Digital Commons Network^™

Managing Legislative And Local Budget Cuts: Strategies Used By Community Colleges, Brian Anthony Stokes

Open Access Dissertations

Research Problem Statement: This dissertation examined strategies that community colleges have been using to manage legislative and local budget cuts since the downturn of the economy in 2008. The study examined three key research questions: (1) What types of non-traditional revenue sources have community colleges turned to since the 2008 economic crisis?, (2) Which strategy has been the most effective in securing different non-traditional revenue sources?, and (3) What institutional characteristics (i.e., diversity, size, location, and longevity of president) are associated with the success in securing non-traditional revenue sources? Methodology: The population of the current study is 986 public, not-for-profit, …

Numerical Investigation Of Compressor Non-Synchronous Vibration With Full Annulus Rotor-Stator Interaction, Daniel Espinal

Open Access Dissertations

The objective of this research is to investigate and confirm the periodicity of the Non-Synchronous Vibration (NSV) mechanism of a GE axial compressor with a full-annulus simulation. A second objective is to develop a high fidelity single-passage tool with time-accurate unsteady capabilities able to capture rotor-stator interactions and NSV excitation response. A high fidelity methodology for axial turbomachinery simulation is developed using the low diffusion shock-capturing Riemann solver with high order schemes, the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence closure model, the fully conservative unsteady sliding BC for rotor-stator interaction with extension to full-annulus and single-passage configurations, and the phase lag boundary conditions applied …

Student Engagement: Factors Affecting The Academic Performance And Persistence Of Hispanic Women In Stem, Maria E. Vaca

Open Access Dissertations

Hispanics are poised to change the U.S. demographic landscape and account for one-third of the national population in the next forty years (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Yet, presently Hispanic students are the most underrepresented ethnic group in higher education with the lowest college completion rates the country (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015b). Furthermore, Hispanic women are reported to attain only 3% of all STEM bachelor’s degrees nationally (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2015a). The purpose of this study was to examine student engagement as a factor that predicts academic performance and …

High Fidelity Aeroelasticity Simulations Of Aircraft And Turbomachinery With Fully-Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction, Jiaye Gan

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop high fidelity numerical methods to investigate the complex aeroelasticity fluid-structural problems of aircraft and aircraft engine turbomachinery. Unsteady 3D compressible Navier-Stokes equations in generalized coordinates are solved to simulate the complex fluid dynamic problems in aeroelasticity. An efficient and low diffusion E-CUSP (LDE) scheme designed to minimize numerical dissipation is used as a Riemann solver to capture shock waves in transonic and supersonic flows. An improved hybrid turbulence modeling, delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES), is implemented to simulate shock induced separation and rotating stall flows. High order accuracy (3rd and 5th order) …

Mechanisms Of Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cell Improvement Of Endothelial Function In Patients With Heart Failure And Frailty, Courtney Heather Premer

Open Access Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, CVD is heavily linked to frailty, a comorbidity afflicting elderly patients. Endothelial dysfunction-characterized by diminished endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD)-is central to the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF) and frailty. Current therapies are unable to reverse or stop the progression of these diseases, lending way to the emergence of regenerative medicine approaches and the use of stem cells, most notably mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are pro-angiogeneic, immunomodulatory, antifibrotic, and also stimulate endogenous endothelial cell proliferation and function, …

Extemporaneous Embellishments In J.A. Benda's Keyboard Sonatinas, Based On A Survey Of Primary Sources By C.P.E. Bach And D.G. Türk, Maria Sumareva

Open Access Dissertations

Jiří Antonín Benda’s solo keyboard works, and his thirty-five keyboard sonatinas in particular, remain largely unexplored by modern scholars, pianists, and pedagogues. This essay aims to draw closer attention to these sonatinas, focusing on the applicability of two essential eighteenth-century performance practices—extemporaneous embellishment and variation of reprises—in these works. The first three chapters provide the historical background of Benda’s sonatinas, the purpose of the study, a biographical sketch of the composer, a review of the literature pertinent to Benda’s life and his keyboard works, as well as the structure and method of research employed in the subsequent chapters. A survey …

An Investigation Of The Cosmic Diffuse X-Ray Background, Tomykkutty Velliyedathu John

Open Access Dissertations

The cosmic diffuse X-ray background (CXB), which is only second to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) in prominence, has challenged astrophysicists ever since its serendipitous discovery in 1962. In the past five decades, we have made considerable progress unraveling its mysterious origins. Nevertheless, precise identification of its various components and their individual contributions still remains a puzzling task. The bulk of the XRB comes from the integrated flux of the most luminous astronomical objects- Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN)- as well as the emission from starburst and normal galaxies and can account for most of the emission above 1 keV. In …

A Model Of Classroom Environment And Social-Psychological Factors Influencing Computer-Based Compositional Creativity, Candice Ann Davenport

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of affect, motivation, and classroom environment on creativity of computer-based music compositions. Participants were high school students ages 14 to 18 (N = 146) enrolled in non-traditional computer-based music courses from three schools across two states (k = 3). Surveys on motivation and mood provided the social-psychological data. A survey on classroom environment provided the contextual data. Participants created digital compositions using GarageBand on classroom computers to serve as the creative task. The compositions were rated for originality, craftsmanship, and aesthetic appeal using the Consensual Assessment Technique, which provided the …

Ecological And Policy Studies To Forecast The Future Of Mosquito-Borne Disease Control, Jill Nicole Ulrich

Open Access Dissertations

Now is a critical time for mosquito-borne disease (MBD) control. Although the reductions in the burden of malaria over the past decade and a half have saved more than a million lives, during the same period many mosquito-borne arboviruses have expanded in incidence and geographical range, causing large epidemics. With traditional mosquito control tools losing the battle against insecticide resistance and new biological control tools still in field trials, it is critical that MBD experts take a systematic approach to prepare for the future. The new biocontrol strategy of combating dengue fever with Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti is being tested at …

An Integrative And Interdisciplinary Approach To Shark Conservation: Policy Solutions, Ecosystem Role, And Stakeholder Attitudes, David S. Shiffman

Open Access Dissertations

The goal of this interdisciplinary dissertation is to assess how scientific research, public advocacy, and policy change interact in the context of shark conservation.

The Role Of Ephb3 In Cortical Vascular Integrity Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Poincyane Assis-Nascimento

Open Access Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to be a major health concern worldwide. One of the earliest and most profound deficits comes from vascular damage and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Despite the consequences of blood vessel destruction, little is known of the cellular responses that occur in vessel integrity following TBI. B class ephrins and Eph receptors are membrane bound proteins that initiate bidirectional signals during cell-cell interactions, and are indispensable for developmental and pathological neovascularization. The role of EphB3 and its ligand ephrinB3 was investigated in vascular integrity in a murine controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model of …

Condos, Connectivity, And Catch: Analyzing The State Of The Bahamian Spiny Lobster Fishery., Karlisa Alicia Callwood

Open Access Dissertations

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) is a heavily exploited seafood throughout its range and supports the primary fishery in The Bahamas. However, its long pelagic larval duration and, thus, potential for long-range dispersal increases the difficulty in determining the origins of local populations and complicates management. In recent years, the Bahamian fishery has transitioned to the use of condos (or casitas) as the primary fishing method. Condos are relatively inexpensive to construct and deploy, and it is estimated there are now over a million deposited throughout the Bahama banks. Collectively, these factors, coupled with an increased level of effort in …

Ecological And Genomic Patterns Of The Threatened Coral Acropora Cervicornis, Crawford Reeves Drury

Open Access Dissertations

The staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, is an important reef-building species on Caribbean reefs that has undergone severe population declines in recent decades. As the abundance of this species has diminished, restoration efforts using the coral gardening method have become increasingly common as a method of mitigating these losses. Using a large scale outplanting experiment, we find evidence of high phenotypic plasticity and low local adaptation driven by coral genotype and the environment, which subtly interact. The flexibility of the growth and survivorship response in this species gives concrete value to genetic diversity, which is variable across regional spatial scales and …

Interactions Between Stress-Induced Inflammation, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 (Gsk3), And Depression, Yuyan Cheng

Open Access Dissertations

Major depressive disorder is a prevalent disease that is inadequately treated with available interventions, and recovery is difficult, particularly in patients refractory to antidepressant treatments. Studying the learned helplessness depression model in mice, we examined mechanisms regulating its initiation and regulating its reversibility. Stress increases susceptibility to depression in patients and rodent models, and depression is associated with aberrant activation of inflammation. We found multiple inflammatory cytokines were increased in mouse plasma and hippocampus after a paradigm of inescapable foot shock stress that causes learned helplessness. A 24 hr prior pre-conditioning stress accelerated the rate of stress-induced plasma and hippocampal …

Management Of Preoperative Distress By Anesthesia Providers In Toddlers And Preschoolers, Rossana Bizzio- Knott

Open Access Dissertations

The period of time associated with a child’s preparation for surgery and induction of general anesthesia is one of the most stressful events a child can experience. It is estimated that 40-60% of children experience preoperative anxiety before induction of anesthesia. Toddlers and preschoolers’ cognitive limitations, lack of self-control, high level of dependency on adults, and their limited understanding of the healthcare process make them prone to experience distress and excessive anxiety during the preoperative period. This inability to fully comprehend or manage the hospitalization experience leads to preoperative distress. Children’s preoperative distress has also been linked to ineffective coping …

Who’S Shaping Who’S Opinions? Estimating The Degree Of Influence Exerted By Each Contact In A Social Network, Luis Eduardo Castro Abril

Open Access Dissertations

It is important in domains such as organizational behavior, politics, marketing, sociology, psychology, engineering, and economics to study how people that belong to a network form their opinions on a specific topic, how these opinions evolve, and how a consensus is reached. Researchers have mainly focused on estimating hidden opinions, identifying opinion trends, opinion leaders, consensus points, and the impact of the structure of the network on consensus. This dissertation proposes a model that (a) enables the tracking of the opinions of every member of a network, and (b) helps identifying who is influencing who’s opinions and to what degree …

Development And Application Of Gravity-Capillary Wave Fourier Analysis For The Study Of Air-Sea Interaction Physics, Nathan Jean Mackenzie Laxague

Open Access Dissertations

Short ocean waves play a crucial role in the physical coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere. This is particularly true for gravity-capillary waves, waves of a scale (O(0.01-0.1) m) such that they are similarly restored to equilibrium by gravitational and interfacial tension (capillary) effects. These waves are inextricably linked to the turbulent boundary layer processes which characterize near-interfacial flows, acting as mediators of the momentum, gas, and heat fluxes which bear greatly on surface material transport, tropical storms, and climatic processes. The observation of these waves and the fluid mechanical phenomena which govern their behavior has long posed challenges …

The Merida Initiative: Perceptions, Interests And Security Cooperation In The Mexico-U.S. Relationship (2006-2012), Alberto Lozano-Vázquez

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation asserts that bilateral cooperation can be possible when specific perceptions and identities -socially constructed- converge between two states, creating subsequently rational incentives to cooperate strategically. Both states can derive domestic and international benefits from mutual cooperation materialized through a specific bilateral policy. However, the evaluation of such cooperative program requires, as another stage of analysis, different analytical tools based on materialist and constructivist criteria opening then the possibility to find successes and failures simultaneously in the same bilateral policy. Taking the Merida Initiative as a case study of security cooperation, this research engages in the analysis of the …

Impact Of Dietary Modification On Aflatoxicosis In Poultry, Xi Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Aflatoxin contamination in feed and feed ingredients is of high worldwide prevalence, posing serious risks to the livestock industry. A series of studies were conducted to better understand the comprehensive impact of aflatoxicosis and its interrelationships with dietary modifications in broiler chicks and ducks. Results of these studies emphasize the many factors that the severity of aflatoxicosis depends on, including animal species, age, presence of mycotoxin adsorbent, and concentration of major dietary nutrients. Exposure to 2 mg/kg cultured AFB1 led to reduced feed intake, BW gain, depressed feed efficiency, increased relative liver weight, negatively affected serum measures and complement activity, …

Utilization Of Ferrioxamine Microarrays For The Rapid Detection Of Pathogenic Bacteria, Nigam Bir Arora

Open Access Dissertations

Siderophores are low-molecular weight species utilized by bacteria for the sequestration of iron, an essential nutrient. Siderophores and their cognate receptors are considered to be virulence factors, due to their prominent role in pathogenicity. The work presented here focuses on ferrioxamine (FOx) as an “immutable” ligand for pathogen detection. A number of bacterial strains expressing high-affinity FOx receptors were identified by a proteomic BLAST search, and screened against microarrays patterned with FOx conjugates for detection using label-free optical imaging. Aspects such as inkjet printing and surface chemistry, iron-limiting conditions and bacterial selection protocols, and linker conjugate design were addressed and …

Modeling For Thermal Resistance Of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli In Ground Beef, Jagpinder S. Brar

Open Access Dissertations

Predictive models in microbiology are used for estimating the growth or survival of microorganism in a set of environmental conditions. A validated predictive model provides an alternative to extensive survival and shelf life studies. In this study, a predictive inactivation model for non-O157 shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in ground beef was developed. Six strains of non-O157 STEC; E. coli O26:H1, E. coli O45:H2, E. coli O103:H2, E. coli O111:H8, E. coli O121:H9, and E. coli O145: nonmotile, has similar pathogenicity as E. coli O157:H7 and can cause serious food borne illnesses. These pathogens are considered as an adulterant …

Perceval's Sister And Juliet Capulet As Disruptive Guides In Spiritual Quests, Joanna Benskin

Open Access Dissertations

Perceval’s sister in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur and Juliet in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet act as disruptive guides in spiritual quests by contradicting the expectations placed on them as women characters.

Though women are banned from the quest for the Holy Grail, Perceval’s sister accompanies the Grail knights as an authoritative spiritual guide and a symbol of the Eucharist. Previous critics have not recognized Perceval’s sister as a fundamental disruption to the systemic misogyny of the Morte or her Eucharistic significance. She challenges both the chivalric misogyny that sees her as an object of rescue and the …

Hybrid Stm/Htm For Nested Transactions In Java, Keith G. Chapman

Open Access Dissertations

Transactional memory (TM) has long been advocated as a promising pathway to more automated concurrency control for scaling concurrent programs running on parallel hardware. Software TM (STM) has the benefit of being able to run general transactional programs, but at the significant cost of overheads imposed to log memory accesses, mediate access conflicts, and maintain other transaction metadata. Recently, hardware manufacturers have begun to offer commodity hardware TM (HTM) support in their processors wherein the transaction metadata is maintained “for free” in hardware. However, HTM approaches are only best-effort: they cannot successfully run all transactional programs, whether because of hardware …

Authentic Science In Education: Studies In Course-Based Research At The United States Military Academy, Anthony M. Chase

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two studies at the United States Military Academy. Both studies involve the use of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). These experiences give students the ability to engage in undergraduate research at an early point in their academic career by replacing traditional laboratory activities with semester-long research projects. Both studies show an implementation of this type of instruction from the Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE). Study 1 shows the specific method of implementation at the military academy and explores learning-based outcomes. Primarily the outcome of critical thinking is demonstrated. Critical thinking is a construct …

Teoria De La Mente Y Sociedad En La Narrativa Policiaca De Lorenzo Silva Y Francisco Garcia Pavon: Estereotipos, Roles De Genero Y Minorias, Jesus Castro Gorfti

Open Access Dissertations

Spanish:

The purpose of this study is to utilize certain aspects of cognitive psychology as a framework to analyze the police procedural novels of two Spanish authors: Francisco García Pavón and Lorenzo Silva. Specifically, we will focus on two main aspects of the mind studied by the cognitive sciences: Theory of Mind and metarepresentations. Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to the capacity that human beings have to attribute mental states to other humans, as well as oneself, based on their bodily and facial gestures. The concept of metarepresentation refers to the ability of humans to keep track of who said …

Visual Analytics Of Location-Based Social Networks For Decision Support, Junghoon Chae

Open Access Dissertations

Recent advances in technology have enabled people to add location information to social networks called Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs) where people share their communication and whereabouts not only in their daily lives, but also during abnormal situations, such as crisis events. However, since the volume of the data exceeds the boundaries of human analytical capabilities, it is almost impossible to perform a straightforward qualitative analysis of the data. The emerging field of visual analytics has been introduced to tackle such challenges by integrating the approaches from statistical data analysis and human computer interaction into highly interactive visual environments. Based on …

Exploring The Potential Impacts Of Climate Change On North America's Laurentian Great Lakes Tourism Sector, Natalie Chin

Open Access Dissertations

Climate change is one of the major challenges facing the global hospitality and tourism sector in the coming century and, given the important role that weather and climate play in all aspects of the tourism experience, tourism businesses owners need to start thinking about and enacting climate change adaptation strategies now. This work has utilized a combination of social science and physical science methods to (1) understand how the Great Lakes tourism sector could be impacted by climate change and (2) provide some insights into how researchers can help business owners prepare for these potential impacts. Overall, the results of …

Functional And Structural Characterization Of The Mevalonate Diphosphate Decarboxylase And The Isopentenyl Diphosphate Isomerase From Enterococcus Faecalis, Chun-Liang Chen

Open Access Dissertations

Enterococcus faecalis causes a diverse range of nosocomial infections (in wounds, the gastrointestinal tract, the blood stream and the endocardium), and multidrug-resistant strains have become a serious issue across countries. Vancomycin, a FDA-approved drug for the disruption of the bacterial cell wall biosynthesis, has been utilized to treat infectious diseases caused by Enterococci; however, the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) threatens communities all over the world. We aim at developing novel therapeutic strategies to control bacterial growth of Enterococci, and we focus on targeting two essential enzymes involved in poly-isoprenoid biosynthesis in Enterococcus faecalis; one is the mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase …

Fea Methodology For System-Level Redundancy Evaluation: Application To Non-Composite Steel Bridges, Francisco Javier Bonachera Martin

Open Access Dissertations

Currently, all steel bridges with members designated as Fracture Critical Members (FCMs) are required to undergo hands-on inspections every 24 months. A FCM is a primary steel tension member (or portion of) which failure results in collapse or loss of serviceability of a bridge. However, presently, there are no codified procedures used to evaluate system-level redundancy in steel bridges. In this dissertation, finite element analysis (FEA) procedures, techniques and inputs were researched in order to develop bridge models that account for the mechanisms that lead to redundant capacity after the failure of a primary steel member. These mechanisms include partial …

Sounding Sacred: The Adoption Of Biblical Archaisms In The Book Of Mormon And Other 19th Century Texts, Gregory A. Bowen

Open Access Dissertations

The Book of Mormon is a text published in 1830 and considered a sacred work of scripture by adherents of the Latter-day Saint movement. Although written 200 years later, it exhibits many linguistic features of the King James translation of the Bible. Such stylistic imitation has been little studied, though a notable exception is Sigelman & Jacoby (1996).

Three hypotheses are considered: that this is a feature of 19th century religious texts, and the Book of Mormon adopts the style of its genre as a religious text; that this is a feature of translations of ancient texts, and the Book …