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One size fits none: A scoping review of anti-fatness and libraries
No full textThis scoping review analyzes the available literature on how libraries perpetuate anti-fatness in their physical spaces, collections, catalogs, and treatment of fat patrons and library workers. The authors searched databases and grey literature, tracked citations in included works, and found one source by happenstance. Ultimately, 251 written works across different publication channels were reviewed, and six works met the inclusion criteria of discussing anti-fatness as related to libraries. The included literature denotes a throughline of discrimination against fat people in libraries, whether focusing on library workers, patrons, physical spaces, collections and cataloging, or the catalog and metadata. More research is needed on anti-fatness in libraries to better create an equitable environment for patrons and library workers of all sizes.</p
Rapid detection of RNase‐based self‐incompatibility in Lysimachia monelli (Primulaceae)
No full textPREMISE: Primroses famously employ a system that simultaneously expresses distyly and filters out self-pollen. Other species in the Primulaceae family, including Lysimachia monelli (blue pimpernel), also express self-incompatibility (SI), but involving a system with distinct features and an unknown molecular genetic basis. METHODS: We utilize a candidate-based transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) approach, relying on candidate T2/S-RNase Class III and S-linked F-box-motif-containing genes and harnessing the unusual evolutionary and genetic features of SI, to examine whether an RNase-based mechanism underlies SI in L. monelli. We term this approach "SI detection with RNA-seq" (SIDR). RESULTS: The results of sequencing, crossing, population genetics, and molecular evolutionary features each support a causal association linking the recovered genotypes with SI phenotypes. The finding of RNase-based SI in Primulaceae (Ericales) all but cements the long-held view that this mechanism was present in the ancestral pentapetal eudicot, whose descendants now comprise two-thirds of angiosperms. It also significantly narrows the plausible maximum age for the heterostyly evolution within the family. CONCLUSIONS: SIDR is powerful, flexible, inexpensive, and most critically enables work in often-neglected species. It may be used with or without candidate genes to close enormous gaps in understanding the genetic basis of SI and the history of breeding system evolution.</p
A Fuel Surrogate Approach to Model Combustion Chemistry in Specialty Jet Fuels
No full textSingle pulse shock tube experiments were conducted to study the oxidation and pyrolysis speciation of six cetane number (CN) specialty fuels - CN30, CN35, CN40, CN45, CN50, and CN55, and F-24, a multi-component jet fuel. The experiments were performed at 50 atm nominal pressure, 4.2 ms nominal reaction times over a temperature range of 900–1800 K, and an equivalence ratio of approximately 1.0. Gas chromatography was used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the post shock gases. The relationship between the formation of key intermediate species and the chemically controlled combustion propensity as reflected by the cetane number of each fuel was examined. The oxidation and pyrolysis speciation data were first modeled using a surrogate-based mechanism from the CRECK Modelling Group and chemical-functional group based optimized surrogates (CFGO), showing less than satisfactory agreement. Adjusting the aromatic content of the surrogates led to overall improvements in the oxidation modeling. In the case of pyrolysis, the CFGO surrogate model showed satisfactory agreement in capturing the chemistry of most species except two important pyrolysis intermediates – ethylene and acetylene. Chemical kinetic analyses were performed to identify the important reactions which affect the chemistry of these species; however, the rate parameters of critical reactions were found to be unsuitable for simulating the present high-pressure studies. To address this unsuitability, a theory-based fall-off analysis for three reactions representing the decomposition of ethylene and subsequent formation of acetylene was performed, and these are included in an updated version of the CRECK mechanism. This update resolves discrepancies between the experimental results and simulations for ethylene and acetylene. Rate of production, sensitivity and reaction path analyses using the updated surrogate model showed that the primary reactions responsible for driving the combustion chemistry were largely influenced by the chemical functional groups present in the complex multi-component fuels. In addition to highlighting the effectiveness of the fuel-surrogate approach, where surrogates representing the chemical functional group composition of the parent fuel serve as a valuable tool for predicting the combustion chemistry of novel fuels, the study also underscores the value of updating the rate parameters of specific reactions to improve modeling
Integrated Sensing and Computing Architectures Enabling Smart Vision Sensors
No full textThis thesis addresses the critical challenge of the "power and memory wall" in intelligent Internet of Things vision systems. Conventional architectures, which transmit raw data from sensors to cloud processors, are inefficient and create significant bottlenecks in power, latency, and bandwidth. This research demonstrates that by shifting computation to the point of capture, it is possible to create highly efficient, responsive, and secure intelligent sensors. The project explores the co-design of novel hardware architectures, circuits, and algorithms that leverage emerging non-volatile memories, low-precision quantized neural networks, and unconventional computing schemes like the Residue Number System to perform complex AI tasks directly on sensor with minimal energy consumption. The primary contributions of this work are fourfold. First, it introduces efficient event-driven architectures that use on-chip memory for low-power background subtraction. Second, it presents a series of embedded inference architectures that perform analog, in-pixel computation to accelerate various neural networks (BWNNs, TWNNs, and QWNNs) with high throughput. Third, it develops novel privacy-aware mechanisms that use RNS-based encoding and physical integration to protect against sophisticated image reconstruction attacks. Finally, it provides two comprehensive behavior-level modeling frameworks, PiPSim and PINSim, which enable rapid and accurate design space exploration of these complex sensor-centric systems, achieving simulation speedups of over 25,000x compared to HSPICE. Collectively, these contributions provide a cohesive blueprint for the next generation of intelligent, efficient, and secure edge vision systems
Identity Congruence: Associations with Ethnic-Racial Centrality and Critical Agency
No full text“Where are you from?” What seems like a simple question often carries deep assumptions about Black and Latinx youth. For youth of color, this question can signal that their identities are being scrutinized or misrecognized. Such moments are embedded in systems that reinforce racial categories and shape youth development through policies that erase or marginalize identities. Using self-reported data from 226 Black and Latinx youth (Mage = 14.92; SD = 1.45, 57% female) across two time points, this study examined whether youth expressed ethnic-racial identification (ERI) congruence, or an alignment between youths’ self-identified race/ethnicity and how they believe others perceive them. This study also examined whether congruence was associated with ERI centrality, or the extent to which youth view their ethnic-racial background as central to their sense of self (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014). Finally, this study tested whether ERI centrality mediated the relationship between congruence and critical agency, or youths’ motivation to act against injustice (Watts et al., 2011). Descriptive statistics indicated that most youth felt their ethnic-racial self-identification matched how they believed others saw them (i.e., congruence), while fewer youth reported partial congruence (i.e., some alignment between self- and perceived ethnic-racial identification) or incongruence (i.e., no alignment between self-and perceived ethnic-racial identification). For analytic purposes, youth with either partial congruence or incongruence were categorized as having noncongruent identities. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that youth who experienced congruence were more likely to view their ethnic-racial identity as central to their sense of self, whereas youth with noncongruent identities were less likely to do so. When youth placed more importance on their ethnic-racial background to explain who they are, this was associated with a greater motivation to act against injustice. Further, ERI centrality was a significant mediator, providing a possible mechanism linking congruence to youths’ motivation to act. These findings highlight the importance of fostering environments, such as schools and community contexts, where youth feel fully seen and validated in their identities. Finally, this work has implications to reform policies, such as redesigning demographic forms to better reflect youths’ whole, authentic identities
“POV: You Have Undiagnosed ADHD” – Algorithm Responsiveness and Mental Health Communities on TikTok
No full textOnline mental health communities (OMHCs) have evolved over time in response to platform affordances. Previously, OMHCs were understood to have clear boundaries and membership criteria, but algorithm-driven platforms have introduced ambiguity in how communities are defined and prompted new questions regarding how social support is delivered and perceived within them. This project leverages the algorithm responsiveness process to explain OMHCs on TikTok, describing the role of perceived algorithm responsiveness (PAR) in community formation and perception of informational and emotional support. I surveyed TikTok users (n=414) who had seen content about mental health on the platform within the last month about their TikTok use and perceptions surrounding that content. Initially, I assessed how frequency of algorithmic exposure to mental health content is associated with belongingness and PAR, finding that individuals who report seeing more content about a given mental health topic on TikTok are more likely to feel a sense of belonging surrounding it, as well as feel that the platform’s algorithm is responsive to their identity. I then assessed how these variables are associated with the perceived credibility of mental health information shared on TikTok and the perceived emotional support available on the platform related to that topic. Individuals who reported greater belongingness and PAR also reported that the mental health information on TikTok was more credible (whether shared by healthcare providers, general users, or overall), as well as perceived more emotional support related to their most frequently seen mental health topic. Ultimately, I propose a model in which individuals who are exposed to more mental health content about a specific topic on TikTok are more likely to feel that they belong to that OMHC and that the platform algorithm understands and validates them, and each of these factors, in turn, increases their perception that they receive emotional support from that OMHC and that the mental health information shared on the platform is generally credible. Future research into TikTok’s OMHCs and health information should consider the role of human-algorithm interaction in subsequent outcomes like information uptake and health behavior change
Use of Active Target Detectors in Nuclear Astrophysics: Nucleosynthesis of Fluorine and Fusion of Neon
No full textIn most astrophysical systems, nuclear reactions occur at very low energies with typical cross sections on the order of fractions of a pico-barn or less. Accelerator facilities designed for low-energy heavy ion experiments can have ion luminosities on the order of 10^5-10^7 particles per second for stable beams. With radioactive beams, this can be as much as two or three orders of magnitude lower. Thick target approaches can suffer from decreased energy resolution. Active target detectors, where the detection medium is also the target, address both issues. In this work, we show the application of two different active target detectors to measure two astrophysically relevant reactions. The radiative capture reaction 15N(a,g)19F, a reaction involved in the nucleosynthesis of fluorine, was determined using the principle of detailed balance and a photodisintegration of fluorine experiment with a single fluid bubble chamber. The system of neon isotope fusions 20,22,24Ne + 20,22Ne, relevant to physics within neutron star crusts, was measured using the Argonne MUSIC detector. The details of each experiment and the analysis of the data will be discussed
EMG-Based Human-in-the-Loop Bayesian Optimization to Assist Hip-Centric Activities
No full textThis dissertation presents a practical method for personalizing hip exoskeleton assistance using surface EMG-based human-in-the-loop optimization, cutting tuning time from hours to minutes while preserving assistance quality. We show that processed EMG provides a reliable objective for rapid personalization, enabling convergence within typical clinical sessions.
The research progresses from simulation studies revealing fundamental controller-hardware gaps to experimental validation across three activities. In leg swinging (n=8), EMG-based optimization reduces muscle activity by 15-17\% with <15 seconds of steady data per trial. In squatting (n=4), the method completes tuning in 4 minutes 40 seconds and yields 21\% lower metabolic cost with 17\% lower EMG. In walking (n=11), a multi-objective formulation balancing EMG and user preference identifies personalized controllers in 11-12 minutes, reducing metabolic cost by 14.9\% while improving perceived exertion by 25-45\%.
Three technical innovations enable this speed: (i) a signal-enhancement pipeline combining Hankel decomposition, Bayesian regularization, and optimized smoothing that improves composite EMG quality metrics by 108\%; (ii) machine-learning-guided initialization from anthropometric measurements that reduces convergence time by 26.5\% and improves final performance by 9.98\%; and (iii) heteroscedastic Gaussian process surrogates with Expected Hypervolume Improvement that capture input-dependent noise, improving predictive accuracy by 23-31%.
Supporting investigations establish practical design principles. Systematic evaluation across 12 participants performing 30 conditions each reveals that simple amplitude summation provides the most reliable EMG-metabolic correlation (r=0.762), challenging assumptions about complex feature necessity. Simulation studies comparing 12 controller architectures demonstrate that phase-adaptive impedance achieves 55.5\% mechanical power reduction with minimal parameters, while Bezier profiles reach 62.9\% reduction at higher implementation cost.
These results establish EMG-based HIL as a clinically feasible approach to exoskeleton personalization, validated across 23 healthy adults. The framework employs compact controller parameterizations (4-8 parameters) suitable for real-time optimization, with transparent cost functions and traceable convergence. Limitations include healthy-adult validation, electrode placement sensitivity, and restricted activity scope. Extensions should address clinical populations, online adaptation to fatigue, and broader task coverage
Experimental Validation of Heteroclinic Orbit Dynamics in Inertial Microfluidics
No full textThis thesis explores particle dynamics in rectangular inertial microfluidic channels with the goal of improving label-free isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for liquid biopsy applications. CTCs are extremely rare in blood, making their separation both technically challenging and clinically significant. Inertial microfluidics offers a promising alternative to traditional methods by exploiting size-dependent lateral migration without the need for molecular labels. A critical challenge addressed in this work stems from prior ob- servations that smaller white blood cells (WBCs) can unexpectedly migrate toward the channel centerline, reducing separation purity. To investigate this phenominon, a compu- tational model based on heteroclinic orbit theory was used to simulate particle trajectories. Complementary experiments were conducted using 15μm polystyrene beads across four dif- ferent flow configurations (ranging from 1:1:1 to 1:6:1 buffer-to-sample ratios). The results confirmed that particle migration is continuous and strongly size-dependent, and that in- creasing buffer flow enhanced particle confinement which improves orbital alignment and reduced velocity variability. Among the tested configurations, the 1:6:1 ratio configuration produced the most uniform migration and closely matched the computational predictions, validating the model under experimental conditions. Although biological samples were not included in the present study, the findings establish a foundation for future investi- gations involving CTCs and WBCs. These results suggest a plausible explanation for the unexpected migration observed, which serves as a central motivation for this work
Host-Defense Function of Anuclear Polymorphonuclear Neutrophil in Lung Injury
No full textPolymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) function through rapid mobilization to the site of infection
and are primary effectors of the innate immune response. Activated PMN extrude genomic DNA to form
web-like structures called Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs). After NET release (NETosis), the PMN
generates anuclear cells (PMNcyto). We found that 50% of PMN in lung microvessels had transitioned to
PMN cytoplasts (PMNcyto) within 24h exposure to endotoxemia. Despite being anuclear, PMNcyto displayed
characteristics distinct from PMN. They showed rapid velocity compared to PMN and the ability to migrate
across the endothelial barrier, phagocytosis of bacteria, and bactericidal activity. Adoptive transfer of
PMNcyto into Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infected mice showed a markedly reduced inflammatory lung
injury. Unlike PMN, the host defense function of PMNcyto waned over time, first observed by in vivo
imaging loss in velocity. Upon further investigation using seahorse assay, we observed a loss in
mitochondrial functions. Mitochondrial transplantation restored the host defense and anti-inflammatory
function of PMNcyto. An increase in ATP production, enhanced bactericidal efficiency, and prevented lung
tissue injury were observed upon mitochondrial transplantation. These results identify a pivotal role of
PMNcyto generation following PMN NETosis as a fundamental host defense mechanism and restoration of
tissue homeostasis
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