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Judicial Integrity Under Scrutiny: Analyzing Misconduct Allegations During Times Of Turmoil, Nicholas Gigliotti

Master's Theses and Capstones

Judicial ethics, grounded in principles of impartiality and integrity, face threats when public perceptions are compromised by instances of misconduct and the actions of those who fail to adhere to these core standards. Since 1980, the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act has provided a mechanism for reporting and addressing allegations of misconduct that do not reach the level of impeachment. This process offers complainants a means to hold judges accountable for their actions and often serves as a forum for addressing grievances that might otherwise go unheard. While the federal judiciary is typically insulated from external pressures due to lifetime …

How Mineral Fertilizer Affects Soil Nitrogen Pools And Microbial Activity, Lee Hildebrand

Master's Theses and Capstones

Nitrogen fertilizer is an essential aspect of modern agriculture; however, a substantial amount of applied nitrogen does not reach the crops it is intended for and leaches out of the soil. Soil organic matter and microbial activity are key regulators of the soil nitrogen cycle and the fate of nitrogen fertilizer. Understanding how fertilizer type impacts soil organic matter, nitrogen pools, and microbial activity will greatly improve our understanding regarding sustainable fertilizer application. To investigate this, I conducted an experiment using incubation with several fertilizer treatments and two soil types. I measured various soil nitrogen pools, soil respiration rates, and …

Spatial And Temporal Drivers Of Paternity In Saltmarsh Sparrow, Talia Marie Kuras

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta) is a non-territorial, multiply mating passerine with an uncommon polygynandrous mating system in which females are reproductively available with primarily synchronous timing during 3 breeding cycles within the breeding season. In similarly multiply mating species with synchronously available females, home range size and time within breeding season have been identified as drivers of male reproductive success; however, these are atypical characteristics of success in avian mating systems. We investigated the relationship between male Saltmarsh Sparrow home range size, location, age, time within breeding season, and male reproductive success. We performed nest monitoring, mist netting, and …

Understanding Key Habitat Features For The Vulnerable Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza Caudacuta) To Inform Tidal Marsh Restoration Priorities, Grace Elizabeth Mcculloch

Master's Theses and Capstones

As climate change accelerates the rate of sea-level rise, salt marshes and the critical habitat they provide are increasingly threatened. The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta) is particularly vulnerable to such changes. Habitat loss and increased nest failure due to flooding put the species at a high risk of extinction within the next several decades. Restoration plans across New England aim to build salt marsh resiliency. To effectively prioritize Saltmarsh Sparrow conservation in these plans, it is essential to identify the features that predict Saltmarsh Sparrow breeding season habitat, so these features can be maintained and enhanced during a restoration project.In …

Diversification Of New England’S Macroalgae Industry: Introduction Of Nori, Riplee Mercer

Master's Theses and Capstones

The aquaculture of macroalgae is multi-billion-dollar industry globally, but is primarily dominated by Asian production. The US macroalgae industry is relatively small but has grown over the last decade, heavily dominated by kelp aquaculture. The goal of this project is to facilitate the diversification of the US industry by developing nursery and grow-out techniques for the production of Wildemania amplissima, a native species of nori. Following the life history of Wildemania amplissima, a series of experiments were conducted to 1) compare culture initiation methods from wild-collected blades, 2) determine optimum culture conditions for vegetative growth of the conchocelis sporophyte stage, …

Trusted Yet Vulnerable: A Quantitative Analysis Of Trusted Execution Environments (Tee) Security., Lakshmi Sravani Nissankararao

Master's Theses and Capstones

Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) are essential for secure computing across mobile devices, cloud platforms, and IoT, yet they remain vulnerable to exploits. This thesis presents a novel approach to enhancing TEE security through automated vulnerability classification and advanced fuzzing techniques. The research first introduces an innovative methodology for classifying vulnerabilities into Trusted Applications (TA), TrustZone Operating Systems (TZOS), and general categories using machine learning algorithms such as Random Forest, J48, Naive Bayes, Multilayer Perceptron, and Support Vector Machines. Evaluating these on a dataset of 750 vulnerabilities from the NIST database demonstrates accurate characterization and improved efficiency over manual methods. The …

Assessment Of Synthetic Aperture Radar For Classification Of Exposed Coastal Soils In The Great Bay Estuary, Tess Priest

Master's Theses and Capstones

Coastlines around the world are composed of a wide range of sediments. The classification of coastal soil ranges from coarse-grained sediments (gravels and sands, 75 mm to 0.075 mm), to fine-grained sediments (silts and clays, 0.075 mm and smaller). In geotechnical engineering applications, the shear strength of soil is a key characteristic and is commonly influenced by the classification, grain size, and water content of the soil. While site-specific investigation is the best method for obtaining these parameters, information regarding soil type can often be readily accessed from existing literature as a general classification. However, soil type can vary at …

Dependance On The Atr-Chk1-Wee1 Axis Due To R-Loop Accumulation In Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Evelyn Victoria Proctor

Master's Theses and Capstones

Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine skin cancer. In the United States about 80% of MCC cases are caused by MCPyV, which is the only human polyomavirus that has been directly correlated to human cancer. However, there is not a significant amount of information about pathways that are important in MCC. Here we show that MCC cells are reliant on the ATR-CHK1-WEE1 axis for proliferation and to maintain their oncogenic phenotype. We have found several inhibitors that work to reduce cell viability in MCC cells. Synergistic combinations of these inhibitors and chemotherapeutic agents have also been found. Additionally, …

Hardware And Software Optimization For Of Smart Insole Systems For Gait Analysis, Femi John Olugbon

Master's Theses and Capstones

Gait analysis is vital in human biomechanicals, clinical diagnostics, and rehabilitation, providing essential insights into human locomotion. Ground reaction forces play a significant role in understanding gait dynamics, detecting abnormalities, and assessing treatment outcomes. Accurate measurement and analysis of ground reaction forces and other gait parameters are crucial for developing effective interventions and improving patient outcomes.

The first part of this thesis explores methods to optimize and standardize the number of pressure sensors and their optimum placements within the insole for accurate and reliable estimation of temporal gait parameters. Standardization of sensor position for temporal gait analysis is crucial for …

Say Bananas: A Pilot Study On An App-Based Intervention As A Modality Of Home Practice, Kate Margaret Sjostedt

Master's Theses and Capstones

This single subject design study provides an initial exploration of using Say Bananas toprovide motor learning-based intervention for children with childhood apraxia of speech. By implementing an app-based home practice intervention tool to support traditional speech sound disorder treatment, specifically the Treatment for Establishing Motor Program Organization (TEMPO), it was designed to treat speech sound disorders by implementing exercises using a more engaging platform. We tested the performance of three different children diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech. Each child used the app as a modality of home practice five days a week for four weeks in addition to their …

Understanding Ecological Baselines To Inform Humpback Whale (Megaptera Novaeangliae) Management Strategies In Southeast Alaska, Melanie Anabel Smith

Master's Theses and Capstones

Vessel disturbance impedes the resilience and recovery of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) populations. Many management strategies in Southeast Alaska aim to protect whales and their habitat. However, it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of management strategies without understanding the state of an ecosystem with minimal vessel traffic. The thesis examines two situations with reduced vessel activity to understand humpback whale behavioral and acoustic ecology. We first use the Beardslee Island Complex and adjacent waters in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (Glacier Bay), an area with minimal vessel traffic, to understand habitat use by foraging and traveling whales. Using …

Bioimpedance Smart Needle System For Real-Time Tissue Detection During Intramuscular Injection, Marc Peter Tausanovitch

Master's Theses and Capstones

Injectable drug delivery is an extremely commonplace procedure in the world ofmedicine, with over 16 billion injections administered annually. Due to the high vascularity of muscle tissue, the intramuscular (IM) route is preferred for many antibiotic, biological, and hormonal drugs. Appropriate needle length plays a critical role in the success of IM injection, ensuring that the drug is deposited in the core muscle. Instances of over- or under-penetration are associated with reduced drug bioavailability and vaccine related injury. Unfortunately, guidelines for needle length selection do not always yield positive results due to practitioner error or adverse patient physiology. This thesis …

Characterizing The Diets Of Tidal Marsh Sparrows Using Fecal Dna Metabarcoding, William Thomas Rumfelt

Master's Theses and Capstones

Animal diet studies provide valuable insights into evolution and ecology, including about niches filled by species and how they are shaped by interspecific competition. Fecal DNA metabarcoding is an efficient, non-invasive approach to assess animal diets by sequencing DNA recovered from fecal samples. This study used fecal DNA metabarcoding to characterize the breeding season diets of six Atlantic coast tidal marsh sparrow species with varying levels of adaptation to tidal salt marsh habitat. We identified the major prey taxa present in each species’ diet, compared dietary diversity as a measure of niche width across species of varying salt marsh specialization, …

Investigating Late Pleistocene To Recent Bimodal Sedimentation In The Terrebonne Basin, Gulf Of Mexico, Kayla Tozier

Master's Theses and Capstones

The UT-GOM2-2 Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition collected continuous conventional and pressure cores in the Terrebonne Basin, Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to 155 mbsf to investigate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of sediments within, bounding, and overlying methane hydrates. Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy constrains the age of the upper 145 mbsf to the Pleistocene (<0.66 Ma) to recent. Description of UT-GOM2-2 Hole H003 revealed a lithologic unit from 4.5 to 152 mbsf, defined by bimodal sedimentation of carbonate oozes and interbedded muds. In this thesis, we examine the shallowest mud-to-carbonate ooze transition to investigate the processes driving this bimodal sedimentation through measurements of biogenic silica (BSi), total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulfur (TS), total organic carbon (TOC), and δ13C of total organic carbon (δ13C-TOC) from 4.62 to 37.83 mbsf. Mixed planktonic foraminifers were picked for radiocarbon dates through 14.39 mbsf, constraining the last ~42,000 years. Our results are integrated with additional existing shipboard and post-cruise data sets, including XRF core scanning data, calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy, reworked calcareous nannofossil abundance, smear slide analyses, and magnetic susceptibility data. Our integrated results suggest that the BSi record represents reworked (RW) Cretaceous radiolarians delivered fluvially to the site, rather than Pleistocene to recent radiolarians produced via in situ productivity. Evidence of greater terrigenous flux by RW Cretaceous microfossils (both calcareous nannofossils and radiolarians) during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 is consistent with a closer distance of the site to the shoreline during a sea-level low stand. Increased grain size and sand delivery during the last deglacial (16 to 8.9 ka) are consistent with meltwater pulse-driven sedimentation documented elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico (e.g. Emiliani et al., 1975; Aharon, 2003). Below the radiocarbon constrained interval, two biostratigraphic age datums from 70 to 290 ka nearly constrain a full glacial-interglacial cycle (most of MIS 4-8), where coarse turbidite delivery is greatly increased during a glacial period, consistent with sea level low stands, and reworked sediment delivery greatly increases towards the interglacial period, consistent with meltwater pulses and higher sea level. Though stadial/interstadial processes are evident in our datasets, it appears that the bimodal sedimentation represents a systematic shift in the proximity of the site to the Mississippi River mouth. Low and relatively consistent CaCO3 content, depleted δ13C values, and high TOC:TN values within the carbonate ooze interval suggest that in situ productivity does not increase, but rather dilution by terrigenous sediment decreases. These findings have implications for the deposition of coarse- and fine-grained lithologies on the northern Gulf of Mexico, which may ultimately influence gas hydrate distribution along continental margins. Additionally, these findings suggest that BSi can be measured in GOM sediments as a proxy for the Mississippi River flux.

Mindfulness And Meditation: Activation Likelihood Estimates (Ale) And Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modelling (Macm), Ariana Christine White

Master's Theses and Capstones

Introduction: Mindfulness, a popular practice that originated as a Buddhist custom, encompasses a myriad of techniques such as meditation, yoga, and journaling. Such practice is often suggested for individuals with mental health disorders (MHD). Recently, mindfulness-based interventions, including forms of psychotherapy like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, have gained prominence. Investigations into brain activity associated with mindfulness-based interventions have identified positive modulation of a Triple Network Model (TNM), a confluence of three brain networks that are commonly associated with MHD. Targeting these networks and understanding mindfulness-specific connectivity may provide evidence for regions to target during intervention in order to induce neural …

Evaluating The Long-Term Performance Of Recycling Agents In High-Rap Content Asphalt Mixtures, Zheng Wang

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Utilization of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) has become a pivotal strategy for improving infrastructure sustainability. However, with a high RAP content included in the pavement material, the aged asphalt will decline the mechanical properties of the flexible pavement and thus decrease the durability. Recycling agents (RAs) are products with chemical and physical characteristics designed to restore the rheological properties of reclaimed asphalt material and improve the performance of recycled asphalt mixtures with high RAP content that promote economic and environmental benefits. Plenty of the RA products are proven effective once blended with asphalt; however, the long-term effect of the …

A Hybrid Residue Based Sequential Encoding Mechanism With Xgboost Improved Ensemble Model For Identifying 5‑Hydroxymethylcytosine Modifications, Islam Uddin, Hamid Hussain Awan, Majdi Khalid, Salman Khan, Shahid Akbar, Mahidur R. Sarker, Maher G. M. Abdolrasol, Thamer A. H. Alghamdi

Artículos científicos

RNA modifications play an important role in actively controlling recently created formation in cellular regulation mechanisms, which link them to gene expression and protein. The RNA modifications have numerous alterations, presenting broad glimpses of RNA’s operations and character. The modification process by the TET enzyme oxidation is the crucial change associated with cytosine hydroxymethylation. The effect of CR is an alteration in specific biochemical ways of the organism, such as gene expression and epigenetic alterations. Traditional laboratory systems that identify 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) samples are expensive and time-consuming compared to other methods. To address this challenge, the paper proposed XGB5hmC, a …

Diverging Paths, Converging Goals Framing Crisis To Kairos In Bill Gates's And Greta Thunberg's Climate Discourse, Daniel Wuebben, Wang Emily, Emma Gomez Domingo, Juan Romero-Luis

Artículos científicos

This article introduces a typology of nine communication frames and analyzes how they operate in Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Catastrophe (2021) and Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book (2022). The typology draws special attention to how non-fiction books are vehicles that can appeal for timely action (i.e. kairos), establish authorial ethos, disseminate climate science, and advocate for climate activism and energy transitions. The application of the typology highlights the books' narrative arcs: Gates and Thunberg both begin by acknowledging the reality and severity of the climate crisis and the correspondence between social progress and justice. Then, their arguments …

Forecasting Construction Material Prices Using Macroeconomic Indicators Of Trading Partners, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Supply chain instabilities and inflated material prices have had a disruptive impact on cost estimating of construction projects. While several research efforts used national macroeconomic indicators to forecast the prices of domestically produced construction materials, none of the existing studies investigated whether the lagged macroeconomic indicators of the main trading partners could enhance the predictability of the prices of cement, steel, and lumber in the US construction sector. This paper fills this knowledge gap. The authors adopted a multi-step methodology that included: (1) collecting data on the target variables and the candidate leading indicators; (2) identifying the structural breaks in …

Book Review Of Her Honor: Stories Of Challenge And Triumph From Women Judges, Janet Bond Arterton

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Temporal Scales Of Mass Wasting Sedimentation Across The Mississippi River Delta Front Delineated By 210pb/137cs Geochronology, Jeffrey Duxbury, Samuel J. Bentley, Kehui Xu, Navid H. Jafari

Faculty Publications

The Mississippi River Delta Front (MRDF) is a subaqueous apron of rapidly deposited and weakly consolidated sediment extending from the subaerial portions of the Birdsfoot Delta of the Mississippi River, long characterized by mass-wasting sediment transport. Four (4) depositional environments dominate regionally (an undisturbed topset apron, mudflow gully, mudflow lobe, and prodelta), centering around mudflow distribution initiated by a variety of factors (hurricanes, storms, and fluid pressure). To better understand the spatiotemporal scales of the events as well as the controlling processes, eight cores (5.8–8.0 m long) taken offshore from the South Pass (SP) and the Southwest Pass (SWP) were …

Limits On Polygonal Organization Of Boulders In The Martian Northern Lowlands, D. R. Hood, A. L. Cohen-Zada, R. C. Ewing, S. Karunatillake

Faculty Publications

Polygonal terrain on Mars can form via thermal contraction and subsequent fracturing of the permafrost layer and covers much of the surface poleward of ∼60°. In similar terrains on Earth, seasonal freeze-thaw processes create a range of diverse landforms, including several in which clasts on the surface congregate into sorted circles and polygons. In the Martian northern lowlands, several investigations into boulder patterns have come to differing conclusions on whether analogous organization of clasts is present on Mars, whether there is an association between boulders and polygonal fracture margins, and what periglacial process may cause such organization in the modern …

September 2024 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

The Sacraments Of Initiation As ‘Proof Of Concept’ For Bernard Lonergan’S ‘Four-Point Hypothesis’, Eugene R. Schlesinger

Religious Studies

This essay endeavors a correlation between Bernard Lonergan’s ‘four-point hypothesis’ – a theological proposal integrating trinitarian theology and the supernatural order of ‘created grace’ – and the sacraments of initiation. The same formal structure that Lonergan discerned in the experience of grace, itself a means of participation in the life of the Trinity, is replicated in the sacramental reception of that grace in those ritual acts whereby one is made a Christian. This at once serves as a ‘proof of concept’, lending credence to the Lonerganian proposal, and provides a speculative framework for understanding how it is that the sacraments …

Mitigation Of Road Mortality Of Freshwater Turtles In New Hampshire With An Emphasis On Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea Blandingii), Lauren White

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a state-endangered species in New Hampshire that is particularly vulnerable to road mortality due to reproductive life history traits, habitat use, and migration patterns. Successful conservation techniques to mitigate wildlife road mortality include building fences and wildlife crossing structures (eco-passages) at roadkill hot spots. A collaborative research group designed a road mortality risk model to understand turtles' relative road mortality risk at existing wetland crossing sites in New Hampshire and to assess whether culverts at these sites may function as eco-passages. To ground-truth this model, roadkill surveys and wildlife camera monitoring techniques were used …

Pediatric And Pregnancy-Related Visits At Rural Health Clinics In 2018 Among Medicaid/Chip Enrollees In 20 States, Katherine A. Ahrens Mph, Phd, Zachariah T. Croll, Yvonne Jonk Phd, John Gale, Heidi O'Connor

All Maine Rural Health Research Center Publications

Background: There is limited information on the extent to which Rural Health Clinics (RHC) provide pediatric and pregnancy-related services to individuals enrolled in state Medicaid/CHIP programs. Methods: We used a 100% sample of the 2018 Medicaid Demographic and Eligibility and Other Services Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files for 20 states to estimate pediatric and pregnancy-related services to patients enrolled in state Medicaid/CHIP programs. Results: Among children and young adults enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP in 20 states, around 1 in 10 visited a RHC in 2018. For those living in rural areas, around 1 in 5 visited an RHC …

Control And Management Of Type-Ii Diabetes Among People Living With Hiv (Plwh) Compared To Hiv-Negative Patients And By Clinic Type In The Bronx, Nyc, Aprielle Wills

Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Control and Management of Type-II Diabetes Among People Living with HIV (PLWH) compared to HIV-Negative Patients and by Clinic Type in the Bronx, NYC

by

Aprielle Wills

Advisor: Heidi E Jones, MPH PHD

Background: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that approximately 1.3 million people in the United States (U.S.) were living with an HIV diagnosis by the end of 2021. With advancements of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and improved access to care, HIV has become a chronic condition in the U.S. As PLWH age, they are experiencing higher rates of other chronic conditions, specifically type-II diabetes (type-II …

Examining Well-Being And Healthy Lifestyle Interventions Among Nursing Students Worldwide: A Scoping Review, Christine S. Gipson, Belinda Deal, Michael Skinner

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify intervention studies related to well-being and healthy lifestyles in nursing students to identify research gaps in the literature for future research. Methods: The review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Five databases were searched to retrieve the articles assessed by this review: APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Complete, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria included articles with a sample population of nursing students; addressed the well-being, wellness, health, or healthy lifestyle(s) …

Application Of Surge Arrester In Limiting Voltage Stress At Direct Current Breaker, Mohammadamin Moghbeli, Shahab Mehraeen, Sudipta Sen

Faculty Publications

Hybrid DC circuit breakers combine mechanical switches with a redirecting current path, typically controlled by power electronic devices, to prevent arcing during switch contact separation. The authors’ past work includes a bipolar hybrid DC circuit breaker that effectively redirects the fault current and returns it to the source. This reduces arcing between the mechanical breaker’s contacts and prevents large voltage overshoots across them. However, the breaker’s performance declines as the upstream line inductance increases, causing overvoltage. This work introduces a modification to the originally proposed hybrid DC breaker to make it suitable to use anywhere along DC grid lines. By …

Insights From Augmented Data Integration And Strong Regularization In Drug Synergy Prediction With Synergnet, Mengmeng Liu, Gopal Srivastava, J. Ramanujam, Michal Brylinski

Faculty Publications

SynerGNet is a novel approach to predicting drug synergy against cancer cell lines. In this study, we discuss in detail the construction process of SynerGNet, emphasizing its comprehensive design tailored to handle complex data patterns. Additionally, we investigate a counterintuitive phenomenon when integrating more augmented data into the training set results in an increase in testing loss alongside improved predictive accuracy. This sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of model learning. Further, we demonstrate the effectiveness of strong regularization techniques in mitigating overfitting, ensuring the robustness and generalization ability of SynerGNet. Finally, the continuous performance enhancements achieved through the integration …