bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-processing of electrospun chitosan fibers
Authors:   , Kiechel Marjorie Austero , Schauer Caroline L.
Published: July 2021

Electrospinning is a simple, inexpensive, scalable and flexible method of producing randomly oriented or aligned fiber mats. Electrostatic forces are employed to fabricate the mats, which intrinsically have larger surface area to volume ratio and smaller pores than commercial fibers. The prospects for market growth of fibrous mats are in the areas of biomedical engineering, food processing, bacterial control and treatment of waste or contaminated water. One application for porous, fibrous mats are in large industries as microfiltration devices. Effective separation using these filters depends on material structure and properties and thus, the advent of newer applications necessitates the need to find ways to improve mat reactivity, integrity and porosity. Chitosan, the N-deacetylated derivative of chitin, is environmentally friendly, biocompatible, renewable and biodegradable with excellent heavy metal ion chelating abilities. Chitosan possesses functional groups that can form bonds with other chemical species of interests, thereby increasing their reactivity and specificity, and can also be spun into fibers by electrospinning. Combining the porous structure of the randomly oriented, electrospun chitosan fiber mats and improved chemical reactivity by functional group modification promises reactive and porous microfiltration membranes. We have chemically and physically post-processed electrospun chitosan fibers for improved chemical and mechanical stability. Chemical crosslinking was performed using stimulus responsive crosslinkers such as genipin, hexamethylene-1,6-diaminocarboxysulfonate (HDACS), epichlorohydrin, glycerol phosphate, tripolyphosphate and tannic acid. Mat morphologies and chemistries were investigated under FESEM, EDS, FTIR and NMR. Mechanical properties, chemical stability, heavy metal chelating ability of the mats were determined using an Instron tensile tester, UV-Vis and ultrafiltration flow cell/EDS, respectively. The major impacts of the work include: (1) full chemical analysis of the aforementioned crosslinkers with electrospun chitosan fibers; (2) tensile property analysis of fibers spun with genipin, HDACS and epichlorohydrin; (3) introduction of the four methods of processing (one- or two-steps, activated one- or two-steps) of electrospun chitosan; (4) evaluation of the porosity and integrity of crosslinked and electrospun chitosan fibers; (5) hexavalent chromium ion filtration profile using HDACS-crosslinked chitosan membranes; and (6) applying knowledge of the system to design composite nanoparticle-chitosan electrospun fibers for bone tissue engineering and filtration applications. Future directions are aimed at optimizing and tailoring the structure and properties of biopolyelectrolyte and its composite fibers for tissue scaffolds engineering, controlled drug or particle delivery, active food packaging and filtration/separation applications.
Everyday Life Information Ecologies and Continuums of Technology Use of Teens from an Urban Setting
Authors:   , Magee Rachel Michelle , Agosto Denise E. , Forte Andrea
Published: July 2021

This dissertation examines how teens from an urban setting interact with technology as a part of their everyday lives, and how people, practices, values, and technologies intersect within the contexts of their technology use. Attention is focused on their continuums of technology use, ranging from heavy use to non-use. The participants include nineteen teens from an urban area in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, who participated in the study during the 2014-2015 academic school year. This research employs a variety of methods to learn more about these participants' experiences with technology, including a survey, voicemail and photo diaries, a creative activity, and a semi-structured interview. The resulting data is analyzed using thematic analysis and directed qualitative content analysis, as well as supplemental visual analysis. Several contributions come from this analysis, including a deeper understanding of how teens express values impacting their continuums of technology use, a portrait of teens' diverse uses of smart phones, and a description of audience as key factor for teens' content creation and sharing literacy practices. The work also identifies four factors that influence teens' decisions to use or limit their technology use: local policy and access, affective state, life stage and goals, and relationships. These contributions and their implications are discussed, as well as details about how these concepts can contribute to future work and engagement with teens in research, practice, and personal settings.
Increasing Social Awareness about Asexuality through an Interactive Narrative
Authors:   , Tucker Martina , Shaw Adrienne , Carrington André M. , Wagner Michael G.
Published: July 2021

This thesis investigates the effect of techniques utilized in educational and persuasive games when used to create awareness about asexuality, in particular if they have any effect on the player's understanding of asexuality or their view towards it. Asexuality is generally misunderstood in society, and if it is represented in media, it is often in a negative way. As part of this research, a visual novel was developed working with members of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN), utilizing their experiences to create the narrative of the game, where the player follows an asexual main character through a branching narrative of experiences with their asexuality. Using true stories ensured that the game would provide an instance of positive representation for the asexual community. The study consisted of 32 people identifying as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, questioning and asexual. The majority of the group were asexuals interested in seeing how they were represented in the game. The players completed a pre- and post-questionnaire in order to see the difference in their opinions of asexuality and LGBT in general before and after playing the game. The study found that the players felt that they learned from playing the game, but there was no statistically significant change in their knowledge or attitudes due to most of the players being rather open minded or asexual themselves.
Determination of Circadian Rhythms in Consumer-Grade Actigraphy Devices
Authors:   , Yeutter Gregory William , Abichandani Pramod , McEachron Donald L.
Published: July 2021

The recent growth in popularity of fitness-tracking watches is a major step in the right direction for individual health awareness. It turns out that these devices are very similar electronically to clinical-grade devices used to study sleep health. Those clinical devices are not available for sale to the general public, and cost in the range of $1,500-$2,000. If the output of the consumer fitness tracker compares well with the medical-grade device, individuals may soon be able to deeply understand and optimize their sleep. This experiment consisted of a test subject simultaneously wearing two clinical Respironincs Actiwatch 2 devices and a consumer device, the Fitbit Charge HR (suggested retail price $149.95 U.S.). The experiment was performed over twelve nights. The data output for each platform was compared following the conclusion of the study. The results demonstrate that the Fitbit Charge HR corresponds well with the Respironics Actiwatch 2 in terms of five sleep time metrics: bed time, wake up time, time spent in bed, time spent asleep, and total sleep time. Other measures do not correspond well or have statistically significant differences between the platforms. These include time spent awake in bed, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, percent of time asleep, and percent of time awake. Time-series data and the wake after sleep onset metric have fair correspondence between the platforms, and the data may be used with knowledge of the limitations. This experiment shows that a consumer-grade fitness-tracking device may provide some dependable data points for individuals looking to understand their sleep hygiene. Based on these results, three case studies for health-aware systems are presented: adaptive environments, drug delivery systems, and health recommendation software. In addition, suggestions for future experiments and developments are provided.
Investigation of Dibenzo[b,j ][1,10]phenanthroline and N-Propanoic Acid Spiropyrans and Spirooxazines for Use in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors:   , Johnson Noah , Ji Haifeng
Published: July 2021

Finding alternative energy sources is one of the great problems of science today. One potential solution, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) has been studied thoroughly since its discovery in 1991. They are composed of a sensitizing dye adsorbed on to the surface of a semiconducting metal oxide. Much research has been done trying to improve the DSSC efficiency, mainly by creating new derivatives of the sensitizing dye. However, despite the large number of derivatives made, most have utilized the same strategy of extending conjugation to increase overall efficiency. In this work, I investigated a different class of compounds, the dibenzo[b,j][1,10]phenanthrolines, which highlight the effect of extended aromaticity on the properties of ruthenium-based DSSCs. First, I developed a synthetic scheme which improves upon those used before, opening up the possibility of creating a library of compounds to be used for future investigations. Second, the chemistry of these compounds was investigated, which was shown to be different from the [1,10]phenanthrolines. Specifically, they were shown to be more sensitive to oxidative, reductive, and alkaline conditions, along with being more resistant to formation via the Pd-catalyzed dehydrogenation. Finally, these compounds were evaluated for their ability to form a DSSC, showing low conversion efficiencies, but with promise for better results in the future. This lays the groundwork for the creation of a library of DSSCs based on this backbone. As well, we report the creation of color-changing dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using N-propanoic functionalized spiropyrans and spirooxazines. We investigated the photophysical properties of these compounds in various solvents and pH conditions using UV-Vis spectroscopy, and their behavior on a TiO2 surface using a combination of UV-Vis and FT-IR. Their performance as sensitizing dyes for DSSCs was analyzed. This study reveals a number of properties for this class of compounds that affect their performance as both photochromic compounds and DSSC sensitizers, which allow for future creation of an efficient photochromic DSSC.
The Study of Online Danmu's Television Use
Authors:   , Fang Xiaojing , Timmins Lydia , Tedesco Albert S.
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how audiences would feel about Danmu- a video add-on service that display audiences' comments as subtitles overlaid on the video, and Danmu's cross-platforms extension to television. The questionnaire conducted with 105 participants investigated Danmu audience's categorization, behavioral, and perceptional characteristics. The interviews were conducted to further illustration of why participants had given certain answers in the survey. The result suggested Danmu product's inherent limitations constrained its transformation to the television platform. However, Danmu showed its potentials with its user's bases. Hence, if Danmu is put on trial for television use in future, several recommendations were also given in this study. Keywords: Danmu; cross-platform; television add-on
Topic Modeling for Natural Language Understanding
Authors:   , Song Xiaoli , An Yuan , Hu Xiaohua
Published: July 2021

This thesis presents new topic modeling methods to reveal underlying language structures. Topic models have seen many successes in natural language understanding field. Despite these successes, the further and deeper exploration of topic modeling in language processing and understanding requires the study of language itself and remains much to be explored. This thesis is to combine the study of topic modeling with the exploration of language. Two types of language are explored, the normal document texts, and the spoken language texts. The normal document texts include all the written texts, such as the news articles or the research papers. The spoken language text refers to the human speech directed at machines, such as smart phones to obtain a specific service. The main contributions of this thesis fall into two parts. The first part is the extraction of word/topic relation structure through the modeling of word pairs. Although the word/topic and relation structure has long been recognized as the key for language representation and understanding, few researchers explore the actual relation between words/topics simultaneously with statistical modeling. This thesis introduces a pairwise topic model to examine the relation structure of texts. The pairwise topic model is implemented on different document texts, such as news articles, research papers and medical records to get the word/topic transition and topic evolution. Another contribution of this thesis is the topic modeling for spoken language. Spoken language refers to the spoken text directed at machine to obtain a specific service. Spoken language understanding involves processing the spoken language and figure out how it maps to actions the user intents. This thesis explores the semantic and syntactic structure of spoken language in detail and provides the insight into the language structure. Also, a new topic modeling method is proposed to incorporate these linguistic features. The model can also be extended to incorporate prior knowledge, resulting in better interpretation and understanding of spoken language.
Intracellular regulation of sustained contraction stimulated by L-type Ca²⁺ channel activation in swine carotid smooth muscle
Authors:   , Ets Hillevi K. , Moreland Robert S.
Published: July 2021

Sustained vascular smooth muscle (VSM) contraction is important for maintaining systemic blood pressure. A chronic increase in VSM contraction raises blood pressure, a condition known as hypertension. L-type Ca²⁺ channels (LTCCs) on the surface of VSM cells are believed to contribute to sustained contraction, however the intracellular signaling downstream of LTCCs is unclear thus limiting the opportunity to develop targeted therapies for hypertension. The purpose of this project was to determine how prolonged force is sustained in VSM downstream of LTCC activation. Intact VSM tissue was contracted with an LTCC agonist, Bay K8644. Inhibitors against LTCC activity and downstream kinases of interest- myosin light chain (MLC) kinase, p42/44 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, protein kinase C (PKC), Rho kinase (ROCK), and p21-activated kinase (PAK1)- were used to elucidate signaling that maintains long-term force. Surprisingly, the known modulatory pathways of VSM contraction by calcium sensitization and thin filament regulation were not activated during sustained contraction. The most intriguing finding was that inhibition of MAP kinase led to a significant increase in Bay K8644-induced force and MLC phosphorylation, while inhibition of MLC kinase resulted in significantly increased MAP kinase activity. The ubiquitous signaling kinase PAK1 was investigated as a possible mediator for the observed effects between MLC kinase and MAP kinase. Inhibiting PAK1 decreased MLC phosphorylation, MAP kinase phosphorylation, and force. The collective results suggest the presence of a novel force regulatory mechanism involving PAK1 and its effects on p42/44 MAP kinase and MLC kinase during prolonged force stimulated by LTCC opening.
Mechanism of HIV-1 Virolytic Inactivation by Env-Targeting Peptide Triazole Thiols
Authors:   , Bailey Laurèn Danielle , Chaiken Irwin M.
Published: July 2021

HIV-1 Env is the only virus-specific protein on the virion surface and is essential for cell receptor interactions and subsequent virus-cell fusion, therefore it is an important therapeutic target for inhibiting the initial steps leading to host cell infection. Peptide triazoles (PTs) are novel antagonistic entry inhibitors of HIV-1 Env, which block gp120 binding to CD4 and co-receptor on the host cell. We have determined that a subclass of PTs that contain a C-terminal cysteine, peptide triazole thiols (PTTs), cause irreversible viral inactivation and lysis. We determined that the thiol group is required for lytic activity and hypothesize that PTT-induced lysis requires disulfide exchange between Env and PTT. To understand the lytic mechanism of action of PTTs, we performed structure activity relationship studies and found a disproportionate loss of lysis activity vs binding upon linker truncation, indicating that a minimum length is required for lysis. Molecular dynamics simulation displayed the trajectory of the peptide SH group and suggested that it could interfere with conserved disulfides clustered proximal to the CD4 binding site in gp120, which was validated by Gp120 protein ligand and mutational analysis. Additionally, viral inhibition assays using sulfhydryl blocking and reducing agents inhibited and enhanced p24 release induced by PTT's, respectively. Our data suggest that PTTs hijack the native HIV entry process by triggering disulfide exchange between gp120 and the peptide group thiol, leading to molecular transformations of the HIV-1 trimer. The specificity and potency of the peptide triazole thiols as virolytic agents argue for their potential as drug leads for therapeutic approaches to suppress the spread of AIDS.
Psychostimulant drug effects on electrophysiological indices of early stage sensory processing and rodent performance of a visual signal detection task
Authors:   , Navarra Rachel Lynn , Waterhouse Barry D.
Published: July 2021

Methylphenidate (MPH) is a psychostimulant drug used clinically to treat ADHD and off-label as a performance enhancing agent in healthy individuals. MPH enhances catecholamine transmission via blockade of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) reuptake transporters. However, it is unclear how blockade of catecholamine reuptake impacts neural circuits responsible for cognitive and sensorimotor function to result in performance enhancement. Optimal detection of sensory information is critical for cognitive and motor actions and overall performance enhancement may significantly rely on improvements in processing incoming sensory stimuli. The locus coeruleus (LC)-NE system regulates state dependent transmission of sensory signals. The rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) is the primary thalamic relay for visual information from the retina to the visual cortex and output from the LC-NE system facilitates dLGN neuronal responses to afferent input. Selective attention to incoming stimuli also enhances LGN responsiveness during successful performance of sensory-guided goal-directed behaviors. The hypothesis tested in the current work is that psychostimulant agents, such as MPH, that increase NE neurotransmission and improve attention should enhance stimulus-evoked neuronal responsiveness to visual stimuli within the rat dLGN and behavioral outcomes during performance of a visual signal detection task. Initial electrophysiological experiments demonstrated MPH enhancement of dLGN neuronal responses to light stimuli in the anesthetized rat. To investigate the relevance of these findings to dynamic conditions that exist in waking animals, MPH was evaluated for its potential to alter dLGN responsiveness and behavioral outcomes during performance of a visual signal detection task. Rats were trained to indicate by lever press whether light stimuli were detected. MPH enhanced properties of light-evoked activity within individual neurons, ensembles of neurons, and visually-evoked potentials in response to light stimuli that guided performance within the task. MPH also improved reaction times to make correct responses during task performance. Further, it was demonstrated by immunostaining that catecholaminergic innervation to the dLGN is solely noradrenergic. This work suggests that MPH, acting via noradrenergic mechanisms, can substantially impact early stage sensory signal processing and subsequent behavioral outcomes. Sensory enhancement may be a significant component of psychostimulant-induced performance enhancement in ADHD patients and healthy individuals.
Mechanisms Underlying Antimicrobial Efficacies of Non-Thermal Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma-Treated N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) Solution
Authors:   , Ercan Utku Kürsat , Joshi Suresh G. , Barbee Kenneth A.
Published: July 2021

Hospital-acquired infections are a major challenge for healthcare professionals and patients, and have gained an increasing importance for overall public health. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, hospital-acquired infections affect about 1.7 million people every year, and increase mortality, morbidity rates and healthcare costs. Commercially available biocides used in medical practice are not sufficient to completely decontaminate sources of nosocomial infections, including sessile biofilms with embedded pathogens, and are cytotoxic. Furthermore, antibiotics remain ineffective against multidrug resistant virulent pathogens. Therefore, a new non-toxic, broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent is needed. Plasma medicine is rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that explores novel solutions and applications in biology and medicine. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, consists of charged particles, ions, radicals, UV photons and excited molecules and atoms. Antimicrobial effect of non-thermal plasma is characterized and the underlying mechanisms are investigated. Liquids, which are treated with non-thermal plasma acquire antimicrobial properties through the creation of plasma generated ROS and RNS and their interactions. N- acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an amino acid derivative and acquires antimicrobial property upon plasma-mediated chemical modifications. In this thesis study, we introduce non-thermal, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-treated NAC solution as a novel antimicrobial agent, which is non-toxic and has broad-spectrum activity against an array of multidrug resistant pathogens in their planktonic and biofilm forms. The present research also involves the detection of plasma-generated species and their products in NAC solution and their contribution in antimicrobial effect. Damaging effects of plasma-treated NAC solution in E. coli cells are studied such as DNA damage, cell membrane damage and intracellular oxidative and nitrosative stress. In addition, most commonly reported oxidative and nitrosative stress mediated gene activation/repression are studied in E. coli (a model organism). This study also investigates in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo acute systemic toxicity in rats, and the stability of plasma- treated NAC solution as a part of development of novel antimicrobial solution. This study provides a better understanding of non-thermal plasma activated NAC solution and the associated chemical changes, which lead to antimicrobial effect. Non-thermal plasma- treated NAC solution is thus being explored as a new antimicrobial compound for the control of the reservoirs of nosocomial pathogens. Thus this dissertation contributes new knowledge in the field of plasma medicine and infection control.
Brand, Full View
Authors:   , Lascity Myles Ethan , Luvaas Brent Adam
Published: July 2021

It has been more than a decade since Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing store, entered the U.S. market, first with several mall-based locations, followed by a grand flagship store in Manhattan's SoHo District. In the years since, the chain has brought its signature brightly colored clothing and high-tech stores to urban locations across the country. Along the way, Uniqlo has used a variety of advertising and brand strategies that seemingly run counter to contemporary brand logic. This dissertation looks at how consumers made sense of the Uniqlo brand as it entered the Philadelphia market. Drawing on in-depth interviews and analyses of Uniqlo's advertising and promotional tools, it is argued that the strategy is different than those used by previously successful clothiers. Instead of constructing a brand that relies on symbolic or narrative means, Uniqlo eschewed such methods to follow a hypermodern brand strategy that relies on localization, co-branding and individualized consumer interpretations to make the brand - and its products - as flexible as possible. Uniqlo's branding efforts constitute a plausible means forward in a media world that has been shattered by social network sites. Following media ecology arguments that suggest how we communicate influences how we see the world, I argue that consumers are looking for flexibility in all things, rather than buying into a fictional world of constructed meaning. This flexibility and lack of communicated "meaning," however, poses challenges for brand researchers, managers and consumers as unique and individualistic brand interpretations continue to grow. While these brand activities have yet to be economically successful, offering a brand with diffuse meaning poses problems for the way people understand and connect in our contemporary consumer culture.
Social Behavior of the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
Authors:   , Kilham Benjamin , Spotila James Robert
Published: July 2021

Black bears are generally described as a solitary species, that is, the primary contact they have with their own species is between sows and cubs and with mates during the breeding season. My data contradict the idea that bears are solitary and suggest that black bears have a well-developed social behavior that has developed such that they can access a high quality food supply. Female home ranges are evenly distributed on the landscape, but food is generally available in patches unevenly distributed on the landscape. I describe matri-linear hierarchies among female relatives and reciprocal altruism as a possible explanation for the reciprocity and cooperation that I have observed between related and unrelated females that provide access to food. I also describe the complex communication systems that have evolved between bears that allow them to manage this form of social behavior. (Note: there are supplemental videos attached.)
Does Weight Matter?
Authors:   , Muratore Alexandra F. , Lowe Michael R.
Published: July 2021

Despite years of research on eating disorders, their persisting prevalence suggests limited efficacy of current prevention efforts and establishes the need for the identification of additional risk and maintenance factors. Predominant conceptualizations of eating disorders have placed continued emphasis on psychosocial factors associated with eating pathology. As such, the role of actual body weight has received limited attention, and relevant relationships between these factors and eating disorder development remain elusive. Preliminary evidence has identified elevated premorbid body weights in eating disorder patients, suggesting that these individuals may be biologically predisposed to higher weights and that this predisposition may be a factor relevant to subsequent eating disorder development. The current study sought to examine whether higher premorbid body weights prospectively predict subsequent clinical status in a sample of female eating disorder inpatients. By examining body weight in relation to subsequent symptom severity, the current study sought to establish premorbid body weight as a factor relevant to the development of eating pathology. Results indicated a significant relationship between highest premorbid z-BMI and self-reported Eating Concerns at treatment intake, though this relationship was not significant when accounting for current BMI. There was also a marginally significant interaction between premorbid z-BMI and current weight, such that those with a higher current BMI and a history of relatively lower highest premorbid z-BMI exhibited the greatest eating and weight concerns. These finding suggest a potential combined influence of current and historical weight in the role of Eating and Weight concerns.
Relationship between Mental Health Symptoms and Reactive and Proactive Aggression Among Females in Residential Juvenile Justice Facilities
Authors:   , Wagage Suraji R. , Goldstein Naomi E. Sevin
Published: July 2021

The female juvenile justice population has been traditionally overlooked in research, though it is the fastest-growing segment of the justice system. Intervention development should focus on this population, which is particularly high in both mental health symptom prevalence and levels and rates of aggression. This study examined the relationship between mental health symptoms (internalizing and externalizing) and aggression (reactive and proactive) among girls in residential juvenile justice facilities, and proposed mediators of this relationship (outcome expectations, hostile attribution bias, and anger). Multiple regression analyses indicated that symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder were associated with reactive aggression and with proactive aggression when controlling for symptoms of major depressive disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Parallel mediation analyses revealed that anger significantly mediated the relationships between the predictor variables of internalizing symptoms, generalized anxiety disorder, and externalizing symptoms and the outcome variables of reactive and proactive aggression, while outcome expectations and hostile attribution bias did not. Implications for future intervention development and research and limitations are discussed.
The influence of workplace spirituality on work stress in higher education employees
Authors:   , Johnson Melinda Kelly , Ghosh Rajashi
Published: July 2021

Throughout the 21st century, change has been a predominant theme in the workplace. Increased technology and globalization are two key contributors to the changing landscape. Higher education workforces are grappling with the growing problem of work stress and prior research suggests that it requires a new approach. Spirituality has a longstanding history of being excluded from the workplace, yet recent investigations of workplace stress that fail to incorporate spirituality as a factor are now met with criticism. The primary purpose of this study was to explore the dimensions of workplace spirituality - inner life, meaningful work and community and connectedness - in the management of work stress in university employees. This study utilized a convergent mixed method approach. This research study presented evidence that shows workplace spirituality is connected to the reduction of work stress. Correlational analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between dimensions of workplace spirituality and work stress. In addition, interview findings revealed thematic coping methods and stress management techniques of university employees. Summarily, this study contributed unique knowledge to the current body of literature that connects workplace spirituality and work stress in university employees. It also provided critical recommendations for leaders and human resource managers who seek solutions to work stress.
Modeling and Analysis of Commercial Building Electrical Loads for Demand Side Management
Authors:   , Berardino Jonathan , Nwankpa Chikaodinaka Okechi Dike
Published: July 2021

In recent years there has been a push in the electric power industry for more customer involvement in the electricity markets. Traditionally the end user has played a passive role in the planning and operation of the power grid. However, many energy markets have begun opening up opportunities to consumers who wish to commit a certain amount of their electrical load under various demand side management programs. The potential benefits of more demand participation include reduced operating costs and new revenue opportunities for the consumer, as well as more reliable and secure operations for the utilities. The management of these load resources creates challenges and opportunities to the end user that were not present in previous market structures. This work examines the behavior of commercial-type building electrical loads and their capacity for supporting demand side management actions. This work is motivated by the need for accurate and dynamic tools to aid in the advancement of demand side operations. A dynamic load model is proposed for capturing the response of controllable building loads. Building-specific load forecasting techniques are developed, with particular focus paid to the integration of building management system (BMS) information. These approaches are tested using Drexel University building data. The application of building-specific load forecasts and dynamic load modeling to the optimal scheduling of multi-building systems in the energy market is proposed. Sources of potential load uncertainty are introduced in the proposed energy management problem formulation in order to investigate the impact on the resulting load schedule.
Distributed sensing in flexible robotic fins
Authors:   , Kahn Jeffrey C. , Tangorra James
Published: July 2021

There is recent biological evidence that the pectoral fins of bluegill sunfish are innervated with nerves that respond to bending, and these fish contact obstacles with their fins. However, it is not known how fin-intrinsic sensing could be used to mediate propulsion and touch in engineered fins. The objective of this thesis is to understand the use of distributed sensing in robotic fins, inspired by bony fish fins, for the prediction of propulsive forces and for the discrimination between fluidic loading and contact loading during underwater touch. The research integrates engineering and biology and builds an understanding of fin-intrinsic sensing through study of swimming fish and robotic models of fish fins and sensors. Multiple studies identify which sensor types, sensor placement locations, and model conditions are best for predicting fin propulsive forces and for predicting the state of contact. Comparisons are made between linear and nonlinear Volterra-series convolution models to represent the mapping from sensory data to forces. Best practices for instrumentation and model selection are extracted for a broad range of swimming conditions on a complex, multi-DOF, flexible fin. This knowledge will guide the development of multi-functional systems to navigate and propel through complex, occluded, underwater environments and for sensing and responding to environmental perturbations and obstacles.
Movement Synchrony and Interaction Quality in Individuals with ASD
Authors:   , Manders Elizabeth Jeanne , Goodill Sherry W.
Published: July 2021

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with social engagement, and even higher functioning individuals have difficulties with nonverbal aspects of interactions. Limited interactional synchrony, which is associated with rapport, may contribute to this difficulty. This secondary video analysis explored interactional synchrony and movement in five individuals with ASD in dance/movement therapy (DMT). The study examined participants' engagement in weekly structured mirroring and open-ended dance activities using an embedded mixed methods design with qualitative data collection within a modified multiple single subject design. Participants included three males and two females, 14-42 years-old, with high functioning ASD. The goals were to (a) explore the relationship between interaction quality and interpersonal synchrony, (b) observe change over 10 weeks of DMT, and (c) describe features of the movement related to interaction quality. Raters scored 132 video clips for Interaction Quality (Affective Engagement and Flow of the Interaction), Synchrony, and described the movement and interaction in each video clip. The participants engaged differently in the different activities and with their different partners. Only the participant who had the same partner for five sessions showed any change over time, i.e., increased Affective Engagement in the open-ended dance activity over the sessions with this repeated partner: Spearman's rho = .900, n = 5, p = .037. The participants typically focused on their role in the task to the exclusion of social connection with their partners. This included distinct patterns of engagement in, and attention to, the movement task itself versus engagement with their partners. This distinction was also seen in the correlations as Synchrony and Affective Engagement were correlated, but only in the less structured open-ended dance activity with Spearman's rho = .500, n = 31, p = .004 and in segments that were purposively selected for interactive behaviors with Spearman's rho = .416, n = 36, p = .012. The correlation disappeared completely in the more structured leading and following tasks: Spearman's rho = .012, n = 63, p = .924. Interventions for interactional synchrony may therefore need to include more open-ended contexts and not only highly structured practice activities. Movement features including coordination, integration of movement throughout the body, and the use of neutral flow require further research as these appeared to be potentially relevant to the interaction quality.
Body Memory in Those who Experienced Loss in Childhood and Adolescence
Authors:   , Simpkins Sara Anne , Goodill Sherry W.
Published: July 2021

Continuing bonds with deceased persons is often discussed in grief literature, especially in children who are grieving the death of a parent or caregiver. The body is often described as important to the experience of grief, but few studies have investigated the bodily experience of grief or continuing bonds in children, outside the context of pathology. The objective of this phenomenological research study was to describe the experience of body memory in those who lost a parent or caregiver in childhood or adolescence. With a sample of three participants, the author conducted individual interviews that consisted of a movement elicitation process and a verbal interview. Analysis of the verbal interviews revealed nine universal themes. Five of these themes pertained to the nature of body memory: a sense of reliving the experience; body memory being foreign but familiar; the experience of age in body memory; embodying leads to understanding; and the immediacy and frequency of body memory. Two themes described specific body sensations: a sense of falling; and oscillation between opposing states. The remaining two themes connected the body to emotions: the emotional charge of body memory moves toward resilience; and the relationship between tension and emotion. The author discussed the implications of these themes for future study and for the use of dance/movement therapy in grief counseling.
Development of a Left Heart Simulator for Prosthetic Valve Evaluation
Authors:   , Toner Gabrielle , Kurtz Steven M.
Published: July 2021

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally, and many valve diseases contribute to this statistic. Heart valve prostheses have rapidly evolved for both mitral and aortic valves, embodied in both mechanical and bioprosthetic designs. Prosthetic valves undergo extensive in vitro testing to qualify the device's performance prior to clinical implantation, according to ISO 5840:1. ISO 5840:1 describes the testing requirements for pulse duplication, and currently, device manufacturers utilize academic or commercial pulse duplicators to evaluate their devices. However, both avenues have limitations in quality control or flexibility that bring about the need for a custom pulse duplicator. The objective of this research project was to develop a cardiac pulse duplicator to test mechanical, aortic prosthetic valves in a 3rd party pre-clinical laboratory and validate the benchtop system using ISO criteria. The design incorporated the use of a driving mechanism composed of MTS MiniBionix 858 and a bellow adapted from the TA Electroforce Stent Graft Tester and rigid custom housing to mimic the left ventricle, left atrium, and aorta, reporting pressure as the primary deliverable for analysis. The design was constructed and experimentally validated using criteria from ISO 5840:1, including aortic pressure ranges, peak diastolic differential pressure, systolic and diastolic ratios, motor capacity and tester repeatability. The design conformed with most criteria; however, further work will be needed to implement an additional dashpot component to decrease systolic oscillations.
Three Papers on the Role of Information in Online Consumer Reviews
Authors:   , Fresneda Fernandez Jorge Eduardo , Gefen David , Anderson Rolph Ely
Published: July 2021

This dissertation is comprised of three papers. The first two papers investigate how the various informational elements of online reviews, including their textual portion, impact the perceived helpfulness of those reviews. The third paper proposes a methodological refinement to improve the process by which reviews and reviewers are ranked with respect to their helpfulness and has potential applicability in fake review detection. These three papers utilize natural language processing methods, including Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA), which allows for the automatic analysis of large amounts of text with minimal human intervention.
Adversarial Search and Spatial Reasoning in Real Time Strategy Games
Authors:   , Uriarte Alberto , Ontañón Santiago
Published: July 2021

For many years, Chess was the standard game to test new Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms for achieving robust game-playing agents capable of defeating the best human players. Nowadays, games like Go or Poker are used since they offer new challenges like larger state spaces, or non-determinism. Among these testbed games, Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games have raised as one of the most challenging. The unique properties of RTS games (simultaneous and durative actions, large state spaces, partial observability) make them a perfect scenario to test algorithms able to make decisions in dynamic and complex situations. This thesis makes a contribution towards achieving human-level AI in these complex games. Specifically, I focus on the problems of performing adversarial search in domains (1) with extremely large decision and state spaces, (2) where no forward model is available, and (3) the game state is partially observable. Additionally, I also study how spatial reasoning can be used to reduce the search space and to improve the RTS playing bots.
Nursing Oral Care Standards
Authors:   , Kelly Teresa , Zuzelo Patti Rager
Published: July 2021

Non-ventilator associated hospital acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) is a leading cause of nosocomial infections in the non-intensive care acute care setting. The purpose of this performance improvement project was to implement enhanced oral care standards, verified through ongoing documentation and point-of-care surveillance, to promote a nursing practice change at the bedside and improve quality outcomes for the patient. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model provided the framework for this planned intervention. Using a multidisciplinary approach, a detailed curriculum and educational delivery plan were developed to prepare staff on the pilot unit for implementation of new oral care standards. Documentation of oral care delivery improved throughout the course of the pilot project. Direct observation monitoring revealed positive results in patient's mouth and oral mucosa moistness, cleanliness, and plaque-free state. Oral care is a fundamental, basic nursing intervention. This nurse-led practice change empowered staff to help reduce the risk of patient acquiring NV-HAP during their hospital stay. By incorporating enhanced oral care into daily practice, nursing staff are in a position to impact clinical outcomes and the health status of patients under their direct care.
Organizing & Electoral Campaigns (OEC)
Authors:   , Pachella Joe , Villanueva Augusta M.
Published: July 2021

This community-based master's project (CBMP) reports the results of the Planned Parenthood Votes' campaign on voter turnout. The project was developed and implemented in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, and was based around the 2016 presidential election cycle. Each year, Planned Parenthood plays an advocacy role in the national election process, and in 2016 there was a key focus on the presidential race as well as congressional and state elections. There were two campaigns underway, independent expenditures and coordinated activities, to focus on different aspects of the election. There were also reasons to divide resources while being cognizant of legal issues related to funding of political work by a not-for-profit organization. Pennsylvania, and more specifically the Philadelphia area, is extremely important in most large-scale elections due to the political divide of the state. During the 2016 elections, there was a focus on the four-county area in Southeastern Pennsylvania aimed at engaging voter mobilization outreach, and particularly in marginalized communities. The focus of this project was based on four primary activities; voter registration, community outreach, phone banking and canvassing. The project's findings suggest that there was a correlation between counties in Pennsylvania where phone banking and canvassing occurred, but a causal link cannot be definitively proven. It should be noted that limitations from this study hindered specific like the ability to reach a wider array of populations and communities. Therefore, future studies should alter their methodology to provide alternative outcomes. One recommendation for future projects of this nature would be more intentional research, planning, and engagement designed to broaden the volunteer base, demographically, and thus allow for a wider array of concerted outreach to communities of specific interest to the organization.
Impact of interpersonal and community level indicators on menstrual health and hygiene management among adolescent girls in rural India
Authors:   , Peterman Emily , Sood Suruchi
Published: July 2021

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) India is currently implementing "A Communication Framework: Menstrual Management" in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, India. Behavioral monitoring of the communication framework allowed for the use of innovative community-based participatory monitoring tools to measure individual and community-level menstrual health and hygiene knowledge, attitude, and behavior change in villages receiving the menstrual management communication campaign. Behavioral monitoring tools were tailored for six populations, including adolescent girls, peer educators, mothers, fathers, frontline workers, and field facilitators. Mixed method approaches were used to analyze two innovative tools to assess their strengths and weaknesses while exploring social networks of adolescent girls and perceived social norms among respondent groups. Two manuscripts were developed to disseminate study findings: 1) Don't let a period end a sentence, let it start a conversation! A Mixed Method Approach to Exploring Adolescent Girls' Social Networks and Menstrual Health in Rural India and 2) "Today's girls don't believe old ideas": The relationship between approval and menstrual health behaviors among adolescent girls in rural India.