Digital Commons Network^™

Establishing Kinetic Lipidomic Methods For Quantifying In Vivo Shifts In Metabolic Homeostasis, Coleman Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

Lipidomics conventionally measures molecular abundance, but abundance alone cannot distinguish a lipid pool that is actively turning over from one that is static. This dissertation develops kinetic lipidomics, a mass spectrometry approach that uses deuterated-water labeling to quantify in vivo turnover across an entire lipidome. We apply this framework to investigate how apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype alters brain metabolism in the context of Alzheimer's disease risk. The method simultaneously recovers three parameters for hundreds of lipid species: the fractional turnover rate (k), the fraction of the pool accessible to endogenous synthesis (Asyn), and the effective number of deuterium-incorporating sites (nL). …

A Generalized Coherence Framework For Contribution Analysis In Multi-Input Systems With Correlated Inputs, With Application To Essential Tremor, Nolan H. Howes

Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying the contribution of individual inputs to an output is a fundamental problem in the analysis of dynamic systems , with applications spanning numerous engineering disciplines. Traditional coherence-based methods provide useful tools for contribution analysis when inputs are uncorrelated; however, they generally fail when correlation exists between inputs. Because correlated inputs are common in both engineered and biological systems, this limitation restricts the usefulness of conventional coherence analysis in many practical applications. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, apply, and validate a generalized coherence framework capable of quantifying input contributions in multi-input systems regardless of input correlation. First, …

Hiv-1 Vpr Polymorphisms As Determinants Of Aids Pathogenesis, Sidney T. Sithole

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) exhibits remarkable variability in disease progression, influenced by both host and viral factors. Among the viral accessory proteins, HIV-1 Viral Protein R (Vpr) is a multifunctional regulator of viral replication, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, innate immune signaling, and host gene expression. Although Vpr has been extensively studied, the mechanisms by which naturally occurring Vpr polymorphisms influence host cell responses and contribute to HIV-1 pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. This dissertation investigates the functional significance of naturally occurring HIV-1 Vpr polymorphisms, with a primary focus on the R77Q variant associated with long-term nonprogression. This work integrates …

Building Appreciation For Natural History Collections From Biological Collection Data., Jamie Jensen, Seth Bybee

ScholarsArchive Data

These data represent the pre- and post-survey responses by students in an undergraduate, non-majors biology course given before and after a unit on Natural History Collections. We administered the Revised New Ecological Paradigm (R-NEP; Dunlap et al., 2000) survey which measures pro-environmental attitudes using 15 Likert-scale items.

Why Does God Hate Me? A Theistic And Empirical Review Of Attachment To God, Rachel K. Weber

Student Works

General attachment is based on a person’s perceived ability to receive help from their primary caregiver and their perceived worthiness of such help (Bowlby, 1973). This style is separated into four categories that create a paradigm with which future relationships align (Acevedo et al., 2012; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). These four categories are fearful-avoidant, dismissive-avoidant, secure, and anxious-preoccupied (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). This is biologically based and used to ensure an infant’s survival (Bowlby, 1973). These attachment styles are also applicable to one’s relationship to God (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992). Secure attachment to God is indicative of positive religious coping …

The Relationship Of Running Mechanics And Anthropometrics On Running Performance, Carmen Riaño Aransay

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Running performance is influenced by physiological, biomechanical, and anatomical factors. Running economy is one of the strongest predictors of performance and has been associated with several running mechanics and anatomical characteristics. However, little is known about how changes in running mechanics across increasing running speeds relate to race performance or whether these variables can distinguish athletes specializing in different running events. This study investigated the relationships between running mechanics, anatomical characteristics, and middle and long-distance running performance while evaluating whether these measures could classify athletes by event specialization. Methods: Ninety-two trained runners completed biomechanical testing while running on an …

Novel Protein Purification Strategies And Structural Insights Into Vacuolar Protein Sorting 34 Inhibitor Binding For Structure-Guided Drug Discovery, Wisdom Oshireku Abiodun

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses key bottlenecks in protein X-ray crystallography by developing a simplified purification strategy based on reversible protein self-assembly and applying it to the structural characterization of the therapeutically important kinase VPS34. The first objective of this study was to develop a simplified, chromatography-independent protein purification strategy by exploiting the reversible pH-dependent polymerization of the Translocation ETS Leukemia Sterile Alpha Motif (TELSAM) crystallization chaperone. Repeated cycles of polymerization and resolubilization enabled the direct purification and concentration of TELSAM-fusion proteins from bacterial lysates, eliminating several conventional purification steps. Validation using three previously characterized TELSAM-fusion proteins demonstrated that compatible targets could …

Molecular And Spatial Signatures Of Pathological Network Activity In Acute Brain Slice Models Of Epileptiform Activity, Kutter R. Hine

Theses and Dissertations

Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent episodes of abnormal neuronal activity that range from self-limiting seizures to prolonged status epilepticus (SE). Although the electrophysiological properties of these pathological network states have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms underlying seizure persistence and the spatial organization of transcriptional responses remain imperfectly understood. This thesis employed both bulk RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic approaches to investigate molecular responses associated with pathological network activity in acute mouse brain slice models. To identify transcriptomic differences associated with pharmacosensitive and pharmacoresistant-like epileptiform states, bulk RNA sequencing was performed using a baclofen-modulated zero-magnesium (0-Mg) model of epileptiform activity. …

Developing An Object Level Understanding Of Sine And Cosine As Ratios And A Coherent Trigonometry, Jeffrey Peter Nair

Theses and Dissertations

Solving right-triangle problems as well as integrating right-triangle and circular trigonometry into a coherent understanding are documented challenges for students. Prior research has deeply investigated students constructing ratio meanings for sine and cosine using a circle-first approach, which then can be extended to right triangles. Also, past work has separately documented distinct meanings that are useful for sine and cosine, in addition to the ratio meaning, including as lengths in a unit circle and coordinate points. This study took these existing ideas and put them together into one possible developmental progression, based on APOS theory, where students can learn length, …

Synthetic Strategies For Bioactive Peptides: From Aggregation Inhibitors To The Total Synthesis Of Tunicyclin C, Stephanie Graciela Garcia Morin

Theses and Dissertations

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), a brain protein called "tau" abnormally clumps and forms neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), causing damage to brain cells. Ac-PHF6-NH2 is a hexapeptide segment of tau protein that plays a dominant role in tau aggregation and is used as a model to design tau protein aggregation inhibitors. In this research we synthesized four dehydroamino acid (□AA) containing PHF6 analogues with △Abu (derived from L-threonine) and △Val (derived from □-OH-Valine) at position 2 or 3 via dehydrations or azlactone ring-openings as key reactions. We evaluated their proteolytic resistance, ability to inhibit aggregation of PHF6, and impact on the morphology …

Measuring Proteostasis Changes In Apolipoprotein E Mouse Models Using Quantitative And Kinetic Proteomic Methods, Ariel E.A. Denos

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurological disorder associated with brain mass loss and cognitive decline. It affects millions of elderly people and is currently uncurable. Since 1906, when the disease was first described, researchers have uncovered many components of AD pathology. However, it is now evident that curing Alzheimer's Disease will require intervention before the pathological onset of amyloid beta plaque deposition, tau neurofibrillary tangles, and associated neuronal loss. Studying AD from the perspective of early intervention requires special attention to small changes that may disrupt the normal processing of cells. Cells undergo a natural cycle of creation and destruction …

Family Religious Socialization Index: Development And Preliminary Validation, Kaelie Rene Crockett

Theses and Dissertations

A key area of interest for religious scholars is how religious beliefs are passed across generations, or religious socialization. To expand this field of study, a theoretically grounded, validated measure of this construct is needed. This article describes the development and validation of the Family Religious Socialization Index (FRSI), a multi-informant, multidimensional assessment of the processes through which parents socialize religion and faith in their children. Based on Social Cognitive Theory and through a rigorous development and validation process, three subscales were developed to represent the primary processes of religious socialization. The FRSI consists of two parallel scales, a parent …

Identifying The Brain Circuits Involved In Religious Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Kiana Bunnell

Theses and Dissertations

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an often-debilitating psychiatric disorder involving a pattern of obsessive thoughts and compensatory compulsions. Symptoms tend to be chronic, leading to substantial emotional burden and significant impairment across multiple domains of daily functioning. Previous research has identified some consistency in the brain regions implicated in OCD. In particular, cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuitry has been linked to behavioral features commonly observed in OCD. Moreover, some studies suggest that distinct patterns of brain activation and functional connectivity may be associated with different OCD symptom dimensions, though findings have not been consistent. One symptom dimension of OCD (scrupulosity) is characterized by …

Modifying Lta Zeolites For Reversible Hydrogen Sulfide Capture And Elucidating The Structure Of The Incorporated Metal And Sulfur Ions, Adeyemi D. Ojaide

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic and corrosive gas that poses significant environmental and industrial challenges, particularly within the wastewater treatment and oil and gas sectors. H2S leakage is among the deadliest industrial hazards, highlighting the urgent need for the development of highly efficient, non-corrosive adsorbents. This dissertation provides an in-depth examination of the use of metal-zeolites for H2S capture. We carefully investigate the impact of multiple divalent and one monovalent transition metals on LTA zeolites to optimize H2S removal. While Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites offer a robust structural framework for gas separation, a comprehensive understanding of how …

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Co-Opting Modernity: The Semantic Retooling Of Faith At The 1893 World’S Parliament Of Religions, Erik P. Palmer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago served as a high-stakes arena where the boundaries of religious legitimacy were redrawn through the intentional adoption of social science vocabulary. Staged within the Neo-Classical architecture of the White City of the World’s Columbian Exposition, the event was more than a civil gathering; it functioned as a “Museum of Faiths” where religious traditions were curated, categorized, and evaluated against the perceived benchmarks of Western civilization. The physical environment of the Fair, a monument to industrial triumph, was built to display things that worked. The organizers demanded that religions demonstrate they were useful …

Reshaping Home: Chinese Immigrant Women’S Adaptation And Family Transformation Under Exclusion, Chloe Nicole 零星 Isom

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

In 1941, Jew Law Ying arrived at the port of San Francisco with her infant daughter, Bak Heong, seeking admission to join her merchant husband, Yung Hin Sen, in the United States. Upon arrival, immigration officials detained Jew Law Ying and her daughter and required both her and her husband to answer nearly two hundred detailed questions about themselves to prove their identities and relationship. Officials designed these questions to uncover inconsistencies and expose fraudulent relationships, and they were so intricate that, despite their legal and legitimate marriage, Jew Law Ying and Yung Hin Sen had prepared extensively, memorizing answers …

A Coupled Reaction-Diffusion Model Of Promoting And Suppressing Interactions Among Cancer Hallmarks In Endometrial Cancer, Jeddy Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

Spatial transcriptomics enables the scoring of Cancer Hallmarks at a high resolution across a tissue biopsy, yet current analyses of these data remain largely descriptive, treating each spot as a static, independent observation. This thesis develops a coupled system of advection-diffusion-reaction partial differential equations to model the hallmark landscape as the steady-state solution of an underlying spatial process, and casts the recovery of its physical parameters as a PDE-constrained inverse problem. The framework is implemented in FEniCSx on tissue-specific finite element meshes derived from two endometrial cancer biopsies provided by the Huntsman Cancer Institute, with subdomains, boundary interfaces, and an …

Media Emotion Regulation And Executive Function In Childhood: Associations With Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Lara M. Almeida

Theses and Dissertations

Media emotion regulation (MER), or the use of media to help children manage emotions, may influence children's development by shaping opportunities for practicing self-regulatory skills. Guided by the Dynamic, Relational, Ecological Approach to Media Effects Research (DREAMER) model, this study examined longitudinal associations between MER and executive functioning (EF) in early childhood and explored whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological index of regulation, predicted developmental changes. Participants included 175 parent-child dyads assessed across two annual waves when children were approximately 4 and 5 years old. Structural equation modeling was used to test bidirectional associations between MER and EF while …

Physical Activity, Trauma, And Posttraumatic Stress: The Indirect Role Of Exercise Addiction, Anastasiia Rozumna

Theses and Dissertations

Exercise is often conceptualized as a protective factor for mental health, including for individuals exposed to trauma. However, less is known about whether exercise may relate to posttraumatic stress symptoms differently when it is accompanied by compulsive or addictive features. The present study examined whether volume and intensity of physical activity were associated with posttraumatic stress symptom severity indirectly through exercise addiction symptoms. This secondary cross-sectional analysis included 557 adults living in the United States who reported regular participation in sport or physical activity. Participants completed self-report measures of physical activity behavior, exercise addiction symptoms, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress …

Characterizing Water Source Selection By Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus Cyanocephalus) In Utah, Audrey H. Biser, Randy T. Larsen, Samuel B. St. Clair, Steven L. Petersen

Student Works

Pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) are corvids native to semiarid ecosystems of the western US. Populations have declined by 84% since 1966, yet no causes have been identified and imminent decisions about federal status make understanding pinyon jay ecology increasingly urgent. As drought conditions intensify, water is becoming scarcer in systems that are already characterized by its limited availability. Therefore, pinyon jay decline is likely influenced by increasing aridity. Jays have been observed drinking from springs and artificial water sources in Utah; however, their relationship to water is poorly understood. Our study aims to characterize pinyon jay water source …

Effects Of B422 Bacteriophage Resistance Mutations On Pectobacterium Versatile Fitness And Virulence, Alex Cherry

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This Honors thesis project examines the impact of lipopolysaccharide mutations on the virulence of a bacteria susceptible to a bacteriophage suspected of using LPS structures as the basis for infection. In my prior work in the lab, I isolated a novel lytic bacteriophage against P. versatile. From host range testing performed in the lab, it is known to infect two strains of P. versatile, B422 and B35. The phage was then used to select for resistant mutants in a pool of B422 transposon mutants, and 20 phage-resistant mutants were identified. 60% of these mutants were found to have differences in …

Isoperimetric Soft Robots, Mihai Stanciu

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents two advances in isoperimetric soft robotic trusses that improve their performance, modularity, and configurability. The first contribution introduces a large-scale modular robotic truss designed as a lightweight, reconfigurable structure for lunar applications. The system consists of inflatable fabric tubes routed through motorized roller units and interconnected by a newly developed spherical joint that enables multiple robotic triangles to connect at a common vertex. The resulting truss can be assembled into structures beyond a single octahedron while retaining compact stowage when deflated and untethered operation after initial inflation. Experimental validation demonstrates modular assembly, long-term pressure retention, load-bearing capabilities …

Thermophysical Property Studies: 1. Thermodynamic Consistency For Associating Compounds 2. Autoignition Temperature, Cassandra Jane Guffey

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate thermophysical property data are essential for the design, optimization, and safe operation of chemical processes. Properties such as vapor pressure, enthalpy of vaporization, heat capacity, density, and autoignition temperature--which are among the properties studied in this work--are required for equipment sizing, process simulation, hazard assessment, and economic evaluation. A major focus of this dissertation is the application of multi-property thermodynamic consistency techniques to compounds that exhibit strong vapor-phase association. These methods improve confidence in recommended property values by enforcing rigorous thermodynamic relationships among ideal-gas heat capacity, liquid heat capacity, vapor and liquid densities, vapor pressure, and enthalpy of vaporization. …

Professor Greenfeld’S Last Class: Notes For Online Lectures On “The Science Of Humanity,” Delivered To Students And Scholars Primarily From India, July 2025, Liah Greenfeld

Comparative Civilizations Review

The question for this class is: What is humanity?

We all believe we all know what it is, don’t we? After all, there is hardly any subject more important for us, a question on the answer to which other subjects depend — political, social, economic. Answers to questions such as: what are human economic needs and desires; what political structures are optimal for humans; is democracy, for instance, a universal human desire; should politics in every nation be democratic, or, perhaps, authoritarian governments are better; is freedom a natural need, does it make life better, does equality?

Introduction To Liah Greenfeld’S Scholarship On Nationalism, Civilizations, And Humanity, Zeying Wu

Comparative Civilizations Review

This introduction to the special issue of Comparative Civilizations Review, dedicated to the late Professor Liah Greenfeld, summarizes her original approach to the study of nationalism, civilization, and humanity. It describes her groundbreaking contributions across multiple disciplines ⎯ including sociology, political science, anthropology, economic history, and psychiatry ⎯ and introduces Greenfeld’s comparative civilizations project, an ambitious endeavor to which she dedicated her final years. The introduction concludes by examining examples of her influence on the work of scholars around the world featured in this special issue and how her intellectual legacy provides vital frameworks for understanding the world in …

Temporal Legitimacy And Civilizational Logic: A Sociological Perspective On The Foundational Principles Of Chinese Civilization, Yuk Man Cheung

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article departs from the recent social-scientific analytical framework for comparative civilizations proposed by the sociologist Liah Greenfeld (2024a, 2024b, 2025) and puts forward several basic conjectures regarding the analysis of the characteristics of Chinese civilization, with the aim of assisting our understanding, execution, and integration of empirical studies. Precisely because these are conjectures, they differ from conventional academic research–especially the case-study-oriented research style dominant in contemporary Anglophone academia. Accordingly, this article can only be regarded as an attempt that, starting from sociological theory, offers preliminary conjectures and tentatively constructs a theoretical framework within which specialists from different fields may …

The Concept Of A ‘State-Civilization’ In Russia: The Contest For National Dignity In The Form Of A Civilizational Analysis, Ivan Nokhrin

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article examines the contemporary Russian concept of the “state-civilization” as articulated in official discourse, educational materials, and nationalist thought. It argues that the notion of Russian civilization functions primarily as a symbol of national dignity and exceptionalism rather than an analytically coherent concept. Through analyzing narratives surrounding traditional values, state-centrism, family, and patriotism, the study demonstrates that these themes largely reproduce longstanding patterns of Russian nationalism and its opposition to the West. Drawing on Greenfeld’s theory of civilization, the article contends that Russia is best understood as part of the broader monotheistic civilization rather than a distinct civilization of …

The Family As A Mechanism Of Civilizational Continuity: Absorption, Localization, And Rejection Of Modern Values In The Indic Case, Monika Monika

Comparative Civilizations Review

Contrary to the common view that the family socializes the individual into a given culture, this paper insists that the family performs a far more profound, indeed, a constitutive function. It is not simply the first school of civilizational values; it is the primary institutional site through which a civilization reproduces its symbolic order and, in so doing, acts as the gatekeeper of civilizational continuity and change. It is here that a civilization’s foundational principles are first internalized; and it is here, too, that modern values, or new norms thrust upon it by encounters with alien civilizations ⎯ are first …

Liah Greenfeld And Civilizational Dialogue: For Continuing A Legacy, Manindra Nath Thakur

Comparative Civilizations Review

One fine morning, I dropped into my room at the Centre for Political Studies, JNU. Monika took an appointment to meet and discuss her project. I was curious to know about her work and wanted to see if there was anything to learn from it. Within no time, I discovered that she was influenced by a professor and that we had many common concerns. I listened carefully and was convinced by her impression. We decided to initiate a conversation. Suddenly, a few months later, she informed me about Liah Greenfeld’s sad demise. Our conversation could not take off.