Digital Commons Network^™

Optimization Of Optical Nanosensor Response For The Detection Of Anthracyclines Using A Binary Machine Learning Classifier, Myesha Thahsin

Dissertations and Theses

Pharmacokinetic variables such as interindividual variation in metabolizing and eliminating drugs makes dose selection of chemotherapeutic anthracyclines difficult. One potential solution to determining dosing levels of an anthracycline is the development of non-invasive sensors to monitor their pharmacology in vivo. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) have substantial potential for in vivo sensor development, as they exhibit near-infrared fluorescence in the tissue-transparent window and a robust response to their local environment. An emerging method for evaluating and optimizing SWCNT sensor response is through machine learning. In this study, anthracyclines Daunorubicin, Doxorubicin, Epirubicin, Mitoxantrone and Idarubicin, were used to interrogate 12 SWCNT preparations …

Shallow Water Coral Distribution And Its Response To Climate Change, Amaury De Jesus

Dissertations and Theses

Shallow water corals are one of the main reef-building organisms that secrete carbonates as their skeletons, and therefore, are one of the major sinks of CO2 in the ocean. These reef builders are also very crucial to marine environments and human society. As the global energy demand continues rising, fossil fuel burning increases at a faster pace despite the increase in energy supply using clean and renewable energy. The increase of CO2 in the atmosphere has been shown to exacerbate global warming and may cause ocean acidification, threatening the habitat of shallow-water corals. Many recent observations show alarming signs of …

Carceral Form And Social Critique In Zadie Smith's Nw, Wesley Hackman

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Correlation Of Motivations To View Facebook Video Advertisements With Willingness To View Future Advertisements, Mokhlisur Rahman

Dissertations and Theses

Most people are familiar with the concept of Facebook video ads. Facebook offers enormous features to place in-feed video ads to promote products. An online survey was conducted at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. The survey looked for user motivations for viewing Facebook video ads. The conceptual framework for this study was chosen as the Uses and Gratifications Theory. Drawing on the UGT, the study uses a previously established and supported scale used in previous uses and gratification studies to measure the correlation among results. All the participants in this study were university students. The study …

Utilizing The Alternative Model Of Personality Disorders (Ampd) To Identify Sexual Aggression In Men, Ryan Patrick Van Fossen

Dissertations and Theses

The current study examined the validity of the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD) in predicting sexually aggressive cognitions in men. Specifically, this study examined the role of maladaptive personality traits and personality functioning’s relationship with sexually aggressive beliefs in comparison to the Five-Factor Model (FFM). This study recruited 300 male participants, aged 18 and older, who identified as male for both sex and gender, and identified as heterosexual. Participants completed measures of personality functioning, several personality traits, views about sexual entitlement, gender roles, rape myths, and token resistance to sex. Multiple regression and semipartial correlation analyses were used to …

Developing Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle-Based Stimuli-Responsive Nanocarriers For Delivery Of Small Molecule Therapeutics Against Colon Cancer Cells, Nisitha Lakmal Wellala Wijewantha

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation delves into the innovative application of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for targeted drug delivery in colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of cancer worldwide. The initial focus of the research is on developing enzyme-responsive MSNs loaded with veratridine (VTD), an alkaloid derived from natural sources that demonstrates potent anticancer activity. The nanoparticles have been engineered to deliver VTD selectively to CRC cells, releasing the payload upon being exposed to specific enzymes primarily secreted by these cells. This strategy has dual advantages of amplifying the anticancer effects while minimizing potential side effects on healthy …

Of Transcription Factor And Transformation: Elucidating Gene Function In The Common Ice Plant, Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum, Chinenye Lilian Izuegbunam

Dissertations and Theses

Abiotic stresses negatively affect plant growth and development across the globe, which also affect the production of food, feed, biofuel, and fiber to meet the demands of a growing population. Thus, developing novel strategies to increase abiotic stress tolerance in crops is necessary. One of these strategies is exploring transcription factors (TFs) in Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) plants to improve plant abiotic stress tolerances. Therefore, the first objective of this dissertation determine the abiotic stress tolerance function of a CAM TF, McHB7opt in Arabidopsis. This study found that McHB7opt increased stress-responsive pathways related to seed germination and early seedling development. …

Analyzing Pulmonary Abnormality With Superpixel Based Graph Neural Networks In Chest X-Ray, Ronaj Pradhan

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, the utilization of graph-based deep learning has gained prominence, yet its potential in the realm of medical diagnosis remains relatively unexplored. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has achieved state-of-the-art performance in areas such as computer vision, particularly for grid-like data such as images. However, they require a huge dataset to achieve top level of performance and challenge arises when learning from the inherent irregular/unordered nature of physiological data. In this thesis, the research primarily focuses on abnormality screening: classification of Chest X-Ray (CXR) as Tuberculosis positive or negative, using Graph Neural Networks (GNN) that uses Region Adjacency Graphs …

Reading Utopian Pedagogies: Discovering The Practical Here And Now Of Utopian Thinking, Carter Johnke

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis offers a way of reading texts for their utopian aims, a term I use to analyze utopian themes and ideas in a text while keeping the focus on practicality. Reading a text for its utopian aims discovers what a text hopes for but always reflects on how those hopes serve the here and now of the author and the reader. The idealistic conclusions of utopian thinking, the utopian visions, only play a role in the utopian aim. This project does not promote the ultimate or extreme ends of utopian visions; instead, it analyzes the educational effects of entertaining …

Designing Metal-Organic Supercontainers For Functional Applications: From Selective Anion Binding To Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering, Kriti Chitrakar

Dissertations and Theses

Synthetic container molecules that emulate biological structures and feature well-defined nanocavities have attracted tremendous interest among supramolecular chemists due to their promising potentials in ion recognition, catalysis, and chemical sensing. Our laboratory has developed a new class of container molecules, namely, metal-organic supercontainers (MOSCs), which feature both endo and exo cavities suitable for binding guest molecules. The overarching theme of this thesis was to use synthetic manipulations to modify the chemical structure and enhance the functional application of MOSCs in two specific areas, anion binding and chemical sensing. For the application of anion binding, we have designed and synthesized a …

Working Conditions, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, And Health Behaviors In Latino And Other Minoritized Groups Living In The United States, Tailisha M. Gonzalez

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM or ‘diabetes’) poses a significant public health challenge to the healthcare system, economy, and well-being of communities in the United States (U.S.). There are also substantial racial/ethnic and social disparities in diabetes incidence and control that have persisted for decades. For Latinos and other minoritized groups in the U.S., diabetes disparities may be linked to working conditions. Globally, work is considered a major determinant of health and yet studies in the U.S. tend to focus on legacy hazards, such as chemical, biological, and environmental factors. In recent years, occupational health scholars have argued …

Internalized Gender Role Stereotypes Within Young Women And The Presentation Of Somatic Symptomatology Of Major Depressive Disorder, Michelle Miselevich

Dissertations and Theses

Evidence suggests that two distinct disorders are currently being diagnosed as depression. One, somatic depression, involves depression plus several somatic symptoms while the other, pure depression, involves depression without as much somatic symptomatology. Somatic depression has been hypothesized to afflict women who view themselves non traditionally and thus do not agree with traditional stereotypes of women. Measures of agreement with negative stereotypes of members of their own group have been found in several groups to be positively related to depression. This may apply among women to pure depression. Thus, women who exhibit pure depression are hypothesized to exhibit agreement with …

Interaction Of Adhd Severity And Neighborhood-Level Ses On Preschoolers’ Risk For Obesity At School-Age, Ramya V. Jayanthi

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) oftentimes emerges during the preschool years. School-age children with ADHD are at an increased risk for obesity as compared to their non-ADHD peers, but it is unknown if this risk is observed in younger children. Socioeconomic status (SES) is negatively related to both ADHD and obesity, but how SES interacts with ADHD to affect later obesity is unknown. This study aimed to examine if preschool ADHD diagnosis and severity interacted with neighborhood-level SES to increase risk for overweight/obesity and greater growth in BMI at school-age. We hypothesized that ADHD severity/diagnosis would be associated with greater growth …

Compassion-Based Resilience Training (Cbrt) For Frontline Healthcare Workers In Contact With Covid-19 Patients, Michael Perez Sosa

Dissertations and Theses

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has had deleterious consequences for the mental health of frontline healthcare workers worldwide. One systemic review of the literature found high prevalence rates of anxiety (67.55%), depression (58.89%), and stress (62.99%) reported by this population (Vizheh et al., 2020). Additionally, high rates of burnout and symptoms associated with trauma have also been ubiquitous during the pandemic for frontline healthcare workers. The purpose of this study is to investigate Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT) as a remotely delivered intervention for frontline healthcare workers in contact with COVID-19 patients to reduce symptoms associated with stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and …

Non-Governmental Organizations And The Implementation Of The Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women In Uzbekistan, Sayyora Khaydarova

Dissertations and Theses

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a landmark international treaty aimed at promoting and protecting women's rights globally. Its implementation is monitored by a Committee of experts which, in so doing, relies extensively on the active engagement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the role of NGOs in contributing to the implementation of norms of CEDAW in Uzbekistan. Thanks to their symbiotic relationship with governmental authorities and the Committee and as shadow reporters, information providers and advocates NGOs have significantly contributed to the country's noticeable but …

Machine Learning Driven Resource Allocation In Edge Cloud, Arslan Qadeer Dr

Dissertations and Theses

Next generation mobile and immersive applications (e.g., Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Extended reality (XR)), and Internet of Things (IoTs) provide richer functionalities which possess resource-hungry and real-time constraints. To conserve energy and improve performance of such devices, certain computationally heavy tasks can be executed remotely by offloading them to the back-end cloud (BC) and utilizing its abundant compute resources. However, the long distance between a mobile/IoT device and the BC causes huge network delay, thus, deteriorating the user experience of real-time applications. Edge-cloud (EC) and beyond 5G (B5G) wireless communication are envisioned to cope with the above compute …

Scalable Quantum Compilation Approaches For Reliable Quantum Computing, Vedika Saravanan

Dissertations and Theses

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize various industries, from pharmaceuticals to finance and transportation. Unlike classical computers, quantum computers are based on the principles of quantum mechanics and can perform specific calculations exponentially faster than classical computers. However, quantum computing is still in its early stages of development. It faces several challenges, including the high rate of errors and the limited number of qubits in quantum hardware. Therefore, more efficient and scalable methods are needed to translate quantum algorithms into executable forms on a quantum computer. To overcome these challenges, several research efforts are underway to develop scalable noise-aware …

Teacher Retention: Perceptions Of Teachers And School Administration In Rural Schools In Nebraska, Andrew Offner

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has become a major challenge for schools over the past several years. Rural school districts have become increasingly short on staff and are struggling to retain the staffs they have. The study had four purposes: (a) to determine teachers' perceptions of the factors leading to their retention, (b) to determine administrators' perceptions of the factors leading to teacher retention, (c) to determine differences in perceptions of teachers and administrators based on personal characteristics, and finally, (d), to determine the differences between teachers' and administrators' perceptions of factors retaining teachers in rural school districts. This quantitative study examined the …

Explorations Of A Topology Constructed On The Maximal Ideals Of A Boolean Algebra, Abbigal Moos

Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this thesis is to construct a topology on the collection of maximal ideals of a distributive and complemented lattice using the hull-kernel methodology. Through the construction of this topological space, we discovered that the space is compact, zero-dimensional, and Hausdorff. Next, we looked at the properties of some lattices, namely the power set of a finite set ordered by inclusion and the set of all positives divisors for some arbitrary integer ordered by divisibility. Whenever these lattices were both distributive and complemented, we constructed a topology on the collection of maximal ideals of the lattices using …

Mathematical Analysis Of Convolutional Neural Networks, Daniel Mccarter

Dissertations and Theses

In this thesis, the main topic is convolution as a mathematical operation and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN’s). While convolution is classically defined as a function, it can also be defined as an operator from Lp(R) to itself for 1 ≤ p ≤ 2 where Tw(f ) = f ∗ w given some w ∈ L1(R). CNN’s use convolution in its convolutional layers. Defining a neural network to be the composition of layer maps, we find that the neural network is, by necessity, Lipschitz. While CNN’s can be very powerful for image classification, slight changes to an image can completely fool …

A Study Of Verbal Rumination, Relationships, Stress And Identity On Health Communication In Collegiate Athletics, Landon Mary Ellen Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

College athletes are a unique group of individuals as they face many positive and negative challenges when competing in a collegiate sport. Verbal rumination is repetitive talk about a particular issue, accompanied by adverse effects for an individual. Verbal rumination is a common strategy athletes use to cope with difficulties along with managing challenging situations in their athletic program. To explore factors that might inspire or impede verbal rumination in collegiate athletics, the present study examines the quality of coach and teammate relationships, perceived stress and athlete identity. Results revealed the impact of relationships between coaches and athletes in respect …

Chemistry Of Fluorinated Functional Groups: Impact On Molecular Packing, Optoelectronic Properties, Electrochemical Polymerization, Photochemistry, And Reagent Development, Shankar Gairhe

Dissertations and Theses

Fluorinated functional groups have attracted great interest in various aspects of chemistry applications including pharmaceuticals, organic electronics, and polymers. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of fluorinated functional groups on 1) optimization of crystal structures and electronic properties of organic semiconductor molecules, 2) electrochemical polymerization of fluorinated aromatics, 3) photochemical reactivity of carbonyl compounds, and 4) generating new nucleophilic fluorination reagents. Our initial work demonstrates that long fluoroalkyl side chains on planar aromatic systems give rise to fluorine-fluorine (F---F) attractive interactions, assisting formation of lamellar packing motif in the solid state. Surprisingly, introducing shorter perfluoroalkyl side …

An Examination Of Pell Grant Recipient Graduation Rates And Institutional Expenditures At Public Baccalaureate Institutions, Lamont Alphonso Sellers

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examines the differences between public baccalaureate institutional expenditures and Pell Grant recipient graduation rates at high and low Pell Grant recipient graduating institutions. IPEDS data were analyzed, including instructional, academic support, student services, institutional support, and Pell Grant recipient 6-year graduation rates from the 2018 academic reporting year. Results from a Mann-Whitney U test compare 99 institutions divided into a high graduation rate group (N_high=40) and a low graduation group (N_low=59). The analysis showed there are mean rank differences between the groups that are statistically significant. These results support the need for further study to make sense …

In Whitman's Wake, Kacie Megan Fodness

Dissertations and Theses

In Whitman’s Wake argues that nineteenth-century American writing includes a living invitation for its future readers. The kind of invitational writing prioritized in this work has not yet been fully accounted for in literary criticism. What’s more, even when we as readers have experienced such an invitation (one we feel is for us) we have not followed the feeling far enough. As a result, scholarship has largely neglected, and perhaps has consciously rejected, the intentional action of a writer that creates an encounter with their future reader. My project contributes to the ongoing critical conversation around the relationship of readers …

Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers In High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools In A Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher Kenneth Schmit

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has been a challenge for most schools for several years. High-needs schools have been known to have twice the trouble with teacher retention as schools not considered high-needs. The purpose of this study was to identify effective practices school principals can implement to retain teachers at high-needs, urban secondary schools. This quantitative study called on teachers from high-needs schools in Iowa to complete a survey identifying principal qualities related to retention, perceived reasons for teacher attrition, and reasons they continue to teach at their current school. Three hundred eighty-five teachers from five different Iowa school districts participated in …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Social Skills Training Program For Children With Asd Generalized To A P.E. Setting, Anissa Johns

Dissertations and Theses

ASD is a developmental disability, or group of conditions which begin during the developmental period and impact day-to-day functioning, which can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges (CDC, 2019). According to the CDC (2014) Autism Spectrum Disorder occur in every 1 in 36 children. ASD is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts (American Psychiatric Association, 2020). The diagnosis also requires the presence of restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Among the number of social skills training modalities used to promote positive social skill development for children with ASD, the Superheroes …

Closing The Digital Divide: Understanding Organizational Approaches To Digital Accessibility In Higher Education, Angela Kae Jackson

Dissertations and Theses

Digital accessibility practices are becoming standardized in higher education as institutions seek to meet compliance with federal and state equal access laws. Students with disabilities have equal rights to access university programs and services in digital format. The widespread use of assistive technology, artificial intelligence, and content available in digital format brings forth ethical and legal concerns about equal access for individuals with disabilities. While broad approaches to digital accessibility in higher education are in the literature, there is a growing need for more studies to examine comprehensive approaches to digital accessibility across multiple units, disciplines, and the organization's hierarchy. …

Highly Power Dense Dc To Three-Phase Ac Modular Converters With Tiny Module Capacitors, Wiwin Hartini Lew

Dissertations and Theses

A Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is an attractive candidate in high power conversion due to its modularity and scalability. The energy storage element, namely the module capacitance in the MMC submodule circuit, is typically large and when scaled to convert high power, requires very bulky module capacitors. In addition to deteriorating the power density, the design necessitates the use of electrolytic capacitors, which further affects the overall converter efficiency and reliability. This research presents an MMC submodule topology and the accompanying modulation approach that reduces the submodule capacitance requirements significantly compared to conventional MMC topology (few micro-farads versus several milli-farads). …

Cloud Container Security’ Next Move, Vishakha Sadhwani

Dissertations and Theses

In the last few years, it is apparent to cybersecurity experts everywhere that the proverbial container tech genie is out of the bottle, and has been widely embraced across multiple organizations. To achieve the flexibility of building and deploying applications anywhere and everywhere, cloud native environments have gained great momentum and made the development lifecycle simpler than ever. However, container environments brings with them a range of cybersecurity issues that includes images, containers, hosts, runtimes, registries, and orchestration platforms, which needs the necessity to focus on investing in securing your container stack.

According to this report[1], released by cloud-native …

Scientology's Faq: Sciencing, Tech-Romancing, Simulacra, & Simulation An Estranged Content Analysis, David Scott Morrill

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines how the practice of sciencing, tech-romancing, simulacra, and simulation manifests in both the text and symbols used on audiences of the Church of Scientology’s outreach materials. It specifically examines its official FAQ page. Self-framing was observed that satisfied the definition of sciencing and tech-romancing. Under an Estranged approach, Morrill examined selections of the Church’s FAQ pages, coding for instances of sciencing, tech-romancing, simulacra, and simulation. The data indicate that the Church frequently adopts simulacra and engages in simulation. The Church was seen frequently adopting technological and scientific symbols and jargon. The degree of sciencing, tech-romancing, simulacra, and …