Digital Commons Network^™

Personal Identity, Psychological Continuity, And Survival, James D. Martin, Dennis Earl

Honors Theses

In this paper, I consider the question of personal identity, namely: in virtue of what is one person the same person at two different points in time? I first raise objections to theories which argue it is in virtue of physical continuity or continuity soul, then argue that an account of psychological continuity is most successful. One might object to psychological continuity on the grounds of reduplication and fusion problems. I argue that strict numerical identity is a bar set too high and rather that survival (construed as the continuation of a first-person perspective) is what matters for personal identity. …

The Effectiveness Of Diversity & Inclusion Programs Within The Workplace, Madelynne F. Rodriguez

Honors Theses

The importance of diversity and inclusion programs within the workplace has long been a controversial topic, hindered in part by the lack of quantitative evidence to prove its effectiveness and an overall lack of understanding. Corporate America has been dedicated to only meeting compliance standards and has continually turned a blind eye at the potential positive impact a properly implemented diversity and inclusion program can bring to the table. Unawareness of the true meaning of diversity, and what an inclusive work environment looks like, is also a main contributing factor. Properly implemented diversity and inclusion programs can elevate a business’ …

Force-Stabilizing Synergies Can Be Retained By Coordinating Sensory-Blocked And Sensory-Intact Digits, Wei Zhang, Sasha Reschechtko, Barry Hahn, Cynthia Benson, Elias Youssef

Publications and Research

The present study examined the effects of selective digital deafferentation on the multi-finger synergies as a function of total force requirement and the number of digits involved in isometric pressing. 12 healthy adults participated in maximal and sub-maximal isometric pressing tasks with or without digital anesthesia to selective digits from the right hand. Our results indicate that selective anesthesia paradigm induces changes in both anesthetized (local) and non-anesthetized (non-local) digits’ performance, including: (1) decreased maximal force abilities in both local and non-local digits; (2) reduced force share during multi-finger tasks from non-local but not local digits; (3) decreased force error-making; …

Ecological Interactions Among Important Groundfishes In The Gulf Of Alaska, Cheryl L. Barnes

Fisheries

Complex ecological interactions such as predation and competition play an important role in shaping the structure and function of marine communities. In fact, these processes can have greater impacts than those related to fishing. We assessed ecological interactions among economically important fishes in the Gulf of Alaska - a large marine ecosystem that has recently undergone considerable shifts in community composition. Specifically, we developed an index of predation for Walleye Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) to examine spatiotemporal changes in consumption, quantify portfolio effects, and better understand diversity-stability relationships within the demersal food web. We also evaluated the potential for competition between …

Bubble Pinch-Off In Turbulence, Daniel J. Ruth, Wouter Mostert, Stephane Perrard, Luc Deike

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although bubble pinch-off is an archetype of a dynamical system evolving toward a singularity, it has always been described in idealized theoretical and experimental conditions. Here, we consider bubble pinch-off in a turbulent flow representative of natural conditions in the presence of strong and random perturbations, combining laboratory experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical modeling. We show that the turbulence sets the initial conditions for pinch-off, namely the initial bubble shape and flow field, but after the pinch-off starts, the turbulent time at the neck scale becomes much slower than the pinching dynamics: The turbulence freezes. We show that the average …

Teaching The Sun As Simile: Bringing Nature Into Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Stormy Kage

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Teaching the Sun as Simile is an essay that explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching middle school English Language Arts (ELA) by infusing nature and environmental studies. This essay defines emerging concepts of new literacy studies and eco-criticism, literacy, and composition as it relates to ELA pedagogy. Also, it provides an explanation for the importance and relevance of using nature to develop an ecosystem of better readers, writers and communicators in middle school general ed and special ed classrooms.

Lung Pattern Classification Via Dcnn, Zhuoqi Sun

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) causes pulmonary fibrosis. The correct classification of ILD plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment process. In this research work, we disclose a lung nodules recognition method based on a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) and global features, which can be used for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of global features of lung nodules. Firstly, a DCNN is constructed based on the characteristics and complexity of lung computerized tomography (CT) images. Then discussed the effects of different iterations on the recognition results and influence of different model structures on the global features of lung nodules. We …

The Role Of Tundra Vegetation In The Arctic Water Cycle, Jason A. Clark

Engineering

Vegetation plays many roles in Arctic ecosystems, and the role of vegetation in linking the terrestrial system to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration is likely important. Through the acquisition and use of water, vegetation cycles water back to the atmosphere and modifies the local environment. Evapotranspiration is the collective term used to describe the transfer of water from vascular plants (transpiration) and non-vascular plants and surfaces (evaporation) to the atmosphere. Evapotranspiration is known to return large portions of the annual precipitation back to the atmosphere, and it is thus a major component of the terrestrial Arctic hydrologic budget. However, the relative …

Classification And Signal Processing Of Radio Backscatter From Meteors, Jared Klemm

Engineering

Ground-based radar systems are routinely used to detect the trails of ionized particles that are formed by meteoroids falling through Earth's atmosphere. The most common use for these meteor radar systems is for atmospheric wind studies of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (80-100 km altitude). Because these meteor trails are embedded in the background winds of the middle atmosphere, atmospheric winds in that region can be measured by observing the radial velocities of the trails. There has also been a considerable amount of research over the last few decades into estimation of neutral atmospheric temperatures using the measured decay time …

Laboratory Investigation Of Infiltration Process Of Nonnewtonian Fluids Through Porous Media In A Non-Isothermal Flow Regime For Effective Remediation Of Adsorbed Contaminants, Fawad Naseer

Engineering

Contamination of soil and groundwater have serious health implications for man and environment. The overall goal of this research is to study a methodology of using nonNewtonian fluids for effective remediation of adsorbed contaminants in porous media under nonisothermal flow regimes. Non-Newtonian fluids (Guar gum and Xanthan gum solutions) provide a high viscous solution at low concentration and these fluids adjust their viscosities with applied shear rate and change in temperature. Adjustment of viscosity with an applied rate of shear is vital for contaminant remediation because non-Newtonian shear thinning fluids can penetrate to low permeability zones in subsurface by decreasing …

Retrodirective Phased Array Antenna For Nanosatellites, Justin W. Long

Engineering

This thesis presents a S-band phased array antenna for CubeSat applications. Existing state-of the-art high gain antenna systems are not well suited to the majority of CubeSats, those that fall within the 1U (10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm) to 3U (10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm) size ranges and in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The system presented in this thesis is designed specifically to meet the needs of those satellites. This system is designed to fit on the 1U face (10 cm x 10 cm) of a CubeSat and requires no deployables. The use of …

Prudhoe Bay West End Gas Lift Supply Optimization, Irwin Chou

Engineering

The western extension of Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, known collectively as Eileen West End (EWE), operates under a gas lift pressure supply constraint. This constraint is largely contributed by two factors: the extensively long gas lift supply line that stretches across the western field and the large number of production wells offtaking gas lift to stay online or enhance production. The gas lift supply line is approximately 18.5 miles long and provides gas lift to 200+ production wells. This results in a pressure drop severe enough to start hindering production on the western most side of the field as low gas …

State V. Larson Appellant's Brief Dckt. 47212

Not Reported

No abstract provided.

Exploiting Memristors For Compressive Sensing Applications, Fengyu Qian

Doctoral Dissertations

The amount of sensory signal is increasing dramatically as we’re stepping into the era of Internet of Things (IoT). Compressive Sensing (CS), feature as Sub-Nyquist sampling rate and low complexity sensing architectures, is very promising for these kinds of applications where resources are restricted. Through applying this novel compression technology, data size of sensory signals are largely compressed such that it is very efficient within the signal processing, data transmitting and storage processes. Compared to conventional codec method, CS technique requires less hardware resources and achieve lower power consumption within sensor nodes.

However, there are several bottle-necks of existing compressive …

Test Anxiety, Performance Expectancy, And Actual Performance On The Professional Licensure Examination Among Diploma Nursing Graduates, Melissa L. Mastorovich

Theses

This prospective study examined the relationship between test anxiety and performance on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in diploma nursing graduates. A convenience sample of 77 diploma graduate nurses, who were eligible for licensure and volunteered to participate, was utilized.

The Relationship Between Exercise And Quality Of Life In Adults In The U.S. Who Suffer From Cystic Fibrosis, April Renae Pitts

Theses and Dissertations

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-threatening lung condition that affects many yet the knowledge of its existence is very little. There is a relationship between the health and well-being of Cystic Fibrosis patients and physical activity. This research is designed to expand the knowledge on the effects exercise and lung function may have on the quality of life on adults that suffer from Cystic Fibrosis. The researcher also seeks to examine what control and behavioral beliefs might contribute to the intentions of an adult with Cystic Fibrosis exercising regularly while using the behavioral and control belief constructs of the Theory of …

Analysis Of The Duration And Energy Consumption Of Aes Algorithms On A Contiki-Based Iot Device, Brandon Tsao

Computer Science and Engineering Master's Theses

With the growing prevalence of the Internet of Things, securing the sheer abundance of devices is critical. The current IoT and security landscapes lack empirical metrics on encryption algorithm implementations that are optimized for constrained devices, such as encryption/decryption duration and energy consumption. In this paper, we achieve two things. First, we survey for optimized implementations of symmetric encryption algorithms. Seconds, we study the performance of various symmetric encryption algorithms on a Contiki-based IoT device. This paper provides encryption and decryption durations and energy consumption results on three implementations of AES: TinyAES, B-Con’s AES, and Contiki’s own built-in AES. In …

Resource Limitation Of Autotrophs And Heterotrophs In Boreal Forest Headwater Streams, Sophie Alden Weaver

Biological Sciences

In stream biofilms, autotrophs and heterotrophs are responsible for the majority of in stream nutrient transformations. In boreal forest catchments, discontinuous permafrost can lead to variation in nutrient and energy resources, which can control competition for nutrients between autotrophs and heterotrophs within these biofilms. I was interested in determining what resources control nutrient utilization by autotrophs and heterotrophs in headwater streams in the boreal forest of interior Alaska. I hypothesized that the outcome of competition between autotrophs and heterotrophs for inorganic nutrients would be dependent on the availability of (i) organic carbon, (ii) light, or (iii) inorganic nutrients. To measure …

Castlepark: A Vernacular Architecture For Modern Ireland 1969-1972, Brian Ward

Research Outputs: 2025-Present

No abstract provided.

The Missing Mirror: A Critical Content Analysis Of Multicultural Children's Literature With Black Male Characters, Wendy Harris

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Education in America is facing many challenges, such as the adoption of common core standards and the demand for highly qualified teachers (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Further, the achievement gap lingers on, with Black males often performing poorly on national assessments of reading proficiency (Tatum, 2005). Although Black males are highly literate, they may feel alienated from traditional school systems and classroom reading selections (Kirkland, 2013). One of the most effective strategies for teachers to bridge the gap in reading is to inspire Black males to get engaged with their books and read for longer periods of time. However, children are more …

Walking Each Other Home: Sensemaking Of Illness Identity In An Online Metastatic Cancer Community, Ariane B. Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly, online settings serve as primary social contexts for patient interaction, playing a crucial role in ways participants access medical information and turn to each other for support. Stage IV (metastatic) cancer patients like myself know what it is like to be overwhelmed by the complex array of medical tests, treatments, and information we are expected to assimilate. My late stage disease status necessitates I routinely grapple with not merely the kinds of support I think I need or how those needs will be met, but also what meanings I assign to my experiences. Consequently, as a member of The …

Radiome: Artificially Intelligent Radio For People With Dementia, S Venkatesh, D Moffat, Er Miranda

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Stephen L. Zegura (July 2, 1943–May 26, 2019), Rebecca Rogers Ackermann, Michelle Bezanson, Michael Hammer, David Raichlen

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

No abstract provided.

“Treat Me Covalently” – New Tools To Improve Covalent Drug Design For Advancement Of Cancer Treatments, Yuliya Mazo

Student Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project was to investigate the complex mechanism of covalent bonding among different molecules and their targets in a modeling software ICM-Pro. Specifically, it included the identification of fundamental aspects of a covalent bonding mechanism of the Michael addition reaction. Michael addition reaction of electrophilic α, β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds with a nucleophilic cysteine residue in thymidylate synthase, papain, and EGFR tyrosine kinase were examined. Thymidylate synthase and EGFR were chosen because they are important targets in the treatment of various types of cancer. In order to find the most optimal parameters, identification and assessment of the effect …

The Case For Not Giving Birth, Amanda D'Ambrosio

Capstones

Racism in medicine and a broken healthcare system has led to a maternal mortality crisis in the United States, one that disproportionately harms Black mothers. Though lawmakers and medical professionals have introduced legislation to expand healthcare and combat discrimination in clinical settings, reproductive justice leaders encourage new mothers to lean on their communities as a solution to the crisis.

Regional Distribution, Life History, And Morphometry Of Spawning Stage Capelin Mallotus Villosus, Kirsten N. Ressel

Fisheries

Capelin Mallotus villosus is a forage fish that is integral to many Arctic and subarctic marine food webs, but is less thoroughly studied outside the Atlantic Ocean. The goal of this research was to study spawning Capelin in data-poor areas, particularly in waters off the coast of Alaska and the western Canadian Arctic, to enrich baseline data and allude to intraspecies diversity. Chapter one examined the distribution and life history of spawning Capelin in Norton Sound, Alaska, by conducting aerial surveys, collecting sediment samples to characterize beach spawning habitats, and identifying biological attributes of spawners (e.g., body size, age, fecundity, …

The Aminoalkylindole Bml-190 Negatively Regulates Chitosan Synthesis Via The Cyclic Amp/Protein Kinase A1 Pathway In Cryptococcus Neoformans, Brian T Maybruck, Woei C Lam, Charles A Specht, Ma Xenia G Ilagan, Maureen J Donlin, Jennifer K Lodge

Open Access Publications

No abstract provided.

Human-Infrastructure Interfaces (Hii) Enabled Using Augmented Reality (Ar), Dilendra Maharjan

Civil Engineering ETDs

The modern industrial society is built upon the productivity of advanced computing and agile machines assisting the human workforce to perform their tasks more effectively, accurately and efficiently. The industrial revolution termed as "Industry 4.0" is based on the intelligence of machines working with humans in a collaborative work-space. Contrarily, infrastructure management has relied on the human for making day to day decisions. New emerging technologies can assist during infrastructure inspections, to quantify structural condition with more objective data. However, today's’ owners agree in trusting the inspector's decision in the field over data collected with sensors. If data collected in …

Impacts Of Storm On Sea Ice: From Case Study To Climate Scale Analysis, Liran Peng

Atmospheric Sciences

Recent studies have shown that intense and long-lasting storms potentially facilitate sea ice melting. Under the background of extratropical storm tracks poleward shift, significant reductions of Arctic sea ice coverage, and thinning of sea ice thickness over the last several decades, a better understanding on how storms impact sea ice mass balance is obviously of great importance to better predict future sea ice and the Arctic climate changes. This thesis presents a multi-scale study on how storms impact sea ice, consisting of three different parts of the effort. In the first part, we examined the impacts of the 2016 summer …

Response Of Major Modes Of Eastern Arctic Ocean Variability To Climate Change, Till M. Baumann

Atmospheric Sciences

The Arctic Ocean plays a central role in ongoing climate change, with sea ice loss being the most prominent indicator. Recent observations showed that Atlantic inflows play an increasingly important role in the demise of sea ice. This encroaching atlantification of the eastern Arctic Ocean impacts the mean state and the variability of hydrography and current dynamics throughout the basin. Among the most energetic modes of variability are the seasonal cycle and high frequency semidiurnal (∼12-hourly) dynamics in the tidal and inertial frequency band. Limited observations indicated a substantial increase of both, hydrographic seasonal cycles as well as semidiurnal current …