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Title: The Moderating Role of Goal Orientation In Gamified Instruction : An Extension of The Theory of Gamified Learning
Creator: Garcia Marquez, Caribay
Date: 2019
Description: Despite the increasing interest in gamification, a review of the gamification literature by Seaborn and Fels (2015) found that very few...
Show moreDespite the increasing interest in gamification, a review of the gamification literature by Seaborn and Fels (2015) found that very few articles addressed the connection between theoretical considerations and empirical findings. Landers (2014) developed the theory of gamified learning to provide researchers with a framework to explore the effect of gamification on learning outcomes. The present study empirically tested the mediational process of Lander’s (2014) theory of gamified learning as well as proposed and tested an extension to examine the moderating role of an individual difference. Specifically, this study explored the moderating role of goal orientation on the mediational pathway from Assessment game attributes (i.e., badge, progress bar and combined) to self-efficacy to learning outcomes (i.e., declarative knowledge, skill demonstration and job-search self-efficacy). A gamified resume course was developed for this study on a gamification platform called Gametize. Participants were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and instructed to respond to a pre-course questionnaire containing demographic information and the goal orientation assessment, they were then directed to the Gametize website to complete the gamified resume course after which they were re-directed to Qualtrics to complete a post-course questionnaire collecting job-search self-efficacy measures. Results show there was insufficient evidence to support the predictions based on the theory of gamified learning, and moreover the hypothesized moderating effect of goal orientation. Nonetheless, an interesting outcome of this study was the significant interaction of the badge condition with LGO and APGO, suggesting badges can help improve self-efficacy in a gamified learning experience. A unique contribution of this study is a blueprint for examining individual differences as an extension of the theory of gamified learning. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
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Title: EXPRESSION OF PPAR-γ AND PGC-1α TO INFLAMMATION IN HEPATOCYTES
Creator: HE, QIFAN
Date: 2019
Description: In this study, we examined that Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPAR-γ) and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Coactivator 1-α ...
Show moreIn this study, we examined that Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPAR-γ) and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ Coactivator 1-α (PGC1α) protein expression in hepatocytes have different degrees of expression to Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα) and rosiglitazone. To verify this objective, we employed lentivirus, instead of traditional plasmids, to transfect human hepatocytes (HepG2). Fluorescence-related protein of PPAR-γ and PGC-1α were delivered to hepatocytes, and inflammation was induced by adding TNFα and rosiglitazone to the medium. We successfully designed and created the lentivirus with high delivery efficiency, and determined that the test was true, indicating that PPAR-γ and PGC-1α proteins have different expression to inflammation in human hepatocytes.
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Title: PROCESS DESIGN FOR SMART GRID COORDINATED IGCC POWER PLANT
Creator: Garcia Fracaro, Sofia Belen
Date: 2019
Description: The current scientific consensus is that changes in greenhouse gas emissions will have wide-ranging effects on the natural environment as well...
Show moreThe current scientific consensus is that changes in greenhouse gas emissions will have wide-ranging effects on the natural environment as well as on human society and world economies. Cutting green house gas emissions could be achieved by switching the majority of power production to renewable sources, like wind and solar. However, the intermittent nature of renewable sources will require special attention when integrating into the electric power system. The notion of a smart grid is to introduce new dispatch capable sources as well as provide mechanisms for consumers to be responsive to power availability. One way a smart grid communicates its objectives is through the price of electricity. Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) can utilize forecasts of electricity prices to determine operating policies for dispatch capable generators and flexible consumers. While EMPC in the context of variable electricity prices can reduce costs (or increase the revenue), operational flexibility will usually require equipment upgrade, and add to the capital cost of the system. In this thesis an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) will be used to illustrate potential dispatch capabilities, the benefits of EMPC based operation, and the challenges associated with process design in the context of smart grid coordinated operation. First it is assumed that dispatch enabling equipment is available. While EMPC can provide an increase in the revenue during plant operation, it is not amenable to the equipment design problem. While the method of ELOC can be used for integrated process design and control, we must first show that ELOC performs similar to EMPC and that it can serve as a surrogate. Finally, the ELOC based equipment design problem is formulated, which optimizes with respect to operating as well as capital costs.
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Title: Critical Aspect Ratio And Flow Development In A Low Reynolds Number Variable Aspect Ratio Duct Utilizing Oil Film Interferometry
Creator: Chiu, Daniel P.
Date: 2019
Description: Within the realm of fluid mechanics, there has always been an interest of bridging the gap between ideal- and real fluid flows. Pertaining to...
Show moreWithin the realm of fluid mechanics, there has always been an interest of bridging the gap between ideal- and real fluid flows. Pertaining to the study of turbulent duct flow, an aspect ratio (AR) configuration that would behave in such a manner would be considered a critical aspect ratio. This would mean the flow core would be unaffected by any sidewall contributions. Such analysis is done through wall shear measurement techniques; this study used oil-film interferometry (OFI).The first steps of this study were to determine sufficient criteria to ensure that the data collected were representative of the tested configuration, e.g. parameter choice and flow development length. Previous studies used the bulk velocity U_b which is derived from the entirety of the flow. This study focuses on the flow core, thus the choice to use the center-line velocity U_C seemed appropriate. The development length pertains to testing downstream from the inlet such that parameters are independent in th`e streamwise direction. This study demonstrates that the previously held value of x/H = 100 is insufficient and that nearly twice that is required.Furthermore, this study shows three very important findings: the flow development length required for testing is x/H ≈ 200, the size of the test platform plays little part in the overall behavior of the flow, and that the critical aspect ratio is AR = 24. These findings correspond to an aspect ratio range of 12.8 ≤ AR ≤ 48 and a Reynolds number range of 0.5 × 10^4 < Re_H < 4.0 × 10^4 . From these data, the estimated relationship between the coefficient of friction and the Reynolds number is shown with the following relation:Cf,C = 0.05164 Re_H ^ −0.25
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Title: Leakage Power Attack-Resilient Designs of A SRAM Cell in 7nm FinFET Technology
Creator: Chen, Kangqi
Date: 2019
Description: Recently, the classic metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOS- FET) has reached its limit for scaling. Another transistor...
Show moreRecently, the classic metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor (MOS- FET) has reached its limit for scaling. Another transistor structure, FinFET, gradually has become the alternative choice for next generation of integrated circuits. Excellent features like reduced short channel effects, low threshold-voltage variability, less random dopant fluctuation, etc, offer this transistor model more stability, less leakage and faster performance. In particular, scaling trends force SRAM cells to be more vulnerable while using conventional MOSFET. The application of FinFET helps SRAM cell designs to overcome stability issues and achieve less power and faster speed. Another critical feature of an SRAM cell that needs to be considered is the correlation between data stored in cell and leakage of this cell. Side-Channel Attacks (SCA) like Leakage Power Analysis (LPA) would exploit this correlation to decrypt the secret key inside the memory. SCA has been proved to be a non-invasive but dangerous threat. Therefore, LPA would be the main focus of this thesis research.In this thesis, firstly, threshold voltage of various models are investigated using fundamental logic circuits including full-adders built with pass transistors, CLRCL and SERF. Secondly, conventional 6T SRAM cell design and single-ended 9T SRAM cell design targeting high stability and low power, are implemented and compared. Thirdly, the leakage balance method is applied to 9T cell design. Two novel solutions for LPA prevention of 9T design are proposed, implemented and compared against the original 9T design and conventional 6T design. The results confirm improved leakage balance and attack resilience while maintaining the stability and low-power features of the original 9T SRAM cell.
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Title: Effect of pH on desiccation survival of Salmonella
Creator: Chen, Fangyu
Date: 2019
Description: One intrinsic property of foods, pH, can affect Salmonella survival in high-moisture foods, but its effect in low-moisture foods is unknown....
Show moreOne intrinsic property of foods, pH, can affect Salmonella survival in high-moisture foods, but its effect in low-moisture foods is unknown. In this study, the effect of pH on desiccation and persistence of Salmonella was explored using two approaches. First, the pH range that affects survival in low-moisture environments was explored. The effect of acid adaptation in acidic low-moisture environments was also explored. Salmonella Anatum was grown on trypticase soy agar with 0.6% yeast extract (TSAYE). After harvest, cells were divided and one portion treated independently at pH 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 for 30 min. Both portions were then desiccated on a cellulose filter in a biohazard cabinet (23±2°C) overnight (24±2 h). After desiccation, cells not previously pH treated were resuspended in buffers at pH 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 for 30 min, and cells previously pH treated were resuspended in buffered peptone water (BPW). All suspensions were plated on TSAYE with ammonium iron citrate and sodium thiosulfate to determine surviving populations. In addition, S. Anatum was grown on TSAYE adjusted to pH 4, 5, 7, and 8. Cells were either harvested with buffer with the same pH of the growth media or with saline then treated at pH 4, 5, 7 and 8. All were desiccated as indicated before. Desiccated cells were stored at 20% RH at 25°C for up to 29 days. To determine the effect of prior acid adaptation on survival in acidic environments, Salmonella Anatum and Salmonella Agona were grown on agar with or without 1% glucose, harvested, then suspended in buffer at pH 4, 5, and 7. Each culture was desiccated on cellulose filters and stored at 30% RH at 25°C for up to 29 days. Harvested cells were also stored in buffers at the same pH held stored at 25oC for the same time periods. In addition, acid-adapted cells were harvested with saline, desiccated and stored as indicated for each type of cells on wheat flakes. Results from pH range finding experiments indicated pH did have an effect on the survival of Salmonella during desiccation. Desiccation prior to treatment will affect survival at different pH levels. However, prior pH adaptation did not result in increased survival under different pH conditions once cells were desiccated. Acid adaptation prior to desiccation at low pH adversely affected survival for S. Agona but not S. Anatum. Survival after desiccation at different pH levels was greater than survival in the same pH buffers. No advantage or differences in survival was observed with a commercial wheat flake product indicating results obtained in a model environment may be reduced or eliminated when food components are present.
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Title: Factor Analysis of a Stigma Measure for Adults with Autism
Creator: Beedle, Robert Brian
Date: 2019
Description: This study evaluates a measurement tool for public stigma of adults with autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability...
Show moreThis study evaluates a measurement tool for public stigma of adults with autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability affecting individuals’ sensory experiences, behaviors, and social interactions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Current literature has examined public stigma of ASD through qualitative methods and select attitude and social distance scales, consistently reporting lower levels of negative attitudes when disclosure of ASD diagnosis is provided (Gray, 2002; Hennegan, 2010; Obeid et al, 2015). Other research suggests adults with ASD frequently experience stigma and discrimination in their daily lives across settings (MacLeod, Lewis, & Roberson, 2013; Nicolaidis et al, 2015; Thibault, 2014). Previous research has not examined whether known processes of stigma (i.e., Attribution Theory, Danger Appraisal models) are applicable to understanding the stigma reported by this population. In the current study a commonly used measure of the stigma of mental illness (Attribution Questionnaire 27) was administered to determine its psychometric properties when applied to adults with ASD. Examination of a previous measurement model for this questionnaire on a sample of participants (N = 160) indicated lack of model fit. A larger sample (N = 306) was collected to determine the data-driven factor structure of this measure. A series of exploratory factor analyses indicates a three-factor, 24-item solution that displays strong psychometric properties, as well as convergent validity with other measures of attitudes towards disabilities and ASD. Results of this study suggest additional need to research the topic of stigma towards adults with ASD.
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Title: Detection Of BAXΔ2 Reading Frame Shift Using A Dual Luciferase Reporter System
Creator: Beatty, Evan Alexander
Date: 2019
Description: While initial studies of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-associated X protein isoform Δ2 (BAXΔ2) identified the combination of an alternative splicing...
Show moreWhile initial studies of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2-associated X protein isoform Δ2 (BAXΔ2) identified the combination of an alternative splicing event and a gene-level mutation as the prerequisites for biosynthesis in microsatellite unstable (MSI+) human colon cancer cells, no similar explanation existed to explain the presence of this protein in normal and normal adjacent tissues. To identify an alternative to the gene-level mutation in the absence of an MSI+ phenotype, we utilized a dual luciferase reporter assay designed to observe epigenetic recoding. Plasmid constructs containing the first two exons encoding BAXΔ2 were either transcribed and translated in vitro or transfected into BAX-negative human colon cancer cells. In both cases, assay of the protein products of the reporter genes demonstrate that a low level (2.82% in vitro, 4.43% in vivo) of all translational events which produce the protein product of an upstream reporter gene also produce the protein product of a downstream reporter gene. This occurs despite the two existing in different reading frames as a result of the BAX exons cloned between them. These results confirm that an epigenetic recoding event is able to salvage the BAX reading frame in cases where exon 2 has been excised, and further narrow down the potential mechanism involved to either transcriptional slippage or programmed ribosomal frameshifting.
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Title: Inflammation induced changes in adipocytes
Creator: Kim, Kihwan
Date: 2019
Description: The significant features of Crohn’s Disease include creeping fat that covers more than 50% of both small and large intestine surfaces and high...
Show moreThe significant features of Crohn’s Disease include creeping fat that covers more than 50% of both small and large intestine surfaces and high level of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6. However, the relationship between these two factors of Crohn’s Disease is still unknown. Therefore, verifying the relationship could contribute to understanding the cause of Crohn’s Disease. In this study, preadipocytes were used because they have a potential to grow as adipocytes which are developed as creeping fat. The objective of this study was to observe proliferation, differentiation, and chemotaxis of preadipocytes in inflammatory microenvironment. It was found that only TNF-alpha stimulates preadipocyte proliferation whereas IL-6 does not. However, both TNF-alpha and IL-6 inhibit differentiation of preadipocytes. Furthermore, preadipocytes did not have chemotactic responses towards both cytokines. Therefore this study concludes that these inflammatory microenvironments induce the preadipocytes proliferation in Crohn’s. However, they inhibit adipogenesis and recruitment of the preadipocytes in Crohn’s.
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Title: FRANK-KASPER PHASES IN THE CO-NB-NI TERNARY SYSTEM AND THE ISOTHERMAL SECTION OF THE CO-NB-NI SYSTEM AT 1473K
Creator: Jia, Hui
Date: 2019
Description: The present study is to determine the Frank-Kasper phases in the Co-Nb-Ni system. Frank-Kasper phases, also called topological close packed ...
Show moreThe present study is to determine the Frank-Kasper phases in the Co-Nb-Ni system. Frank-Kasper phases, also called topological close packed (TCP) phases are one of the largest groups of intermetallic compounds. They are classified into several phases: A15, Laves, σ, µ and the M, P, R phases. In the 1200°C-isothermal section of the Co-Nb-Ni system, the µ phase and Laves phases exist over large composition ranges. In this study, the Co-Nb-Ni ternary system was investigated using optical microscopy(OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experimental results were compared with literature data and thermodynamic calculations. XRD was used to identify the Frank-Kasper phases. In comparison with previous investigations, the large extensition of µ phase in the Co-Nb-Ni system was verified. In addition, the small phase (~67at. % Nb) shown in the alloys with ~50at. % Nb is the unstablized impurity phase. On the other hand, according to the results of experiments and thermo-calc, C15 phase was found instead of C14 phase compared with Gupta's study.
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Title: DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF CIVIL STRUCTURES AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS USING DEEP LEARNING AND SATELLITE IMAGERY
Creator: Jones, Scott F
Date: 2019
Description: Since 1980, millions of people have been harmed by natural disasters that have cost communities across the world over three trillion dollars....
Show moreSince 1980, millions of people have been harmed by natural disasters that have cost communities across the world over three trillion dollars. After a natural disaster has occurred, the creation of maps that identify the damage to buildings and infrastructure is imperative. Currently, many organizations perform this task manually, using pre- and post-disaster images and well-trained professionals to determine the degree and extent of damage. This manual task can take days to complete. I propose to do this task automatically using post-disaster satellite imagery. I use a pre-trained neural network, SegNet, and replaced its last layer with a simple damage classification scheme. This final layer of the network is re-trained using cropped segments of the satellite image of the disaster. The data were obtained from a publicly accessible source, the Copernicus EMS system. They provided three channel (RGB) reference and damage grading maps that were used to create the images of the ground truth and the damaged terrain. I then retrained the final layer of the network to identify civil structures that had been damaged. The resulting network was 85% accurate at labelling the pixels in an image of the disaster from typhoon Haiyan. The test results show that it is possible to create these maps quickly and efficiently.
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Title: MODELING OF MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE
Creator: Jackson, Robert David
Date: 2019
Description: This work uses two different techniques for modeling mammalian cell culture: Differential Equation (DE) based Modeling and Agent-Based...
Show moreThis work uses two different techniques for modeling mammalian cell culture: Differential Equation (DE) based Modeling and Agent-Based Modeling (ABM). The development of both models was done in free open-source software instead of the traditional software that requires the purchase of licenses. The DE model was developed in Python and can predict total, viable, and dead cell densities, glucose, lactate, glutamine, ammonia, and product titer. To expand on the detail level capabilities of previous DE models it has added temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen dependence. The ABM can predict viable cell density, glucose, lactate, and the distribution of the three experimentally detectable cell cycle phases G1G0, S, and G2M. The ABM was developed for high-performance computing to improve on a previous ABM and allow for running at a hundred-fold smaller run-time with a much higher capacity for the amount of agents that can be simulated.
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Title: Ultrasensitive protein quantification using Rolling Circle Amplification
Creator: Hetzel, Laura Ann
Date: 2019
Description: There are several protein biomarkers that can aid in diagnosing and evaluating the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), including Amyloid...
Show moreThere are several protein biomarkers that can aid in diagnosing and evaluating the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), including Amyloid Beta-42 (Aβ42), Amyloid Beta-40 (Aβ40), and Tau proteins. The proteins are most prevalent in the brain and cerebral spinal fluid, becoming more diluted in the bloodstream. Since diagnosis and progression would require evaluating and comparing protein levels over time and identifying miniscule changes, an assay with high sensitivity is paramount. Similarly, evaluating how a drug treatment affects the levels of protein requires a highly sensitive assay. Currently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is accepted as the most sensitive assay for protein detection and quantification. However, in the case of Aβ40 and Aβ42 proteins, oftentimes the levels of the proteins in patients are very close to the sensitivity of the commercial ELISA. The uncertainty in these measurements is very high, which results in reporting of conflicting outcomes. One of the challenges of quantifying proteins is that proteins, unlike nucleic acids, cannot be amplified. To overcome this limitation, we have cleverly pseudo-amplified proteins using rolling circle amplification (RCA). By doing so, we have demonstrated a ten to forty times improvement in sensitivity over ELISA and radioimmunoassays. In previous experiments, C-peptide has been used as the protein of interest, and ELISA reports the smallest detectable quantity is 0.01 ng in buffer. Using RCA, we have found that as little as 0.00075 ng C-peptide in buffer could be quantified, and 0.004 ng in 10% serum could be quantified. The same process can be applied to other proteins such as Aβ40 and Aβ42, and the results are expected to be similar. In fact, we have measured Type I Diabetes autoantibodies with approximately forty times improvement over the gold standard radioimmunoassay. With excellent results in buffer and 10% serum, expansion to human samples holds great potential. If the human experiments are as successful as anticipated, RCA could be used to precisely evaluate the effect of a drug on protein levels, contributing to the overall evaluation of the success of the drug.
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Title: Concurrency and Locality Aware GPGPU Thread Group Scheduling
Creator: Nosek, Janusz M
Date: 2018
Description: Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) once served a limited function for rending of graphics. With technological advances, these devices gained new...
Show moreGraphics Processing Units (GPUs) once served a limited function for rending of graphics. With technological advances, these devices gained new purposes beyond graphics. Most modern GPUs have exposed their APIs to allow processing of data beyond the display, thus leading to a revolution in computing where instructions and intensive tasks can be offloaded to these now General Purpose Graphical Processing Units (GPGPUs). Many compute and memory intensive tasks have utilized GPGPUs for acceleration and these devices are especially prevalent in the financial, pharmaceutical and automotive industries. As computing resources have increased exponentially, memory resources have not and now create a limiting factor known as the memory wall. GPUs have been designed as an application specific processing unit for the streaming data access patterns found in graphical applications. They are successful at their original purpose, but when extended to general purpose problems, they meet the same memory wall data access problem as their CPU counterparts; they can be more susceptible to the effects latency due to the locality and concurrency of instructions beside data. This thesis reviews the current GPGPU landscape, including the design of current scheduling systems, GPGPU architecture, as well as a way of computing and describing the memory access penalty with Concurrent Average Memory Access Time (C-AMAT). We will also demonstrate the current GPGPU landscape, including design of schedulers, simulators as well as how Concurrent Average Memory Access Time (C-AMAT) can be computed. We have devised a solution to manipulate the number of scheduled thread groups to allow a GPGPU’s processing units to match their current memory states defined by C-AMAT. Our solution results in the increase in IPC, the reduction in C-AMAT and decrease in memory misses. The solution also has different effects on different types of computing problems, with highest improvements achieved in compute intensive memory patterns with as much as a 12% improvement in the instructions per cycle and a 14% reduction in C-AMAT.
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Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL PULSED UV-LIGHT SYSTEMS FOR INACTIVATION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN APPLE JUICE AND ON APPLE SURFACE
Creator: Malik, Sargun
Date: 2018
Description: Pulsed light processing can effectively inactivate microorganisms from the surface of foods or in transparent liquid foods. Pulsed light...
Show morePulsed light processing can effectively inactivate microorganisms from the surface of foods or in transparent liquid foods. Pulsed light systems currently available in the market operate at a fixed pulse duration and frequency and might not be optimized for microbial inactivation. A novel pulsed light system (Model X 1100; Xenon Corporation, USA) enables the researchers to adjust various parameters including pulse duration (100-7000μsec), voltage(1000-3000V), frequency (0.1-20Hz),% of energy (0-100%), and energy (up to 9J /cm2 / pulse of optical energy or 2433J / pulse of electrical energy ) . This study evaluated the effect of various parameters (treatment time, voltage, frequency, energy / pulse) on inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes in buffered peptone water (BPW), apple juice, and apple surface. For liquids, a 4-mL of sample (4-mmdepth) artificially inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes was treated in a quartz Petri dish (5.5-cmdiameter). For solid food, the top surface (skin side) of a slice of apple (1×1×0.5cm）was inoculated and exposed to various pulsed light treatment conditions. The results indicated that the impact of these factors vary as many of these factors are inter-related. In general, increasing the frequency, input voltage, pulse duration, and percentage of energy, increased the microbial reduction at the tested conditions (p<0.05). For instance, reductions of 1.21and 5.47 log10 CFU/mL were obtained in BPW and reductions of 1.35 and 4.70 log10 CFU/mL was acquired in apple juice, at 0.1and 0.82Hz, respectively, for a 20-sec treatment at 2500V (50% energy,700 μsec pulse width). Increased energy per pulse resulted in increased microbial reduction. For example, reductions of 2.30, 5.59, 6.69, and 6.69 log10 CFU/mL were obtained at 645, 1241, 1837, and 2433J/ pulse of electrical energy, respectively, in apple juice. Similarly, reductions of 5.34, 6.45, 6.02, and 6.56 log10CFU/mL were obtained at 645, 1241, 1837, and 2433J/ pulse, respectively in BPW. Lower reduction was obtained from the skin surface of the apple, for instance, reductions of 0.70 and 1.19 log10 CFU/ slice were obtained at 0.10 and 0.82 Hz, respectively, after a 10 seconds treatment at 2500V (50%energy). Similarly, reductions of 2.44, 2.43, 3.39, and 3.48 log10 CFU/ slice were obtained at 645, 1241, 1837, and 2433J/ pulse of electrical energy, respectively, after a 15 seconds treatment at 3000V (0.2Hz). The results were similar to the pulsed light treatment with RC 800 system (Xenon Corporation, USA). Absorption of pulsed light energy resulted in temperature increase in the products. Temperature increase of up to 11°C was observed at the treated conditions. The results suggest that this novel pulsed light system can potentially be used for inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes.
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Title: STRUCTURAL DEFECT CONTROL TO IMPROVE SOLID-STATE REACTION AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PERFORMANCE OF NaCrO2 CATHODE FOR SODIUM-ION BATTERIES
Creator: Luo, Mei
Date: 2018
Description: NaCrO2 has been studied lately as a promising cathode material for Na-ion batteries. Consequently, this study was conducted to investigate how...
Show moreNaCrO2 has been studied lately as a promising cathode material for Na-ion batteries. Consequently, this study was conducted to investigate how high-energy ball milling before the high temperature reaction influences the synthesis reaction and electrochemical performance of NaCrO2 cathodes for Na-ion batteries. In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffractometry is employed for the first time to provide a comprehensive understanding of the critical reaction temperatures and reaction pathway. It is found that high-energy ball milling at room temperature can result in significant changes in the synthesis reaction of NaCrO2 when compared to reactants without high-energy ball milling. These changes include a decreased onset temperature for the formation of O3-NaCrO2, an increased reaction kinetics, an alternation of the reaction pathway, and a complete reaction at 900℃ to form thermally-stable O3-NaCrO2 phase. In contrast, without high-energy ball milling the reaction product at 900℃ is a highly impure NaCrO2 with a poor thermal stability. Equally important, it is found that mechanical activation enhances the bulk ionic conductivity as well as the conductivity at the interface of NaCrO2 particles; moreover, high-energy ball milling before reaction can lead to higher specific discharge capacities of NaCrO2 half cells and contribute to the best capacity retention over 50 cycles among all the reported NaCrO2 without coatings. All these improvements of NaCrO2 cathodes for Na-ion batteries are ascribed to the mechanical activation induced by high-energy ball milling before high temperature reaction.
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Title: THE RELATION BETWEEN DEPRESSION AND TRAIT ANXIETY SYMPTOMS AND MATERNAL UTTERANCES DURING SONOGRAM PROCEDURES
Creator: Hamilton, Catharine Elizabeth
Date: 2018
Description: The present study examines the relation between depression and trait anxiety symptoms and women’s utterances during a routine ultrasound...
Show moreThe present study examines the relation between depression and trait anxiety symptoms and women’s utterances during a routine ultrasound procedure in the second trimester of pregnancy. Participants included a diverse group of 70 women seeking prenatal care at an academic medical center in the Midwestern United States. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) depression subscale and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), trait form were used to assess symptoms of depression and trait anxiety, respectively. Audio and video of participants’ faces during the ultrasound examination were used to assess the content, sentiment, and number of utterances. Results of regression analyses indicated that higher levels of depression symptoms were significantly related to a lower proportion of fetus-related utterances to total utterances. Higher levels of depression symptoms and trait anxiety were significantly related to a lower proportion of positive fetus-related utterances to total fetus-related utterances, after controlling for gestational age. Higher levels of depression symptoms were significantly related to a higher proportion of negative-fetus-related utterances to total fetus-related utterances, after controlling for education. These findings suggest that pregnant women who are experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety may exhibit certain types and patterns of utterances during routine prenatal sonogram procedures. Thus, observation of pregnant women’s naturalistic speech may provide helpful supplemental information to the traditional self-report measure in screening for symptoms of depression and anxiety.
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Title: Role of Respiratory Enzymes on Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Luria-Bertani and Artificial Urine Media
Creator: Hu, Yuyao
Date: 2018
Description: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes many hospital-acquired infections. The treatment of P. aeruginosa...
Show morePseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes many hospital-acquired infections. The treatment of P. aeruginosa infections is difficult due its multiple defense and adaptive mechanisms. One of these mechanisms is the flexibility of its respiratory chain. The human cell respiratory chain is composed of four respiratory enzymes with low mechanistic flexibility. On the other hand, the respiratory chain of P. aeruginosa contains 23 respiratory enzymes that ensure survival under harsh conditions. To elucidate the physiologic role of these respiratory enzymes, our research compared the growth parameters of wild type P. aeruginosa and nine separate respiratory enzyme mutants, in both LB and artificial urine media (AUM). The deletion mutants include the sodium-translocating NADH: quinone oxidoreductase, complex I, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome bc1 complex, cytochrome c oxidase and cyanide insensitive terminal oxidase. Our data indicate that the growth curve of the cytochrome bc1 complex knockout mutant showed a significantly lower yield and lower growth rate compared with the wild type in both LB and AUM media. Additionally, the cyanide insensitive terminal oxidase mutant showed a significant lower yield compared with the wild type in LB media growth. These results indicate the important roles of these enzymes in the cell biology of P. aeruginosa.
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Title: Maternal-Fetal Attachment: Does it predict parenting outcomes?
Creator: Desai, Shivani S.
Date: 2018
Description: Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) predicts critical aspects of the caregiver-child relationship, including parental sensitivity and engagement....
Show moreMaternal-fetal attachment (MFA) predicts critical aspects of the caregiver-child relationship, including parental sensitivity and engagement. However, little is known about the relation between MFA and specific parenting beliefs and attitudes that contribute to these positive parenting behaviors, such as parenting sense of competence and parenting stress. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine if MFA predicts specific domains of parenting sense of competence and parenting stress when children are two years of age. Participants included 53 mainly Caucasian women with a mean age of 33.9 years. MFA was assessed during pregnancy (mean gestational age = 27.02 weeks) using the Maternal Fetal Attachment Questionnaire. Parenting sense of competence and stress were assessed when the children were 2 years of age with the Parenting Sense of Competence questionnaire and the Parenting Stress Index questionnaire. Results of regression analyses indicated that higher levels of MFA significantly predicted higher levels of parenting satisfaction, a domain of parenting sense of competence. They also indicated that higher levels of MFA predicted lower levels of two domains of parenting stress, including stress associated with attachment and role restriction. These findings suggest that prenatal attachment is important to assess during pregnancy, as it may predict future parenting beliefs and attitudes, including sense of competence and stress.
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Title: SHARING COMMUNITY HOUSING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN CHINESE BIG CITIES
Creator: ZHANG, HAOYU
Date: 2018
Description: In the past few decades, China has achieved an unbelievable fast development, from a poor after-war country to the second largest economy in...
Show moreIn the past few decades, China has achieved an unbelievable fast development, from a poor after-war country to the second largest economy in the world. Under the leadership of the Chinese central government and people’s corporate effort, China made significant achievements in its economic growth, modernization construction. With these achievements, Chinese urbanization has gone through a rapid development and expansion process. Nowadays, city living quality and urban development became one of the most popular focal points in Chinese people’s daily life.The Chinese urbanization enters rapid expansion era. Urbanization with Chinese characteristics does bring a rich material life and improve the standard of people’s living. Meanwhile, city problems started to appear and bring inexpediency and troubles to urban resident’s daily life. At the same time when cities are developing, the distance between people seems to get further. Comparing to other groups of people, the young professionals, are facing more challenges in the cities. They are under pressure from intense competition and high living cost. Most of them must live in space with bad conditions and gradually lose confidence under the heavy load from life. They are also in self-enclosed status, losing normal social relationships and scare to communicate with others. In Chinese big cities, having a comfortable space to live and not being lonely seems to be an unattainable wish for the young generation. Meanwhile, as an emerging economic pattern, Sharing Economy started to appear in most countries of the world during past years. China, as one of the largest economies, and a country with extremely high population base and rapid development speed became the best place for sharing economy to be developed. The Chinese urbanization situation gave a massive push to the sharing economy which is highly expected and considered to be able to solve the problem of conflict between people and urban. This thesis aims to prove that the idea of sharing can create an efficient, economical and comfortable living environment for young professionals in Chinese big cities, by looking at the urbanization with Chinese characteristics, young professionals living conditions, the development of sharing economy in China and developing a community prototype. This community will help young people to relieve living stress and rebuild social connections, also become a solution to reduce the conflict between young professionals and urban environment.
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