Digital Commons Network^™

Possible Past Hybridization Among Desmognathus Ochrophaeus In Canadice Lake: An Ecological Survey Exploring Desmognathine Salamanders And The Competitive Exclusion Hypothesis In The Western Finger Lakes Of New York State, Aisha L. Gadson

Theses

Dusky Salamanders are a varied group of sister taxa found in Northeastern North America. Two species, Desmognathus fuscus and Desmognathus ochrophaeus, have geographically overlapping ranges. In addition, they are very morphologically similar, share many niche requirements, and are found in extremely similar or even the same salamander communities. These shared traits have been posited to arise from the influence of niche conservatism during their species’ evolutions. Also, despite their physical similarities they are historically found not to hybridize on a large scale, nor have ever had a full population merge recorded. Therefore, it appears that the community ecology of these …

Hierarchical Decomposition Of Large Deep Networks, Sumanth Chennupati

Theses

Teaching computers how to recognize people and objects from visual cues in images and videos is an interesting challenge. The computer vision and pattern recognition communities have already demonstrated the ability of intelligent algorithms to detect and classify objects in difficult conditions such as pose, occlusions and image fidelity. Recent deep learning approaches in the ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge (ILSVRC) are built using very large and deep convolution neural network architectures. In 2015, such architectures outperformed human performance (94.9% human vs 95.06% machine) for top-5 validation accuracies on the ImageNet dataset, and earlier this year deep learning approaches …

Tensor Decomposition Of Multi-Channel Wearable Sensors For Parkinson’S Disease Assessment, Vignesh Ramji

Theses

The cure for Parkinson’s disease is considered as one of the greatest challenges in chronic neurological disorder therapy, motivating efforts to provide information to guide therapy adjustments. This disease affects the patients day to day tasks which may vary from drinking water to a more complex task like folding laundry. Postural instability and rigidity of motion can be defined as some of the main symptoms for Parkinson’s disease.

In order to better understand and analyze the patients suffering from this disease, the patients were asked to maintain records in a diary of times when they felt an unusual behavior while …

The Uncanny Valley The Effect Of Removing Blendshapes From Facial Animation, Ameya Lonkar

Theses

Ever since its introduction in 1970 by the roboticist Dr. Mori, the uncanny valley has become an integral part of facial animation. While most of the work on the uncanny valley is focused on finding a way to surpass the uncanny valley and how certain things could be designed to increase or decrease the uncanniness of an animation, this paper investigates how removing certain blendshapes from the facial animation changes our perception about the eeriness of that animation. The goal is to identify the “necessary” blendshapes which bring about a significant change the perceived uncanniness of the animation. For achieving …

Developing A Measurement System To Assess Line Profile Retention In 3d Printing, Heng Li

Theses

Manufacturing three-dimensional (3D) objects with methods adapted from conventional digital printing have propelled the development of additive manufacturing. In this process, the printing devices directly deposit or fuse materials to form 3D solid objects in a layer-by-layer fashion, thereby creating the additive approach of fabrication.

As additive manufacturing (AM) has been increasingly adopted for rapid prototyping and part manufacturing, the need to determine the part quality which results from the processes becomes crucial (Monzón, Ortega, Martínez, & Ortega, 2015). There is a lack of quantifiable measurement systems to define a printer’s ability to resolve systematic and geometric features and dimensionalities …

Heart Valve Mathematical Models, Paula Kolar

Theses

Nearly 100,000 heart valve replacements or repairs are performed in the US every year. Mathematical models of heart valves are used to improve artificial valve design and to guide surgeons performing valve-repairing surgeries. Models can be used to define the geometry of a valve, predict blood flow dynamics, or demonstrate operating mechanisms of the valve. In this thesis we reviewed features that are typically considered when developing a model of a heart valve. The main modeling methods include representing a heart valve using lumped parameters, finite elements, or isogeometric elements. Examples of a lumped-parameter model and isogeometric analysis are explored. …

Relationship Between Velocity Of Contraction And Force Applied On Air Muscles, Aniruddha Sudhir Phatak

Theses

Air muscles are simple pneumatic devices that have high potential to be used as robotic manipulators, as they have a behavior similar to biological motors or muscles. Hence, they have a wide range of potential applications in areas such as robotics, bio-robotics, biomechanics, and artificial limb replacements. In addition to the similarity to biological muscle, air muscles have the advantages of good power-to-weight ratio, being compliant, and low cost. This thesis primarily quantifies the relationship between velocity of contraction of air muscles and the force applied on it, which is a key characteristic of biological skeletal muscle. First, an experimental …

Lightweight Architectures For Reliable And Fault Detection Simon And Speck Cryptographic Algorithms On Fpga, Prashant Ahir

Theses

The widespread use of sensitive and constrained applications necessitates lightweight (lowpower and low-area) algorithms developed for constrained nano-devices. However, nearly all of such algorithms are optimized for platform-based performance and may not be useful for diverse and flexible applications. The National Security Agency (NSA) has proposed two relatively-recent families of lightweight ciphers, i.e., Simon and Speck, designed as efficient ciphers on both hardware and software platforms. This paper proposes concurrent error detection schemes to provide reliable architectures for these two families of lightweight block ciphers. The research work on analyzing the reliability of these algorithms and providing fault diagnosis approaches …

Order Picking Strategies For Healthcare Warehouses., Ehsan Khodabandeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Order picking is the process of collecting goods and items in specified quantities from storage locations, in response to customer orders. Since many labor resources are involved in this process, finding ways to make it more efficient have been a primary goal for researchers and practitioners. Determining a better allocation of products to the storage areas, finding the best route and sequence to pick multiple products, and choosing the best picking policies to minimize congestion in the aisles are just a few of many objectives regarding order picking process. Due to regulatory compliances and the chance of product spoilage, additional …

A Reduced Labeled Samples (Rls) Framework For Classification Of Imbalanced Concept-Drifting Streaming Data., Elaheh Arabmakki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stream processing frameworks are designed to process the streaming data that arrives in time. An example of such data is stream of emails that a user receives every day. Most of the real world data streams are also imbalanced as is in the stream of emails, which contains few spam emails compared to a lot of legitimate emails. The classification of the imbalanced data stream is challenging due to the several reasons: First of all, data streams are huge and they can not be stored in the memory for one time processing. Second, if the data is imbalanced, the accuracy …

A Cad System For Early Diagnosis Of Autism Using Different Imaging Modalities., Marwa Maher Tawfik Ismail

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term “autism spectrum disorder” (ASD) refers to a collection of neuro-developmental disorders that affect linguistic, behavioral, and social skills. Autism has many symptoms, most prominently, social impairment and repetitive behaviors. It is crucial to diagnose autism at an early stage for better assessment and investigation of this complex syndrome. There have been a lot of efforts to diagnose ASD using different techniques, such as imaging modalities, genetic techniques, and behavior reports. Imaging modalities have been extensively exploited for ASD diagnosis, and one of the most successful ones is Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),where it has shown promise for the early diagnosis …

Plant Community Responses To The Removal Of Lonicera Maackii From An Urban Woodland Park., Elihu H. Levine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Impacts of Lonicera maackii on native forest communities have been widely researched, but long-term responses of plant communities to the removal of this exotic shrub have not been extensively evaluated. The Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy removes exotic shrubs and vines to restore ecological processes and native species in the woodlands of Cherokee Park. Paired-plots were established in 2008 to gather baseline herb, vine, tree, and shrub community data. Honeysuckle was removed from one plot of each pair in 2009 and community data were gathered again in 2013. Native herb cover and richness, vine cover, and tree sapling abundance increased where …

Knowledge Of Algebra For Teaching Quadratic Equations : The Impact Of Knowledge Dimensions On Planning And Pedagogical Strategies., Michael Raney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Planning and presenting meaningful instruction in the mathematics classroom is a demanding task requiring mental flexibility as well as a solid foundation in relevant content knowledge and pedagogical strategies. In the last three decades, there has been a growing interest in the way teachers utilize this specialized mathematical knowledge for teaching algebra in the practice of teaching, specifically in planning and presenting classroom instruction. Even more recently, a growing area of emphasis has been the application of these domains of knowledge in a specific focal context involving a singular topic or unit of instruction in the mathematics classroom. This study …

The Zodiac Army., Keith Charles Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the beginning of a book title The Zodiac Army. The book is the first in a trilogy and follows three different characters. The first, Ash, is a teenage boy who discovers he is a powerful magician who, along with another magician, can control the elements of nature. The two form a Twin pairing and will fight for each other and for the safety of the kingdom. Alora, the second character, is a young and faithful priestess in the Temple. Her faith, in both the gods and those in charge of the Temple, could bring the entire system …

Exploring The Relation Between School Pushout And Future Outlook For Black Youth., Kish Cumi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study is an examination of the relation between school pushout and future outlook for Black youth. Theoretically, this dissertation study is framed by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) and Racial Encounter Coping Appraisal and Socialization Theory (RECAST). In light of the systemic racial disparities entrenched in school pushout phenomena among Black youth, the researcher sought to explore parental warmth as a protective factor for youth subjected to school pushout. School pushout as praxis was discussed in conjunction with the school-toprison pipeline (STPP), as school pushout is identified as an entry point within the STPP. This dissertation study explored …

The Role Of The Mir-200 Family On The Tumor Suppressor Rassf2 And The Effect On Mapk Pathway Activity In Colorectal Cancer., Jane V. Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the role of the miR-200 family in normal colon epithelial (CCD 841) and Dukes’ C (HT-29) colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Our aim was to characterize expression of the miR-200 family (miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-141, and miR-429) in colorectal cell lines, study their effect on the tumor suppressor Ras Associated Domain-Containing Protein (RASSF) 2 and on subsequent activity within the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. We wanted to determine whether regulation of miR-200 family members could change cell behavior towards more “cancer-like” in a normal colon epithelium (CCD 841) cell line, or less “cancer-like” in a …

The Role And Regulation Of Inhibitor Of Kappa B Kinase In The Impaired Monocyte Response., Norman James Galbraith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trauma, major surgery and systemic infection can lead to a subsequent immunosuppressed state which can predispose patients to nosocomial infection and death. Approximately a sixth of patients will have impaired monocyte function, as determined by decreased HLA-DR expression or decreased TNF-α production in response to ex-vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. This project aimed to develop an in-vitro model of impaired monocyte function using isolated monocytes from healthy volunteers, to study the effect of monocyte impairment on IκK signaling, and determine the role of IκK in the impaired monocyte response. These studies have provided the following results:

1. Monocytes treated with low dose …

Psychophysiological Analysis Of A Pedagogical Agent And Robotic Peer For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders., Mohammad Nasser Saadatzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by ongoing problems in social interaction and communication, and engagement in repetitive behaviors. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 in 68 children in the United States has ASD. Mounting evidence shows that many of these individuals display an interest in social interaction with computers and robots and, in general, feel comfortable spending time in such environments. It is known that the subtlety and unpredictability of people’s social behavior are intimidating and confusing for many individuals with ASD. Computerized learning environments and robots, however, prepare a predictable, …

Evaluating Cardiovascular Dysfunction During Increased Activity And Exercise Rehabilitation Following Incomplete Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury In The Adult Rat., Kathryn A. Harman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in whole-body dysfunction. While the majority of SCI research is focused on improving locomotor function after injury, cardiovascular (CV) disease continues to be the leading cause of morbidity in the chronic SCI patient population. The combination of injury-induced destruction of autonomic pathways, maladaptive plasticity within lumbosacral circuits, and the progressive decline in physical fitness contribute to the poor CV status of SCI individuals. Currently, there is little emphasis on implementing appropriately-timed acute rehabilitation techniques aimed to curtail maladaptive remodeling and improve CV outcomes. Furthermore, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have investigated the most appropriate time-course …

Approaches To Arthropod Conservation : Landscape Genetics, Community Assessment, And Prediction Of Extinction Risk., Victoria Annette Prescott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although urbanization is a leading cause of species extinction throughout the world, the impact of urban development on arthropods is little studied and, as a result, poorly understood. I used three distinct approaches to studying arthropod conservation in North America. First, I used landscape genetics techniques to study the impact of urbanization on gene flow among populations of Rabidosa rabida, the rabid wolf spider. While gene flow was not detrimentally reduced, urban development correlated with a reduction in migration rates among populations, and to my knowledge, this is the first study to document isolation by resistance in spiders. Next, …

Cost Of Care For Hospitalized Patients With Pulmonary Mycobacterial Diseases In The United States., Mary Beth Wells Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Pulmonary mycobacterial diseases describe both tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Few data are available measuring the cost burden of mycobacterial diseases on the national level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost burden and measure emerging trends in hospitalization of pulmonary TB and NTM in the US from 2001 through 2012. Methods: This study was a retrospective community based cost analysis of hospitalized patients with a principal diagnosis of pulmonary mycobacterial diseases from 2001 through 2012. Data for pulmonary TB and NTM were retrieved from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), US Department of …

The Role Of Nicotine, A7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors And Extracellular Matrix Remodeling In Pulmonary Fibrosis., Glenn Ward Vicary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The median survival for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients from diagnosis is a dismal 3 years. This condition is characterized by pulmonary fibroproliferation and excess production and disordered deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins resulting in obliteration of the original tissue architecture, loss of lung function and eventual death due to respiratory failure. The main hindrance to the development of effective treatments against pulmonary fibrosis is the late detection of its progression and is often of unknown cause. Tobacco smoke represents the most important environmental factor linked to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, with over 60% of IPF patients current …

Experimental Observation Of The Relationship Between The Pressure Drop And Flow Rate Of Radial Flow Through Porous Media., Matthew William Okruch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research experimentally observed the relationship between pressure drop and flow rate for high velocity, radial flow through porous media. The criterion for what represents high velocity is a function of the Reynold’s number of the flow. Pressure drop – flow rate curves were developed by flowing air and water through the porous carbon block samples. Each sample’s permeability was calculated from on the air test results. Each sample’s porosity was determined through digital microscope image analysis. Darcy’s Law, the Forchheimer equation, and the Ergun equation were converted to the radial flow domain and compared to the experimental data. The …

"If This Stuff Matters, Why Isn't It Being Shared?" : Citations, Hyperlinks, And Potential Public Futures Of Online Writing In Rhetoric And Composition., Elizabeth Frances Bergeron Chamberlain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses two deceptively discrete questions: (1) how academics might reach wider public audiences, and (2) how and why people cite the way they do. It takes citation practices as a telling though often tacit practice, one through which it is possible trace the contours of a larger story about how writing is changing as it moves online. That story: Writers increasingly reflect goals of provocation, of attracting a wider and potentially global audience, of spreading a message rapidly and virally, of responding to recent events and conversations, of sharing sources and resources. To explore these questions, this dissertation …

Separators In High-Genus Near-Planar Graphs, Juraj Culak

Theses

Graph separators are a powerful tool that are motivated by divide and conquer algorithms on graphs. Results have shown the existence of separators in arbitrary planar graphs and other graphs with less restricted structure. This work explores planar separators and the planar separator theorem, as well as the existence of separators in the class of high genus near-planar graphs. These graphs have unbounded genus, where additionally the edges that cross each other are located near each other in the graph. Several different graph classes that are high genus near-planar graphs are investigated for their feasibility for an extended separator theorem …

Assessment As A Learning Tool In A Flipped English Language Classroom In Higher Education, Rania M Rafik Khalil

English Language and Literature

Flipped teaching is a pedagogical model in which the roles of the instructor and the students in a flipped context are redefined. Within this unique pedagogical context, researchers suggest that, in order to maximize the learning process for students, assessment should follow a student-centered approach (Talbert, 2015; Honeycutt & Garrett, 2014).Utilising assessment as a learning tool through layering and scaffolding in the flipped context engages students in the learning process, encourages continuous assessment of student learning, creates opportunities for implementing critical thinking, helps students gain a deeper understanding of concepts, allows formative feedback and eventually yields improved outcomes. This formative …

An Examination Of Motivational Levels Of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Business And Education Majors, Kristopher Bradshaw

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research dissertation was developed for the purpose of advancing the literature in the realm of student motivation. Previous research in the field has placed little emphasis on the adult, non-traditional student population. Adult, non-traditional students represents an important part of the higher education climate in the United States and the unique motivators of this population needs further examination in order to more closely align academic programs and services with motives and goals. The research questions seek to answer if a significant difference exists between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational levels of business majors compared to education majors in the …

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Roles Of Nucleolin: Focus On Cancer And Anti-Cancer Therapy, Zhuo Chen, Xinhua Xu

Saudi Medical Journal

Nucleolin, a multifunctional protein distributed in the nucleolus, participates in many modulations including rDNA transcription, RNA metabolism, and ribosome assembly. Nucleolin is also found in the cytoplasm and on the cell membrane, and surface nucleolin can bind to various ligands to affect many physiological functions. The expression and localization of nucleolin is often abnormal in cancers, as the differential distribution of nucleolin in cancer can influence the carcinogenesis, proliferation, survival, and metastasis of cancer cells, leading to the cancer progression. Thus, nucleolin may be a novel and promising target for anti-cancer treatment. Here, we describe how nucleolin act functions in …

Healthcare Professionals’ Awareness And Knowledge Of Adverse Drug Reactions And Pharmacovigilance, Noor B. Almandil

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives To document the knowledge of, attitudes toward, and practices of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting and pharmacovigilance systems among healthcare professionals. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire. This study took place at King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU), Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between April 2015 and April 2016. Healthcare professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and nurses, were considered eligible and invited to take part in the study. A link to the online questionnaire was sent to each participant via E-mail, and a hard copy was circulated at the hospital after the objectives …