Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Biofouling Adhesion And Frequency Of Mechanical Cleaning To Control The Recruitment To Clear Coatings, Dylan Thomas Eggers

Theses and Dissertations

There is a need to control biofouling on sensors and transparent windows in the marine environment. Clear silicone coatings offer a method to reduce the adhesion strength of marine organisms to the surface, however, these also require mechanical cleaning to maintain the surfaces free of fouling. This research evaluated the performance of eighty seven formulations and took the top two candidates to investigate a) the frequencies of wiping required by a brush to maintain two coatings and uncoated glass surfaces free of fouling and b) the effects of clear silicone coatings fouling release properties on required frequencies. The panels were …

Underwater Image Enhancement: A Pipeline For Underwater Computer Visions, Humberto Lebron Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Ocean exploration has surged in popularity and significance in recent years, including diverse areas like maritime archeology, underwater resources, and submerged structure inspection. The activities mentioned above heavily depend on vision and imagery, a challenge in the unpredictable marine world. This thesis presents a conditional generative adversarial network model for image-to-image translation problems. We designed and trained the model with the end goal of enhancing underwater images. Five metrics were employed for validation to quantify our model’s resulting enhanced images. By doing so, we aim to establish a pipeline that can leverage aerial computer vision algorithms for marine applications.

Our …

How Students Learn: Examining The Differences In Learning Strategies Between Flight And Nonflight Students, Jennifer A. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in learning strategies between undergraduate flight and nonflight students attending a 4-year university that offered a Part 141 flight training program. Learning strategies were measured using Panadero et al.’s (2021) 30-item Deep Learning Strategies Questionnaire and its four subscales—Basic Learning Self-Regulation Strategies, Visual Elaboration and Summarizing Strategies, Deep Information Processing Strategies, and Social Learning Self-Regulation Strategies—all of which were the dependent variables. The primary independent variable was group membership, but the study also incorporated two covariates—self-efficacy and intrinsic value—which were measured using the respective subscales of Pintrich …

Analyzing The Effects Of Ultrafast Laser Processing On Mechanical Properties Of 3d-Printed Pla Parts, Darshan Pramodbhai Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in additive manufacturing technologies have already led to wide-scale adoption of 3D-printed parts in various industries. The expansion in choice of materials that can be processed, particularly using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and the steady advancements in dimensional accuracy control have extended the range of applications far beyond rapid prototyping. However, additive manufacturing still has considerable limitations compared to traditional and subtractive manufacturing processes. This work addresses limitations associated with the as-deposited surface roughness of 3D-printed parts. The effects of roughness-induced stress concentrations were studied on ultimate tensile strength and fatigue life. The samples were manufactured using a …

Low Reynolds Number Locomotion Near Interfaces In Two-Fluid Media, Avriel Rowena Mae Cartwright

Theses and Dissertations

Microorganisms often swim within complex fluid environments composed of multiple materials with very different properties. Biological locomotion, including swimming speed, is significantly impacted by the physical composition and rheology of the surrounding fluid environment, as well as the presence of phase boundaries and free interfaces, across which physical properties of the fluid media may vary greatly. Through computational simulations, we first investigate the classical Taylor’s swimming sheet problem near interfaces within multi-fluid environments using a two-fluid immersed boundary method. The accuracy of the methodology is illustrated through comparisons with analytical solutions. Our simulation results indicate that the interface dynamics and …

Metasurface Beam-Steering Antenna At X-Band Frequencies With Cloaking Applications, Erik Jermaine Kosh

Theses and Dissertations

I intend to use metasurface materials to adjust antenna field properties while applying a cloaking application to the antenna. Cloaking applications have been used to shield the neighboring antenna waveforms so that they do not affect it’s antenna patterns and reduce the mutual coupling between the two antennas [15], [16]. In this application, I propose a metasurface beam-steering antenna at X-band frequencies using mantle-cloaking techniques to adjust and direct the beam-steering while ignoring other adjacent antenna patterns.

The first part of this application provides a method for cloaking antennas that are close to each other in distance (less than a …

Task Optimization Utilizing Digital Transformation Concepts - Automation Project Execution Via Agile Methodology, Anthony Steven Maiello

Theses and Dissertations

Task Optimization via the use of automated process improvements is becoming more widespread as more industries lean into the concepts surrounding digital transformation. This shift also necessitates a complementary adaptation in project management methodologies to support the rapid and ever-changing environment, requirements, and innovations. This thesis examines the effectiveness of Agile methodology in managing digital automation projects, with a specific focus placed on process improvements with systems engineering. It accomplished this by contrasting the original model, designed and derived utilizing traditional project management techniques, with the proposed model which is a direct result of the application of Agile project practices. …

An Evaluation Of Process- And Performer-Based Improvement To Increase Online Giving In Churches, Lauren Elizabeth Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of electronic transactions for many churches. Churches which were more inclined to establish online giving platforms weathered the disruption of the pandemic more successfully. Electronic transactions proved to be an efficacious modality for churches to maximize tithing and offering. Behavioral Systems Analysis (BSA) is an evidence-based framework which can inform decision-making, starting with macro-level assessments of the effects of external variables on adaptive systems and systematically funneling down to focus on processes and individuals. This study examined the effects of a process and performer-based intervention, through automation, to increase the percentage of online giving …

Effects Of Perforations On Internal Cathodic Protection And Recruitment Of Marine Organisms To Steel Pipes, Alexander John Paluzzi

Theses and Dissertations

Steel monopile support structures for offshore wind turbines require protection from corrosion on their external and internal surfaces. Cathodic protection (CP) works effectively to protect the external surfaces of monopiles, but internally, byproducts from aluminum sacrificial anode CP (SACP) and impressed current CP (ICCP) induce acidification that accelerates steel corrosion. This project investigated the effects of perforations on the performance of aluminum SACP and ICCP when used inside of steel pipes. Additionally, marine growth on the external and internal surfaces of the pipes was assessed to determine if CP byproducts affect marine organism development.

Two sealed and two perforated steel …

Anxiety In International Graduate Students With U.S. Education, Aeshah Zarraa

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety in international graduate students is a significant concern for most students planning to move out of their home country to pursue higher education in the United States. The primary purpose of this research is to identify the prime causes of anxiety triggers in the targetted Graduate students, thereby determining a step-wise methodology development to address the causes. The study initially identified a set of graduate students who were voluntarily willing to collaborate and address their concerns anonymously to identify the significant issues faced by current students and alumni of the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. Several questions were …

Neurotechnological Solutions For Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Perspective Review And Concept Proposal, R Laugharne, M Farid, C James, A Dutta, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety condition caused by exposure to severe trauma. It is characterised by nightmares, flashbacks, hyper-vigilance and avoidance behaviour. These all lead to impaired functioning reducing quality of life. PTSD affects 2–5% of the population globally. Most sufferers cannot access effective treatment, leading to impaired psychological functioning reducing quality of life. Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment that has shown significant clinical effectiveness in PTSD. Another treatment modality, that is, trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy is also an effective intervention. However, both evidence-based treatments are significantly resource intensive as they …

Computational Quantum Chemistry Studies Of The Stabilities Of Radical Adducts Formed During The Oxidation Of Melatonin Derivatives, James Horne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melatonin is a natural antioxidant that has been investigated for properties as a potential spin trap to identify short-lived free radicals. Computational quantum chemistry studies have been performed for the oxidation of melatonin to N¹-acetyl-N²-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine. This research focused on modification of melatonin into derivatives and analyzing the change in total molecular energy from melatonin to its oxidation product, as well as the corresponding derivatives. Each of the molecular geometries were optimized at the DFT/B3LYP/6-31G(d), DFT/B3LYP/cc-pVXZ (X = D, T), HF/6-31G(d), HF/cc-PVXZ (X = D, T), MP2/6-31G(d), and MP2/cc-PVXZ (X = D, T) levels of theory. …

Synthesis Of Bacterial Glycerophospholipids For Biomembrane Model Studies: A Means To Advanced Biofuels, Felix Adulley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To reduce reliance on fossil fuels, sustainable biofuels are being pursued, especially advanced biofuels like 1-butanol that have higher energy content and greater compatibility with existing infrastructure than ethanol. A persistent challenge is the yield-limiting toxicity of biofuels and process solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, to the microbes that ferment biomass into biofuel. The cell membrane is a focal point of toxicity, and understanding how it interacts with fuels and solvents is key to improving yield. Phospholipid bilayers are the core of biomembranes, and model biomembranes of defined composition provide the ideal platform for biophysical studies. To this end, glycerophospholipids characteristic …

Monitoring External Workloads And Countermovement Jump Performance Throughout A Preseason In Division 1 Collegiate Women’S Basketball Players, Michelle Van Dyke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring external workloads and countermovement jump performance may be useful for coaches. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of external load on player performance as measured by a CMJ and specific blood biomarkers throughout the preseason. METHODS:10 female division 1 basketball athletes had PlayerLoad^TM (PL) monitored for all mandatory basketball training during six weeks of the preseason and CMJs were performed weekly. Blood biomarkers were collected before preseason and at the end of preseason. Data were analyzed via the Catapult Sport software (Openfield, Catapult, Innovations, Melbourne, VIC, Australia) to quantify all participant …

Convolution And Autoencoders Applied To Nonlinear Differential Equations, Noah Borquaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autoencoders, a type of artificial neural network, have gained recognition by researchers in various fields, especially machine learning due to their vast applications in data representations from inputs. Recently researchers have explored the possibility to extend the application of autoencoders to solve nonlinear differential equations. Algorithms and methods employed in an autoencoder framework include sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics (SINDy), dynamic mode decomposition (DMD), Koopman operator theory and singular value decomposition (SVD). These approaches use matrix multiplication to represent linear transformation. However, machine learning algorithms often use convolution to represent linear transformations. In our work, we modify these approaches to …

Proteomics And Machine Learning For Pulmonary Embolism Risk With Protein Markers, Yaa Amankwah Awuah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates protein markers linked to pulmonary embolism risk using proteomics and statistical methods, employing unsupervised and supervised machine learning techniques. The research analyzes existing datasets, identifies significant features, and observes gender differences through MANOVA. Principal Component Analysis reduces variables from 378 to 59, and Random Forest achieves 70% accuracy. These findings contribute to our understanding of pulmonary embolism and may lead to diagnostic biomarkers. MANOVA reveals significant gender differences, and applying proteomics holds promise for clinical practice and research.

Art And Interdisciplinary Opportunities For Literacy Instruction: A Qualitative Study To Examine Educator Perceptions In The Rural Setting, Courtney Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine educator perceptions of teaching art and implementing literacy and interdisciplinary strategies in rural northeast Tennessee school districts. This study explored interdisciplinary connections and opportunities to expand access to literacy acquisition in the art room. Participants included twelve educators who served as art instructors, literacy specialists, and district supervisors in rural public-school systems in Tennessee's First Congressional District. Data were collected through virtual interviews using a semi-structured format. To qualify for the study participants held positions as elementary or secondary art teachers, literacy specialists, or district supervisors in rural northeast Tennessee …

Advancing Health Information During Interhospital Transfer: An Interrupted Time Series, David W Bates, Lipika Samal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Although the transfer of patients between acute care hospitals (interhospital transfer, IHT) is common, health information exchange (HIE) during IHT remains inadequate, with fragmented communication and unreliable access to clinical information. This study aims to design, implement, and rigorously evaluate the implementation of a HIE platform to improve data access during IHT.

Methods and analysis: Study subjects include patients aged >18 transferred to the medical, cardiology, oncology, or intensive care unit (ICU) services at an 800-bed quaternary care hospital; and healthcare workers involved in their care. The first aim of this study is to optimize clinician workflow, data visualization, …

A Novel Small Molecule Inhibitor Of P38⍺ Map Kinase Augments Cardiomyocyte Cell Cycle Entry In Response To Direct Cell Cycle Stimulation, Riham R E Abouleisa, Jessica M Miller, Ahmad Gebreil, Abou Bakr M Salama, Marc Dwenger, Hania Abdelhafez, Reham M Wahid, Adeniyi T Adewumi, Mahmoud E S Soliman, Nader E Abo-Dya, Tamer M A Mohamed

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and purpose: Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of mortality globally due in part to the limited ability of cardiomyocytes (CMs) to regenerate. Recently, we demonstrated that overexpression of four-cell cycle factors, CDK1, CDK4, cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 (4F), induced cell division in ~20% of the post-mitotic CMs overexpressed 4F. The current study aims to identify a small molecule that augments 4F-induced CM cycle induction.

Experimental approach, key results: Screening of small molecules with a potential to augment 4F-induced cell-cycle induction in 60-day-old mature human induced pluripotent cardiomyocytes (hiPS-CMs) revealed N-(4,6-Dimethylpyridin-2-yl)-4-(pyridine-4-yl)piperazine-1-carbothioamide (NDPPC), which activates cell cycle progression …

Women Leaders In The Oil And Gas Industry: How They Lead With Authenticity And Deal With Underrepresentation And Gender Bias In The Macro, Meso, And Micro Levels Of Society, Michelle Ann Ballard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted between March 2023 and April 2023 and measured if women leaders in the oil and gas industry could lead authentically while dealing with gender biases. Women executives encounter macro-level challenges such as recruitment, retention, maintaining a career in oil and gas, feeling a sense of belonging, and gender prejudices. Women have faced organizational obstacles and challenges such as modifying their personalities, being underrepresented in their organization, unequal compensation, discriminatory stereotypes, and scarcity of resources. However, women in the industry also confront nonorganizational deterrents such as work-life conflict, harassment, and being regarded as poor advocates for their …

A Case Study Of The Political Determinant Of Health On The Public Health Crisis Of Malaria In Nigeria, Bisola M. Olumegbon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Globally, there were about 229 million cases of malaria in 2022. The sub-Saharan African region accounted for 92% of the reported cases and 94% of deaths. Nigeria had the highest number of malaria cases and deaths, representing 27% of global cases. This scholarly project was a case study guided by the political determinants of health. Triangulation of data using thematic analysis was used to identify the political determinants of malaria in Nigeria and to understand how the concept of interaction contributes to the persistence of the disease. The analysis involved a deductive and inductive approach based on the literature …

Evaluation Of Cardiovascular Risk Compliance For Primary Prevention: A Quality Improvement Project, Rachelle S. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association clinical practice guidelines recommend a cardiovascular risk assessment every 4–6 years in ages 40–75 to prevent cardiovascular disease. This DNP project aimed to improve awareness, compliance with cardiac risk assessments, and stratification of high and low-risk patients. This quality improvement project utilized the Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based model to create the inquiry question and foundational plan for implementing the clinical practice guideline, calculating the cardiac risk score, and creating a clinical workflow process. A retrospective chart audit was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method to collect pre- and postintervention data on …

Educational Robotics And Computational Thinking In Elementary School Students, Sonia D. Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the role of educational robotics in fostering computational thinking in elementary settings, both in classrooms and extracurricular programs. Among growing concerns over K–12 students’ computational thinking deficits, the research evaluated the impact of Lego EV3 and VEX IQ platforms. Data was sourced from lesson plans, student work surveys, and teacher interviews and then subjected to thematic analysis using a qualitative approach. The participants were Texas educators engaged in robotics instruction, even though specific robotics statistics are absent in the Texas Education Agency. Instructional strategies varied from hands-on experiences to translating mathematical concepts into robotic actions. A key …

Endometrial Tgfβ Signaling Fosters Early Pregnancy Development By Remodeling The Fetomaternal Interface

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The endometrium is a unique and highly regenerative tissue with crucial roles during the reproductive lifespan of a woman. As the first site of contact between mother and embryo, the endometrium, and its critical processes of decidualization and immune cell recruitment, play a leading role in the establishment of pregnancy, embryonic development, and reproductive capacity. These integral processes are achieved by the concerted actions of steroid hormones and a myriad of growth factor signaling pathways. This review focuses on the roles of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway in the endometrium during the earliest stages of pregnancy through the …

Programmable And Reversible Integrin-Mediated Cell Adhesion Reveals Hysteresis In Actin Kinetics That Alters Subsequent Mechanotransduction, Zheng Zhang, Guy M Genin, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Dynamically evolving adhesions between cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) transmit time-varying signals that control cytoskeletal dynamics and cell fate. Dynamic cell adhesion and ECM stiffness regulate cellular mechanosensing cooperatively, but it has not previously been possible to characterize their individual effects because of challenges with controlling these factors independently. Therefore, a DNA-driven molecular system is developed wherein the integrin-binding ligand RGD can be reversibly presented and removed to achieve cyclic cell attachment/detachment on substrates of defined stiffness. Using this culture system, it is discovered that cyclic adhesion accelerates F-actin kinetics and nuclear mechanosensing in human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), with …

Organ Aging Signatures In The Plasma Proteome Track Health And Disease, Hamilton Se-Hwee Oh, Yun Ju Sung, Lihua Wang, Jigyasha Timsina, Dan Western, Menghan Liu, Pat Kohlfeld, John Budde, Carlos Cruchaga, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Animal studies show aging varies between individuals as well as between organs within an individual

Normalization Of Drug And Therapeutic Concepts With Thera-Py, Matthew Cannon, James Stevenson, Kori Kuzma, Susanna Kiwala, Jeremy L Warner, Obi L Griffith, Malachi Griffith, Alex H Wagner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: The diversity of nomenclature and naming strategies makes therapeutic terminology difficult to manage and harmonize. As the number and complexity of available therapeutic ontologies continues to increase, the need for harmonized cross-resource mappings is becoming increasingly apparent. This study creates harmonized concept mappings that enable the linking together of like-concepts despite source-dependent differences in data structure or semantic representation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this study, we created Thera-Py, a Python package and web API that constructs searchable concepts for drugs and therapeutic terminologies using 9 public resources and thesauri. By using a directed graph approach, Thera-Py captures commonly used …

Neurofibromin 1 Mutations Impair The Function Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Microglia, Leonard D Kuhrt, Edyta Motta, Nirmeen Elmadany, Hannah Weidling, Raphaela Fritsche-Guenther, Ibrahim E Efe, Olivia Cobb, Jit Chatterjee, Lucy G Boggs, Marina Schnauß, Sebastian Diecke, Marcus Semtner, Corina Anastasaki, David H Gutmann, Helmut Kettenmann

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant condition caused by germline mutations in the neurofibromin 1 (NF1) gene. Children with NF1 are prone to the development of multiple nervous system abnormalities, including autism and brain tumors, which could reflect the effect of NF1 mutation on microglia function. Using heterozygous Nf1-mutant mice, we previously demonstrated that impaired purinergic signaling underlies deficits in microglia process extension and phagocytosis in situ. To determine whether these abnormalities are also observed in human microglia in the setting of NF1, we leveraged an engineered isogenic series of human induced pluripotent stem cells to generate human …

An Exploration Of Two Information Literacy Open Learning Object Repositories: Value, Content, And Engagement, Tiffanie Lynn Ford-Baxter

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy (IL) open learning object repositories (LORs) provide a space for librarians to find and exchange instruction resources and lessons. Given many librarians enter the workforce with little or no formal training or educational opportunities to learn about pedagogy, these repositories are indispensable resources to the Library and Information Science field. This study explored the contents of two popular IL LORs, Project Cora and the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox, to uncover how users engage with the resources and how the repositories differ. This study's findings suggest that while resources within the LORs …

Fall 2023 Issue: Authors' Biographies, Antonina Lukenchuk

i.e.: inquiry in education

No abstract provided.