Digital Commons Network^™

Teach, Practice, Analyze, And Reflect: Preservice Teacher Perceptions And Experiences With Simulated Manifestation Determination Meetings, Laura Adele Trapp

Dissertations

Discipline decisions regarding students with exceptionalities are complex. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) includes regulations that may safeguard educational access and opportunities through the manifestation determination (MD) process. Professionals knowledge, skill, and advocacy may also play a role in the successful implementation of the MD provision and a student’s access to education. A key element included within IDEA (2004), the MD provision and much of the work of any educator is collaboration. Further, it may be assumed that an accurate MD decision is made meeting team members’ effective collaboration (Lewis, 2017). Given the importance of collaboration …

Applying Bayesian Growth Modeling In Machine Learning For Longitudinal Data, Alisa Udomvisawakul

Dissertations

There has been increasing interest in the use of Bayesian growth modeling in machine learning environment to answer the questions relating to the patterns of change in trends of social and human behavior in longitudinal data. It is well understood that machine learning works properly with “big data,” because large sample sizes offer machines the better opportunity to “learn” the pattern/structure of data from a training data set to predict the performance in an unseen testing data set. Unfortunately, not all researchers have access to large samples and there is a lack of methodological research addressing the utility of using …

The Effects Of Online Parent Training In The Teach- Model-Coach-Review Instructional Approach On Parents’ Use Of Language Expansion During Routine-Based Activities For Children With Cochlear Implants In Thailand, Rumpasri Sukonthaman

Dissertations

Early intervention is not officially implemented in Thailand. The shortage of practitioners, the inaccessibility of early intervention services, and the lack of parental involvement extremely deprive opportunities for children who are deaf and hard of hearing to develop language and communication within the critical period. This dissertation aimed to explore an intervention approach that practitioners can use to encourage and empower parents’ roles and responsibilities, as well as improve the children’s language outcomes. The objectives in this dissertation study were to explore (a) how online parent training in the modified Teach-Model-Coach-Review Instructional approach can be implemented to improve the parents’ …

Remote Neuropsychological Assessment: Does Mode Of Administration Matter?, Renee Dematteis

Dissertations

Neuropsychology relies heavily on standardization of administration to increase the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly increased the need to be able to provide neuropsychological assessments remotely. Teleneuropsychology can be conducted through various avenues, including telephone, computerized, and televideo modalities. Given neuropsychology's reliance on standardization for proper use of normative data that accompanies individual assessments, the question arises how mode of administration impacts the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The literature review summarizes the research conducted regarding the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of telephone neuropsychological assessments, computerized …

On Prediction Of Early Signs Of Alzheimer’S— A Machine Learning Framework, Abdalrahman Alsaedi

Dissertations

Dementia is a collective term used to indicate a loss of memory functions with the presence of at least one additional loss of a major cognitive ability that hinders a person’s previous level of functioning. Studies show that dementia is highly age- associated and that the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Early recognition of Alzheimer’s disease, before irreversible damage to the brain has already occurred, is paramount to slowing or preventing the disease. Therefore, algorithms for the prediction of early signs of dementia are essential. Machine learning approach has been reported to use several data sources such …

Oneida College Lacrosse Players’ Perspectives Of The Sacred Game Of Lacrosse, Thomas Reed

Dissertations

Oneida college lacrosse players have an important perspective on the sacred game of lacrosse that needs to be heard. The Oneida are one of six tribes of the Haudenosaunee, or also known as, the Iroquois. Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the style played today is most similar to the Haudenosaunee style. Oneidas are traditionally orators and lacrosse players. There is a lack of literature on the Oneida, lacrosse, and education. Oneida college lacrosse players face a problem in attempting to preserve their traditional Indigenous knowledge at their respective university communities, while also seeking …

Timing Of Therapeutic Hypothermia & Short-Term Infant Outcomes, Brooke Rakes

Dissertations

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) can result in devastating long-term neurological morbidity and/or death. Current evidence recommends initiating Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH), as early as possible, however, research specifically describing TH timing in relation to short-term infant outcomes is limited with mixed results.

Purpose: Examine TH timing (TH initiation time & time to target temperature) on short-term outcomes (neonatal seizure; brain injury) of infants >35weeks, with suspected HIE, born at a large urban women’s medical center.

Methodology: Retrospective, cross-sectional, correlational design examining data extracted from electronic health record from November 1, 2012- March 31, 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed.

Results …

Design Of Graphene-Based Sensors For Nucleic Acids Detection And Analysis, Asma’ Wasfi Fayez Mustafa

Dissertations

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) is the blueprint of life as it encodes all genetic information. In genetic disorder such as gene fusion, Copy Number Variation (CNV), and single nucleotide polymorphism, Nucleic acids such as DNA bases detection and analysis is used as the gold standard for successful diagnosis. Researchers have been conducting rigorous studies to achieve genome sequences at low cost while maintaining high accuracy and high throughput. A quick, accurate, and low-cost DNA detection approach would revolutionize medicine. Genome sequence helps to enhance people’s perception of inheritance, disease, and individuality. This research aims to improve DNA bases detection accuracy, and …

Novel Insights Into The Anti-Diabetic Mechanism(S) Of Withania Coagulans And Its Active Constituent, Coagulansin-A, Mariyam Khalid Naeem

Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a serious medical challenge of the 21st century with a dramatic surge in diabetes cases since the last decade. It accounts for 90-95% of all cases of diabetes mellitus. The interplay between insulin resistance and beta cells dysfunction plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance in skeletal muscles that leads to a constellation of metabolic disorders, and exhaustion of pancreatic beta cells to maintain euglycemia. The inability of pancreatic beta cells to compensate insulin demand in an insulin-resistant state, result in …

Variability Of The Proximate And Protein Composition Of Camel Milk (Camelus Dromedarius), Huda Musa Elsayed Mohamed

Dissertations

Dromedary camel milk (Camelus dromedarius) has unique physical, nutritional, and technological properties when compared with other milk. Unlike bovine milk, the processing of camel milk into fermented products and its treatment using ultra-high temperatures is technically challenging. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the variability in the proximate composition and the protein composition of camel milk collected from individual animals that are reared under intensive management in the UAE. To determine the proximate composition of samples (n = 217) were analyzed by NIR and MIR spectroscopy methods. The results obtained by the two methods were also compared. The …

Delineating The Binding Sites Of Mason-Pfizer Monkey Virus (Mpmv) Gag Precursor Polyprotein (Pr78gag) On Genomic Rna For Its Selective Packaging, Fathima Nuzra Nagoor Pitchai

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Role Of Nerolidol, An Aliphatic Sesquiterpene, In Colon Inflammation, Vishnu Raj

Dissertations

Inflammatory bowel diseases, which comprise Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic and progressive immune-mediated inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Both genetic and environmental factors influence this condition. Conventional therapy to suppress aberrant immune responses seen in IBD with corticosteroid or with biological agents has a high relapse rate that limits their use. Therefore, approximately 40% of IBD patients switch to alternative therapies that include dietary supplements rich in phytochemicals. Nerolidol (NED) is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alcohol present in various plants and has potent anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, in the current study, the role of NED …

Utilization And Evaluation Of Treated Wastewater On The Production Technology Of Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) Under Different Modes Of Cultivation, Fatima Hasan Al Hamedi

Dissertations

In the recent past, the production of wastewater from domestic and industrial sources has been steadily increasing through the population, urbanization, industrial revolution and economic development. In the world, 80% of wastewater consists of several harmful substances and hazardous chemicals that cause many deadly effects to human beings as well as ecosystems. So, the elimination of this toxic substance before discarding into landfills is utilized as an alternative source of water which is an emerging need. Using the treated wastewater for agricultural purposes is an excellent approach for rendering wastewater beneficial. As the quantity of wastewater grows, there is a …

Date Fruit Fiber Variability In Composition, Tissue Distribution, And Contribution To Hardness Of Date Fruits (Phoenix Dactylifera L.), Navomy George

Dissertations

Date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a major desert crop and is an integral part of the United Arab Emirates. This study is on the various aspects of dietary fiber of ten Emirati date varieties. The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the content and composition of mature date fruits and to study their microstructure. The aspects of biomineralization with particular importance to silica phytoliths and lignification are also studied. Finally, the date fruit dietary composition and microstructure are related to the textural attributes of the fruit. Uppsala method of dietary fiber analysis (AOAC 994.13) is used …

Impact Of Computer Simulations On Uae Students’ Learning Of Newton’S Second Law Of Motion And Attitudes Toward Physics Within The Context Of Scientific Inquiry, Khaleel Shehadeh Alarabi

Dissertations

Unlike traditional instructional strategies, Computer Simulations (CSs) have lately been receiving increasing attention and applications within the international physics education community. This study aims to investigate the impact of CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment on the UAE grade 11 students’ performance in Newton’s Second Law of Motion (NSLOM). The study also investigates the impact of CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment on students’ Attitudes towards Scientific Inquiry (ASI), Enjoyment of Science Lessons (ESL), and Career Interest in Science/physics (CIS). The sample of the study consisted of 90 male and female students chosen from a population comprised of public-school grade …

Understanding The Role Of Lipids Derived From The Gut Microbes In A Mouse Model Of Obesity-Induced Peripheral Pain, Raiza Rafael-Bonomo Hardy

Dissertations

The increase in obesity has been accompanied by a rise in the prevalence of painful peripheral neuropathy. Recently, studies have suggested a role for gut microbiome in the development of some peripheral pain, including chemotherapy- induced pain and fibromyalgia. In the present dissertation, we showed that modulation of gut microbiome in obese mice alleviated neuropathic indices, concurrent with changes in immune cell profile within the peripheral nerve system. We demonstrated that fecal transplantation from lean to obese mice decreased obesity-induced pain and restored nerve density in the skin. These improvements were accompanied by changes in peripheral nerve system gene expression, …

Adequately Generating Captions For An Image Using Adaptive And Global Attention Mechanisms., Shravan Kumar Talanki Venkatarathanaiahsetty

Dissertations

Generating description to images is a recent surge and with latest developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence, it can be one of the prominent applications to bridge the gap between Computer vision and Natural language processing fields. In terms of the learning curve, Deep learning has become the main backbone in driving many new applications. Image Captioning is one such application where the usage of Deep learning methods enhanced the performance of the captioning accuracy. The introduction of the Encoder-Decoder framework was a breakthrough in Image captioning. But as the sequences got longer the performance of captions was affected. …

Machine Learning For Auditory Hierarchy, William Coleman

Dissertations

Coleman, W. (2021). Machine Learning for Auditory Hierarchy. This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Technological University Dublin. Audio content is predominantly delivered in a stereo audio file of a static, pre-formed mix. The content creator makes volume, position and effects decisions, generally for presentation in stereo speakers, but has no control ultimately over how the content will be consumed. This leads to poor listener experience when, for example, a feature film is mixed such that the dialogue is at a low level relative to the sound effects. Consumers can complain that they must turn …

Effects Of Altering Variable, Basic Residues Of Ribosomal Proteins Ul4 And Ul22 Facing The Ribosomal Exit Tunnel On Growth, Resistance,And Gene Expression In Escherichia Coli: Focus On Ul22 K90d, Elizabeth A. Franklin

Dissertations

Mutational changes in bacterial ribosomes that confer antibiotic resistance decrease cell fitness. Determining the genetic factors that interconnect antibiotic resistance and cell fitness is critical in the fight against bacterial infections. This study describes gene expression and phenotypic changes presented in Escherichia coli cells carrying a uL22 K90D mutant ribosomal protein, which showed growth defects and resistance to macrolide antibiotics. Other uL4 and uL22 mutation, in basic, non-conserved residues, were examined for phenotypic changes, however the uL22 K90D mutation displayed the most consistent phenotypes when compared to the wild type strain, and thus was the focus of this study. Ribosome …

Characterizing Galectin And Lysosomal Rupture's Role In Spreading Parkinson Disease Pathology, Kevin Burbidge

Dissertations

The misfolding and subsequent accumulation of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is central to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Several lines of evidence suggest pathological α-syn spread cell-to-cell via a "prion-like" mechanism. Furthermore, this pathological α-syn is capable of "seeding" further misfolding of non-pathological α-syn, converting them to the pathological form. While a vast body of both genetic and experimental evidence indicates that α-syn is critical to PD development, how α-syn induces progressive neuronal dysfunction and cell death remains unclear.Autophagy, conventional for macroautophagy, is the primary degradation pathway for α-syn aggregates. Autophagy also influences the unconventional secretion of both pathological and non-pathological …

Molecular Determinants Of Fetal Tolerance And The Transition To Adult Immunity, Yi Wei Lim

Dissertations

The perinatal immune system is highly tolerogenic and is phenotypically and functionally distinct from the adult immune system. This tolerogenic nature is a double-edged sword for newborns. While it is beneficial to prevent excessive inflammation against the vast array of foreign antigens encountered after birth, it also causes a lack of immune responses to life-threatening infections. My dissertation research aims to investigate the mechanisms by which perinatal T cells contribute to immune tolerance in infants. A deeper understanding of the nature of the perinatal immune system will provide pivotal knowledge to develop safe and effective strategies to protect infants from …

Investigating The Roles Of Lipids In Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Xi Chen

Dissertations

The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a major threat to public health and causes a multitude of infections, ranging from mild skin and soft infection, to more severe diseases including sepsis, osteomyelitis and infective endocarditis. As a successful pathogen, S. aureus employs various mechanisms to invade host tissues, evade immune responses, and survive in the host environment. One critical adaptive trait of S. aureus that promotes virulence and survival is the ability to maintain membrane homeostasis via flexible modifications to its lipid composition in response to the surrounding lipid environment. Phospholipids are the major component of the bacterial membrane and …

Reading Ethics: Modernism, Narrative, Violence, Katie Dyson

Dissertations

Reading Ethics hinges on the relationship between its two central terms, tracing how modernist narrative innovations reimagined reading as an ethical practice. To ask how we read is to return to a core question for the discipline. Building on recent reevaluations of reading methodologies by Rita Felski, Sharon Marcus and Stephen Best, and other scholars, I argue that modernist narrative forms foreground the ethical dynamics between text, reader, and world, asking readers to rethink how we understand the world even as they work to build new ones. Focusing on British and American modernist and meta-modernist fiction from writers such as …

Il-27 Signaling In The Maintenance Of Intestinal Barrier Following Ethanol Intoxication And Burn Injury, Marisa Luck

Dissertations

Roughly half of burn patients that are hospitalized in the United States each year have detectable blood alcohol levels. Alcohol intoxication at the time of burn injury leads to worse outcomes, including longer hospital stays, increased rates of infection, and death. One of the severe consequences of intoxication and burn injury is the disruption of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which houses the largest reservoir of bacteria in the human body. Leakiness of the gut barrier can contribute to inflammation, infection, or sepsis from gut-derived microbes. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a cytokine that has shown some beneficial effects in other models of …

Comparative Studies On Biochemical And Pharmacological Profiles Of Unfractionated Heparins & Their Depolymerized Derivatives From Bovine, Ovine And Porcine Origins, Ahmed Kouta

Dissertations

Heparin and heparin related drugs have remained the anticoagulant of choice for medical and surgical indications. These drugs are comprised of poly-component sulfated chains of varying length and biophysical structure with direct and indirect pharmacological effects. Heparins produce their therapeutic effects by multiple mechanisms involving both the cellular and humoral targets. These drugs represent natural products which are isolated from mammalian tissue rich in mast cells. Currently used heparin and LMWHs are obtained from porcine mucosal tissue. Other animal sources including bovine and ovine tissues also provide additional sources for the manufacturing of heparins. While there may be microchemical and …

The Role Of The Co-Chaperone Protein Bcl-2-Associated Athanogene 3 (Bag3) At The Cardiomyocyte Sarcomere, Thomas Gwynn Martin

Dissertations

The co-chaperone protein Bcl-2-associated athanogene-3 (BAG3) is a central mediator of cellular protein quality control through autophagy. In the heart, decreased BAG3 activity through mutation or decreased expression are linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Unfortunately, though clinical data indicates BAG3 mutations are a definitive cause of DCM, few mechanistic studies had been performed to decipher the fundamental role of BAG3 in cardiomyocytes. However, several studies suggested BAG3 was involved in maintenance of the sarcomere, the molecular contractile structure in muscle cells. The goals of this dissertation were to: 1. Determine the functional significance of BAG3 for the sarcomere, 2. Identify …

Cardioprotective Extracellular Vesicles Derived-Micrornas: Sorting Mechanisms And Functions, Anh P. Phan

Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-size membrane bound vesicles that are derived from the fusion of multivesicular endosomes with the plasma membranes. EVs have important roles in intercellular communication through the transfer of their unique cargoes including RNA, DNA and protein molecules to recipient cells. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived EVs have been shown to reduce infarct size and reduce the progress of heart failure after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in animal models. Small non-coding RNAs such as microRNA (miRNA) have been indicated as one of the active components that mediate the beneficial effects of MSC-derived EVs. However, the selective packaging mechanisms …

Environmental Reforestation And Social Justice In Cameroon: A Test Case For Pope Francis' Concept Of 'Integral Ecology' In Laudato Sí, Augustin Vondou

Dissertations

The following quotation from Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Sí is one of the most quoted parts of his well-known encyclical: We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature (139).

This is a very challenging statement. Not everyone accepts this idea of an ‘integral ecology’; that is, the notion that the condition of human society is directly linked to the …

Ethical Health Care In An African Context: Linking Conventional Medicine And Traditional Healing Practices In Igboland, Nigeria., Michael Osondu Okoro

Dissertations

This dissertation argues that in Nigeria’s Igboland, a health care ethic reflective of the Roman Catholic Christian faith must build links between the rightful practices of both conventional Western medicine and traditional Igbo healers. It calls such a health care ethic an “integral health care ethic” in the Nigerian Igbo context.The inspiration for this dissertation comes from the growing respect given to indigenous people and their knowledge by the Roman Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council and, more specifically, the attention Pope Francis has given to indigenous people in his writings and speeches. For example, in his remarks on …

Hemingway, Sartre, And Secularization: Finding Religion Without God, Marcos Antonio Norris

Dissertations

This dissertation intervenes in the critical debate over Ernest Hemingway’s religious orientation. One camp of Hemingway scholars argues that he was a practicing Catholic, while the other camp argues that Hemingway was an existential atheist. Rather than side with either camp in this binary debate, my research offers a third option that bridges the gap between these opposing positions. Examining Hemingway’s life and works through the eyes of contemporary political philosopher Giorgio Agamben, I argue that Hemingway is, properly speaking, neither a secularist nor a theist, but a secularized theist, whose “religion” takes the form of masculine volition, or sovereign, …