Digital Commons Network^™

Numerical And Experimental Investigation Of Orthopaedic Fracture Fixation, Bipinchandra Patel

Dissertations

Poor bone fracture fixation leads to malunion, delayed union, non-union, or infection. These malunited fractures affect a bone’s ability to carry loads. Patient outcomes regarding fixation quality can be affected by the healing environment and human factors such as bone quality and surgeons’ perception. Furthermore, the stiffness and strength of the screw-plate construct affect the healing environment. Therefore, this dissertation investigates the stiffness and strength of the non-locking (conventional) and locking (fixed angle) type screw-plate constructs and the factors that contribute to them, such as screw-plate interface, screw design, bone density, cortical bone thickness and load orientation. Additionally, the surgeon’s …

Hacia Un Mapa Ex-Céntrico De Lo Afro-Hispano: Notas Sobre Un Meta-Archipiélago Desbordado, Brian J. Gunderson

Dissertations

This project proposes a study of works from 20^th and 21^st Century Latin American Literature and its representation of “lo afro” (blackness). While most studies have focused on the Caribbean, I am interested in working with regions of Latin America that have a history of African heritage that has either been “whitewashed” or erased since the 19^th Century creation of independent nations. The major areas studied are based loosely on Quince Duncan’s notion of the Caribe Continental (the continental Caribbean): Central America (Costa Rica and Honduras), Mexico, the Pacific Coast (Ecuador and Peru), and the Southern Cone …

Factors Affecting Health Promotion Lifestyle Behaviors Among Arab American Women, Kholoud Khalil Phd

Dissertations

Guided by Pender and colleagues' (2006) revised health promotion model (HPM), this descriptive correlational study was designed to explore the relationships between personal factors (comprised of sociodemographic factors, degree of acculturation, and perceived stress), perceived health self-efficacy, perceived social support, and health promotion lifestyle behaviors (HPLBs) among a group of Arab American women (AAW) living in Southern California. A second purpose was to explore the psychometric properties of the translated version of the perceived health competence scale (PHCS). A convenience sample of 267 AAW were administered a paper copy of a self-reported survey. Four of the study's five standardized measures …

Comparing The Effect Of Two Types Of Computer Screen Background Lighting On Students’ Reading Engagement And Achievement, Jennifer A. Botello

Dissertations

With increased dependence on computer-based standardized tests to assess academic achievement, technological literacy has become an essential skill. Yet, because students have unequal access to technology, they may not have equal opportunities to perform well on these computer-based tests. The researcher had observed students taking the STAR Reading test (Renaissance Learning, 2009) and noticed a variance in scores in relation to classroom performance. The researcher intended, therefore, to explore variables that may affect the performance of students on a computer-based reading assessment. The researcher tested two different technology-related variables as students took a summative exam, the STAR Reading test. The …

Examining The Effects Of Act Assessment Of High School Graduates On College Enrollment And College Readiness, Diana H. Iborg

Dissertations

A college education is essential to the future. Those with a college degree will make a higher income and be affected less by economic instability. Employment requiring a college degree will grow, while jobs that do not require postsecondary education will decline. Yet barriers exist that keep all students from attaining a college education. It is the charge of schools to prepare students so they not only enter college, but also have the necessary skills to be successful in college-level courses. Federal initiatives mandate periodic assessments to ensure student learning and to hold schools accountable. However, scores from these assessments …

Determinants Of Physical Activity In Arab American Children, Wearn Alkhatib Phd

Dissertations

Physical activity is an integral part of preventing and managing childhood and adolescent obesity. Lack of regular physical activity has negative impact on physical and psychosocial health. Arab Americans (AAs), one of the most rapidly growing minorities in United States, tend to have a high prevalence of obesity and low participation in physical activity. The purpose of this study was to describe determinants of physical activity, including self-efficacy, social support, physical environment, and selected demographics among AA children in Southern California. A descriptive correlational study using a cross sectional design was conducted. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by children (N=206) recruited …

The Effect Of Mechanical Vestibular Stimulation On Muscle Tone And Spasticity In Individuals With Neurological Impairment, Ghaith J. Androwis

Dissertations

In the desire to better understand spasticity mainly in Cerebral Palsy (CP) and to examine vestibular stimulation as a future intervention for .muscle tone reduction, and to be able to describe the change in level of spasticity in subjects with disability and describe interventions effects, a series of experiments are done on children with spasticity. In addition to understanding the otoliths in the vestibular system and their projections, properties and pathways a more important major objective of this work is to validate the changes in otoliths signal caused by vestibular stimulation based on the Equilibrium Point Hypothesis and the inclusion …

Analyses Of Groundwater Contribution To A Riverine Wetland, Farzad Mahmoodinobar

Dissertations

Rainfall, runoff, overbank flow and groundwater, all contribute water to wetlands. Each transport element is associated with unique modeling approaches and uncertainties. Transpiration is perhaps the hardest to quantify as it is subject to all the variability of plant growth. Transpiration causes land area to lose moisture and the loss amount depends on precipitation incidence, the temperature and type and extent of vegetation. Plants can intercept virtually all recharge during the growing season and almost none from late fall to early spring in northeastern United States. Thus, an improvement in the transpiration element can contribute considerably to an improved groundwater …

Discrete Element Method Based Scale-Up Model For Material Synthesis Using Ball Milling, Priya Radhi Santhanam

Dissertations

Mechanical milling is a widely used technique for powder processing in various areas. In this work, a scale-up model for describing this ball milling process is developed. The thesis is a combination of experimental and modeling efforts.

Initially, Discrete Element Model (DEM) is used to describe energy transfer from milling tools to the milled powder for shaker, planetary, and attritor mills. The rolling and static friction coefficients are determined experimentally. Computations predict a quasi- steady rate of energy dissipation, Ed, for each experimental configuration. It is proposed that the milling dose defined as a product of Ed and milling …

A Modeling Study Of The History-Dependence Of Conduction Delay In Unmyelinated Axons, Yang Zhang

Dissertations

Conduction delay in an axon is the time required for an action potential to propagate between two positions. It is a function of the axon’s passive membrane properties, voltage-gated ion channels and the Na+/K+ pump, and can be substantially affected by neuromodulators. The conduction delay of action potential, generated by the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron unmyel i nated motor axon in the stomatogastric nervous system, shows significant variability with ongoing bursting or Poisson stimulation. When the axon is stimulated, the mean value (Dmean) and coefficient variation of conduction delay (CV-D) slowly increase with time (slow timescale effect), and the relationship …

Computational Optimization Methods For Modeling The Effect Of Muscle Forces On Bone Strength Adaptation, Catherine Siena Florio

Dissertations

An improved understanding of the mechanical influences that alter the strength of a bone can aid in the refinement of the wide array of currently available techniques to counteract the losses of bone strength that occur due to age or disuse both on Earth and in Space. To address this need, computational modeling methods to quantitatively analyze and compare the effects of mechanical factors on the strength of a targeted bone within a multibone, multimuscle system are developed and implemented in this work. Through a more detailed representation of the system in which the bone acts and the creation of …

Using Structural And Semantic Methodologies To Enhance Biomedical Terminologies, Zhe He

Dissertations

Biomedical terminologies and ontologies underlie various Health Information Systems (HISs), Electronic Health Record (EHR) Systems, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) and health administrative systems. Moreover, the proliferation of interdisciplinary research efforts in the biomedical field is fueling the need to overcome terminological barriers when integrating knowledge from different fields into a unified research project. Therefore well-developed and well-maintained terminologies are in high demand. Most of the biomedical terminologies are large and complex, which makes it impossible for human experts to manually detect and correct all errors and inconsistencies. Automated and semi-automated Quality Assurance methodologies that focus on areas that are more …

Vehicle Re-Routing Strategies For Congestion Avoidance, Juan Pan

Dissertations

Traffic congestion causes driver frustration and costs billions of dollars annually in lost time and fuel consumption. This dissertation introduces a cost-effective and easily deployable vehicular re-routing system that reduces the effects of traffic congestion. The system collects real-time traffic data from vehicles and road-side sensors, and computes proactive, individually tailored re-routing guidance, which is pushed to vehicles when signs of congestion are observed on their routes. Subsequently, this dissertation proposes and evaluates two classes of re-routing strategies designed to be incorporated into this system, namely, Single Shortest Path strategies and Multiple Shortest Paths Strategies.

These strategies are firstly implemented …

In Vitro Modeling And Analysis Of Axon Stretch Growth For The Sustained Growth Of Long Nerve Fibers, Joseph Rocco Loverde

Dissertations

The integration of long nerve fibers throughout the body is distinctive among somatic tissues. Single, individual motor neurons grow to a meter in length or more as they maintain connectivity with sacral areas of the spinal cord from the brain. Similarly, homologous growth also occurs via spinal ganglion neurons within the peripheral nervous system. The most widely studied aspect of nerve development has been the migration and extension of growth cones towards synaptic targets during early development. However, following growth cone extension, axonal fibers continue to grow in synchrony with the expansion of limbs and mit otic tissues throughout childhood …

A Distributed Model Of Oilseed Biorefining, Via Integrated Industrial Ecology Exchanges, Jeremy C. Ferrell

Dissertations

As the demand for direct petroleum substitutes increases, biorefineries are poised to become centers for conversion of biomass into fuels, energy, and biomaterials. A distributed model offers reduced transportation, tailored process technology to available feedstock, and increased local resilience. Oilseeds are capable of producing a wide variety of useful products additive to food, feed, and fuel needs. Biodiesel manufacturing technology lends itself to smaller-scale distributed facilities able to process diverse feedstocks and meet demand of critical diesel fuel for basic municipal services, safety, sanitation, infrastructure repair, and food production. Integrating biodiesel refining facilities as tenants of eco-industrial parks presents a …

Faith Commitments And Spiritual Influences As Correlates Of Adolescents' Involvement In Service In The Valuegenesis Study, Andrea Cristina Nagy

Dissertations

Purpose. The first goal of this research was to examine the changes that took place over the three administrations of the Valuegenesis survey, in terms of students’ involvement in service. Secondly this study sought to determine the relationship between adolescents’ commitment to religious values and Seventh-day Adventist beliefs, and their involvement in service to others. The third goal of this research was to explore the relationship between home, church, and school variables, and the participation in acts of service of students attending Seventh-day Adventist schools.

Methodology. The present research study uses quantitative research methods and is a secondary analysis. …

Pattern Specific Isotopic Labeling Of Phenylalanine And Incorporation Into Recombinant Protein For Macromolecular Complex Study, Mary Catherine Hames

Dissertations

Macromolecular complexes are at the forefront of structural biology. Despite technological advances, there remains a significant size barrier for study of these systems. Site specific labeling of ILV methyl residues has been used to study systems such as the proteasome, but other methods are still needed. Aromatic amino acids have many of the advantages of methyl containing residues and are desirable for site specific labeling. They are often found in the protein core and at important interaction interfaces. Aromatic side chains have positions with multiple magnetically equivalent 1H probes and distinct carbon chemical shifts. Side chain ring flipping results in …

Carnosic Acid Enriched Rosemary Extract Prevents Obesity And Metabolic Syndrome In High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice, Rashin Sedighi

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of rosemary leaf extract (RE) and its active components on prevention of weight gain and associated metabolic disorders in high-fat-fed mice; determine the effective doses of the chief compound in RE to reduce weight gain and hyperglycemia; and try to understand the underlying anti-obesity mechanism. For this purpose, commercial RE with 45% carnosic acid (CA) was enriched with CA to 80%. Animals were given low-fat diet (LFD), high-fat diet (HFD), high fat with 0.50% RE (enriched with 45% CA, RE#1), high fat with 0.28% w/w RE (enriched with 80% …

Impact Of Selected Rodenticides On The Acidic And Enzymatic Coagulation Properties Of Milk, Madhavi H. Hathurusinghe

Dissertations

The early detection of chemical contaminants in milk at the farm level is essential to prevent them entering into the food chain. The overall objective of this study was to determine the effect of selected rodenticides on the acidic and enzymatic coagulation properties of milk by using selected strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and to evaluate the suitability of lactic acid bacteria as a biomarker for early detection of toxins in milk. Specific objectives of this study were (a) to determine the optimum growth temperature for lactic acid bacteria in MRS broth for early detection of rodenticides; (b) to …

Modeling And Applying Biomimetic Metaheuristics To Product Life Cycle Engineering, Patrick Tchapdiã© Wanko

Dissertations

Due to its potential for significant impact, interest continues to grow in the assessment of products from a life cycle perspective. As the nature of products shifts from mechanized and Newtonian to more adaptive and complex, the behavior of products more closely resembles biological organisms in community. The change in product nature is increasingly mirrored at the component level. The work presented in this dissertation is twofold. First, the research proposes a general, systematic and holistic classification of life cycle data to transform the design problem into an optimization problem. Second, the research proposes two new metaheuristics (bio-inspired and socio-inspired) …

Reduction Of Enteric Methane Production: A Nutritional Approach, A'Ja V. Duncan

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of feed particle size and nitrate or fumarate alone or in combination on in vitro fermentation, abundances of methanogens, and methane production. Rumen fluid was collected from a Holstein-Friesian dry cow and a steer (experiment 1) and a dry cow and two steers (experiment 2) averaging 625.4 kg in body weight (BW). The cattle were offered 11.4 kg/d per animal of concentrate diet containing equal amounts of soybean meal, whole cottonseed, and ground corn once a day with grass hay at ad libitum (experiment 1) and 15.9 kg/d per animal of total mixed ration (TMR) …

Energy Optimization Of A Free-Piston Enhanced Hybrid Vehicle, Kenneth Jarod Jones

Dissertations

The world’s heavy dependence on vehicles which utilize hydrocarbon fuels as a primary power source has renewed the interest in electric and hybrid vehicles for industrial, commercial, and public use. The primary objective of this movement is centered on increased efficiency in energy usage for transportation. Hybrid vehicles which utilize an internal combustion engine as a linear generator, converting energy stored in hydrocarbon fuels into electrical power, could serve as a transitioning technology. The free-piston enhanced hybrid vehicle (FPHV) could potentially fill this role. The present work contains a theoretical and numerical approach to analyzing and optimizing the usage of …

Understanding How White Allies In The Struggle Against Racism Unveil And Deconstruct Whiteness, Kim N. Sexton-Lewter

Dissertations

Despite claims of a post-racial society, racism is still alive and well in America and whiteness remains invisible or unseen (Delgado & Stefanic, 2012). To a great extent the invisibility of whiteness serves to preserve and perpetuate racism in our society (Wildman, 2005). Efforts to eradicate racism need to shift from focusing on people of color to the task of unveiling and calling out whiteness. Doing away with norms that traditionally benefit White people and disenfranchise people of color could prove productive in combatting socio-cultural patterns and conditions that maintain White privilege and racial inequalities (Peterson & Hamrick, 2009). This …

A Mixed-Methods Comparison Of Standards-Based And Traditional Gradebooks In One High School, Kevin P. Mabie

Dissertations

Online gradebooks have gradually become a staple of schools in the 21st century. Students and parents have immediate access to grades, and the composition of these grades is transparent. While the purpose of the online gradebook may have initially been for the conveniences such systems offer the school and its stakeholders, it has also served as a catalyst for gradebook reform. Gradebook construction strategies have been called into question, and solutions which allow gradebooks to provide more accurate and specific information have been developed. This study explored student learning growth through the use of two different online gradebooks: a traditionally …

Cellular Processes Regulating Cytoskeletal Signaling, Insulin Resistance And Calcium Signaling Are Commonly Misregulated In Type 1 And Type 2 Myotonic Dystrophy Patients, Nripesh Prasad

Dissertations

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a mutisystemic neurological disorder with an autosomal dominant inheritance involving skeletal and cardiac muscles. There are two different types of DM identified; type1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1) and type2 myotonic dystrophy (DM2). In this study I undertook an intense unbiased investigative approach by profiling the global mRNA, miRNA and protein expression landscape in skeletal muscle biopsies from DM1 and DM2 patients. I also compared the mRNA expression of three transgenic mouse models (DM2-KI, HSA-CTG and HSA-CCTG) with human DM patient muscle biopsy samples. My novel integrated comparative analysis strategy revealed widespread mRNA and miRNA misregulation in DM …

The Effect Of Prosody Instruction On Reading Fluency And Comprehension Among Third-Grade Students, Tammy B. Overstreet

Dissertations

Problem

Many students are failing to become proficient readers with current instructional methods used in American schools. Students frequently make improvements in two of fluency’s dimensions, rate and accuracy, but these improvements have not consistently correlated to improvements in reading comprehension, which is the objective of reading. The automaticity plus prosody (APP) model was developed by this researcher from Topping’s deep processing fluency model to explain why teaching and assessing the multiple dimensions of fluency (rate, accuracy, and prosody) improve comprehension. The purpose of this study was to compare students in a private school in a small town in southwestern …

Relationship Between Involvement In Institutional Activities And Christian Life Commitment Among Undergraduate Students Of A Christian University In Mexico, Esteban Quiyono

Dissertations

Problem

A considerable gap in knowledge exists regarding religious commitment among young people in Mexican Christian colleges, where many institutional resources are invested to foster such commitment. This study attempted to identify the extent to which Christian commitments of undergraduate students in a Mexican Christian university are related to their involvement in institutional activities, influential agents, and selected demographic variables (gender, grade level, place of residence, and field of study).

Method

A descriptive cross-sectional and correlational design was conducted using survey research methodology with a stratified sample of 332 undergraduate students enrolled during the fall term of the 2002-2003 college …

Factors That Relate To Registered Nurses' Readiness For Interprofessional Learning In The Context Of Continuing Professional Development, Collette Williams

Dissertations

Today’s health-care professionals practice in a highly technological, multidisciplinary environment. In order to provide safe, effective, and high-quality patient care, collaboration is required among all professionals. Traditionally each profession has operated independently in regard to continued professional development. The purpose of this study was to assess practicing registered nurses’ readiness toward interprofessional learning in order to align learning with current practice.

Method. An ex post facto study design was used to gather data to examine if there is a relationship between variables of demographics and readiness for interprofessional learning. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) assesses the readiness for …

Preservice Teachers' Attitudes And Efficacy Beliefs Toward Inclusion Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders In The Midwestern Region Of The United States, Amy Cavanaugh Cramer

Dissertations

Problem Statement. The increased prevalence of children identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) will likely result in these students being placed more frequently in general education classrooms. As a result, general education teachers will be responsible, and must be willing and adequately prepared, for teaching students with ASD. Attitudes are one of the most important predictors for successful inclusion. Teachers indicate a willingness to include students with ASD. However, they do not feel prepared for inclusion for students with ASD.

Teacher training and efficacy beliefs are related to teachers' ability to educate students with disabilities. Since teacher training occurs at …

Dominant Characteristics And Predictive Factors That Motivate A Theology Career Choice In A Private Denominational University In São Paulo, Brazil, Gerson Pires Araujo

Dissertations

Problem. More than six times the number of applicants than can be accepted attempt to enter the theology program on the campus of the Adventist Brazilian University of São Paulo (UNASP). The number of applicants is increasing every year and the majority cannot follow their chosen career.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the dominant characteristics and the discriminant factors that motivated the career choice of freshman theology students in a private denominational university in Brazil. The study also analyzed the demographic characteristics of those students and their perceived sense of mission for a ministerial …