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Research Summaries: Access To Education, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

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Full Issue: Access To Education, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

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Landscapes Of Learning: How Nonprofits Are Bridging Educational Divides, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

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The Collective: Elevating Care For Children Through Collaboration, Cameron Outlaw

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

A Child’s Hope Foundation fosters connection in the orphan care space through The Collective, an association composed of NGOs, care providers, and government agencies. The focus of The Collective is to eliminate isolation in orphan care by connecting everyone in the space to the support they need. A Child’s Hope Foundation fulfills these needs through connecting caregivers to needed resources, building partnerships with governments and nonprofit agencies, and supporting family placement for children.

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Enhancing Data-Driven Decisions By Improving Nonprofit Transparency And Collaboration: A Study Of The Accessibility Of Nonprofit Data In The Global Landscape, Angie Holzer, Beverli Dewalt, Louis Ye

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

This paper addresses the pressing need for enhanced transparency of nonprofit data to improve nonprofit collaboration, emphasizing the development of a global nonprofit database. Globally, there is a lack of transparency and accessibility to nonprofit data, which reduces the ability to make better decisions 1) between nonprofits as they work to collaborate and improve outcomes, 2) with nonprofit resource providers (foundations, volunteers, donors, company CSR programs, governments, grantees, etc.) when making decisions about who to support, and 3) with nonprofits as they attempt to reach those who need their services. By analyzing 34 nonprofit databases from the European Union, the …

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Narrative Engineering: Tools, Computational Structure, And Impact Of Stories, Michael A. Debuse

Theses and Dissertations

Computational Linguistics has a long history of applying mathematics to the grammatical and syntactic structure of language; however, applying math to the more complex aspects of language, such as narrative, plot, scenes, character relations, causation, etc. remains a difficult topic. The goal of my research is to bridge the narrative humanities with mathematics, to computationally grasp at these difficult topic, and help develop the field of Narrative Engineering. I view narrative and story with the same mathematical scrutiny as other engineering fields, to take the creativity and fluidity of story and encode it in mathematical representations that have meaning beyond …

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An Exploratory Analysis Of Within And Between-Testlet Local Item Dependence In A Medical School Admission Situational Judgment Test Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling, Ester Sampson

Theses and Dissertations

To use a Cronbach's alpha coefficient or IRT methods on measuring instruments, both unidimensionality and local item dependence (LID) conditions need to be met. Moreover, LID can potentially introduce an unintended additional dimension into the test at the expense of the constructs of interest. Situational judgment tests use testlet structures, and thus likely present degrees of LID. We explored the latent structure and degrees of local item dependence in a situational judgment test (SJT) used by a Western United States medical school (WMS) for admission purposes. I used a fully deidentified data set from a group of 560 examinees who …

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A Comparison Of Polymers By Layer Deposition And Open Molding Additive Processes Through Fused Granulate Fabrication, Alexander Ray Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) continues to offer new possibilities in both production and economics. Various industries have quickly adopted AM to rapidly produce parts that would be difficult or cost prohibitive otherwise. Despite ongoing innovations that expand the technology's capabilities, significant limitations persist. Most AM processes are restricted by materials available, an inability to produce large parts, or by not achieving material deposition speeds and volumes to allow for certain products feasible. In addition, tight tolerances for features and surfaces cannot be produced without substantial post processing. Some of the post-processing techniques can even affect the material properties of the finished …

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Tensile Strain Validation Of Welded Wire Reinforcement, Alvaro Montes

Theses and Dissertations

There have been historical concerns regarding the ductility of welded wire reinforcement (WWR). Recent changes in ACI 318-19 now require all grades of A615 and Grade 100 A706 nonprestressed steel reinforcement to have a ratio of tensile strength to yield strength greater than 1.10 and 1.17 respectively. Although this code requirement does not currently apply to WWR, this preemptive study investigated the current state of the art of WWR manufactured in North America in preparation for such a possibility. This project included the tensile-testing of approximately 365 WWR material specimens of various cross-sectional sizes to determine the ratio of tensile-to-yield …

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The Ghostly Angel In The Haunted Home: The Haunted House As A Metaphor For A Woman's Body In Crimson Peak, Andrea I. Amado-Fajardo

Theses and Dissertations

Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro), often overshadowed by del Toro's more critically acclaimed filmography, deserves to be acknowledged for its central trauma metaphor and its nuanced approach to gender. Far from being merely a horror movie fueled by disturbing sequences such as those found in contemporary supernatural horror films, Crimson Peak slowly unravels how Allerdale Hall parallels the film's female leads as they house and live with ghosts, revenants of a traumatic past. This essay explores the personification of the haunted house as a metaphor for the personified trauma that resides in a woman's body using Crimson Peak …

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Development Of A Real-Time Convolution System To Simulate Speech In Different Rooms For The Study Of Vocal Strain, Bethany E. Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Due to prevalent vocal health issues in teachers, the acoustics of K-12 classrooms has become a topic of study in acoustics. One way to understand the effects of a classroom's physical space on speech is with vocal effort studies. This thesis aims to enable these studies, without the need to move a talker from room to room, by creating auralizations through real-time convolution of speech with oral binaural room impulse responses (OBRIRs). These auralizations can be used to test talkers inside an anechoic chamber as they experience speaking in different acoustical environments. A system that can successfully execute convolution in …

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The Creation Of Our Universe: How Science And Our Religious Beliefs Align, Dan Broadbent

Faculty Publications

This presentation describes the author's opinions about how the creation of our universe may align with theories of the multiverse and the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

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Post-Processing National Water Model Long-Range Forecasts With Random Forest Regression In The Cloud To Improve Forecast Accuracy For Decision-Makers And Water Managers, Jacob Matthew Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Post-processing bias correction of streamflow forecasts can be useful in the hydrologic modeling workflow to fine-tune forecasts for operations, water management, and decision-making. Hydrologic model runoff simulations include errors, uncertainties, and biases, leading to less accuracy and precision for applications in real-world scenarios. We used random forest regression to correct biases and errors in streamflow predictions from the U.S. National Water Model (NWM) long-range streamflow forecasts, considering U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge station measurements as a proxy for true streamflow. We used other features in model training, including watershed characteristics, time fraction of year, and lagged streamflow values, to help …

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Geochemical Characterization And Predictive Soil Mapping Of Ice-Free Regions In Antarctica, Rachel Willmore

Theses and Dissertations

Antarctic soils are formed by extreme climate, minimal biological activity, and diverse geological settings. This study analyzes 201 soil samples across four ice-free Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions - North-west Antarctic Peninsula, Transantarctic Mountains, South Victoria Land, and North Victoria Land - to create a geochemical database (pH, EC, CEC, C and N, and ion concentrations) as well as to determine if there are consistent trends between geochemical properties and soil forming factors (SCORPAN). Despite variation in geochemical properties and SCORPAN covariates, some consistent trends emerged across all regions and individual Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions. Using SCORPAN covariates and multiple linear …

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Local Food System Planning On Multiple Governance Scales: A Grounded Theory Analysis, Decker Ure

Theses and Dissertations

Local food systems (LFS) comprise the people, policies, infrastructure and practices of food production, distribution, and consumption in localized areas. LFS are becoming an increasingly important part of urban sustainable development and have recently gained significant traction in the urban planning and sustainable community spheres. Worldwide shocks to global food systems such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia war have further elevated global interest in LFS, bringing local food to the forefront of many communities as they try to insulate themselves and their food supply from future risk. However, despite this growing interest in and policy momentum for local …

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Contributions Of Glacier Meltwater To Water Resources And Water Quality Below The Ablating Coropuna Ice Cap In The Arid Peruvian Andes, Alexis Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Rapidly retreating glaciers in the arid tropics are an invaluable resource for communities that depend on meltwater to support drinking water, agriculture, hydropower production, and mining. There is limited understanding of how glacier loss will impact regional water resources, groundwater flow paths, and water quality, especially during the dry season. The Nevado Coropuna volcano in Southern Peru has one of the largest remaining ice caps in the tropics, but has experienced rapid ice loss in the past few decades and is projected to disappear in the next century due to climate change. Located in the northern Atacama Desert, the arid …

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Using Two-Dimensional Terahertz Spectroscopy To Explore Vibrations, Magnetism, And Their Coupling, Megan Faux Biggs

Theses and Dissertations

Terahertz (THz) light is at the resonant frequency of important fundamental excitations within crystalline materials such as carrier dynamics, phonons, and spin-wave excitations called magnons. THz light can be produced at high field strengths using optical rectification in nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals. N-benzyl-2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (BNA) is one such crystal commonly used to produce THz when pumping with 800 nm light. Here, we improve upon the design of the molecular building blocks of BNA by replacing a hydrogen atom with a fluorine atom, leading to improved THz generation and a higher crystal damage threshold. Later, we focus on using THz light to …

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Kinetic Modeling Of Bacteria Removal From Suspensions By Magnetic Nanoparticle Capture And Magnetic Separation, Bowen J. Houser

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the kinetic modeling of bacteria removal from suspensions using magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) capture and magnetic separation. Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles, especially those coated with polydopamine (pDA), were employed to bind with various bacterial species in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), apple juice, whole blood, and its components. By analyzing the capture efficiency and kinetics of capture across different bacterial species and mediums, we developed mathematical models describing the capture kinetics of bacteria by the pDA-MNPs. Experimental results demonstrated that pDA-coated MNPs achieved high capture efficiency with certain Gram-positive species like Staphylococcus aureus, and one Gram-negative species, Neisseria perflava; however, capture …

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New Chapters In An Old Book: New Discoveries In Transferrin's Blood Stream Modulators And Analytical Methods, Shelby Thomas Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Human serum transferrin is a 79 kDa glycoprotein responsible for the safe transport of iron throughout the blood stream. Transferrin binds up to two ferric ions in two domains known as the N-lobe and C-lobe respectively. Thus, there are four transferrin metalloforms: apo-Tf (with no iron bound), FeN-Tf (with one iron bound in the N-lobe), FeC-Tf (with one iron bound in the C-lobe) and holo-Tf(with two iron ions bound, one in each of the lobes). The two domains are homologous but feature differences in the kinetics and thermodynamics of iron binding and release. The two lobes are also different in …

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Taking A Bite Out Of Shark Week: Discovery's Csa And Csr Messages, Kari Mortenson

Theses and Dissertations

The present study looks at how companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social accountability (CSA) messages differently. This study uses Discovery Channels Shark Week as an example by utilizing a grounded deductive analysis of Discovery's X, formerly known as Twitter, posts from 2015-2020. This timeline was chosen thanks to Discovery partnering with the non-profit organization Oceana in 2010 to create more informed and conservation minded content. The posts on Discovery's X account during each Shark Week from 2015-2020 were examined. Each were coded for themes, Other, CSA, or CSR, and additional frames for those themes. The frames gathered …

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Quality And Sensory Characteristics Of Selected Freeze-Dried Foods After 50 Years Storage, Prithiviraj Jegannathan

Theses and Dissertations

Freeze-drying is a dehydration process that uses low temperature and pressure to remove moisture from food. With an annual market value of over $35 billion in 2023, freeze-dried foods are widely used in various situations requiring long-term storage such as military rations, emergency food supplies, and space exploration. Freeze-dried foods are becoming more popular for their quality, light weight, easy storage at room temperature, and quick rehydration. Moreover, many freeze-dried food manufacturers claim that their freeze-dried food products can last for 25 years or more. However, there are currently no published studies supporting such claims. Chemical, physical, and sensory properties …

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Time Reversal Delivery Of Long Duration Noise To A Targeted Location: Achieving Higher Amplitude While Maintaining A Desired Spectral Shape And Maximizing The Spatial Extent, Rylee Scott Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Time Reversal (TR) is a signal processing technique that can be used to focus acoustic waves to a specific location in space, with most applications aiming to create an impulsive focus. This study instead aims to focus long-duration noise signals using TR. This thesis seeks to generate higher amplitude noise at a desired location over an existing method of broadcasting equalized noise. Additionally, this thesis explores various characteristics associated with focusing long duration noise using TR. The dependence of the focal amplitude on the duration of the focused signal is explored as well as the implications of using multiple sources …

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Grain Boundary Solute Segregation Across The 5d Space Of Crystallographic Character, Lydia Harris Serafin

Theses and Dissertations

Solute segregation in materials with grain boundaries (GBs) has emerged as a popular method to thermodynamically stabilize nanocrystalline structures. However, the impact of varied GB crystallographic character on solute segregation has never been thoroughly examined. This work examines Co solute segregation in a dataset of 7272 Al bicrystal GBs that span the 5D space of GB crystallographic character. Considerable attention is paid to verification of the calculations in the diverse and large set of GBs. In addition, the results of this work are favorably validated against similar bicrystal and polycrystal simulations. As with other work, we show that Co atoms …

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The Influence Of Heat Therapy On Redox Signaling In Skeletal Muscle, Kimberly Miriam Richard

Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified as crucial signaling molecules in skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise and signal for protective pathways within the myofiber. Pathological heat stress studies in animals demonstrate the ability of heat to increase ROS production in skeletal muscle. Limited data on the influence of therapeutic heat on ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle exists in the literature. The purpose of this study was to assess ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle following an acute, therapeutic bout of heat treatment. We hypothesized that heat would create an oxidized environment within …

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Phosphorus Adsorption Capacity Of Volcanic Scoria, Easton Jeffrey Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

Phosphorus (P) pollution in stormwater runoff poses a significant threat to water quality, contributing to eutrophication and ecosystem degradation. This research evaluates the potential of volcanic scoria (VSco), an abundant and cost-effective resource in Utah, USA, to influence P concentrations in urban stormwater systems. Batch adsorption experiments examined the behavior of VSco across three particle sizes—fine (<0.841 mm), medium (0.841–2 mm), and granular (2.38–9.5 mm)—under conditions mimicking stormwater scenarios. The results reveal that fine VSco exhibited higher adsorption efficiency than medium and granular sizes, achieving notable P removal at higher concentrations. However, at lower concentrations, fine VSco showed potential for P release due to desorption of pre-existing P. Medium and granular VSco showed minimal adsorption capacity and, in some cases, acted as P sources, highlighting a dual potential depending on stormwater conditions. Adsorption isotherms indicate that the adsorption behavior of fine VSco aligns with the Langmuir model, with a finite and relatively low adsorption capacity. Calculated distribution coefficient (Kd) values for fine VSco ranged from 0.04 to 0.005 L/g, indicating weak adsorption efficiency compared to materials like activated carbon (1–10 L/g) or soils with moderate adsorption capacity (0.1–0.5 L/g). Loss-on-ignition tests confirmed that VSco’s performance is driven by its physical and chemical properties, particularly its calcium content, rather than organic matter. The study emphasizes caution in applying fine VSco for stormwater remediation due to its potential to release P under typical runoff conditions. However, fine VSco may still be viable in specific scenarios where P levels are higher, such as in stormwater hotspots or localized areas with elevated concentrations, allowing for targeted remediation. The research underscores the need for further testing to refine VSco’s applications, particularly in low-impact development (LID) practices, such as infiltration basins and rain gardens, to effectively manage P levels while supporting ecological and aesthetic goals. These findings contribute to understanding the complex role of VSco in urban stormwater systems, offering insights for sustainable water quality management and nutrient cycling in urban landscapes.

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Navigating Displacement: Jewish-Brazilian Identity In Lasar Segall's Encontro, Kendall Evonne Da Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Jewish-Lithuanian artist Lasar Segall's 1924 painting Encontro has historically been interpreted as representing Segall's integration and assimilation into Brazilian society. This reading, however, generally overlooks Segall's experience as an Eastern European Jew living in Brazil during the early twentieth century. In this thesis, I examine the influence of Segall's ethnic background on his art and investigate how Segall appropriates pardo identity in Encontro, not unproblematically, in an effort to convey feelings of alienation and exclusion. Along with looking at his visual art, my analysis incorporates my translations of Segall's essays on Jewishness, which shed light on his relationship to Judaism …

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Ethnic Group Affiliation And Perceptions Of Ethnic Russians In Lithuania, Morgan Lindsay Hassell

Theses and Dissertations

There are many factors that influence language acquisition and use, particularly in multilingual environments. The ethnic group affiliation (EGA) of speakers, or the degree to which a speaker identifies with their native language or culture, has been shown to have a significant impact on language use (Gatbonton, Trofimovich & Segalowitz 2009, Zabrodskaja 2015). EGA can also impact the judgments of and attitudes toward these speakers by others (e.g., Trofimovich & Turuševa 2020). Lithuania is a multilingual state with a complex political and linguistic history, particularly in relation to the Russian language and people. In this study, 150 native Lithuanians and …

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Developing A New Liquefaction Ejecta Prediction Model Considering Soil Properties Of Non-Liquifiable Surface Layers Using New Large Database From The 2012 Emilia Romagna, Italy Earthquakes, Jonah Bradley Dundas

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of a non-liquefied crust overlying a liquefied layer has been found to have a significant effect on sand ejecta and surficial liquefaction damage, as observed by Ishihara (1985). Following the 2010-2011 Canterbury seismic sequence in New Zealand, almost no foundation deformation occurred in areas with liquefaction susceptible soils overlain by at least a 3 meter thick crust [1]. In contrast, the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake in Italy provided surface evidence of liquefaction despite 6+ meter thick crusts. Several researchers have proposed liquefaction prediction models [e.g. LPI [2], Ishihara Curves [3], LSN [4], LPIISH [5] and the methods proposed by …

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Performance Prediction For Hub-Based Swarms, Puneet Jain

Theses and Dissertations

Optimization problems lie at the core of improving performance in various tasks, ranging from day-to-day work scheduling to coordinating robots in a warehouse fulfillment center. Distributed swarm systems provide a robust and adaptive solution approach to many optimization problems. Instead of using one really sophisticated agent, multiple smaller less sophisticated agents can provide the flexibility to evaluate more options and still provide a "good" answer. This dissertation uses graphs to model, analyze, and simulate swarm behavior, primarily to predict the time-to-converge (TTC) and success probability. First, we use a bipartite model for the distributed best-of-N problem, and show how the …

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Assessing Coincidence Of Satellite Acquisitions And Flood Events To Predict Suitability For Flood Map Synthesis, Lyle Dale Prince

Theses and Dissertations

Flooding is a global problem that impacts people, communities, and governments every year. Better understanding of flooding in an area can enable improved emergency response before a flood hits. Flood maps are a crucial tool to translate what for most is an abstract flow, into a more understandable and actionable representation of who and what are at risk. Satellite based flood maps are a useful tool that has potentially global applications. We developed methods to determine which areas are suitable for generating satellite-based synthetic flood maps. For our processes we used Forecasting Inundation Extents using REOF analysis (FIER): a data-driven …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Research Summaries: Access To Education, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Full Issue: Access To Education, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Landscapes Of Learning: How Nonprofits Are Bridging Educational Divides, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

The Collective: Elevating Care For Children Through Collaboration, Cameron Outlaw

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Enhancing Data-Driven Decisions By Improving Nonprofit Transparency And Collaboration: A Study Of The Accessibility Of Nonprofit Data In The Global Landscape, Angie Holzer, Beverli Dewalt, Louis Ye

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Narrative Engineering: Tools, Computational Structure, And Impact Of Stories, Michael A. Debuse

Theses and Dissertations

An Exploratory Analysis Of Within And Between-Testlet Local Item Dependence In A Medical School Admission Situational Judgment Test Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling, Ester Sampson

Theses and Dissertations

A Comparison Of Polymers By Layer Deposition And Open Molding Additive Processes Through Fused Granulate Fabrication, Alexander Ray Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

Tensile Strain Validation Of Welded Wire Reinforcement, Alvaro Montes

Theses and Dissertations

The Ghostly Angel In The Haunted Home: The Haunted House As A Metaphor For A Woman's Body In Crimson Peak, Andrea I. Amado-Fajardo

Theses and Dissertations

Development Of A Real-Time Convolution System To Simulate Speech In Different Rooms For The Study Of Vocal Strain, Bethany E. Wu

Theses and Dissertations

The Creation Of Our Universe: How Science And Our Religious Beliefs Align, Dan Broadbent

Faculty Publications

Post-Processing National Water Model Long-Range Forecasts With Random Forest Regression In The Cloud To Improve Forecast Accuracy For Decision-Makers And Water Managers, Jacob Matthew Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Geochemical Characterization And Predictive Soil Mapping Of Ice-Free Regions In Antarctica, Rachel Willmore

Theses and Dissertations

Local Food System Planning On Multiple Governance Scales: A Grounded Theory Analysis, Decker Ure

Theses and Dissertations

Contributions Of Glacier Meltwater To Water Resources And Water Quality Below The Ablating Coropuna Ice Cap In The Arid Peruvian Andes, Alexis Rowley

Theses and Dissertations

Using Two-Dimensional Terahertz Spectroscopy To Explore Vibrations, Magnetism, And Their Coupling, Megan Faux Biggs

Theses and Dissertations

Kinetic Modeling Of Bacteria Removal From Suspensions By Magnetic Nanoparticle Capture And Magnetic Separation, Bowen J. Houser

Theses and Dissertations

New Chapters In An Old Book: New Discoveries In Transferrin's Blood Stream Modulators And Analytical Methods, Shelby Thomas Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Taking A Bite Out Of Shark Week: Discovery's Csa And Csr Messages, Kari Mortenson

Theses and Dissertations

Quality And Sensory Characteristics Of Selected Freeze-Dried Foods After 50 Years Storage, Prithiviraj Jegannathan

Theses and Dissertations

Time Reversal Delivery Of Long Duration Noise To A Targeted Location: Achieving Higher Amplitude While Maintaining A Desired Spectral Shape And Maximizing The Spatial Extent, Rylee Scott Russell

Theses and Dissertations

Grain Boundary Solute Segregation Across The 5d Space Of Crystallographic Character, Lydia Harris Serafin

Theses and Dissertations

The Influence Of Heat Therapy On Redox Signaling In Skeletal Muscle, Kimberly Miriam Richard

Theses and Dissertations

Phosphorus Adsorption Capacity Of Volcanic Scoria, Easton Jeffrey Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

Navigating Displacement: Jewish-Brazilian Identity In Lasar Segall's Encontro, Kendall Evonne Da Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Ethnic Group Affiliation And Perceptions Of Ethnic Russians In Lithuania, Morgan Lindsay Hassell

Theses and Dissertations

Developing A New Liquefaction Ejecta Prediction Model Considering Soil Properties Of Non-Liquifiable Surface Layers Using New Large Database From The 2012 Emilia Romagna, Italy Earthquakes, Jonah Bradley Dundas

Theses and Dissertations

Performance Prediction For Hub-Based Swarms, Puneet Jain

Theses and Dissertations

Assessing Coincidence Of Satellite Acquisitions And Flood Events To Predict Suitability For Flood Map Synthesis, Lyle Dale Prince

Theses and Dissertations