Entire DC Network | Open Access Articles | Digital Commons Network™

Social Media: The Answer Or The Scapegoat Behind Teen Mental Health Challenges?, Allie Sharp

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

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The Fears Behind Depression: Removing Masks And Helping Your Loved Ones Heal, Anna Mader

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

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The Golden Age Of Ageism, Sophie Ross

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

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Like Mother, Like Daughter, Maihcen Ware

Family Perspectives

No abstract provided.

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The Effects Of Mindfulness On Marital Sexuality, Sage Delamare

Family Perspectives

This literature review examines the differences between male and female sexuality, explores sexual mindfulness as a treatment, and suggests various ways to practice mindfulness. Research has found that women tend to suffer more sexual dysfunction than men and that mindfulness may be a powerful tool in helping women experience more sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction. Sexual mindfulness is effective because it helps the individual relax, remain aware, and overcome negative thought processes and sexual anxieties. Relaxing may increase female sexual satisfaction because it tends to help women release muscle tension and experience less pain, help arousal by decreasing pent …

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Equal Partnership Through Mutual Attunement And Mutual Decision-Making, Merri-Lu Jackman

Family Perspectives

Equal partnership in marriage—or equal relational power—develops as each spouse improves their ability to influence each other in personal needs, interests, and goals. Power is an inescapable part of romantic relationships and the way power is distributed impacts many aspects of the marriage including marital quality, stability, and intimacy. Couples who struggle with unequal power can benefit from developing and practicing mutual attunement and mutual decision-making. Healthy levels of attunement allow spouses to become more connected as they show awareness and interest in what matters to their spouse. Seeking equal decision-making power for both partners can also lead to increased …

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Mosquito Distribution And West Nile Virus Surveillance Results On The Nevada National Security Site In South-Central Nevada, Derek B. Hall, Vivek Raman

Western North American Naturalist

A 10-year study (2004–2013) was conducted to determine mosquito distribution and the prevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in south-central Nevada. Mosquito traps baited with dry ice were set overnight at sites where standing water provided potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. Captured mosquitoes were identified to species and tested for WNV. A total of 556 mosquitoes representing 6 species were captured and identified at 20 sites around the NNSS during 124 surveys. A vast majority (89%) of mosquitoes were Culex tarsalis. Two samples, both Culiseta inornata, tested positive for WNV in …

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A Systematic Review Of Datasets That Can Help Elucidate Relationships Among Gene Expression, Race, And Immunohistochemistry-Defined Subtypes In Breast Cancer., Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu, Stephen Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Scholarly requirements have led to a massive increase of transcriptomic data in the public domain, with millions of samples available for secondary research. We identified gene-expression datasets representing 10,214 breast-cancer patients in public databases. We focused on datasets that included patient metadata on race and/or immunohistochemistry (IHC) profiling of the ER, PR, and HER-2 proteins. This review provides a summary of these datasets and describes findings from 32 research articles associated with the datasets. These studies have helped to elucidate relationships between IHC, race, and/or treatment options, as well as relationships between IHC status and the breast-cancer intrinsic subtypes. We …

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Electrochemical Micro-Aptasensors For Exosome Detection Based On Hybridization Chain Reaction Amplification, Wenfen Zhang, Zhenhua Tian, Shujie Yang, Joseph Rich, Shuaiguo Zhao, Mikael Klingeborn, Po-Hsun Huang, Zhishang Li, Alexander Stout, Quinn Murphy, Edward Patz, Shusheng Zhang, Guozhen Liu, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles that have recently gained popularity as potential biomarkers in liquid biopsies due to the large amounts of molecular cargo they carry, such as nucleic acids and proteins. However, most existing exosome-based analytical sensing methods struggle to achieve high sensitivity and high selectivity simultaneously. In this work, we present an electrochemical micro-aptasensor for the highly sensitive detection of exosomes by integrating a micropatterned electrochemical aptasensor and a hybridization chain reaction (HCR) signal amplification method. Specifically, exosomes are enriched on CD63 aptamer-functionalized electrodes and then recognized by HCR products with avidin-horseradish peroxidase (HRP) attached using EpCAM aptamers as …

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Lehi And Nephi As Trained Manassite Scribes, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This paper brings contemporary ANE scholarship in several fields together to construct an updated starting point for interpretation of the teachings of the Book of Mormon. It assembles findings from studies of ancient scribal culture, historical linguistics and epigraphy, Hebrew rhetoric, and the history and archaeology of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant, together with the traditions of ancient Israel to construct a contextualized perspective for understanding Lehi, Nephi, and their scribal training as they would have been understood by their contemporaries. Lehi and Nephi are shown to be the beneficiaries of the most advanced scribal training available in 7th century …

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Straight White Men's Geosocial App Preferences: Exploring The Effects Of Race, Sean Aaron

Theses and Dissertations

Geosocial apps on mobile phones use location data to introduce many young adults to other people to initiate various types of relationships. This study examined how established racial preferences affect Straight White Men's (SWM) selection decisions of potential partners in a pseudo-geosocial app when controlling for age, attractiveness, and other profile factors of potential matches. A sample comprising exclusively of SWM was selected because historically, this demographic has benefited most from gender and racial inequalities (Thompson, 2009), and they make up the largest portion of people in interracial relationships in the United States (Livingston & Brown, 2017). We found that …

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When Clients Who Got Worse Believe They Got Better: A Qualitative Analysis Of Oq-Deteriorators Reporting Improvement In Therapy, Eric Alexander Ghelfi

Theses and Dissertations

A recent study highlighted discrepancies between qualitative client self-reports of outcome and OQ-45 reports. Specifically, only 8.8% of clients who deteriorated during a course of therapy based on the OQ-45 perceived that they had deteriorated, while 50% of these clients perceived that they had improved in therapy (Top et al., 2018). This phenomenon, where different means of tracking outcomes yield divergent results, has been called “paradoxical outcome.” The trend suggests that the most advanced forms of tracking psychotherapy outcomes might not detect important facets of outcome from the perspective of psychotherapy clients. The current study is a qualitative investigation of …

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Inflammation And Altered Signaling In Obstetric Pathologies, Ya-Fang Tsai

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to elucidate the molecular interactions and detail the signaling pathways in obstetric pathologies. This work first seeks to understand inflammation related complications relevant to obstetrics. Prior research in our lab identified the implications of the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) during inflammatory response in the placenta. Current work identified the presence of DNA double-strand breaks (DNA-DSBs) in inflammation associated pregnancy complications of preeclampsia (PE) and preterm labor (PTL) and demonstrated the positive role of RAGE in repairing the damage. The confluent relevance of disrupted mitochondrial function and inflammation has been recognized …

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Exploring Non-Functional Coupling Between Subsystems, Matt Pope

Theses and Dissertations

Many software systems depend on other systems to function correctly or are themselves composed of interdependent subsystems. In that context, behavioral changes in a dependency may have consequences for a dependent subsystem. This includes changes to non-functional properties such as latency or availability. In this paper we use the term non-functional coupling to mean the extent to which a subsystem is affected by changes to non-functional properties in a dependency. We argue that non-functional coupling has implications for the maintainability, reliability and performance of an overall system. We also explore the extent to which various engineering techniques used in interaction …

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On The Relationship Of Diabetes And Sleep Apnea: Evolution And Epigenetics, Nancy Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis gives an overview of the relationship between diabetes, sleep apnea, obesity, and heart disease. It then addresses evidence that the traditional understanding of this relationship is incomplete or misleading. In the process, there is a brief discussion of the evolutionary rationale for the development and retention of sleep apnea in light of blood sugar dysregulation, as an adaptive mechanism in response to environmental stressors, followed by a brief overview of the general concepts of epigenetics. Finally, this paper presents the results of a literature search on the epigenetic marks and changes in gene expression found in sleep apnea …

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Responding To Parents' Questions Regarding Polysorbate 80, Aluminum, And Thimerosal In Vaccines, Elli Hugh, Beth Luthy

Student Works

Vaccines save millions of lives worldwide every year. Nevertheless, misinformation regarding vaccine ingredients circulates on various media platforms and may negatively influence parental decisions regarding childhood vaccinations. Three vaccine ingredients commonly associated with parental vaccine concerns include polysorbate 80, aluminum, and thimerosal. Common misconceptions about polysorbate 80 and neurological sequela exist within the vaccine hesitant community. Additionally, aluminum has been incorrectly connected to chronic disease in children. Though proven that thimerosal does not cause autism, vaccine critics have now inaccurately reformed the argument claiming that it is the combination of thimerosal and aluminum that causes autism. The purpose of this …

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Student Nurse Knowledge And Confidence Regarding Childhood Immunizations, Heather Westergard

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Immunization training is essential for nursing students. However, Brigham Young University's (BYU) Nursing Program lacks data regarding the current curriculum's effect on vaccination knowledge and confidence. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore BYU nursing students' knowledge and confidence regarding vaccinations. Methods: Nursing students at BYU in the second and fourth semesters were surveyed using pre-and post-test questionnaires designed to measure student nurses' knowledge of and confidence about immunizations. To help evaluate current curricula established immunization content was taught during both the public health course and pediatric course via direct instruction, assigned reading, quizzes, exams, lab, and …

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Covid-19 Protocols In Academic Libraries In Canada And The United States: An Acrl Val Report, Holt Zaugg, Jeffrey Bullington, Stephanie Farne, Beate Gersch, Jo Ann Murphy, Lamonica Sanford

Faculty Publications

In the Fall of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged throughout the world, educational institutions pivoted to online learning and supporting services, especially those found in academic libraries, adjusted. To better understand measures taken by academic libraries in Canada and the United States, the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Value of Academic Libraries (VAL) committee formed a subcommittee to examine how academic libraries adjusted and provided services to their respective institutions during COVID-19 pandemic. This report is the culmination of this examination.

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Yosuf, Yosuf, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Yosef and his family of four are from the Herat Province in Afghanistan. The eldest child used to sell potatoes with Ibrahim, the middle child, who was killed by a landmine planted by counter-revolutionaries. As a result, the eldest child, Ismail, developed severe nerve and mental issues, and the wife, who is now pregnant, frequently has seizures. They sold their home to treat Ismail, but doctors say nothing can be done. Ismail’s condition continues to worsen, but he refuses to leave to see a doctor because he is afraid of the police for an unknown reason. Yosef says he is …

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Facing Fears When Fearing Faces: Binocular Rivalry Perceptual Alternation And Approach-Avoidance In College-Aged Women With Autistic Traits And A History Of Adverse Experiences, Sarah Kamhout

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASCs) may be more likely to experience symptoms of trauma exposure due to greater likelihood of facing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). In order to gain a better understanding of the neural mechanisms involved with ASC and PTSD in women who experience difficulty with social interactions, I examined the ability of two vision tasks-- Binocular Rivalry Perceptual Alternation (BR) and Visual Approach/Avoidance by the Self Task (VAAST)-- to predict symptoms of both conditions as well as differentiate between them. I also examined differences in response to neutral or emotional (angry or fearful) faces under both paradigms. …

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Left Out: An Fmri Study Exploring Handedness-Based Exclusion In Memory Research, Loriana Goulding

Undergraduate Honors Theses

About 11% of the world population is left-handed, a significant minority of the potential research participant pool for functional MRI (fMRI) studies. However, convention in fMRI research dictates these potential participants be excluded due to evidence that left-handed people (LH) may have different lateralization of neural functioning than right-handed people (RH). This difference in lateralization may cause different areas of the brain to be activated by the same task. The current study investigates the lateralization differences between N=26 LH and N=27 RH during encoding and recognition memory tasks for words and faces. Additionally, we measured participants' laterality index by administering …

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Fathers As Stay-At-Home Dads: Fathers' And Mothers' Perspectives On Children's School Experiences, Taylor Hubbert Michelsen

Theses and Dissertations

As traditional family roles change and circumstances at home become increasingly varied in contemporary society, the experiences of children also undergo change. For instance, when fathers take on primary caregiving responsibilities, those differing circumstances also impact their children. Therefore, it is important for researchers to study how changing parental roles affect children in the home. Through the use of qualitative research design, this research focuses on how the experiences of children within the home may be impacted when fathers are the primary caregiver. Although previous research has examined several aspects of family dynamics with so-called stay-at-home fathers, research has not …

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Racial Discrimination And The Indirect Effects Of Forgiveness On Well-Being Among Emerging Polynesian Americans, Emily E. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of research on the effects of racial discrimination on the mental health of emerging Polynesian American adults (ages 17-29). This study examines the effects of racial discrimination and the indirect effects of forgiveness on mental health among 423 Polynesian American emerging adults. Correlations were conducted in preliminary analysis then data was further analyzed through multiple regressions to determine if racial discrimination predicts psychological outcomes. A mediation analyses with Hayes PROCESS macro bootstrapping was conducted to examine the indirect effects of forgiveness. Lastly, a point-biserial correlation was conducted to examine the effects of education level on perception …

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The Beneficial Effects Of The Gut-Derived Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide On Functional Β-Cell Mass, Emily Suzanne Krueger

Theses and Dissertations

Elevated serum levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) were first associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) 10 years ago. Research has since defined that serum TMAO accumulation is controlled by the diet-microbiome-liver-kidney axis. Choline related nutrients are consumed in excess during over-nutrition from a Western diet. The resultant elevated serum TMAO is investigated across various chronic metabolic diseases and many tissue types. While TMAO is most clearly linked to CVD mechanisms in vascular tissue, its molecular effects on metabolic tissues are unclear. Here we report the current standing of TMAO research in metabolic disease context across relevant metabolic tissues …

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Designing Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Systems For Improved Biocatalysis And On-Demand, Cost-Effective Biosensors, Mehran Soltani Najafabadi

Theses and Dissertations

The open nature of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis (CFPS) systems has enabled flexible design, easy manipulation, and novel applications of protein engineering in therapeutic production, biocatalysis, and biosensors. This dissertation reports on three advances in the application of CFPS systems for 1) improving biocatalysis performance in industrial applications by site-specific covalent enzyme immobilization, 2) expressing and optimizing a difficult to express a mammalian protein in bacterial-based CFPS systems and its application for cost-effective, on-demand biosensors compatible with human body fluids, and 3) streamlining the procedure of an E. coli extract with built-in compatibility with human body fluid biosensors. Site-specific covalent immobilization …

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Immunoaffinity Monoliths For Multiplexed Extraction Of Preterm Birth Biomarkers From Human Blood Serum In 3d Printed Microfluidic Devices, Haifa Mohammad Almughamsi

Theses and Dissertations

Preterm birth (PTB) results in over 15 million early births annually and is the leading cause of neonatal deaths. There are no clinical methods currently available to evaluate risk of PTB at early stages in pregnancy; thus, a rapid diagnostic to analyze PTB risk would be beneficial. Microfluidic immunoaffinity extraction is a promising platform for preparing complex samples, such as maternal serum with PTB risk biomarkers. 3D printed microfluidic devices have advantages over conventional microfluidic systems including simple fabrication and potential for iterative optimization to improve designs. In this work, I developed immunoaffinity monoliths in 3D printed microfluidic devices modified …

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A Social Media Misinformation Label And The Postrhetorical Presidency, Ethan Mcginty

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In May 2020, presidential communication on social media was—for the first time—subject to a misinformation label applied by the social media site on which the communication originated. This development indicates a turning point in social media sites’ relationship with presidential communication and demands adaptation in the scholarly understanding of presidential rhetoric during the present era. Drawing from the theoretical framework of the postrhetorical presidency, I perform dual rhetorical analyses of this landmark artifact. The first round of analysis ignores the label and analyzes the presidential communication alone to understand its function, while the second analysis reveals the rhetorical impact of …

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Secularism: A Measure Of Explicit Agreement With Assumptions Of Secularism (Meaas), Conner Douglas Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Values are inherent within cultures, relationships, and many other systems, however, little study has been done on the extent to which individuals may explicitly agree with the metaphysical assumptions that much of psychological science relies upon. Psychological science, which uses scientific methodology, is a trusted source of knowledge for many students. Scientific methodology is conceptually linked to assumptions of naturalism, which makes claims about the truth of reality. These naturalistic assumptions pertain to ideas of disenchantment, which describe the world as free from any transcendent quality. These same ideas have become popular among people of the Western world and are …

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Effects Of Background Noise On The Speech Acoustics Of People With Aphasia, Kirsten Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of hearing six background noise conditions (silent baseline, pink noise, monologue, lively conversation, one-sided phone call, and cocktail noise) on acoustic measures of speech production during story retells in people with aphasia. Eleven individuals with aphasia and 11 age- and gender-matched control participants took part in the study. Participants heard the background noise conditions through open-back headphones while they retold six short stories. The examiner calculated mean and standard deviation of intensity, mean and standard deviation of fundamental frequency (F0), and speech rate in words per minute. A Matlab application that identified pauses (i.e., periods …

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Culture And Collective Teacher Efficacy: A Case Study In Efficacy, Scott Jason Benson

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of collective teacher efficacy was first introduced by Bandura (1997) in the 1990's. Hattie's (2016) identification of collective teacher efficacy as the number one influence on student achievement has led to the idea that educators within a school have the ability to positively impact student achievement. In his research, Bandura identified four sources of both individual and collective teacher efficacy: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and affective state. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to identify aspects of school culture that support collective teacher efficacy. This was done by interviewing 32 members of the faculty …

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Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Social Media: The Answer Or The Scapegoat Behind Teen Mental Health Challenges?, Allie Sharp

Family Perspectives

The Fears Behind Depression: Removing Masks And Helping Your Loved Ones Heal, Anna Mader

Family Perspectives

The Golden Age Of Ageism, Sophie Ross

Family Perspectives

Like Mother, Like Daughter, Maihcen Ware

Family Perspectives

The Effects Of Mindfulness On Marital Sexuality, Sage Delamare

Family Perspectives

Equal Partnership Through Mutual Attunement And Mutual Decision-Making, Merri-Lu Jackman

Family Perspectives

Mosquito Distribution And West Nile Virus Surveillance Results On The Nevada National Security Site In South-Central Nevada, Derek B. Hall, Vivek Raman

Western North American Naturalist

A Systematic Review Of Datasets That Can Help Elucidate Relationships Among Gene Expression, Race, And Immunohistochemistry-Defined Subtypes In Breast Cancer., Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu, Stephen Piccolo

Faculty Publications

Faculty Publications

Lehi And Nephi As Trained Manassite Scribes, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Straight White Men's Geosocial App Preferences: Exploring The Effects Of Race, Sean Aaron

Theses and Dissertations

When Clients Who Got Worse Believe They Got Better: A Qualitative Analysis Of Oq-Deteriorators Reporting Improvement In Therapy, Eric Alexander Ghelfi

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation And Altered Signaling In Obstetric Pathologies, Ya-Fang Tsai

Theses and Dissertations

Exploring Non-Functional Coupling Between Subsystems, Matt Pope

Theses and Dissertations

On The Relationship Of Diabetes And Sleep Apnea: Evolution And Epigenetics, Nancy Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Responding To Parents' Questions Regarding Polysorbate 80, Aluminum, And Thimerosal In Vaccines, Elli Hugh, Beth Luthy

Student Works

Student Nurse Knowledge And Confidence Regarding Childhood Immunizations, Heather Westergard

Theses and Dissertations

Covid-19 Protocols In Academic Libraries In Canada And The United States: An Acrl Val Report, Holt Zaugg, Jeffrey Bullington, Stephanie Farne, Beate Gersch, Jo Ann Murphy, Lamonica Sanford

Faculty Publications

Yosuf, Yosuf, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Facing Fears When Fearing Faces: Binocular Rivalry Perceptual Alternation And Approach-Avoidance In College-Aged Women With Autistic Traits And A History Of Adverse Experiences, Sarah Kamhout

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Left Out: An Fmri Study Exploring Handedness-Based Exclusion In Memory Research, Loriana Goulding

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fathers As Stay-At-Home Dads: Fathers' And Mothers' Perspectives On Children's School Experiences, Taylor Hubbert Michelsen

Theses and Dissertations

Racial Discrimination And The Indirect Effects Of Forgiveness On Well-Being Among Emerging Polynesian Americans, Emily E. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

The Beneficial Effects Of The Gut-Derived Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide On Functional Β-Cell Mass, Emily Suzanne Krueger

Theses and Dissertations

Designing Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Systems For Improved Biocatalysis And On-Demand, Cost-Effective Biosensors, Mehran Soltani Najafabadi

Theses and Dissertations

Immunoaffinity Monoliths For Multiplexed Extraction Of Preterm Birth Biomarkers From Human Blood Serum In 3d Printed Microfluidic Devices, Haifa Mohammad Almughamsi

Theses and Dissertations

A Social Media Misinformation Label And The Postrhetorical Presidency, Ethan Mcginty

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Secularism: A Measure Of Explicit Agreement With Assumptions Of Secularism (Meaas), Conner Douglas Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Effects Of Background Noise On The Speech Acoustics Of People With Aphasia, Kirsten Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

Culture And Collective Teacher Efficacy: A Case Study In Efficacy, Scott Jason Benson

Theses and Dissertations