Digital Commons Network^™

African American Female Law Enforcement Officers' Lived Experiences And Mentoring: A Thematic Narrative, Harold Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations

Black female officers are an underrepresented sub-group of the law-enforcement profession. The bulk of research on women’s policing has focused on the growth of women in law enforcement, barriers, sexual harassment, gender differences, why women are deterred from law enforcement, physical limitations, and instruments used during the recruitment process, and the stress endured after entry into the profession. When looking at Black female officers’ lived experience and perceptions around mentoring; research is lacking. Eight Black female officers from the San Francisco Bay Area participated in this study. Findings revealed that all of the women have faced a recurring sense of …

The Role Of Environment On Second Language Pragmatic Comprehension: A Case Study Of Intensive English Program Students In Homestays, Sarah Mcgregor

Doctoral Dissertations

There is insufficient research on the role of homestay accommodations on the development of pragmatic comprehension of students in intensive English programs (IEPs). This case study conducted in San Jose, California explored the experiences and perceptions of four IEP students in response to these questions: (1) In what ways do IEP students and their host families understand the role of homestays as part of their English language development? (2) What are IEP students’ in homestays awareness and comprehension of conversational implicatures? Research data included separate pre- and post-interviews with four students and a member of their host families, five student …

Harry Potter And Queering The College Classroom, Hannah Yanow

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation reimagines the college classroom through a queer pedagogical practice that, I argue, results in a queer space. Through a mixed method study that utilized duoethnography and student survey, I find that queer pedagogy, or the resistance of heteronormativity, challenging binaries, welcoming the student’s lived experience as fodder for learning academic concepts, paired with a beloved fantasy text such as Harry Potter, can be a medium with which to deconstruct the traditional college classroom and reconstruct a queer space that encourages student self-authorship and questioning of the traditional hierarchy in higher education. The data suggests that queering the college …

Perceptions Of Female Veteran Military Sexual Trauma: A Phenomenological Study, Lindsey Fairweather

Doctoral Dissertations

Military sexual trauma (MST) occurs at devastating rates to service members, by service members, and is widely misunderstood, qualitatively understudied, and reporting may be procedurally biased. The purpose of this study was to phenomenologically explore the lived experiences of female veteran MST survivors with their leadership (chain of command/supervisors) and understand how military culture effects these individuals. A feminist-theory conceptual framework was applied to contextualize hegemonic hypermasculine military culture and the divide and damage it may cause to female service members before MST, when surviving an MST event, and when surviving post-MST fallout.

This study included 10 participants who were …

Reconciling Hyphenated Identities: Muslim American Youth Reflect On College Life In The Midst Of Islamophobia, Diba Ataie

Doctoral Dissertations

Muslims make up more than 1.8 billion people of the world population and have been displaced globally in waves due to the political tension in their homeland. The tragedy of 9/11 forever changed the landscape of this nation for Muslim Americans and created hostility and fear. Islamophobia has been on the rise after the post 9/11 era, but due to the 2016 election cycle Muslim Americans have been placed under direct scrutiny. Muslim Americans were targeted and threatened with a Muslim registry and implemented a Muslim Ban to further ostracise them. The post 9/11 generation of Muslim American youth were …

Towards Embedded System Hardware Security Design And Analysis, Yanping Gong

Doctoral Dissertations

Security in embedded system design, which has long been a critical problem for ensuring the confidentiality, data integrity and system reliability for embedded system designers and users, is now facing a new dimension of threat from the attacks on hardware. As the IC design reaches sub-micron regime, increased sensitivity of device under environmental condition has made some new types of attacks possible, while the analysis and detection for design vulnerabilities against these attacks are harder on the much more complicated designs nowadays. In the meanwhile, more efficient and diverse attack methodologies are developed by attackers as the technology advances. On …

Improved Understanding Of Trends, Variations, And Causes Of Atmospheric Aerosols Using Ground Measurements, Satellite Observations, And Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling, Xueke Li

Doctoral Dissertations

A good understanding of trends, variations, and causes of atmospheric aerosols is vital to quantifying the role of air quality in climate change and health concerns and for informing relevant regulatory policies. This thesis presents four projects that exploit a range of observational data and modeling tools to characterize and interpret aerosol dynamics and its potential determinates.

An econometric model is implemented to identify aerosol variations, predictions, and the driving forces using six sites spreading across North America and East Asia during 2003–2015. Regional differences caused by impacts of climatology and land cover types are observed. Statistical validation of time …

Early Childhood Intervention Teachers' Beliefs And Use Of Peer Social Interaction Interventions, Elizabeth Howe

Doctoral Dissertations

Teachers’ ability to facilitate social interactions between children in the early childhood classroom is necessary for the development of social competence in all children, including those with disabilities. Peer social interaction interventions are a group of interventions to promote social engagement by focusing on the reciprocal social exchanges between children with and without disabilities. However, the literature base around teachers’ use of peer social interaction interventions indicates teachers use these practices infrequently and their use is related to their beliefs about the acceptability and feasibility of the interventions. This study validates prior research related to teachers’ beliefs and use of …

Evaluating Climate Change Impacts On Drinking Water Reservoirs And Wastewater System Resilience In Connecticut, U.S.A., Cristina Mullin

Doctoral Dissertations

Societies depend on the proper functioning and resilience of critical infrastructure systems including those for drinking water and wastewater, but these systems are vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic stressors. For example, wastewater systems are especially susceptible to extreme weather events while drinking water systems are vulnerable to diminished source water quality — both of which can disrupt proper functioning. Climate change and human development, economic problems, and pollution further challenge water system resilience. Despite the criticality of these systems and known vulnerabilities, little scholarship exists that aims to interrogate their resilience. This dissertation attempts to narrow this gap in the …

Preparation And Characterization Of Collagen-Hydroxyapatite-Based Composites For Biomedical Applications, Le Yu

Doctoral Dissertations

Collagen, the most abundant protein, and hydroxyapatite, the main component in natural bone, are usually used as a biomimetic composite in many biomedical applications due to their excellent biocompatibility, great biodegradability, and flexible structural and compositional alterability. In this dissertation, a systematic study was conducted to design, develop and characterize collagen-hydroxyapatite-based (Col-HA-based) composite materials and explore their wide biomedical applications.

First, the biomeralization mechanism of collagen was investigated. The degree of intrafibrillar mineralization of Col-HA fibrils was enhanced by the employment of carboxyl-rich brushlike polymers, which is believed to be capable of replicating the sequestration functions of non-collagenous proteins (NCPs) …

Peer Experiences Among Black And Hispanic Adolescent Girls In A Sport Based Youth Development Setting, Nneka Arinze

Doctoral Dissertations

Black and Hispanic adolescent girls are among those with the highest risks for physical inactivity. Previous research has demonstrated the importance of peer support in influencing their participation in physical activity. However, little research has addressed the ways in which the peer relationships in sport based youth development (SBYD) programs influence adolescents’ participation and engagement choices. The purpose of this study was to explore the peer experiences of Black and Hispanic adolescent girls in a school-based SBYD program and the influences on their participation and engagement behaviors.

Using a case study design, I looked at the role of the greater …

Investigation Of Genetic Modifiers Of Neurodegeneration Using Synthetic Lethality In Drosophila Melanogaster, Kavitha Kannan

Doctoral Dissertations

Archival Abstract submitted

An Examination Of Relationships Between Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (Asmr) And Facets Of Mindfulness, Marisa Anne Del Campo

Doctoral Dissertations

Many descriptions of a phenomenon known as autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) are appearing online and in respected mainstream media outlets. ASMR is a non-scientific term used to describe a pleasant tingling sensation in response to certain sensory and/or affective triggers (Barratt & Davis, 2015). Given that “mindfulness can foster an enhanced sensitivity to internal and external stimuli”, previous work by Harrison and Clark (2016; p. 3) correctly hypothesized a relationship between the Observing facet of trait mindfulness and heightened responses to works of art, including the aesthetic chill response. ASMR appears to share some similarities with the chill response, …

Exploring The Nexus Between Bilingual Learning, Emotions, And Creativity: A Case Study Of A Former Korean Bilingual Student’S Creative Artifact (Book), Mihyun Han

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study explores how a student creative artifact, (a book, developed by a Korean bilingual student, named Jinwoo) in an U.S. elementary school made a lasting contribution within and beyond the school community. Jinwoo’s book offers creative insights into Korean emergent bilingual students’ learning experiences in the U.S English-only classrooms. This study explores and documents how a student generated artifact can be used to illustrate and scaffold intense emotional learning experiences, serve as a vehicle for creative expressions, and provide a lens for understanding of Korean emergent bilingual students’ learning experiences in English-only U.S. school contexts. A theoretical process …

Characterization And Optimization Of Carbon Based Electrocatalysts And Supports For Fuel Cell Applications, Abhinav Poozhikunnath

Doctoral Dissertations

The use of expensive platinum-based catalysts has been a major obstacle for the widespread use of low temperature fuel cells. As a result, there is significant commercial and scientific interest in replacing platinum-based electrocatalysts with cost-effective alternatives of comparable performance. This thesis explores the process-structure-property relationship of platinum group metal-free (PGM-free), metal-nitrogen-doped carbon (M-N-C) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction synthesized by a flame spray pyrolysis process called Reactive Spray Deposition Technology (RSDT). Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon (M-N-C) type Platinum Group Metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalyst, synthesized directly from liquid solution precursors by the partial combustion of organic material in the RSDT flame. Central to this work …

Phase-Field Modeling Of Selective Laser Melting And Freezing Dynamics In Thermal Manufacturing Processes, Jiqin Li

Doctoral Dissertations

Laser-based additive manufacturing (AM) has been rapidly growing in applied and scientific research areas due to its advantages for manufacturing geometrically complicated parts and functional materials. However, the surface quality and geometric accuracy are great concerns of AM-produced parts because of the formation of surface defects such as voids, notches, or even cracks caused by incomplete melting of powders, lapping, or gas entrapment during melting and solidification processes. From theoretical view points, temperature prediction and multi-phase dynamics at the powder level are of the greatest challenges, yet necessary for better understanding of relevant laser-material interactions as well as for the …

From King Solomon To Ian Smith: Rhodesian Alternate Histories Of Zimbabwe, Edward Guimont

Doctoral Dissertations

In the eleventh century CE, the Shona people of Central Africa built the city of Great Zimbabwe, an administrative center and royal home. Connected to the Indian Ocean gold trade, it would become the largest pre-colonial city in sub-Saharan Africa. However, it entered into decline and was ultimately abandoned by the sixteenth century – when the first Portuguese expeditions came in contact with the region. The fact that this city entered into decline just as Europeans encountered it set it up to become the center of a number of fantastical legends about its origins, typically linking it with the Biblical …

Differences In Creativity Across Domains Between Students With Dyslexia And Those Without, Maria Avitia

Doctoral Dissertations

When a student has a learning disability in reading and or dyslexia, interventions focus on remediating the weakness. Positive psychology is a field of psychology that looks to help people, based on harnessing a person's strengths, to create better outcomes. Strengths-based or asset-based interventions have been used with people with developmental disabilities to learn new skills. This study hoped to help identify strengths for people with dyslexia in two areas that have been hypothesized to be strengths for them: creativity and visual-spatial ability. Creativity has typically been assessed with domain-general measures rather than actual measures of creativity. Similarly, visual-spatial ability …

Exploring Clinical Psychology Doctoral Students’ Knowledge And Attitudes About Older Adult Sexuality, Lindsey Horta

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study surveyed clinical psychology doctoral students’ (N=291) knowledge and attitudes about older adult sexuality. Knowledge and attitudes were measured using the Facts of Aging Quiz, the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale, Attitudes Towards Sexuality Scale, and measures to explore students’ exposure to and interests in the older adult population, as well as academic and clinical exposure (coursework, practicum opportunities and clinical contacts with older adults) to the older adult population and older adult sexuality. Generally, students’ knowledge about aging was associated with their attitudes about older adult sexuality; the more knowledge a student has about older adult …

Integrated Role Of Intramuscular Inflammation, Dietary Protein, And Testosterone Supplementation In The Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Mass During Muscle Wasting Conditions, Emily E. Howard

Doctoral Dissertations

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs with disuse after musculoskeletal injury, and during periods of sustained energy deficit. Manipulating dietary protein intake or supplementing with testosterone under muscle wasting conditions may protect muscle mass and/or function by increasing muscle protein synthesis, attenuating muscle protein breakdown, and enhancing myogenesis either directly or via upstream modulation of inflammatory signaling. The protective effect of dietary protein was evaluated in Study 1. Vastus lateralis muscle collected perioperatively from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction patients assigned to an optimal (OP: 2.0 g·kg^-1·d^-1, n =3) or adequate (AP: 1.0 g·kg^-1·d^-1, …

Molecular Simulation Study Of Protein Conformation Change, Binding Mechanisms, And Allosteric Communication, Jason Pattis

Doctoral Dissertations

Many processes in biology involve conformational changes or binding events which can be described by a pathway or ensemble of pathways. These processes are challenging to study experimentally as obtaining the temporal and spatial resolution sufficient to understand the underlying physical mechanisms can be challenging. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is a powerful tool that can provide atomic resolution on these processes and aid in the design and interpretation of experiments. In this thesis, I will describe MD simulations using enhanced sampling methods to investigate several biomolecular systems, including the Lassa virus nucleoprotein, phosphodiesterase enzymes and a peptide from the Flock …

The Economics Of Climate Change Adaptation And Water Resources: An Application To Dams, Yuan Niu

Doctoral Dissertations

Dam construction has increased rapidly since the 1950’s, especially in developing countries. Climate change is likely to impact the demand for new dams as well as future water and sediment inflow in rivers, thereby influencing the utility, management, and lifetime of dams. Proper construction of dams and sediment management can also help reduce the cost and mitigate the risks dams might be facing as a result of changing climate patterns, which will allow communities to utilize water resources more efficiently and sustainably.

This dissertation develops a series of dynamic optimization models to determine how the size of different type of …

Stress Analysis Of Operating Gas Pipeline Installed By Horizontal Directional Drilling And Pullback Force Prediction During Installation, Hongfang Lu

Doctoral Dissertations

With the development of the natural gas industry, the demand for pipeline construction has also increased. In the context of advocating green construction, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), as one of the most widely utilized trenchless methods for pipeline installation, has received extensive attention in industry and academia in recent years. The safety of natural gas pipeline is very important in the process of construction and operation. It is necessary to conduct in-depth study on the safety of the pipeline installed by HDD method.

In this dissertation, motivated by the following considerations, two aspects of HDD are studied. First, through the …

Adaptive Feature Engineering Modeling For Ultrasound Image Classification For Decision Support, Hatwib Mugasa

Doctoral Dissertations

Ultrasonography is considered a relatively safe option for the diagnosis of benign and malignant cancer lesions due to the low-energy sound waves used. However, the visual interpretation of the ultrasound images is time-consuming and usually has high false alerts due to speckle noise. Improved methods of collection image-based data have been proposed to reduce noise in the images; however, this has proved not to solve the problem due to the complex nature of images and the exponential growth of biomedical datasets. Secondly, the target class in real-world biomedical datasets, that is the focus of interest of a biopsy, is usually …

Application Of Halloysite Nanotubes In Bone Disease Remediation And Bone Regeneration, Yangyang Luo

Doctoral Dissertations

Customized patient therapy has been a major research focus in recent years. There are two research fields that have made a significant contribution to realizing individualized-based treatment: targeted drug delivery and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. With benefit from the advances in nanotechnology and biomaterial science, various drug delivery systems have been established to provide precise control of therapeutic agents release in time and space. The emergence of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables the fabrication of complicated structures that effectively mimic native tissues and makes it possible to print patient-specific implants. My dissertation research used a clay nanoparticle, halloysite, to develop …

Feature Space Modeling For Accurate And Efficient Learning From Non-Stationary Data, Ayesha Akter

Doctoral Dissertations

A non-stationary dataset is one whose statistical properties such as the mean, variance, correlation, probability distribution, etc. change over a specific interval of time. On the contrary, a stationary dataset is one whose statistical properties remain constant over time. Apart from the volatile statistical properties, non-stationary data poses other challenges such as time and memory management due to the limitation of computational resources mostly caused by the recent advancements in data collection technologies which generate a variety of data at an alarming pace and volume. Additionally, when the collected data is complex, managing data complexity, emerging from its dimensionality and …

Electrolytic Metallization Of Halloysite Nanotubes And Antimicrobial Applications, Ahmed Humayun

Doctoral Dissertations

Due to increased reports of infections and biofouling arising from the use of invasive medical devices, novel antimicrobial agents with suitable anti-biofouling properties are critically needed. Transition metals exhibit substantial antimicrobial activity; however, their use is limited because of their inherent toxicity to eukaryotic cells. In this regard, naturally occurring halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) show significant promise. HNTs possess a high surface area for adsorption while its hollow lumen can be used for loading different materials.

Herein, we demonstrate an electrolytic method for generating and depositing metal nanoparticles (NPs) on the HNTs outer surface and we propose an optimized method …

Understanding Competing Climates: A Theoretical Framework For Examining Service And Ethical Climates, Cristopher T. Huynh

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of work climate has expanded our understanding of how context impacts individuals in the workplace. While most climate research has focused on single- or multi-faceted organizational climates and how they directly impact the individual employee, little has been done to understand the influence of multiple, competing work climates on employee behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the multiple, competing climates perspective (Schneider et al., 2013) to better understand the influence of context on an employee’s work-related attitudes. This dissertation begins with a brief review of the climate literature and its existing challenges, highlighting the importance …

A Multicarrier Technique For Monte Carlo Simulation Of Electrothermal Transport In Nanoelectronics, Tyler J. Spence

Doctoral Dissertations

The field of microelectronics plays an important role in many areas of engineering and science, being ubiquitous in aerospace, industrial manufacturing, biotechnology, and many other fields. Today, many micro- and nanoscale electronic devices are integrated into one package. e capacity to simulate new devices accurately is critical to the engineering design process, as device engineers use simulations to predict performance characteristics and identify potential issues before fabrication. A problem of particular interest is the simulation of devices which exhibit exotic behaviors due to non-equilibrium thermodynamics and thermal effects such as self-heating. Frequently, it is desirable to predict the level of …

Exploring Ways To Bring Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Into Rehabilitative Programs, Reginold P. Daniels

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study analyzes the effectiveness of a culturally relevant prison rehabilitation program carried out with 41 inmates at a California jail. The aspect of prison rehabilitation has not received enough attention by researchers previously. In this case, the author conducted an in-depth quantitative analysis on a survey with participants that he was teaching. Regression analysis was used to explore the data. The results of the regression indicated that the culturally-relevant instructor significantly enhanced violence prevention (r (37) = .410, p < 0.05). Furthermore, the study also found that cultural relevance significantly impacted communication and relationship skills (r (37) = .423, p < 0.05).