Digital Commons Network^™

Chinese-American Young Adult Children's Perception Of Parental Psychological And Behavioral Control And Its Impact On Their Emotional And Social Well-Being, Wan-Hai Tseng

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The primary aim of this qualitative study was to describe the ways in which Chinese-American young adult children perceive their parent(s) and/or primary caregiver(s)' expressions of psychological and behavioral control. It also explored how they believed these types of control affected their emotional and social well-being over time. Given that it is documented that their parents are demanding, and that this may be the reason their mental health outcomes are poorer than non-Asians, this exploration was needed. This research sought to provide a better understanding of the emotional and social development of Chinese-American young adult children as it relates to …

Imperial Priests And Martyrs: Pretexts For State Violence And Religious Change In France, 1848-1871, Benjamin Tyner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the lives and political significance of five French Catholic priests who were murdered between 1848 and 1871. Using French newspapers, printed religious texts and pamphlets, hagiographic biographies and other sources, I show the many ways in which French priests were wittingly and unwittingly used by the French Second Republic (1848-52), Second Empire (1852-70) and the Paris Commune (1871) and Third Republic (1870-1940). Archbishop of Paris Denis Auguste Affre (1848), Saint Augustin Schoeffler (1851), Archbishop of Paris Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour (1857), Saint Théophane Vénard (1861), and Archbishop of Paris Georges Darboy (1871) were all killed more for their relationship …

Matrix Stiffness Regulates Glial Cell Morphology And Differentiation, Mateusz M. Urbanski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Studies from our laboratory have shown that inhibition of non-muscle myosin II (NMII) activity has opposite effects on the formation of myelin by oligodendrocytes (OL), the myelinating glia of the central nervous system (CNS) and Schwann cells (SC), which perform the same function in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The decrease of NMII activity in SC impairs their ability to establish polarity and myelinate, while its inhibition in OL enhances process branching and increases the amount of myelin formed in vitro an in vivo. A growing number of studies have shown that NMII also plays a role in the ability …

Francisco Da Costa Y Su Cancionero. Lirica Y Dramaturgia Desde El Exilio Africano En El Contexto De La Unión Ibérica., Vasiliki Velliou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

During the 15^th and 16^th century the coast of Morocco became a bone of contention between the neighboring kingdoms of Spain and Portugal and the Ottoman Empire. Geographically privileged the city of Fes grew into a pole of attraction for traders and soldiers of fortune, turning this Mediterranean corner into a melting pot of peoples and religions. Francisco da Costa, a noble diplomat from Lisbon was sent to Fes after the Battle of the Three Kings (1578) in order to negotiate the ransom of the Spanish and Portuguese prisoners. The ambassador managed to rescue and send back to …

Characterizing Migratory Signaling Pathways Of Transplantable Retinal Progenitor Cells And Photoreceptor Precursor Cells Toward Restoration Of Degenerative Retina ' A Systems Biology Approach, Uchenna John Unachukwu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A common feature of several heterogeneous diseases that result in retinal degeneration (RD) is photoreceptor loss, leading to an irreversible decline in visual function [15-17]. There are no cell replacement treatments available for RD diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Although many RD cases are of a genetic origin, a promising strategy to treat diseased phenotypes is by replacing lost photoreceptor cells, for synaptic integration and restoration of visual function. To advance photoreceptor-replacement strategies as a practical therapy, in light of highly restricted integration rates reported across studies, this body of research focused on defining …

Emotion Dysregulation: A Predictor For Cbt Treatment Outcomes In A Comorbid Ptsd And Sud Population, Jennifer Robin Wallach

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trauma has been shown to disrupt self-regulatory processes; emotion regulation deficits have also been implicated in the initiation and maintenance of substance use disorders (SUDs). Treatments for these complex comorbid problems utilize a variety of approaches. However, to date, few studies have examined the effect of various available treatments on emotion dysregulation in this population. This study extends the research on emotion regulation among the population with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and SUD. This study is a secondary analysis of part of the data from a randomized clinical trial assessing the relative efficacy of two active treatment conditions for …

Essays On Disclosure And Individual Investors, Yakun Wang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Essay 1: Using data from StockTwits.com, the most popular investment-dedicated social media network in the US, I develop new and direct measures of investors' aggregate attention to the stock market, and to individual stocks. I then examine the behavior of investors' aggregate attention and firm-specific attention. First, I show that investors' aggregate attention to the stock market is higher during earnings season than non-earnings season, but is not lower on Fridays compared to other weekdays. Second, I show that investors' firm-specific attention is positively related to Earnings Response Coefficients (ERCs) and negatively related to Post Earnings Announcement Drift (PEAD), indicating …

The Moduli Space Of Rational Maps, Lloyd William West

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

We construct the moduli space, M_d, of degree d rational maps on ℙ¹ in terms of invariants of binary forms. We apply this construction to give explicit invariants and equations for M₃.

Using this construction, we give a method for solving the following problems: (1) explicitly construct, from a moduli point P ∈ M_d(k), a rational map ∅ with the given moduli; (2) find the field of definition of a rational map ∅. We work out the method in detail for the case d = 3.

The Fengsu-Driven Practice Of Sending Infants To China: The Experiences Of Chinese Immigrant Mothers In New York, Kitching Rhoda Wong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores Fujianese women's transnational parenting experiences. Although transnational mothering is ubiquitous in an era of globalization, this study surfaces the unique aspects of this phenomenon among Chinese female migrants to New York City. These women send months-old infants to China for care expecting their return at school age. The 'satellite-baby' phenomenon (Bohr, 2009) appears unique to Chinese immigrant mothers, particularly those from the Fujian-Fuzhou region. Conducted in the phenomenological tradition of qualitative research, I sought to uncover the complex, contextual experiences mothers experienced in their migration to the US. This included their experiences as immigrants, their decisions to …

Earnings Forecast And Stock Recommendation By Security Analysts, Cunyu Xing

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of 3 chapters.

Chapter 1: Last Minute Earning Forecast Revision

Chapter 2: Security Analysts' Double Down Behavior in Stock Recommendation

Chapter 3: Cost of Speaking in Two Different Tongues

Chapter 1: I study financial analysts who revise their earnings forecasts just a few days before firms' earnings announcement. Analysts who apply this strategy are more accurate in their earnings forecasts, and they are more likely to move to a larger brokerage firm. All-star analysts are more likely to take this last minute revision strategy than non-all-star analysts. All-star analysts using the strategy are likely to maintain their …

Accurate Deterministic Solutions For The Classic Boltzmann Shock Profile, Yubei Yue

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Boltzmann equation or Boltzmann transport equation is a classical kinetic equation devised by Ludwig Boltzmann in 1872. It is regarded as a fundamental law in rarefied gas dynamics. Rather than using macroscopic quantities such as density, temperature, and pressure to describe the underlying physics, the Boltzmann equation uses a distribution function in phase space to describe the physical system, and all the macroscopic quantities are weighted averages of the distribution function. The information contained in the Boltzmann equation is surprisingly rich, and the Euler and Navier-Stokes equations of fluid dynamics can be derived from it using series expansions. Moreover, …

Some Bernstein Type Results Of Graphical Self-Shrinkers With High Codimension In Euclidean Space, Hengyu Zhou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A self-shrinker characterizes the type I singularity of the mean curvature flow. In this thesis we concern about some Bernstein type results of graphical self-shrinkers with high codimension in Euclidean space.

There are two main tools in our work. The first one is structure equations of graphical self-shriners in terms of parallel forms (Theorem 2.3.6). This is motivated by M.T.Wang's work ([Wan02]) on graphical mean curvature flows with arbitrary codimension in product manifolds. The second one is an integration technique (Lemma 2.4.5) based on the fact that every graphical graphical self-shrinker has the polynomial volume growth (Corollary 2.4.4). Because of …

Essays On The Economics Of Aging, Zhendong Zhao

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The increase in life expectancy in the US and the changing labor supply of older workers have raised issues about the fiscal solvency of health care and pension systems, as well as labor market stability and employment opportunities for younger workers. In light of these facts, this dissertation consists of three essays that focus on the economic causes and consequences of changes in the labor supply of older workers due to population aging.

The first essay examines the effect of longevity on older Americans' labor supply decisions of retirement and un-retirement. Instead of using self-rated survival probabilities as the proxy …

Auditor Size And Audit Quality: A Partner-Level Perspective, Yu Zhou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examines the effect of auditor size on audit quality at the level of audit partners. Auditor size is defined by three criteria: the wealth of the audit partners; the size of the partners' client portfolios; and the number of audit partners in the firm. Using data from China, where disclosure of the identity of the engagement audit partner is required, I hypothesize and find that the personal wealth of an audit partner has two effects on audit quality: the income effect and the substitution effect. The Chinese audit market is particularly suited to study these two effects. Prior …

Seismic Fragility Analysis For Highway Bridges With Consideration Of Soil-Structure Interaction And Deterioration, Xin Zong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bridges are critical elements within the highway transportation network. It is very important for the owner or designer to perform the risk assessment of the highway bridges during extreme events, such as earthquakes, due to their importance to the network, commerce, economic vitality and mobility. Recent studies show that seismic fragility curves are useful tools for the seismic risk assessment of highway bridges.

Although general seismic fragility approach has been well established in the last two decades and numerous retrofit methods have been applied to highway bridges in New York City (NYC) metropolitan area, which has been classified as moderate …

The Limits Of Liberalism: France, The Veil, And Public Schools, Eleanor Doris Zupancic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Liberal political theorists often attempt to claim that a set of universal ideals can ensure equal agency and freedom for all. This paper makes use of the case study of the French approach to Muslim headscarves as a case study for exploring the limitations of this philosophy. In particular, this paper examines the ways in which liberalism conceptualizes universal ideals, particularly in the case of the headscarves in France. It then explores two ways in which the French headscarf ban exposes weaknesses in liberalism's conceptualization of identity and agency: rather than being universal, liberalism has very particular conceptions of 1) …

Olfaction As The Paradigm For Perceptual Philosophy, Andreas Keller

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Plato wrote that smell is of a "half-formed nature" and that not much can be said about it, and Kant identified smell as the "most ungrateful" and "most dispensable" of the senses. Because contemporary philosophers share this distaste for smell perception, olfaction is often dismissed or ignored in philosophical accounts of perception. Instead, contemporary philosophy of perception is based almost exclusively on visual perception. The goal of this dissertation is to show that this focus on a single modality distorts our understanding of what perception is.

I am not the first to realize the potential of opening up perceptual philosophy …

The Role Of Atp And Cleavage Factor Phosphorylation In Pre-Mrna 3' Cleavage Reaction, Asya Khleborodova

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The 3' end cleavage/polyadenylation (3' processing) is important in generating a functional messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript. It is long-known that ATP can significantly stimulate the in vitro cleavage of adenovirus type 2 L3 (Ad2L3) RNA substrate. Here, we used ATP analogs in structure-activity assays to show that the structural features of ATP and its analogs determine in vitro 3' cleavage efficiency. More specifically, we demonstrate that the structure of the nitrogenous base, the nucleotide sugar and the triphosphate group contribute to the efficiency of the nucleotide-stimulated in vitro 3' cleavage reaction.

It was found that AppNp, an analog of ATP …

Regulation Of The Vacuolar Atpase Activity, Paulina Konarzewska

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In eukaryotes, V-ATPases play an essential role in cellular pH homeostasis as they transport hydrogen ions into the vacuoles. This assures an acidic vacuolar interior and normal physiological processes associated with this organelle. Studies show that mutations in any of the VMA genes encoding for subunits of the V-ATPase pump result in growth inhibition in the absence of inositol, suggesting that V-ATPases may play an important role in phospholipid biosynthesis or vice versa. It is not clear how VMA genes affect phospholipid biosynthesis and how the regulators of phospholipid biosynthetic genes may affect ATPase activity. Here, we employ biochemical and …

Density Functional Theory For The Investigation Of Transition Metal Complexes: Structure, Binding, And Spectroscopy Of Metal-Siderophores And The Catalase-Peroxidase Enzyme, Bonnie I. Kruft

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the development of quantum mechanics in the 1920's and with the introduction of the Schrödinger equation in 1926, various methods to solve the Schrödinger equation have evolved. With advances in these computational methods, we are now able to solve the Schrödinger equation for systems that did not seem possible less than a century ago. Density functional theory (DFT) is a valuable tool for the exploration of the molecular properties of biological systems, and is based upon the theory that the exact energy could be determined from the knowledge of the electron density. The purpose of this dissertation is to …

The Role Of Financial Reporting Quality In The Selection Of New Audit Committee Member, Dongliang Lei

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Prior studies investigating the selection of audit committee members (ACMs) often focus on board-level and director demographic characteristics. In this paper, I investigate whether boards select new ACMs from corporate environments with similar financial reporting quality. Using the appointee firm's financial report quality as a proxy for new ACMs' financial reporting attributes, I find that firms are more likely to appoint new ACMs with financial reporting attributes similar to firms' financial reporting culture for a sample of 275 new ACM appointments from 2007 to 2011. I find that firms appointing ACMs with relatively weak (strong) financial reporting attributes are more …

Order And Asymmetry In Jammed Systems, Zhusong Li

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Granular matter is composed of particles that are big enough that thermal effects may be neglected. We studied both granular flow and granular statics using numerical simulation. In granular flow, we simulated 2D granular flow in a hopper. A hopper is a container with an opening at the bottom. Simulated disks are placed in the hopper with the bottom closed and then released. We developed a new tangential force model to simulate hopper flow, that matches experiments and shows that the output flux is proportional to the bottom opening size to the 3/2 power. We also see clogging or jamming …

Pragmatics And Semantics In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Karece Lopez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined scalar implicature to investigate semantic bases of pragmatic language impairment in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Scalar implicatures are inferences made by listeners, whereby they strengthen the weaker meaning of a term that can be represented on a scale (Grice, 1975; Horn, 1992). Scalar terms include: some/all; or/and; numerals. These inferences depend on understanding a speaker's intent and having the cognitive skills necessary to process such information in real time. Informativeness is the value a listener places on having to derive an implicature and assumes that the listener perceives the speakers intentions. Cognitive effort includes the …

Essays On Exchange Rate Pass-Through, Michael Malenbaum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the degree to which the prices of imports to the United States respond to changes in bilateral exchange rates. The first chapter provides a review of the literature on exchange rate pass-through and outlines how research on the topic has changed over the past forty years. The next two chapters focus individually on specific questions that are important to the pass-through literature. These topics include the impact of imperfect competition and varying market shares on pass-through rates, as well as the decline in pass-through to import prices and the possible effects of China's increased role in trade …

Large-Pore Mesoporous Organosilicas And Related Polymer Nanocomposites, Amanpreet Singh Manchanda

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The research work in this dissertation covers the synthesis of mesoporous organosilicas and (organo)silica/polymer nanocomposites. The content can be divided into 4 parts (8 chapters).

The first part of the dissertation is the introduction, which covers the background and progress in the field of mesoporous silicas, periodic mesoporous organosilicas and related inorganic/polymer nanocomposites. The second part of the dissertation (Chapter 2-5) involves the synthesis of mesoporous organosilicas from different organosilane precursors at mild acid concentration (0.1 M HCl) and low temperature (0 or 7 ℃) using Pluronic F127 (EO₁₀₆PO₇₀EO₁₀₆) as a surfactant template. Chapter …

Rethinking Internal Working Models From A Developmental Perspective: Clarifying The Concept And Making A Case For A Sensitive Period Of Attachment, Leah Bothe Manning

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chapter 1 attempts to clarify the internal working model (IWM) by offering a revised and more precise definition of the concept. Chapter 2 discusses the existing IWM research and asserts what aims should be applied to future research to further clarify the IWM concept. Chapters 3 and 4 describe the current three studies that sought to test the validity of the proposed IWM definition by determining if: (1) attachment status during the first three years fluctuates as a function of changes in maternal sensitivity, (2) IWM status in middle childhood and adolescence remains stable independent of changes in maternal sensitivity, …

Hybridized Criticality And Elementary Excitations In Lihof4, Haifu Ma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this dissertation, I study the magnetic properties of LiHoF₄. Quantum criticality in rare earth ferromagnet LiHoF₄ is complicated by the presence of strong crystal field and hyperfine interactions resulting, e.g., in incomplete mode softening reported by Rønnow et al. We construct a systematic framework for treating elementary excitations in this material across the phase diagram. These excitations interpolate between purely electronic, nuclear and lattice modes and exhibit two-types of quantum critical softening, both complete (as anticipated by elementary treatments, see e.g. Sachdev) but also incomplete, in close correspondence with nuclear scattering results.

Communication, Labor, And Communicative Labor, Rachel Mckinney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This project looks at the work we do to understand, to be understood, and to act on the basis of such understanding. Communicative labor is an important and under-theorized aspect of communication, and one that significantly impacts our epistemic, social and political lives. In this dissertation I take such labor as my object of analysis, and show how it bears on speakers and contexts.

First I provide an analysis of labor suitable for characterizing unwaged, immaterial and reproductive labor, and argue that such an analysis helps make sense of language systems ' the common pool resource systems that allow speakers …

Assessing The Impact Of Restrictions To Medicaid Coverage Of Methadone And Buprenorphine On Opioid Users' Access To And Utilization Of Substance Use Treatment, Courtney Mcknight

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Opioid use and dependence have increased dramatically since the early 2000s. As of 2013, an estimated 2.4 million people were considered to be dependent on opioids. Medication assisted treatment (MAT), such as methadone and buprenorphine, is the most effective form of treatment for opioid dependence; yet, since 2002, MAT use has decreased steadily.

Medicaid is the largest purchaser of MAT in the United States; however, Medicaid coverage of MAT varies by state. As of 2008, fourteen states did not cover either methadone or buprenorphine, or both. This dissertation examines the factors associated with Medicaid coverage of methadone and buprenorphine, and …

Studies Toward A General Synthesis Of Poly-Substituted Alpha-Hydroxytropolones, Christine Marie Meck

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Chapter 1: This chapter gives a brief history of α-hydroxytropolones, how they were discovered and unique properties of these substrates. Included is a background on the bioactivity of these substrates in cellular targets such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, tumors and toxicity, as well as their ability to inhibit various metallo-based enzymes. Structure activity relationships studies are reviewed on important metalloenzymes HIV-Reverse Transcriptase (RT) and Inositol monophosphatase (IMPase). Finally the chapter finishes with a synthetic overview of α-hydroxytropolones including natural product targets such as puberulic acid, puberulonic acid, β-thujaplicinol, and β-hydroxytropolone.

Chapter 2: A brief review on β-hydroxy-γ-pyrone based oxidopyrylium cycloadditions …