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Incorporating self-repair capabilities to memories is a standard practice to reduce yield loss from hardware defects. OpenRAM is an open-source memory compilation framework that supports the automated generation of Static Random Access Memories (SRAMs). This thesis extends the OpenRAM memory compiler with a built-in self-repair (BISR) feature. The self-repair logic is implemented as a synthesizable Verilog wrapper, and the OpenRAM SRAM is augmented to include extra rows and columns for remapping faulty memory cells.

While current research indicates that traumas high in social betrayal are more closely associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress and identity disturbances than are traumas low in betrayal, the psychological mechanisms by which identity problems occur are less understood. The current project explored the relationships between traumas high and low in betrayal and their influence on self-complexity, through the RFT and ACT conceptualization of three types of self-experiencing: self-as-content, self-as-process, and self-as-context. The roles of experiential avoidance, dissociation, and severity of PTSD symptoms were also considered within this framework. A sample of 548 undergraduate students at the University of North Texas completed online self-report questionnaires, and results suggested that self-as-context more strongly predicted PTSD symptoms than trauma exposure, dissociation, and experiential avoidance. Moreover, high betrayal trauma was found to be a stronger negative predictor of self-as-context than low betrayal trauma. Exposure to trauma was found to significantly predict self-complexity, and self-as-context more strongly predicted self-complexity than did self-as-process. Interestingly, self-as-context did not moderate the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms, nor between trauma exposure and self-complexity. Implications of the current study’s findings, as well as suggestions for further research related to the impact of interpersonal betrayal on the self and psychological health, are discussed.

Elastin, a structural protein in the extra-cellular matrix, plays a critical role in the normal functioning of blood vessels. Apart from performing its primary function of providing resilience to arteries, it also plays major role in regulating cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, response to injury, and morphogenesis. Medial arterial calcification (MAC) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are two diseases where the structural and functional integrity of elastin is severely compromised. Although the clinical presentation of MAC and AAA differ, they have one common underlying causative mechanism--pathological degradation of elastin. Hence prevention of elastin degradation in the early stages of MAC and AAA can mitigate, partially if not wholly, the fatal consequences of both the diseases. The work presented here is motivated by the overwhelming statistics of people afflicted by elastin associated cardiovascular diseases and the unavailability of cure for the same. Overall goal of our research is to understand role of elastin degradation in cardiovascular diseases and to develop a targeted vascular drug delivery system that is minimally invasive, biodegradable, and non-toxic, that prevents elastin from degradation. Our hope is that such treatment will also help regenerate elastin, thereby providing a multi-fold treatment option for elasto-degenerative vascular diseases. For this purpose, we have first confirmed the combined role of degraded elastin and hyperglycemia in the pathogenesis of MAC. We have shown that in the absence of degraded elastin and TGF-β1 (abundantly present in diabetic arteries) vascular smooth muscle cells maintain their homeostatic state, regardless of environmental glucose concentrations. However simultaneous exposure to glucose, elastin peptides and TGF-β1 causes the pathological transgenesis of vascular cells to osteoblast-like cells. We show that plant derived polyphenols bind to vascular elastin with great affinity resulting in improved resistance to elastolytic digestion. We further show that the same polyphenols interact with monomeric tropoelastin released by the vascular cells and dramatically increasing their self-assembly in-vitro. In addition, we demonstrate the elastogenic ability of these polyphenols in aiding the crosslinking of tropoelastin released by aneurysmal cells converting it into mature elastin. Finally, we developed a nanoparticle system functionalized with elastin antibody on the surface that, upon systemic delivery, can recognize and bind to sites of damaged elastin in the aorta. We are able to show that this nanoparticle system works in representative animal models for MAC and AAA. These nanoparticles demonstrated spatial and functional specificity for degraded elastin. In conclusion, our work is focused on understanding the role of elastin degradation in vascular calcification and aortic aneurysms. We tested approaches to halt elastin degradation and to regenerate elastin in arteries so that homeostasis can be achieved.

Ethnic identity development is a process that occurs for all individuals, and weakness in ethnic identity is associated with numerous psychosocial difficulties. Security in ethnic identity can be difficult for those exposed to varying attitudes and behaviors in a multicultural society. As such, the current study examined the influence of mindfulness and self-compassion on ethnic identity development. a sample of 479 undergraduate students completed online self-report questionnaires measuring demographic information, mindfulness, self-compassion, ethnic identity status, and self-esteem. Results suggested that mindfulness and self-compassion are significant negative predictors of ethnic identity, and that self-compassion was a better predictor of ethnic identity status than was mindfulness. Self-compassion did not moderate the relationship between mindfulness and ethnic identity status, as was hypothesized. the sample included primarily Caucasian (n = 278) individuals born in the United States, which likely limited generalizability of findings. Implications of the current findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.