Digital Commons Network^™

Giftedness In A Post-Secondary Environment: Academic, Social, And Affective Results And Recommendations, Justin Villet

Dissertations

The field of gifted education has been present in America since the early 20th century (Jolly, 2009). After scholars developed a list of gifted characteristics in the 1950s, the concept of giftedness became far more controversial (Terman & Oden, 1959). Over the last 75 years, gifted education in America has gone from a shining star to complete ambiguity, owing partially to politics and partially to decentralized process (Ford, 2013; Gallagher, 2015; Hodges et al., 2018). This study included an examination of the gifted experience from the secondary to post-secondary environments. The researcher examined various qualitative and quantitative secondary data, including …

The Roots Of Our Food: Relationships Are The Seeds Of Care-Based Food Heritage, Nicole E. Post, Raena D. Parsons, Adrian Boone

Dissertations

The purpose of this co-authored, general qualitative research

study was to examine food relationships between individuals,

communities, and Earth. We explored the concept of relational food

systems pertaining to engagement ideas at EarthDance Organic Farm

School and Hawai’i Institute of Pacific Agriculture. Our research

furthers understanding about how to engage people, individually and

collectively, with the land to inspire action. We argue that care-based

relationships can inspire action, helping individuals reconnect with

their food heritage by engaging with land, community, and self.

Heritage site leaders in food systems who center interconnectedness

create places where relationships between people, land, and food …

A Four-Truth Exploration Of Memory, Social Connection, And Belonging In Fairground And Tower Grove Parks In St. Louis, Missouri, Kenya D. Womack, Adeola N. Adewale, Marie E. Boesch, Gelene M. Strecker-Sayer

Dissertations

Historic racism supported practices such as redlining, discriminatory zoning, and racial steering that separated people and determined the flow of resources and investment into neighborhoods. Communities continue to experience the long tail effects of historic patterns of racism. That is, historic inequities influence the opportunities that residents have to connect with each other and thrive in urban areas. Urban neighborhood parks have the potential to bridge social divides and bring a community together. This basic qualitative research study examines two contested heritage sites in St. Louis, Missouri: Fairground Park, a park in a Black neighborhood that has been historically disinvested …

Beyond "Thanks For Your Service": Navigating The Challenges Of Memorializing The Global War On Terrorism, James Craig

Dissertations

As objects of public commemoration, the American public expects our national war and veteran memorials to draw coherent narratives from diverse, often contradictory, experiences. In return, our society bestows these places with extraordinary authority, allowing them to define the essence of events from years ago. This dissertation explores that phenomenon in the context of the national Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial, which has been approved for placement in the National Mall and is in its design phase. As its framework, this dissertation uses the four truth framework developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. With a focus …

In Living Memory: Curatorial Perspectives Of Jewish Heritage In Holocaust Public Histories, Hannah M. Lahti

Dissertations

Holocaust Museums present a history of the genocide of European Jews, while Jewish Museums represent the long history and diverse cultures of Jewish life. By examining Holocaust public histories in Poland and the United States, this dissertation outlines the historical and memorial conditions that inform museum exhibits, as well as the curatorial approaches that synthesize historical information, spatial contexts, and material culture into exhibition narratives and historical representation. This dissertation employs exhibition analysis to explain existing curatorial approaches in Holocaust public histories and identifies curatorial principles and methods of display that might translate to new exhibits. Informed by the models …

The Write Time For An Autoethnography: How Writing Project Has Shaped My Understanding Of Professional Learning In Community, Tracy Brosch

Dissertations

This study critically examines the cultural and societal phenomenon that comprises the National Writing Project (NWP), specifically reflecting on my experiences of re-designing Gateway Writing Project professional learning experiences as a leader in the organization. I reflect on my encounters, collaborations, and decisions as an Institute instructor and analyze them within the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice using autoethnography as my research methodology. This autoethnographic narrative documents my analysis and understanding of NWP’s framework of social practices, chronicling my journey from participant to advocate and from organizer to leader. Employing the autoethnographic method enabled me to illuminate my own …

Enzymatic Characterization Of Bacterial Enzymes And Inhibitors As Potential Antibiotics With New Mechanisms Of Action, Emma Helene Kelley

Dissertations

Bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics, therefore there is an urgent need for new drug classes of antibiotics to help fight antibiotic infections. To this end, our research is focused on inhibitors of dizinc metalloenzymes N-succinyl-L,L-diaminopimelic acid desuccinylase (DapE), an enzyme in the lysine biosynthesis pathway, N-acetyl-L-ornithine deacetylase enzyme (ArgE), an enzyme in the arginine biosynthesis pathway, and sodium-dependent NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Na+-NQR) enzyme, a respiratory complex enzyme as promising drug targets. DapE, ArgE, and Na+-NQR and are only present in bacteria, including ESKAPE pathogens that can cause potentially deadly infections, thus inhibitors of DapE, ArgE, and Na+-NQR offer …

The De Mau Mau Conspiracy: The Specter Of Black Vietnam Veterans In The Exercise Of Police Power, 1968-1976, Ina Cox

Dissertations

A forgotten and bizarre event encapsulates the violent decay that characterized the pivotal years the United States endured in the wake of the Vietnam War. Black veterans—guerrilla combat-trained, politically awakened by war, and disillusioned with the entrenched racial order at home—emerged as totems in a fearful, cynical political culture wracked by violence. Men overrepresented in the projection of American power abroad now stood as symbols of its fragility within, potential vessels of retribution for centuries of domestic and global oppression. This anxiety, merging with widespread protests and political upheaval, intensified the belief that American cities stood on the brink of …

Into The Language Barrier: Analysis Of The Debates Of Charles Taylor And Jürgen Habermas With Concentration On The Importance Of Philosophy Of Language, Tom Crosby

Dissertations

Jürgen Habermas (b. 1929) and Charles Taylor (b. 1931) are two of the most important philosophers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Throughout their lengthy bodies of work, spanning from the 1960s and continuing today, they were frequent interlocutors, and often responded to one another’s theories and arguments. They also engaged in direct debates in edited volumes to which they both contributed, including Communicative Action: Essays on Jürgen Habermas's The Theory of Communicative Action (1991), Multiculturalism (1994), and The Power of Religion in the Public Square (2011). The goal of this dissertation is to catalogue and analyze Habermas …

Development Of Novel Force Fields For Metal Ions, Madelyn Smith

Dissertations

Many biological proteins require the presence of a metal ion in order to properly function. However, metal ions’ complex nature charge poses several challenges to accurately and efficiently simulate computationally. For example, metal ions can exhibit multiple oxidation states, electronic state degeneracy, flexible coordination numbers, and significant polarization effects. To address these problems, this dissertation aims to enhance force fields for modeling metal ions in molecular dynamics simulations. First, a comprehensive set of van der Waals radii for metal ions is derived, demonstrating the importance of using physically meaningful parameters in force fields. Second, a comprehensive set of atomic and …

The Hitching Post: American Poetry And Chinese Mythology, Xiamara Elena Hohman

Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine the ways in which Chinese mythology has figured in American poetry, focusing particularly on the ways Chinese mythologies have served—and continue to serve—as “hitching posts,” quasi-material sites from which meaning can be created and explored. As I am defining it, a myth is a narrative that gives meaning to a lived experience. It explains what we commemorate and worship and renders meaningful both celebration and life. In the first three chapters of this study, I discuss the ways in which Chinese myths and cultural practices have been both used as hitching posts and appropriated by …

"The Divine Light Illuminates The Intellect:" The Role Of Divine Illumination In The Theology Of Meister Eckhart, John Marshall Loving

Dissertations

This dissertation is a study on the epistemological theory of divine illumination in the works of Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 - 1329 CE). Illumination, first asserted by St. Augustine, is the theory that the human intellect is incapable of achieving epistemic certainty regarding what it sensorily receives. To gain this certainty, the mind is reliant upon illumination, wherein the sensed object is known by the mind through the light of that object's divine idea, which also serves as its ontological principle. Divine illumination was the dominant epistemology in Christian thought for centuries until it began to lose its influence in …

Modernism’S Mythic Mothers: Queering Motherhood Through Classical Matrilineage, Samantha Marie Lepak

Dissertations

I position this dissertation at the intersection of modern/contemporary literature, queer/feminist theory, and ancient Greek classics in the hopes of better understanding the spaces in which they meet, engaging with writers from the late modernist era to the present in order to highlight the connections between theories, themes, and practices of queerness from the modernists forward. Using the work of H.D. and writers following in her footsteps, I argue that exploring adaptations of Greek classics written primarily by female and gender-variant authors from the modernist era forward illuminates the extent to which the classics enables writers to “think queerly,” considering …

Maternal Access For Depression In Rural Environments, Simone Parlier

Dissertations

Significance –As many as 25% of birthing persons experience postpartum depression (PPD) within the first year after childbirth making this one of the most common postpartum disorders. PPD is prevalent, incapacitating, and treatable. The first step is identifying those at risk. Rural birthing persons are understudied, and may have unique predisposing characteristics as well as geographic challenges for optimal detection and treatment of PPD. Purpose -The long-term goal is to improve the health of rural families. Using The Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms, the purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional research was to describe the prevalence of PPD in rural birthing persons …

Ethnicity Through Education: An Analysis Of The Influence Of Formal Education On Ethnicity In Garo Hills, Samirkumar Benedict Talati

Dissertations

In recent decades, the positioning of ethnic groups within the educational context has emerged as an important area of scholarly investigation. The structural, institutional, and local contexts often determine how ethnic groups shape their ethnicity. This study draws from panethnicity and social ontology frameworks to examine ethnic consciousness and the processes of solidarity-building across subgroups within the Garo community in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya. The unequal distribution of educational resources has led to socioeconomic disparities and class formation within Garo society, creating a growing divide between the educated and uneducated Garos. While acknowledging the diversity among subgroups, this study …

The Impact Of Substrate Structure And Catalyst Identity On The Lewis-Acid Catalyzed Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis Reaction, Cory William Schneider

Dissertations

The formation of carbon-carbon double bonds is one of the most important transformations in organic chemistry, as they are integral to the structural scaffold of many organic molecules. Thus, the development and understanding of reactions that form such bonds is crucial. Lewis-acid catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis is one such reaction. Like many others, this reaction is sensitive to both the identity of the catalyst, as well as the structure of the substrate. In this dissertation, I present empirical and theoretical works investigating how the catalyst identity and the substrate direct the reactivity of the Lewis-acid catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis reaction.

Assessment Of Relationships Between Quality And Staffing In The Ambulatory Care Environment, Rachel E. Start

Dissertations

ABSTRACT Background The United States healthcare system underperforms compared to other industrialized countries where cost and quality are concerned. Nursing is accountable, as a profession recognized by society, to ensure health and livelihood in the patients and populations served. Advancing the role of the ambulatory care nurse and providing valid strategies to measure the contribution of the nursing profession in this setting is a tactic that many organizations are pursuing to achieve this paradigm shift. The assessment of relationships between measures of structure, process, and outcome within the ambulatory care setting across a variety of organizations may have the potential …

Exploring Latinx Students' Experience With School Connectedness: A Hybrid Thematic Approach To Deductive And Inductive Analysis, Maria Olivia Mendez

Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to deepen the understanding of school connectedness experienced by Latinx high school students. Specifically, the researcher sought to explore how Latinx students described their connection to school during their high school years. Additionally, to examine whether their experiences aligned with the social and ecological structures outlined in the theoretical model supporting adolescent connectedness to school. If there is alignment, in what ways did it manifest? If not, how did the experiences differ? The study had two primary objectives: (a) to gain insight into how Latinx students experienced school and their sense of connection through their narratives, …

St. Louis, Missouri’S Gayborhood And Washington, Dc’S Black Lives Matter Plaza: Revealing The Healing Potential Of Resistance Stories That Are Grounded In Place, Ryan R. Lindsay, Lotte I. Lent, Ackesha J. Patrick

Dissertations

Oppressed people resist, even when facing severe consequences for doing so. At the core of systemic oppression—genocide, slavery, racism, and sexism—is a drive to control and dehumanize. Resistance, however, can serve as a powerful act of rehumanization. From enslaved individuals fleeing plantations to LGBTQ+ individuals risking arrest to gather in mid-20th-century bars, resistance reclaims power and autonomy under oppressive regimes. This study applies South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) “four truths” framework—comprising forensic, personal, social, and healing truths—to the interpretation of contested heritage sites. We argue that sites commemorating resistance hold transformative potential for individual and community healing. Using …

Toward Culturally Responsive Interpretation: Native American Histories, Lifeways, And Ways Of Knowing At The High Desert Museum, Carol Fitzsimmons, Ajena Cason Rogers

Dissertations

Many public museums and historic institutions reflect settler colonial culture and are primarily non-Native led. Although these institutions are trusted, many have perpetuated cultural harm through the theft of belongings, the misrepresentation of stories and histories, and the inaccurate portrayals of cultural content. When interpreting Native American experiences, many non-Native institutions struggle to co-create culturally responsive interpretation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to apply the four-truth framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to better understand how the High Desert Museum approached the interpretation of Native American content and stories and to explore how …

Evaluating Depression In Adults Undergoing Substance Abuse Treatment: A Program Evaluation Of Intensive Outpatient Program, Chidochomoyo E. Zvirawa

Dissertations

Problem: Depression and substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently co-occur, complicating recovery outcomes. Despite screening recommendations, depression remains underdiagnosed in many SUD treatment settings.

Methods: This mixed-methods program evaluation examined depressive symptoms among adults in an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). Depression screenings were conducted at intake, four weeks, and eight weeks. Eight participants meeting inclusion criteria were assessed. Data included demographics, treatment engagement, and PHQ-8 scores.

Results: PHQ-8 scores significantly declined from baseline (M = 11.75, SD = 6.52) to eight weeks (M = 5.13, SD = 5.05), t(7) = 2.76, p = .028, indicating …

The Clinical Utility Of Measuring Emotion Dysregulation In Autistic Youth, Monica S. Trevino

Dissertations

Autistic youth experience disproportionately high rates and severity of emotion dysregulation, which is linked to behavioral challenges, psychiatric comorbidities, familial stress, and increased emergency service and hospitalization use. Despite its clinical significance, emotion dysregulation in autistic youth remains relatively understudied and misunderstood, partly due to the lack of standardized assessment tools and limited research on its heterogeneity within autistic populations. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to 1) validate the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI) and assess measurement invariance in a diverse sample and 2) explore associations among emotion dysregulation, autism symptoms, and related child and family characteristics, …

Transforming Heritage Narratives: Harnessing The Power Of Four Truth Inquiry To Reclaim Women’S History And Reinvent Climate Communication At Interpretive Sites, Pamela Blair-Bruce

Dissertations

Abstract

Heritage sites, particularly national parks, serve as powerful spaces for storytelling that shape public understanding of American history, cultures, ecological processes, and diverse landscapes. However, their narratives often omit critical aspects of women’s history and climate change, perpetuating historical erasure and selective storytelling. This qualitative research study applies the Four-Truth Framework developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to examine how heritage interpretation can improve the recognition of women’s contributions and strengthen climate communication at heritage sites. To explore approaches to women’s history interpretation, the study employed semi-structured, focus group interviews with educators, historians, and interpreters across …

Genetic And Biochemical Analyses Reveal Litr's Role In Vibrio Fischeri Biofilm Formation, Brittany Loi Fung

Dissertations

Quorum sensing controls numerous processes ranging from production of virulence factors to biofilm formation. Biofilms, communities of bacteria that are attached to one another and/or a surface, are common in nature and, when they form, can produce a quorum of bacteria. One model system to study biofilms is the bacterium Vibrio fischeri, which forms a biofilm that promotes colonization of its symbiotic host. Many factors promote V. fischeri biofilm formation in vitro, including the symbiosis polysaccharide (SYP), cellulose, and the LapV adhesin but, so far, only a handful of studies have probed connections between biofilm formation and quorum sensing. In …

Investigating The Consequences Of Conjugated And Secreted Isg15 On Coronavirus Pathogenesis, Mudassir Syed Ali

Dissertations

Coronaviruses have evolved a breadth of mechanisms to antagonize host innate immune responses. One widely studied mechanism is the ability to deconjugate ISG15 from target proteins in a process called deISGylation, which is catalyzed by the papain-like protease (PLP) domain of viral non-structural protein (nsp) 3. Since PLP activity is required for viral replication, it has been challenging to generate an infectious virus with a PLP that maintains protease activity but has lost deISGylase activity. In this study, we generated a chimeric MHV-A59 with its PLP2 domain replaced with that of the human coronavirus HKU1, which has been documented to …

Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 4 Mediates Sex Specific Outcomes In Sepsis Induced Cardiomyopathy, John Yap

Dissertations

During sepsis, males often experience worse cardiac outcomes than females. Here, we identified pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) as a key contributor to this disparity. PDK4 is a mitochondrial protein that regulates glucose utilization by inhibiting pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). Using a mouse model of endotoxemia, we induced acute inflammation with a sublethal dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which caused cardiac dysfunction and significantly increased myocardial PDK4 expression in males but not females. Cardiac-specific PDK4 overexpression promoted LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction in both sexes, whereas cardiac-specific PDK4 knockout provided protection. In wild-type males, LPS disrupted cardiac metabolism by decreasing PDH activity and fatty …

Targeting Eya1 Phosphatase Activity In Mll-Rearranged Leukemia, Lola Badmus

Dissertations

MLL-rearranged (MLL-r) leukemia is an aggressive subset of acute leukemia, accounting for up to 10% of adult and 70% of infant AML and ALL cases. These leukemias are driven by MLL fusion proteins, which recruit epigenetic cofactors to dysregulate gene expression, leading to poor prognosis and resistance to conventional chemotherapy. Previous lab work identified EYA1’s role in leukemogenesis, establishing it as a therapeutic target in MLL-r leukemia. EYA1, is a transcriptional coactivator and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP). Originally a gout medication, benzbromarone (BBR), was identified in an NCI Diversity Set screen as an EYA1-specific PTP inhibitor. BBR provides a tool …

Interrogating The Dispersal Process And Relevant Genes In Vibrio Fischeri, Jeremy Esin

Dissertations

Biofilms are aggregates of bacteria encased in a matrix that shields bacteria from environmental hazards. These structures are formed in response to cues from the environment and drive colonization of new niches. Biofilms can be both beneficial and detrimental. Largely, research focuses on biofilms that have negative outcomes in clinical, environmental, and economical settings. However, the value of beneficial biofilms is recognized and studied. The marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri is part of a model system for studying symbiotic biofilms in a eukaryotic host. V. fischeri produces a transient biofilm at the surface of a specialized light organ and then disperses …

Developing Full Performance Interpreters: Cultivating Interdisciplinary Mindsets And Skillsets To Engage Audiences In Climate Change, Women's History, And Other Contested Heritage Topics, Delia A. Lister

Dissertations

Heritage sites immerse visitors in places where the impacts of climate change are readily apparent. They are also powerful places to elevate untold stories of women and girls. Heritage site interpreters interact daily with audiences who bring diverse lived experiences, different levels of subject matter knowledge, and multiple perspectives on climate change and the role of women in history. Every visitor interaction has a set of meanings, values, and narratives that visitors knowingly or unknowingly espouse. To interpret contested heritage topics, such as climate change and women’s history, interpreters must cultivate interdisciplinary mindsets and skillsets. The purpose of this basic …

A Design Based, Mixed Method Study On Evaluating Traditional Grading Practices And The Implications For Mastery Learning And Educational Equity In A Midwestern School District, Christina Kirchner

Dissertations

“Grades are an essential currency of our schools. Schools, colleges and employers use grades to determine many important, and in some cases, life-altering decisions-college admission, financial aid and scholarships, athletic eligibility, promotion, retention, awards, and supports” (Feldman, 2018, p. 3). Grading is not addressed in teacher preparation programs, or within professional development during teachers’ careers; teachers have chosen their own way to grade guided by their own personal experiences, uninformed of research or best practice. Using a human centric, design-based approach, the researcher identified multiple discrepancies with grading practices among the K-12 school organization. Within the discrepancies, other issues were …