Digital Commons Network^™

Prediction Of Forelimb Muscle Activities And Movement Phases Using Corticospinal Signals In The Rat, Sinan Gok

Dissertations

The targeted population for this project is primarily patients with high level spinal cord injury (SCI) and individuals with motor neuron diseases (MND). In both SCI and MND cases motor control is interrupted due to lack of communication between the brain and the musculature, although both sides are otherwise functional. The approach in this project is to use neural engineering techniques to restore the motor function that was lost because of an injury or disease.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) attempt to extract the volitional signals from the cortex when the brain's normal outputs to the musculoskeletal system are impaired. However, BCIs …

Development And Evaluation Of Cooperative Intersection Management Algorithm Under Connected Vehicles Environment, Slobodan Gutesa

Dissertations

Recent technological advancements in the automotive and transportation industry established a firm foundation for development and implementation of various automated and connected vehicle (C/AV) solutions around the globe. Wireless communication technologies such as the dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) protocol are enabling instantaneous information exchange between vehicles and infrastructure. Such information exchange produces tremendous benefits with the possibility to automate conventional traffic streams and enhance existing signal control strategies. While many promising studies in the area of signal control under connected vehicle (CV) environment have been introduced, they mainly offer solutions designed to operate a single isolated intersection or they require …

Numerical Simulations Of Thin Viscoelastic Films, Valeria Barra

Dissertations

This dissertation is developed in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and it focuses on numerical simulations of the dynamics of thin viscoelastic films in different settings. The first part of this dissertation presents a novel computational investigation of thin viscoelastic films and drops, that are subject to the van der Waals interaction force, in two spatial dimensions. The liquid films are deposited on a flat solid substrate, that can have a zero or nonzero inclination with respect to the base. The equation that governs the interfacial dynamics of the thin films and drops is obtained within the long-wave …

Fluorescent Probes And Functionalized Nanoparticles For Bioimaging: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties And Applications, Xinglei Liu

Dissertations

The development of new organic molecular probes with excellent photophysical properties and high fluorescence quantum yields is of considerable interest to many research areas including one- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence-based sensing methodologies, and cancer therapy. Series of organic linear-/non-linear optical molecules including squaraine derivatives, and fluorene derivatives as well as other bioconjugates are designed and synthesized during the doctoral study for the aim of ion detection (Chapter 5), photo dynamic therapy, and deep-tissue imaging (Chapter 4). These optical probes are capable of absorbing light in the near infrared (NIR) window and thus have deeper penetration and cause less photodamage …

Direct And Indirect Controls On Bee Community Composition, Caroline Marie Devan

Dissertations

Bees are important pollinators, critical for the continued survival of plants in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Diverse bee communities have been shown to increase richness in plant communities and plant reproduction depends upon bee community richness. Yet there is growing concern that pollinators, especially bees, are declining globally. This dissertation focuses on evaluating the mechanisms responsible for bee community composition in order to promote bee conservation in natural systems and their restoration in human-dominated urban and agricultural landscapes.

Bee populations are impacted directly by three things: floral resources, nesting resources and risk, primarily from natural enemies. Bees are indirectly …

Silicon Based Uncooled Microbolometer, Asahel Banobre

Dissertations

During the last decade, uncooled microbolometer infrared detectors have attracted the attention of military and civilian infrared detection and imaging industry due to their significant advantages. In actuality, infrared imaging systems play a critical role in sectors such as thermography (predictive maintenance and building inspection), commercial and civilian applications (vision automotive, surveillance, navigation and fire-fighting), and defense industry (thermal weapon sight, soldier vision and vehicle vision enhancer). Compared with the cryogenically cooled infrared photon detectors, uncooled infrared imaging technology offers advantages such as operation at room temperature, light weight and size, reduced power consumption, easy integration with read-out electronics and …

Microfluidic Biosensor With Functionalized Gold Nano Particles On Interdigitated Electrodes, Bharath Babu Nunna

Dissertations

The integration of the microfluidics to the biosensor has growing demand with favorable conditions such as reduced processing time and low reagent consumption. The immuno biosensing with the microfluidic platform helped to make the electrochemical biosensing assays portable due to which this sensing mechanism can be easily implemented in point of care devices. The implementation of the biosensing in the microchannels significantly reduces the sample requirement form milli liter (mL) to micro liter (uL), and thus leads to low volume sample requirement during the sensing. The primary factors contributing to the microfluidic biosensors performance are probe immobilization, specific binding and …

Identifying Depression In Primary Care: An Evidence-Based Intervention, Mary Alice Peters

Dissertations

Identifying depression in primary care is an urgent concern locally and nationally. Due to lack of screening or inquiry by primary care providers, as well as an insufficient number of mental health professionals, depression remains under-detected. This problem has been identified locally as a result of a 2014 population health survey in Huron County, Ohio. The population reported multiple reasons for not seeking out a program or service within the county to address symptoms of depression, anxiety, or emotional problems. The 2016 recommendation by The United States Preventative Services Task Force is to screen the general public as long as …

Anti-Black School Policy Making: A Critical Policy Analysis Of The Wellston/Normandy Merger, Eric Higgins

Dissertations

This study explores the closing of Wellston School District as an act of contempt and oppression. This study looks at the history of the Wellston community and also examines many micro-aggressive acts of oppression. Also, examined and discussed will be the impact of economic disenfranchisement, demographic change, historical memory, and school funding and accountability. This study uncovered a counter-narrative that helps to usurp the prevailing master narrative and rhetoric surrounding the closing and subsequent merger of the Wellston School District with the Normandy School District.

This historical analysis will rely heavily upon the use of CRT to undergird the conceptual …

Priapism Among Male Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease, Prince Ocansey

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of priapism among male adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD). A painful genetic disorder with no cure, SCD severely impacts the lives of patients, as well as their families and friends. Priapism is one of the complications of SCD and involves persistent and painful penile erections. The review of literature established a gap in researchers’ understanding of the lived experience of priapism among male adolescents with SCD. This study aimed to bridge that gap.

Using a convenience sampling method, 7 adolescent males between the ages of 16 …

The Effect Of Mantram Repetition On Qol In Low-Income, Urban Dwelling Older Adults, Marissa Katerina Mackiewicz

Dissertations

Background: Quality of life is an important concept of increasing significance for the healthcare in the United States, especially when taken in perspective of the aging population. Low-income, urban dwelling older adults are challenged in a number of ways that may negatively impact their QOL. This unique group is prone to report lower QOL, therefore, interventions targeted to improve QOL are timely. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of mantram repetition (MR) on QOL in a sample of low-income, urban dwelling older adults.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-posttest study was conducted using a sample population of low-income …

The Association Of Kangaroo Mother Care, Energy Conservation, And Bonding In Preterm Neonates, Dorothy Forde

Dissertations

Purpose:To examine the association of kangaroo mother care (KMC) on energy utilization and bonding as evidenced by reduced biochemical markers of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) degradation, hypoxanthine (Hx), xanthine (Xa), and uric acid (UA), and (allantoin), a measure of oxidative stress in preterm infants 24-36 weeks gestation. A secondary objective was to compare specific physiological parameters using bedside monitoring and perfusion and oxygenation of the gut using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during 1 hour of KMC compared to incubator care.

Study design: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining the effects of 1-hour of KMC or 1-hour incubator care on urinary markers …

Oxygen Consumption In Sepsis, Julie Graham

Dissertations

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can lead to septic shock and death. With over 300,000 annual cases (AHRQ, 2011) costing a staggering $1.5 billion (Health Care Utilization Project Brief #185), the importance of sepsis is becoming clear. However, some basic biological mechanisms are poorly understood. Study Purpose: This study investigated the relationships between select demographics, resting energy expenditure (REE), serum lactate, SOFA score mortality index, oxygen consumption [by way of measuring net oxygen consumed, (V02) and net carbon dioxide produced (VC02)], and sepsis. Specific Aims: Aims were to describe 1) patient demographics, serum lactate, SOFA score mortality index, …

Bullies And Allies Near The Playground: Mothers' Experiences Of Aggression In Their Children's Schools, Mara Vicente Robinson

Dissertations

Despite an increasing understanding of the importance of both parent-involvement and aggression among women, there appears to be little understanding of how these two areas influence each other; specifically, the lack of literature examining the extent to which female guardians experienced aggression from other female guardians and the effect it had on their involvement in their children’s schools. In an effort to investigate the extent to which aggression was prevalent among female guardians, the factors that influenced the aggression, and the effects of that aggression on women’s involvement in their children’s education, a convergent parallel mixed methods design was used …

Iranian Leadership Ideals: A Culturally-Based Leadership Approach, Azadeh Davari

Dissertations

In light of many current financial and ethical crises, scholars have called for looking beyond our existing Western-based approaches for innovative leadership practices. Recent research about the success and unique management practices of Indian corporations (Cappelli et al., 2010) shows a unique style based on both people and profit and one that blends capitalist profit-based structures with caring for people and community. That research has been the basis for suggestions for the existence of a distinct Indo-European leadership (IEL) style (Nahavandi, 2012a; Nahavandi & Krishnan, 2017) with philosophical roots in Iran and India and provides impetus for looking beyond Western …

Educating Boys In Jamaica: In Search Of A New Lens, Marcia Sharon-May Chin

Dissertations

The need for innovative solutions to enhance educational outcomes for Jamaican high school male students is evident. For over two decades, national exam results demonstrate that these students have consistently underachieved. Using aqualitative research design, this study explores the possibility of scaling up a student leadership educational model, developed by one U.S. school that has proven successful in educating an inner city minority male student population, to a similarly placed Jamaican high school. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with stakeholders at an all male Jamaican school and with administrators at the Ministry of Education, to understand their perceptions regarding …

A Whole New World: Students With Disabilities Transition To Postsecondary Education, Warren Whitaker

Dissertations

Since the inception of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, there has been a steady increase in the enrollment of students with disabilities in higher education. With the postsecondary transition in educational supports from the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) in high school to ADA in college, there has been a lack of research related to the experiences of these students with disabilities while they are in college. Considering the changes in disability experience resulting from education policy changes from high school (IDEA) to college (ADA/Section 504), the purpose of this study was to examine the …

Cardiovascular Risk Among Patients With Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis And Hiv In South Africa, Erin Rachel Whitehouse

Dissertations

South Africa has the highest incidence of drug resistant-tuberculosis (DR-TB) in sub-Saharan Africa and outcomes are poor. Only 54% of patients successfully complete treatment. The prevalence of HIV co-infection and cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors is also increasing. The purpose of this study was to describe cardiovascular risk in DR-TB patients with and without HIV co-infection and the impact of this risk on 6-month DR-TB negative treatment outcomes among patients co-infected with HIV.

African American Women Baccalaureate Success: A Reflective Look At Pre-Collegiate Years Influencing Transition, Persistence, And Degree Attainment, Leilah K. Kirkendoll

Dissertations

African American women are graduating from college at rates higher than their Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American and even their African American male peers. This level of college persistence and success is occurring amid the challenges they face and share with their peers of the same schools, neighborhoods and society. Similar to many of their peers, these young women experience under-resourced schools and limited college preparation. In addition, they have unique school challenges including experiences with negative stereotypes and harsh discipline policies. African American women also face societal challenges through experiences with trauma, foster care and disproportionate early parenting, to …

The Effectiveness Of Screening For Comorbid Depression Among Outpatients With Chronic Diseases In Maryland, Linda H. Allibalogun

Dissertations

Depression is a pervasive mental health disorder worldwide. Although being diagnosed with chronic illness exacerbates susceptibility to depression, detection and subsequent treatment of comorbid depression in primary care settings remain suboptimal because patients with chronic medical disorders are not commonly screened for depression. There is a need to initiate proactive measures by implementing routine screening in primary care settings. The plan-do-study-act (PDSA) model guided an intervention to establish a depression screening practice. This study aimed to determine if the implementation of evidence-based screening for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) tool could increase diagnosis of comorbid depression among patients …

Factors Which Influence Adult African Americans' Asthma Self-Management, James Daniel Holland

Dissertations

There are approximately 22.2 million Americans' who are living with asthma and of those 18.4 million are adults. African Americans' are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma compared to Caucasians, and experience more asthma attacks. In this study, the Social Cognitive Theory was used to examine the relationships among personal characteristics, environmental factors, asthma self-efficacy, self-management behaviors, and quality of life (QOL) in African American adults with asthma.
A correlational design was used.

Sustaining A Career In Community And Technical College Leadership By Coping With Job Stress Through Emotional Intelligence, Claire Korschinowski

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe and explore the use of emotional intelligence for coping with organizational role stress as perceived by senior-level leaders serving as college presidents, vice presidents and deans in the Washington State community and technical college system. A second purpose of this study was to describe the differences in perceptions amongst senior-level leader’s use of emotional intelligence as a stress coping strategy.

Methodology: For this qualitative phenomenological study, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews from 15 senior-level leaders. Participants identified a variety of ways emotional intelligence factors into coping with organizational …

Exploring Churn And Alignment Between Retention And Occupational Culture As Perceived By Professional Truck Drivers, Catherine M. Cole

Dissertations

Despite advances in logistics software and increased driver pay, the trucking industry continues a historic wave of human capital risks in the form of driver turnover and driver shortages. Previous efforts to understand the phenomenon of driver turnover rely heavily on supply chain, transportation, and logistics based disciplines. The current study provides a human capital ontology towards understanding professional truck driver perceptions. Within the interpretive framework of pragmatism, the study applied a simultaneous ethnographic and phenomenological research design to explore the phenomenon of churn and professional truck driver perceptions of environmental alignment between trucking industry retention strategies and the occupational …

K-12 Teachers' Beliefs On The Impact Of Corporal Punishment On Students' Academic Performance, Robert Sanders

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to take a closer look into the perceptions of K-12 teachers on the impact of corporal punishment on students’ academic performance. The qualative data from this study was gained through a survey administered to K-12 teachers from schools in the state of Mississippi that allow corporal punishment and schools that do not allow corporal punishment. The survey was administered to the volunteers after their staff meetings or Professional Learning Communities. The researcher read a brief statement to the participants and collected the surveys after they completed them. Mississippi is one of the states that …

Theory Of Planned Behavior Applied To High School Science Teachers Implementing Next Generation Science Standards, Anna Pierce

Dissertations

The high demand for a scientifically literate society and workforce led to the creation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their release in April 2013. NGSS are based on a call to improve science education at the primary and secondary levels and emphasize the importance of a more conceptual and hands-on approach to science. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine, through the use of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, the factors involved in teachers’ intentions to implement the NGSS in high school science courses. Semi-structured interviews were performed with nine teachers and experts …

Missouri Superintendents’ Perceptions Of The Variables Impacting The Gender Leadership Gap In Public Education, Gwendolyn M. Fleming

Dissertations

The nation’s gender leadership gap, or the disproportionate number of men in top leadership positions versus women, has prevailed throughout the history of public education (Superville, 2016; Rosenberg, 2017). Despite the fact that 76% of America’s educators were women, only 27% of the nation’s school superintendents were female (U.S. Department of Education, 2016; Rosenberg, 2017). Thus, men have continued to dominate the top-level leadership positions within the educational arena (Superville, 2016). The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender leadership gap in the position of school district superintendent. Specifically, the researcher developed two research questions aimed to explore …

Experiences Of Gay And Lesbian Students At A Rural Midwestern Community College, Kristin N. Shelby

Dissertations

Currently, a gap exists in the research on gay and lesbian students in community colleges. In this qualitative study, I examine experiences of gay and lesbian students in a rural, Midwestern community college. The literature review consists of a review of gay and lesbian student emergence in higher education, coming out, the relationship between sexuality and rurality, and a brief overview of two of the first sexual identity models. This qualitative design incorporates primarily phenomenological and narrative research. Data collection includes narratives from the interviews with nine community college student participants. Data from the participant narratives is organized under four …

Tinkering With Student Speech In The Age Of Social Media, Lola A. Burnham

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the issue of public junior high and high school students who are punished at school for their online speech that they created when they were off-campus. Specifically, it examines the issue of when students are punished at school for online speech that criticizes teachers and administrators, rather than the issue of student-on-student cyberbullying. Because the United States Supreme Court has not yet accepted any case that involves off-campus online student speech, this dissertation summarizes and analyzes federal appellate court decisions in such cases. Appellate courts in six federal circuits have heard and ruled in cases involving students’ …

A Quantitative Inquiry Into The Relationship Between Learning Styles, Psychological Types And Standardized Achievement Examination Performance Of Nurse Aide Students., Sameer Ahmed

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between learning styles, psychological types and multiple-choice standardized achievement examination performance of nurse aide students with typology being the gross indicator using a non-experimental, comparative and descriptive approach. The study sample included nurse aide students (N = 326) seeking nurse aide certification selected through a stratified random sampling technique. The participation rate for completed MBTI® inventory was 58.42% (N = 326). The learning styles and psychological types were measured against the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Form M in North American English. The multiple-choice standardized achievement examination performance of nurse aide …

A Male Elementary School Principal’S Experience Of Gender And Leadership, Joanne Eileen Chatlos

Dissertations

Schools are a site for the reproduction and transformation of masculinities, impacting both children and adults. For principals, both gender and leadership are roles that they perform in social relation. In this case study, focused on an elementary school in the Western United States, I explored the ways constructions of gender impact a male public elementary school teacher’s leadership experience and the ways local gender norms relate to faculty perceptions of his leadership. Utilizing a methodological bricolage, I sought to examine the ways in which gender and leadership are enacted and understood through discourses such as speech, gestures, dress, or …