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Statistical Models And Analysis Of Growth Processes In Biological Tissue, Jun Xia

Mathematics Dissertations

The mechanisms that control growth processes in biology tissues have attracted continuous research interest despite their complexity. With the emergence of big data experimental approaches there is an urgent need to develop statistical and computational models to fit the experimental data and that can be used to make predictions to guide future research. In this work we apply statistical methods on growth process of different biological tissues, focusing on development of neuron dendrites and tumor cells.

We first examine the neuron cell growth process, which has implications in neural tissue regenerations, by using a computational model with uniform branching probability …

Novel Nonparametric Methods For Roc Curves, Yueheng An

Mathematics Dissertations

The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is a widely used graphical method for evaluating the discriminating power of a diagnostic test or a statistical model in various areas such as epidemiology, industrial quality control and material testing, etc. One important quantitative measure summarizing the ROC curve is the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The accuracy of two diagnostic tests with right censored data can be compared using the difference of two ROC curves and the difference of two AUC's. Moreover, the difference of two volumes under surfaces (VUS) is investigated to compare two treatments for the discrimination of three-category …

Analysis Of Traveling Wave Propagation In One-Dimensional Integrate-And-Fire Neural Networks, Jie Zhang

Mathematics Dissertations

One-dimensional neural networks comprised of large numbers of Integrate-and-Fire neurons have been widely used to model electrical activity propagation in neural slices. Despite these efforts, the vast majority of these computational models have no analytical solutions.

Consequently, my Ph.D. research focuses on a specific class of homogeneous Integrate-and-Fire neural network, for which analytical solutions of network dynamics can be derived. One crucial analytical finding is that the traveling wave acceleration quadratically depends on the instantaneous speed of the activity propagation, which means that two speed solutions exist in the activities of wave propagation: one is fast-stable and the other is …

Essays On The Role And Influence Of Top Managers On Firm Interactions With Secondary Stakeholders, François Neville

Managerial Sciences Dissertations

Firm behavior and performance has become increasingly susceptible to the influence of secondary stakeholders—namely community activists, advocacy groups, religious organizations, and other non-governmental organizations that often represent a broader social movement. Despite recent suggestions that secondary stakeholder demands trigger an important two-sided interactive process between secondary stakeholders and their targeted firms, little theoretical or empirical attention has been placed on firm-sided factors that influence the dynamics and outcomes of these interactions, especially the role and influence of the firm’s top managers during these interactions. In this three-essay dissertation, I theorize about and examine the influential role that the firm’s top …

The Implementation Of 311 Technology In Local Government And The Impact On Citizen-Initiated Contacting, Emefa Sewordor

Public Management and Policy Dissertations

Prior studies have documented the expanded role of 311 non-emergency systems in public participation, public management and performance management in local governments. Three-one-one began as a simple telephone-based system for requesting non-emergency services and now plays an important role in local governments. Yet, there are very few insights into the impact of 311 systems on their public users, even as local governments increasingly turn to 311 as a public engagement tool, using it to facilitate citizen-initiated contacts. This dissertation explores two research questions. First, how has 311 technology affected citizen behavior? Second, has the introduction of a 311 system produced …

Crime And Control At The Chess Park, Elizabeth A. Bonomo

Criminal Justice and Criminology Dissertations

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of a public chess park located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The chess park brings together persons from all backgrounds, although most are African American, poor (often homeless), unemployed, and male. The chess park is nestled among office buildings, college classrooms, various shops and restaurants, and, perhaps not coincidentally, directly across from a police precinct. Despite this visibility, however, the chess players regularly engage in public illicit behavior. This includes, but not limited to, a pervasive and wholly self-regulated underground economy, illicit drug use, and public drinking. Drawing on extensive field observations and …

Can A Code Of Ethics Reduce Sabotage And Increase Productivity Under Tournament-Based Compensation? An Experimental Study, Stuart Smith

Accountancy Dissertations

Managers have often used tournament incentive programs because of their ability to attract top talent and motivate employees to give their best effort (Grote 2005; McGregor 2006; Ng and Lublin 2010). However, because a tournament incentive structure explicitly evokes competition, prior economic literature has shown that the harmful effects of sabotage observed during a tournament can completely negate any benefits they have (Carpenter et al. 2010). The remedies suggested to reduce sabotage involve reducing the economic incentives that contribute to both beneficial and harmful behavior (Chen 2003). In the accounting literature to date, no remedy for the harmful effects of …

Two Perspectives On Writing: A Cross-Context Study Of Second Language Writing, Hae Sung Yang

Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language Dissertations

The focus of writing pedagogy for L2 undergraduate writers in ESL contexts has been primarily on addressing writing demands across the curriculum (Johns, 2009; Silva, 1990). The literature from EFL settings, however, depicts a very complex picture that makes it difficult to generalize purposes and needs across the settings (Cimasko & Reichelt, 2011). Despite the indication that L2 writing is differently conceptualized across many settings, few studies have been conducted to examine contextual variation. Documenting local conceptions and contextual factors in different settings could not only inform teachers of the importance of accounting for local exigencies in teaching, but also …

Language Policy In Rwanda: Shifting Linguistic And Educational Landscape, Pamela Pearson

Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language Dissertations

In the two decades since the 1994 Genocide, Rwanda has experienced pervasive societal change, due in large part to ambitious policymaking in sectors ranging from business to public health to education. Extensive language policies have also been enacted, including a 2008 Cabinet resolution shifting the medium of instruction (MOI) in all public schools from Kinyarwanda and French to English (Republic of Rwanda, 2008). The promotion of English in a formerly francophone nation inspired the present study seeking a closer look at the current state of language planning and policy (LPP) in Rwanda. Toward that end, ethnography of language policy (Hornberger …

Notorious But Invisible: How Romani Media Portrayals Invalidate Romani Identity And Existence In Mainstream Society, Melanie Covert

Sociology Dissertations

The Romani are a group of individuals that have been acknowledged in newspapers, television, movies and other forms of media but remain invisible as a people world-wide. Through the use of qualitative interviews, content analysis and qualitative synthesis, this study investigates why this phenomenon occurs in the United States as well as Europe. Overall, it was found that media portrayals negatively impact the Romani’s ability to successfully acculturate, increases their experiences of prejudice and discrimination and negatively impacts their social, physical and mental health. Romani media portrayals also appropriate the Romani’s ability to define themselves to mainstream society and impacts …

Please, Read The Comments: Exploring The Racial Dialectic Of Online Racial Discourse, Ifeanyichukwu U. Ukpabi

Sociology Theses

More people than ever before are living significant portions of their social lives online due to advancements in internet technology. Over the last few years, we have begun to see the most public discussions of racism increasingly occur online, to be later embedded in the public’s consciousness. It is therefore important for race critical scholars to observe how digital spaces affect racial discourse in the United States. Utilizing a race critical perspective, I explore comment section reactions to counter-framing articles to examine contemporary racial discourse. Through a discourse analysis, I find that counter-framing articles initiate the racial dialectic by inviting …

An Imperfect And Incomplete Quest For Freedom: An Extended Case Study Of Black American Counter-Framing And Resistance Strategies, Angela Luvara

Sociology Dissertations

Through this study, I aim to expand the body of knowledge related to Black counter-framing strategies employed in the United States. In this extended case study, I examine the ways in which young Black cis-hetero male creators living in Atlanta, Georgia employ the use of counter-frames to navigate and resist the dominant white racial frame. Specifically, I analyze their use of double consciousness, freedom, and alchemical capitalism as counter-frames as resistance. I advocate for a nuanced approach to examining resistance strategies that includes embracing imperfect and incomplete acts of resistance. By examining these resistance strategies, despite their faults, perhaps we …

Public Housing Relocation And Utilization Of The Food Safety Net: The Role Of Social Capital And Cultural Capital, Marcie Hambrick

Sociology Dissertations

HOPE VI, instituted in 1993 and subsequent related policies, resulted in the demolition of traditional public housing and the relocation of former residents. For former residents living on low incomes, combining housing subsidy and other social services is important to survival. One crucial type of social services support provides food supplements. Research indicates that among low-income families, many do not receive necessary food social services. For example, among eligibles, food stamp utilization is at 50 to 60%, and for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) rates vary from 38 to 73%. Research indicates that 35% of …

Self-Knowledge And "The End Of Man": The Paradox Of Double Consciousness In American Literature, Amber L. Estlund

English Dissertations

American literature has an established history of interrogating subjective experience and what it means to be a person. As a result, American writers have a produced a pattern of thought that expresses a fascination with both the possibilities and devastating consequences that attend to competing visions of the self. This dissertation explores various attempts to theorize and tolerate experiences of “double consciousness”—a term introduced by Ralph Waldo Emerson and made famous by W. E. B. Du Bois. Examining how Emerson conceptualizes double consciousness as an ideal state of being introduces a theory of consciousness that reveals the difficulties associated with …

Another Negotiator's Dilemma: Negotiating Against A Counterpart With A Bad Reputation, Jeff Schatten

Managerial Sciences Dissertations

Since the publication of Albert Carr’s controversial article from 1968, “Is Business Bluffing Ethical?” there has been a flurry of interest, both from researchers and practitioners, into the use of deception in negotiation. Far from being a hypothetical question, the use of deception in negotiation has been shown to be a common negotiation tactic. Aquino and Becker (2005) suggest that deception occurs in 55% of negotiations. Deception has been used in negotiation contexts as wide-ranging as supply chain management, contracts, use car sales, mergers and acquisitions, and trade agreements between sovereign nations.

Scholarly research has thus far established two streams …

Place, Space, And Gender At The State Normal School, Athens, Georgia, 1891-1932: A Narrative Of Influences, Identity, And Disruption, Lindsey Spring

English Dissertations

For this study I use archived materials to recover the Athens, Georgia, State Normal School and the rhetorical practices of its students and faculty to nuance rhetoric and composition’s understanding of its past and present. While professionalizing themselves for the public role of teacher, the young Southern women and men of the State Normal School blurred traditional gender roles, cultivating an ethos and individuals a rhetorical agency. In this study I argue the rhetorical moves of State Normal School students disrupt dominate patriarchal histories of American rhetoric and composition that claim current-traditional rhetoric dominated the academic landscape of the late …

Infrared Diagnostics On Micro And Nano Scale Structures, Jitto Titus

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy is used as a diagnostic tool in biological and physical sciences by characterizing the samples based on infrared light-matter interaction. In the case of biological samples, Activation of Jurkat T-cells in culture following treatment with anti-CD3 (Cluster of Differentiation 3) antibody is detectable by interrogating the treated T-cells using the Attenuated Total Reflection - Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) Spectroscopy technique. Cell activation was detected within 75 minutes after the cells encountered specific immunoglobulin molecules. Spectral markers noted following ligation of the CD3 receptor with anti CD3 antibody provides proof-of-concept that ATR-FTIR spectroscopy is a sensitive measure …

Polarization Rotation Study Of Microwave Induced Magnetoresistance Oscillations In The Gaas/Algaas 2d System, Han-Chun Liu

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Previous studies have demonstrated the sensitivity of the amplitude of the microwave radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillations to the microwave polarization. These studies have also shown that there exists a phase shift in the linear polarization angle dependence. But the physical origin of this phase shift is still unclear. Therefore, the first part of this dissertation analyzes the phase shift by averaging over other small contributions, when those contributions are smaller than experimental uncertainties. The analysis indicates nontrivial frequency dependence of the phase shift. The second part of the dissertation continues the study of the phase shift and the results suggest that …

Optoelectronic And Structural Properties Of Group Iii-Nitride Semiconductors Grown By High Pressure Mocvd And Migration Enhanced Plasma Assisted Mocvd, Indika Matara Kankanamge

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to understand the structural and optoelectronic properties of group III-nitride materials grown by High-Pressure Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (HP-MOCVD) and Migration Enhanced Plasma Assisted MOCVD by FTIR reflectance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Atomic Force Microscopy.

The influence of the substrates/templates (Sapphire, AlN, Ga-polar GaN, N-polar GaN, n-GaN, and p-GaN) on the free carrier concentration, carrier mobility, short-range crystalline ordering, and surface morphology of the InN layers grown on HP-MOCVD were investigated using those techniques. The lowest carrier concentration of 7.1×10¹⁸ cm^-3 with mobility of 660 cm²V^{-1 …}

Fundamental Parameters Of Eclipsing Binaries In The Kepler Field Of View, Rachel A. Matson

Physics and Astronomy Dissertations

Accurate knowledge of stellar parameters such as mass, radius, effective temperature, and composition inform our understanding of stellar evolution and constrain theoretical models. Binaries and, in particular, eclipsing binaries make it possible to measure directly these parameters without reliance on models or scaling relations. In this dissertation we derive fundamental parameters of stars in close binary systems with and without (detected) tertiary companions to test and inform theories of stellar and binary evolution. A subsample of 41 detached and semi-detached short-period eclipsing binaries observed by NASA’s Kepler mission and analyzed for eclipse timing variations form the basis of our sample. …

Examining Cognitive Predictors Of Parental Rescue Behavior And Potential Malleability Of Behavior Using A Psychoeducation Intervention, Sara M S Francis

Psychology Dissertations

Over-controlling parenting practices, particularly parents’ tendency to “rescue” children from experiencing distress, both limit children’s exposure to anxiety-provoking situations and restrict opportunities for development of adaptive coping skills (Barlow, 2002; Suveg et al., 2006). Research is just emerging regarding internal factors, such as maladaptive beliefs about child anxiety, that may lead parents to engage in rescue behavior. Additionally, much of this re cent work is limited by its exclusive use of informant-report methodology. A primary goal of the present study was therefore to examine associations between parent beliefs about child anxiety and rescue behavior using an experimental design. Parental rescue …

More Than A Feeling: A Study On Conditions That Promote Historical Empathy In Middle And Secondary Social Studies Classes With "The Elizabeth Jennings Project", Katherine Anne Assante Perrotta

Middle and Secondary Education Dissertations

Historical empathy (HE) is refers to deep inquiry in which academic and emotional responses to historical content are shaped through source analysis of the actions, motives, perspectives, and beliefs of people in the past. There are limited studies about whether students demonstrate HE through analysis of underrepresented historical figures. Additionally, studies are limited on how students’ social identities influence demonstration of HE. Consequently, there is a gap in the literature with regard to whether source analysis of underrepresented historical figures, as well as students’ social identities, impact demonstration of HE and critical race consciousness (CRC).

Elizabeth Jennings is an example …

Covering Africa In The Age Of Independence: Divergent Voices In U.S. Print Media, 1957-1975, Carrie L. Whitney

History Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines how U.S. print media sought to represent the realities of decolonizing and newly independent countries in West Africa by focusing on pivotal events and charismatic leaders from the “non” vote in Guinea in 1958 to the radical appeal of Amilcar Cabral in Guinea-Bissau in 1973. The framing and agenda setting of mainstream media coverage turned leaders and events into metonyms not only for peoples and nations but also for Africa and Africans as a whole. However, the complexities of West Africa, such as political rivalry in the Congo or civil war in Nigeria, troubled such representations. …

To Affinity & Beyond: Exploring Sequence Selectivity Of Small Molecules For The Dna Minor Groove, Sarah Laughlin-Toth

Chemistry Dissertations

A common approach to treating many illnesses is through targeting a specific protein. Gene-related illnesses, however, are particularly difficult to treat and targeting the gene with small molecules for drug development is an alternative approach. This is an attractive area because it provides new and potential methods for regulating the expression of diseased-genes. Dicationic diamidines are a class of small molecules which bind in the DNA minor groove where most gene control proteins, such as transcription factors, do not interact. These small molecules can modulate various processes through allosteric interactions and provide therapeutic potential. Typically, these compounds have an inherent …

Application Of Human Glycosyltransferases In N-Glycan Synthesis And Their Substrate Specificity Studies, Angie Dayan Calderon Molina

Chemistry Dissertations

Glycoscience is important in many areas such as human health, energy and material science. Glycans have been shown to be involved in the pathophysiology of almost every major disease. Additional glycan structure knowledge is required to help advance personal medicine, and pharmaceutical developments, among others. For glycoscience to advance there is a need for large quantities of well-defined glycans and have quick access to glycosyltransferases for manipulating glycan synthesis.

Herein, we will cover our efforts on studying the substrate specificities of human glycosyltransferases such as FUT8 and Gn-T V, and their application on N-glycan synthesis. Complex asymmetric N-glycan …

The Time Is At Hand: The Development Of Spatial Representations Of Time In Children?S Speech And Gesture, Lauren Stites

Psychology Dissertations

Children achieve increasingly complex language milestones initially in gesture before they do so in speech. In this study, we ask whether gesture continues to be part of the language-learning process as children develop more abstract language skills, namely metaphors. More specifically, we focus on spatial metaphors for time and ask whether developmental changes in children’s production of such metaphors in speech also become evident in gesture and what cognitive and linguistic factors contribute to these changes. To answer these questions, we analyzed the speech and gestures produced by three groups of children (ages 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8)—all learning English as …

The Influence Of Others' Goals On Young Children's Sharing Decisions, Melissa L. Glasser

Psychology Dissertations

Prosociality encompasses a variety of actions aimed at benefitting another person, (e.g., Brownell, 2013; Martin & Olson, 2015; Thompson & Newton, 2013). One category of prosocial behaviors is sharing, which uniquely requires relinquishing an object to alleviate another person’s need (Pettygrove, Hammond, Karahuta, Waugh, & Brownell, 2013). While past research has shown that children may have some innate predisposition towards prosociality (e.g., Killen & de Waal, 2000; Warneken & Tomasello, 2009b), there are also situational influences that may encourage such behaviors (e.g., Martin & Olson, 2015). The current three studies investigate preschoolers’ and early elementary school children’s ability to consider …

Formin3 Regulates Dendritic Architecture And Is Required For Somatosensory Nociceptive Behavior, Ravi Das

Neuroscience Institute Dissertations

Cell-type specific dendritic morphologies emerge via complex growth mechanisms modulated by intrinsic and extrinsic signaling coupled with activity-dependent regulation. Combined, these processes converge on cytoskeletal effectors to direct dendritic arbor development, stabilize mature architecture, and facilitate structural plasticity. Transcription factors (TFs) function as essential cell intrinsic regulators of dendritogenesis involving both combinatorial and cell-type specific effects, however the molecular mechanisms via which these TFs govern arbor development and dynamics remain poorly understood. Studies in Drosophila dendritic arborization (da) sensory neurons have revealed combinatorial roles of the TFs Cut and Knot in modulating dendritic morphology, however putative convergent nodal points of …

Lysine Catabolism And In Vivo Substrate Specificity Of D-Amino Acid Dehydrogenases In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pao1, Sai Madhuri Indurthi

Biology Dissertations

Among multiple interconnected pathways for L-Lysine catabolism in pseudomonads, it has been reported that Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 employs the decarboxylase and the transaminase pathways. However, knowledge of several genes involved in operation and regulation of these pathways was still missing. Transcriptome analyses coupled with promoter activity measurements and growth phenotype analyses led us to identify new members in L-Lys and D-Lys catabolism and regulation, including gcdR-gcdHG for glutarate utilization, dpkA, amaR-amaAB and PA2035 for D-Lys catabolism, lysR-lysXE for putative L-Lys efflux and lysP for putative L-Lys uptake. The amaAB operon is induced by L-Lys, D-Lys and pipecolate supporting the …

Efficacy And Safety Of Virus Like Particle Vaccines Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus In Mouse And Cotton Rat Models, Hye Suk Hwang

Biology Dissertations

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of infectious lower respiratory disease in infants and the elderly. Vaccine-enhanced respiratory disease (ERD) has been a major obstacle in developing a safe vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This study demonstrates efficacy and safety of virus like particle (VLP) vaccines containing RSV fusion (F) (F VLP), attachment (G) glycoproteins (G VLP), F+G (FG VLP), or FG VLP plus F DNA vaccine (FFG VLP) in mouse and cotton rat models.

FFG VLP vaccine was found to be effective in inducing long-lived IgG2a antibody responses specific for RSV F in mice. Mice immunized …