Digital Commons Network^™

Measurement Of The Integrated Luminosity Of The Phase 2 Data Of The Belle Ii Experiment, F. Abudinén, I. Adachi, P. Ahlburg, H. Aihara, N. Akopov, A. Aloisio, F. Ameli, L. Andricek, N. Anh Ky, D. M. Asner, H. Atmacan, T. Aushev, V. Aushev, T. Aziz, K. Azmi, V. Babu, S. Baehr, S. Bahinipati, A. M. Bakich, Milind Purohit, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

From April to July 2018, a data sample at the peak energy of the Υ(4S) resonance was collected with the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider. This is the first data sample of the Belle II experiment. Using Bhabha and digamma events, we measure the integrated luminosity of the data sample to be (469.3±0.3±3.0) pb^-1, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This work provides a basis for future luminosity measurements at Belle II.

Bureaucratic Modernity And The Erosion Of Practical Reason: A Rhetorical Education As An Antidote, David Impellizzeri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To what extent and in what ways does modernity reveal itself through the bureaucratic? This project aims at an interpretive understanding of bureaucratic modernity. The rationalization of society and action in the (late) modern world requires that an increasing number of human activities and domains be explained in allegedly neutral, ‘rational’ terms and without reference to morally substantive ends. Ultimately, this entails a form of epistemic reductionism that elevates instrumental rationality to the exclusion of practical reason and probabilistic ways of knowing. Bureaucratic modernity signifies a decrease in choices that can be legitimized in public on some basis other …

Delivery Of Small Molecule And Rna Using Synthetic Polymeric Micelles And Multifunctional Exosomes For The Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes, Yang Peng

Theses & Dissertations

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most challenging chronic autoimmune diseases. The destruction and dysfunction of insulin-secreting β cells are the results of inflammatory infiltration and the synergistic effect of multiple immune cells. The aim of this dissertation is to develop novel and reliable therapeutic approaches to advance the treatment of T1D: including chemical modification of a broad-spectrum immunosuppressant, co-application of small molecule based immune intervention and siRNA based β cell preservative therapy, and administration of a PI3K-δ/γ dual inhibitor to specifically target immune cells, utilizing synthetic polymeric micelles or natural produced multi-functional exosomes derived from human bone marrow …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Long Acting Darunavir Prodrugs, Mary Banoub

Theses & Dissertations

Patient adherence is critical for ART success to ensure adequate viral suppression, therefore, long-acting antiretrovirals are soon replacing current daily regimens. In recent years, two drugs were successfully transformed into long-acting injectables; CAB LA and RPV LA. These long-acting nanoformulations made it possible to abandon the daily pill burden, instead approximately a bimonthly injection of both drugs is enough to suppress and maintain viral load suppression. Our laboratory has been instrumental in transforming FDA-approved and experimental-HIV medications into long-acting slow effective release drugs, also known as LASER ART. LASER ART consists of slow drug metabolism and high permeability and retention …

The Development Of Hyaluronan-Based Contract Agents For The Intraoperative Detection Of Pancreatic Tumors, Bowen Qi

Theses & Dissertations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is highly lethal and surgical resection is the only potential curative treatment for the disease. Tumor-specific intraoperative fluorescence imaging could improve staging and surgical resection, thereby improving prognosis. In the first study, hyaluronic acid derived NPs with physico-chemically entrapped indocyanine green, termed NanoICG, were utilized for intraoperative near infrared fluorescence detection of pancreatic cancer. NanoICG accumulated significantly in an orthotopic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma model with safety profile both in vitro and in vivo. To maximize tumor signal, while minimizing signal in healthy pancreas and RES capture of macromolecules, in the next study, we describe the rational …

Hiv-1 Elimination In Humanized Mice, Hang Su

Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) exclusively infects humans and chimpanzees. Therefore, animal models are required for all investigations of viral pathogenesis, therapy and cure. Immunodeficient mice transplanted with human hematopoietic stem cells, termed humanized mice, support the development of multiple human cell lineages throughout the cell’s life span. To this end, we used humanized mice to evaluate the dynamic changes of host immunologic and viral profiles during both acute and chronic HIV-1 infection. We identified the temporal and spatial distribution of HIV-1 cell and tissue compartment infections and outlined correlations made between viral progression and host immunity by comparing …

The Role Of E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Fbxo9 In Normal And Malignant Hematopoiesis, R. Willow Hynes-Smith

Theses & Dissertations

Hematopoiesis is a critical system that provides blood cells necessary for nutrient and oxygen transfer throughout an organism and for protection from harmful agents. It is maintained throughout life by the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that reside within the bone marrow (BM) and are responsible for providing billions of new cells each day. HSCs maintain a careful balance between a quiescent state, that sustains the integrity of the stem cells, and a proliferative state, that provides new cells to replenish those that undergo apoptosis. Hematopoiesis is regulated by a variety of intrinsic pathways and extrinsic signals such as cytokine signaling, …

Role Of Astrocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Neuroinflammation Mediated By Drug Abuse, Ke Liao

Theses & Dissertations

Neuronal damage and neuroinflammation is a hallmark feature of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HANDs). Opioids abuse accelerates the incidence and progression of HAND; however, the mechanisms underlying the potentiation of neuropathogenesis by these drugs remain elusive. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are essential conduits in HIV and drug abuse-mediated synaptodendritic injury and neuroinflammation. Findings from our group have demonstrated that astrocyte-derived EV (ADEV)-miRNA-29b mediates HIV Tat and morphine-induced neuronal injury, thus underscoring the importance of such interactions in NeuroHIV.

Besides, HIV Tat and morphine-mediated synaptodendritic injury via ADEVs, we are also interested in whether ADEVs contributes to neuroinflammation. Microglia are critical players in …

Kenyon Collegiate - December 20, 2019

Kenyon Collegiate

No abstract provided.

In Search Of Meaning, Fabiano Sarra

Theses

When I came across the book Baskets and Basket Makers in Southern Appalachia, I felt a deep reverence for the craft of basketry that marked the beginning of my thesis research. What started as a new discovery for generating volume led to a search for an intangible essence that emanated from these objects. The baskets in that book had a certain feel to them, they had a soul, a proof of existence and a life of utility. Their honest radiance transports the viewer to a different time and place, drawing visual connections with the maker who crafted the object with …

Solo Dining Restaurant: Environmental Interior Design & Interactive Ux Design, Kaiqi Jiang

Theses

Individualized dining can be anxious and awkward experiences for people. Especially when it comes to the sharing style of some foods (e.g., hotpot, barbecue, etc.) In addition to the form of food, the perception of social judgment creates discomfort for the individual. This project aims to incorporate the 3D interior design to model a restaurant that has embedded interactive UX design in the physical environment so that solo guests can enjoy the comfort of dining alone.

A case in point, imagine yourself sitting in a crowded restaurant, a giant pot with hot soup boiling in front of you. Every other …

The Modular Approach To The Title Sequence, Nathan Sorrentino

Theses

Over the course of the past few decades, the role of opening title sequences has evolved from a simple objective to deliver top priority credits in the beginning of a film or show with basic to intermediate level branded graphics, to become a strong standing work of art within the feature itself. The old way of simply delivering a title has become something "anyone can do" on their home laptop computer with a consumer level NLE software. Today, it takes a high quality, intricately designed sequence to effectively hook and ensure the audience of the professional level of the film …

Comparative Reflection On Best Known Instructional Design Models: Notes From The Field, Bengi Birgili

Current Issues in Emerging eLearning

This paper is intended to stimulate discussion on historical and evolving instructional design models in an educational era. After enriching the vision of what constitutes an instructional design, the paper explores the historical development and improvement of instructional design processes and models. The instructional design models of Dick and Carey, Morrison, Ross and Kemp, Posner and Rudnitsky, and Smith and Ragan are identified herein as being among the best known, most popular, and most widely applied instructional design models in the field of educational sciences. The philosophical underpinnings and the rationales for the arrangement of components in each instructional design …

The State, Aerospace Multinational Corporations And Variegated Forms Of Corporate Capture In Regional Training Systems: A Cross-National Comparative Study Between Charleston, Sc, U.S.A. And São José Dos Campos, Sp, Brazil, Tiago Roberto Alves Teixeira

Dissertations - ALL

In today’s globalized world, the power of influence of multinational corporations over the state and society is significant. One particular area is related to how MNCs have influenced states and public educational institutions in order to shape their educational agendas and training initiatives. Many scholars have conceptualized such an influence as processes of corporate capture. In this dissertation, I examine and compare the existing processes of corporate capture related to Boeing and Embraer in the regional training systems of Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., and São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. I also investigate how their distinctive state forms and …

Sequential Methods For Non-Parametric Hypothesis Testing, Prashant Khanduri

Dissertations - ALL

In today’s world, many applications are characterized by the availability of large amounts of complex-structured data. It is not always possible to fit the data to predefined models or distributions. Model dependent signal processing approaches are often susceptible to mismatches between the data and the assumed model. In cases where the data does not conform to the assumed model, providing sufficient performance guarantees becomes a challenging task. Therefore, it is important to devise methods that are model-independent, robust, provide sufficient performance guarantees for the task at hand and, at the same time, are simple to implement. The goal of this …

Detection And Inference In Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Steven Daniel Reyes

Dissertations - ALL

We explore the detection and astrophysical modeling of gravitational waves de- tected by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo. We discuss the techniques used in the PyCBC search pipeline to discover the first gravitational wave detection GW150914, and estimate the statistical signifi- cance of GW150914, and the marginal trigger LVT151012. During Advanced LIGO’s first observing run there were no detections of mergers from binary neutron star and neutron star-black hole binaries. We use Bayesian inference to place upper limits on the rate of coalescence of these binaries. We use developments made in the PyCBC search pipeline …

Homeostatic Elastic States And The Stability Of Elastic Arteries, Xinyu Zhang

Dissertations - ALL

Vascular mechanics has undergone significant growth within the last 50 years owing to the rapid development of nonlinear continuum mechanics occurring roughly within the same period and motivated primarily by rubber materials. However, one important distinction of blood vessels, in contrast to typical engineering materials is that, through a variety of physiological mechanisms, they seek to maintain constant a preferred mechanical state (mechanical homeostasis) thereby exhibiting a remarkable mechanical stability in response to temporal evolution and alterations in blood pressure, vessel tethering forces and geometry and material properties. The mechanical state experienced by blood vessels plays a critical role in …

Designing The City, Sustainably: Sustainability And Climate Change Resiliency In New York City, Cosima Balletti-Thomas

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

This paper explores how New York City and especially Manhattan has integrated sustainability into its agenda as a coastal metropolitan nucleus. Secondly, it assesses the New York City’s resiliency strategies that utilize environmental policy and design to confront its vulnerability to changes in the environment on account of global climate change, which has primarily manifested in the Northeastern region in the form of sea level rise, storm surge, and frequent flooding. Chapter 1 uses quantitative climate data from a multitude of sources such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation'sreport on the “Impacts of Climate Change …

Preparing For Climate Change In New York City - Geographic Information Systems As A Valuable Tool For Natural Hazard Management, Amy Carrillo

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the impact of climate change in New York City. Chapter 1 focuses on details found in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report on the impact of climate change worldwide. At the city level, this paper analyzes New York City’s Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation and New York City Panel on Climate Change 2019 Report, which provides data on how climate change will impact NYC, specifically. Chapter 2 explores the history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its use in mitigation and conservation practices over time. Chapter 3 studies how GIS has been …

Engineering Hyaluronic Acid For Biomedical Applications, Deep S. Bhattacharya

Theses & Dissertations

This work presents research using the naturally available non- sulfated carbohydrate glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid (HA) for the synthesis of different chemical derivatives of HA for evaluation of binding kinetics with CD44 and P- selectin proteins for applications in fluorescence image-guided surgery. Chemical derivatives of HA such as deacetylated HA (deHA), sulfated HA (sHA), and deacetylated and sulfated HA (s-deHA) were synthesized by modulating sulfating and deacetylating reagents to alter binding specificities to CD44. Modified HA derivatives and CD44 biophysical interactions were assessed by fluorescence polarization. In silico techniques were also used to determine binding using molecular docking and MM-PBSA approaches. …

Vertical Acoustic Propagation In The Non-Homogeneous Layered Atmosphere For A Time-Harmonic, Compact Source, Edward J. Yoerger Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this work we study vertical, acoustic propagation in a non-homogeneous media for a spatially-compact, time-harmonic source. An analytical, 2-layer model is developed representing the acoustic pressure disturbance propagating in the atmosphere. The validity of the model spans the distance from the Earth's surface to 30,000 meters. This includes the troposphere (adiabatic), ozone layer (isothermal), and part of the stratosphere (isothermal). The results of the model derivation in the adiabatic region yield pressure solutions as Bessel functions of the First (J) and Second (Y) Kind of order $-\frac{7}{2}$ with an argument of $2 \Omega \tau$ (where $\Omega$ represents a dimensionless …

Understanding The Role Of Anisotropy On The Optoelectronic And Colloidal Properties Of Quantum Rods For Programmable Self-Assembly With Dna Origami, Yuetian Chen

Dissertations - ALL

Semiconductor nanocrystals, like quantum dots (QDs) and quantum rods (QRs), have tunable optoelectronic properties that depend on their composition, size and asymmetry. A small change in size or aspect ratio can lead to measurable changes in optical absorption and photoluminescence emission energies, as well as varied degrees of polarized optical behaviors at those energies. My dissertation research focuses on investigating the role of anisotropy on the optoelectronic and colloidal properties of quantum rods, as well as using DNA-mediated self-assembly to align these quantum rods on DNA origami for energy transfer applications in biocompatible systems. First, CdSe of systematically varied aspect …

Novel Shape Memory And Multi-Shape Memory Polymers For Biomaterial Applications, Shelby Lois Buffington

Dissertations - ALL

Biomaterial platforms have been used to probe how cells respond to chemical, topographical or mechanical changes in their environments. However, these traditionally static biomaterial platforms have not enabled the study of how cells respond to dynamic changes in their environment. Driven by a need to better understand cell behavior and its role it disease, development and tissue regeneration recent efforts have focused on designing dynamic biomaterial platforms to better mimic a cell’s natural environment. In this work, advanced shape memory polymers (SMPs) that respond to non-thermal triggers and multi-shape memory materials capable of multiple topographical transitions were developed for advanced …

Numerical Investigation Of Laser-Induced Ignition Phenomena, Deshawn Coombs

Dissertations - ALL

This thesis investigates various aspects of laser-ignition. Laser ignition is a form of combustion initiation by means of a focused laser pulse in a combustible mixture. The ignition process consists of a chain of processes with varying degrees of importance to the prediction of a successful flame propagation. Some of these processes include plasma formation, induced shock wave, emergence of a flame kernel, and successful transition to a self-sustained flame or flame quenching. This thesis will explore various aspects of this process using computational fluid dynamics and model analysis with the aim of identifying the controlling processes and simplified ways …

Network Sampling Through Crawling, Katchaguy Areekijseree

Dissertations - ALL

In recent years, researchers have increasingly used OSN data to study human behavior. Before such a study can begin, one must first obtain appropriate data. A platform, e.g, Facebook or Twitter, may provide an API for accessing data, but such APIs are often ratelimited, restricting the amount of data that an individual collects in a given amount of time. In order for the data collector to efficiently collect data, she needs to make intelligent use of her limited budget. Therefore, when collecting data, efficiency is extremely important. We consider the problem of network sampling through crawling, in which the data …

Locating People Of Interest In Social Networks, Pivithuru Wijegunawardana

Dissertations - ALL

By representing relationships between social entities as a network, researchers can analyze them using a variety of powerful techniques. One key problem in social network analysis literature is identifying certain individuals (key players, most influential nodes) in a network. We consider the same problem in this dissertation, with the constraint that the individuals we are interested in identifying (People of Interest) are not necessarily the most important nodes in terms of the network structure. We propose an algorithm to find POIs, algorithms to collect data to find POIs, a framework to model POI behavior and an algorithm to predict POIs …

Fft Phase Shift Of Water Wave Analysis, Chu-Kuan Lin, Shih-Yu Hsu, Jaw-Guei Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The fast Fourier transform (FFT) has been accepted as a tool for signal processing. This study conducted a series of numerical experiments using Matlab. By conducting FFT analysis on designated wave trains, the FFT results revealed that an extra phase shift of ��ሺ2�� ��⁄ ሻ , with N representing the number of data points for an i-th wave component, was implicitly added to the analyzed phases during the analysis. When extra phase shifts were subtracted from the analyzed phases of each component, signals could be completely reconstructed in the time domain with an acceptable difference. This study tested component and …

Successful Campaign Establishes Cole Scholarship, Angela Atkins

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.

Two Clamped Pipe Support Connections For Oil And Gas Brownfield Projects, Helen M. Claycomb

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the oil and gas industry, brownfield projects focus on the modification of or addition to an existing production facility that is fully operational and operating. Welding is typically avoided on these projects. The drilling of holes in existing primary structural elements is also prohibited. Clamped connections are often used when adding additional services in a brownfield project. There are different types of clamped connections utilized when a new structural support must be attached to an existing vertical structural pipe. The short bolt clamped connection is a well-established connection and typically used on offshore projects. The U-bolt clamped connection is …

Multi-Agent Narrative Experience Management As Story Graph Pruning, Edward T. Garcia

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I describe a method where an experience manager chooses actions for non-player characters (NPCs) in intelligent interactive narratives through story graph representation and pruning. The space of all stories can be represented as a story graph where nodes are states and edges are actions. By shaping the domain as a story graph, experience manager decisions can be made by pruning edges. Starting with a full graph, I apply a set of pruning strategies that will allow the narrative to be finishable, NPCs to act believably, and the player to be responsible for how the story unfolds. By …