Modeling And Analysis For Unit Cell Size, Material Anisotropy And Material Imperfection Effects Of Cellular Structures Fabricated By Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing., Yan Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cellular structures are networks of interconnected struts or walls with porosities and are widely found in many natural load-bearing structures such as plants and bones. Cellular structures offer unique functional characteristics such as high stiffness to weight ratio, tailorable heat transfer coefficient, and enhanced mechanical energy absorption, which makes them highly attractive in various engineering disciplines such as biomedical implants, electrodes, heat exchangers, and lightweight structures. There exists an abundance of literatures that have investigated various mechanical properties of various cellular structures such as Poisson’s ratio, elastic modulus, ultimate strength, yield strength, and failure characteristics. Based on the classic cellular …

The Ball Is In Your Court: A Phenomenological Study Examining College Athletes With Learning Disabilities And/Or Adhd On College Campuses., Stephanie Thea O'Donnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately only 1% of scholarly top-tier higher education published research focuses on the experiences of students with disabilities since the passing of the ADA in 1990 (Pena, 2014). Even fewer studies have explored the learning-disabled collegiate athlete experience. The purpose of this emerging phenomenological study is to understand the lived experiences of college athletes with learning disabilities and/or ADHD at NCAA Division 1 FBS institutions, giving voice to the untold stories, and commonalities amongst this population. This study provides findings grounded in student perspective by examining their experiences related to disability disclosure, self-advocacy, and academic support within the college environment. …

On The Straight And Narrow: How Cultural Beliefs About Sex/Gender Manifest In College Biology Learning Environments., Katherine Ray Kng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focused on the ways that social beliefs about sex/gender and sexuality manifest in biology classrooms. Especially for health science students, classes include topics like sex, sexuality, sexual behaviors, or sex determination that forms the foundation of their understanding of human forms and behaviors. If the information they receive does not include the LGBTQIA+ community, their education will fail to adequately prepare them for the reality of healthcare practice where they will be expected to treat all patients with dignity and respect. There are three chapters in this dissertation. In chapter one, I asked what beliefs about and conceptions …

Aspects Of Causal Inference., John A. Craycroft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Observational studies differ from experimental studies in that assignment of subjects to treatments is not randomized but rather occurs due to natural mechanisms, which are usually hidden from researchers. Yet objectives of the two studies are frequently the same: identify the causal – rather than merely associational – relationship between some treatment or exposure and an outcome. The statistical issues that arise in properly analyzing observational data for this goal are numerous and fascinating, and these issues are encompassed in the domain of causal inference. The research presented in this dissertation explores several distinct aspects of causal inference. This dissertation …

Computational Behavioral Analytics: Estimating Psychological Traits In Foreign Languages., Kristopher Wayne Reese

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rise of technology proliferating into the workplace has increased the threat of loss of intellectual property, classified, and proprietary information for companies, governments, and academics. This can cause economic damage to the creators of new IP, companies, and whole economies. This technology proliferation has also assisted terror groups and lone wolf actors in pushing their message to a larger audience or finding similar tribal groups that share common, sometimes flawed, beliefs across various social media platforms. These types of challenges have created numerous studies in psycholinguistics, as well as commercial tools, that look to assist in identifying potential threats …

Predicting Dental Student's Performance On National Board Dental Examination (Nbde) Part I: Exploring Demographic Factors, Dental Admission Test (Dat) Factors, Pre-Program Academic Factors, And Dental Program Academic Performance., Wei-Shao Lin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dental students need to successfully challenge a national licensure examination to be able to practice dentistry. Dental educators currently have difficulty in identifying candidates who are at risk of failing this examination. This non-experimental quantitative study examined existing dental student data from the 2017, 2018, and 2019 graduating classes, using a retrospective and correlational approach to identify possible markers for at risk students. Demographic factors, dental admission test (DAT) factors, pre-program academic factors, dental program academic performance, and National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I performance. A series of independent t-tests and One-Way analysis of variances (ANOVAs) were used to …

Block Periodization Programming: Efficacy In Subjects Of Differing Strength Levels, Paul Moquin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physiological muscle adaptations due to resistance training are still not fully known. The rate and area of hypertrophy could drastically help or hinder athletic performance. The purpose of this study was to observe the changes in lean body mass (and related factors), relative allometrically scaled strength and absolute strength through an 11-week block periodized resistance training program. The subjects (n = 15) realized an increase in total body water (pre = 49.77Kg; post = 51.70Kg), lean body mass (pre = 67.98Kg; post = 70.63Kg), adjusted lean body mass (pre = 20.35Kg; post = 21.03Kg) and cross sectional area (pre = …

Pre-Entrance Factors And Student Success In An A.A.S. Nursing Program, Connie Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of pre-entrance factors and the success of students in an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree nursing program at a community college in East Tennessee. The criterion variable was success in the nursing program. Success was defined as academic success in all nursing courses and completion of the nursing program to graduation. The predictor variables of pre-entrance factors were gender, age, Health Education Systems, Incorporated (HESI) A2 scores, Pell Grant eligibility, pre-nursing GPA, and prior licensure. The data for this non-experimental secondary analysis were derived from the electronic database in …

Safety In The Educational Environment: Rural District Administrator Perceptions Of School Safety In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools, Richard A. True

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative research study was conducted to identify, describe, and understand the perceptions of administrators of public school districts in northeast Tennessee regarding school safety. Using a semi-structured interview process, the researcher identified emerging themes regarding the factors most associated with safe school districts, the factors most associated with unsafe school districts, the items identified as needed to improve safety, and the topics identified as future safety issues at the school and district level. Through such study, the researcher was able to develop an understanding regarding the overall safety of school districts in northeast Tennessee and the specific components that …

Alkylation Of Benzene On Immobilized Phosphotungstic Acid, Kofi Kankam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Linear alkylbenzenes (LAB) are key intermediates in the synthesis of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants that are used in the manufacture of detergents. Production of LAB with traditional Lewis acids as catalysts, such as hydrofluoric acid, results in the formation of large amounts of toxic wastes and corrosion of industrial equipment. Phosphotungstic acid (PTA) has gained much attention in recent years as a solid catalyst for various alkylation reactions. This research work aims to develop a novel material based on PTA-containing silica gel, which can effectively catalyze LAB synthesis. Sol-gel synthesis of silica gel in the presence of PTA and tetraethyl …

The Relationship Between The Amount Of Time Spent In The Block Center And Gender Differences In Preschool Children’S Spatial Performance, Narges Sareh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between the amount of time children spend in the block center and their spatial skills, as well as the gender differences in the amount of time children spend in the block center and in their spatial skills. In addition, other factors influencing spatial skills were examined (e.g. child’s age, parents’ level of education). Using a correlational quantitative design, 75 preschoolers in eight Head Start classrooms were observed three times during their free play time. An existing instrument was used (TOSA: Verdine & Golinkoff, 2018) to measure children’s spatial skills. In addition, …

The Lived Experience Of Obesity, Spirituality, And Health Behaviors In African American Women, Andrea S. Poynter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is one of the fastest-growing health concerns impacting all racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic groups in the United States of America. More than one-third of the U.S. adult population is classified as being obese (Obesity Society, 2014). Novak and Brownell (2012) identified that “obesity rates are consistently rising higher each year than in previous years” (p. 2345). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in all races and genders within the US with African American women comprising a majority of those impacted by this chronic health condition. Obesity rates are well documented within the literature but what is lacking is the …

Delineating Of The Utica Shale/Point Pleasant Formation Play System To Determine Influence Of The Precambrian Basement In Northeastern Ohio, Jarrod R. Bridges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Utica Shale/Point Pleasant Formation system has recently become a highly developed unconventional target for oil and natural gas production, leading to an increased desire for knowledge of the controls on deposition of this system. Precambrian basement features have long been known to affect deposition of older strata near these features across Ohio, but the effects of far field tectonics is not fully agreed upon. Precambrian faults and lineaments are known to exist and have been mapped, but are thought to have ceased their influence on deposition by the time of the Knox unconformity during the Cambrian. In the case …

Aerial Mineral And Organic Particulate Deposition In East Texas, Sarah Caton, Sarah Caton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the monthly amount, particle size distribution, and chemical composition of particulate deposition in East Texas over a one-year period. It also recognized the seasonal patterns of this deposition as well as its primary origins as either mineral or organic particulate deposition.

The study recorded the monthly mass of deposition, particle size distribution, and the chemical makeup of deposition throughout a period of twelve months at seven sampling locations. SEM-EDS technology was used in conjunction with PCI programming to measure the sizes of depositional particles throughout this time period and identify their chemical composition.

The total yearly deposition …

Fostering African American Female Students’ Sense Of Belonging: A Digital Storytelling Participatory Action Research Approach., Rajwinder Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Participatory Action Research dissertation discovers what fosters or diminishes school sense of belonging for African American female students. This is achieved by foregrounding the voices of the individual participants and the collective voice of those within this study. Both Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist Thought guide this dissertation study to ensure the intersectionality between race and gender is addressed. Data for this study was collected during five workshop sessions, where participants created digital stories on their sense of belonging. The findings revealed the importance of students’ racial identity, family, peer relationships, fitting in, safety, and being seen/heard by …

Student Perceptions Of Personalized Learning In A Rural School District., Kathryn M. House

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study explored student perceptions of the implementation of personalized learning as a means of supporting student engagement and improved student outcomes. A review of research revealed a mismatch between the current instructional pedagogy utilized and the needs identified by the workforce. The world has evolved rapidly while education has slowly evolved, creating an ever-increasing relevance gap for students. We have transitioned to a global society and innovations in technology have led the way. Today’s workforce requires students to have soft skills and competencies to be able to think critically, problem solve, develop resiliency, be innovative and creative, communicate …

Exploring Information For Quantum Machine Learning Models, Michael Telahun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quantum computing performs calculations by using physical phenomena and quantum mechanics principles to solve problems. This form of computation theoretically has been shown to provide speed ups to some problems of modern-day processing. With much anticipation the utilization of quantum phenomena in the field of Machine Learning has become apparent. The work here develops models from two software frameworks: TensorFlow Quantum (TFQ) and PennyLane for machine learning purposes. Both developed models utilize an information encoding technique amplitude encoding for preparation of states in a quantum learning model. This thesis explores both the capacity for amplitude encoding to provide enriched state …

College Was A Slap In The Face: Examining The Transition Of Kentucky Appalachian Students Studying Stem At An Urban Institution., Heidi Neal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study examines the lived experience of fourteen rural Appalachian Kentucky (AKY) students studying STEM at an urban university. This study seeks to investigate the unique experiences of AKY students transitioning to STEM majors in college and examines the common factors between their transitional experience into college while addressing compounding factors of a rigorous STEM major and a new cultural setting at an urban institution. This study utilizes Schlossberg’s transitional theory as the framework for analysis. Four key themes emerged from this data: a need for a strong support system, academic preparation, university focus on support and interventions, …

Automatic Target Recognition With Convolutional Neural Networks., Nada Baili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) characterizes the ability for an algorithm or device to identify targets or other objects based on data obtained from sensors, being commonly thermal. ATR is an important technology for both civilian and military computer vision applications. However, the current level of performance that is available is largely deficient compared to the requirements. This is mainly due to the difficulty of acquiring targets in realistic environments, and also to limitations of the distribution of classified data to the academic community for research purposes. This thesis proposes to solve the ATR task using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). We …

The Utilization Of Metal-Ligand Cooperativity For Electrocatalytic Reduction And Catalytic Hydration., Steven Cronin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Small molecules are building blocks for developing larger materials. These small molecules could be extremely small, such as hydrogen, or larger such as a nitrile, but their impact on the global economy is massive. This dissertation describes a catalyst for three reactions involving small molecules; 1) the hydrogen evolution reaction, 2) the carbon dioxide reduction reaction, 3) nitrile hydration. The catalyst Zn(DMTH) (DMTH = diacetyl-2-(4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazonate)-3-(2-pyridinehydrazonato)) use “metal-ligand cooperativity” between the Lewis acid Zn(II) metal ion and an uncoordinated Lewis base nitrogen in the ligand framework to activate substrates. The complex has been analyzed via NMR, UV/Vis, single crystal X-ray crystallography, …

Malaria, Microbes, And Mice: The Role Of The Gut Microbiota On The Immune Response To Plasmodium Infection And The Treatment Potential Of Microbiota Modulation., Morgan L. Waide

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plasmodium infection leads to over 200 million cases of malaria and 400,000 deaths worldwide each year. These deaths are largely in children under the age of five and pregnant women [1]. Caused by transmission of Plasmodium parasites by the female Anopheles mosquito, malaria poses a risk for over 40 percent of the world’s population [1]. Despite worldwide efforts to eradicate malaria leading to a decrease in malaria-associated mortalities in the early 2000s [2], growing resistance to the available antimalarials and the lack of an effective, long-lasting vaccine has caused this decrease to plateau in recent years [1, 3-6]. Furthermore, malaria …

Mapping A Course To Success: The Relationship Of A College To Career Navigation Exploratory Course To Academic Success, Patrick D U Davis Sr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a College to Career Navigation exploration course and students who did not participate in the course at a rural, community college serving a 14-county area in the Southeast U. S.

Archival data were collected from the participating community college’s student information system. Other data examined for this study included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and age. Retention data of the first-year, full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with the enrollment requirements of the community college’s governing …

Beating The Odds: Perseverance And Its Influence On Male Students’ Perceptions In Overcoming Generational Poverty, Grady C. Bailey Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the perceived influences that male graduates from Title I high schools attribute to their success. During the last 30 years the poverty gap has not narrowed and in some cases it has increased. This study hoped to provide evidence of supports needed by looking at males who overcame generational poverty. This study included qualitative data collection from interviews of 15 male participants. Nine themes emerged in the findings of perceived influences by these participants. The nine themes identified where 1) Success has two components; internal and external, 2) School personnel and programs guided success, 3) Change …

The Academic Achievement Gap: Learning From Schools That Bridge The Academic Achievement Gap Between African American Students And Caucasian American Students, Sheri Lynn Mccaig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The academic achievement gap has been observed in the United States since the late 1960s. Despite the best efforts of lawmakers and educators, African American students continue to achieve lower academically than their Caucasian American peers. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate three schools that were successful at reducing the achievement gap between the African American students and Caucasian American students at their school in the area of mathematics and provide suggestions for other schools. Mathematics teachers at the selected schools were asked about their awareness of the factors that contributed to the achievement gap between African …

Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support And School Leadership In High-Achieving Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 Elementary Schools, Malinda Jane Mikesell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This explanatory case study illustrates how some Pennsylvania Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools are thriving on state assessments while others are unable to achieve this success. The study was limited to this population of elementary schools to focus on how and why some schools with high percentages of students who receive free and reduced lunch are achieving excellent student achievement. First, the differences between Schoolwide Title 1 schools’ achievement on the Pennsylvania state assessments were categorized. Then Schoolwide Title 1 elementary schools with the highest percentages of students with low socioeconomic status (SES), who still achieved proficient school performance …

Urban School Leaders And Community Partners In Support Of Arts Education: A Narrative Study, Monica L. Elmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of school leaders and community partners with arts education in three K-12 urban public school districts in Northern New Jersey that have implemented and sustained arts education programs. This narrative study explored each participant's journey, how the arts first came into their lives, and what they have done in their careers to promote arts education in urban schools. Commonalities include advocacy, funding, exposure, learning equality, value, and emotion. The participants in this study shed light on their successes and challenges with advocacy. They also shared their leadership path and the …

Master Teacher Perceptions On The Impact Mentoring Programs Have On Teacher Retention, Rose Michelle Zuniga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem investigated in this phenomenological study was the high teacher attrition in K-12 schools, which has caused a negative impact on classroom performance, and it has also demonstrated the inability to retain effective teachers. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand master teachers’ perceptions of the impact the Project RISE Mentoring Program has on retaining beginning teachers. The self-determination theory was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The research design and methods for this phenomenological study utilized an in-depth semistructured interview protocol to collect qualitative data from participants. Twelve master teachers from two Rio Grande …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Pull-Out Programs For Struggling Readers In Grades K-8, Gloria Agumagu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Gloria Agumagu

Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Mentor: Gibbs Kanyongo, Ph.D.

Reading is one of the most important fundamental skills for academic success, yet the teaching of reading is very complex. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of pull-out reading interventions for struggling readers in grades K-8. The objective was to determine if there would be statistically significant mean differences between participants’ performance in reading following interventions. In a sample of immigrant “at-risk” students, n = 253 drawn from Catholic schools in the District of Columbia, dependent sample t tests revealed significant effects of pull-out interventions. …

Multiphysics Computational Model Of Fluid Flow And Mass Transport In Aneurysm, Tanja Cupac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The abdominal aortic aneurysm is progressive, asymptomatic, and can eventually lead to rupture which is a catastrophic event leading to massive internal bleeding and possibly death. AAA cases have been characterized by the development of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT). The ILT correlates with the progression of hypoxia in the arterial wall. The extent that ILT presence reduces oxygen flux to the wall has not been quantified and there is rather a poor understanding of key parameters that can affect thrombus-mediated oxygen transport in AAA. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and to assess the effects of …

Impact Of Person-Environment-Occupation Model Training On Teacher Transition Problem-Solving, Taylor Dreste

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there is currently no universal framework or model that is applied to the transition planning process for students with disabilities, other than the transition mandates set forth by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). This often results in educators picking transition plan goals and interventions from a “bank”, without taking into account the “whole child.” The following study examines the effect of the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, pioneered by Law et al. (1996), on a teacher’s ability to consider personal, environmental, and occupational variables when planning for post-secondary employment for students with disabilities. Furthermore, this …