Digital Commons Network^™

Spatial Single-Cell Identification Of Cell Layers Within Mouse Brain Using A Novel Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Technology, Radha Swaminathan

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Spatially resolved transcriptomics technologies investigate gene expression in the context of a tissue. While imaging-based technologies enable gene expression quantification at a single-cell level, only two NGS-based technologies are currently capable of single-cell resolution. Both Stereo-seq and Seq-Scope involve two rounds of sequencing: one to sequence the location of spatial barcodes and the other to obtain sequence of cDNA. Thus, the objective of the research study is to develop a technology that can capture transcripts from every cell of a tissue without the need for two rounds of sequencing. To this end, a capture surface or barcoded array (similar to …

Towards Robust Channel Dynamics: Photoionization In Nitrogen And Air, Justin K. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In present photoionization models used in computational studies, there is a lack of experimental data and several assumptions pertaining to photo-electron production in the gas. It is widely accepted that wavelengths between 98 nm and 102.5 nm are the primary contributors to photoionization of oxygen in an air plasma. In air, the collisional kinetics of nitrogen provide the photons, which results in the ionization of oxygen. Photoionization rate measurements from a low current corona discharge in synthetic air mixtures are reported to provide new empirical data. In addition, this provides a method to estimate the scaling parameter w/a. Concurrently, vacuum …

Racial And Ethnic Differences In The Receipt Of Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factor Screening And Treatment Among Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With Androgen Deprivation Therapy., Yazan K. Barqawi

Pharmaceutical Sciences ETDs

Background: Racial and ethnic health disparities in prostate cancer prevalence, incidence, mortality, quality of life, screening, and treatment constitute the largest of all cancer disparities. These health disparities are associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates in minority populations. Treatment with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been the most widely used therapeutic modality to reduce the progression of prostate cancer to a worse disease stage and relieve potential obstructive symptoms. However, ADT is associated with possible toxic metabolic and cardiovascular (CVS) adverse events that may occur within six months of ADT initiation. These adverse events include metabolic syndrome, type II …

Source Estimation Of The Reward Positivity And Related Resting State Network Activity In Major Depressive Disorder, Christopher J.H. Pirrung

Psychology ETDs

Anhedonia is a complex symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that presents itself through multiple behavioral phenotypes of diminished reward processing. In order to better understand this deficit, we aim to look at a marker of reward that is sensitive to information content and valence, the Reward Positivity (RewP). The source of this signal is, however, up for debate. This study used concurrent EEG and MEG to establish the source of the RewP as a distributed network involving ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC), and insulae. Additionally, only vmPFC showed a deficit in MDD. fMRI resting state functional …

Efl Teachers’ Understandings Of The Role Of Assessment In Second Language Learning, Evelyn Almeida

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Given the important role of assessment in the process of Second Language Learning (SLL) and framed within Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), this study aims to analyze: (1) how EFL teachers’ understanding of the role of assessment in SLL can be improved, (2) how effective dynamic assessment is in their teaching practices, (3) how EFL teachers’ assessment practices reflect their understanding of the concept of assessment/dynamic assessment, and (4) what strategies can help them understand these concepts. These four points are studied within the context of English classes at a Language Institute in Quito, Ecuador. This project’s contribution brings …

Estimating Vehicle Infrastructure: Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, Zachery Phillip Baiamonte

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Cities have little knowledge about their parking infrastructure despite clear evidence that abundant parking has environmental, economic, and transportation consequences. The objective of this thesis is to illustrate the need to accurately estimate the area dedicated to vehicle infrastructure (parking lots and streets) within urban areas. I focused on a method that estimated the vehicle infrastructure area within the Downtown Core of Albuquerque, New Mexico, by cross-referencing geospatial cadastral data with minimum parking requirements. Three parking space types were identified: 1) parking in structures; 2) surface parking (parking lots and residential driveways); and 3) on-street parking. To illustrate the need …

Traumatic Brain Injury And Psychopathy In Incarcerated Men And Women, Tessa Cappelle

Psychology ETDs

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most suffered injuries with detrimental effects on the individual’s health, personality, and behavior. Overlap exists between TBI sequelae and symptoms of psychopathy. Both conditions are especially prevalent in incarcerated populations which makes studying their interrelation critical. Two studies examined the relationship between history of TBI (TBI+ vs. TBI-) and psychopathy (via the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised; PCL-R) in adult incarcerated men and women at correctional facilities in New Mexico and Wisconsin. Study 1 included 342 women, study 2 included 1049 men. Measurement invariance was evident for TBI+ and TBI- for both studies. TBI+ …

Exploring The Role Of Dieting Style In Nutritional And Psychological Health Among College Women, Hayley L. Vanderjagt

Psychology ETDs

The current study aimed to profile styles of eating among dieting and non-dieting college-aged women, and to explore the extent to which dieting attitudes were associated with both nutritionally healthy eating and psychological well-being. A latent profile analysis was conducted using indicators of self-reported intuitive eating, binge eating, and two psychometric measures of dietary restraint; various measures of eating restraint were utilized to potentially capture distinct characteristics of dieting, such as self-discipline and disinhibition (Polivy et al., 2020; Stice et al., 2010). Four distinct probabilistic profiles emerged, indicating that individuals within the study population could be meaningfully categorized as Intuitive …

A Phenomenological Study Of Collegiate Recovery Leadership, Marni Goldberg

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Due to the marginalized status of the population they serve, collegiate recovery programs are generally underfunded and employ one staff member who typically holds other job tasks in addition to those of collegiate recovery leader. The consequence of the varied nature by which collegiate recovery programs are founded and implemented is inconsistency, which can threaten the longevity of the field. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to elicit information directly from collegiate recovery leaders to gain a deeper understanding of their lived experience, in order to determine how to best serve and support higher education students in recovery from …

Fabrication, Characterization, And Simulation Of Graphene-Copper Electrical Conductors, Raju Prasad Ghimire

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

The addition of nanocarbons to copper (Cu), specifically in the form of graphene (GN), has been shown to enhance copper's properties. GN-Cu nanocomposites can potentially achieve higher electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties compared with copper. These characteristics make GN-Cu materials interesting for several applications including but not limited to interconnects, high voltage lines, and rotating machines. Copper’s microstructure and nanoscale interfacial phenomena between the GN and Cu control charge conduction in GN-Cu materials. In this work, we investigated the possibilities of conductivity enhancement in multi-layered GN-Cu composites both theoretically (classical, quantum, and atomistic models) and experimentally.

Additionally, our work elucidates …

Agent-Based Modeling Predicts Rac1 Is Critical For Ovarian Cancer Metastasis, Melanie Rivera, Leslie Toledo-Jacobo, Elsa Romero, Tudor I. Oprea, Melanie E. Moses, Laurie G. Hudson, Angela Wandinger-Ness, Martha M. Grimes

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Experimental and computational studies pinpoint rate-limiting step(s) in metastasis governed by Rac1. Using ovarian cancer cell and animal models, Rac1 expression was manipulated, and quantitative measurements of cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion, cell invasion, mesothelial clearance, and peritoneal tumor growth discriminated the tumor behaviors most highly influenced by Rac1. The experimental data were used to parameterize an agent-based computational model simulating peritoneal niche colonization, intravasation, and hematogenous metastasis to distant organs. Increased ovarian cancer cell survival afforded by the more rapid adhesion and intravasation upon Rac1 overexpression is predicted to increase the numbers of and the rates at which tumor cells …

Investigation Of Gaas Double Heterostructures For Photonic Heat Engines, Nathan Giannini-Hutchin

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

The creation of a laser cooled semiconductor device has been a long sought achievement. GaAs-based devices have emerged as a promising candidate for the realization of this goal. Efforts to improve the efficiency of such devices have enabled the material to exhibit external quantum efficiencies (EQE, a measure of the probability that an excitation leads to the emission of a photon) of 99.5\%. Despite this impressive feat, a laser coolable device remains elusive.

To investigate the obstacles to such a device, the material characteristics of GaAs-based double heterostructures (DHS) are theoretically and experimentally examined. Through this study, a GaAs $\vert$ …

Sensitivites Of Dryland Mammals To Mean And Variance In Aridity, Jessica C. Johnson

Biology ETDs

An important component of evaluating the consequences of climate change is to understand not only how climate trends, such as warming, affect species abundance but also how increasing climate variability will change population abundances. Studies on species' sensitivities to interannual variability are rare because they require long-term data collected either over naturally variable climate conditions or within direct manipulations of year-to-year variability. Physiology, functional traits, and diet composition related to resource acquisition or reproduction may be valuable predictors of species sensitivities to changes in both climate mean and variability. We predicted that species with certain physiologies, such as large body …

Visionary Women Or Suspected Witches: The Shifting Use And Construction Of Reputation In Accusations Of Witchcraft During The High And Late Middle Ages, Megan E. Hattey

History ETDs

Throughout the high and late Middle Ages, an individual’s social acceptance and well-being were heavily dependent upon fama, or reputation, they cultivated within their communities. Women, especially, constructed and molded their reputations to protect themselves from hardship and social ostracization, allowing them a degree of agency in social situations. In this thesis, I argue that the mindful development of one’s fama was key for women to protect themselves from accusations of witchcraft. Through the lives of Hildegard of Bingen, Elisabeth of Schönau, and Jeanne d’Arc, I demonstrate how medieval reputations were built, the trifold nature it could hold, and …

A Suggested Data Structure For Transparent And Repeatable Reporting Of Bibliographic Searching, Neal R. Haddaway, Melissa L. Rethlefsen, Melinda Davies, Julie Glanville, Bethany Mcgowan, Kate Nyhan, Sarah Young

Publications

Academic searching is integral to research activities: (1) searching to retrieve specific information, (2) to expand our knowledge iteratively, (3) and to collate a representative and unbiased selection of the literature. Rigorous searching methods are vital for reliable, repeatable and unbiased searches needed for these second and third forms of searches (exploratory and systematic searching, respectively) that form a core part of evidence syntheses. Despite the broad awareness of the importance of transparency in reporting search activities in evidence syntheses, the importance of searching has been highlighted only recently and has been the explicit focus of reporting guidance (PRISMA-S). Ensuring …

Analysis Of The Legal Treatment Of Perfidy, Merly Claribel Moran Giler, Alexandra Dolores Molina Manzo, Nelson Francisco Freire Sánchez, Rene Estalin Portilla Paguay

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Limiting Factors Of Extenuating Circumstances Using Neutrosophic 2-Tuple, Diego Fabricio Tixi Torres, Carlos Gilberto Rosero Martínez, Ned Vito Quevedo Arnaiz, Jorge Gabriel Del Pozo Carrasco

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Analysis Of The Violation Of Rights Of People Belonging To Priority Groups In Ecuador Using Multicriteria Methods, Diego Fabricio Tixi Torres, Lilian Fabiola Haro Terán, Pablo Miguel Vaca Acosta, Diego Fernando Coka Flores

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Analysis Of The Right To Housing, Jairo Mauricio Puetate Paucar, Miguel Angel Guambo Llerena, Génesis Karolina Robles Zambrano, Laura Marlene Ochoa Escobar

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Multicriteria Study Of The Violation Of The Principle Of Innocence In Traffic Accidents, Eduardo Luciano Hernández Ramos, Carlos Gilberto Rosero Martinez, Janneth Ximena Iglesias Quintana, Alex Javier Peñafiel Palacio

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Violation Of The Rights Of Older Adults, Genaro Vinicio Jordán Naranjo, Nelly Valeria Vinueza Ochoa, Mónica Del Roció Mosquera Endara, Jessica Johanna Santander Moreno

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Analysis Of The State Negotiation System, Jessica Jasmin Cellán Palacios, Fausto Danilo Guaigua Vízcaino, José Ignacio Cruz Arboleda, Héctor Edin Lozano Rojas

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Analysis Of The Nursing Care Process In The Teaching Of Nursing, Roberto Enrique Alvarado Chacón, Adisnay Rodríguez Plasencia, Olga Mireya Alonzo Pico

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Application Of Neutrosophy To The Analysis Of Open Government, Its Implementation And Contribution To The Ecuadorian Judicial System, Gustavo Adolfo Álvarez Gómez, ‪Maikel Yelandi Leyva Vázquez, ‪Jesús Estupiñán Ricardo

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Analysis Of The Self-Assessment Of Pharmacology Knowledge In Medical Students, María Gabriela Balarezo García, Jeanneth Elizabeth Jami Carrera, Álvaro Paúl Moina Veloz

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Study Of Bullying Due To Parental Sexual Identity, Marcelo Raúl Dávila Castillo, Cristian Fernando Benavides Salazar, Eugenio Javier Escobar Gonzáles, Betty Cumandá Pérez Mayorga

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Application Of Neutrosophy In The Study Of The Factors That Influence Ecuadorian Tourism Development, Sharon Diznarda Álvarez Gómez, Ariel José Romero Fernández, Manuel Ricardo Rivas Bravo

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Materials Properties In Additively Manufactured Aisi-420 Martensitic Steel Deposited By Laser Engineered Net Shaping, Md Mehadi Hassan

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is a disruptive technology enabling the fabrication of complex and near-net-shaped parts by adding material layer-wise. It offers reduced lead production time. AM processes are finding applications in many industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive, biomedical, and mold tooling. Despite the tremendous advantages of AM, some challenges still prevent this technology's adoption in high-standard applications. Anisotropy and inhomogeneity in the mechanical properties of the as-built parts and the existence of pores and lack-of-fusion defects are considered the main issues in directed energy deposition (L-DED) parts. Laser-engineered net shaping LENS® offers excellent possibilities to fabricate metal tools …

Defining The Role Of Core Histones In Cellular Quiescence, Eric M. Small

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Quiescence is a distinct cell cycle phase, termed G0, in which growth, transcriptional and translational activity, and replication are halted. Importantly, quiescent cells are viable and can return to the cell cycle. Quiescence is a feature of all organisms and a key hallmark of stem cells; however, the regulation of quiescence is still poorly understood.

Prior studies have implicated chromatin in the regulation of quiescence. In aim 1 I conducted a comprehensive screen of H3 and H4 histone mutants to identify chromatin features that may affect quiescence. I identified several histone residues implicated in transcriptional regulation that altered quiescence and …

High-Precision Estimation Of Emitter Positions Using Bayesian Grouping Of Localizations, Mohamadreza Fazel, Michael J. Wester, David J. Schodt, Sebastian Restrepo Cruz, Sebastian Strauss, Florian Schueder, Thomas Schlichthaerle, Jennifer M. Gillette, Diane S. Lidke, Bernd Rieger, Ralf Jungmann, Keith A. Lidke

Pathology Research and Scholarship

Single-molecule localization microscopy super-resolution methods rely on stochastic blinking/binding events, which often occur multiple times from each emitter over the course of data acquisition. Typically, the blinking/binding events from each emitter are treated as independent events, without an attempt to assign them to a particular emitter. Here, we describe a Bayesian method of inferring the positions of the tagged molecules by exploring the possible grouping and combination of localizations from multiple blinking/binding events. The results are position estimates of the tagged molecules that have improved localization precision and facilitate nanoscale structural insights. The Bayesian framework uses the localization precisions to …