62021 research outputs found
Sort by
Radiative Forces on Primordial Black Holes in the Stellar Capture Process
Get PDFPrimordial black holes (PBHs) are theoretical compact objects that may have formed in the early universe and could constitute a significant fraction of dark matter. A method to constrain the allowed mass range of PBHs is through the stellar capture process, in which a PBH passes through a star, experiences gravitational drag via dynamical friction, and potentially becomes bound. However, at lower PBH masses, radiation from accretion heating can counteract this drag and prevent capture. This thesis models the accretion and radiation around PBHs in a solar-type star using Bondi flow and bremsstrahlung emission with relativistic corrections. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to trace photon propagation and energy deposition, allowing for a Fourier-space calculation of the radiative drag. Results show that above a critical luminosity threshold, radiative heating dominates and produces a net acceleration, suppressing capture. This implies that the population of PBHs may be larger than previously expected, refining their viability as dark matter candidates.No embargoAcademic Major: Astronomy and AstrophysicsAcademic Major: Physic
Designing an Accessible and Versatile Front Trunk for the Honda Ridgeline EV
Get PDFHonda Research and Development approached our team to explore innovative solutions for improving the front storage space of the upcoming Honda Ridgeline EV truck. Through extensive research, I found that in today’s electric vehicles (EVs), the front trunk space (frunk) is often underutilized, lacking features that integrate seamlessly into daily life. As a result, EV owners see the frunk as an afterthought rather than a practical, valuable part of their vehicle.
Research indicates that users often store items in unintended areas of the vehicle rather than utilizing the front storage space. In larger vehicles like trucks—specifically the Honda Ridgeline—accessibility challenges arise due to high surrounding body panels, making it difficult to reach inside, particularly for individuals with limited mobility. Additionally, the lack of organization within the large open space creates concerns about securing delicate items during transport. Given these limitations, the frunk requires design improvements that enhance accessibility, usability, and peace of mind, making it a more practical and valuable feature for everyday use.
The Honda Grille Gate & Guard enhances frunk functionality and accessibility for the Honda Ridgeline by combining convenience, organization, and versatility to support users’ everyday routines. The innovative Grille Gate opens independently from the hood, offering quick front access to a secure personal storage area, which can also function as a temporary seat or table. The Grille Guard affords structured dividers for better organization, an insulated well for temperature-sensitive items, and a stepping stool function to improve accessibility.HondaNo embargoAcademic Major: Industrial Desig
Precise Horse Re-identification from a UAV Perspective
Get PDFFor non-specialists, distinguishing similar animals can be challenging due to their subtle differences. This thesis evaluates machine learning’s ability to re-identify animals using UAV videos from rural settings. Videos were segmented to extract individual animal sequences, which formed the basis for feature extraction and re-identification. We used a pre-trained DINOv2 model to extract per-second features, which were aggregated and compared via similarity matrices computed with methods such as Average, Top20, and Maximum. Bipartite matching was applied to visualize identification performance and establish a baseline. Building on this, we fine-tuned the DINOv2 model with data augmentation strategies including random flipping and resizing. The fine-tuned model achieved perfect matching results in the baseline task. This work offers valuable insights for wildlife monitoring, animal behavior studies, and precision agriculture by enabling more accurate animal recognition. Future work will incorporate temporal dynamics and further refine the model to broaden its applicability across species and real-world scenarios.No embargoAcademic Major: Computer Science and Engineerin
Changing and Sustaining an Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Initiative for Same-Day Discharge with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Patients
No full textPrevious studies have demonstrated that same-day discharge (SDD) in cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) is feasible and safe. While SDD protocols have been successfully adopted at other hospitals within the system, they have yet to be implemented at a community tertiary care hospital in the southeastern United States of America.
This evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) initiative aimed to implement SDD protocol for patients receiving CIEDs to improve hospital throughput and reduce costs while maintaining safe, high-quality care. Using the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Model (JHNEP) and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement model, this initiative identified best practices for implementing SDD in CIED patients.
Results demonstrated a reduction in length of stay and financial cost savings without compromising patient safety or care quality. After initiative implementation, there was a decrease in readmission rates, no deaths, a decrease in complications, and an increase in SDD in CIED patients. Return on investment $68,684 in cost savings achieved during the first 180 days of implementation, with potential for further financial benefits system-wide.
This initiative highlights the use of evidence-based practice coupled with stakeholder engagement, staff education, and continuous process improvement while utilizing remote monitoring and telemedicine for post-discharge follow-up. These strategies have demonstrated that SDD for CIED patients is a safe, effective, and cost-efficient intervention, positively impacting both patient outcomes and organizational performance.A one-year embargo was granted for this item
Rhetorics of Refusal: Medical Dissent and the US-Somali Diaspora
No full textWelcome to health class : community sickness as rhetorical refusals fertile ground -- Outbreak : vaccine dissent as embodied rhetorical refusal -- Writing to the state : mistakes and silences as rhetorical refusal -- The persuasive microbiome : rhetorical refusal through care.Item embargoed for three year
Trials of the Desert: Monastic Discipline and Demonic Conflict in Late Antique Egypt
Get PDFThis thesis examines the role of demonology in the construction of ascetic identity in early Egyptian monasticism, focusing on three foundational texts: Athanasius's Life of St. Antony, the Letters of St. Antony, and Evagrius of Pontus's Talking Back. It argues that these works present divergent yet interconnected models of demonic conflict, shaped by their respective genres, theological aims, and intended audiences. Through a close comparative analysis, this study explores how Athanasius dramatizes Antony’s confrontations with demons as public demonstrations of Christian orthodoxy; how the Letters reframe spiritual warfare as an interior, contemplative endeavor rooted in communal humility; and how Evagrius systematizes demonology into an intellectual and ascetic discipline centered on the taxonomy of thoughts (logismoi) and scriptural refutation (antirrhēsis).
Drawing on critical insights from scholars such as Gregory A. Smith, David Brakke, and James Goehring, this project situates monastic demonology within broader Late Antique cosmological, psychological, and theological frameworks. It highlights the material conception of demons as pneumatic beings whose influence manifests both internally through thought and externally through bodily affliction. Rather than treating demons as mere metaphors, this thesis foregrounds their ontological and spiritual reality in the monastic imagination.
Ultimately, this thesis demonstrates that demonology was not peripheral to early monastic life but central to its understanding of the self, virtue, and the cosmos. The monk’s battle with demons served as a medium for ethical formation, metaphysical reflection, and the pursuit of divine union. By tracing the evolution of monastic approaches to demonic opposition across these three texts, this work contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex intersections between ascetic practice, theological anthropology, and the shaping of Christian subjectivity in Late Antiquity.No embargoAcademic Major: HistoryAcademic Major: Anthropolog
Iron Carbene-Mediated Methylation of Carboxylic Acids
No full textCarboxylic acids are the 9th most common functional group found in drug molecules and are found in many natural products including amino acids, steroids, and fatty acids. Functionalization of carboxylic acids is very important, as esters are the 15th most common functional group found in drug molecules. The two most common methods used to methylate carboxylic acids to make esters include (i) Fischer esterification, utilizing strong acid and methanol, and (ii) diazomethane, utilizing a high energy (and often explosive) diazo intermediate. These harsh methods leave little room for functional group tolerance and selectivity. Additionally, these methods require significant safety precautions if done on scale. We have developed an iron mediated methylation of carboxylic acids using dibromomethane as a carbene precursor. Our method shows excellent functional group tolerance while using mild and inexpensive reagents. Methylation can be done on a wide range of carboxylic acids to form ester products with alkyl, benzyl, allyl, halide, and heteroatom substituents, as well as on common drug molecules and amino acid motifs. Robustness exploration, mechanistic studies, and initial rate experiments were also done to further explore the system. In conclusion, we developed a robust, mild, and cost-effective methylation of carboxylic acids with high functional group tolerance.A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Chemistr
Screening for Mental Health Symptoms in the Emergency Department
No full textBackground: Mental health disorders (MHD) profoundly influence health outcomes. Emergency departments (EDs) provide broad access to populations including at-risk and underserved groups not encountered elsewhere. There is limited evidence available to establish the prevalence of adults who exhibit symptoms of MHD, beyond suicidality, who are seeking care in the ED. We sought to determine the prevalence of current anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among ED patients.
Methods: This secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from prospectively enrolled, randomly selected, adult patients from three urban, academic EDs. Validated survey instruments included: (i) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Anxiety Short Form 8a, (ii) Emotional Distress Depression Short Form 8a, and (iii) the Primary Care PTSD Short Form. The primary outcome was the proportion of ED patients reporting elevated symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We secondarily report demographic characteristics and select social determinants of health.
Results: Of 3541 eligible patients, 1305 (36.9%) enrolled. Participants had a median age of 48 years. Most participants (70.2%, 95% CI: 67.7 - 72.6) exhibited symptoms of at least one MHD: anxiety 46.9%, depression 36.8%, and PTSD 51.3%. Notable socioeconomic factors included 45.5 % reporting income below $35,000 and 57.2% unemployed.
Conclusion: ED patients commonly experience elevated anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms. These findings support the importance and feasibility of systematic MHD screening Screening for Mental Health Disorder Symptoms in the Emergency Department approaches for the ED setting that could enable further intervention.A five-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Nursin
Exploring the Role of Depression in Emotional Prosody Recognition Deficits
No full textHuman Experience (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)Research suggests that those with depression may have difficulty in recognizing the emotions of others. These studies have examined this relationship using only facial expressions as stimuli to convey emotion. The current study examines how individuals with depression symptoms are able to recognize emotions by the prosody of speech. It was expected that the relationship would align with past research. Participants first completed a task in which they had to identify the emotions they heard in prerecorded, semantically neutral sentences. The emotions used included joy, sadness, anger, surprise, and neutral. Next, participants completed the PHQ-9, a tool used to assess depression symptoms. To assess the strength and direction of the linear relationship between PHQ-9 score and accuracy on the emotion identification task, a Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Consistent with past studies, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between depression symptoms and accuracy on the prosody task. Participants who scored higher on the PHQ-9 had lower accuracy on the emotion identification task. This result suggests that depressed individuals exhibit a similar emotion recognition deficit for speech prosody as for facial expressions. However, these findings only reflect the existence of a general deficit in prosodic emotion recognition. Further research should explore potential impacts of this deficit, as well as the interaction between prosody and facial expressions.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog
The Impact of DDR1 on Bone Material Properties
No full textDecreased bone density and deterioration of bone tissue are hallmarks of age-related bone loss. This arises from an imbalance of bone cell regulation, including increased osteoclast (bone-resorbing cell) and decreased osteoblast (bone-forming cell) activity, which collectively affect the collagenous extracellular matrix. Certain cell-surface receptors found in these bone cells can change the content of bone by regulating cell growth and affecting the collagen and mineral content. One such receptor is Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1), which binds to collagen type I in bone and affects both matrix mineralization and collagen fibrillogenesis, the effects of which are still being explored. In previous studies we elucidated how lack of DDR1 impaired osteoclast count and increased stiffness in 6-month (mo) murine femurs. This discrepancy, a decrease in bone building cells and an increase in stiffness, may be explained by the underlying matrix environment. In this study we investigated how DDR1 affects the bone collagen and mineral content in 6-mo mice. Femurs were taken from 6-mo female DDR1 knock-out (KO) and wild type (WT) mice. Mid-shaft cortical sections were subjected to Picrosirius Red staining and transmission electron microscopy. To analyze mineral quantity, tissue mineral density, bone mineral density, and thermogravimetric analyses were performed.
Our investigations revealed that the DDR1 KO mice had a significant increased mineral percent composition throughout the whole bone matched with a trend towards increase in mineral density in the cortical region. The fibril diameter was enhanced in KO mice while the D-periodicity exhibited no change across genotypes. The collagen fiber packing and size were reduced in the KO model. These results suggest that DDR1 regulates the collagen quality and mineral quantity in the bone, which may in turn regulate bone loss.MARC T34 ProgramA one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Mechanical Engineerin