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Title: THE CITY AS A DIGITAL PUBLIC SPACE: DATA-DRIVEN DESIGN AS A SOCIAL LINK
Creator: Shabehpour Setork, Pegah
Date: 2016, 2016-12
Description: We live in an age of instant communication, rapid transportation, and smartphones; an age where the answer to a question can be prompted...
Show moreWe live in an age of instant communication, rapid transportation, and smartphones; an age where the answer to a question can be prompted through voice command. With today’s unparalleled increase in digital information, big data is continuously adapting and developing our society with the support of emerging technologies. This has led to the rise and growth of our virtual communities as communication is primarily done through social media networks. The demise of our physical communities has reduced social interaction within the built environment. Despite this forward thinking and the ability to translate big data into architectural solutions, our urban environments have yet to reflect this. Patterns of human interaction within our cities can be transformed by incorporating and visualizing big data within public infrastructure. As a result, the architectural design process is due for an update. This research project explores the use of a high-speed rail station as a hybrid space for virtual and physical communities by providing an interface for users to interact with data streamed in real-time. With the use of data-driven design, new social links are formed and powered by technology as the city becomes a digital public space.
M.S. in Architecture, December 2016
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Title: INVESTIGATING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HALF-SATURATION COEFFICIENTS ON WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESSES
Creator: Shaw, Andrew Robert
Date: 2015, 2015-05
Description: This research is focused on the half-saturation coefficient (KS), which is an important, but often overlooked, parameter in the Monod equation...
Show moreThis research is focused on the half-saturation coefficient (KS), which is an important, but often overlooked, parameter in the Monod equation commonly used to describe biological wastewater treatment processes. Following an initial literature review, the research uses data for a denitrifying activated sludge process to show that KS is a function of the maximum rate and, further, that the relationship can be described either using a simple linear regression or by modeling diffusion explicitly. Building on this initial investigation of a particular treatment system, the research introduces and uses a “porter-diffusion” model that approximates diffusion to a linear equation for KS in the Monod equation. This is used to describe the linear relationship between KS and maximum rate for four different biological wastewater treatment systems. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is carried out on the parameters in the porter-diffusion model to show that r0 – a measure of cell size or diffusion distance – is the most sensitive parameter for a simple activated sludge process model based on a modified version of the International Water Association (IWA) activated sludge model #1 (ASM1). Overall this research has shown that in all of the biological wastewater treatment systems investigated in this thesis: (1) KS is not a constant but is a function of the maximum rate; (2) diffusion is a dominant mechanism that influences KS; (3) that a suitable expression for KS can be estimated using the porter-diffusion model, a linear data fit, or by modeling diffusion explicitly; and (4) measurements of KS in the laboratory must be carried out at the same food-to-microorganism (F/M) ratio as the full-scale system under investigation.
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, May 2015
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Title: RELATIVE RECEIVER AUTONOMOUS INTEGRITY MONITORING FOR FUTURE GNSS-BASED AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION
Creator: Gratton, Livio Rafael
Date: 2011-05-15, 2011-05
Description: The Global Positioning System (GPS) has enabled reliable, safe, and practical aircraft positioning for en-route and non-precision phases of...
Show moreThe Global Positioning System (GPS) has enabled reliable, safe, and practical aircraft positioning for en-route and non-precision phases of flight for more than a decade. Intense research is currently devoted to extending the use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including GPS, to precision approach and landing operations. In this context, this work is focused on the development, analysis, and verification of the concept of Relative Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RRAIM) and its potential applications to precision approach navigation. RRAIM fault detection algorithms are developed, and associated mathematical bounds on position error are derived. These are investigated as possible solutions to some current key challenges in precision approach navigation, discussed below. Augmentation systems serving large areas (like the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) covering the North American continent) allow certain precision approach operations within the covered region. More and better satellites, with dual frequency capabilities, are expected to be in orbit in the mid-term future, which will potentially allow WAAS-like capabilities worldwide with a sparse ground station network. Two of the main challenges in achieving this goal are (1) ensuring that navigation fault detection functions are fast enough to alert worldwide users of hazardously misleading information, and (2) minimizing situations in which navigation is unavailable because the user‟s local satellite geometry is insufficient for safe position estimation. Local augmentation systems (to be implemented at individual airports, like the Local Area Augmentation System or LAAS) have the potential to allow precision approach and landing operations by providing precise corrections to user-satellite range measurements. An exception to these capabilities arises during ionospheric storms (caused by solar activity), when hazardous situations can exist with residual range errors several orders of magnitudes higher than nominal. Until dual frequency civil GPS signals are available, the ability to provide integrity during ionospheric storms, without excessive loss of availability, will be a major challenge. For all users, with or without augmentation, some situations cause short duration losses of satellites in view. Two examples are aircraft banking during turns and ionospheric scintillation. The loss of range signals can translate into gaps in good satellite geometry, and the resulting challenge is to ensure navigation continuity by bridging these gaps, while simultaneously maintaining high integrity. It is shown that the RRAIM methods developed in this research can be applied to mitigate each of these obstacles to safe and reliable precision aircraft navigation.
Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, May 2011
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Title: CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SNTA: NNOS: DYSTROPHIN INTERACTION SITES
Creator: Shi, Chenyue
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal genetic disease caused by malfunction of the protein dystrophin. The main function of dystrophin...
Show moreDuchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal genetic disease caused by malfunction of the protein dystrophin. The main function of dystrophin is to connect the sarcolemma to the machinery of muscle function via specific binding domains near the C-terminus and N-terminus. These binding domains are connected by a large central rod region that had previously thought to have been biologically inert, but has recently been shown to contain binding sites for various biological partners, including a specific rod region that binds to nNOS, which is an important molecule in modulating vasodilation and increasing blood flow by relax vessel. Removal of this nNOS binding eliminates NO signaling during exercise, causing exercise-related ischemia leading to muscle damage. A major therapeutic strategy being studied to treat DMD is exon skipping, which results in modifications to the dystrophin protein. However, it remains unclear exactly where the binding sites on dystrophin protein and nNOS are, or how they interact with each other. This project is embarked upon more fully characterize the D1617 binding site on the nNOS PDZ domain. Previous studies show that, in neural tissue, PDZnNOS binds to two other proteins (PSD95 and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, NMDAR) forming a ternary complex in which the nNOS: PSD95 is a typical PDZ type interaction, but in which the nNOS :NMDAR binding occurred in an unusual fashion, through a unique “finger” region present in PDZnNOS but not in most other PDZ domains. Interestingly, in muscle cells, nNOS also interacts with two proteins, dystrophin and syntrophin (SNTA). Using this as an analogy, we hypothesize that in this case, the binding may also involve both the canonical and finger regions of PDZnNOS, one binding to each protein. We are testing this by constructing PDZnNOS variants with specific amino acid changes designed to xi disrupt each of these interactions (canonical and finger region) independently, and will then examine the impact on both the PDZSNTA and dystrophin D1617 interactions. It is hoped fully understanding the dystrophin nNOS interaction will allow therapies that require modification to dystrophin to conduct these modifications in a way that retains nNOS signaling required for proper muscle function.
M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, July 2014
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Title: MAXIMUM INDUCED SUBGRAPHS OF K-TREES WITH COMPONENTS OF ORDER 1 OR 2
Creator: Liu, Yunjiao
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: We study induced subgraphs where every component has order 1 or 2. For a graph G, let f(G) be the maximum order of such a subgraph of G....
Show moreWe study induced subgraphs where every component has order 1 or 2. For a graph G, let f(G) be the maximum order of such a subgraph of G. Chappell and Pelsmajer [1] considered a more general parameter for graphs G of bounded treewidth, but were unable to determine f(G) for graphs of treewidth k > 3, even asymptotically. They conjectured that f(G) ≥ ⌈ 2n k+2⌉ for an n-vertex graph of treewidth at most k, but for k > 3, they were only able to show that f(G) ≥ 2n+2 2k+3 . In this thesis, we improve the lower bound to l 8n 5(k+1)m, for n ≥ 2k + 1. In addition, for the case k = 4, we develop methods for an inductive proof, where the cases are verified by computer-checking. If the conjecture is false, then our approach should eventually lead to a counter-example. To facilitate this approach, we come up with the addition structure on 4-trees, where one K4-subgraph is the “root”, and we consider all the different ways that an induced subgraph can intersect with the root separately.
M.S. in Applied Mathematics, July 2014
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Title: INFEASIBILITY OF A POINTWISE TRUNCATION ERROR ESTIMATE TO DRIVE MESH ADAPTATION
Creator: Singh, Manpreet
Date: 2016, 2016-12
Description: An investigation of the Fast Approximation Scheme or FAS multigrid truncation error estimates at grid points with application to mesh...
Show moreAn investigation of the Fast Approximation Scheme or FAS multigrid truncation error estimates at grid points with application to mesh redistribution is presented. Feasibility of the error estimate as a means to adapt the mesh to a physical problem by solving the elliptic mesh equations derived from minimization of the error estimate based on the principle of equidistribution is examined by solving 1-D numerical test cases. To keep mesh movement under control, a parabolized version of the mesh equation is also tested to make an active comparison of the possible improvements in adaptivity and mesh quality. The results reveal smoothness issues indicating the need for a more robust estimator within the adaptive redistribution framework. Particularly, the prevalence of poor zonal e↵ects on the mesh points alone, point to lack of information over each cell thereby rendering the estimate ine↵ective to adapt the mesh.
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, December 2016
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Title: Mycoflora of Indoor Dust and Alternaria Alternata Growth on Building Materials
Creator: Simpson, Stacy
Date: 2011-10-27, 2011-12
Description: Alternaria alternata, a clinically significant mold species is associated with allergic disease and asthma. An indoor growth of A. alternata...
Show moreAlternaria alternata, a clinically significant mold species is associated with allergic disease and asthma. An indoor growth of A. alternata may initiate atopic symptoms, accumulate in dusts, and discolor and deteriorate indoor building materials. Environmental control should be the initial approach to maintain a healthy indoor environment and manage allergic diseases. The current thesis investigated indoor dusts from various environments for mold spores and Alt a 1. Laboratory studies were carried out to determine if or which commercially available mold-resistant treatments and building materials could efficiently decrease A. alternata growth and Alt a 1. The mycoflora of indoor dusts was microscopically examined and the clinically significant allergen from A. alternata, Alt a 1 was measured in sampled dusts using a monoclonal anti-recombinant Alt a 1 (rAlt a 1) enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). To investigate building material susceptibility untreated, mildew-resistant painted, and commercially available biocide treated building materials were inoculated with A. alternata spores, incubated in a humidity controlled chamber, and compared for mold growth and the presence of Alt a 1. A photo-monitoring technique was used to survey and determine mold growth surface area coverage. Alt a 1 immuno-reactivity of superficial mold growths was analyzed with the ELISA. The microscopic speciation of mold spores indicated that a diverse mycoflora can be found in indoor dusts. Although A. alternata was found in low concentrations in a few samples, Alt a 1was below the limit of detection. Nevertheless, mold spores can significantly contribute to the complexity of indoor dusts. A. alternata grew on all tested building materials but both painted and treated building materials inhibited mold growth in comparison to untreated samples. Not all material surfaces contained detectable levels of Alt a 1. Comparisons between untreated and painted building material groups indicated that a significant difference between the Alt a 1 accumulation content could not be established. To establish a standard sampling protocol and reliable prevention methods for mold contamination and exposure more knowledge about indoor molds must be gained.
M.S. in Environmental Engineering, December 2011
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Title: A POLYMORPHIC COMPUTING ARCHITECTURE BASED ON A DATAFLOW PROCESSOR CORE
Creator: Hentrich, David
Date: 2018, 2018-05
Description: Overall, this work provides an introduction to the subject of polymorphic computing, provides a new innovative polymorphic computer...
Show moreOverall, this work provides an introduction to the subject of polymorphic computing, provides a new innovative polymorphic computer architecture, and studies the architecture's performance with various test programs. The most important innovation of this work is the creation of an instruction set and computer architecture that allows individual instructions in an algorithm to be migrated in a fine-grained manner throughout a fabric of processors without the need for the algorithm to be aware of the underlying computer architecture. Essentially, the algorithms are independent of the underlying processing fabric and can be arbitrarily \draped" over the underlying processor fabric. Logically, this allows the computer architecture of the system to be modified under an algorithm. The intent of this is to create a system where the underlying computer architecture can be modified to improve the performance of an algorithm during runtime. The specific categories of contributions of this work are: 1. A definition of polymorphic computing, 2. A history of reconfigurable computing (the roots of polymorphic computing), 3. A description of relevant computer architecture concepts, 4. Case-studies of current polymorphic computing systems, 5. A new dataflow processor with performance monitoring features at the instruction and microarchitecture levels, 6. A new dataflow instruction set that contributes several advances to the field of dataflow instruction set design, 7. A polymorphic computing architecture based on the dataflow processor that allows programs to be migrated (\draped") across underlying cores in a fine- grained manner (i.e. on an instruction-by-instruction basis), 8. A description of how to write programs for the dataflow processor, 9. A number of programs written in the new instruction set for the dataflow processor/polymorphic computing architecture, 10. A performance evaluation of the ideal performance of the above programs in a single dataflow core, 11. A performance evaluation of a subset of the above programs in several polymorphic compute fabrics that were fine-grained placed (\draped") using a genetic search algorithm, 12. An iterative, deterministic algorithm for placing (\draping") functions in several polymorphic compute fabrics in a fine-grained manner based on runtime monitoring, 13. A performance evaluation of a subset of the above programs that were placed (\draped") in several polymorphic compute fabrics using the deterministic instruction placement algorithm, and 14. A comparison of the results between the genetic search instruction placement evaluation and the deterministic algorithm instruction placement evaluation.
Ph.D. in Computer Engineering, May 2018
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Title: MULTIFUNCTIONAL ELECTROCATALYST SUPPORTS AND ELECTROCATALYSTS FOR ELECTROCHEMICAL ENERGY CONVERSION
Creator: Kumar, Amod
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: Polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) technology has several underlying problems (lifetime, reliability and cost) that need to be resolved as a...
Show morePolymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) technology has several underlying problems (lifetime, reliability and cost) that need to be resolved as a prerequisite for large-scale commercialization. Amongst these, the lifetime issue is regarded as critical. From the perspective of durability, the current state-of-the-art electrocatalyst, viz. platinum (Pt) supported on high surface area carbon, suffers substantial degradation during fuel cell operation. A key pathway for electrocatalyst degradation is the corrosion of the carbon support. During fuel cell startup and shutdown in automotive applications, the cathode potential undergoes excursions of up to 1.6 V. At these high potentials, the carbon corrosion reaction is significantly accelerated, leading to irreversible carbon loss at the electrode. The best way to eliminate the issue of support corrosion in PEFCs is to develop alternate corrosion-resistant catalyst supports. This dissertation investigates (i) mixed oxides of silica (SiO2) and ruthenia (RuO2) and (ii) tantalum modified titanium oxide (Ta0.3Ti0.7O2) for use as corrosion-resistant electrocatalyst supports in PEFCs, especially for the automotive sector, using detailed microstructure characterization and electrochemical evaluation, including two carefully chosen accelerated stress tests (startstop cycling to simulate fuel cell vehicle start-up and shut-down, and load cycling to simulate full-load to no-load transitions in the vehicle during operation). RuO2–SiO2 (0.5:0.5) displayed outstanding electrochemical stability upon exposure to rigorous accelerated potential cycling tests that mimic automotive drive cycles. The Pt/RuO2–SiO2 (0.5:0.5) electrocatalyst yielded a mass activity of 50 mA/mgPt and an area specific activity of 156.3 μA/cm2 at 0.9 V vs. RHE when tested in a fuel cell operating at 80 ºC and 75% RH. A 20 wt.% Pt/Ta0.3Ti0.7O2 catalyst was compared in terms of activity and stability against benchmark Pt/C catalysts. The importance of a corrosion resistant support in a PEFC was demonstrated by monitoring performance loss during start-stop cycling and load cycling; while load cycling did not cause a performance drop, the corrosion-resistant nature of the Ta0.3Ti0.7O2 support helped prevent catastrophic fuel cell failure observed in carbon-supported catalysts during start-stop cycling. Corrosion-resistant electrode materials can not only be applied to PEFCs but can also be extended to other electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices such as redox-flow batteries and electrolyzers. The results of this work also indicate suitable strategies for incorporation of other possible dopants (such as Nb, W and Zr) within TiO2, as well as the use of other metal oxides (such as SnO2 and HfO2) as alternative catalyst supports.
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, July 2014
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Title: AN INVESTIGATION INTO STABILITY OF TUBE AND COUPLER SCAFFOLDS SUBJECT TO SEISMIC LOADS
Creator: Najafabadi, Aram Zare
Date: 2012-11-23, 2012-12
Description: Temporary structures are structures that are set up for applications in relatively short time periods, most notably category of which are...
Show moreTemporary structures are structures that are set up for applications in relatively short time periods, most notably category of which are scaffolds that are built in two types: supported and suspended. Tube and coupler scaffolding systems are supported types and are commonly used in nuclear industry’s applications. This study evaluates the behavior of this type of scaffolding system due to the effect of dead, live, i.e. weight of workers and equipment, and lateral earthquake loads applied on the structure. Consistent with OSHA dimensional requirements, six different configurations ranging from 1 to 3 stories and 1 to 2 bay scaffoldings have been selected for this study. Using a finite element analysis, the significance of all gravity loads, as well as potential seismic loads on the safety and stability of aforementioned scaffold types was studied. The seismic acceleration level at which the failure occurs was determined for four failure criteria. These criteria are: (1) the structural member yield failure; (2) the structural member buckling failure; (3) the system sliding failure; and (4) the system overturning (tip-over) failure. The analysis results show that the most critical failure mode for all configurations of tube and coupler scaffolds studied in this thesis occurred due to instability and as result of sliding. No overstress or buckling failure was observed to occur prior or concurrent to this failure. This finding reaffirms that this type of scaffolds has considerable sufficient capacity to resist their intended loads yet are vulnerable to instability because of sliding. With regards to the effect of number of bays and stories on the critical earthquake level, it was observed that as the number of scaffold stories increases, the critical earthquake level becomes smaller except for the case of the 1-bay scaffold for the 2- and xii 3-story configurations. Addition of an extra bay to a simple 1-bay scaffold configuration does not considerably improve the earthquake level at which the sliding failure occurs. With regards to time of failure, addition of stories to a scaffold configuration delays the failure occurrence in all cases except for the case of the 2-bay scaffold and addition of a bay does significantly delay the occurrence of failure for 1- and 2-story scaffolds, about 6 second for 1-story scaffolds, and 8 seconds for 2-story scaffolds. However, this improvement is negligible for 3-story scaffolds. In general, addition of a bay postpones the failure time. The evaluation of stress levels in all various scaffolding elements suggests that increasing the number of bays and/or stories does not generally affect the induced stresses in beams. In addition, the study shows that buckling and overturning (uplift) effects have very minimal effect on the failure of tube and coupler scaffolds.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, December 2012
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Title: REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL OF HUMAN CD34+ STEM CELLS MOBILIZED AND ENRICHED FROM BONE MARROW
Creator: Cohen, Amy
Date: 2014, 2014-12
Description: This thesis provides an in-depth investigation of the heterogeneous population of CD34+ cells obtained through granulocyte-colony stimulating...
Show moreThis thesis provides an in-depth investigation of the heterogeneous population of CD34+ cells obtained through granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization, apheresis, and an immuno-magnetic selection process. The results provide a better understanding of the phenotypic characteristics, functional migratory capabilities and paracrine secretory performance when exposed to normal and low-oxygen environments in vitro. The overall composition of the population acquired through the cells selection process and the CD34+ cells were characterized for maturity and commitment to various cell types as well as their potential for migration, adhesion and proliferation. The detailed phenotypic characteristics included positivity for more primitive, undifferentiated hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) as well as markers indicating enrichment of long term HSCs. A functional quantitative bioassay was used to measure the migratory ability of the CD34+ cells. On average, 18.7% of the CD34+ cells migrated after 3 hours of incubation in the presence of 200ng/mL of Stromal Cell-Derived Factor One alpha (SDF-1α) as compared to 0.6% of the CD34+ cells incubated without chemoattractant. The migration was successfully neutralized by using monoclonal antibodies to CXCR4 and a CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100. An evaluation of the migratory cell population showed that the cells exhibited an enhanced commitment to a monocyte or lymphocyte lineage and a larger percentage were CXCR4+. CD34+ cells were incubated in normoxic and hypoxic conditions and the proliferation, viability, immunophenotypic profile, migratory potential and secreted cytokines were evaluated and compared to incubation in normoxic conditions. The CD34+ cells proliferated in both the normoxic and hypoxic conditions over three days of incubation. The proliferation was higher in the hypoxic condition after one day of incubation, but after three days of incubation the normoxic conditions resulted in more proliferation. An increase in CD164 and a decrease in CD99 in the Day 3 hypoxic condition suggest that hypoxia was stimulating an adhesion pathway and suppressing the functional migration of the CD34+ cells. The three hour hypoxia incubation resulted in a significant (63%) reduction in the migration of the CD34+ cells as compared to the 3 hour normoxia condition, but many of the cells continued to migrate in hypoxia over the 24 hour period while the normoxic cells continued to migrate, but at a much slower rate. Culture media from CD34+ stem cells that had been incubated in normoxic or hypoxic conditions for one day and three days was assayed for sixty cytokine proteins known for possessing angiogenic qualities. Twenty five angiogenesis cytokines were increased in the culture media incubated with CD34+ cells, including tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 and 2 (TIMP-1 and TIMP-2), angiopoietin-1 (ANG-1) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). Thirteen angiogenesis cytokines were elevated in hypoxia as compared to normoxia, including TIMP-1, IGF and growth-regulated oncogene-β (Gro-β).
Ph.D. in Biological and Chemical Sciences, December 2014
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Title: PUBLIC LITERACY ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Creator: Panchal, Avani P.
Date: 2011-07-19, 2011-07
Description: Reports suggest that Chicago is one of the leading US cities with respect to sustainability and, in order to promote sustainability in a city...
Show moreReports suggest that Chicago is one of the leading US cities with respect to sustainability and, in order to promote sustainability in a city like Chicago, it is imperative that the residents are aware of factors associated with sustainable development and contribute towards its advancement. Majority of the research conducted so far, does not examine the non-expert level of sustainability understanding. This thesis investigates the public literacy on sustainable development by conducting a survey and analyzing the generated database. The statements posed in the survey do not demand technical education but assess the non-expert resident literacy of sustainability by asking relevant subjects. The survey consists of four demographic questions (participants‟ gender, age, level of education and annual income), fifteen conceptual statements and five opinion statements, based on sustainability. The aim is to find a relation, if any, between the respondents‟ demographics and their responses to the survey. The database generated from the survey of 353 randomly selected individuals, is analyzed by four different statistical methods, which are arranged in increasing order of complexity – (i) descriptive statistics and z-test for proportions, (ii) contingency tables and Pearson chi-square test, (iii) exploratory factor analysis and (iv) multinomial logistic regression. The outcome of the statistical analyses suggests that approximately 50% of the participants have accurately responded to the survey and the non-expert resident does not know the definitions to pertinent sustainability concepts. Additionally, survey responses have a strong association with the participants‟ age. There is a weak association between answers and the respondents‟ gender and annual income. In spite of higher than average participants with a college degree, the level of education has a negligible relation with survey responses. Thus, it is necessary to increase the awareness and educate non-experts about sustainable development. It is promising to observe that the responses to the opinion statements suggest that individuals are willing to contribute towards sustainability provided they are educated about it. Nonetheless, the willingness to contribute requires action and without societal support, it is not possible to promote sustainability, which requires increased understanding and knowledge and willingness to act appropriately.
M.S. in Environmental Engineering, July 2011
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Title: BINGE-DRINKING BEHAVIORS, ALCOHOL-RELATED CONSEQUENCES, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE: DOES PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY PLAY A PART IN BINGE-DRINKING AND HEALTH BEHAVIORS OF COLLEGE STUDENTS?
Creator: Grix, Bethany
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: Binge-drinking among young adult populations is considered a global health and safety concern. Binge-drinking behavior has been directly...
Show moreBinge-drinking among young adult populations is considered a global health and safety concern. Binge-drinking behavior has been directly linked to immediate and long-term psychosocial, societal, and health-related consequences. To date, psychological flexibility and values-based committed action has been only theoretically linked to binge-drinking behavior, health, and alcohol-related consequences. Therefore, this study investigated binge-drinking behavior and its relationship with alcohol and health-related consequences, in a college-aged population, as well as the role psychological flexibility has within these relationships. Binge-drinking was defined as the consumption of ≥ 4/5 drinks (females/males, respectively), within a two hour period, over a 6-month period (NIAAA, 2004; Courney & Polnich, 2009). One hundred eighty-nine undergraduate participants (75 female, 114male) from a Midwestern university completed an online survey. Of the 189 undergraduates, 116 (61.4%) identified as non-binge-drinkers and 73 (38.6%) as binge-drinkers. Results showed that psychological flexibility predicted binge-drinking behavior. More specifically, higher degrees of psychological flexibility decreased the likelihood that individuals would engage in binge-drinking behavior. Interactions also emerged between binge-drinking quantity and psychological flexibility on alcohol-related consequences. Similarly, psychological flexibility was shown to buffer the relationship between binge-drinking status and HRQoL. Demographic and psychosocial differences also emerged across binge-drinking severity groups and outcome measures.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2014
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Title: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CRYOGENIC OVER-PRESSURE PUMP
Creator: Alvarez, Matthew L.
Date: 2001-07-17, 2012-07
Description: The Dark Energy Survey (DES) project will study the accelerated expansion of the universe. In order to further study this phenomenon,...
Show moreThe Dark Energy Survey (DES) project will study the accelerated expansion of the universe. In order to further study this phenomenon, scientists have devised a method of creating an array of charged couple devices (CCD) to capture images that will be studied. These CCDs must be cooled and remain at 173K to eliminate thermal gradients and dark current. Therefore, a two-phase CCD liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling system was designed to maintain the array of CCDs at a constant temperature. However, the centrifugal pump used to supply LN2 has a mean time between failure (MTBF) of approximately two thousand-eight hundred hours (116 days). Because of the low MTBF of the centrifugal pump, a new pump is being considered to replace the existing one. This positive displacement pump is a simpler design that is expected to have a MTBF that will exceed 116 days (2800hrs). This positive displacement reciprocating pump, also known as, the cryogenic over-pressure pump (OPP), was tested in February 2012 and successfully cooled the CCD array to 173K. Though un t for service for DES CCD cooling system, the overall concept of this pump has been proven. Typical ow rates, pressures, and temperatures trends have been captured via instrumentation and are speci c to the operation of future over-pressure pumps.
M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, July 2012
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Title: THE GARDEN BLOCK: A NEW MODEL OF SUPERBLOCKS TOWARDS SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL COHESION
Creator: Sharari Alzraikat, Saly Azmi
Date: 2016, 2016-12
Description: It is said that the contemporary Chinese city is a global model of future urban development, in terms of superblocks’ development, advanced...
Show moreIt is said that the contemporary Chinese city is a global model of future urban development, in terms of superblocks’ development, advanced technological applications and accelerated expansion. However, this model’s characteristics can be perceived as its own challenges; this mono-functional gated community is built on a blank slate without taking into consideration culture, transportation and socio-ecological infrastructure, creating bedroom communities that lack social cohesion, and ecological sensitivity and awareness. A hybrid typology is a potential adaptive prototype that generates community stability, public benefit and sustainable practices. Chinese authorities proposed the "Sponge City" initiative to ensure healthy urban expansion, control water flooding and diminish pollution. By proposing a “Garden System” as a solution that responds to the "Sponge City" objectives, quality of life of the block's users can be enhanced by juxtaposing contemporary garden applications that would directly target the current superblock conditions in China, and produce a superblock model that balances the socio-ecological infrastructure with density, culture, program and context.
M.S. in Architecture, December 2016
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Title: EFFECTS OF ARRAY SCALING ON THE ANGULAR RESOLUTION OF MICROPHONE ARRAY SYSTEMS
Creator: Aldeman, Matt
Date: 2016, 2016-12
Description: Array detection systems have been in use for nearly a century and have proven useful in a variety of applications. The most ubiquitous form of...
Show moreArray detection systems have been in use for nearly a century and have proven useful in a variety of applications. The most ubiquitous form of array is the active radar array, but in the past four decades microphone arrays have become increasingly common. Microphone arrays have traditionally been very large devices. This is because of the limited angular resolution of the traditional Delay-and-Sum (DAS) beamforming algorithm. Improved frequency-domain beamforming (FDBF) methods were developed in the 1980’s using the Fast Fourier Transform. More advanced methods have been developed in the past decade, including deconvolution methods (DAMAS, DAMAS2), methods based on the spatial coherence of point sources and sidelobes in the frequency domain (CLEAN-SC), and spatial coherence methods in the time domain (TIDY). In this investigation two sets of experiments were carried out to better understand the angular resolution characteristics of scaled microphone arrays and associated beamforming algorithms. In the first experiment five scaled microphone arrays with diameters from 0.73m to 10.98m were constructed and tested, and the data was analyzed with a variety of beamforming algorithms. In the second experiment three scaled microphone arrays and one alternative array geometry were tested with both free-field and reflective boundary conditions. The results show that the Rayleigh criterion can be exceeded under certain conditions. However, several other parameters are also important. For example, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), z-axis correction, and reflective boundaries all impact aspects of the array’s performance. In addition to increasing the array diameter and the signal frequency, results show that effective strategies to improve the angular resolution performance of an array include careful selection of beamforming algorithm, the use of appropriate beamforming integration times, and minimizing boundary reflections. The DAS algorithm is shown to offer the lowest angular resolution performance because it does not separate the acoustic source map from the point spread function of the array. The DAMAS algorithm offers the greatest angular resolution because it numerically deconvolutes the acoustic source map from the point spread function. However, deconvolution-based algorithms are the most negatively affected by the boundary reflection effects commonly seen with larger arrays. This is because the pressure field becomes contaminated with reflections and image sources, and the deconvolution approach does not make use of significant simplifying assumptions as several of the other algorithms do. The logarithmic spiral array is shown to offer versatile performance across a wide range of frequencies, while an alternative quasiperiodic array yields results that are highly frequency-dependent. It is demonstrated that this is because of gaps in the source-to-element differences coverage, and the gaps in coverage correspond to half-wavelengths of frequency bands with significantly lower angular resolution performance.
Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, December 2016
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Title: THERMO-RESPONSIVE HYDROGELS FOR INTRAVITREAL INJECTION AND BIOMOLECULE RELEASE
Creator: Drapala, Pawel
Date: 2011-04-20, 2011-05
Description: In this dissertation, we develop an injectable polymer system to enable localized and prolonged release of therapeutic biomolecules for...
Show moreIn this dissertation, we develop an injectable polymer system to enable localized and prolonged release of therapeutic biomolecules for improved treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Thermo-responsive hydrogels derived from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) poly(L-Lactic acid) (PLLA) copolymer were synthesized via free-radical polymerization. These materials were investigated for (a) phase change behavior, (b) in-vitro degradation, (c) capacity for controlled drug delivery, and (d) biocompatibility. The volume-phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the PNIPAAm-co-PEG- b-PLLA hydrogels was adjusted using hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties so that it is ca. 33 C. These hydrogels did not initially show evidence of degradation at 37 C due to physical cross-links of collapsed PNIPAAm. Only after addition of glutathione chain transfer agents (CTA)s to the precursor did the collapsed hydrogels become fully soluble at at 37 C. CTAs signi cantly a ected the release kinetics of biomolecules; addition of 1.0 mg/mL glutathione to 3 mM cross-linker accelerated hydrogel degradation, resulting in 100 % release in less than 2 days. This work also explored the e ect of PEGylation in order to tether biomolecules to the polymer matrix. It was demonstrated that non-site-speci c PEGylation can postpone the burst release of solutes (up to 10 days in hydrogels with 0.5 mg/mL glutathione). Cell viability assays showed that at least two 20-minute bu er extraction steps were needed to remove cytotoxic elements from the hydrogels. Clinically-used therapeutic biomolecules Lucentis® and Avastin® were demonstrated to be both stable and bioactive after release form PNIPAAm-co-PEG-b-PLLA hydrogels. The thermo-responsive hydrogels presented here o er a promising platform for the localized delivery of proteins such as recombinant antibodies.
Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering, May 2011
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Title: STRESS DISTRIBUTION IN A WELDED TRUSS CONNECTION
Creator: Lesbekov, Arman
Date: 2011-11-30, 2011-12
Description: Trusses, although geometrically simple, constitute rather complex structures when one considers their true behavior. Even though they are...
Show moreTrusses, although geometrically simple, constitute rather complex structures when one considers their true behavior. Even though they are designed considering pin connections for their joints, in practice joints are neither pinned nor fixed. For this reason, the behavior of a truss at its joints is rather complicated; and to a great extent depends on the method of fabrication used including the weld patterns and the geometry and design of gusset plates used. This study focuses on the behavior of welded truss joints by using a three-dimensional finite element analysis in an effort to provide an insight into how stress patterns are developed at a joint when it is subject to loads from adjoining truss members. The research included a series of simulation analyses on a simple truss joint with welded connections. The typical joint is those that can be found in the lower chords of trusses used in highway bridges. The simulations employed linear finite element analyses utilizing solid elements to model the weld, connecting elements and the gusset plates. Stresses obtained from these analyses were compared with those through conventional methods. At points of stress concentrations, stresses from the finite element (FE) analyses showed stresses can be as high as 5 – 10 orders of magnitude higher than those from conventional methods. The results are presented in the form of graphs showing the ratio of FE-based results to those from conventional methods for several different configurations for weld length.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, December 2011
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Title: AUTOMATED MANIPULATION OF NANOSCALE STRUCTURES VIA AN ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE
Creator: Xu, Kangmin
Date: 2013, 2013-05
Description: As a useful tool for both imaging and modifying nanoscale structures, atomic force microscopes (AFM) have drawn many researchers’ attention,...
Show moreAs a useful tool for both imaging and modifying nanoscale structures, atomic force microscopes (AFM) have drawn many researchers’ attention, but there are still many challenges such as lack of visual feedback during manipulation. In this dissertation, an AFM based nano manipulation system has been developed to modify the nanoscale structures including manipulation of nano particles, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and indentation of the polymer substrate. These operations have been further assisted by real-time feedback such that AFM can be used to image, sense and manipulate nanoscale objects simultaneously. To address critical issues in AFM based nano manipulation, several methods have been developed to enhance the process of manipulation. In nano particle manipulation, a method called sequential parallel pushing (SPP) is presented for efficient and automated nano particle manipulation. Instead of using tip scanning to fully locate the particle center, this method uses contact loss detection to get the longitudinal position of particle and one scan line perpendicular to the pushing direction to determine the lateral position of the particle center. In nano indentation, computer-aided design (CAD) geometry processing has been integrated with an AFM based nano indentation process which enables the fabrication of complex geometric features. Machining parameters have been investigated and procedure to determine them have been demonstrated. In the localization of deformable nanoscale objects, two localization methods for localizing CNTs and nanowires have been introduced. They can perform accurate positioning and reconstruction of sample shapes while being manipulated. Successive manipulation strategies thus can be developed based on the developed fast localization schemes.
PH.D in Mechanical Engineering, May 2013
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Title: CLONING AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HOTSPOT II EXON EDITED DYSTROPHIN RODS
Creator: Kuruba, Balaganesh
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, is an X–link recessive disorder with an incidence of 1 in 3500 male births worldwide. This fatal condition...
Show moreDuchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, is an X–link recessive disorder with an incidence of 1 in 3500 male births worldwide. This fatal condition has no effective treatment, but due to its high incidence and severity, several strategies are the subject of on-going clinical trials including gene therapy (delivery of replacement genes via viral vector systems) and exon skipping (administration of therapeutic compounds to mask certain exons and so repair the defective gene). Both of these approaches result in the production of modified dystrophin proteins with deletions in the central rod region. It is unknown how such edits will affect protein structure, although it has been shown that the nature of the edit is related to clinical severity. DMD defects are non-randomly distributed along the gene, being clustered in two regions: the so-called hotspot region I (Exons 11 – 22) and the hotspot region II (Exons 45 – 55). We are producing alternative exon skipped proteins in the hotspot II region and are characterizing them with respect to biophysical and biochemical stability by thermal denaturation and proteinase challenge studies in order to determine which of these potential edits are most similar to native, undamaged dystrophin.
M.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, May 2014
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