Digital Commons Network^™

Photoreception And Eye Regeneration Mechanisms In Planarians, Taylor R. Birkholz

Dissertations

Although humans lack the ability to regenerate complete organs and limbs following amputation or injury, there are many other species (both vertebrates and invertebrates) that can. Significant advances have been made in understanding the genetic mechanisms that regulate organ regeneration in these species, including regeneration of eye tissues such as the lens and retina. Planarians are an established historical model used to study regeneration due to their ability to regenerate any organ, including the eye. With recent advances in molecular genetic analyses, planarians are now an emerging model for the specific study of eye regeneration mechanisms. Furthermore, regeneration of the …

A Systematic Comparison Of Functional Assessment Outcomes In Organizational Behavior Management, Nathan T. Bechtel

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the recommendation outcomes of two commonly utilized functional assessment tools in the field of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM): the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) and the Performance Flowchart. Recommendations made using these tools fell into one of three categories: antecedent-based, consequence-based, and uncategorized interventions. In order to assess the recommendations resulting from each of these tools, participants were trained to either (a) play the role of a manager with an organizational issue, or (b) play the role of a performance consultant. A between-groups design was utilized in which performance consultants used either …

The Uses And Gratifications Of Streaming Live Linear Sports Networks Online, Benjamin Whittle

Dissertations

The streaming of live sports television channels online is changing how sports fans access live sports T.V. content. This new technology is becoming a greater challenge to traditional cable/satellite television services as Americans continue to cancel their cable services for new online streaming options. DirecTV Now, SlingTV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, among others, are offering sports fans access to the most popular live national and regional sports T.V. networks online via live streaming, allowing them to bypass traditional cable. These new services provide subscribers’ access to their favorite channels anywhere and on any mobile, internet connected device.

The purpose of …

Paying For Performance: Public School Property Taxes And Public-School District Performance In Missouri, Keenan Daniela Kinder

Dissertations

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public …

Do Zebrafish Exhibit A Placebo Response? Fluoxetine Conditioning In Chronically Stressed Adult Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Kanza M. Khan

Dissertations

Placebo responses are a widely observed phenomenon in humans and animals alike. In humans, placebo responses are largely attributed to expectancy processes, and conditioning (Stewart-Williams, & Podd, 2004). In the clinical setting, the placebo response is very useful as it has the power to improve physical and/or psychological states, without the need for treatment with a higher drug dose. In clinical trials however, researchers must control for potential placebo effects. Still, despite the experimental control, placebo responses are widely observed during phase 2 and phase 3 clinical trials, resulting in a weak drug effect. In the effort to improve the …

Exploring Temperament In Beluga Whale Calves (Delphinapterus Leucas), Beri Brown

Dissertations

Studies of personality and temperament in humans span many disciplines, although animal research is still relatively undeveloped. Research investigating stable individual differences in marine mammals has been limited, and to date there have not been any studies with beluga whales. As an ongoing longitudinal study, seven beluga calves, housed at SeaWorld San Antonio, were videotaped throughout their first two years of life. Four videos were selected from archived video recordings for each calf from the following nine phases: newborn phase (month 1), Q1 (month 2-3), Q2 (month 4-6), Q3 (month 7-9), Q4 (month 10-12), Q5 (month 13-15), Q6 (month 16-18), …

An Analysis Of Prey Resistance And Long-Term Temporal Changes In Venom Composition Within Rattlesnake Populations, Thomas Michael Mccabe

Dissertations

Venoms are complex mixtures of toxic constituents used by venomous snakes to incapacitate prey, to defend against threats, and to aid in pre-digestion of prey items. Snake venoms vary based on a number of characteristics, including but not limited to individual identity, species, geographic range, and ontogeny. While much is understood about snake venom variability, relatively little is known as to how venom changes or is stable through time. This doctoral dissertation focuses on elucidating the nature and mechanism of compositional change in the venoms of two rattlesnake species, the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) and the Desert Massasauga …

Using Participatory Action Research To Make Diabetes Education Accessible For People With Visual Impairment, Ann Sawyer Williams

Dissertations

The three million people who have both visual impairment and diabetes (PVID) represent a large underserved population in the United States. Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is essential for effective management of diabetes. Numerous guidelines exist for making DSME fully accessible to PVID. No national diabetes organization produces basic DSME materials in accessible format, and few DSME programs are fully accessible to PVID. This dissertation used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to discover ways to increase the accessibility of the DSME materials and programs of the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland (DAGC) for PVID, adding access for PVID to an …

Puf Proteins: Regulation Of Condition-Specific Mrna Decay And Contributions To Ribosome Biogenesis In Yeast, Anthony Fischer

Dissertations

Regulation of protein expression is critical to organism survival. Multiple disease states arise from aberrant accumulation/aggregation of proteins or reduced production of key enzymes. Cells have many ways to manipulate protein levels, including transcription factors, chromatin modification, modification of messenger RNA (mRNA), and manipulation of proteolytic protein decay. Cells can indirectly control protein volume by controlling mRNA lifespan, which is directly correlated with protein output. Often, sequence-specific elements in mRNA contribute to this lifespan. The Puf family of RNA-binding proteins is ubiquitous throughout eukarya, and plays important cellular and developmental roles through mRNA lifespan regulation. Puf proteins contain a C-terminal …

Unmasking Whiteness: Progressing Toward Cultural Responsiveness Within A Rti Framework, Melinda F. Scheetz

Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RTI) developed out of educational policies and practices that comprise NCLB and IDEA. RTI is a system to ensure all students receive high-quality instruction that meets their needs, increases opportunities to learn, and prevents reading failure. A culturally relevant RTI framework offers the most promising pedagogical approach to quality instruction and educational equity. The purpose of this study was to understand, describe, and explore the intersection of culturally relevant practices and RTI. The research questions that guided this study were: What can be learned about a culturally responsive approach to RTI by listening to teachers’ perspectives and …

Perceptions Of Accommodation Enhancements On Student Academic Achievement In Higher Education, Cheryl Lynne Coleman

Dissertations

The researcher used a series of qualitative research techniques to gain a perceptual understanding of how the use of reasonable accommodations relates to academic achievement outcomes for postsecondary students with disabilities. In the research all student participants reflected on their personal experiences about the value of accommodations in the instructional setting at a small private Midwestern liberal arts university. The research captured the views of the target population to investigate this phenomenon. The use of an online survey and audiotaped focus group were the research tools used to conduct this qualitative study. The research included students’ perceptions on an array …

What About Us? For Girls Between Worlds: How Black Girls Navigate White High Schools, Cryslynn C. Billingsley

Dissertations

This qualitative study is about the experiences and challenges Black girls have while attending predominantly White high schools and what they are doing to navigate that particular space. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand more about how Black girls navigate White space as minority members of a system that was not originally intended for them. Through semi-structured interviews, Black girls were asked directly to share their lived experiences. This study hopes to illuminate and amplify the voices of Black girls and help others see them by giving them a platform to discuss and tell their stories. …

Perceptions Of Commuter Students And Faculty: A Mixed Methods Study On Commuter Student Retention, Julie A. Wengert

Dissertations

College student success outcomes have become increasingly significant to many stakeholders as student attrition has proven costly for students, institutions of higher education, and the economy (Foss, Foss, Paynton, & Hahn, 2014; Jobe & Lenio, 2014). Historically, a positive relationship between college students who live on-campus and retention has been found (Astin, 1993; Bronkema & Bowman, 2017; Chickering, 1974; Pike & Kuh, 2005; Schudde, 2011; Soria & Taylor Jr., 2016; Walsh & Robinson Kurpius, 2016). However, commuter students now make up most of the current college student population (Skomsvold, 2014). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to advance …

Urban Food Entrepreneurship, Governance, And Economic Development In The Post-Industrial Cities Of Newark, New Jersey And Dayton, Ohio, John C. Jones

Dissertations

The local governments of post-industrial cities in the US struggle to foster economic development and to find uses for underutilized or abandoned urban land and buildings. Partly in response to growing consumer interest in locally produced foods, food entrepreneurs are increasingly using these underutilized urban properties for farming or for producing value-added food products. However, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, existing policies and regulatory regimes of local and state governments often restrict the ability of urban food entrepreneurs to grow. This dissertation documents urban food entrepreneurship in the post-industrial communities of greater Newark, New Jersey and greater Dayton, Ohio. The …

Temporal And Spatial Effects Of Shock Overpressure On Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability In Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury, Matthew Joseph Kuriakose

Dissertations

Exposure to shock waves is the leading cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in military personnel and blast-induced TBI (bTBI) is considered the signature wound in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many researchers attempt to replicate field-relevant shock waves in laboratory settings through the use of gas-driven shock tubes in order to investigate the generation and propagation of shock waves and also explore possible mechanisms of bTBI. Among several injury mechanisms of bTBI, damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been identified as a potential candidate and has been the focus of several clinical and experimental investigations aimed to …

Crafting An Empire: The Hereke Factory Campus (1842-1914), Didem Yavuz

Dissertations

One of the starkest examples of the Ottoman Empire's new modernity was the fabrics and carpet model factory founded at Hereke in 1842. This dissertation focuses on the evolving conditions and social developments that took place over seventy-two years of production at Hereke, and discuss that the factory represented a microcosm of the Empire's wider industrial labor history. Hereke was used as a lens through which to explore a range of themes that, taken together, highlight the lifestyles of the early Ottoman workforce and its industrial relations: labor management, industrial action, child labor, class, gender, housing, education, clothing fashion, the …

Geographic Variation In Rock Wren (Salpinctes Obsoletus) Song Complexity, Nadje Amal Najar

Dissertations

Birds sing to advertise for mates and repel rivals, but there is enormous variety in how they do this. One of the best-studied and most intriguing questions in the field is how song varies in complexity from one bird to the next, at all taxonomic levels. Several studies have found associations between migratory behavior or latitudinal gradients and song complexity, but it remains unclear how universal this pattern is or what factors may be driving it. This small body of literature suffers from several problems, perhaps the most glaring of which is the lack of systematic, population-level studies. The main …

A Methodological Review Of The Cross-Cultural Ethical Dilemmas That Exist Within The Informed Consent Process: When Ethical Considerations In Human Research Differ, Suzanne Victoria Landram

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to (a) explore researchers’ and participants’ experiences with the consent process in cross-cultural human research, and to (b) offer culturally responsive methods of how cross-cultural consent could be negotiated. Despite the lack of empirical studies, there has been much theoretical debate concerning the appropriateness of the Western approach to informed consent in developing countries (Dawson & Kass, 2005). Therefore, a qualitative approach to exploring past cross-cultural studies’ researchers’ and participants’ views was needed to gain an in-depth and clearer understanding of these ethical issues, as well as what appropriate measures need to be taken …

Perceptions Of Missouri School Superintendents And School Resource Officers Regarding Preparedness For Multi-Hazard Events, Jennifer Renae Wheeler Lofton

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to garner the perceptions of superintendents and school resource officers in regard to district preparedness for multi-hazard events. Nationwide, schools are facing dramatic changes in the area of safety and security due to natural disasters, and more commonly, manmade hazards (Schaffhauser, 2013). Routinely, school personnel do not have the mindset, nor are they equipped, to respond to a major crisis (Trump, 2012). Recent mass murders and natural disasters in the United States have prompted districts to reach beyond the walls of their schools and into local communities for support (Gereluk, Donlevy, & Thompson, 2015). …

Beta-Testing Of An Interactive Multimedia Computer Program Of Exposure Therapy For Ptsd, Marie C. Barrett

Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) results in significant impairment for the individual and substantial costs to society. Research indicates that cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for PTSD and that among CBT treatments, exposure therapy is the treatment technique with the strongest evidence to recommend it for PTSD treatment. Computerized programs that deliver evidenced-based treatments offer a potential solution to barriers that prevent individuals from accessing and completing treatment. The present study evaluates the clinical and practical functionality of a computer-based program designed for the treatment of PTSD. Results indicate that completion of the program is associated with …

Shame, Aggression, And Self-Compassion In At-Risk Adolescents, Sara Ashline Hofmann

Dissertations

Prior research has identified a strong link between experiences of shame and aggressive behavior in at-risk and offender populations but the mechanisms of this relationship are unclear. One potential interrupter of this relationship is self-compassion, a teachable emotional regulation skill. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nonoffender at-risk youth differed significantly in levels of self-compassion, shame, and aggression from nonviolent offender and violent offender youth with the goal of evaluating these relationships to aid in the future development of more tailored and effective interventions for court-involved youth. One hundred and six at-risk adolescents in the Rocky Mountain …

The Effects Of Decoding Instruction On Oral Reading Fluency For Older Students With Reading Delays, Gaige J. Johnson

Dissertations

Struggling older readers often have difficulty with early decoding skills (Tolman, 2005; Toste, Williams, & Capin, 2017). If they are unable to master decoding, they may have difficulty with more complex skills, such as passage reading fluency. The current study extends research on reading fluency for older students by evaluating the combined effects of a phonics procedure and a fluency-building strategy on their reading fluency. Participants were older students with below grade level reading performance who had deficits in oral reading fluency and decoding. Dependent variables were the number of correctly sorted word patterns and the number of correct words …

Divergent Rnai Biology In Mites And Development Of Pest Control Strategies, Md Mosharrof Hossain Mondal

Dissertations

RNA interference (RNAi) has transformed genetics research by revolutionizing reverse genetics in the nearly three decades that have passed since its discovery. ~19-31 nt small non-coding RNAs play a central role in RNAi biology, and are found in all multicellular eukaryotes. In these animals, three major classes of small RNAs have been described: microRNA (miRNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), and Piwi interacting RNA (piRNA), which are produced in distinct yet occasionally overlapping pathways. While miRNAs are involved in tuning endogenous gene expression, piRNAs and siRNAs are essential for defense against viruses and transposons. Argonaute proteins are the main effectors in …

The Role Of Critical Literacy In Challenging The Status Quo In Twentieth Century English Children’S Literature, Rene Fleischbein

Dissertations

Although many children’s literature critics focus on the two divides between instruction and delight and between the fantastic and the realist, this dissertation focuses on the occurrences in twentieth century English children’s fantasy of critical literacy, a mode of reading that challenges the status quo of society and gives voice to underrepresented and marginalized groups. Twentieth century English children’s literature is especially concerned with narrative structure and good storytelling rather than with what lessons might be learned from the texts, but lessons are there nonetheless. I examine the works of four authors, E. Nesbit, C. S. Lewis, Diana Wynne Jones, …

The Feasibility Of Using Inherent Optical Properties And The Apparent Optical Property Remote Sensing Reflectance To Estimate Suspended Particulate Matter, Particularly For Use In Airborne Hydrographic Surveys, Sarah Epps

Dissertations

Airborne hydrographic surveys are routinely used to create and update nautical charts around the world. This research is intended to assist in maximizing the utility of the data products made available from those surveys in accordance with the current survey–once, use–many–times initiatives. Specifically, this project evaluates the feasibility of using the data available airborne hydrographic systems that utilize bathymetric lasers and hyperspectral sensors to estimate the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM). SPM is sometimes also called suspended sediment. The ability to chart spatial distributions of SPM utilizing hydrographic survey systems already in operation will assist researchers, managers, and stakeholders …

A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis Of The National Board For Professional Teaching Standards, Melissa Urbain

Dissertations

This research is a feminist discourse analysis of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Five Core Propositions. The goal of this project is to shift the focus of educational discourse away from teachers’ gender and look towards their teachers’ teaching abilities as compared to the professional standards laid out in the NBPTS. It demonstrates that the national expectations placed on teachers are feminist and addresses and discredits current patriarchal discourse and policies in the field of education. This is accomplished through a close reading of the Five Core Propositions, drawing connections between the expectations in the document and the …

Community Connections To Marine Heritage In China: Exploring The Factors That Influence Local Resident Support For Marine Heritage Conservation And Management, Aixia Feng

Dissertations

This study addresseda marine heritage site conservation and management model that maximizes local resident support in China. The first phase of the study was a qualitative exploration of local resident engagement with marine heritage conservation and management at Changshan Islands National Marine Park and Xinghai Bay National Marine Park. From this initial exploration, the qualitative findings will be used to develop assessment measures that can be administered to a large sample. In the tentatively planned quantitative phase, survey data was collected from local residents in Changshan Islands and Dalian.First, I collected qualitative data by interviewing a total of 15 local …

Exploring The Role Of Semi-Supervised Deep Reinforcement Learning And Ensemble Methods In Support Of The Internet Of Things, Mehdi Mohammadi

Dissertations

Smart services are an important element of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem where insights are drawn from raw data through the use of machine learning techniques. However, the pathway to develop IoT smart services is complicated as IoT data presents several challenges for machine learning, including handling big data, shortage of labeled data, and the need to benefit from the spatio-temporal relations hidden in the training data.

In this dissertation, after reviewing the state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) techniques and their use in support of IoT applications, this study proposes to extend DRL to semi-supervised …

Deconstructing Negative Stereotypes, Myths And Microaggressions About Black Women: Reconstructing Black Women’S Narrative, Identity And The Empowering Nature Of Ethnic Identity, Patricia Luckoo

Dissertations

This research study retraces the lives of Black women in America through a microscope that emphasize the historical formulation of Black women's identity and how the distorted figures of stereotypes have emerged and manifested into contemporary microaggressions. The work explores two central inquiries: The first, quantitative study, examines slavery as the malignant marker that has shaped Black women's identity, socioeconomic status, educational progress and political frameworks. The study theorizes that microaggressions towards Black women pose serious harm to their overall psychological sense of self-efficacy and empowerment. However, ethnic identity has within it the resource to combat microaggressive attitudes. The second, …

Myosin Assembly Into Elongating Thick Filaments Is Dependent On The Function Of Conserved Apmk-Related Kinase Unc-82 In C. Elegans, Natasha R. Schiller

Dissertations

The mechanism of assembly of sarcomeric myosins into elongating thick filaments is not well understood. The results of this study suggest a novel mechanistic model in which the AMPK-related kinase UNC-82, which is orthologous to mammalian ARK5/NUAK1 and SNARK/NUAK2, acts as an assemblase on sarcomeric myosin molecules, mediating their addition into the elongating thick filaments of C. elegans body-wall muscle. The classical genetic crosses performed in this study produced over 53 different worm strains that contain thick-filament-affecting mutations and/or transgenes in single-, double- or triple-mutant combinations. The phenotypes of these strain were documented and analyzed using viability assays, brood analysis, …