Digital Commons Network^™

Crawler Inspection Robot With Machine Vision (Lifelong Endevour), Francisco Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The presence of foreign objects (FO) in an aircraft can mean failure to achieve a mission's objective, loss of aircraft, or a catastrophic failure such as loss of life. Currently, Lockheed Martin inspection methods for foreign objects include a person accessing very tight areas that have the potential for FO to be present. There is a need that has been identified to remove the person from this very tight/potentially hazardous area that is being inspected and placing them behind the control center of a remote inspection system that can identify, objectively, whether or not FO is present or not. The …

Prevalence Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) Colonization In Medical Students At The El Paso/Cd. Juarez Border Region, Samantha Michelle Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Due to the constant use, misuse, and over-prescription of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance has become a global public health threat. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to prevail in healthcare settings and is the cause of many nosocomial infections worldwide. A risk factor for developing an active MRSA infection is the colonization of the pathogen in the anterior nares. Over the past two decades, MRSA infections have increased in both the hospital and the community setting, often infecting healthy individuals lacking common risk factors. Healthcare workers with constant exposure to MRSA are more likely to be colonized and can potentially serve …

The Role Of Circulating Mirnas As Clinical Biomarkers Of Insulin Sensitivity And Exercise Adaptation In Young Offpsring Of Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Cesar Arturo Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: A family history of Type 2 Diabetes (FH) is considered a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Exercise training is an effective strategy to improve insulin resistance. Recently, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as mediators of various intracellular processes, including insulin signaling, and may act as signaling molecules when released into circulation. The miRNAs -29a, -133a and -155 have been implicated in the regulation of insulin sensitivity, however their roles in exercise training-induced improvements in insulin sensitivity are yet to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether circulating miRNA-29a, miRNA-29b, miRNA-29c, miRNA-133a, miRNA-133b …

Economic And Environmentally Efficient Energy Management System For Optimal Microgrid Operation, Olayinka Samuel Obafemi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this Thesis is to study and understand the economic analysis of integrating renewable energy resources for the purpose of improving the system grid, identifying and monetizing benefits and cost. This Thesis discusses the approach taken and solution created to tackle the current problems facing the production and consumption of electricity and how the microgrid has become a platform for improvement in power system operation. A microgrid in islanded and connected mode are simulated using Homer Pro for optimization and its results help gain an insight into analyzing and monetizing cost and benefits with one common goal in …

Arthropod Diets In Chihuahuan Desert Snakes, Victor Manuel Parga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past century, studies in herpetology regarding snake diets have been commonly focused on those species that feed or specialize in vertebrate prey items. For those that feed primarily on invertebrates however, little work has been done in determining diet specializations and comparing diets within a community of species. This Thesis focuses on small species of snakes that feed primarily on arthropods in a Chihuahuan Desert community, and will investigate if these are diet generalists or specialists. To this end, stomach contents were examined from preserved specimens of the following species: Rena humilis and Rena dissecta (Leptotyphlopidae), Gyalopion canum …

Using Baby Sign As A Facilitating Technique To Segment Speech With 4-18-Month-Old Monolingual And Bilingual Hearing Infants-An Extension Study, Johanna Puga-Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The intricacies involved in learning language are astounding, nonetheless, infants are more than capable of accomplishing this feat within their first few years of life. This unbelievable achievement is carried out through numerous milestones and exposure to multiple modalities of stimuli all around them. Through the use of these modalities, be it auditory or visual, infants begin their journey to learn language with the task of extracting words from fluent speech, speech segmentation. Researchers have found that infants as young as 6-months can segment words from the speech stream by using their own name or highly familiar words like momma …

Fracture Mechanics Of Heterogeneous Composites, Md Fazle Rabbi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The increasing application of composite materials due to their ubiquitous advance in terms of mechanical and thermal properties has brought attention to the fracture mechanics of the materials possessing heterogeneity. Recent investigations have focused on the micro- and macro-mechanism of fracture in heterogeneous composites (HCs). In this study, the fracture mechanics of the two HCs: Polymer bonded explosive (PBX) simulant and hot mixed asphalt (HMA) are evaluated on the macroscopic scale. It is an interest of Sandia National Laboratory to examine the fracture resistance of PBXs, particularly those of varying composition and subjected to aging. In this research, a batch …

Novel Therapeutic Approaches For Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection, Caresse Lynn Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) is the causative agent of Chagas disease (ChD), an emerging illness prevalent in South and Central America. Presently, benznidazole and nifurtimox are the only two clinically available drugs against T. cruzi, which have high toxicity and limited efficacy in the chronic phase of the disease. This ailment affects 8-10 million people and has become an emerging concern in the U.S leading to an urgent need for the discovery of new treatments. Despite all efforts, there is no human vaccine available. Therapeutic vaccines are a possible option for chronic ChD in which the vaccine is used after …

People Detection From Time-Of-Flight Imagery With Inpainting-Based Preprocessing, Basavarajaiah Totada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Thesis describes a method of detection and tracking of people using depth images captured by a Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera, such as those obtained with a Microsoft Kinect V2. Key advantages of this approach are that the identity of people is not disclosed, and the system can operate in low-light conditions. The automated approach developed here is inspired by cell-tracking methods as implemented in the well-known biomedical imaging software called CellProfiler. Our approach involves significant preprocessing of the depth images by a combination of adaptive center weighted median filtering and iterative inpainting. The next step is detection of each person's …

An Evaluation Of Interprofessional Knowledge And Attitudes In Graduate Students From Six Programs In Health Sciences After An Interprofessional Education Workshop Experience, Joanna Velasco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more disciplines learn about, from, and with each other to provide interprofessional patient-centered care which ultimately improves patient health care outcomes (WHO, 2010). Through collaboration, students not only bring their own expertise, but are given an opportunity to learn what the other disciplines can offer for the same patient. Although IPE's importance is highly recognized, many universities do not engage in IPE practice because of scheduling difficulties, lack of faculty involvement, implementation challenges for various levels of competency, and uncertainty of how to measure the effectiveness of IPE activities (Johnson et al., 2015). …

Glycoconjugate-Based Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Brenda Guadalupe Zepeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. About 6–8 million people are estimated to be infected worldwide. It is a blood borne pathogen and transmitted to humans by the insect vector (kissing bug), blood transfusion, organ transplant, contaminated foods and juices, and by congenital contagion. The chemotherapy is partially effective in chronic phase of the disease, and the drugs cause several side effects. There is no vaccine to prevent or treat Chagas disease. The great majority of experimental vaccines have employed whole parasite extracts, purified or recombinant proteins, synthetic peptides, or DNA; however, most of them provide …

Estimating The Optimal Cutoff Point For Logistic Regression, Zheng Zhang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Binary classification is one of the main themes of supervised learning. This research is concerned about determining the optimal cutoff point for the continuous-scaled outcomes (e.g., predicted probabilities) resulting from a classifier such as logistic regression. We make note of the fact that the cutoff point obtained from various methods is a statistic, which can be unstable with substantial variation. Nevertheless, due partly to complexity involved in estimating the cutpoint, there has been no formal study on the variance or standard error of the estimated cutoff point.

In this Thesis, a bootstrap aggregation method is put forward to estimate the …

Community And Clinical Epidemiology Of Borderline Personality Disorder, William D. Ellison, Lia Rosenstein, T. A. Morgan, Mark Zimmerman

Psychology Faculty Research

Several studies of the prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in community and clinical settings have been carried out to date. Although results vary according to sampling method and assessment method, median point prevalence of BPD is roughly 1%, with higher or lower rates in certain community subpopulations. In clinical settings, BPD prevalence is around 10-12% in outpatient psychiatric clinics and 20-22% among inpatient clinics. Further research is needed to identify the prevalence and correlates of BPD in other clinical settings (e.g., primary care) and to investigate the impact of demographic variables on BPD prevalence.

The Role Of Emotion Regulation Difficulties In The Connection Between Childhood Emotional Abuse And Borderline Personality Features, Lia Rosenstein, William D. Ellison, E. Walsh, Iwona Chelminski, Kristy Dalrymple, Mark Zimmerman

Psychology Faculty Research

In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services project, we examined the role of emotion dysregulation as a mediator between childhood abuse and borderline personality disorder (BPD) feature severity among a sample of 964 adults presenting for treatment at an outpatient clinic. A structural equation model suggested that emotional abuse relates to BPD features both directly and through difficulties with emotion regulation, whereas physical abuse showed only a weak indirect relation with BPD features. There was no link between sexual abuse and BPD feature severity in the model. Results add specificity to etiological …

Formulation Of Nanoparticle Systems For Drug Delivery Application In Biomedical Sciences, Victor Alfredo Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria may result in serious infections which are difficult to treat. In addition, the poor antibiotic pipeline has also contributed to the crisis. Recently, the complex of furosemide and silver (Ag-FSE) has been reported as a potential antibacterial agent. However, its poor aqueous solubility is limiting its activity as an effective antibacterial agent. The purpose of this study was to encapsulate Ag-FSE into chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) and evaluate antibacterial efficacy. Ag-FSE CSNPs were prepared using ionic gelation technique. The particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of Ag-FSE CSNPs were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. …

Geophysical Investigations Of Southcentral Alaska, Felix Dziedzorm Ziwu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Castle Mountain Fault (CMF) is the closest (<50 km) active fault to Anchorage, Alaska and is known to be capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 â?? 7.1. While several mapping and trenching studies have been conducted along the CMF, geophysical investigations along the fault zone have been limited. We use over 700 recently collected, closely spaced gravity observations, in addition to existing regional gravity, aeromagnetic, seismic reflection, well log data, and geologic information, to develop new 2D models of the deeper structure of the CMF system. We developed four 2D integrated forward models across the Castle Mountain Fault. These models indicate differences between the western and eastern segments of the Castle Mountain Fault. The models show a thick sequence of Tertiary to Mesozoic sediments overlying the Peninsular terrane basement at varying depths within the area. We identified two main intrusive granitic rocks based on the varying susceptibilities. These granitic rocks share a possible fault contact with the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The model also shows that the CMF cuts through the Mesozoic sediments at depth. These rocks can create strong coupling along the fault and with the decreasing eastward angle of subduction, it is highly for fluid migration to the eastern edge of the subducting Yakutat microplate. Seismic events plotted along the profiles supports the Holocene motion along the western CMF (WCMF) and indicates a deeper extent of the CMF into the crust. The eastern CMF shows high rate of deformation based on the structures associated with the Mesozoic rocks.

Constitutive Model Development For Additive Manufacturing, Diana Berenice Montes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) is known worldwide for revolutionizing the development of three-dimensional modeling by reducing the time and increasing the precision of parts. For Powder Bed Fusion research is necessary to reduce concerns in residual stress, porosity and cracking in AM parts. A constitutive model was created in Abaqus to validate material properties of 3D printed Al 6061. Finite element analysis was performed to investigate how properties may affect in the modification of parameters to reduce printing imperfections. Research was made as well in polylactic acid properties for material extrusion to explore its behavior for creep and relaxation. Properties were …

Streamlining Alloy Design And Thermo-Mechanical Processing Parameters For High Strength Line Pipe Steels And Hot Rolled Microalloyed Steels: Process - Structure - Property Paradigm, Venkata Vignesh Natarajan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The process parameters related to thermo-mechanical controlled processing (TMCP) of steels play a vital role in affecting the ultimate mechanical properties. We illustrate here the impact of coiling temperature, the impact of finish cooling temperature on interrupted cooling and compare with continuous cooling, and the impact of carbon and niobium on the microstructure and precipitation behavior and corresponding changes in mechanical properties, in an ultrahigh strength titanium-niobium microalloyed steel. The microstructural advancement was contemplated via transmission electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The goal was to underscore the impact of coiling temperature on the nature and distribution of microstructural …

Juggernaut: A Memoir In Pieces, Leeann Olivier

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This experimental memoir is a collection of lyric essays that address the link between place (bodies of water in particular) and identity. They also examine my experiences being married to (and eventually divorcing) a man with a traumatic brain injury that led to drug addiction, domestic violence, and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Formative Evaluation Of The Health Belief Model As A Valid Theoretical Framework For "The Diabetes Garage", Renee Alexandria Orrantia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background & Significance. Recent studies estimate the prevalence of diabetes among Hispanics/Latinos (H/L) to be 16.9% and 18.7% among H/L men specifically. To address this disparity, the Diabetes Garage (DG), a culturally tailored Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSME/S) program, was designed to engage H/L men in diabetes self-management. Because seriousness of diabetes best predicts men’s engagement in self-care, the Health Belief Model (HBM) was chosen as the central theoretical framework. The HBM hypothesizes that the cue to action (i.e. DG) increases men’s perceived diabetes risk/severity/threat, self-efficacy in self-care, and health outcomes. Aims & Objectives. This research was aimed to …

Technological Literacy Across Disciplines: Examining Graduate Instructors' Experiences, Sidouane Patcha Lum

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines graduate instructors’ technological literacy across disciplines in a four-year university, in order to explore avenues through which their challenges teaching with classroom technologies can be met. It also investigates the possibility that non- resident instructors and resident instructors’ difference in cultural orientations (patterns, norms and ways of doing) influence instructors’ ability to use technology for their specific functions. For this purpose, Multi (modal) literacy theories and the TPACK framework (technological, pedagogical and content, knowledge) are used as theoretical underpinnings which foster a better understanding of instructors’ technological literacy, while grounded theory developed by Glaser and Strauss …

Empowering Internal Stakeholders Through The Dissemination Of Useful Information: A Review Of Crisis Management Concepts, Patricia I. Fusch, Janie A. Hall, Gene E. Fusch

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

In this article, we define crisis management as not only a problem, but also an opportunity for leaders to be flexible, creative, and innovative that contributes to social change. In the past, organizational leaders often looked at crisis management as a quick fix or stopgap to business as usual. Empowering internal stakeholders and disseminating useful information that is relevant, valid, timely, and reliable to people within the organization can lead to crisis resolution at the closest point of action and contribute to social change. We look at the primary and secondary stakeholders and stewardship of the employees during the …

Comparability Of Mmpi-2_Rf With The Mmpi-2 In Assessing Psychiatric Patients: A Shortfall, Carlo Leone, Stefano Mosticoni, Federica Iannella, Massimo Biondi, James N. Butcher

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Assessment of mental health problems with MMPI instruments has a long tradition in Italy beginning in 1948. This study examined how the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) compares with MMPI-2 in evaluating Italian psychiatric patients. We obtained a sample of psychiatric inpatients that were referred to the University Hospital in Rome, Italy who were administered the MMPI-2. This study examines the utility of the MMPI-2-RF, and how its performance compares with MMPI-2 scales in this contemporary clinical sample. We examined whether the new MMPI-2-RF scales are sensitive to mental health symptoms that are addressed by the original MMPI …

Improving Quality Through Nursing Participation At Bedside Rounds In A Pediatric Acute Care Unit, Rafael Acal Jimenez

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Implementation of bedside rounds enhances communication and collaboration between physicians and nurses, resulting in improved clinical outcomes. Yet, the literature demonstrates that it remains difficult for nurses to attend rounds if they don't know when they are happening. This project aimed to: increase nurses' presence, participation and contribution at bedside rounds in a pediatric acute care unit, enhance clinical teamwork and collaboration, and improve quality outcomes. Nurses carried a pager so that physicians could alert them of rounds. Perception of teamwork and collaboration was assessed via surveys pre- and post- intervention as well as the National Database of Nursing Quality …

Trauma Informed Brief Mindfulness Training: A New Adaptation For Homeless Women With Ptsd, Brighid Gannon

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Women and children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and the United States has more homeless women than any other Industrialized nation (Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women, 2013). Many homeless women experience lifelong trauma and are increasingly at risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Goodman et al, 1995). Although Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a gold standard treatment for PTSD, homeless women face a variety of barriers when trying to access this type of care including cost, stigma, and geographic inaccessibility (Dutton et al, 2013). Mindfulness may be a good treatment alternative because once …

Transforming A Culture Of Quality Through Nurse Engagement: A Leadership Framework, Rudy Jackson

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Bedside nurses can be key in improving care. Engaging the workforce to develop processes and work through implementations can be challenging. This article focuses on a framework to help leaders engage bedside nursing staff in developing quality initiatives within their work environment. The framework, implemented in a large academic hospital in New York State, was used to reduce hospital falls. Falls reduced by 30% during the year-long implementation, despite an increase in patient volume.

Developing And Validating Learning Domains, Competencies, And Evaluation Items For Global Health Clinical Immersion Practicums For Graduate-Level Nursing Programs, Tracy Kelly

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Aim: To identify and validate learning domains, competencies, and evaluation tool for experiential nursing global health programs at the graduate level.

Background: Standard competencies have not been synthesized and delineated nor have evaluation tools been developed for global health programs at the graduate level.

Design: An integrative review of the literature to identify evidence-based learning domains, competencies, and evaluation items and expert consensus panels to validate the results.

Method: Used the Whittemore and Knafl (2005) integrative literature review methodology to identify learning domains, competencies, and evaluation items. The NLM and CINAHL databases were searched for articles relevant to graduate-level global …

Developing A Next Generation Strategic Structure For Sustainable Safety Culture: Utilizing "Leading A Culture Of Safety: A Blueprint For Success", Kami Rapp

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

During the first generation of patient safety, healthcare leaders began to learn about, assess, and try to improve their organization’s safety culture. However, they never developed or agreed upon an evidenced-based tool containing proven strategies to improve safety culture (NPSF, 2015). Though they were successful in making incremental steps toward improvement, safety is not currently an organizational value completely embedded within the healthcare industry (ACHE & NPSF LLI, 2017). As such, the National Patient Safety Foundation’s Lucian Leape Institute, a part of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, partnered with the American College of Healthcare Executives to write “Leading a Culture …

Adolescent Prep Administration: An Education Curriculum For Providers, Caroline Carnevale

Yale School of Nursing Digital Theses

Background: On May 15, 2018, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved once daily tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for use as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for adolescents (weighing greater than 35kgs) engaging in high-risk sexual behavior (Gilead, 2018). This decision was largely based on the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (ATN) 113 which demonstrated that PrEP was well tolerated among the adolescents, age 15-17, enrolled in the study (Hosek, 2017). The use of TDF/FTC for PrEP in adults (18 and older) was approved by the FDA in 2012 after its safety and efficacy had been demonstrated in multiple international clinical trials (FDA, …

"I Don't Have The Time!" Analysing Talk Of Time In Lecturers' Use Of The Vle, Claire Mcavinia, Deirdre Ryan, David Moloney

Journal Articles

This paper reports on findings from the recent extension of the VLE survey which examined VLE usage from a staff perspective. 580 staff across seven institutions responded to the survey. The survey explored staff perceptions of the VLE and the opportunities for and barriers to its effective use. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed in order to identify the major factors influencing staff engagement with the VLE. Time (or the lack thereof) emerged as the greatest barrier to effective use of the VLE. When time was in scarce supply, staff evaluated where to spend it and prioritised accordingly. The amount …