Digital Commons Network^™

Alkylthiocarbamate Metal Complexes With Antiproliferation Activity., Kritika Bajaj

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bis(thiosemicarbazones) (BTSCs) and their metal complexes have been extensively studied for various applications including catalysis for hydrogen evolution reactions, treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hypoxia imaging, and a wide range of pharmacological purposes including antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. The paramount property that makes BTSC metal complexes interesting for their use in these applications is the reduction potential of the coordinated metal, which can be selectively tuned by varying the substituents present on the ligand framework. Although the BTSCs have shown a great deal of success as potential cancer therapeutic agents, they lack selectivity towards cancer cells. For this matter, …

An Analysis Of Public Comments On The Implementation Of The Ngss In Kentucky., Matthew David Trzaskus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Feedback has been a highly effective means to enact change. In the classroom teachers provide feedback to students concerning their performance, how they compare to the learning goal, and what students need to achieve those goals. For teachers, they utilize feedback from students to examine content focus and instructional practice in order to reflect and make positive changes. In this study, feedback is once again provided in order to enact change. Kentucky stakeholders, mainly teachers, in science education offered feedback about the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In their feedback they highlighted the challenges that occurred after …

Cross-Validation For Autoregressive Models., Christina Han

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are no set rules for choosing the lag order for autoregressive (AR) time series models. Currently, the most common methods employ AIC or BIC. However, AIC has been proven to be inconsistent and BIC is inefficient. Racine proposed an estimator based on Shao's work which he hypothesized would also be consistent, but left the proof as an open problem. We will show his claim does not follow immediately from Shao. However, Shao offered another consistent method for cross validation of linear models called APCV, and we will show that AR models satisfy Shao's conditions. Thus, APCV is a consistent …

A New Sir Model With Mobility., Ciana Applegate

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, a mobility-based SIR model is built to understand the spread of the pandemic. A traditional SIR model used in epidemiology describes the transition of particles among states, such as susceptible, infected, and recovered states. However, the traditional model has no movement of particles. There are many variations of SIR models when it comes to the factor of mobility, the majority of studies use mobility intensity or population density as a measure of mobility. In this paper, a new dynamical SIR model, including the spatial motion of three-type particles, is constructed and the long-time behavior of the first …

Role Of Machine Learning In Early Diagnosis Of Kidney Diseases., Mohamed Nazih Mohamed Ibrahim Shehata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) approaches have been used as indispensable tools in modern artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnostic (AIbased CAD) systems that can provide non-invasive, early, and accurate diagnosis of a given medical condition. These AI-based CAD systems have proven themselves to be reproducible and have the generalization ability to diagnose new unseen cases with several diseases and medical conditions in different organs (e.g., kidneys, prostate, brain, liver, lung, breast, and bladder). In this dissertation, we will focus on the role of such AI-based CAD systems in early diagnosis of two kidney diseases, namely: acute rejection (AR) post …

Perceptions Of Tenured Science Faculty Regarding The Provision Of Reasonable Accommodations For Students With Disabilities, Rebecca J. Riggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study used qualitative research methods to explore the perceptions of tenured science faculty regarding the provision of reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Thirteen tenured science faculty at postsecondary institutions throughout the United States participated in one-on-one interviews. The participants provided their perceptions and experiences regarding the provision of academic accommodations for students with disabilities in a laboratory science. In these interviews key themes emerged, such as the importance of providing reasonable accommodations for successful academic outcomes for students with disabilities, the perception that providing reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities is fair, the concern that providing reasonable …

Reduced Fuel Emissions Through Connected Vehicles And Truck Platooning, Paul D. Brummitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication enable the sharing, in real time, of vehicular locations and speeds with other vehicles, traffic signals, and traffic control centers. This shared information can help traffic to better traverse intersections, road segments, and congested neighborhoods, thereby reducing travel times, increasing driver safety, generating data for traffic planning, and reducing vehicular pollution. This study, which focuses on vehicular pollution, used an analysis of data from NREL, BTS, and the EPA to determine that the widespread use of V2V-based truck platooning—the convoying of trucks in close proximity to one another so as to reduce air drag …

Rule Learning And Swarm Intelligence Techniques For Feature Selection Optimization, Tina Gui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In mathematics and computer science, solving an optimization problem is to find the best solution from all possible outcomes. In this dissertation work, two kinds of algorithms are considered to address the problems in Microarray Analysis, Numerical Optimization and Wireless Sensor Networks. In gene expression analysis and classification, feature selection is an important process of selecting the optimal subset of relevant features or useful data for further study and prediction. The main objective of feature selection is challenging due to the large search space, computational time, imbalanced samples, and quality of the selected drivers. It is necessary to construct a …

Impact Of Institutional Support For Research And Development At An R1 University, Joy Tatum Shideler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilizes a correlational research design to identify the relationship, if any, between institutional and external support of research and development (R&D) at an R1 University Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education R1: Very High Research Activity Doctoral University in the southeastern United States of America. Initial analyses of institutional and external R&D expenditures as reported in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey from 2015 through 2020 did not identify any relationships between institutionally and externally funded R&D expenditures. Additionally, initial regressions were directionally split with positive correlations in 14 fields and …

Measurement Of Inclusive Upsilon(4s) To Upsilon(1s) Decays At Belle Ii, Justin Wade Guilliams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using data collected by the Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider, a measurement of the branching fraction for inclusive $\Upsilon(4S)$ decays to $\Upsilon(1S)$, where $\Upsilon(1S)$ decays to $\mu^{+}\mu^{-}$, is investigated. A similar study has not been conducted for decades. Such an inclusive measurement may be compared to the sum of exclusive branching fractions in order to check the completeness of the known exclusive decays. A disparity between the measured exclusive decays and the inclusive measurement would be suggestive of additional decay modes that are accessible beyond naive expectations. This analysis is further extended to include measurements of …

Clay Beds Preserved In High-Energy Gravel Deposits On Crowley’S Ridge, Northeastern Arkansas, U.S.A.--Origin And Significance From A Lithofacies And Mineralogical Perspective, Trevor John Dempsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Upland Complex (UC) on the southern half of Crowley’s Ridge in Northeastern Arkansas is a 2.6 to 0.2 Ma high-energy, braided sand and gravel containing two thin zones of clay preserved near the top of the UC. Minimum age of the clay was acquired from overlying Brown and Foreman (2012) thermoluminescence ages and maximum age was acquired from Odom et al. (2019) Al/Be age of the basal UC. This project aims to discern if these clay layers formed from pyroclastic material and if so, what the provenance of the parent material is. The investigation of the clay layers included …

3d Reinforced Composite Face Sheets And Functionally Graded Polymeric Foam Cores For Blast And Impact Hazard Mitigation, Suman Babu Ukyam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight sandwich structures are being used in aeronautics, marine, automotive, and offshore structural applications considering their high specific strength and stiffness along with energy absorption features. Sandwich structures comprise of face sheets typically made of aluminum or fiber-reinforced composites bonded to core materials like metallic foams, honeycomb, polymeric foams or balsa wood having a cellular structure. One main limitation of composite material face sheet is the absence of fibers in thickness direction, which greatly reduces damage tolerance and impact resistance. Current research is focused on investigating the dynamic behavior of sandwich structures having composite laminates with 3D reinforcement as face …

Teaching In A Remediation Nation: Exploring Journalism And Mass Communication Faculty Perceptions Of Their Professional Practice, Andrew Mark Abernathy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research shows many new college students may be remedial in English language arts or mathematics (Jaggers & Bickerstaff, 2018). For faculty in journalism and mass communication (JMC) fields, teaching struggling student writers can be especially challenging as these students may not have the fundamental knowledge to build applied writing skills upon. Thus, this lack of readiness for collegiate writing poses challenges to not only these students’ academic success, but also their transition into media professions. Embedded remediation—an alternative to traditional, prerequisite remediation—is one strategy that JMC faculty can use to support struggling student writers. This dissertation explores how JMC faculty …

Design And Fabrication Of Additively Manufactured Arm Cast Using Topology Optimization, Tereza Janatova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The traditional approach to casting non-operative arm fractures involves fully covering a large portion of the forearm, often including a portion of the palm. The use of gypsum plaster and plaster materials often results in cutaneous problems or in more severe cases swelling, pressure sores, or deep vein thrombosis. Other disadvantages include the weight, time it takes to harden, or the damage in contact with water. The objective of the project is to create a durable but breathable custom-made design for an arm brace that will replace the traditional solutions by overcoming their disadvantages. Several research groups and companies provide …

Community Structure Analysis Of Turtles With Application To The Early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Julian Conley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Turtles are important components of ecosystems around the world, with diverse ecological niches and adaptations. However, there are few detailed studies of how turtle community structure reflects local environments. This project applied techniques of community structure analysis to sites across the United States to infer past ecosystem and environmental conditions of the early Pliocene Gray Fossil Site (GFS) in northeastern Tennessee based on the ancient turtle community. Results indicate extant turtle community structure closely reflects environmental conditions, and that ancient turtle communities can be used to infer climate and habitat conditions of past ecosystems. Application to the GFS turtle community …

Solving The Challenges Of Concept Drift In Data Stream Classification., Hanqing Hu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rise of network connected devices and applications leads to a significant increase in the volume of data that are continuously generated overtime time, called data streams. In real world applications, storing the entirety of a data stream for analyzing later is often not practical, due to the data stream’s potentially infinite volume. Data stream mining techniques and frameworks are therefore created to analyze streaming data as they arrive. However, compared to traditional data mining techniques, challenges unique to data stream mining also emerge, due to the high arrival rate of data streams and their dynamic nature. In this dissertation, …

A Computational Model Of The Line-1 Retrotransposon Life Cycle And Visualization Of Metabolic Networks In 3-Dimensions., Michael D. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling of metabolic reactions and cellular systems is evolving as a tool for quantitative prediction of metabolic parameters and reaction pathway analysis. In this work, the basics of computational cell biology are presented as well as a summary of physical processes within the cell, and the algorithmic methods used to find time dependent solutions. Protein-protein and enzyme-substrate interactions are mathematically represented via mass action kinetics to construct sets of linear differential equations that describe reaction rates and formation of protein complexes. Using mass action methods, examples of reaction networks and their solutions are presented within the Virtual Cell simulation …

Bayesian Methodologies For Constrained Spaces., Siddhesh Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to advances in technology, there is a presence of directional data in a wide variety of fields. Often distributions to model directional data are defined on manifold or constrained spaces. Regular statistical methods applied to data defined on special geometries can give misleading results, and this demands new statistical theory. This dissertation addresses two such problems and develops Bayesian methodologies to improve inference in these arenas. It consists of two projects: 1. A Bayesian Methodology for Estimation for Sparse Canonical Correlation, and 2. Bayesian Analysis of Finite Mixture Model for Spherical Data. In principle, it can be challenging to …

Effects Of Monovalent And Divalent Ions In Factor Xiii Activation And Crosslinking., Richard Laporca Lumata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Factor XIII (FXIII) is an emerging target for treating blood clotting and cardiovascular related diseases. FXIII can be activated non-proteolytically by the presence of elevated Ca²⁺ levels (2-100 mM) or proteolytically by thrombin-cleavage of the Activation Peptide along with low mM Ca²⁺. The studies herein utilized fluorescence to examine how monovalent and divalent ions influence the transglutaminase activity and conformation of FXIII. Monodansylcadaverine assays revealed that increasing ionic radius (Cs⁺ > K⁺ > Na⁺ > Li⁺) and increasing ionic strength (XCl^- levels and SO₄^2- > Cl^-) elevated FXIII-A transglutaminase activity. Intrinsic …

Not Only Black Or Only A Woman, A Black Woman: Gendered Racial Microaggressions, Colorism And Hair On Trauma Symptoms., Maame-Safowaa Geary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intersectionality of racism and sexism of Black women has the possibility of leading to mental health symptoms due to the consistent and persistent experience of insidious trauma, specifically gendered racial microaggressions (GRM). In this study, we examined the relations between gendered racial microaggressions (GRM) and trauma/PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms among Black women. Additionally, skin tone and hair style/texture were explored as moderating variables. We hypothesized a positive relation between GRM and symptoms of trauma/PTSD, depression, and anxiety. We also hypothesized that darker skin tones and more Afrocentric hairstyles would moderate GRM and the described mental health …

Development And Evaluation Of Performance Models For Asphalt, Concrete, And Composite Pavements Using Machine Learning, Rulian Ferreira De Almeida Barros

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transportation infrastructures account for a considerable portion of public investments, which serve as the backbone of a country’s economy by providing essential services to businesses and people. In the United States, public investments in transportation infrastructure assets represent trillions of dollars. The U.S road network consists of about 4 million miles, being the world’s largest, longest, and biggest transportation system. Paved roads account for 2.6 million miles, and 93% of them are surfaced with asphalt. However, a portion of the paved roads consists of asphalt overlaid concrete pavements, also known as composite pavements. When concrete pavements start to fail, they …

Novel Applications Of Hot Melt Extrusion For Developing Oral Solid Dosage Forms With Improved Solubility, Permeability, And Stability, Dinesh Nyavanandi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's world, with an increasing patient population, the demand for pharmaceutical medications is increasing enormously. However, pharmaceutical industries are continuously failing to meet market and patient populations' demands. Poor solubility of the drug substances is the major roadblock affecting the pharmaceutical industries in meeting the market demand and revenue. Around 70-80% of the new chemical entities within the developmental pipeline are claimed to be poorly soluble, affecting the oral bioavailability. Improving the solubility of drug substances by preserving their stability and physiological action is the primary prerequisite for developmental scientists. The underdeveloped manufacturing process with various limitations is another …

Preparation And Characterization Of 3d Printed Bioadhesive Delivery Systems, Mohammed Yahya Alyahya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug delivery systems are evolving as pharmaceutical excipients and the manufacturing technologies evolve. Recently, 3D printing was introduced as a promising and versatile manufacturing technology of solid dosage forms from liquid, semi-solid, and solid intermediates. This work presents two examples of employing hot melt extrusion and fused deposition 3D printing technology to fabricate bioadhesive delivery systems loaded with miconazole. The first project shows a successful fabrication of four intraoral mucoadhesive film formulations, the formulations consist of different ratios of Eudragit RS, Hydroxypropyl cellulose EF (HPC EF), and Hypromellose HME 15LV. After the HME and 3DP fabrication of the films, the …

Investigating The Acoustic Properties Of Polymer Microspheres Suspended In Gelatin, Alexander Orlin Denette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in materials science have produced materials that exhibit properties with values outside of naturally observed ranges. These properties are driven by overlapping, low order resonant modes, and are limited to small response ranges close to harmonic frequencies. This study aims to see if the same properties can be recreated with high order resonant modes from distributions of small scatterers. A method for holding random distributions of scatterers in space was created, and two types of acoustic measurements were taken. Resonant frequencies and their scattering order were identified, and the resulting scattered fields were resolved.

Exploratory Analysis Of Effects Of Data On Adversarial Perturbations, Hamza Ali Zafar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the amount of data being produced has increased tremendously. This data has allowed us to create and train machine learning models that are being used nowadays. Though these models have proven to be very effective in classification and regression problems, they do have a vulnerability. This vulnerability is exploited by adding adversarial perturbations to the original data or in the deployed model. These adversarial attacks are done by making minute changes to the data to confuse the machine learning model. This can lead to models’ misrepresentation and drop the accuracy. For the span of this paper, I …

Testing Emotion Regulation As A Functional Transdiagnostic Construct, Enoch Sackey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The polythetic criteria of the DSM and ICD generate high amount of symptom heterogeneity as there are clusters of symptoms within various diagnostic category that are heuristically similar, resulting in multiple, often confusing, ways of describing sequelae of symptoms presentation. This is because the DSM and ICD classification systems were developed based on the neo-Kraepelinian framework for classifying physical illnesses, which assumes that the underlying architecture of psychopathology, which manifest in disorder symptoms, are distinct and specific. Based on this, the categorical approach to describing psychopathology has been described as purely conceptual artefact with no empirical basis in research or …

Post-Newtonian Dynamics Of Eccentric, Spinning Binary Black Holes And The Associated Gravitational Waveforms, Sashwat Tanay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2015, the gravitational wave (GW) era of astronomy began. The binary black hole (BBH) system being the primary source of GWs, are at the center stage of GW astronomy. The matched-filtering method of detection of GWs requires accurate modeling of the BBH system and the associated GWs. With the increasing sensitivity of the GW detectors, we need to push our GW models to even higher accuracy in the future. There is also a need to make these models as fast as possible to implement so as to allow for hundreds of detections in a year. This is where the …

Acute Effects Of Match Play Induced Fatigue On Jump Performance In Collegiate Women's Volleyball, Grayson Flora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated changes in maximal jump performance in response to match play induced fatigue. During six sets of tournament match play, seven National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics women’s volleyball athletes accumulated a mean Player Load of 758.6±216.89 au (measured via microsensor accelerometry), and mean session rate of perceived exertion of 1184.1±363.2. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to identify change with Hedge’s g effect sizes used to assess magnitude of change. Short recovery stress scale results indicated elevated stress (ES=1.401 to 1.588) and decreased recovery (ES = -1.358 to -1.848) 24 hours post-match, trending towards baseline 48 hours post-match. Countermovement …

Adaptation Of Instructional Strategies And Practices During A Pandemic, Lacy E. York Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the stories of identified, effective middle school teachers as they experienced changes in instructional strategies and practices as a result of an identified crisis, COVID-19. Although there has been little documentation in the literature specifically regarding adapting instructional strategies and practices as a result of crises, crisis management, change theory, mindset theory, adaptation, and teacher effectiveness characteristics became the framework through which to interpret the data.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with a total of eight participants, two principals and six teachers, who met specific research participation criteria. Analysis of …

Validation Of The 40 Hz Auditory Steady State Response As A Pharmacodynamic Biomarker Of Evoked Neural Synchrony, Muhammad Ummear Raza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a troubling and severe mental illness that is only incompletely treated by currently available drugs. New drug development is hindered by a scarcity of functionally relevant pharmacodynamic biomarkers that are translatable across preclinical and human subjects. Although psychosis is a major feature of schizophrenia, cognitive and negative symptoms determine the long-term functional outcomes for patients. Stimulus-evoked neural synchrony at gamma (~ 40 Hz) frequency plays an important role in the processing and integration of sensory information. Not surprisingly, schizophrenia patients show deficits in gamma oscillations. NMDA receptor (NMDAR) activation on fast-spiking parvalbumin-positive interneurons is deemed important for the …