Digital Commons Network^™

Developing A Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy Experiment For Solid State Materials, Daniel Hammerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy (FSRS) is a ultrafast spectroscopy technique first implemented by chemists to understand isomerization and other ultrafast molecular morphology changes by resolving vibrational dynamics[1, 2, 3]. FSRS has an unparalleled temporal and spectral resolution [4, 1, 5, 6] that arises as a result of a clever combination of picosecond and femtosecond pulses. However, despite this capability, FSRS has yet to be applied to modern materials in condensed matter physics. This thesis explores the design and implementation of FSRS to study two-dimensional materials in order to measure their quantum confined vibrational dynamics on utlrafast time scales.

Examining The Clinical Prediction Of Cohesion In Group Psychotherapy And Potential Moderators, Ron Dolgin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Group cohesion, or the way in which group members relate and work toward the primary task of a therapy group, is a predictor for positive outcome in group psychotherapy and the building block for most group development models. Research has shown that interventions are most effective when tailored for the developmental stage of the group (Burlingame, Fuhriman, & Johnson, 2001). Logic follows that if best practice dictates that interventions be implemented based on developmental stage which, in turn, is largely informed by group cohesion, then group leaders should be competent in accurately assessing the cohesion of the group. To date, …

Translating Data From The Laboratory Into Simulation: A Computational Framework For Subject-Specific Finite Element Musculoskeletal Simulation, Donald R. Hume

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling is a powerful tool which has been used to inform decisions made by engineers, scientists, and clinicians for decades. Musculoskeletal modeling has emerged as a computational modeling technique used to understand the interaction between the body and its surroundings. There are several common approaches used for musculoskeletal modeling which take advantage of different model formulations to obtain information of interest. Unfortunately, models with different joint formulations inherit disparities in representations of ligament, muscle, and cartilage at joints of interest. These differences affect the way the joint functions and limit the insight it provides through computational analysis. Musculoskeletal models …

A Bi-Encoder Lstm Model For Learning Unstructured Dialogs, Diwanshu Shekhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creating a data-driven model that is trained on a large dataset of unstructured dialogs is a crucial step in developing a Retrieval-based Chatbot systems. This thesis presents a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) based Recurrent Neural Network architecture that learns unstructured multi-turn dialogs and provides implementation results on the task of selecting the best response from a collection of given responses. Ubuntu Dialog Corpus Version 2 (UDCv2) was used as the corpus for training. Ryan et al. (2015) explored learning models such as TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and a Dual Encoder (DE) based on Long …

Russian Information Operations In The Soviet Strategic Framework, Kyle I. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to illuminate how information operations supports Russia’s strategy for creating power for the state. Using classic military theory and Soviet strategy as the lens, the paper examines information operations in the context of the nature of war. The examination includes historical and contemporary Russian publications on warfare, as well as information operations case studies from Eastern Europe, Georgia and Crimea. Russia’s operations are found to be consistent with a strategy of attrition. The opponent's society is the primary target of information operations. The emphasis on information operations within contemporary Russian concepts of modern war indicate that the …

Classification Of One-Year Student Persistence: A Machine Learning Approach, Ben Siebrase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multilayer perceptron neural networks, Gaussian naïve Bayes, and logistic regression classifiers were compared when used to make early predictions regarding one-year college student persistence. Two iterations of each model were built, utilizing a grid search process within 10-fold cross-validation in order to tune model parameters for optimal performance on the classification metrics F-Beta and F-1. The results of logistic regression, the historically favored approach in the domain, were compared to the alternative approaches of multilayer perceptron and naïve Bayes based primarily on FBeta and F-1 score performance on a hold-out dataset. A single logistic regression model was found to perform …

The Pedagogical Impact Of The Parallels Between Classical And Improvised Music, Joseph Harkins

Piano Pedagogy: Masters Research Projects

As one of the most versatile instruments in the world, the piano has been used in a plethora of musical styles and settings. Since 1850, the instrument has been relatively unchanged, and has played a role in major musical style periods such as: the romantic period, the impressionist period, atonality, minimalism, ragtime, jazz, blues, country, pop, and gospel to name a few. (A History of Western Music, Burkholder, timelines, ix,x,xi) (Gordon, p13, a history of keyboard literature, Schirmer NY 1996). The versatility of this instrument can also be seen in higher education today, in the types of collegiate piano degrees …

Action Research: Teacher Evaluation And Reflection, Courtney Lynne Landry

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to create an improved learning log procedure, based on the theory of action that the use of professional learning logs will improve self-reflection, which will increase teacher self-efficacy. Data collected through interviews, focus groups, and a research action committee have led to the assertions that (a) reflection is a necessary and welcomed part of being a professional; (b) procedures for reflection must be easily accessed and consistent; (c) teachers should have autonomy over their choice of reflection method to gain meaning; (d) though the learning log process allows for autonomy, the …

Ne Maquixtia: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Leaders’ Dispositions And Their Impact On The Organizational Cultures They Lead, Georgina Yvette Garcia

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

The aim of this field-based research study was to explore and examine the importance of leader dispositions and their impact on organizational culture and sustained success. It focused on answering the following research question: What leadership dispositions, whether in education or in business, transcend organizational boundaries and most likely lead to organizational cultures that sustainably impact results and support continuous improvement?

This study spotlights the urgent need for leaders in all organizational contexts to immerse themselves in a profound and meaningful manner with developing greater awareness of the dispositions related to their leadership and the cultures they directly impact and …

Mi Voz: Latinx Student Perceptions Of Affirmative Action On Their College Application And Enrollment Told Through Their Funds Of Knowledge, Ashley J. Idrees

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Doctoral Research Projects

In this study, I explored how LatinX students understood affirmative action strategies used by higher education institutions through their Funds of Knowledge and how this knowledge shaped their post-secondary decisions. Using a qualitative case study design, I conducted semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis to center the voices of those underrepresented in the academy to support high school to university transition. The LatinX students’ awareness of affirmative action was present and, in many cases, was a factor in their decision to attend an institution of higher education. This awareness was often the result of guidance from an influential figure …

Gestural Ekphrasis: Toward A Phenomenology Of The Moving Body In Joyce And Woolf, Lauren Nicole Benke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This theoretical project seeks to introduce a new critical methodology for evaluating gesture - both represented in text and paratextual - in the works of Virginia Woolf - specifically The Voyage Out (1915), Orlando (1928), The Waves (1931), and Between the Acts (1941) - and James Joyce - particularly Ulysses (1922) and Finnegans Wake (1939). Though gesture studies has developed significantly as an interdisciplinary field in recent decades and performance studies has elaborated on the moving body's significance to both text and performance, literary scholarship itself has not yet adequately incorporated possibilities for specific critical attention to gesture. Gesture is …

Heat, Charge And Spin Transport Of Thin Film Nanostructures, Devin John Wesenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding of fundamental physics of transport properties in thin film nanostructures is crucial for application in spintronic, spin caloritronics and thermoelectric applications. Much of the difficulty in the understanding stems from the measurement itself. In this dissertation I present our thermal isolation platform that is primarily used for detection of thermally induced effects in a wide variety of materials. We can accurately and precisely produce in-plane thermal gradients in these membranes, allowing for thin film measurements on 2-D structures. First, we look at thermoelectric enhancements of doped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube thin films. We use the Wiedemann-Franz law to calculate …

Crafting Local Food Narratives With Immigrant Voices: Participatory Ethnography Among Somali Bantu Farmers In West Denver, Raymond Alexander Pang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2013, a non-profit, Re:Vision, established the Ubuntu Farm to work with the local Somali Bantu refugee population. It was supposed to improve access to fresh produce, offer educational opportunities, skill training and more. Early on in 2014, it became clear Re:Vision was not delivering on its promises, and by 2015 the farm had ceased to exist. Using participant observation, interviews with farm participants and staff and a review of publicly accessible financial documents, I argue that Re:Vision maintained a conflict of mission, which contributed to their farms' failings, despite their ability to grow plenty of vegetables. From there, I …

Symmetry Identified In 2-Dimensional Artwork Compositions Using Visuospatial Ability, Theresa Ferg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the John Langdon Down Foundation A.C. in the La Escuela Mexicana de Arte Down school in Mexico City D.F., Mexico, art students with Trisomy 21 display the use of a mathematical construct in the painting compositions of their artworks. The mathematical construct is a type of symmetry and it carries a positive affect. This is important because there have been no studies that have investigated the use of the symmetry in the artwork compositions of persons with Down syndrome. The geometric construction of the artwork compositions follows the artistic principle of the Rule of Three and the division of …

Force-Canceling Mixer Algorithm For Vehicles With Fully-Articulated Radially Symmetric Thruster Arrays, Joseph Nicholas Casabona

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new type of fully-holonomic aerial vehicle is identified and developed that can optionally utilize automatic cancellation of excessive thruster forces to maintain precise control despite little or no throttle authority. After defining the physical attributes of the new vehicle, a flight control mixer algorithm is defined and presented. This mixer is an input/output abstraction that grants a flight control system (or pilot) full authority of the vehicle's position and orientation by means of an input translation vector and input torque vector. The mixer is shown to be general with respect to the number of thrusters in the system provided …

Tides Of Cooperation: The Ebb And Flow Of Regional Cooperation In Latin America, Amaleia E. Kolovos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regional organizations have developed into important global actors as they negotiate inter-regional trade agreements, regulate economic policies, and develop international security communities. States have much to gain from such regional cooperation efforts particularly in emerging regions such as Latin America. Such gains can include increased trade and economic relations, enhanced security, attracting external investment, and increasing bargaining power at the international level. With such gains to be had, one might expect states in these regions to regularly cooperate in order to achieve their common interests. However, this is clearly not always the case. Latin America has struggled for decades with …

Restive Subjects: Russian Protest, 2007–2013, Carey C. Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops and evaluates a structural theory of protest onset, applied to the Russian case. Russian stability has become a pressing international political concern, as Putin has annexed the Crimea, fomented one war, in Ukraine, and become a major player in another, in Syria. In December 2011, thousands of Russians gathered in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other cities for the largest set of protests since the fall of the USSR. Waves of protest have reappeared sporadically since. Each time, events create islands of dissent, spread widely, but unevenly, throughout the country - in a picture reminiscent of the pre-collapse …

Higher Education Student Debt & Tuition Costs, K. Harrison Maloy Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U.S. higher education tuition costs have risen at nearly double the rate of inflation over the past forty years. In 2012, student loan delinquency rose to 12% and surpassed credit card delinquency rates as the top category of consumer debt delinquency. Meanwhile, recently enacted federal policies advocate for increased higher education accessibility, affordability and attainability, but simultaneously promote educational institutions to increase spending with funds fueled by student debt. The growth of $136.8 billion in student loan delinquency has triggered decreasing participation in non-student debt markets by people with student loan debt. Fortunately, Americans continue to enroll in colleges at …

Selective Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation Promoted By Divalent Samarium Reagents, Christopher David-James Aretz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three efficient methods for synthesis of five membered carbocycles, a highly understudied product motif in samarium(II) chemistry, were explored and optimized. These methods utilized simple starting materials to generate linear substrates with functional groups that are reactive towards samarium(II) iodide. The three methods explored were the Reformatsky-aldol, Reformatsky-alkylation, and pinacol cyclizations. The critical discovery for efficient formation of the Reformatsky-aldol and pinacol carbocycles products was the use of lithium bromide. This addition of lithium bromide facilitates easy in situ formation of samarium(II) bromide. The Reformatsky-alkylation cyclization was a newly realized reaction employing samarium enolates. Two of the three methods, the …

Binocular Rivalry Of Emotional Expressions, Daniel Stephen Lumian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A central debate in defining emotional space is whether emotions are organized categorically (e.g., fear, happy, disgust) or continuously (i.e., along the independent dimensions of valence and arousal). Emotional facial expressions are one tool often leveraged in trying to define emotional space. Faces are rich sources of social and emotional information. Faces, like emotions, can be organized in either categorical (e.g., happy, sad) or continuous (e.g., open-closed) ways. Therefore, understanding the relatedness of emotional facial expressions to each other may shed light on the underlying structure of emotions. Binocular rivalry (BR) is a tool which can be leveraged to measure …

Developing An Affect-Aware Rear-Projected Robotic Agent, Ali Mollahosseini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social (or Sociable) robots are designed to interact with people in a natural and interpersonal manner. They are becoming an integrated part of our daily lives and have achieved positive outcomes in several applications such as education, health care, quality of life, entertainment, etc. Despite significant progress towards the development of realistic social robotic agents, a number of problems remain to be solved. First, current social robots either lack enough ability to have deep social interaction with human, or they are very expensive to build and maintain. Second, current social robots have yet to reach the full emotional and social …

Academic Resilience In Newcomers, Jacquelyn M. Carrillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to transform demographically, economically, culturally, and linguistically, as it has for several generations. At the forefront of this change are the educators, struggling to make sense of how to teach students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.

The main research question guiding this study was: What factors support or constrain the academic resiliency of Newcomers? The purpose of this study was to examine the academic resilience of Newcomers at an urban high school in Colorado. This qualitative study utilized case study methods of data collection. This study took place in four stages. The first stage encompassed …

Optimal Planning Of Microgrid-Integrated Battery Energy Storage, Ibrahim S. Alsaidan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Battery energy storage (BES) is a core component in reliable, resilient, and cost-effective operation of microgrids. When appropriately sized, BES can provide the microgrid with both economic and technical benefits. Besides the BES size, it is found that there are mainly three planning parameters that impact the BES performance, including the BES integration configuration, technology, and depth of discharge.

In this dissertation, the impact of each one of these parameters on the microgrid-integrated BES planning problem is investigated. Three microgrid-integrated BES planning models are developed to individually find the optimal values for the aforementioned parameters. These three microgrid-integrated BES planning …

Improving The Detection Limit Of Tau Aggregates For Use With Biological Samples, Emily Rickman Hager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The protein Tau is found in neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease and over 20 other neurodegenerative diseases. An assay has been developed to detect minute amounts of fibrils from human brain tissue. This assay subjects brain tissue extract and recombinant Tau to several rounds of sonication and incubation. Incubation allows recombinant Tau to add itself to the ends of the existing fibrils in brain tissue extract. Sonication breaks the existing fibrils in the brain tissue extract offering more ends for Tau to add onto. Cycles of sonication and incubation have been shown to allow for amplification of Tau fibrils from …

Girl Of Color-Power: Resisting The Neoliberal Girl Power Agent, Raisa Fernanda Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Girl power is a complex and multi-dimensional phrase. It is a term that celebrates the positive development of girls' self-esteem, while simultaneously recognizing the shifting social positioning of girlhood in the late twentieth century. It is a call to re-write girls' passivity but simultaneously a discourse that encourages consumerism via entertainment, artifacts, and merchandise. A social movement, a catch phrase, a motto: girl power is a representative caricature of evolving conceptualizations of girlhood. This dissertation is critical of the homogeneity implicit in girl power as its hailing disproportionately centers white, middle and upper class girls. As such, this project examines …

Whither The Gender Of Get Out: A Critique Of The Cinematic (Im)Possibilities Of The Black Political Imagination, Daelena Tinnin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the entanglements of spatialized racial-sexual violence, conceptualizations of black female subjectivity, questions of the limitations and excesses of media representations and the socioeconomic, cultural and spatiotemptoral relations that make black images visible and (im) possible as they are situated in the cinematic black political imagination. Through a materialist media analysis of the 2017 film Get Out, I argue that the film and its articulation of the afterlife of slavery fails to account for gender by tangentially engaging black women in its dissection of race and racism. I contend that black women are the absent presence in …

Origins Of Animal Cell Adhesion, Jennyfer Mora Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A fundamental requirement for multicellularity is cell adhesion. This includes mechanisms by which cells adhere to each other and to their secreted extracellular matrix (ECM). Two well characterized adhesion complexes in animals include: 1) adherens junctions (AJs), which are involved in cell-cell adhesion and composed of cadherin receptors, p120-, α- and β-catenin, and 2) focal adhesions (FAs), which are involved in cell-ECM adhesion and include proteins such as integrins, vinculin, paxillin, talin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The molecular components of AJs are widely conserved in animals, and largely absent in non-animals. In contrast, the molecular components of FAs have …

Great Powers Have Great Currencies: Popular Nationalist Discourse And China's Campaign To Internationalize The Renminbi, Michael Stephen Bartee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why did the Chinese government begin promoting the internationalization of its currency, the renminbi, after the 2008 global financial crisis? Only a few years earlier, Beijing balked at U.S. demands to reform its currency regime, which would require dismantling many of the country's long-preferred tools for promoting growth and maintaining domestic stability. Similar concerns about the dilution of monetary policy independence motivated previous rising economies Germany and Japan to proactively discourage the internationalization of their currencies. While China's central bank had long explored promoting greater international use of the renminbi, and such a policy would generate some benefits for China, …

A Critical Interpretation Of Olivier Roy: On Globalization, The Cosmopolitan And Emerging Post-Secular Religiosities, Joshua Rey Ramos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is that secularization transforms religion into religiosity. In other words, the secular breaks apart religion, or rather, 'deculturates' religion from a cohesive, collective body embedded within a particular society and within a traditional culture towards an individuated, and existential experience of faith within the autonomous religious subject. There are various reasons for this shift, as there are various consequences. Globalization, which is modernization writ large, is the dominant paradigm through which I conceptualize these changes. The theorist whose work I use as a lens to interpret secularization, religion and societal transformation is Olivier Roy. Roy's theories are of …

Study Of Optical Ofdm System For Wireless Lan Applications, Salih Mohamed S. Kenshil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advantages of optical fiber make it possible to extend the data rate transmission and propagation distance. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) as a multicarrier technique (MC) is used in hybrid optical-wireless system designs because it has the best spectral efficiency to radio frequency (RF) interference and lower multipath distortion. In this dissertation, a study and evaluation of optical OFDM based wireless local area network (W-LAN) systems are presented. The baseband of the OFDM signal is fully transmitted and up-converted to a radio frequency signal. Also, to reduce system costs, simple base stations (BSs) are interconnected to a central office …