. Here, the returning foragers advertise food sources via the waggle dance. It was hypothesized that the close proximity of the dance floor to the hive entrance was related to foragers minimizing time and travel inside the hive. The hive entrance is conventionally located at the bottom of the hive. It was suggested that this location was ideal for easy removal of debris. This correlation between dance floor location and hive entrance …

Hiv Drug Resistance Among Infants And Children In South Africa: How Efficient Is Genotypic Testing?, Ellen Hendrix

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Background: South Africa has the largest prevalence of HIV infection. This epidemic impacts adults as well as the pediatric population. The presence of drug-resistant mutations to antiretroviral therapies among infants and children is on the rise. Few studies have been conducted on this topic. Objective: The study aims to determine whether drug resistance testing in the form of genotypic testing is cost-effective when deciding whether to switch to a new HIV antiretroviral therapy following drug failure. Method: An interactive research approach is taken by collecting primary data from experts in this field. Secondary sources including guidelines from the World Health …

The House Of Windsor: Accentuating The Heteronormativity In The Tax Incentives For Procreation, Anthony C. Infanti

Washington Law Review

Following the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, many seem to believe that the fight for marriage equality at the federal level is over and that any remaining work in this area is at the state level. Belying this conventional wisdom, this Article plumbs the gap between the promise of Windsor and the reality that heteronormativity has been one of the core building blocks of the federal tax system. Eradicating embedded heteronormativity will take far more than a single court decision (or even revenue ruling); it will take years of work uncovering the subtle ways in which …

Book Review - Wild Connection: What Animal Courtship And Mating Tell Us About Human Relationships, J. Matthew Hoch

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Assessing Aascu’S Global Challenges Blended Model Course, Shala Mills, Jian Sun

eJournal of Public Affairs

In 2006 the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) launched its Global Engagement Initiative and began developing a set of curricular tools for faculty to use in educating globally competent citizens. In 2011 the initiative developed a national blended model course. That course has now been delivered to more than 1,200 students on 15 campuses across the country and abroad. This paper explores the effectiveness of the national blended course in meeting its stated learning objectives. In 2013-14, pre/post-tests were conducted on three pilot campuses. The pre/post-tests indicate that students’ knowledge about global issues and ways to get …

Steady Quadratic Stokes Flow Past Deformed Sphere: A Novel Perturbation Technique, Deepak K. Srivastava, Nirmal Srivastava, Raja R. Yadav

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In this paper, the problem of steady quadratic Stokes flow past a deformed sphere has been tackled with the use of a novel perturbation technique in both situations when a uniform stream is along the axis of symmetry (axial flow) and when it is perpendicular to the axis of symmetry (transverse flow). The most general form of the deformed sphere, governed by polar equation, is considered here for the study. The general expressions for axial and transverse Stokes drag for deformed sphere has been derived up to the second order of deformation parameter for parabolic and stagnation like parabolic flow. …

Recruitment Facilitation And Spatial Pattern Formation In Soft-Bottom Mussel Beds, John A. Commito, Ann E. Commito, Rutherford V. Platt, Benjamin M. Grupe, Wendy Dow Piniak, Natasha J. Gownaris, Kyle A. Reeves, Allison M. Vissichelli

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Mussels (Mytilus edulis) build massive, spatially complex, biogenic structures that alter the biotic and abiotic environment and provide a variety of ecosystem services. Unlike rocky shores, where mussels can attach to the primary substrate, soft sediments are unsuitable for mussel attachment. We used a simple lattice model, field sampling, and field and laboratory experiments to examine facilitation of recruitment (i.e., preferential larval, juvenile, and adult attachment to mussel biogenic structure) and its role in the development of power-law spatial patterns observed in Maine, USA, soft-bottom mussel beds. The model demonstrated that recruitment facilitation produces power-law spatial structure similar …

Relationships Between Wellness-Related Behaviors And Academic Performance, Helene M. Alfano

Dissertations

This study investigated possible relationships between specific wellness-related behaviors and academic achievement by using self-reported data from the 2009 Michigan Youth Risk Behavior Survey (MYRBS). Participants were students from 50 public high schools in Michigan in grades 9 through 12 (N = 3,411). Survey responses were analyzed with an ordinal logistic regression procedure using SPSS software. Beyond the control model, the block of variables on (a) diet explained 9.3% of the variance in the outcome measure, an additional amount of variance that was statistically significant and practically important. Each of the remaining blocks, including (b) physical activity, (c) self-perception of …

Membrane Potential-Dependent Integration Of Synaptic Inputs In Entorhinal Stellate Neurons., Economo Mn, Martínez Jj, White Ja

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Gan Thin Films Grown By Rf Magnetron Sputtering For Fabrication Of An Algan/Gan Hemt Biosensor, Rocio Yolanda Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Radio-Frequency (RF) Magnetron Sputtering has been used to grow GaN thin films for future fabrication of an AlGaN/GaN HEMT biosensor. A GaN target was sputtered at various parameters on silicon and sapphire substrates, at room temperature and at elevated temperature using substrate heating and post deposition annealing treatment. The research conducted investigates the effects of sputtering gas (Argon or Nitrogen gas), RF power (40W or 50W), and pressure (4mT – 30mT) on the structural properties of the thin films. Imaging tools such as the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), and …

The Trans Panic Defense: Masculinity, Heteronormativity, And The Murder Of Transgender Women, Cynthia Lee

UC Law Journal

When a heterosexual man is charged with murdering a transgender woman with whom he has been sexually intimate, one defense strategy is to assert what has been called the trans panic defense. The defendant claiming this defense will say that the discovery that the victim was biologically male provoked him into a heat of passion causing him to lose self-control. If the jury finds that the defendant was actually and reasonably provoked, it can acquit him of murder and find him guilty of the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. The trans panic defense strategy is troubling because it appeals to …

Scientific Application Acceleration Utilizing Heterogeneous Architectures, Edwin Weill

All Theses

Within the past decade, there have been substantial leaps in computer architectures to exploit the parallelism that is inherently present in many applications. The scientific community has benefited from the emergence of not only multi-core processors, but also other, less traditional architectures including general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and Intel's many integrated cores (MICs) architecture (i.e. Xeon Phi). The popularity of the GPGPU has increased rapidly because of their ability to perform massive amounts of parallel computation quickly and at low cost with an ease of programmability. Also, with the addition of high-level programming …

The Resistance Of A North American Bat Species (Eptesicus Fuscus) To White-Nose Syndrome (Wns), Craig L. Frank, Andrew Michalski, Anne A. Mcdonough, Marjon Rahimian, Robert J. Rudd, Carl Herzog

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Transformative Skin: The Ongoing Legacy Of Inuit And Yupik Women's Tattoos, Mariah Carrillo

Art & Art History ETDs

Feminine indigenous tattoo traditions of the American Arctic have often been overlooked in scholarly literature due to colonial pre-conceptions regarding native gender roles and the nature of adornment. Modern Euro-American conceptions of skin and self often rely on rigid, essentialized categories, such as race and gender, to mark identity onto the individual body. However, the Inuit and Yupik peoples of Alaska and Canada regarded personal essence as fluid and transformative, a belief made visible in the networks of sewn lines that declared a womans status and agency. This text examines both written ethnological records and a diverse range of material …

The Conduit, Volume 14, No. 1&2, December 2014, Karst Waters Institute

The KWI Conduit

Contents: Welcome to The Conduit -- President's Corner -- KWI Happenings -- Upcoming 2015 Karst Award Banquet, March 14, 2015 -- KWI Sponsor for GSA Conference Sessions in 2014 -- 2014 Wilson Scholarship Recipient -- Final Report: "Hypogene Cave Morphologies" Conference -- Meet KWI's New Associates -- Retirement News: Dr. John Mylroie -- Announcement for Upcoming Conference 2016 -- Research Focus: Karst Investigations in Illinois -- Research Report: Storm Response Study, West Virginia -- KWI Members Visit Cuba: Cave Investigations in Cuba -- Update: New Karst Division, Geological Society of America

Differential Protein Expression Of Caco-2 Cells Treated With Selenium Nanoparticles Compared With Sodium Selenite And Selenomethionine, Linglin Fu, Xuxia Yan, Xinming Ruan, Junda Lin, Yanbo Wang

Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Faculty Publications

The study was designed to determine the differential protein expression of Caco-2 cells treated with different forms of selenium including sodium selenite, selenomethionine (Se-Met), and selenium nanoparticles (nano-Se). Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and mass spectrometry (MS) were used to identify the differentially expressed proteins. The results indicated that seven protein spots, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 (E2), glutathione synthetases (GS), triosephosphate isomerase (TSP), T-complex protein 1 subunit zeta (TCPZ), lamin-B1, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein F (hnRNP F), and superoxide dismutase [Cu-Zn] (Cu, Zn-SOD) were significantly different among all the groups. According to the order of control, sodium selenite, Se-Met, and Nano-Se, the …

Mbari Swfoce Shallow Water Free Ocean Carbon Enrichment Experiment: Oceanographic Instrument Simulator, Amy Chen, Byungjin Bae, Matthew Mitchell

Computer Engineering

No abstract provided.

Ipulse: December 2014, Lynn University

Student Newspapers

Issues:

• December 1, 2014
• December 2, 2014
• December 10, 2014

Psychometric Properties Of The Arabic Version Of The Perceived Physical Ability  Scale For Children In Oman, Sabry M. Abd-El-Fattah

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

This study aimed at examining the psychometric properties of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children (PPASC) within an Omani context. A sample of 250 fourth graders (130 males and 120 females) from six public primary schools in four governorates in Oman responded to Arabic translated version of the PPASC. Data on students' in-class physical activity, social desirability, and teachers' nominations of students' physical ability were also collected. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the unidimensional model of the PPASC had adequate fit to the data. Multigroup CFA revealed gender invariance for PPASC unidimensional model when it was compared across male …

What Medical Education Can Do To Ensure Robust Language Development In Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, R. Pollard, C. Rathmann, S. Smith

Linguistics Faculty Works

The typical medical education curriculum does not address language development for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. However, this issue is medical because of the frequency with which DHH children as a population face health complications due to linguistic deprivation. The critical period for language development is early; if a child does not acquire an intact language before age five, the child is unlikely to ever have native-like use of any language. Such linguistic deprivation carries risks of cognitive delay and psycho-social health difficulties. Spoken language is inaccessible for many DHH children despite assistive-technology developments. But sign languages, because they are …

Core Handling And Processing For The Wais Divide Ice-Core Project, Joseph Souney Jr, Mark S. Twickler, Geoffrey M. Hargreaves, Brian M. Bencivengo, Matthew J. Kippenhan, Jay A. Johnson, Eric D. Cravens, Peter D. Neff, Richard M. Nunn, Anais J. Orsi, Trevor J. Popp, John F. Rhoades, Bruce H. Vaughn, Donald E. Voigt, Gifford J. Wong, Kendrick C. Taylor

All Materials

On 1 December 2011 the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice-core project reached its final depth of 3405 m. The WAIS Divide ice core is not only the longest US ice core to date, but is also the highest-quality deep ice core, including ice from the brittle ice zone, that the US has ever recovered. The methods used at WAIS Divide to handle and log the drilled ice, the procedures used to safely retrograde the ice back to the US National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) and the methods used to process and sample the ice at the NICL are …

Identification Of The Infection Route Of A Fusarium Seed Pathogen Into Non-Dormant Bromus Tectorum Seeds, Janalynn Franke

Theses and Dissertations

The genus Fusarium has a wide host range and causes many different forms of plant disease. These include seed rot and seedling blight diseases of cultivated plants. The Fusarium-caused diseases of wild plants are less well-known. In this study we examined Fusarium sp. n-caused disease development on non-dormant seeds of the important rangeland weed Bromus tectorum as part of broader studies of the phenomenon of stand failure or ‘die-off’ in this annual grass. We previously isolated an undescribed species in the Fusarium tricinctum species complex from die-off soils and showed that it is pathogenic on seeds. It can cause high …