Digital Commons Network^™

Black And White Student Achievement Gaps In Tennessee, Haley Dirmeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Achievement gaps between Black students and White students have existed since public education was desegregated, and they still persist despite efforts to close the gap. This research describes the achievement gaps between Black and White 3^rd through 8^th grade students in the state of Tennessee from 2017-2019. This is a non-experimental, quantitative, comparative-analysis describing the ELA and math test scores of Black students and White students in each of the three geographic regions of Tennessee. Data were arranged in 2x2 contingency matrixes to compare the expected frequencies of students in each race scoring on-track and mastered versus below …

Perceptions Of Roane State Community College Presidents On The Events Shaping The Institution’S Leadership History, John Norris Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major focus of policymakers in recent years has been community colleges, which have been viewed as potential engines for economic advancement and student success. I examined the leadership history of Roane State Community College, a two-year institution of higher learning serving a nine-county service area mostly in rural East Tennessee as perceived by individuals who have served as the college’s presidents. Five current and former presidents were interviewed about their experiences as president and their perceptions of the college’s history. Narrative research was used to recount a history of Roane State Community College, and the key events and factors …

Generation X And Generation Y: An Exploration Of Student Motivation To Learn And Technology Use, Ladonna Hutchins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student motivation and technology use are important considerations for higher education institutions. With increasing proportions of institutional funding being tied to student success and retention outcomes, gaining an awareness of how students tend to be motivated as well as their comfort and skill level with technology is critical for supporting student success in the collegiate classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine motivations for learning and technology use by specific generations, Generation X and Generation Y, among participants in two learning settings, a four-year university and a two-year community college. Differences in motivation type including intrinsic, extrinsic, and …

Theranostic Nanoparticles Folic Acid-Carbon Dots-Drug(S) For Cancer, Godwin Kweku Babanyinah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to prepare theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) that are expected to increase cancer diagnostics and therapeutic efficacy. We prepared the NPs constituting carbon dots (CDs) as an imaging agent, folic acid as a targeting agent, doxorubicin (DOX), or gemcitabine (GEM) as chemotherapy agents. The NPs include noncovalent FA-CDs-DOX, covalent CDs-FA-DOX, and covalent FA-CDs-GEM. Through ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, the fabrication of these NPs was confirmed. It was discovered that the high drug loading efficiency is the noncovalent series while the high drug loading capacity is the covalent series The in-vitro pH-dependent drug release data indicate …

Morphology And Paleoecology Of Nimravides Galiani (Felidae) And Barbourofelis Loveorum (Barbourofelidae) From The Late Miocene Of Florida, Christianne Ormsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Saber-toothed remains have been found worldwide throughout the Cenozoic, until the end of the Pleistocene. One site from Alachua County, Florida preserves a diverse Miocene fauna, including the machairodontine Nimravides galiani (Felidae) and the saber-toothed Barbourofelis loveorum (Barbourofelidae). Both taxa roamed what would become the Love Bone Bed site during the Late Miocene (Late Clarendonian NALMA), ~ 9.5 Mya. Previous descriptions focused on crania; yet the large sample of postcrania remained undescribed. Hence, this project includes a detailed postcranial description of both taxa. Results show that N. galiani resembles extant felids, whereas B. loveorum resembles Smilodon fatalis, as well …

Looping And Academic Achievement In Elementary Schools, Kate Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the academic performance of students at the elementary level who loop compared to those who do not. This study also assessed if there was a significant difference in academic achievement among subgroups in students who loop compared to those who do not. A quantitative, ex post-facto, comparative design was used to analyze data to determine if there is a signficiant relationship between looping and academic achievement for elementary students. The scores of students enrolled in two looping classrooms at two schools were compared to …

Zeta Function Regularization And Its Relationship To Number Theory, Stephen Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the "path integral" formulation of quantum mechanics is both highly intuitive and far reaching, the path integrals themselves often fail to converge in the usual sense. Richard Feynman developed regularization as a solution, such that regularized path integrals could be calculated and analyzed within a strictly physics context. Over the past 50 years, mathematicians and physicists have retroactively introduced schemes for achieving mathematical rigor in the study and application of regularized path integrals. One such scheme was introduced in 2007 by the mathematicians Klaus Kirsten and Paul Loya. In this thesis, we reproduce the Kirsten and Loya approach to …

Defining Higher Education Writing Centers From The Perspectives Of Writing Center Directors, Paul D. Ludwig Mr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover what defines a writing center by interviewing directors of writing centers in the Southern Appalachian area. This qualitative study was based on a single round of recorded telephone interviews with 13 writing center directors who meet the criteria for inclusion in the study. Many researchers have written about writing centers, their efficacy, and what defines them; yet, no clear consensus exists. Without a clear definition there is no means of determining the efficacy of writing centers.

As a result of the interviews with the writing center directors three critical components of writing …

Simulation Of The Interaction Between Striated Muscle Unc-45 And Transcription Factor Gata-4, Drake Alexander Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Striated Muscle UNC-45, also known as UNC-45b, is an important protein that acts as a chaperone for myosin in cardiac and skeletal muscles, binding to myosin at its C-terminal UCS domain and regulating its assembly into thick filaments and sarcomeric structures. The UCS domain contains a large loop that is believed to be the first point of interaction between myosin and UNC-45b. GATA-4 is an essential transcription factor that facilitates transcription of several genes in cardiac development, particularly alpha-heavy chain myosin in heart tissue. Recently, studies have shown that there is interaction of GATA-4 with UNC-45b and that GATA-4 binds …

A Multifunctional Solution Composed Of Tmpyp, 1,5-Dhn, And Fe(Iii) Ions That Produces Reactive Oxygen Species (Ros) In Aerobic, Anaerobic, And H2o2 Environments, Aqeeb Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become a widely popular therapeutic approach for treating various types of cancer over the past several decades. PDT utilizes a photosensitizer, visible light, and oxygen, to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can be used to treat cancer and inhibit growth of bacteria. In this study, a multifunctional solution that is comprised of Fe(III) ions, cationic meso-tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphine tetrachloride (TMPyP), and 1,5-dihydroxynapthalene (1,5-DHN), was shown to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as singlet oxygen (¹O₂) or hydroxyl radicals (ȮH) in aerobic or anaerobic environments, respectively, and in both environments, 1,5-DHN was oxidized …

Sub-Surface Structural Analysis Of The Appalachian Basin In Morrow County, Ohio, Adrian Isaiah-Sias Valdez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Located in the western most region of the Appalachian Basin, Morrow County, Ohio, was once one of the largest oil-producing regions in the nation and continually produces today. To date, approximately 30 million barrels of oil and 6.5 billion cubic feet of gas have been produced, primarily from the Copper Ridge Dolomite. Past studies suggest that regional remnant doming within the Copper Ridge accounts for production, however it is hypothesized that faulting within the basement rock exerts an important control on trapping and migration of hydrocarbons. In order to gain insight into the underlying structure and the causes of significant …

Characterization And Delineation Of Potential Evaporite Geohazards Using Electrical Resistivity Methods Along Fm 2185, Culberson County, Texas, Lenora Diane Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive karst development within the Delaware Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico poses a significant geohazard threat to infrastructure. Dissolution of regional evaporite strata have led to manifestations of karst geohazard phenomena including sinkholes, subsidence features, and caves. The study area is located within the Gypsum Plain in Culberson County, Texas, and includes outcrops of Castile and Rustler strata that host gypsum karst geohazards. Land reconnaissance surveys conducted during the summer of 2019 documented numerous surficial manifestations of karst features proximal to Farm to Market Road 2185 (FM 2185). In combination with traditional survey techniques, electrical resistivity methods …

Predicting Henry's Law Constants Of Volatile Organic Compounds Present In Bourbon Using Molecular Simulations., Christopher A Abney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Henry’s Law describes the partitioning of molecules into liquid and gas phases at low concentrations. Henry’s Law, which is based upon a species-dependent constant and the gas phase partial pressure, is useful for predicting phase behavior of dilute solutes. However, Henry’s Law constants are difficult to measure experimentally or to predict using structure-property or thermodynamic models. Herein, molecular simulations were used to calculate Henry’s Law constants for 18 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in bourbon. The novel simulations analyzed solvation thermodynamics of small organic molecules in 120 proof ethanol. A fast-growth non-equilibrium free energy method was used in which the …

But Also Full Of Seeds For A Future That Could Have Turned Out Differently., Megan Marie Bickel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between "illusion," "allusion," and their relationship to contemporary images which announce, shield, or reference information. Beginning by discussing Casualist and Post-Digital Painting discourse, two styles I work within, we see connecting tissue in announcing and shielding of meaning. We look at the meaning of marks, and in the parallel exhibition, marks that utilize camouflage strategies appear as a metaphor for illuding to information which appears as conveying depth when there is none, and using paintings' symbols in objects that are not paintings. The work 'alludes' to what the viewer has seen before and relies on …

Estimating Cumulative Incidence Rate On Interval Censored Data In An Illness-Death Model., Chen Qian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phase IV clinical trials are designed to monitor long-term side effects caused overtime by the medical treatment. For instance, in advanced primary cancer treatment, childhood cancer survivors are often at risk of developing undesired events, such as cardiotoxicity, during their adulthood. Such problems could be due to their cancer or the treatment they received for their cancer such as radiation or intensive chemotherapy. Cardiotoxicity can be diagnosed with electrophysiology with measurements of fraction shortening, afterload, etc. Often the primary focus of a study could be on estimating the cumulative incidence of a particular outcome of interest such as cardiotoxicity. However, …

Machine Learning Approaches For Lung Cancer Diagnosis., Ahmed Mahmoud Ahmed Shaffie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The enormity of changes and development in the field of medical imaging technology is hard to fathom, as it does not just represent the technique and process of constructing visual representations of the body from inside for medical analysis and to reveal the internal structure of different organs under the skin, but also it provides a noninvasive way for diagnosis of various disease and suggest an efficient ways to treat them. While data surrounding all of our lives are stored and collected to be ready for analysis by data scientists, medical images are considered a rich source that could provide …

K-12 Economically Disadvantaged Students, Poverty, And Education: Ecological Narratives Of Successful Raised-In-Poverty, Texas Educators, Rebecca N. Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study aimed to understand how successful Texas educators who grew up in poverty understood and improved the educational experience of economically disadvantaged students. This study utilized a structural ecological theory and three theories of social relationships (Social Identity, Standpoint, and Cultural Capital). This phenomenological and qualitative study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, online case study design rooted in narrative nonfiction. Virtual interviews with six successful Texas educators that grew up in poverty were conducted. A narrative method of analysis was utilized to generate codes then organize them into themes, and to construct and compare the narrative findings. The results …

Grey Areas: Songs Of Memory, Imagination, Intellect, And Death For Baritone Voice And Mixed Instrumental Octet, Scott Stephen Hansen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central element of this thesis is Grey Areas, a newly-composed dramatic piece in four movements for baritone and chamber ensemble. The work is highly personal in both its subject matter and its musical execution; it also contains a unique movement order that changes depending on the age of the baritone. Along with the written portion of this document and full score, I completed a studio recording of the entire composition as part of the project. Composers (by necessity) are more frequently functioning as their own recording and mixing engineers for their own works. I have been able to …

Investigating The Role Of Charge Separation In Triplet State Formation In Zinc Dipyrrin Photosensitizers, Irene Y. Dzaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

About 85% of the world’s energy is derived from non-renewable sources—coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Solar photocatalysis is one way to potentially generate cheap renewable fuels by harnessing energy from the sun using a photosensitizer and converting it into chemical energy. The efficiency of a photosensitizer depends on its capacity to form a prolonged triplet excited state. Zinc dipyrrin complexes have the potential to be efficient sensitizers for reductive photochemistry, but their ability to form long-lived triplet excited states still needs extensive research. The overall aim of this research is to probe the role charge separation plays in the formation …

Image Analysis Of Charged Bimodal Colloidal Systems In Microgravity., Adam J. Cecil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colloids are suspensions of two or more phases and have been topics of research for advanced, tunable materials for decades. Stabilization of colloids is typically attributed to thermodynamic mechanisms; however, recent studies have identified transport or entropic mechanisms that can potentially stabilize a thermodynamically unstable colloidal system. In this study, suspensions of silsesquioxane microparticles and zirconia nanoparticles were dispersed in a nitric acid solution and allowed to aggregate for 8-12 days in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. The suspensions were subsequently imaged periodically at 2.5x magnification. Due to the inadequacy of existing image analysis programs, the python package “Colloidspy” …

Does Offering Social Work Services Via The Mckinney-Vento Program To Homeless Youth Improve Academic Functioning?, Ari Rayne Gee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the McKinney-Vento Program is to assist homeless and unaccompanied students with enrollment and ensure the protection of their rights. Students who are identified by the McKinney-Vento Program receive services such as transportation, food stamps, clothes, assistance in documentation and case-management. This study examines the effectiveness of the services provided by the McKinney-Vento Program to homeless students through grades and attendance over the time period of the first six weeks and the fourth six weeks in the 2020-2021 school year. McKinney-Vento identified students from two schools, Clack and Craig Middle Schools, within the Abilene Independent School District. These …

Challenges Of Middle School To High School Transition: A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Students Transitioning From Eighth Grade To Ninth Grade, Simisola K. Aromolaran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transitioning from middle to high school comes with a lot of hiccups and challenges for adolescents as they are having to deal with this huge change during a season of life that is challenging. During adolescence, teenagers experience various mental, psychological, and physiological changes. This dynamic developmental period comes with intense changes, and having a better understanding can help teachers, school staff, parents, and peers work through these challenges with teenagers. This study explored the experiences of students when they transitioned from Grade 8 to Grade 9, examined the available support systems during this transition, and how students utilized the …

A Qualitative Needs Assessment Of African Refugee Families Living In West Texas, Benedict Emmanuel Olohunfemi Richards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugees bring with them their customs, religions, and languages, making economic, cultural, and scientific and mathematic contributions to the American society. However, the challenges they face create barriers that could limit how much contribution they make to the American society and how much they can benefit from what America has to offer them. This exploratory descriptive qualitative (EDQ) study attempts to describe, using a sample of 15 parents, the lived experiences of newcomer refugees having children within the Abilene Independent School District (AISD) system, to find answers to the questions: (1) What do refugee families say they need to help …

Testimonios Of Resilient Salvadoran Immigrants Who Graduated From A Public High School In The United States And Pursued Further Education, Leticia Ann Guzman Ingram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There was little research-based understanding of how immigrant students manage to flourish and seek postsecondary educational opportunities. Understanding the experiences of Salvadoran immigrants who graduated from high school could enable educators in the United States to meet their needs more effectively. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore through the testimonios of the experiences of Salvadoran immigrants who graduated from a public high school in the United States and were currently pursuing further education or a career. The research design was narrative research, and the data were used to discern how immigrant youth learn to flourish to answer …

¿Dónde Están? Exploring The Identification Process For Gifted English Language Learners, Angelita O. Vasquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this study addressed was the underrepresentation of ELLs in gifted and talented (GT) programs. The purpose of this case study was to explore teacher, parent, and administrator understandings of the identification process for the gifted and talented program in Gray ISD (pseudonym), in order to gain insights for improving the identification of ELLs for the GT program. The overall research question was: Based on their understandings of the GT identification process, what insights do teachers, parents, and administrators provide to improve the identification of ELLs for the GT program? With LatCrit theory serving as a theoretical framework, this …

Exploring Online Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study For First-Year College Students, Leandrian J. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American first-year college students are faced with mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which can have a negative impact on their academic performance. Research shows that students who suffer from mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, fear their condition will be perceived negatively by their peers and professors. The literature also suggests that U.S. colleges and universities can be more proactive in offering students resources for their mental health concerns to decrease anxiety and depression. It appears that absent or limited mental health resources have failed to address rising cases of student mental illness, and more specifically, …

An Eemd Approach To Non-Stationary, Non-Linear Environmental Long- And Short-Term Time Series Data Of Charleston, Sc, With A 2009 Flood Anomaly Case Study, Dylan David Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Rhythmic Analysis Of Michael Torke: Three Colors And Primary, Secondary, Tertiary: An Original Work For Symphonic Band, Aaron Fast

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes three early Michael Torke “color” pieces, Ecstatic Orange, Bright Blue Music, and The Yellow Pages. This analysis provides insight into the compositional process of his early works, which continues to define his style today. Torke’s techniques include rhythmic motives and their variations, rhythmic canon, sectioning as the basis of form, and stratification. This thesis also provides an analytical notational device when defining a Rhythmic Canon Sequence or a Rhythmic Entrance Series. Through this analysis I demonstrate that all three pieces share these compositional techniques but are displayed in three very different pieces. I also explore …

Leadership In Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs And The School To Prison Pipeline, April Michele Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current research about the school to prison pipeline has focused on the impact of zero-tolerance policies in public education on historically marginalized student populations, especially school exclusionary practices of minority and learning-disabled students. This transcendental phenomenological study extended the understanding of disciplinary alternative education programs’ place in the school to prison pipeline trajectory. According to critical race and social justice leadership theories, the investigation and exposure of the public education components leading students into the school to prison pipeline are violations of student civil rights that require scrutiny and actionable public education reform focused on equity and inclusion.The purpose of …

The Relationship Between Career And Technical Education Enrollment And College And Career Readiness Outcomes, Daniel Soliz Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College and career readiness for K-12 students has become a priority of legislatures and educational leaders in the United States. In recent years, Texas public school leaders have emphasized the importance of maximizing the percentage of College, Career and Military Ready (CCMR) graduates. The specific problem studied was that a low percentage of students in Texas, in comparison to the state’s graduation rate, graduate with a CCMR distinction. Career and Technical Education (CTE), a component of K-12 education, can assist school leaders in maximizing college and career readiness for students. However, it was not clear how within schools, CTE enrollment …