Fail-Safe Testing of Web Applications

This dissertation introduces an approach to generate tests to test fail-safe behavior for web applications. We apply the approach to a commercial web application. We build models for both behavioral and mitigation requirements. We create mitigation tests from an existing functional black box test suite by determining failure type and points of failure in the test suite and weaving required mitigation based on weaving rules to generate a test suite that tests proper mitigation of failures. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to determine points of failure and type of failure that needs to be tested. Mitigation test paths are woven into the behavioral test at the point of failure based on failure specific weaving rules. A simulator was developed to evaluate choice of parameters for the genetic algorithm. We showed how to tune the fitness function and performed tuning experiments for GA to determine what values to use for exploration weight and prospecting weight. We found that higher defect densities make prospecting and mining more successful, while lower mitigation defect densities need more exploration. We compare efficiency and effectiveness of the approach. First, the GA approach is compared to random selection. The results show that the GA performance was better than random selection and that the approach was robust when the search space increased. Second, we compare the GA against four coverage criteria. The results of comparison show that test requirements generated by a genetic algorithm (GA) are more efficient than three of the four coverage criteria for large search spaces. They are equally effective. For small search spaces, the genetic algorithm is less effective than three of the four coverage criteria. The fourth coverage criteria is too weak and unable to find all defects in almost all cases. We also present a large case study of a mortgage system at one of our industrial partners and show how we formalize the approach. We evaluate the use of a GA to create test requirements. The evaluation includes choice of initial population, multiplicity of runs and a discussion of the cost of evaluating fitness. Finally, we build a selective regression testing approach based on types of changes (add, delete, or modify) that could occur in the behavioral model, the fault model, the mitigation models, the weaving rules, and the state-event matrix. We provide a systematic method by showing the formalization steps for each type of change to the various models.

A Fair Day's Wages: Liberty, Legality, and Liability Among Denver's Day Laborers

Day laborers occupy an essential position in Denver’s booming construction industry. Day laborers make up a highly flexible, highly effective workforce able to respond to market changes. For day laborers, informal day-labor gathering points provide increased control over working hours and employee-employer relationships when compared to traditional wage labor. Still, recent legislation and policies around irregular migration has forced large numbers of workers who may have benefited from the stability of full-time regular employment into the informal sector. The day laborers’ flexibility also exposes them to employers constantly inventing ways to deny them the wages and benefits they are owed. Despite changes in Colorado law in attempts to strengthen workers’ recourse against their employers, and despite social and individual tactics day laborers employ to mitigate their vulnerability, systematic structural, symbolic, and everyday violence continue to advantage employers.

The Finite Embeddability Property for some noncommutative knotted varieties of RL and DRL.

Residuated lattices, although originally considered in the realm of algebra providing a general setting for studying ideals in ring theory, were later shown to form algebraic models for substructural logics. The latter are non-classical logics that include intuitionistic, relevance, many-valued, and linear logic, among others. Most of the important examples of substructural logics are obtained by adding structural rules to the basic logical calculus

New Methods for Measuring Transient Interactions Between Proteins and Curved Membranes

Variations in the physical deformation of the plasma membrane play a significant role in the sorting and behavior of the proteins that occupy it. Determining the interplay between membrane curvature and protein behavior required the development and thorough characterization of a model plasma membrane with well defined and localized regions of curvature. This model system consists of a fluid lipid bilayer that is supported by a dye-loaded polystyrene nanoparticle patterned glass substrate. As the physical deformation of the supported lipid bilayer is essential to our understanding of the behavior of the protein occupying the bilayer, extensive characterization of the structure of the model plasma membrane was conducted. Neither the regions of curvature in the vicinity of the polystyrene nanoparticles or the interaction between a lipid bilayer and small patches of curved polystyrene are well understood, so the results of experiments to determine these properties are described. To do so, individual fluorescently labeled proteins and lipids are tracked on this model system and in live cells. New methods for analyzing the resulting tracks and ensemble data are presented and discussed. To validate the model system and analytical methods, fluorescence microscopy was used to image a peripheral membrane protein, cholera toxin subunit B (CTB). These results are compared to results obtained from membrane components that were not expected to show an preference for membrane curvature: an individual fluorescently-labeled lipid, lissamine rhodamine B DHPE, and another protein, streptavidin associated with biotin-labeled DHPE. The observed tendency for cholera toxin subunit B to avoid curved regions of curvature, as determined by new and established analytical methods, is presented and discussed.

Photogenerated o-Azaxylylenes: Mechanistic Studies and Synthetic Applications

This research sets out to build upon excited state o-azaxylylene cycloaddition. The mechanism behind the excitation and cycloaddition process of photogenerated o-azaxylylenes was determined experimentally. Time-correlated single-photon counting, steady-state spectroscopy, triplet quenching experiments, and quantum yield studies provided evidence suggesting that excited state intramolecular proton transfer is followed by intersystem crossing and stepwise addition to the tethered unsaturated pendant. In keeping with the principles of diversity oriented synthesis, a modular approach was taken to gain access to a diverse array of N,O,S-Polyheterocycles which were modified postphotochemically via Suzuki coupling to yield fused biaryls. Cycloaddition products, outfitted with halogens in the aromatic ring of the o-azaxylylene, proved to be reactive with a variety of boronic acids resulting in a rapid growth in structural complexity. A novel procedure was developed that utilized multiple o-azaxylylene cores in a photochemical cascade transformation yielding complex scaffolds of unprecedented topology. The photoprecursors were produced in a one-pot two-step sequence from commercially available starting materials, and upon irradiation yield structures containing up to five fused hetrocyclic rings, and showed complete diastereoselectivity.

Patterns and Predictors of Stability and Change in Representations of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Research on the stability of attachment representations across the lifespan has led to two alternative perspectives: the prototype and revisionist perspectives (Fraley, 2002). The prototype perspective posits that there is a stable factor underlying fluctuations in representations and the revisionist perspective argues that there is no inherently stable factor. The current study employed a latent trait-state model to investigate these alternative models of stability and change in representations of romantic relationships in adolescence and young adulthood. The study also sought to identify individual characteristics and relationship experiences that are associated with changes in representations. In a sample of 200 participants, representations were assessed by interview and self-report over seven measurement occasions between ages 15 and 23. Results were consistent with the prototype perspective emphasizing that a stable, latent factor exerts a consistent influence over the lifespan. In addition to a stable component, representations incorporated a component that varies over time. Findings showed that this fluctuating component of representations was associated with internalizing and externalizing symptomatology as well as experiences of support and negative interaction in relationships.

Examining the impact of pre-k and kindergarten classroom alignment on school readiness outcomes

This study explored children’s experiences of instructional alignment from prekindergarten to kindergarten and analyzed the impact of those alignment experiences on children’s school readiness outcomes. The study answered the following overarching research question: Does the alignment of children’s learning experiences between prekindergarten and kindergarten impact school readiness outcomes? Three sub-questions drove the research design: (1) How do children’s prekindergarten and kindergarten learning experiences align; (2) To what extent does the alignment of early learning experiences predict children’s school readiness outcomes; and (3) Does the quality of prekindergarten classroom teacher interactions moderate the impact of any PK-K alignment effects? Using cluster analysis and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to analyze data from over 1,300 children in the 2009 Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), the study found that children have distinct and definable experiences of PK-K alignment. Results also indicated a disparity in children’s PK-K alignment experiences, with Hispanic/Latino children more likely to attend Head Start programs with poor systems transition practices followed by kindergartens with poor classroom structures. The study found that growth in the use of instructional activity centers from prekindergarten to kindergarten is predictive of better literacy and math outcomes. Findings further suggested that boys, minority students, and children from lower income households are predicted to score lower than girls, white classmates, and higher-income peers across school readiness measures. Findings support the need for equitable transition and alignment practices for children from all racial and ethnic groups. They also argue for an increase in child-directed activity centers in kindergarten. With one exception, the current findings did not support the hypothesis that prekindergarten teacher quality is a moderator of alignment effects on children’s school readiness outcomes. The study presents suggestions for further research.

Regulation of Synaptogenesis by the miRNA Pathway and FMR/P Bodies

Post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA is facilitated by different mechanisms, such as microRNA (miRNA) induced gene silencing or fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) mediated repression either independent of or acting through cytoplasmic RNA Processing bodies (P bodies). DPTP99A, Lar, and Wg have known functions during synaptogenesis and may be targets of miR-8. Here, we provide evidence that miR-8 regulates DPTP99A in vitro. Non-endogenous miR-8 expressed using an UAS driver regulates Lar. Endogenous miR-8 may regulate DPTP99A in vivo. Here we show that FMRP is capable of colocalizing with the P body components: DCP1, HPat, and Me31B, but not CCR4. We also show that RNAi against HPat and Me31B but not CCR4 and DCP1 are required for FMRP’s repression of a translational reporter in vivo. This functional analysis provides additional insight into another aspect of FMRP’s and P bodies’ ability to cooperatively control repression of mRNA targets.

Risk for engagement in nonsuicidal self-injury in children and adolescents

Although NSSI engagement is a growing public health concern, little research has documented the developmental precursors to NSSI in longitudinal studies using youth samples. This study aimed to expand upon previous research on groups of NSSI engagement in a population-based sample of youth using multi-wave data. Moreover, this study examined whether chronic peer and romantic stress, the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), parenting behaviors, and negative attributional style predicted the NSSI group membership as well as the role of sex and grade. Participants were 549 youth in beginning in the 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades at the baseline assessment. NSSI was assessed across 7 waves of data. Chronic peer and romantic stress, 5-HTTLPR, parenting behaviors, and negative attributional style were assessed at baseline. Growth mixture models, conducted to test the latent trajectory of NSSI groups did not converge. Three NSSI groups were manually created according to classifications that were determined a priori. NSSI groups included: no NSSI (85.1%), episodic NSSI (8.5%), and repeated NSSI (6.4%). Chronic peer and romantic stress, sex, and grade differentiated the no NSSI vs. repeated NSSI groups and the episodic NSSI vs. repeated NSSI groups. Specifically, higher levels of stress, being female, and being in higher grades related to repeated NSSI. 5-HTTLPR differentiated the no NSSI vs. repeated NSSI groups, such that carrying the short allele of 5-HTTLPR related to repeated NSSI. Exploratory analyses revealed that the relationship between attributional style and NSSI group was moderated by grade. This study suggests chronic interpersonal peer and romantic stress is an important factor placing youth at greater risk for repeatedly engaging in NSSI.

New Middle East Cold War: Saudi Arabia and Iran's Rivalry

The competing powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran continue to redress and reverse the strategic imbalance and direction of the Middle East’s regional politics. The 1979 Iranian Revolution catapulted these two states into an embittered rivalry. The fall of Saddam Hussein following the 2003 U.S. led invasion, the establishment of a Shi’ite Iraq and the 2011 Arab Uprisings have further inflamed tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia have not confronted each other militarily, but rather have divided the region into two armed camps on the basis of political and religious ideology in seeking regional allies and promulgating sectarianism as they continue to exploit the region’s weak states in a series of proxy wars ranging from conflicts in Iraq to Lebanon. The Saudi-Iranian strategic and geopolitical rivalry is further complicated by a religious and ideological rivalry, as tensions represent two opposing aspirations for Islamic leadership with two vastly differing political systems. The conflict is between Saudi Arabia, representing Sunni Islam via Wahhabism, and Iran, representing Shi’ite Islam through Khomeinism. The nature of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry has led many Middle East experts to identify their rivalry as a “New Middle East Cold War.” The Saudi-Iranian rivalry has important implications for regional stability and U.S. national security interests. Therefore, this thesis seeks to address the question: Is a cold war framework applicable when analyzing the Saudi Arabian and Iranian relationship?

Examining the relationship among genes, attention bias to emotion, and depression in youth

The investigation of biologically initiated pathways to psychological disorder is critical to advance our understanding of mental illness. Research has suggested that attention bias to emotion may be an intermediate trait for depression associated with biologically plausible candidate genes, such as the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and catechol-o-methyl-transferase (COMT) genes, yet there have been mixed findings in regards to the precise direction of effects. The experience of recent stressful life events (SLEs) may be an important, yet currently unstudied, moderator of the relationship between genes and attention bias as SLEs have been associated with both gene expression and attention to emotion. Additionally, although attention biases to emotion have been studied as a possible intermediate trait associated with depression, no study has examined whether attention biases within the context of measured genetic risk lead to increased risk for clinical depressive episodes over time. Therefore, this research investigated both whether SLEs moderate the link between genetic risk (5-HTTLPR and COMT) and attention bias to emotion and whether 5-HTTLPR and COMT moderated the relationship between attention biases to emotional faces and clinical depression onset prospectively across 18 months within a large community sample of youth (n= 467). Analyses revealed a differential effect of gene. Youth who were homozygous for the low expressing allele of 5-HTTLPR (S/S) and had experienced more recent SLEs within the last three months demonstrated preferential attention toward negative emotional faces (angry and sad). However, youth who were homozygous for the high expressing COMT genotype (Val/Val) and had experienced more recent SLEs showed attentional avoidance of positive facial expressions (happy). Additionally, youth who avoided negative emotion (i.e., anger) and were homozygous for the S allele of the 5-HTTLPR gene were at greater risk for prospective depressive episode onset. Increased risk for depression onset was specific to the 5-HTTLPR gene and was not found when examining moderation by COMT. These findings highlight the importance of examining risk for depression across multiple levels of analysis, such as combined genetic, environmental, and cognitive risk, and is the first study to demonstrate clear evidence of attention biases to emotion functioning as an intermediate trait predicting depression.

China's Strategic Choices towards North Korea and Iran

This study tests two hypotheses. First, China cooperates with the United States only when it is able to obtain material rewards. Second, without material incentives from the United States, China straddles between the United States on one hand and Iran and North Korea on the other. My findings show that neither Structural Realism, which holds anti-hegemonism alliance, nor Constructivism, which holds positive assimilation of the nuclear nonproliferation norm explains Chinese international behavior comprehensively. My balance of interest model explains Chinese foreign policy on the noncompliant states better. The cases cover the Sino-North Korean and Sino-Iranian diplomatic histories from 1990 to 2013 vis-à-vis the United States. The study is both a within-case comparison—that is, changes of China’s stance across time—and a cross-case comparison in China’s position regarding Iran and North Korea. My comparisons contribute to theoretical and empirical analyses in international relations literature. Theoretically, the research creates different options for the third party between the two antagonistic actors. China will have seven different types of reaction: balancing, bandwagoning, mediating, and abetting that foster strategic clarity versus hiding, delaying, and straddling which are symptomatic of strategic ambiguity. I argue that there is a gradation between pure balancing and pure supporting. Empirically, the test results show that Chinese leaders have tried to find a balance between its material interests and international reputation by engaging in straddling and delaying inconsistently. There are two major findings. First, China’s foreign policy has been reactive. Whereas prior to 2006, balancing against the U.S. had been a dominant strategy, since 2006, China has shown strategic ambiguity. Second, Chinese leaders believe that the preservation of stability in the region outweighs denuclearization of the noncompliant states, because it is in China’s interest to maintain a manageable tension between the U.S. and the noncompliant states. The balance of interest model suggests that the best way to understand China’s preferences is to consider them as products of rough calculation of risks and rewards on both the U.S. and the noncompliant states.

Fluorescent Biological Aerosol Particles in Coastal Canada and the Link to Atmospheric Ice Nuclei

Bioaerosols are a subgroup of atmospheric aerosols and are often linked to the spread of human, animal and plant diseases. Bioaerosols also may play an indirect effect on environmental processes, including the formation of precipitation and alteration of the global climate through their role as nuclei for cloud droplet formation. Several types of biological organisms (e.g., fungi and bacteria) have been shown to be effective ice nuclei (IN) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). During 21 days in August 2013 we participated in a collaborative international campaign at a rural, coastal site near the village of Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The experiments were conducted as part of the NETCARE project (the NETwork on Climate and Aerosols: Addressing Key Uncertainties in Remote Canadian Environments), in part to examine cloud nuclei properties of marine aerosol. The study was conducted from a mobile trailer located approximately 100 m from the coast. A suite of aerosol instrumentation was operated for approximately one month. Key instruments utilized as a part of this thesis include the wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS-4A) and the multiple orifice uniform deposition impactor (MOUDI) coupled with an off-line droplet freezing technique (DFT) for the measurement of ice nucleation activity of particles in immersion mode. The WIBS measures the concentration and properties of individual fluorescent particles suspended in the air, which can serve as a proxy for airborne biological particle content. Particles shown to be fluorescent by the WIBS instrument were divided into seven categories based on the pattern of fluorescence each particle exhibited in the three fluorescent channels. Results of the WIBS analysis show that the fluorescent particle concentration in the region correlated well with IN number. The fluorescent particle concentration correlated well with the number of particles shown to be ice active as a function of both particle size and freezing temperature. Correlations involving marine aerosols and marine biological activity indicate that the majority of IN measured at the coastal site likely are not from have marine sources.

Student-Athlete Learning: How Learning Spaces Influence Athletic and Academic Success

This study will utilize case study inquiry to examine student-athlete learning opportunities in the athletic learning space and academic learning space in a higher education NCAA Division I collegiate institution. This study will assess what learning opportunities exist within the athletic and academic learning space to better understand effective learning practices. This study will utilize the sociocultural Learning Sciences literature, supported with critical pedagogy and inclusive excellence literature, to understand how different learning spaces contribute to student-athlete learning opportunities and educational success in college.

Finding Onesimus: Recovering the Story of a First-Century Fugitive Slave

Author: Ryan Lokkesmoe Title: Finding Onesimus: Recovering the Story of a First-Century Fugitive Slave Advisor: Pamela Eisenbaum Degree Date: August 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation is an investigation into the experience of a first-century fugitive slave named Onesimus, who is known to us primarily through Paul’s letter to Philemon (Phlm) in the New Testament. Within this broader purpose, this project challenges a popular historical theory for Onesimus’ flight, the so-called Amicus Domini theory. This is the theory that Onesimus fled his master Philemon with the premeditated intention of seeking out the Apostle Paul as a peacemaker in a conflict Onesimus was having with Philemon. The Amicus Domini theory is accepted by many scholars, though rarely discussed in detail or examined critically. The goal of this project is to offer a more probable historical reconstruction of Onesimus’ flight – one that takes better stock of the available evidence (historical, textual, archaeological, legal, and rhetorical). This project is rooted in the sub-discipline of the Historical Critical method, though rhetorical analysis is applied as well. This study offers a translation and commentary of Phlm, as well as an examination of Paul’s rhetoric in the letter. Other sources that specifically mention Onesimus are also investigated, e.g. Colossians, ancient Christian commentators, and the subscriptions in the manuscripts. The project also examines slavery in the Ancient Mediterranean world with a view toward understanding what most slaves experienced, and especially fugitive slaves. Roman law of slavery is also discussed, as well as the estimated travel times and cost of Onesimus’ journey (whether from Colossae to Rome, Caesarea Maritima, or Ephesus). There are many factors that are problematic for the Amicus Domini theory, e.g. the duration of Onesimus’ journey, the financial cost to Philemon, and the fact that the documents typically used to support the Amicus Domini theory (Pliny’s letters to Sabinianus and the writings of Roman jurists) do not comport with the data in Phlm. This dissertation offers a modified theory for Onesimus’ predicament: Amicus Domini Ex Post Facto. Onesimus did not leave Philemon intending to seek out Paul and reconcile with Philemon, but he eventually decided to seek help long after the fact. This historical reconstruction makes better sense of the evidence, and provides a clearer view of what Onesimus faced during his flight.