Digital Commons Network^™

Single-Mode Distributed-Feedback Lasing In Coupled Dissimilar Photonic Waveguides, Bryce A. Tennant

Theses

Distributed-feedback (DFB) lasers support a wide range of applications including fiber-optic and free-space optical communications, sensing and measurement, military warfare, and manufacturing and metrology. The desire for a reduction in size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) for each of these applications continues to aggressively drive integrated- and silicon-photonic circuit development. Since DFB lasers based on uniform refractive-index diffraction gratings are naturally dual-mode, a variety of techniques have been introduced to impose single-mode operation, including the currently ubiquitous λ/4-grating phase-shift technique. This grating phase shift, however, creates an undesirable peaky-power profile within the laser cavity resulting in nonlinear behavior ultimately limiting …

College Students' Perceived Behavioral Expectancy Violations By Instructors In The Zoom Classroom, Kaleb Kronimus

Theses

As of the COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing briefly usurped face-to-face as the primary medium of communication for education and professional settings. Even now in 2022 as the impact of the pandemic begins to be felt less, video conferencing remains an integrated part of educational settings, with Zoom being the most prominent video conferencing application in education. This study used expectancy violations theory to explore both the behavioral expectations students have of their instructors on Zoom, as well as what instructors themselves believe their students' expectations to be when on Zoom. This paper explores both the general expectations held by students, …

Think Of Rivers, Nell Pittman

Theses

Think of Rivers searches for the presence of my parents in the landscape. My dad through the landscape where his ashes now lie, and my mom in the ways she taught my sister and me how to live. These photographs are autobiographical, encapsulating cycles of life and death. They are about my familial experiences and my drive to make sense of my experiences through subjects of landscape, specifically in Rochester, NY where my mom grew up. Making these pictures helps me to make sense of my childhood and my mom’s grief, which turns me towards her. Think of Rivers reflects …

Re-Presenting The Spanish Civil War At The Museo Reina Sofía: Recordando Un Pasado “Olvidado” (Remembering A “Forgotten” Past), Gabrielle Estes

Theses

Upon opening in 1990, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid was intended as a modern and contemporary Spanish art museum that could stand on an international scale. It has since achieved this goal, with much of its success riding on the significant work of the second-floor gallery, Picasso’s 25-foot mural entitled Guernica. The painting sets the tone for the surrounding gallery space that narrates the story of the Spanish Civil War through paintings, propaganda, photographs, magazines, and films produced during the time period. The permanent collection in this gallery helps to display a violent past to …

Advanced Control Of Vapor Compression Liquid Chillers, Suliman Awad

Theses

Chillers are one of the most sophisticated and most important equipment in cooling plants. Due to its complexity and importance, a cost effective and accurate control technique is a necessity to ensure system reliability and longevity. As the chiller contains multiple inputs and outputs, two advanced multivariable control techniques were selected to control the chillers cooling capacity, exit chilled liquid temperature of the evaporator as well as to reject disturbances. The advanced techniques covered in this framework are the Linear Quadratic Integral (LQI) and Model Predictive Control (MPC). Both were successfully applied to the chiller’s model for multiple testing cases …

Exploring Search-By-Video Technology For Searching Structured Human Movements: Insights From Sign Language Look-Up Systems, Saad Hassan

Theses

Identifying unfamiliar human movements is crucial across several tasks and fields, including skill acquisition and human movement analysis research. With the advancements in computer vision technology, search systems can be developed that allow users to search for human movements by submitting a video sample. A clear example of such systems is search-by-video sign-language look-up systems. The advances in sign-language recognition technology have made it feasible to design these systems, which allow users to generate queries by either submitting a video of themselves performing the word or by submitting a video segment containing the unknown sign. These systems can be particularly …

Incorporating High Dynamic Range Into Multispectral Imaging For Cultural Heritage Documentation, Gabrielle Brogle

Theses

The dynamic range that can be captured using traditional image capture devices is limited. While an image sensor cannot capture the entire dynamic range that the human eye can see, imaging techniques have been developed to help accomplish this. High dynamic range imaging has been incorporated into digital photography pipelines to produce high-quality images with correctly exposed regions with varying illumination. The multiple exposures are fused together in post- processing. By capturing a broader dynamic range, the range of contrast captured is also increased, helping to improve color accuracy. Cultural heritage institutions face limitations when trying to capture color accurate …

Techniques To Create A Realistic Digital Collection Of Near Planar Cultural Heritage Objects, Snehal A. Padhye

Theses

Cultural heritage objects like paintings and manuscripts are a rich source of information about human history and a lot has been discovered through their study. A great collection of such artifacts is scattered around the globe in various libraries and research institutions. Digital images of the objects make them accessible to a greater audience, but images offer only a limited experience compared to observing the real thing. Public access to institutions got further limited during pandemic times, further increasing importance of techniques that enable rich access to such objects remotely. In addition, due to the physical nature of these often …

Housing Conditions And Needs In Urban District 5, Delan Almazrooei

Theses

Dubai remains one of the key tourist attraction areas in the world. However, the city has witnessed significant population growth over the past decade, which has resulted in problems associated with urbanization, such as pollution. The formulation of the DUBAI 2020 Urban Master Plan was meant to create a supple yet workable and viable formula to balance urban development and sustainability of the environment. The plan was based on population growth, utilization of infrastructure facilities, and advancement of effectual and environmentally sustainable energy sources. The master plan will affect critical areas, including Dubai Silicon Oasis Centre (DSO). With the key …

Near Transfer After Direct Instruction: An Experimental Inquiry Within Aviation Technician Training, Francis Eamonn Powers

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

This study put forth two instructional interventions set within a direct instruction (DI) framework specific to an aviation maintenance context. To evaluate the effectiveness of these two training interventions a criterion was established to measure near transfer during a performance evaluation on a live aircraft. Information learned within this study indicates that DI can be highly effective in technical training environments. This study also articulates how VR experiences may be included within these types of training contexts and discusses the factors and affordances that come with utilizing VR in instructional activities.

Additionally, this study revealed experiential characteristics of a DI …

Supporting Account-Based Queries For Archived Instagram Posts, Himarsha R. Jayanetti

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Social media has become one of the primary modes of communication in recent times, with popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram leading the way. Despite its popularity, Instagram has not received as much attention in academic research compared to Facebook and Twitter, and its significant role in contemporary society is often overlooked. Web archives are making efforts to preserve social media content despite the challenges posed by the dynamic nature of these sites. The goal of our research is to facilitate the easy discovery of archived copies, or mementos, of all posts belonging to a specific Instagram account …

Validation Of Meta Motion Imu Sensors Through Measurement Of Knee Angles During Gait, Kerri Caruso

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of inertial measurement units (IMU) in the biomechanical field has become increasingly popular due to their robustness, simplicity, accuracy, and the ability to move research out of a lab and into the real world. In this study, the MetaMotion IMU sensors are assessed for validity against a dynamometer and the Vicon motion capture system. Both systems have proven their measuring accuracies in the biomechanics world and are used as the truth source for this validation study. In the first part of this study, the sensors are assessed for various common sensor errors. Individual sensor components of the IMU, …

Factors Influencing African American Women To Attend A Rural Community College And Persist To An Associate Degree, Lorraine Anita Justice

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

African American women utilize the community college environments as an avenue to attain an education and eventually pursue career and educational goals while remaining in their own communities. However, not much is known about the unique perceptions and experiences of African American women impacting their enrollment and persistence at rural community colleges. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive research study was to examine the reasons African American female students choose to enroll and attend a rural community college to further their education and persist towards graduation with an Associate degree.

The data were collected using semi-structure individual interviews. Twelve African …

Examining The Relationship Between Program Satisfaction, Credential Earnings, And Gender On Full-Time Employment Outcomes Of Career And Technical Program High School Graduates In Virginia, Margaret J. Turley

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Career and technical education (CTE) incorporates occupational skills, workforce readiness skills, and credentials that make high school graduates better prepared for the workforce. Students who complete CTE programs of study have higher employment rates after high school graduation and often go on to postsecondary education. For those who do not go on to postsecondary education, CTE programs can provide opportunities for increased earnings and more access to the labor market.

This quantitative study used binary logistic regression, using data collected by the Center for Survey Research of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center to examine if satisfaction with CTE …

Salivary Microrna As A Concussion Biomarker And The Implications For Athletic Trainers' Practices, Thomas Richard Campbell

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Many concussions are sustained globally each year; however, research suggests that a large number may go undiagnosed due to a reliance on subjective information from patients and limitations of current objective measures. Recently, efforts have been focused on identifying clinical biomarkers of concussions, including salivary microRNA (miRNA), to improve healthcare professionals’ concussion management practices. Even if salivary miRNA were shown to be a valid and reliable measure for managing concussions, healthcare professionals, such as athletic trainers (ATs), must be familiar with the tool and have positive attitudes toward the implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was …

Sealion Cubesat Mission Architecture Using Model Based Systems Engineering With A Docs As Code Approach, Kevin Yi-Tzu Chiu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

CubeSats are a growing population within the space industry. Every year, universities launch numerous amounts of CubeSats due to their inexpensive cost of development, launch, and deployment. However, this comes with numerous challenges. As the number of university-CubeSats grow, so too do the numbers that fail. With development teams consisting mainly of students with little to no training, proper and yet easy to use tools or methods should be implemented to help ensure mission success. Especially in the critical stages of planning before and during development, a technical approach to quickly track life cycle development of a CubeSat is needed. …

Climbers’ Risk Perceptions Of Erosion From Flooding At Carderock Recreation Area, Chandler J. Berry

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Through increased temperature, precipitation, frequency of extreme weather, flooding, drought, and fire, climate change will alter where and how people can recreate. Extant research illustrates the effects of climate change on a variety of outdoor recreation activities; however, little research has been completed on the effects of climate change on rock climbing outside of the alpine environment. One such impact found at Carderock Recreation Area is riverine flooding and erosion. This study used a quantitative survey research design to understand how risk perceptions of erosion from flooding are affected by place attachment and the past use history of rock climbers …

The Role And Contribution Of Rural North Carolina Community Colleges In Social Capital Development, Tanya J. Mcghee

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Community colleges are important settings for the development of social capital as well as institutions of higher learning. The democratic mission, geographic dispersion, and close relationship with multiple stakeholders throughout their service regions allow community colleges to be well-suited to act as liaisons and social architects facilitating social capital creation. This is particularly true in rural areas, where community colleges are often among the largest employers and are major cultural and civic engagement centers. In an era of persistent budget reductions and fiscal tension, there is a need to better understand the multitude of ways rural community colleges support communities …

Nb3Sn Coating Of Twin Axis Cavity And Other Complex Srf Cavity Structures, Jayendrika Kumari Tiskumara

Physics Theses & Dissertations

In the field of Accelerator Science, for the low cost and increased quality factor, thin films coated niobium cavities are used in the modern SRF research. Within the potential substances, Nb₃Sn has shown higher critical temperature than niobium. Here the tin vapor diffusion method is used as the preferred technique to coat niobium cavities. So far, only elliptical cavities have been coated with Nb₃Sn and this technique has not yet been applied to cavities with complex geometries, which are also helpful in the accelerator science field. The Half-wave resonator could provide us data across frequencies of …

Evaluating The Potential Use Of Saltwater Quarries In The Florida Keys For The Semi-Wild Mariculture Of Caribbean King Crab (Maguimithrax Spinosissimus), Samantha Glover

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Coral reef degradation, resulting from anthropogenic factors and natural change, has resulted in drastically reduced coral cover causing a phase shift from coral-dominated to macroalgae-dominated reefs, especially in the Caribbean. An important contributor to this shift is the loss of herbivores due to overfishing and the disease-related reduction of the long-spined sea urchin (Diadema antillarum) population during the 1980s. However, recent studies conducted in the Florida Keys have shown that increasing the abundance of herbivorous, native Caribbean king crabs (Maguimithrax spinosissimus) on reefs, can reduce the cover of nuisance algae and improve coral recruitment. Maguimithrax spinosissimus …

Labor Process Theory In Education: Teacher Retention, Turnover, Attendance, And Optimism In Jefferson County Public Schools., Janessa Lea San Luis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating worker satisfaction, retention, and attrition is far from a ground-breaking concept. Labor process theory has been a lens through which workers’ experiences have been studied and utilized in many workplaces. Schools are not exempt from this lens and others before me have slid them beneath the labor process lens, and I seek to add to that field of research. The teacher shortage issue is not a novel one by any stretch of the imagination, but with 45% of public schools having at least one teaching vacancy as of October 2022 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022), there is just …

Design Of A Hyperstable Endocrine Acting Fibroblast Growth Factot, Sara Armstrong

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

A novel chimera protein, consisting of the C-terminus of Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 21 and super FGF1, a mutant of the wild-type FGF1, was studied. The protein retained the stability of sFGF1 and the endocrine acting behaviors and binding efficiency of FGF21, so that it could be more practical for therapeutic uses as a wound healing and angiogenic agent. sFGF1- FGF21 was expressed and purified before utilizing various biophysical techniques to measure its stability, secondary and tertiary characteristics, and metabolic activity.

A Characterization Of The Quadruple Mutant Of The Fgf1-Fgf2 Heterodimer, Kenlee Claborn

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

Human Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) was first identified as a protein whose function was to aid in cell proliferation, but now, FGF has been determined to consist of over 23 different proteins in 7 different subfamilies with three different types of cell-signaling purposes.¹ In the first subfamily are the two most notable and studied proteins, Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 (FGF1) and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2). Respectively, they are known for their unique capabilities of cell proliferation/mitogenesis and angiogenesis.² To induce the cell-signaling pathway that leads to the function of these proteins, FGF1 and FGF2 binds to their …

Detection Of Nitrogen Dioxide Via Graphene-Enhanced Raman Scattering, Spencer Hazeslip

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper presents the development of a nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) sensor that utilizes the phenomenon of graphene-enhanced Raman scattering (GERS). The sensor consists of monolayer graphene on a silicon wafer, functionalized noncovalently with Copper(II) 2,9,16,23-tetra-tert-butyl-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (CuTTPc) via the solution soaking method. A custom sensing chamber was constructed to enable Raman spectra to be collected during NO₂ exposure. The response of the sensor was found to be linear between 10 and 100 ppm NO₂, indicating that it could be used for both detection and quantification. Furthermore, the sensor was shown to be reusable after …

Low-Cost Microstereolithography 3d Printing With Microfluidic Microsampling Applications, Lauren Twombly

Chemistry & Biochemistry Undergraduate Honors Theses

The growing field of stereolithography 3D printing has welcomed a new age ofmicrofluidic device fabrication techniques. When compared to previous planar fabrication techniques such as soft-lithography, stereolithography 3D printing offers highly automated procedures, reduced fabrication times, and greater complexity of device features. To date, the greatest tradeoff for 3D printing in microfluidic device fabrication is poorer resolution when compared to soft-lithography which can produce feature sizes on the nanometer scale. The poorer resolution of 3D printing limits the feasible size of features. While highly sophisticated 3D printers are capable of achieving sub 10 μm resolution, these instruments are incredibly expensive …

Nh 4-H Foundation Golf Registration, Avery Adam

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Ccfan Community Focus Group Flyer, Joy Gagnon

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Cardiac Ablation And Stimulation With Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (Nspefs), Federica Serra

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Surgical ablation of cardiac tissue is the definitive treatment for the most common arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation. In current medical practice, myocardial tissue is often ablated by the application of radiofrequency (RF) currents which are delivered through an electrode to create lesions that block the electrical pathways that sustain reentrant arrhythmias and restore the normal heart rhythm. An alternative to RF is cryoablation, during which the endocardial or epicardial tissue is brought in contact with a cryoprobe. Both RF ablation and cryoablation have significant limitations. In RF ablation, tissue is heated in order to ablate it, but it is an open …

Predicting E-Cigarette Use Among Emerging Adults Using Perceived Social Norms And Outcome Expectancies, Stephen N. Hanson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Despite low rates of combustible tobacco use rates among adolescents and young adults, e-cigarettes continue to gain popularity. A few factors have been shown to be related to e-cigarette use based on prior research. One such example is social enhancement expectancies. Additionally, greater perceptions of harm have been found to be inversely related to e-cigarette use such that those that expect increased risk to their health are less likely to report using e-cigarettes. I hypothesized that social enhancement expectancies would mediate the relationship between perceptions of social norms and e-cigarette dependence. I also hypothesized that perceived harm, such as greater …

Towards A Formal Theory Of Humor In Organizations, Richard Joseph Hayes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Current theories and models of humor conceptualize humor at the individual, dyadic, and organizational level. These theories laid the foundation for research and empirical findings that have established humor’s impact in the workplace. Yet, because these theories are not integrated, they individually do not offer a comprehensive view of humor in the workplace across different levels, hindering the development of multilevel research designs. Additionally, the ambiguity of these narrative theories hampers empirical testing precision. This dissertation expands the literature by introducing a mathematical, multilevel model of humor and tests that theory using computational simulation methods. Synthetic environments reproduced observed correlations …