Digital Commons Network^™

Benumbed Compulsion, Philip E. Stern

Student Theses

Benumbed Compulsion is a musical representation of the intense emotions that we live with and become used to carrying. Though we become desensitized to these feelings, they may pour out of us either subtly or explosively. The tidal dynamics and back-and-forth motion between the two dominating harmonies express the emotions we feel compelled to experience but often become numb to their effect.

The Development And Validation Of Novel Imaging Biomarkers For Uterine Contraction, Cervix And Placenta In Pregnancy, Wenjie Wu

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Annually, nearly half a million neonates in the United States and 15 million globally are born preterm, defined as prior to 37 completed weeks of gestation. These births present elevated risks of neonatal mortality and long-term neurological deficits. The predominant obstetric precursors of preterm birth (PTB) include spontaneous preterm labor (45%), medically-indicated deliveries (30%), and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM, 25%). Each precursor is associated with distinct physiological or structural alterations such as uterine contractions, placental dysfunction, or cervical insufficiency. Current methodologies for monitoring uterine contractions, such as intrauterine pressure catheters and electrohysterography, possess limitations in spatial resolution, coverage, …

Divergent Self-Assembly Of Block Heterochiral Stereoisomer Arrays, Conor Louis O'Neill

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The autonomous organization of parts into ordered architectures, or biomolecular self-assembly, is an elementary natural process that defines and guides the construction and function of living organisms. This phenomenon has emerged as a potent tool for the creation of novel biomaterials, with peptide-based instances benefitting from intrinsic modularity, ease of de novo design and synthesis, biocompatibility, and chemical versatility. These properties enable methodical modifications that generate suprastructures with a wide variety of morphologies and functionalities, supporting a broad range of biomedical applications. Further, the chiral nature of amino acids permits synthesis of either left- or right-handed peptides; in recent years, …

Interpretable Deep Learning Via Sparse Representation For Protein-Dna Interactions, Shane Kuei-Hsien Chu

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A central theme in modeling in regulatory genomics is to consider what representation is suited for DNA sequences that give the most helpful information. Traditionally, there are k-mers, position-weight-matrices, parametric statistical models like Hidden Markov models, and, more recently, deep neural network. In this work, we introduce sparse representations as a principled framework for problems in regulatory genomics. We show that sparse representation is a framework that allows us to build techniques to answer challenging inferential questions in regulatory genomics. Leveraging sparse representations, we reveal that gapped and long motifs are prevalent in in-vivo datasets like ChIP-Seq, often corresponding to …

Improving And Integrating Quantitative Single Cell Spatial Biology For Theranostic Medicine, Peng Lu

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Disease states are the result of a complex interplay of many different cell types interacting in close proximity in the context of often heterogeneous tissues. Alpha particles are drawing intense research and clinical interest because of their potent cytotoxic effects and their short path lengths. Analyzing the dose distribution and tissue micro-environment for alpha therapy plays a key role in predicting the efficacy of this targeted radiotherapy. However, to date there have been no direct on-tissue analytical methods for alpha dose distributions and the corresponding tissue microenvironments. Therefore, we have developed a pipeline to overcome this limitation by utilizing quantitative …

Mechanisms And Prevention Of Antibiotic Resistant Organism Spread In Hospitals, Erin P. Newcomer

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Our quest as a species to treat and prevent disease has led us to develop medical care that would have been inconceivable even one century ago. However, as we learn to overcome previous roadblocks, new hurdles that we hadn’t even considered continue to present themselves. Once we learned to understand the germ theory of disease, we sought treatments for infectious diseases, which led us to the development of antibiotics. Antibiotics are responsible for saving countless lives and have ushered in the advances in other fields of medicine like cancer treatment and surgery. Now, antibiotic resistance threatens our ability to treat …

In Search Of A United Regional Front: Asean Roadblocks And Conflicting Foreign Policies In Addressing The South China Sea Dispute(S), Christian Fortich

Major Papers

The South China Sea has been a major geopolitical flashpoint of the 21st century due to maritime disputes. At stake are billions worth of aquatic resources and untapped energy reserves. Beyond these, larger issues of sovereignty, maritime rights, and the freedom of navigation are in question. The involved parties in the disputes are China, which asserts its historical ownership of more than 80% of the maritime features, and the ASEAN states of Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, and Malaysia, which heavily bank on the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea, in ascertaining their claims. ASEAN is supposed to …

Enhancing International Students' Participation In Online Courses Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: A Systematic Literature Review, Xiaoyan Song

Major Papers

With the increasing diversity of the K-12 student population, there has been a growing emphasis on the adoption of culturally responsive teaching practices (Lawrence, 2020). Additionally, online degree programs and courses provided by many universities in the United States and around the world offer people the chance to access higher education without leaving their homes and without considering the issues of age, time, and geography (Diaz, 2021). Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the prevalence of online courses (Bao 2020; Rapanta et al., 2020; Mollenkopf et al., 2020). According to Elshami et al. (2021), “satisfaction with online learning is …

Alpha, Beta, Sigma: A Critical Analysis Of Sigma Male Ideology, Mateo Valdivia

Major Papers

In the online environment, the Manosphere has been identified as an unstructured network of groups who express harmful anti-feminist, and anti-progressive views. Informally associated with the Manosphere, Sigma Male ideology has emerged as an allegedly unique classification of men who are successful and popular, but also silent and rebellious. Despite assertions that they adhere to their own principles, Sigma Male ideological expressions, as conveyed through video memes of select fictional role models, demonstrate that they are more intimately connected to the Manosphere than acknowledged. This research paper applies critical qualitative meme analysis to TikTok videos that feature the specific Sigma …

Navigating Identity Shifts: A Review Of International Students’ (Re)Construction Of Self-Identities, Shuo Liu

Major Papers

Studying abroad is increasingly becoming a popular choice for many students and their families. Pursuing a degree in a foreign country not only signifies academic achievements, but it also contributes significantly to their personal growth and life accomplishments. International students face the challenge of adapting to a new environment, managing life’s difficulties, and establishing connections within the host society.

Adjusting to this new environment, rebuilding their lives in an unfamiliar place, and successfully earning a degree in a foreign country all require a strong and mature personality. When international students accomplish these tasks, they undergo a process of self-renewal and …

Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy And Hedging: Playing Its Cards Right, Jaclyn Alexandra Kouleas

Major Papers

This paper illustrates Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy through the lens of hedging theory. Under the neoclassical realism umbrella, hedging is a foreign policy strategy that middle power states use to accommodate for future risks of a declining hegemonic global power. Saudi Arabia endorses strategic hedging in its external relations to accommodate both the United States and China, reaping the benefits of both relationships. This paper addresses the following two questions: 1) What is Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy through the lens of strategic hedging theory? And 2) How will strategic hedging help Saudi Arabia prepare for a multipolar world? How countries …

A Literature Review And Data Analysis Of Willingness To Communicate In A Second Language Among International Students, Luyao Tan

Major Papers

The present research paper employs a document analysis method to investigate the multifaceted dynamics that underlie the willingness to communicate (WTC) in a second language among international students. This paper reviewed and analyzed more than 65 studies in the past two decades on international students’ WTC in a second language in the country where they study. Utilizing a comprehensive review of these existing studies, this paper elucidates the pivotal role of various motivational, emotional, social, and belongingness factors in shaping international students' WTC experiences. Motivation is a key determinant of WTC in a second language, with findings indicating higher levels …

Grasping Type Affects Configural Encoding In Visual Working Memory, Shinhae Ahn

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that different grasping actions selectively influence the processing of simple visual features based on their relevance to the specific action. However, it remains uncertain if this interaction extends to abstract and higher-order information, such as global configuration extracted from an array of visual objects. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of different grasping types on the processing of configural shape information in visual working memory (VWM). In Experiment 1, participants engaged in a VWM change detection task while adopting either power- or precision-grasping postures. The availability of configural shape information was manipulated through the …

Consistent Across Situations? A Person Specific Approach To Examining A Long-Standing Paradox., Muchen Xi

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bem and Allen (1974) address the person situation debate by proposing that there are some people behave more consistently, which can be better “explained” try personality traits, than others who are more influenced by situations. However, with failures to directly replicate Bem and Allen’s study, the existence of individual difference in cross situation consistency of behaviors remaining unclear. The current study addressed open questions that arose from the personality consistency debate by employing Mixed Effect Location Scale Model (MELSM) in an intensive longitudinal study. We found 1) there are individual difference in the overall behavioral consistency across situations; 2) there …

A Mega-Study Of Stereotypes And Attitudes Toward Nationality Groups In The United States, Ayse Selin Toprakkiran

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The culture and demographics of the United States have been greatly influenced by numerous immigrant nationality groups, which continue to play a vital role in society. To understand how nationality groups are perceived in the United States, we asked residents to report stereotypes and attitudes toward 28 nationality groups and 6 racial/ethnic groups (N = 7,050). Our findings showed various patterns across 15 stereotypes, grouped under warmth, status, Americanness, and political orientation dimensions. Warmth-related stereotypes and attitudes varied widely across groups and did not follow a discernible pattern. Status-related stereotypes of Asian Americans and East Asian nationality groups were consistently …

Comparative Analysis Of Rectum Delineation: Inter-Observer Agreement Among Treatment Planners Versus Auto Segmentation In A Single Institution, Haley Douglas

Culminating Experience Projects

Abstract

Introduction

The past 20 years have seen a continuous rise in the cancer patient population, resulting in staffing shortages, longer wait times for patients, and potentially lower-quality care. Artificial intelligence has been incorporated into the healthcare system and has provided ease with understaffing. Using AI technology to delineate structures can reduce planning time and variation between planners. The objective of this research is to assess the level of consistency in the rectum boundary delineation performed by different dosimetrists working at a single institution, as compared to the performance of the AutoContour software. This analysis will help determine the efficacy …

Harnessing The Power Of Student Voice: A Case Study Of Hybrid Proficiency-Based And Co-Created Curriculum And Assessment, Kaitlyn A. Seamons

Theses and Dissertations

Assessment has become a dirty word in arts education, because art is notoriously difficult to assess. Assessment, which is often disliked or even disavowed by arts educators, due to its history of incompatibility with the idiosyncratic nature of arts learning, should ideally be utilized as a means of measuring student progress and help teachers understand how to help students succeed. While assessment can also be used to evaluate programs and teachers and to compare student successes relative to those of other students, I will be focusing on measuring individual student progress for my thesis and building a curriculum to support …

Your Mission, Should You Choose To Attempt It, Is To Save The Mona Lisa! Gamification As A Method For Teaching Art, Caleb Ovard

Theses and Dissertations

To increase student engagement in their classroom, the author created an art curriculum using gamification methods that incorporates elements of tabletop role-playing games. The Role-playing Art Curriculum is a key element of this thesis. Possible research approaches involving game-based learning and gamification were examined to point toward future research and reflection regarding games and game-like content into an art curriculum. Action research methods were used to create and run the Role-playing Art Curriculum. The author concludes that the gamified curriculum took extra preparation and required more management to run then other traditional art curriculums.

A Content Analysis Of Title Ix Sexual Misconduct Violations Using The Office For Civil Rights Investigative Findings For Higher Education In New Jersey, Monise Princilus

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Submitted already

An Autoethnography Journey: Social And Emotional Learning In A Post-Covid Classroom, April Edwards

Masters Theses

In this autoethnography journey, we explore the question, "What resources are available for teachers to use to guide SEL instruction, and how effective are those resources post-pandemic?" Post-COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed that our students needed more social interaction time in the classroom. Student behaviors increased alongside teacher frustration. Districts immediately began to see this struggle in the school systems and the growing concern from parents and teachers. Our children were not taught how to respectfully express their social and emotional needs due to the lack of opportunity to practice with others. During this study, we found that teachers …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Accented Speech Intelligibility And Listening Effort, Mel Mallard

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unfamiliar accents can make speech communication difficult, both by reducing speech intelligibility and by increasing the effort listeners must put forth to understand speech. However, these two constructs, while related, are independent: for example, two 100% intelligible utterances may require different amounts of effort to accurately process. To better characterize the relationship between intelligibility and effort, this study presents speakers of four intelligibility levels (one natively-accented English speaker, and three Mandarin-accented English speakers) within a dual-task paradigm (featuring a vibrotactile secondary task) to measure listening effort. We found a negative nonlinear relationship between intelligibility and effort, with the steepest slope …

Estimating And Detecting Slow-Wave Events In Eeg Signals, Zhenghao Xiong

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Slow wave activity (SWA) is an electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern commonly occurring during anesthesia and deep sleep, and is hence a candidate biomarker to quantify such states and understand their connection to various phenotypes. SWA consists of individual slow waves (ISW), high-amplitude deflections lasting for approximately 0.5 to 1 second, and occurring quasi-periodically. This latter fact poses a challenge for conventional power spectral density EEG analysis methods that perform best when there is persistency of oscillatory activity. In this work, we pursue a time-domain detection framework for identifying and quantifying ISWs as a metric for SWA. Our method works, in essence, …

A Systems Approach To Process Design And Sustainability - Synergy Via Pollution Prevention, Control, And Source Reduction, Emmanuel Apau Aboagye

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, process design prioritized efficiency and profitability, often overlooking environmental and societal implications. However, given the global challenges like climate change and resource scarcity, there is a growing emphasis on embedding sustainability into process design. Adopting a systems-oriented approach provides a comprehensive view, spanning from raw material acquisition to end-of-life product management. Such an approach not only identifies potential sustainability challenges but ensures that solutions foster both environmental responsibility and economic viability. In this study, a comprehensive framework for designing industrial systems is introduced, aiming to encompass the entire lifecycle impacts of chemical processes. The research initially delves into two …

Strategies To Enhance Effectiveness Of School Boards In Governance, Brian Gersich

Doctorate in Education

School boards and superintendents play an important role, providing oversight of the educational services for students in a community. This study sought to understand how public school boards govern a district with their respective superintendents, including if and how this may be evolving. Through this research, I wanted to contribute to the discussion around effective school district governance and management with modernized challenges including an increased focus on social and community cultural issues and the post-pandemic era.

This qualitative study involved interviews with ten school board members currently serving in districts from the Southwest Twin Cities area. Findings indicate the …

Cultivating Workplace Creativity: A Qualitative Case Study Of Leader Perceptions And Practices, Karen Davis Platt

Doctorate in Education

Creativity is vital to corporate success in a global economy and contributes to employee work satisfaction. Grounded in constructivism, this dissertation advances arguments regarding how organizational policies and leader practices can support workplace creativity. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gather insights into leaders’ perceptions of how creativity is fostered in the workplace and develop recommendations to support knowledge industry leaders in cultivating creativity. Findings are based on 10 semi-structured interviews from leaders in one large, knowledge industry corporation headquartered in the United States' mid-Atlantic region. Leaders shared their beliefs and experiences related to creativity in the …

Just Food? Navigating Collective Visions For Food Justice In Grand Rapids, Mi, Jack Boitel

Culminating Experience Projects

This research delves into the multifaceted realm of food justice within Grand Rapids, MI, exploring collective vision-making processes and their intersection with social innovation and systemic change. Grounded in the concepts of "Freedom Dreams" by Robin D.G. Kelley, the study investigates how envisioning change goes beyond goal-setting, encompassing actions and conversations pivotal to transformative processes. The literature review establishes a strong foundation, emphasizing the historical roots of food justice, integration of abolitionist principles, and the imperative of decolonization within broader social justice frameworks. Central to the inquiry is the role of the Michigan Good Food Charter in leading food systems …

Superconducting Non-Reciprocity Based On Time-Modulated Coupled-Resonator Systems, Yi Zhuang

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of 3d Printed Lattice Structures Used In The Design Of Modified Compression Release Stabilized Transhumeral Prosthetic Sockets, Jade Myers

Theses

Abstract A prosthetic socket is the critical interface between a person and their prosthetic device. Pressure, shear, and friction experienced by the residual limb from wearing a socket can damage soft tissue. While Compression Release Stabilized (CRS) style sockets are beneficial for enhancing prosthesis stability, range of motion, and control, the abrupt differences in compression throughout the socket present risks for tissue damage to the residual limb. A socket design that enables clinicians to control a progressive decrease in firmness in the transition areas between compression and release could mitigate such undesirable effects. Density-graded lattice structures designed and produced with …

Towards Patient Specific Mitral Valve Modelling Via Dynamic 3d Transesophageal Echocardiography, Patrick Carnahan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mitral valve disease is a common pathologic problem occurring increasingly in an aging population, and many patients suffering from mitral valve disease require surgical intervention. Planning an interventional approach from diagnostic imaging alone remains a significant clinical challenge. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the primary imaging modality used diagnostically, it has limitations in image quality and field-of-view. Recently, developments have been made towards modelling patient-specific deformable mitral valves from TEE imaging, however, a major barrier to producing accurate valve models is the need to derive the leaflet geometry through segmentation of diagnostic TEE imaging. This work explores the development of volume …

Investigation Of Hyperspectral Data Unmixing And Its Impact On The Task Of Anomaly Detection, Mohammed Younis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hyperspectral unmixing is the process of decomposing mixed pixels into distinct spectra or endmembers. In the hyperspectral unmixing process, a linear mixture model and the Fully Constrained Least Square approach are used to estimate an abundance map, which highlights the amount of each endmember that is present in the scene. This unmixing process is essential to tasks, such as target detection, where a reference endmember is provided, and the goal is to highlight areas in the scene that correspond to that reference endmember. As the number of endmembers is important to the unmixing process, we conducted an investigation in which …