Digital Commons Network^™

Past And Progress: Producing History At Chicago's 1933-34 World's Fair, Cate Liabraaten

Dissertations

During the country’s worst economic crisis, the Great Depression, Chicago hosted an event that presented a vision for the future. The 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition was Chicago’s second world’s fair, important for revitalizing the local economy as well as encouraging optimism for a better future. While the fair’s theme officially focused on scientific and technological progress and was intended to be forward-looking, several exhibits dwelt on the past.

Study of these historic-themed exhibits reveals that by featuring Abraham Lincoln, Fort Dearborn, Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable, and a replica colonial village, Americans looked to their shared past to make …

None Of Us Are Safe: How Leaders Sustain Culturally Responsive Elementary And Middle School Improvement Planning, Jerry B. Michel

Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, school leaders, school boards, and teachers faced challenges beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, finding themselves under attack for the perceived applications of critical race theory in school curriculum. These conditions made active engagement in equity-focused school improvement planning more challenging. School leaders and leadership teams may benefit from using an established framework to identify strengths and areas for growth around culturally responsive pedagogy for effective school improvement planning. This article explores the use of Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor Framework as a tool for identifying prioritizing which conditions for culturally responsive pedagogy …

A Portrait Of The Leadership Of Women In Early Christianity: An Archaeological Study In Light Of The Historical And Socio-Cultural Contexts, Carina Prestes

Dissertations

Problem

The participation of women in the Early Christian communities is widely accepted. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on what was their role in these communities. Until now the study of women in the Early Christian communities has focused mostly in the writings of some ancient authors and a few biblical texts. These studies have been done mostly by theologians and historians. Such studies rarely take a deep look at the Greco-Roman background and at the historical, socio-cultural contexts. This contextualization can be quite fruitful and should be informed by recent archaeological discoveries of the first centuries of Christianity. Thus, …

A Comparison Of Virtual Vs. Traditional Cycling Exercise On Perceived Duration And Exercise Enjoyment, Kyle W. Reason

Dissertations

We compared perceived duration, ratings of enjoyment and RPE between virtual vs. standard cycling. Participants completed a VO2 peak test and four counterbalanced trials (two 20-min, two 40-min) one at each duration on the interactive Expresso bike (EXP) and a workload matched trial on a Velotron (VEL). Acute RPE were assessed every 5-min. Perceived duration (min) and exercise enjoyment were assessed 15-min post. No significant differences were found for perceived duration between trials (SDE 23.9 ± 8.4; SDV 27.1 ± 9.6; LDE 40.0 ± 12.1; LDV 38.9 ± 10.8). For long duration expresso (LDE) RPE-overall were significantly lower at 25, …

Structural Impact Of Epstein-Barr Virus- Encoded Small Rna -1 On Its Transport And Function, Zubaida Hassan

Dissertations

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)-Encoded RNAs (EBERs) are two small, noncoding, structurally conserved transcripts that are expressed in millions of copies in all stages of EBV infection. Despite their abundant expression, the role of EBERs in EBV biology or pathogenesis is not well defined. However, they are associated with driving cell proliferation and improving intercellular communication via their secretion in exosomes. In spite of the pathogenic potentials of EBERs, the mechanisms involved in their transport and function remain to be elucidated. The aim of this PhD dissertation was to investigate the structural impact of EBER1 in its transport and function. The conserved …

Understanding Advanced Practice Providers' Personal Factors That Influence Evaluating And Referring For Sleep Disorders In Pediatric And Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Survivors, Lindsay R. Melson

Dissertations

Pediatric and adolescent young adult (AYA) cancer survivors disproportionately experience sleep disorders compared to healthy peers. This dissertation examines the facilitators and barriers that influence advanced practice providers' (APPs) ability to evaluate and refer pediatric/AYA hematology oncology cancer survivors to sleep specialists. The first manuscript provides an integrative review of APPs' behaviors in screening for sleep disorders in pediatric/AYA cancer survivors using the Social Cognitive Theory as a guide. The second manuscript defines the concept of sleep disorders in pediatric cancer survivors using the Walker and Avant method. The third manuscript provides a qualitative analysis from interviews with hematology/oncology (heme/onc) …

The Influence Of Irrigation On Great Plains Diurnal Circulations And Boundary Layer Convective Rolls, Christopher E. Phillips

Dissertations

Agriculture is the most substantial change to the natural land surface made by humans, and irrigation plays a crucial role. Irrigation is utilized for 20% of croplands, and those regions produce 40% of the global food supply. The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) deployed to southeast Nebraska during the summer of 2018 to investigate the effects of irrigation on the atmosphere. This dissertation utilizes those observations in conjunction with numerical modeling to determine how irrigation modifies the Great Plains slope wind. Analysis of rawinsondes indicate that irrigation present in upslope regions of the domain weakens the slope wind circulation and …

Microphysical Examination Of Electrified Snowfall Events Using Goes Abi/Glm And Nu-Wrf, Sebastian S. Harkema

Dissertations

Much of the research using lightning, satellite, and numerical weather prediction model dataset involves the observation and prediction of warm season convection, whereas studies with regards to winter weather and heavy snowfall are sparse and nearly non-existent for electrified snowfall events. Single channel and multispectral composite satellite imagery were analyzed prior to lightning initiation in snowfall (i.e., thundersnow). Objectively tracked cloud features exhibited similar cloud-top brightness temperature and reflectance value changes – prior to thundersnow initiation – compared to cloud features associated with summertime lightning. Multispectral composite imagery – particularly the day cloud phase distinction – demonstrated consistent color changes …

Community-Based Early Dementia Advance Care Planning In The United States, Christine Noelle Flaherty

Dissertations

Dementia Advance Care Planning (ACP) promotes quality of life through discussions and decisions about goals of care and end-of-life wishes. However, ACP is rarely introduced in the community setting, and ACP is commonly deferred until advanced dementia when the patient can no longer communicate. The purpose of this three-manuscript dissertation was to advance the understanding of community-based early dementia ACP through an examination of the literature (manuscript one), the development of the dementia public health exposome conceptual framework (manuscript two), and the exploration of perceptions of ACP amongst dementia clinicians, dementia caregivers, and individuals with preclinical dementia in a dementia …

Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement In Stem Through Bioinformatics Research, Michele C. Morris

Dissertations

A novel intervention to introduce undergraduate students to bioinformatics, provide authentic research opportunities, and support student retention in science majors and careers is presented in the Characterizing Our DNA Exceptions (CODE) project. The need to increase the number of qualified STEM graduates, particularly in the fields of bioinformatics and computational research, was the impetus for this project that leads students down the path of scientific discovery as they characterize genomic variants of uncertain significance (VUS). This study sought to examine if student participation in a CODE research project would increase their bioinformatics awareness, interest, comfort, and knowledge, as well as …

Using Materialized Views For Answering Graph Pattern Queries, Michael Lan

Dissertations

Discovering patterns in graphs by evaluating graph pattern queries involving direct (edge-to-edge mapping) and reachability (edge-to-path mapping) relationships under homomorphisms on data graphs has been extensively studied. Previous studies have aimed to reduce the evaluation time of graph pattern queries due to the potentially numerous matches on large data graphs.

In this work, the concept of the summary graph is developed to improve the evaluation of tree pattern queries and graph pattern queries. The summary graph first filters out candidate matches which violate certain reachability constraints, and then finds local matches of query edges. This reduces redundancy in the representation …

Carrier Transport Engineering In Wide Bandgap Semiconductors For Photonic And Memory Device Applications, Ravi Teja Velpula

Dissertations

Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors play a crucial role in the current solid-state lighting technology. The AlGaN compound semiconductor is widely used for ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), however, the efficiency of these LEDs is largely in a single-digit percentage range due to several factors. Until recently, AlInN alloy has been relatively unexplored, though it holds potential for light-emitters operating in the visible and UV regions. In this dissertation, the first axial AlInN core-shell nanowire UV LEDs operating in the UV-A and UV-B regions with an internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of 52% are demonstrated. Moreover, the light extraction efficiency of this …

Improving The Stimulation Selectivity In The Human Cochlea By Strategic Selection Of The Current Return Electrode, Ozan Cakmak

Dissertations

The hearing quality provided by cochlear implants are poorly predicted by computer simulations. A realistic cochlear anatomy is crucial for the accuracy of predictions. In this study, the standard multipolar stimulation paradigms are revisited and Rattay’s Activating Function is evaluated in a finite element model of a realistic cochlear geometry that is based on µ-CT images and a commercial lead. The stimulation thresholds across the cochlear fibers were investigated for monopolar, bipolar, tripolar, and a novel (distant) bipolar electrode configuration using an active compartmental nerve model based on Schwartz-Eikhof-Frijns membrane dynamics. The results suggest that skipping of the stimulation point …

Photonic Monitoring Of Atmospheric Fauna, Adrien P. Genoud

Dissertations

Insects play a quintessential role in the Earth’s ecosystems and their recent decline in abundance and diversity is alarming. Monitoring their population is paramount to understand the causes of their decline, as well as to guide and evaluate the efficiency of conservation policies. Monitoring populations of flying insects is generally done using physical traps, but this method requires long and expensive laboratory analysis where each insect must be identified by qualified personnel. Lack of reliable data on insect populations is now considered a significant issue in the field of entomology, often referred to as a “data crisis” in the field. …

Twitter Sentiment Analysis: Applications In Healthcare And Finance, Jiali Wang

Dissertations

This research explores the influence of Twitter sentiment on healthcare and finance industries. It assesses how Twitter sentiment and culture measure influence COVID-19 statistics, and it investigates the impact of Twitter sentiment on S&P 1500 stock mispricing. Furthermore, it examines how tweet sentiment predicts major industry returns.

The first part examines how Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions (HCD) and Twitter economic uncertainty index (TEU) relate to COVID-19 infection rate and death rate. The results show certain aspects in HCD, such as power distance index (PDI) and masculinity (MAS) both are negatively and significantly associated with the infection rate, while indulgence (IVR) and …

Integrated Machine Learning And Optimization Approaches, Dogacan Yilmaz

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the integration of machine learning and optimization. Specifically, novel machine learning-based frameworks are proposed to help solve a broad range of well-known operations research problems to reduce the solution times. The first study presents a bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory framework to learn optimal solutions to sequential decision-making problems. Computational results show that the framework significantly reduces the solution time of benchmark capacitated lot-sizing problems without much loss in feasibility and optimality. Also, models trained using shorter planning horizons can successfully predict the optimal solution of the instances with longer planning horizons. For the hardest data set, …

Faceted Nanomaterial Synthesis, Characterizations And Applications In Reactive Electrochemical Membrane Filtration, Qingquan Ma

Dissertations

Facet engineering of nanomaterials, especially metals and metal oxides has become an important strategy for tuning catalytic properties and functions from heterogeneous catalysis to electrochemical catalysis, photocatalysis, biomedicine, fuel cells, and gas sensors. The catalytic properties are highly related to the surface electronic structures, surface electron transport characteristics, and active center structures of catalysts, which can be tailored by surface facet control. The aim of this doctoral dissertation research is to study the facet-dependent properties of metal or metal oxide nanoparticles using multiple advanced characterization techniques. Specifically, the novel atomic force microscope-scanning electrochemical microscope (AFM-SECM) and density functional theory (DFT) …

Helioseismic Diagnostics Of Active Regions And Their Magnetic Fields, John T. Stefan

Dissertations

While two and a half decades of nearly constant observation by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft have yielded key insights into the structure and dynamics of active regions, it is still unclear if active regions can be identified before emerging on the solar surface and, once emerged, whether the subsurface structure of an active region’s magnetic field can be measured. Regarding the dynamical processes associated with active regions, the height and mechanism of sunquake excitation remains poorly understood. To answer these questions, a comprehensive survey of active region magnetic fields and their …

Hydrodynamic Investigation Of The Discharge Of Complex Fluids From Dispensing Bottles Using Experimental And Computational Approaches, Baran Teoman

Dissertations

The discharge of non-Newtonian, complex fluids through orifices of industrial tanks, pipes, dispensers, or packaging containers is a ubiquitous but often problematic process because of the complex rheology of such fluids and the geometry of the containers. This, in turn, reduces the discharge rate and results in residual fluid left in the container, often referred to as heel. Heel formation is undesired in general, since it causes loss of valuable material, container fouling, and cross-contamination between batches. Heel may be of significant concern not only in industrial vessels but also in consumer packaging. Despite its relevance, the research in this …

The Future Of The Urban Street In The United States: Visions Of Alternative Mobilities In The Twenty-First Century, Esther Zipori

Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the present and future of urban streets in the United States. The goal is to document and analyze current visions, policies, and strategies related to the form and use of American urban streets. The dissertation examines current mobility trends and offers a framework for organizing visions of the future of urban streets, evaluating them through three lenses: safety, comfort, and delight: assessing physical conditions in accordance with livability standards toward sustainable development. At the same time, it demonstrates the way 12 scenarios (NACTO Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism, Sidewalk Labs: Quayside Project, Public Square by FXCollaborative, …

Interactions Of Amyloid Peptides With Lipid Membranes, Yanxing Yang

Dissertations

The aggregation of amyloid proteins into fibrils is a hallmark of several diseases including Alzheimer’s (AD), Parkinson’s, and Type II diabetes. This aggregation process involves the formation of small size oligomers preceding the formation of insoluble fibrils. Recent studies have shown that these oligomers are more likely to be responsible for cell toxicity than fibrils. A possible mechanism of toxicity involves the interaction of oligomers with the cell membrane compromising its integrity. In particular, oligomers may form pore-like structures in the cell membrane affecting its permeability or they may induce lipid loss via a detergent-like effect. This dissertation aims to …

Microhydrodynamic, Kinetic And Thermal Modeling Of Wet Media Milling For Process Optimization And Intensification, Gulenay Guner

Dissertations

Nanoparticle production by wet stirred media milling (WSMM) is a common method for the formulation of poorly water-soluble drugs. While most of the studies in the WSMM literature focus on the formulation aspects to overcome the stability challenges, a thorough mechanistic understanding of the process is lacking, and the process is slow, costly, and energy-intensive. This dissertation presents experimental and modeling work with the ultimate goals of (i) gaining a deeper and more mechanistic understanding of the WSMM process and breakage kinetics of the particles using a microhydrodynamic model with various improvements and advancements, (ii) examining the heat dissipation during …

Machine Learning-Based Data Analytics For Understanding Space Weather And Climate, Yasser Abduallah

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses multiple crucial problems in space weather and climate, presenting new machine learning-based data analytics algorithms and models for tackling the problems.

First, the dissertation presents two new approaches to predicting solar flares. One approach, called DeepSun, predicts solar flares by utilizing a machine-learning-as-a-service (MLaaS) platform. The DeepSun system provides a friendly interface for Web users and an application programming interface (API) for remote programming users. It adopts an ensemble learning method that employs several machine learning algorithms to perform multiclass flare prediction. The other approach, named SolarFlareNet, forecasts the occurrence of solar flares within the next 24 …

Bioremediation Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Coastal Sediments, Charbel Abou Khalil

Dissertations

The biodegradation of dispersed crude oil in the ocean is relatively rapid (a half-life of a few weeks). However, it is often much slower on shorelines, usually attributed to low moisture content, nutrient limitation, and higher oil concentrations in beaches than in dispersed plumes. Another factor may be the increased salinity of the upper intertidal and supratidal zones since these parts of the beach are potentially subject to prolonged evaporation and only intermittent inundation. Therefore, two laboratory experiments are conducted to investigate whether such an increase in porewater salinity results in additional inhibitory effects on oil biodegradation in seashores.

In …

A Novel Biomaterial Platform For Cardiac Tissue Engineering, Andrew House

Dissertations

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world. With a growing demand for in vitro cardiac models that can recapitulate the complex physiology of the cardiac tissue, there is a desire to create novel therapies and treatments. However, due to a lack of fundamental understanding of the heart's inflammatory response to myocardial infarction, the development of new therapies is both time consuming and costly. In this work, a novel approach to fabricating a dynamic hydrogel cardiac platform is reported. This platform better mimics the dynamic changes occurring in the native cardiac tissue microenvironment during cardiac …

Angiogenic Supports For Microvascular Engineering, Zain Siddiqui

Dissertations

Ischemic tissue disease is caused by a lack of circulation / blood supply to tissue. This can be treated by introducing a number of angiogenic (pro-blood vessel forming) factors into the tissue. This work presents strategies for ischemic tissue treatment utilizing a novel proangiogenic self-assembling peptide hydrogel platform. To demonstrate the utility of this platform, its use alone as an angiogenic therapeutic (both alone as a self-assembling hydrogel and with two-component systems), and its ability to vascularize implants is explored. Due to these angiogenic scaffolds demonstrating efficacy to regenerate microvasculature, this work evaluates diseases that can be treated by the …

Nondirect Line-Of-Sight Free-Space Optical Communications And Networks, Paa Kwesi Affir Esubonteng

Dissertations

Nondirect Line-of-Sight Free-Space Optical Communications (NLoS-FSOC) uses diffuse reflected light to establish communication between two or more stations that are with or without line-of-sight (LoS) to each other. Different from free-space optical communications (FSOC), NLoS-FSOC uses a diffuse reflector (DR) between a transmitter and a receiver so that LoS is not required between them but between the station and the DR. Unlike a mirror, the DR reflects the incident light to all directions and except to itself. That multidirectional reflection broadcast the optical transmission to all receivers with LoS to the DR. The optical broadcast channel establishes a true optical …

Naturally Derived Fibrous Scaffolds Containing Metabolic Factors For Bone Tissue Engineering, Apurva Limaye

Dissertations

More than 500,000 bone grafting procedures are performed each year to treat bone defects, trauma, and non-unions. Current strategies, including autografts and allografts, face limitations that include donor site morbidity and poor integration, respectively. Treatments using the delivery of the growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2), result in ectopic bone formation and adverse effects at high doses. Tissue engineering strategies are utilized to combat these challenges. Natural biomaterials are commonly used as tissue engineering scaffolds due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and they can promote cellular function. However, animal-derived materials can have limitations in availability, lot to lot variability and potential …

Microplastics And Genetic Vectors Promoting The Dissemination Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Municipal Wastewater Treatment Processes, Ngoc Dung Pham

Dissertations

The spread of antimicrobial resistance in the environment and especially its transfer into human pathogens have emerged as global issues. Activated sludge units at municipal wastewater treatment plants are "hotspots" converging a multitude of contaminants, including antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), human pathogens, and microplastics. The prevalence of antibiotics can induce stress response of sludge microbial communities and promote the development of new resistance mechanisms and transmission venues, through which the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) arises as mediated by mobile genetic elements (MGEs). In this doctoral dissertation, the impacts of microplastics and genetic vectors (i.e., MGEs and bacterial hosts) …

Platinum Nanoparticles, Targeted Therapy For Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Aida Lopez Ruiz

Dissertations

Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that has many different applications including cancer treatment and detection. Noble metal nanoparticles such as gold, silver or palladium, have shown major potential in the field of medicine and pharmaceutics. In particular, platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) have been reported with promising anticancer results. The activity of nanoparticles is based on their small size and high surface area; these properties allow them to penetrate biofilms as well as influence intracellular mechanisms. Recent studies indicate that Pt NPs can be used as a therapy for cancer showing a limited toxicity to healthy cells. Hence, in this work, …