Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Emulsions Via Thiol-Ene Chemistry, Douglas Amato

Dissertations

Polymer particles (micro to nano) with tunable functionality have emerged as a promising and viable technology platform for applications including coatings, cosmetics, nanomedicine, and imaging. Unfortunately, the lengthy polymerization time and lack of intrinsic functionality in the monomers used to fabricate particles is an industrial challenge. Thiol-ene chemistry cirmcumvents these limitations with very rapid polymerization kinetics, high reaction yields, with supressed side reactions and inherent functionality. This dissertation demonstrates the utility of thiol-ene/yne polymerization in miniemulsion and microfluidics to generate functional materials in a one-pot-method. The functionality is typically generated via off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) resins which allow for either excess …

The Sociocultural Mediation Of Metacognition During Problem Solving In Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom Communities Of Practice, Emilie R. Hancock

Dissertations

Metacognition has long been identified as an essential component of the problem-solving process. While the language of metacognition has been conveyed in teaching, research, and policy, much of the research on metacognition does not describe the explicit role metacognition plays during students’ real-time problem-solving process. Moreover, metacognitive interventions are typically disconnected from the natural mathematical activity and discourse within a classroom community. Research concerning metacognition and metacognitive interventions has historically adopted an acquisition metaphor for learning. This qualitative study takes a participationist lens to consider metacognition as a problem-solving habit of mind, a normative way of thinking to which students …

Reflective Journaling To Decrease Anxiety Among Undergraduate Nursing Students In The Clinical Setting, Joely Tara Goodman

Dissertations

Many nursing students experience anxiety in the clinical setting. Increased anxiety impairs students’ ability to learn and can have a negative effect on patient safety. To promote student learning and patient safety, it is imperative that nurse educators identify and implement strategies to decrease nursing students’ anxiety. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods study was to determine if reflective journals are an effective strategy to address the problem of student anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned by their clinical group to either write guided reflective journals, non-guided reflective journals, or no reflective journals during their first clinical rotation where they …

Polymer Nanocomposites Containing High Aspect Ratio Particulates: Innovation In Co-Extruded Multilayer Barrier Films, Kevin Meyers

Dissertations

Delaminated montmorillonite (MMT) clay/ maleic anhydride grafted LLDPE nanocomposite multilayer films with alternating layers of LDPE were produced through multilayer co-extrusion. The MMT concentration within the nanocomposite layers was increased through annealing the films in the melt due to a mismatch in interdiffusion rates of the polymer layers. Analysis of the nanocomposite layers upon annealing revealed that the platelets impinged upon one another resulting in significant improvement in oxygen barrier in the multilayer system, exceeding the results of bulk nanocomposites.

Model analysis demonstrated that increasing the nanoplatelet aspect ratio or initial concentration in the filled layers would lead to even …

A Mechanistic Understanding Of Self-Propagating Amyloid-Β Oligomer Conformations In Alzheimer Disease, Dexter Nathanael Dean

Dissertations

Alzheimer disease (AD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the widespread deposition of proteinaceous plaques abundant in amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates. Although the plaques mainly contain high molecular weight, insoluble Aβ fibrils, the low molecular weight soluble aggregates called oligomers have been shown as the primary toxic species responsible for synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss in AD. The process of aggregation is nucleation-dependent, but also highly stochastic and inhomogeneous resulting in biophysically diverse assemblies. Recent advances in the field indicate a potential correlation between the phenotypic diversity observed in AD subtypes and aggregate polymorphism. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms which …

Photoelectrochemical Studies On Non-Noble Metal Based Catalysts Towards Tandem Solar Water Splitting, Arun Siddarth Sridhar

Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting makes direct use of solar energy incident on semiconductor photoelectrodes, and it is a convenient, economic option to produce high purity hydrogen at low temperatures. The use of multiple light absorbers can increase overall solar energy utilization and provide a solution to the trade-off between overall band gap and band edge positioning of photoelectrodes specific to solar water oxidation and water reduction. The study of non-noble metal based catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) are essential for economic practical commercialization of photo-electrolyzers. This dissertation focuses on the use of a variety …

Undergraduates’ Collective Argumentation Regarding Integration Of Complex Functions Within Three Worlds Of Mathematics, Brent Allen Hancock

Dissertations

Although undergraduate complex variables courses often do not emphasize formal proofs, many widely-used integration theorems contain nuanced hypotheses. Accordingly, students invoking such theorems must verify and attend to these hypotheses via a blend of symbolic, embodied, and formal reasoning. Using Tall’s three worlds of mathematics as a theoretical lens, this research explores undergraduate student pairs’ collective argumentation about integration of complex functions, with emphasis placed on students’ attention to the hypotheses of integration theorems. Data consisted of videotaped, semistructured interviews with two pairs of undergraduates, during which they collectively reasoned about thirteen integration tasks. Videotaped classroom observations were also conducted …

An Analysis Of Research-Based Leadership Practices And The Principal’S Impact On Student Achievement, Tisha Georgette Glasper

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research-based leadership practices demonstrated by principals; in addition to how principals managed to lead others to become involved in student achievement. The participants of this study consisted of school principals from seven successful schools in Saint Louis City and Saint Louis in Missouri and Madison County, Illinois. For this study, a successful school can be defined as a school where student achievement met or exceeded the Adequate Yearly Progress targets set by the No Child Left behind Act of 2001. There were also 71 teachers who participated in this study. Effective …

Constituted And Constituing Symbols Of The Kamëntšá Culture: Essays On Native Philosophy Of Culture, Juan Alejandro Chindoy

Dissertations

Drawing from child personal memories, stories, and participation in different ceremonies in Sibundoy (Colombia), as well as from scholarly papers and books on the Kamëntšá culture, a native culture settled in the southwest of Colombia, I discuss the constituted and constituting meanings of a native culture. The main argument is that storytelling, dancing, and yajé ceremonies are Kamëntšá’s symbolic ways of approaching the quest for meaning. At once constituting and constituted symbols of it, Kamëntšá symbols define its culture and sustain it alive. I use the idea of constituting symbols to underlie the experiences of creativity and adjustment of Kamëntšá …

Systems Of Quantity Judgment In Various Species: A Meta-Analysis, Tiffany A. Woodard Baker

Dissertations

An abundance of behavioral and neuroimaging literature supports the presence of two cognitive systems for quantity judgments (Agrillo & Bisazza, 2014). In particular, small quantities are thought to be guided by the object-file system, a precise system that uses mental files to map onto real world objects, and large quantities by the approximate number system, an imprecise, estimation system (Dehaene, 1997). Evidence supporting both systems exists in a variety of species including nonhuman primates (Boysen & Hallberg, 2000), birds (Garland, Low, & Burns, 2012), amphibians (Uller, Jaeger, Guidry, & Martin, 2003), and fish (Agrillo, Dadda, Serena, Bisazza, 2009), but support …

The Influence Of Conservation Tillage And Conventional Tillage On Soil Bacterial Diversity In Southern Illinois, Nasser Syed

Dissertations

Agriculture in the Midwest United States (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) is a critically important component of the United States economy and also for world exports of food grain. This is well reflected in the 2012 Census of Agriculture which showed that these states had a market value of crop and livestock products sold in excess of $80,000,000,000 (USDA, 2012). Within the U.S. the three Midwest states, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota are ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 4th for the economic value of crops sold. This economic value of agriculture in the Midwest encompasses not only corn, soybeans, …

A Study Of The Teaching Beliefs Of Globe Teachers, Laila Ali

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching beliefs of GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) teachers, and to analyze their pedagogical practices. This study contributes to bridging the gap between our understanding of teachers’ beliefs of teaching science with inquiry and practicing science in class with inquiry. A descriptive research approach was used for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Data was collected from seventy-two trained GLOBE teachers across the U.S. using Qualtrics.com.

Quantitatively, the pedagogical beliefs of GLOBE teachers were measured using the Beliefs about Reformed Science Teaching and Learning (BARSTL) questionnaire. Differences between …

Rapid Generation Of Jacobi Matrices For Measures Modified By Rational Factors, Amber Sumner

Dissertations

Orthogonal polynomials are important throughout the fields of numerical analysis and numerical linear algebra. The Jacobi matrix J for a family of n orthogonal polynomials is an n x n tridiagonal symmetric matrix constructed from the recursion coefficients for the three-term recurrence satisfied by the family. Every family of polynomials orthogonal with respect to a measure on a real interval [a,b] satisfies such a recurrence. Given a measure that is modified by multiplying by a rational weight function r(t), an important problem is to compute the modified Jacobi matrix Jmod corresponding to the new measure from knowledge of J. There …

A Study Of Preservice Teachers’ Mental Computation Attitudes, Knowledge, And Flexibility In Thinking For Teaching Mathematics, Eunmi Joung

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to explore preservice teachers’ attitudes and beliefs towards mathematics, mental and written computations, and mental computation anxiety, to investigate their use of different mental computation strategies using different approaches (i.e., Direct Teaching (DT) and Open-Approach (OA)) among the three different groups, and to identify how the use of preservice teachers’ mental computation strategies affects their flexibility regarding mental computation. The participants were preservice teachers (PTS). Three classes were used for this study: two classes in a mathematics class (Course A) for experimental groups and one class for the control group. One class from professional …

Cationic Ruthenium Complexes In Catalysis: The Activation Of Propargylic Alcohols Through Electronically Tuned Complexes, Matthew James Stark

Dissertations

With increasing complexity of metal complexes, it is of worthwhile interest to pursue systematic examinations of ligand modifications to study their impact on the reactivity of a catalyst. To that end, this study aimed to understand the effect electron-withdrawing ligands conveyed to catalytic activity in the etherification of propargylic alcohols and related reactions. A number of half-sandwich ruthenium complexes bearing ligands with varying electron–withdrawing properties were synthesized and structurally characterized. Their electronic and structural properties were investigated utilizing X-ray crystallography, revealing that the series of complexes did not vary significantly in structure. The complexes were studied electronically with cyclic voltammetry, …

Development Of Rules Of Attraction For Intercalated Guest Molecules Inside Of A Hydrogen Bonded Framework, Matthew Fischer

Dissertations

Supramolecular chemistry has synthesized large and small molecules which host guest molecules for several decades. What started as a way to mimic of enzymes in nature, has exploded into a sea of materials such as porous coordination polymers, low-density metal-organic frameworks, inclusion compounds, and hydrogen bonded frameworks. We previously designed a layered framework consisting of a metal complex with coordinate covalent ligands. These ligands have peripheral carboxylic acid groups which hydrogen bond to organic pillars containing terminal amines. The layered structure is separated by these pillars, which are closed-packed, creating 1-dimensional channels able to co-crystallize molecules. There is interest in …

Steric Effects On The Formation Of Manganese Oxide Clusters And 2-Dimensional Ammonium Formate Architectures, Carl Oberle

Dissertations

It has been demonstrated by the Beatty group that altering the identity of the ortho-substituent of a dianiline counterion affects the assembly and dimensionality of a cadmium-chloride layer from 2-D to 0-D. This work seeks to extend this finding to metal oxide and organic hydrogen-bonded materials. By systematically increasing the ortho­-substituent’s size on the benzoate building block of reported manganese oxide clusters, of formula Mn_xO_y(O₂C-R)_zL_w (where R = Alkyl, L = neutral monodentate ligand), we aim to impact the self-assembly of these materials relative to their parent …

Does Seeing Matter? Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Use Of Self-Video As A Tool For Self-Reflection In The Study Of Their Own Practice, Lynn Navin

Dissertations

The use of video for teacher learning is a useful tool to support reflection and self-analysis. Video records have been successful in supporting teachers in learning to notice student thinking, a strong component in instructional expertise. The use of video provides permanent records of classroom lessons that can be viewed repeatedly (Sherin, 2001, 2007; van Es & Sherin, 2002, 2008.) It allows deep engagement and collaborative learning. Including the use of video in teacher preparation courses has successfully contributed to increasing pre-service teachers’ attending and analyzing skills, necessary components of professional vision, (Santagata & Guarani, 2011; Stürmer, Könings, & Seidel, …

Teacher Autonomy In A Site-Managed Charter School: Views Of Autonomy, Autonomy Support, And Their Educational Impact, Kristen Levin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover how pre-service teachers (PSTs), classroom teachers, and administrators in an urban charter school perceive their own professional autonomy and administrative support by the school, and how the balance of autonomy and support impact their instructional practices. I designed and implemented this research as a single case study of Highland Charter School (a pseudonym), in a Midwestern U.S. city. This study involved seven teachers, three pre-service teachers, six administrators, and the charter sponsor. The case is an independent charter school serving mainly students of low socioeconomic backgrounds, from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. At …

An Ethnographic Investigation Into The Influence Of Bandura’S Four Psychological Sources Of Information On Mid-Career Elementary Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Mayra Herrera

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to examine and describe the experiences that impact mid-career elementary teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs based on Bandura’s four psychological sources of information.

Methodology: An ethnographic research design was utilized in this study to collect data from 15 mid-career elementary school teachers in Riverside County, which is located in Southern California. A semi-structured interview protocol was utilized to gather the rich accounts of situations that impacted the self-efficacy beliefs of participants.

Findings: From the examination of data collected from the 15 ethnographic one-on-one interviews, the following findings emerged: (a) Teachers feel validated from positive …

Chemical Synthesis Of Staphylococcal Oligosaccharides, Satsawat Visansirikul

Dissertations

The Gram positive, cluster forming bacteria Staphylococcus aureus belongs to the family of opportunistic pathogens that may cause blood stream infections when the integrity of skin is broken and the immune system can no longer fight the infection. S. aureus has become one of the most frequent causes of infections in newborns, surgical patients, trauma and burn patients, patients receiving an implant, and dialysis patients with high mortality rates. As a matter of fact, S. aureus has become one of the largest public health and economic impacts amongst all bacterial infectious diseases worldwide. This situation is further complicated by the …

Engaging Hispanic Science Learners Within California’S Central Valley: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Perceptions Of High School Teachers Relative To Advanced Placement Science Courses, David Menshew

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the engagement of Hispanic Advanced Placement science learners in California’s Central Valley as perceived by high school teachers.

Methodology: The mixed method study surveyed 20 Advanced Placement science teachers from the region of interest. Likert surveys were used to determine: 1) their perceptions of the engagement of Hispanic students by the AP Program, and 2) barriers presented by the AP Program. Quantitative results indicated teacher support for the AP Program and few barriers as currently administered. A focus group of 12 teachers recruited from the 20 surveyed provided qualitative …

The Impact Of Proactive Community Circles On Student Academic Achievement And Student Behavior In An Elementary Setting, Michele Lenertz

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the differences in student academic achievement and student behavior prior to and after implementation of proactive community circles (PCC) in elementary schools in California that have implemented for a minimum of two years as measured by standardized test scores and student behavior records. The second purpose was to describe the impact of proactive community circles on student academic achievement and student behavior in elementary schools in California that have implemented proactive community circles for a minimum of two years as perceived by school administrators.

Methodology: The mixed method explanatory …

Best Practices In 21st Century Learning Environments: A Study Of Two P21 Exemplar Schools, Susan Brown

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe best practices related to 21^st century skill development in two elementary schools outside of California that have been recognized as exemplary by the Partnership for 21^st Century Learning (P21).

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study sought to investigate and understand the experiences of those associated with the phenomenon of exemplar schools, namely teachers, staff and parents in these elite elementary schools, as the elementary level sets the foundation for 21^st century learning. Two schools were selected for the study based on the criteria that they had …

Highly Symmetric Multiple Bi-Frames For Curve And Surface Multiresolution Processing, Khulud Ziadi

Dissertations

Wavelets and wavelet frames are important and useful mathematical tools in numerous applications, such as signal and image processing, and numerical analysis. Recently, the theory of wavelet frames plays an essential role in signal processing, image processing, sampling theory, and harmonic analysis. However, multiwavelets and multiple frames are more flexible and have more freedom in their construction which can provide more desired properties than the scalar case, such as short compact support, orthogonality, high approximation order, and symmetry. These properties are useful in several applications, such as curve and surface noise-removing as studied in this dissertation. Thus, the study of …

Effective Teaching And Behavioral Strategies Used By Exemplary Non-Public Alternative Education Schools, Alana Maxine Hughes

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the teaching and behavioral strategies exemplary, non-public alternative education schools used to support student learning as perceived by education specialists and site administrators at high-achieving, non-public alternative education schools in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County.

Methodology: This qualitative case study examined the perception of education specialists and site administrators by conducting interviews to identify effective teaching and behavioral strategies used by exemplary non-public alternative education schools. The researcher interviewed nine education specialists and three site administrators from exemplary non-public alternative schools. …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Homework's Effects On English Learners, Peggy Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: Homework is an educational practice that has been implemented for many years. Research has shown that homework can have stringent effects on the well-being of students. To date, much of the research discusses the students’ and parents’ point of view on homework’s effects. Although teachers are the practitioners that develop and implement this practice, there is a dearth of research on teacher’s perspectives of homework’s effects on the well-being of students. Even less research has been carried out on teachers’ perspectives of homework’s effects on the well-being of English Learner Students. Since the goal of education is to provide …

Evolving Specialization In An Agent-Based Model Without Task-Switching Costs, Shane Meyer

Dissertations

This work examines the possibility of evolving the phenotypic specialization associated with division of labor in an agent-based model without task-switching costs. The model examines two groups competing for vital resources, where members of one group are capable of sharing resources with other agents in their group. Agents attempt to collect resources which allow them to reproduce, with more resources leading to a greater number of offspring by asexual reproduction. Four variants of the model are examined, with combinations of one or two resources and the presence of a foraging risk. The presence of the foraging risk can lead to …

Electric-Field Assisted Manipulation And Self-Assembly Of Particle Suspensions, Edison Chijioke Amah

Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to model the processes by which particles suspended in liquids and at liquid surfaces self-assemble when they are subjected to uniform and non-uniform electric fields. To understand the role of electric forces, three related problems were studied numerically and experimentally.

In the first problem, particles are assumed to be suspended inside a liquid and a nonuniform electric field is applied using electrodes mounted in the domain walls which causes positively polarized particles to collect in the regions where the electric field intensity is locally maximal and the negatively polarized particles collect in the regions …

Supporting User Evaluation Of Messaging Interactions With Potential Romantic Partners Discovered Online, Douglas Zytko

Dissertations

Online dating systems have transformed the way people pursue romance. To arrive at a decision to meet for a face-to-face date, users gather information about each other online pertinent to romantic attraction. Yet sometimes they discover on the date that they made the wrong choice. One aspect of online dating system-use that may be a contributing factor, but is largely overlooked in the literature, is interaction through text-based messaging interfaces. This dissertation explores how messaging interactions inform face-to-face meeting decisions through two qualitative studies, and explores through a mixed methods field study how innovative messaging interfaces that embody theory from …