Digital Commons Network^™

Do Lgbtq-Identified, Postsecondary Writing Instructors Come Out In Their Classrooms?, Michael Baumann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation investigates how and why LGBTQ-identified, postsecondary writing instructors perform intersectional identities in their classrooms. Scholars in the field of rhetoric and composition have examined these critical questions as early as 1974 and several times since. However, oppressive, regressive sexual politics; a maelstrom of contemporary public confessions made possible and prolific through new media; and an increasingly intersectional landscape of queer people all provide exigency to update our coming out conversation. This dissertation is the analytical writeup of a national study that I conducted in 2018. I surveyed approximately 100 LGBTQ-identified postsecondary writing instructors in the United States and …

Understanding Object Motion Encoding In The Mammalian Retina., Victor Julian Depiero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phototransduction, transmission of visual information down the optic nerve incurs delays on the order of 50 – 100ms. This implies that the neuronal representation of a moving object should lag behind the object’s actual position. However, studies have demonstrated that the visual system compensates for neuronal delays using a predictive mechanism called phase advancing, which shifts the population response toward the leading edge of a moving object’s retinal image. To understand how this compensation is achieved in the retina, I investigated cellular and synaptic mechanisms that drive phase advancing. I used three approaches, each testing phase advancing at a …

It's A Mad World After All: The Influence Of Stoic Thought In Goya's Los Caprichos., Jennifer Anne Steward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of use of the principles of Stoic rhetoric and moral psychology in Goya’s print series, Los Caprichos. The relationship between Stoic thought and the technical aspects will be explored with regard to the effects used to support the visual conceptualizations. The function of the Caprichos as a book with chapters or parts relating particular modes of perception will be addressed. The technique of aquatint employed by Goya will also be explored. The predominance of geometric forms within the composition that reflect inter-personal relationships is also presented for consideration.

Development And Characterization Of A Biopolymer Direct-Write Process For 3d Microvascular Structures Formation., Xiaoming Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Engineering of bulk tissues has been limited by the lack of nutrient and waste exchange in these tissues without an adjacent capillary network. To produce microvasculature, a scaffold must be produced that provides temporary mechanical support and stimulate endothelial cell adhesion, growth, and morphogenesis into a vessel. However, current well-established techniques for producing microvasculature, such as electrospinning, are limited since they lack both the precision to control fiber placement in three-dimensional space and the ability to create fiber networks with predefined diameters to replicate the physiological microvascular progression from arteriole to capillary to venule. Our group has developed a “Direct-write” …

Towards A Theory Of Human Mobility And Wall-Building: A Comparative Analysis Of Hadrian's Wall And The Iron Curtain., Timothy Heine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contributes a theory on human bordering practices that encompasses diverse types of borders and border experiences. In order to flesh out the factors underlying human wall-building, it is vital to first understand the mobile nature (both as an innate characteristic and adaptive strategy) of our species. A clearer appreciation of the biology of human mobility elucidates the seemingly counterintuitive process of the establishment of cultural boundaries. Such an inquiry into the available inter-disciplinary literature on the topics of human mobility and wall-building reveals much about the manner in which humans interpret and utilize space, the variety of walls …

The Genesis And Development Of Deathscapes In America -- A Story Of How Chicago And Louisville Cemeteries Demonstrate The Shifting Rationale Of Cemetery Placement During The 19th And 20th Centuries., Thomas D. Cleven

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today, most construction projects require a systematic site qualification based on a suitability analysis utilizing parameters such as slope, soil type, elevation, distance to open water, and distance to transportation. The proper siting determines the success of a project in terms of project stability and longevity. However, has this suitability analysis exist for one of the most significant phases of humanity – death. Historically dead bodies seem to have been placed without suitable qualification being many cemeteries have created environmental problems for the living. Hence, with which placement rationale has been used comes to mind. With a varied array of …

Synthesis And Study Of Hydroxytyrosol Derivatives, Ebenezer Ametsetor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydroxytyrosol is one of the most powerful known antioxidants. It is a naturally occurring polyphenol, most commonly produced in olive trees, (Olea europaea). The remarkable antioxidant and pharmacological properties of hydroxytyrosol has made it an outstanding compound in the polyphenol family and of great interest to many researchers. Hydroxytyrosol can scavenge free radicals produced during cellular oxidative stress and helps to protect the integrity of cells in living systems. Despite its numerous biological and pharmacological uses, it is found in very low concentration in olive oil, this limits its availability for biomedical applications. This work reports a novel and effective …

Role Of Topoisomerase Ii Alpha In Dna Topology And T Cell Responses During Chronic Viral Infections, Stella Chinyere Ogbu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The clearance of viruses is largely dependent upon the activation of T cells to generate a robust immune response. However, host responses are suppressed during chronic viral infections. In this thesis, we explored the role of Top2α in DNA topology in individuals with chronic HBV, HCV, and HIV infections. We found that Top2α protein expression and activity were low in T cells derived from chronically virus-infected individuals compared to healthy subjects. Using CD4⁺ T cells treated with Top2α inhibitor or poisoner as a model, we demonstrated that Top2α inhibition disrupts the DNA topology, suppresses DNA repair kinase (ATM), and …

Age And Seasonal Change In The Chronobiology Of A Spider With An Exceptionally Long-Period Circadian Clock, Shae Crain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines locomotor activity in samples of Frontinella pyramitela collected over its active season (April-October) to investigate whether seasonality and/or age may help explain the exceptional variability typically found in spider clock systems. Despite its noteworthy variability (%CV= 7.7), we have found that Frontinella has a mean free-running period of 28.4±2.18 hours that does not significantly vary over time. There is no correlation between day length and free-running period, indicating that varying length of FRP is not a function of photoperiod length. In LD 12:12 h, the window of activity is significantly smaller in April, gradually widening as the …

Cannabidiol, Behavior, And Immune Biomarkers In Idiopathic Autism Spectrum Disorder., Sarah Huang Shrader

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogenous neurodevelopmental disorder currently estimated by the CDC to affect 1 in 36 children in the U.S.. This uniquely human condition is characterized by a spectrum of symptoms that feature social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors with restricted interest. Autistic individuals commonly exhibit multiple comorbidities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and seizures, which can complicate an already multi-faceted presentation. The majority of ASD cases are idiopathic in nature. Developing a well-validated animal model of ASD for translational research comes with many challenges, but is crucial for advancing our understanding of autism and …

Characterization Of The Impact Of Prenatal Cigarette Smoke Exposure On Age- And Sex-Specific Sirt1-Mediated Hepatic Molecular Phenotype In C57bl/6 Mice., Kendall S. Stocke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S., 7.2% of women still report having smoked at some point during pregnancy despite known risks to fetal health. Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) in children puts them at risk for low birth weight, premature birth, and other adverse impacts on developmental and postnatal health. Children subjected to prenatal CSE have a higher risk of adulthood metabolic disease predicted by the Barker Hypothesis. The hepatic molecular phenotype associated with this risk is unknown. This dissertation characterizes the prenatal CSE-induced hepatic molecular phenotype during three key life stages. We used a murine model of prenatal CSE utilizing a Teague …

A Possible Luxr Solo Type Regulator Of An Antibiotic-Like Compound From The Soil Bacterium Rhodococcus, Katelyn Sellick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococcus, a species of bacteria commonly found in the soil, is an under-explored producer of small bioactive compounds including siderophores, pigments and antibiotics. MTM3W5.2 is a strain of Rhodococcus that was previously discovered to produce an antibiotic-like compound that has inhibitory effects on other Rhodococcus strains, including the veterinary pathogen, R. equi. The biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for production of the antibiotic has been identified, and a small gene, BTZ20_3964 at the start of the operon is believed to be a luxR solo regulator of the gene cluster. The goal of this project was to determine this gene’s …

The Training Of A Para Powerlifter: A Case Study Of Adaptive Monitoring, Training And Overcoming, Derek Wilcox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paralympic athletes (PA) appear to be more prone to chronic overuse injuries from daily wheelchair or crutch use. Over half of these injuries are shoulder related which can deleteriously impact quality of life. Adaptive powerlifters (AP) are a subdivision of Paralympic athletes and are at a higher risk for catastrophic injuries as compared to their counterparts, due to the compound of fatigue and lifting of maximal weights. For this reason, it is vital to have well-designed training plans for these athletes in order to preserve quality of life and maximize performance in competition. Unfortunately, there is a lack of literature …

The Gendering Of Death Personifications In Literary Modernism: The Femme Fatale Symbol From Baudelaire To Barnes, Amanda Mcnally

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The time of modernity, defined here as 1850-1940, contributed to massive changes in the representation of the feminine in literature. Societal paradigm shifts due to industrialism, advances in science, psychology, and a newfound push for gender equality brought transformation to the Western World. As a result of this, male frustrations revived the ancient trope of the femme fatale, but the modern woman—already hungry for agency, tired of maligned representation in heinous portrayals of skeletons, sirens, and beasts—saw a symbol begging for redemption rather than the intended insult. Women of the nineteenth century infused texture to a two-dimensional accusation that argued …

Blaze, Meg Roussos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The photographer discusses her work in “BLAZE,” a Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibit held at the Tipton Gallery from September 16th through October 4th, 2019. The exhibition consists of 11 archival inkjet prints, two photographic artist books, a nine-channel video installation, representing the artist’s exploration of how to experience the landscape. Using non-traditional approaches to photographic imagery, experimental exhibition layout, the artist forms questions around themes of walking and landscape. The artist investigates sculptural land art installations represented through photographic documentation. A catalog of the exhibit is included at the end of this thesis.

Roussos examines formal and conceptual …

Exploration Of Ataxia Telangiectasia And Rad3-Related’S (Atr’S) Role In Cell Death Regulation: Implications In Development, Cancer, And Stroke, Brian Cartwright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From gametogenesis until death an organism’s genome is under constant bombardment from endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage. To maintain genomic integrity amid this damage, cells have evolved responses which allow them to either preserve viability for recovery or initiate self-destructive pathways depending on the severity of DNA damage. One protein involved in initiating and carrying out these responses is the protein kinase ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR). ATR is known primarily for its regulatory role in initiating the checkpoint-signaling cascade following DNA damage and replicative stress. These signaling events lead to cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, or apoptosis …

An Exploratory Study Of Duty-Related Stress Among Conservation Officers, Logan Ledford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research relating to police stress has typically focused on officers working in urban areas, neglecting their rural counterparts. This is especially true of conservation officers, who are tasked with enforcing laws in state parks and other recreational areas. To date, only a handful of studies have sought to better understand their experiences and perceptions. The current study seeks to further our understanding of conservation officer stress in three unique ways: (1) via applying McCreary and Thompson’s (2006) operational police stress scale (PSQ-Op) to the population, (2) determining whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) affect perceived stress, and …

Preparation Of Folic Acid-Carbon Dots-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles As Targeting Tumor Theranostics, Samson Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted much attention as an excellent gene/drug delivery and biological imaging agent for early cancer theranostics. In this study, we prepared two series of nanoparticles (NPs), which are composed of (CDs) with a targeting agent, folic acid (FA), and a chemotherapeutic agent Doxorubicin (Dox). All the NPs and their intermediates were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The drug loading capacity (DLC) and drug loading efficiency (DLE) of two series of FA-CDs-Dox were assessed using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy at the wavelength of 485 nm. Both showed good DLE and DLC …

A Power Man’S Theology: Marvel’S Luke Cage And Black Liberation Theology, Diarron B. Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Netflix released Marvel’s Luke Cage in 2016 to critical acclaim. Born from a 1970s comic book, the series features Luke Cage, an African-American superhero. Cage is a big, bald, bulletproof black man. Instead of tights and a cape, Cage wears a hoodie calling the audience to remember Trayvon Martin and other victims of white racism. Theologian James Cone created Black Liberation Theology in the 1970s. As a result of Cone’s work, Black Liberation Theology addresses the issue of white racism from a theological standpoint. In this thesis I present a close reading of Marvel’s Luke Cage using Black Liberation Theology …

Implicit Memory And Online Advertisement Priming, Matthew L. Custard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Implicit Memory research has been investigating the attentional requirements needed for something to be encoded and accessible through implicit memory. So far, previous research has produced mixed results on attentional requirements for perceptual implicit memory, some studies citing evidence for the need of attention, others citing the opposite. As well, research has been consistent in producing results showing that conceptual implicit memory has higher attentional demands than that of its perceptual counterpart. Adopting Transfer-Appropriate Processing framework, the current paper investigates attention requirements for both a perceptual task (picture identification) and a conceptual task (category exemplar generation). Participants examine webpages with …

Visitor Characteristics, Attitudes, And Management Preferences Of The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, Samuel J. Rhodes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex (BMWC) encompasses 3 federal wilderness areas and spans over 1.5 million acres of iconic mountains and valleys in northwestern Montana. Here visitors can find a plethora of recreation opportunity that give access to some of the most rugged country that can be found in the lower 48 states. However, managing wilderness areas comes with the challenge of both preserving the natural resources found within their borders and enabling opportunities for recreational experiences. Wilderness social scientists always have striven to determine the type of visitors coming to wilderness, and see what sorts of experiences they pursue. …

Factors Influencing Faculty Use Of Screencasting For Feedback, Berlin Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored faculty concerns in using screencasting to give feedback, why they choose to adopt it, and what training and support would benefit them in the adoption of such a method. This is a single embedded case study using a stages of concern questionnaire, semistructured and open-ended interviews, as well as media comment reviews as data collection methods. Some 21 professors from a southwestern private university participated in the research, representing 51 potential participants who have been exposed to screencasting for feedback through software ownership, training, or coaching. After the completion of this questionnaire, 16 participants were interviewed in …

Evaluating The Effects Of Sanitizing Drinker Lines In Commercial Broiler Houses On The Water Quality And Microbial Content In Biofilm Layers, Kennedi Achilles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The importance of water quality and its ability to cause major impacts, whether it is positive or negative, is often overlooked in the poultry industry. The microbial content of water is just one of many water characteristics that need to be monitored and regulated to ensure a flock is receiving good quality water. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of four different sanitizers under commercial broiler house conditions, with three replications over a three flock period. Each flock was grown for 56 days with a 2 week period between each flock. Four oxidative sanitizers were used and …

Genetic Diversity Of White-Tailed Deer Populations In Southwestern Pennsylvania And The Development Of A Forensics Panel, Melanie Quain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the 20^thcentury, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) became scarce, prompting conservation efforts by hunters and wildlife managers with the goal to recover this species. Various strategies were implemented including reintroductions from areas that still had large deer populations, developing bag limits, seasonal restrictions, and habitat management. These efforts were highly successful across the United States.

Today, white-tailed deer are one of the most abundant and widely-distributed large-bodied mammals in North America. However, there are several important management concerns. In numerous states, including Pennsylvania, CWD negatively impacts deer populations and has become a major health concern. When …

Does Emotional Intelligence Moderate The Effect Of Field Work Experience On Counseling Students' Group Counseling Self-Efficacy, John Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counselor educators and supervisors need a comprehensive understanding of counseling students group counseling development with the aim of assessing student learning outcomes and facilitating academic and supervisory interventions that support development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and group counseling self-efficacy and determine the feasibility of using emotional intelligence to predict changes in group counseling self-efficacy. Results indicated that although there was significant increase in group counselor self-efficacy after a semester of fieldwork experience, the results showed no significant relationship between emotional intelligence and group counselor self-efficacy. Practical implications and future directions for …

Unruly Matter: Masculine Consumption In English Restoration Literature, Shawn Watkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unruly Matter: Masculine Consumption in English Restoration Literature

Over the past several decades, material culture scholars working within the “Long 18^th Century” have identified how the figure of the woman consumer became an ideological nodal point that registered new enthusiasm for emerging economic dynamics (mercantilism, nascent capitalism, etc.) while also expressing masculine anxieties about consumerism and the role of consumable goods in English society. Although many scholars have noted that men functioned symbolically and ideologically as English society’s primary consumers of material goods in the later 17^th century, there is no scholarly work that aims to describe the …

Kink In Flux: Bdsm Theory And Sexual Praxis, Celeste Pietrusza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The opening decades of the 21^st century have seen a veritable explosion of representations of bondage, discipline and sadomasochism (BDSM) and kink practices in mainstream media and American culture. Along with this, empirical researchers working in sexuality studies continue to show, contrary to the history of stigmatizing accounts in the history of clinical psychology, no evidence of increased pathology and, in some studies, better outcomes on measures of mental health.

Given the legacy of psychoanalysis in foregrounding considerations of sadomasochism and sexuality for the human psyche, it seems particularly well positioned to approach the complexities of dynamic fantasies involved …

Reclaiming Embodiment: An Existential-Phenomenological Exploration Of Women’S Tattoos, Ashley Gill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a phenomenological research study about the lived experiences of women who elected to get tattoos in the last five years. Due to historical and present discourses on female embodiment and persistent stigmas and pathologies often associated with tattoos, I sought to generate meaningful knowledge about the lived experiences of women who have voluntarily chosen this form of body modification. I conducted phenomenological research interviews with nine participants about personal meanings, decision making processes, and lived experiences of embodiment (capturing existential themes of lived body, spatiality, relationality, and time) before and after tattooing. I applied thematic interpretation of …

Osmoregulation And Salinity Preference In Juvenile Sandbar Sharks (Carcharhinus Plumbeus) In Winyah Bay, Sc, Usa, Jessica Wingar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus) have been caught in salinities ranging from 7 – 40. In Winyah Bay, a partially mixed estuary in Northeast SC, juvenile sandbar sharks tidally alternate between higher tides in middle bay and lower tides in lower bay. To assess salinity preference and duration in eight acoustically-tagged juvenile sandbar sharks in different salinities, acoustic receivers with salinity loggers were placed throughout Winyah Bay. Juvenile sandbar sharks were caught in salinities from 17.2 to 36.1 and acoustic detections were recorded from 11.5 to 24.7 by salinity loggers in middle bay. Smaller juvenile sandbar sharks used lower salinities, …

Aerobic Photolysis Mecbl: Structure And Electronic Properties Of Cbl-O-O-Ch3 Intermediate., Aida Bazarganpour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The photolysis of methylcobalamin (coenzyme B₁₂) results in homolytic cleavage of the Co-C bond, forming cob(II)alamin and the Co(II)/CH₃ radical pair (RP) which further react with O₂ to form the intermediate (R-O-O-Cbl) that involves in the aerobic photolysis. It has been suggested that the key intermediate (R-O-O-Cbl) involves in aerobic photolysis is the insertion of O₂ between the Co-C bond. Clearly, the exposure of light is needed to induce the activation Co-C bond for generating the Co(II)/CH₃ radical pair (RP). The intermediate (R-O-O-Cbl) undergoes further decomposition to aldehyde as the final product of aerobic …