Digital Commons Network^™

Manufacturing Of A Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerator By Functionalizing Polyvinylidene Fluoride With Lithium Tantalate And Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes For Energy Harvesting And Sensing Applications, Islam Uddin Shipu

Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical energy is one of the readily accessible green energy sources that could be employed to meet the small-scale energy requirement. In order to capture mechanical energy, power the next generation of electronic gadgets, and health monitoring flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators made of light weight polymers and carbon nanotubes have drawn a lot of attention. Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3), a ferroelectric substance, was prepared here and utilized to create a flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (FPNG). A compact piezoelectric nanogenerator that successfully transfers mechanical energy into electricity was then created using lightweight polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), and LiTaO3 nanoparticles. To create …

Nrc-Sim: A Node-Red Based Multi-Level, Many-Core Cache Simulator, Ezequiel Treviño

Theses and Dissertations

As computational systems become ever-more integral to daily life, so too does the importance of understanding how these complex systems work. For those unfamiliar with the underlying concepts, this can be a daunting task. In an effort to address such concerns, this paper presents a Node-RED based cache simulator that enables users to observe the effects of their desired cache configuration, with users having the ability to easily modify various parameters, such as the core count, the number of levels within the cache, and coherence protocols, among other parameters. Through the use of Node-RED, NRC-SIM allows for simplicity of use …

Assessment Of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices On Soil Health And Nitrogen Efficiency In Cropping Systems, María José Oviedo Ventura

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Groundwater quality in Nebraska is threatened by non-point source contributions of nitrate-nitrogen, primarily by agricultural systems. Intensive crop and livestock production that neglects the value of manure in crop fertility plans can contribute to soil degradation and natural resource impairment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate opportunities to improve agricultural nutrient management throughout Nebraska by quantifying opportunities for manure distribution, evaluating soil health implications of organic and inorganic soil amendments, and assessing nutrient management practices focused on reducing nitrate leaching in agricultural soils.

This study described in Chapter 2 provides a spatial illustration of nitrogen and phosphorus balances …

Influence Of Overcooking On Food Digestibility And In Vitro Fermentation, Wensheng Ding

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Areas of char or overcooking commonly appear in foods people consume. It has been reported that overcooked food is harmful to human health. However, little research exists on the effect of overcooking on in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. This study aimed to reveal the connection between overcooking and in vitro protein and starch digestibility and gut microbial fermentation. In vitro protein digestibility of an overcooked ground beef patty was almost half that of a standard cooked sample (27 ± 2% versus 48 ± 6%, respectively; p = 0.02). Whole wheat bread protein digestibility was also …

Effects Of Circadian Rhythm Disruption And Social Jetlag On The Cardiometabolic Adaptations To Exercise, Michael Bevan Dial

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Circadian rhythms lie within every tissue and cell and regulate cellular and tissue processes and functions based upon the time of day. Disrupting the circadian clock results in impaired tissue and organ activity and higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases. A common form of circadian rhythm disruption is social jetlag (SJL), which represents the misalignment of sleep and wake times on free days and work days (i.e. weekend). The time of day of exercise affects the adaptations that are derived from exercise. Within the heart muscle, disparate levels of exercise-induced hypertrophy, circadian clock gene expression, and mitochondrial content were all dependent …

Identifying Clinical Profiles In A Community Sample Of Youth With Selective Mutism, Melanie Rede

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Selective mutism (SM) refers to a consistent failure to speak in social situations that have an expectation for speaking, despite fluent speech in other situations (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Recent researchers describe SM as a heterogeneous disorder not always characterized by anxiety (Driessen et al., 2020). Specifically, some have argued that SM may be better explained as a neurodevelopmental rather than an anxiety disorder (Kearney & Rede, 2021). The aim of the present study was to find unique classes for anxiety, oppositional, and communication difficulties among youth with SM. Participants included 129 caregivers of youth with SM aged 6–14 years …

Examination Of Performance Validity And The Relationship To Cognition And Symptoms In Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Erick A. Rogers

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Approximately one-in-five individuals with psychotic disorders (i.e., schizophrenia spectrum disorders [SSD]) fail performance validity indicators (PVIs) during neurocognitive testing. Ensuring the validity of neurocognitive test results is necessary if the test scores are to be of use for diagnostic consideration, intervention selection and planning, predicting outcomes, and following changes in cognition over time in response to intervention, spontaneous recovery, or disease progression. PVIs are designed to require only a minimum level of engagement with the evaluation, which means nearly everyone is expected to “pass,” even those with moderate to severe brain damage. Traditional interpretations of PVI failure suggest a noncredible …

Aerodynamic Flow Control Using Micro Rotating Cylinders, Alejandro Daniel Carrizales

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the aerodynamic and flow field characteristics of a NACA 0010 airfoil equipped with rotating cylinders near the leading edge, subjected to a flow with a freestream turbulence intensity of 4.3%. The airfoil was modified to integrate five micro-DC motors positioned at 14.5% of the chord length from the leading edge. The cylinders, with dimensions of 0.75 inches in diameter and 0.5 inches in width, exposed 3mm of their length to the incoming flow. A modified leading edge with eight sinusoidal protrusions (tubercles) was employed to compare the performance of the micro-rotating cylinder airfoil with an unmodified baseline …

Cellular And Extracellular Vaginal Changes Following Murine Ovarian Removal, Jennifer M Mccracken, Gisele A Calderon, Quynh N Le, Natasha M Faruqui, Swathi Balaji, Julie C E Hakim

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Loss of estrogen as a result of aging, pelvic cancer therapy, genetics, or eating disorders affects numerous body systems including the reproductive tract. Specifically, a chronic hypoestrogenic state fosters debilitating vaginal symptoms like atrophy, dryness, and dyspareunia. Current treatment options, including vaginal estrogen and hyaluronan (HA), anecdotally improve symptoms, but rectifying mechanisms are largely understudied. In order to study the hypoestrogenic vaginal environment, in particular the extracellular matrix (ECM), as well as understand the mechanisms behind current treatments and develop new therapies, we characterized a reliable and reproducible animal model. Bilateral ovariectomies (OVX) were performed on 9‐week‐old CD1 mice. After …

The Role Of Shame In The Relationships Among Childhood Maltreatment, Fears Of Evaluation, And Associated Submissive Behaviors, Savannah Woods

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Risk for excessive fears of evaluation in adulthood may increase with severity of exposure across five sub-domains of childhood maltreatment. Childhood exposure to childhood maltreatment may increase risk for behaviors associated with fear of negative evaluation (FNE) and fear of positive evaluation (FPE), such as submissive behavior displays (e.g., eye gaze avoidance). Additionally, previous literature (while limited) suggests that negative affect, especially shame, may play an influential role in the relationship between overall childhood maltreatment history severity and fears of evaluation in adulthood. Shame has the potential to increase FNE and FPE along with associated behaviors (i.e., gaze avoidance). The …

Song Structure Of Male Northern House Wrens And Patterns Of Song Production And Delivery Across The Nesting Cycle, Rachael A. Disciullo, Scott K. Sakaluk, Charles Thompson

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Studies of the role of bird song in avian communication have revealed numerous functions across many species, including its critical importance in female mate choice (intersexual selection) and male-male competition (intrasexual selection). A first step in understanding the role of song in different contexts is to describe the note, syllable, and song-types that occur, as well as their patterns of production within a population. Here, we do so for a north-central Illinois, USA, population of Northern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon). As has been described in other populations, most songs (≈ 1–3 s in duration) contain an introductory section of soft, …

Topical, Contact, And Oral Susceptibility Of Adult Culicoides Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) To Fluralaner, Blythe E. Lawson, Emily G. Mcdermott

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are economically important blood-feeding pests closely associated with livestock production. They are the principal vectors of two hemorrhagic disease viruses affecting both wild and domestic ruminants within the US: bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). BTV impacts the US agriculture sector through direct commodity loss and strict international livestock trade restrictions. Yet, despite posing a considerable threat to US livestock, Culicoides are understudied, and management strategies are lacking. Current control tools for Culicoides are limited to synthetic chemicals, predominantly pyrethroids. With limited products available for livestock producers, proper pesticide rotation is …

Multi-Dimensional Surface Water Quality Analyses In The Manawatu River Catchment, New Zealand, Imokhai T. Tenebe, Jason P. Julian, Praise God C. Emenike, Nathaniel Dede-Bamfo, Omeje Maxwell, Samuel E. Sanni, Eunice O. Babatunde, Darlan D. Alves

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) properties give vital information about pollution signatures in rivers, and they help develop best management practices (BMPs) for effective water resource management. This work employs multivariate statistical methods, receptor modeling, connectivity analysis, and univariate trend analysis to investigate pollution sources across spatiotemporal scales in the Manawatu River, New Zealand. A positive matrix factorization (PMF) method was applied to interpret possible contamination sources. A 25-year dataset (1989–2014) comprising 12 water quality variables from three sites was used. Runoff connectivity analyses identified high-producing grassland (HG) as the most dominant pollution class in all sub-catchments. Univariate analyses …

The Ecological Validity Of Prospective Memory Experimentation, Anna Pusser

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember and fulfill future intentions, a crucial ability in everyday life. Discrepancies between performance in standard laboratory tasks versus naturalistic tasks has led to translational concerns to everyday life. Validity concerns surrounding laboratory PM tasks have been raised due to the lack of relationship between PM performance and measures of strategic monitoring, which is believed to be how much attention participants dedicate to the PM task. The present study (N=82) compares an eye tracking task, a standard laboratory task, and a naturalistic task. The findings support previous research indicating that performance in laboratory …

The Ghost Of The Neo-Slave Narrative : Jesmyn Ward’S Sing, Unburied, Sing And The Evolution Of The Black Gothic, Kabria Wimbush

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Beloved by Toni Morrison, while clearly a neo-slave narrative, functions as a transition between the neo-slave narrative and the Black Gothic genre. Jesmyn Ward expands upon the Gothic elements in Beloved in her novel Sing, Unburied, Sing. When examined together, the two novels demonstrate how the Black Gothic was influenced by the neo-slave narrative. Where Beloved examines the effects of slavery on those who were directly victimized by it, Sing, Unburied, Sing shows how the lingering effects of slavery still exist in modern times. Ultimately, Ward offers possible courses of action to make the future more inclusive and diverse without …

Professional, Personal, Societal : The Detrimental Effects Of Identity Revolving Around Career In Kazuo Ishiguro’S Remains Of The Day, Salvatore Cerchio

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day, Mr. Stevens immerses himself in his work as a butler until it becomes his identity. In Stevens’s quest to be superlative at his job, he accepts his role in society, adopting an extreme view of dignity that constrains him rather than providing him a sense of self. Although his interpretation of dignity and obedience to the social hierarchy helps him fulfill his desire to be a butler of the highest order, it hampers his development as a person. In discussing Stevens, critics have focused on his desire to fulfill his duties as …

Age-Related Differences In Motor Performance, Jessica Anne Prebor

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to study the age effects on average performance and variability of movement responses in children, young adults, and older adults across multiple motor tasks. Optimal motor performance is observed in healthy young adults with declines observed at either end of the lifespan. This pattern has been represented as a U-shaped/inverted U-shaped curve. Little is known about if this pattern persists in chewing dynamics. While chewing has been found to improve aspects of attention, a cognitive function, research is limited on the relationship between chewing and other motor tasks.

The first aim of this research …

Biocrude Production From Lignin In Hydrothermal Medium: Effect Of Rapid Heating And Short Residence Time, Kyoko Hirayama

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study aims to address knowledge gaps in the production of valuable products from waste streams generated during lignocellulosic biofuel production. The primary objective is to develop a process that converts lignin, a byproduct of bioethanol refineries, into a sustainable biolubricant.

The first chapter examines recent advancements in synthesizing biolubricants and investigates their scalability. It explores innovative materials, catalysts, chemical modification approaches, and additives that have emerged in the field. A particular hurdle is the oxidative stability of biolubricants derived from plant oils, which are prone to autooxidation due to their C=C bonds. To overcome this, the study aims to …

Tidal Flooding In The Mid-Atlantic Region Of The Us: Water Quality Effects In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Alfonso Macias Tapia

OES Theses and Dissertations

Many coastal areas around the globe suffer from nutrient pollution and its environmental, social, and economic consequences. Nutrient inputs can come from point (e.g., the end of a pipe) and nonpoint sources, from which the former are better constrained as sampling need only be conducted at a discharge point. Given the temporal and spatially extensive nature of tidal flooding events, they can represent another type of nonpoint source of nutrients to adjacent water bodies heretofore, unexamined and quantified. Most studies examining impacts of tidal flooding have focused on threats to resources on land, such as urban infrastructure and human health …

Injury Induced Neuroplasticity And Cell Specific Targeting Of The Lumbar Enlargement For Gene Therapy., Brandon Lee Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of spinal cord injury induced neuroplasticity and tests whether noninvasive gene therapy can successfully target neurons in the lumbar spinal cord. It begins with an overview of neural control of locomotion and a brief summary of therapeutics that are used and/or in development for treating spinal anatomically characterize s subset of neurons in the spinal cord, long ascending propriospinal neurons, that are involved in interlimb coordination. Characterization of these neurons allows for subsequent evaluation of their potential involvement in injury induced neuroplasticity. This dissertation is divided into five chapters, covering spinal cord injury and therapeutics. …

Development And Applications Of Novel And Practical Fluorination Reagents., Yuhao Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The fluorine (F) atom has distinctive properties such as the highest electronegativity, small size, low polarizability, and strong C–F bond strength. Not surprisingly, fluorinated organic compounds have garnered significant attention in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and material fields. Since organofluorides are very rare in nature, we need fluorination reagents to help us transfer fluorine into the organic molecules. In past decades, a vast number of fluorination reagents have been developed and many of them are commercially available now. However, there is still much room for the improvement of these reagents. Our target is to develop novel and practical fluorination reagents to …

Swallow, Breathing And Survival: Sex-Specific Effects Of Opioids., Michael Frazure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a series of studies examining mechanisms of deglutition and respiration, and how these vital processes are impacted by opioids. The experiments in Chapter Two investigated the role of the upper esophagus in airway protection through systematic activation of pharyngeal and esophageal mechanoreceptors in a cat electromyography model. Chapter Three compared effects of opioid administration on breathing and swallowing between male and female rats, and found that females are more susceptible to opioid-induced depression of breathing and swallow than males. Findings from Chapters Two and Three led to the development of a translational model of opioid-induced dysphagia using …

New Species Of Dryolestoid From The Late Cretaceous Allen Formation And Implications For South American Faunal Diversity., Brigid Erin Connelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dryolestoids are extinct cladotherians mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. I describe a collection of dryolestoid specimens from the Late Cretaceous localities of Cerro Tortuga (Allen Formation), Anfiteatro 1, and Shining (both La Colonia Formation) from Patagonia, Argentina. Using comparative morphology, I identify a new species of meridiolestidan dryolestoid based on eleven specimens across both formations. The new species’ recovery from La Colonia Formation represents the first dryolestoid connection between the two approximately contemporaneous formations. The species’ morphology may represent an ecological shift within Meridiolestida from insectivory to herbivory, showing a transition in characters between the plesiomorphic sharp-toothed meridiolestidans …

Non-Western Rendition Of Ambient Rhetoric Of Khajuraho Monuments., Shiva Hari Mainaly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops an ambient rhetoric: a living practice that is more disclosive than communicative, more entangled than intersectional, and more subtle than explicit and evidential. Rather than exploring the symbology, iconography, texture, and artistic integrity of Khajuraho monuments, I claim that Khajuraho monuments aim at convincing visitors with their persuadability and affectability inherent in their material bases, architectural panels, fractal design, allegorical cast, aura of attunement, and the environment in which the monument complex is nestled. Khajuraho groups of monuments in Central India, matchless in their monumentality, dynamic in their adjustment to the shifting socio-politico-cultural landscape in the world, …

Wirelessly Powering A Sea Of Sensors For Perimeter Security Applications, Ian River Chavez

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

his thesis presents an innovative application of Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) technology for perimeter security systems. The approach leverages the physical properties of IPT to detect intrusions by monitoring voltage changes in wirelessly powered sensor nodes, which can double as components of an intrusion detection system. Disturbances in node orientation, indicative of potential intrusions, alter the sensor node’s resonant frequency and create measurable voltage shifts. This study explores the concept in-depth, from the analysis of resonant inductive coupling in various resonant inductive modes, to the design of transmit loops, sensor nodes, and the techniques required to ensure optimum power transfer. …

Electromagnetic Simulations Of The Lansce Chopper Structure, Yusuf Sahin

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Particle accelerators are important for basic research as well as in applications such as ion implantation and cancer therapy. One important accelerator is the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) located at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) that primarily produces neutrons for research. The beam chopper simulation described here is a study to provide better modeling of this subsystem of LANSCE. A chopper is a device in which particles are intermittently sliced and directed to a target and/or experiment. The simulations in this thesis are used to analyze the correct operating parameters of the chopper. A good chopper model can …

Robotic Nerve Surgery: Brachial Plexus, Matthew J Parham, Samuel H Cole, Nicholas H Yim, William C Pederson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Management of closed brachial plexus injuries has traditionally favored conservative approaches with lengthy intervals between initial injury and surgical reconstruction. The complex anatomy of this region often requires large incisions with extensive dissection. Recently, the use of robotic systems in plastic and reconstructive surgery has been increasing, and robot-assisted brachial plexus reconstruction is a novel application that is currently being explored. Current literature describing this application is primarily comprised of feasibility studies using animal and cadaver models, and literature describing use in human subjects is limited. Advantages demonstrated by these early studies include the reduction of physiologic tremor, 3D visualization …

Isolation And Characterization Of Porcine Endocardial Endothelial Cells, Kathleen N Brown, Hong Kim T Phan, Elysa L Jui, Marci K Kang, Jennifer P Connell, Sundeep G Keswani, K Jane Grande-Allen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The heart contains diverse endothelial cell types. We sought to characterize the endocardial endothelial cells (EECs), which line the chambers of the heart. EECs are relatively understudied, yet their dysregulation can lead to various cardiac pathologies. Due to the lack of commercial availability of these cells, we reported our protocol for isolating EECs from porcine hearts and for establishing an EEC population through cell sorting. In addition, we compared the EEC phenotype and fundamental behaviors to a well-studied endothelial cell line, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The EECs stained positively for classic phenotypic markers such as CD31, von Willebrand …

Early Clinical Variables Associated With Refractory Convulsive Status Epilepticus In Children, Katrina Peariso, Ravindra Arya, Tracy Glauser, Nicholas S Abend, Cristina Barcia Aguilar, Marta Amengual-Gual, Anne Anderson, Brian L Appavu, J Nicholas Brenton, Jessica Carpenter, Kevin E Chapman, Justice Clark, William D Gaillard, Marina Gaínza-Lein, Joshua Goldstein, Howard Goodkin, Zachary Grinspan, Rejean M Guerriero, Paul S Horn, Linda Huh, Robert Kahoud, Sarah A Kelley, Eric H Kossoff, Kush Kapur, Yi-Chen Lai, B Oyinkan Marquis, Tiffani Mcdonough, Mohamad A Mikati, Lindsey Morgan, Edward Novotny, Adam P Ostendorf, Eric T Payne, Juan Piantino, James Riviello, Tristan Sands, Carl E Stafstrom, Robert C Tasker, Dmitry Tchapyjnikov, Alejandra Vasquez, Mark S Wainwright, Angus Wilfong, Korwyn Williams, Tobias Loddenkemper

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine patient-specific factors known proximate to the presentation to emergency care associated with the development of refractory convulsive status epilepticus (RSE) in children.

METHODS: An observational case-control study was conducted comparing pediatric patients (1 month-21 years) with convulsive SE whose seizures stopped after benzodiazepine (BZD) and a single second-line antiseizure medication (ASM) (responsive established status epilepticus [rESE]) with patients requiring more than a BZD and a single second-line ASM to stop their seizures (RSE). These subpopulations were obtained from the pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group study cohort. We explored clinical …

Clinical And Functional Heterogeneity Associated With The Disruption Of Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta, Véronique Caron, Nicolas Chassaing, Nicola Ragge, Felix Boschann, Angelina My-Hoa Ngu, Elisabeth Meloche, Sarah Chorfi, Saquib A Lakhani, Weizhen Ji, Laurie Steiner, Julien Marcadier, Philip R Jansen, Laura A Van De Pol, Johanna M Van Hagen, Alvaro Serrano Russi, Gwenaël Le Guyader, Magnus Nordenskjöld, Ann Nordgren, Britt-Marie Anderlid, Julie Plaisancié, Corinna Stoltenburg, Denise Horn, Anne Drenckhahn, Fadi F Hamdan, Mathilde Lefebvre, Tania Attie-Bitach, Peggy Forey, Vasily Smirnov, Françoise Ernould, Marie-Line Jacquemont, Sarah Grotto, Alberto Alcantud, Alicia Coret, Rosario Ferrer-Avargues, Siddharth Srivastava, Catherine Vincent-Delorme, Shelby Romoser, Nicole Safina, Dimah Saade, James R Lupski, Daniel G Calame, David Geneviève, Nicolas Chatron, Caroline Schluth-Bolard, Kenneth A Myers, William B Dobyns, Patrick Calvas, Ddd Study, Caroline Salmon, Richard Holt, Frances Elmslie, Marc Allaire, Daniil M Prigozhin, André Tremblay, Jacques L Michaud

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

PURPOSE: Dominant variants in the retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) gene underlie a syndromic form of microphthalmia, known as MCOPS12, which is associated with other birth anomalies and global developmental delay with spasticity and/or dystonia. Here, we report 25 affected individuals with 17 novel pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in RARB. This study aims to characterize the functional impact of these variants and describe the clinical spectrum of MCOPS12.

METHODS: We used in vitro transcriptional assays and in silico structural analysis to assess the functional relevance of RARB variants in affecting the normal response to retinoids.

RESULTS: We found that …