Pattern recognition-based myoelectric control of upper limb prostheses has been made clinically available to individuals with more proximal upper limb amputations and can restore intuitive control of a prosthetic hand. This control method has yet to be implemented for individuals with amputations distal to the wrist (i.e. partial-hand amputations) and...
Meeting the exploding demand for wireless data services will require access to new wireless spectrum. However, the traditional approach of clearing spectrum and reallocating is becoming increasingly difficult. This in turn has led to much interest in new approaches for sharing spectrum among different users, such as the those being...
Anisotropic semiconducting thin films have attracted attention in recent years for important applications such as electrical interconnects, electronic sensors, field-emission devices and thermoelectric devices. However, the characterization of the full conductivity tensor, especially the cross-plane conductivity, remains a great challenge for anisotropic thin films. In addition, the synthesis of large-area...
Refugees gain access to benefits and services in the United States through the bureaucratic birthdates recorded in the documents they carry when they first enter the country. Examining how and why chronometric age based on these documents was essential to resettlement was the starting point for my dissertation, which explores...
The behavior of type-II superconductors is modeled using the time-dependent Ginzburg Landau equations (TDGLE). Pinning centers (inclusions) and geometries which maximize the critical current that can be passed through a superconductor are numerically obtained. Previous analytical results are summarized and new results are obtained for the critical current in one...
The first chapter of this dissertation develops a two-stage inference method for structural parameters in the linear instrumental variables model. In the first stage, a new statistic is used to detect whether the correlation between the structural error and the reduced form error is small. In the second stage, a...
Stroke is the leading cause of death and long term disability in the industrialized world. With the current population aging, the number of individuals at risk of stroke along with the associated health care costs are anticipated to rise considerably in the coming years. Consequently, there is an unmet need...
This study would not have been possible without the guidance, support, and advice from Clive Bruzas, Eliza Govender, and staff at the Blue Roof Life Space. As my initial advisor, Clive aided in my thought process of formulating a research question based on my personal interests and experience visiting Blue... and What prompts an individual who has had a positive HIV diagnosis to undergo the transition from a limiting life narrative to an empowering life narrative? With HIV positive individuals living longer lives, it is important that individuals are able to integrate the HIV/AIDS identity into their sense of self and...
This study analyzed the differences between three habitats in and around EcoMinga’s Cerro Candelaria Reserve, which protects part of the Llanganates – Sangay Ecological Corridor in the eastern cloud forest of Ecuador. The EcoMinga Foundation began reforestation efforts in several abandoned pastures in the reserve in 2008, which have since... and This project would not have been possible without the support and kindness of the El Placer community. Thanks to Piedad Recalde for her constant care, humor, and enormous amounts of delicious food. Thanks to Jesús Recalde and Darwin Recalde for their companionship in the field and invaluable insights on the...
This project would not have been possible without the support and guidance of my supervisor, Emma Elizabeth Ilett. Emma helped me establish the specific research question and structure of the study. She also assisted with statistical analysis, provided helpful advice during each step of the project, and taught me so... and Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients receive pre-transplantation treatment regimens varying in conditioning intensity and antibiotic administration. Broad-spectrum, antianaerobic antibiotics have the potential to disrupt the normal gut microbiome balance and reduce immune function. We aimed to retrospectively examine the impact of pre-transplantation conditioning and antibiotics on rates of mortality,...