Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis And Characterization Of Indole-Based Zinc Dipyrrin Photosensitizers, Jean-Pierre Sanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metal complexes of dipyrromethene (dipyrrins) used as sensitizers in photocatalysis offer a way to harness solar energy in chemical bonds to create new fuels. This offers the dual role of reducing fossil fuel dependence and atmospheric CO₂ levels. Traditionally, metal dipyrrin complexes are synthesized using substituted pyrroles, aldehydes, and transition metals. Indoles have a more expanded pi-electron system and their dipyrrin-type complex may exhibit visible light absorption, suggesting that they can act as photosensitizers for CO₂ reduction processes. A novel indoledipyrromethene was synthesized using unsubstituted indole and mesitaldehyde. The complex exhibits visible light absorption at 422 nm. Its …

Conversion Of Microcrystalline Cellulose To Hexane Using Hydrogenated Metal Oxides At Low Temperature And Pressure, Mubarak Osman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing global energy demand and environmental concerns have fueled the exploration of sustainable and efficient methods for renewable fuel production. The conversion of cellulosic waste to hydrocarbon fuels using hydrogenated metal oxides presents a novel and eco-friendly approach to sustainably address energy demand. In this study, hydrogenated metal oxides were used as catalysts in a relatively low-temperature and atmospheric-pressure environment to facilitate the conversion of cellulosic waste into hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogenated metal oxides have been introduced as potential hydrogen transfer catalysts. The expected result is the selective conversion of cellulose to hexane at relatively low temperatures, which significantly reduces energy …

A Comparison Of Student Academic Variables In Mixed Teaching Methods And Traditionally Taught Biology Courses At Participating Community Colleges In Tennessee, Elesha Goodfriend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare academic variables from students participating in mixed teaching methods/course revitalization biology courses to those in traditional courses at two community colleges in Tennessee. A two-group comparison design using archived data was used, which evaluated differences in final grades, exam scores, and homework completion as indicators of the academic success between an urban institution and a rural college. A power analysis was performed using G*Power software to provide the needed sample size, indicating a size of 176. There were 227 students in the active teaching lecture classrooms, and 198 students in the …

Landslide Susceptibility And Tree Ring Eccentricity Analysis Along Unstable Slopes Of The New River Watershed, Anderson And Morgan Counties, Tn, Megan Palmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Landslides are mass movements that affect infrastructure across East Tennessee, causing problems for the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). An assessment of conditions and locations of unstable slopes can aid TDOT in infrastructure management. Landslide susceptibility was evaluated for Anderson and Morgan counties, TN, off State Route 116 in the New River watershed. Susceptibility maps used a landslide inventory and six factors: elevation, slope, geology, distance from stream, rainfall, and curvature, input in forest-based classification and logistic regression models. Additionally, affected trees along these unstable slopes in Anderson and Morgan counties were cored to analyze mass movement impacts on tree …

Dialogic Reading As An Intervention For Developing Reading Comprehension Skills In Early-Literacy School-Age Children With Disabilities, Kristi Burnette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dialogic reading as an intervention on participant ability to answer “wh” comprehension questions correctly and independently. Previous research conducted on dialogic reading was primarily conducted with young individuals with autism spectrum disorder, leaving a gap in the research with older age participants. Participants of this study included four students in upper elementary grades 4-6, ages 8-12 who have been identified to have a known deficit in reading comprehension, a cognitive disability, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in an attempt to further extend the research on dialogic reading as an …

Pathology And Osteological Observations Of Early Pliocene Rhinoceros, Teleoceras Aepysoma (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) From Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, Thomas Scaife

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhinoceroses were an important part of North America’s Paleogene and Neogene ecosystems, with Teleoceras aepysoma being one of the last representatives of this family. Specimens of T. aepysoma from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) possess distinct/peculiar pathologies: including a pair of fused ribs and ankylosed phalanges. A qualitative description of the pathologies in the GFS T. aepysoma, including new material, was conducted to accurately identify pathologies and make interpretations about the life history of the GFS rhinos. Analysis suggests that rheumatoid arthritis is common in the lower limb bones of GFS rhinos. Additionally, the rib and toe pathologies are more …

Detection And Classification Of Diabetic Retinopathy Using Deep Learning Models, Aishat Olatunji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare analytics leverages extensive patient data for data-driven decision-making, enhancing patient care and results. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), a complication of diabetes, stems from damage to the retina’s blood vessels. It can affect both type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. Ophthalmologists employ retinal images for accurate DR diagnosis and severity assessment. Early detection is crucial for preserving vision and minimizing risks. In this context, we utilized a Kaggle dataset containing patient retinal images, employing Python’s versatile tools. Our research focuses on DR detection using deep learning techniques. We used a publicly available dataset to apply our proposed neural network and …

Comparative Analysis Of Surrogate Models For The Dissolution Of Spent Nuclear Fuel, Dayo Awe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a comparative analysis of surrogate models for the dissolution of spent nuclear fuel, with a focus on the use of deep learning techniques. The study explores the accuracy and efficiency of different machine learning methods in predicting the dissolution behavior of nuclear waste, and compares them to traditional modeling approaches. The results show that deep learning models can achieve high accuracy in predicting the dissolution rate, while also being computationally efficient. The study also discusses the potential applications of surrogate modeling in the field of nuclear waste management, including the optimization of waste disposal strategies and the …

Navigating New Frontiers: A Narrative Of Cte Administrators Leading Rural Innovation, Claire Bass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public school districts play a pivotal role in the well-being of rural communities. To help mitigate the impact of labor market trends, societal shifts, and the skilled labor shortage, rural schools are in the initial stages of expanding innovative career pathways. As such, career and technical education (CTE) administrators serve their rural communities by facilitating robust career pathways to support local labor markets. Due to a skilled labor shortage, a declining labor force participation rate, and a rapidly evolving labor market, there is a lack of qualified and certified personnel to fill industry jobs (Davis et al., 2022). School districts …

Educator Perceptions Of Blended Teacher Professional Development: A Case Study Of A Vertically Aligned Virtual Professional Learning Community., Aslean White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This case study describes the design and enactment of a job-embedded, blended learning professional development plan for teachers to facilitate the collaborative inquiry of a vertically aligned virtual professional learning community. The study is of relevance because it seeks to implement recommendations from recent research on online teacher professional development (Barnett, 2020; Lockee, 2020; Powell & Bodur, 2019) using a framework for support structures designed to engage learners in blended and online learning environments (Philipsen et al., 2019). This qualitative multi-case study examined individual teacher cases using a within-case analysis to create teachers’ profiles to illuminate contextual traits and elucidate …

Electrochemiluminescence Using Pencil Graphite Electrodes And Screen-Printed Carbon Electrodes Interfaced With A Simple Imaging System, Sandra Ehigiator

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a phenomenon whereby electrochemical reactions generate a product that is capable of emitting light. ECL’s high sensitivity, selectivity, extremely low background, and relatively simple instrumentation make it particularly well-suited for chemical sensing and biosensing strategies. Here we report a simple ECL imaging system based on a camera interfaced with a zoom lens to compare pencil graphite electrode (PGE) and screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) arrays as ECL platforms. With this system, ECL signals generated from tris(2,2′- bipyridine)ruthenium(II) chloride hexahydrate ([Ru(bpy)3]2+) using co-reactant tri-n-propylamine (TPA) were linear with respect to [Ru(bpy)3]2+ concentrations from 9 to 450 μM. Detection limits …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Undergraduate Students Who Participated In The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, Alexandria C. Craft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of former McNair Program participants at a regional postsecondary institution in northeast Tennessee. More specifically, the study examined how past participants of a McNair Program perceived their program experiences related to their post-undergraduate educational endeavors and career pursuits. Although research has been conducted on McNair Programs, no research has been conducted on the lived experiences of individuals who participated in a McNair Program in northeast Tennessee within the last two decades, and little to no research has been conducted to identify the program components that former participants believe …

A Bright Point In A Dull Day: A Qualitative Exploration Of Middle School Students’ Perceptions Of Music Ensemble Participation, Kailee Amburgey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Music participation, specifically in an ensemble setting, is known to promote learning and social skills and to contribute to a well-rounded overall education. With this in mind, this qualitative, constructivist grounded theory study explored the impacts that participating in chorus, band, or orchestra has on students’ overall experience in middle school, with a focus on joy and identity development. The researcher interviewed fifteen students about their personal experiences and feelings about their lives as middle schoolers and musicians. The findings, shared in six theoretical concepts tied to the research question, reveal important facets of these students’ experiences that shed light …

Interpreting Shift Encoders As State Space Models For Stationary Time Series, Patrick Donkoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Time series analysis is a statistical technique used to analyze sequential data points collected or recorded over time. While traditional models such as autoregressive models and moving average models have performed sufficiently for time series analysis, the advent of artificial neural networks has provided models that have suggested improved performance. In this research, we provide a custom neural network; a shift encoder that can capture the intricate temporal patterns of time series data. We then compare the sparse matrix of the shift encoder to the parameters of the autoregressive model and observe the similarities. We further explore how we can …

Exploring Spatiotemporal Patterns In Hazardous Hydrologic Events: Assessment, Communication, And Mitigation Through Geospatial Technologies, Emmanuel Afriyie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tennessee has a long history of meteorological hazards that have caused property damage and loss of life. Given climate change and variability, it is imperative to look at trends to ascertain changes spatiotemporally. Space-time cubes, a novel geographic tool, were used to analyze historical heavy precipitation (1-, 2-, and 5-year returns), floods, and flash flood data in Tennessee counties to assess the trends, identify emerging hotspots/cold spots and display changes over space and time. For all return periods, trends analysis revealed that heavy precipitation events are increasing in several counties across the state, with middle Tennessee identified as a hotspot. …

Optimization Of Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Vns) And The Use Of Cervical Vns As A Treatment For Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction, Misty Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a promising neuromodulatory therapy under investigation for a range of disorders, including heart failure, gastric dysmotility, and migraine. Two primary forms of VNS are currently investigated: cervical VNS (cVNS), involving surgically implantation to activate vagal afferents in the cervical branch in the neck and transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) which subcutaneously stimulates the auricular branch in the outer ear. The nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) serves as a relay-station receiving 90% of vagal afferents, enabling connections with higher-order brain regions and other brainstem nuclei like the spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5) and locus coeruleus (LC), facilitating …

Understanding Community College Student Perceptions Of Academic Advising, Benjamin Umbarger, Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate community college student perceptions of academic advising for 12 first-time first-generation (FTFG) General Studies students attending a rural southeastern community college. The phenomenological research approach was utilized to better understand participant experiences by exploring participants' perceptions through their lived experiences. Applying purposeful sampling techniques, five females and seven males were identified, with 11 classified as full-time students and one classified as part-time. One-on-one interviews and focus group were conducted in-person or virtually, using Zoom and Microsoft Teams, with each participant to better understand student perceptions of their initial academic advising …

Covid 19 And Classroom Instruction: A Comparison Of Synchronous In-Person And Virtual Student Learning, Jason Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ex-post facto quantitative study was to compare English Language Arts (ELA) and math Tennessee Compressive Assessment Program (TCAP) scores of students in grades four through eight who attended school virtually or in-person during the 2020-2021 school year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school district in this study allowed parents to choose to send their children to traditional in-person classes or attend school virtually. In-person and virtual students engaged synchronous classroom instruction through Google Meets. All virtual students were instructed by the teachers they would have had if their parents had chosen to send them for …

Establishing “The Fossil Record”: A Database Of Vertebrate Paleontological Sites Across The State Of Tennessee, Sarah Mclaurine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fossil localities across the state of Tennessee and the data related to those sites were compiled from Tennessee Division of Geology Bulletin 84, titled “Tennessee’s Prehistoric Vertebrates,” and stored in a Microsoft Access geodatabase housed by the Department of Collections at the East Tennessee State University Museum of Natural History located at the Gray Fossil Site. Included in the database are forms to enter new site localities, view information about those already entered, view and add data to a master faunal list for the state, view sites repository information and store and add documents that are key-word searchable from the …

Developing A Suitability Model And Feasibility Report For The Tennessee Mesonet, Tristan Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mesoscale networks, also known as Mesonets, are advanced environmental monitoring systems that consist of multiple high-quality weather stations that collect meteorological data at frequent intervals (5 minutes or less). Tennessee currently lacks a Mesonet system, and this study identifies suitable and feasible locations for stations in all 95 counties. Layers needed to develop the suitability model included land cover, road centerlines, elevation, flood zones, building footprints, and hydrologic soil types. Geospatial analysis techniques were used to process and combine these layers to identify suitable areas. Once suitable areas were determined, a feasibility assessment that examined land ownership, accessibility, and cell …

Depositional Facies And Petrophysical Characterization Of The Leonardian Carbonate (Lower Clear Fork), Tex-Mex, S.E. Field, Central Basin Platform, West Texas, Seyram Nyamasekpor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Clear Fork from Tex-Mex, S.E. Field on the Central Basin Platform is a typical complex reservoir that displays high heterogeneity in lithological and petrophysical properties. The unit represents a producing reservoir succession of Leonardian platform carbonates deposited in shallow marine water during the Early Permian. The sediment of the Lower Clear Fork is composed of a mixed succession of dolomite interbedded with anhydrite, minor clay minerals, and siliciclastics. The high heterolithic nature of the reservoir makes efficient recovery of hydrocarbons difficult. This situation requires an understanding of the variability in depositional facies in terms of mineralogy, depositional textures …

Formalization Of A Security Framework Design For A Health Prescription Assistant In An Internet Of Things System, Thomas Rolando Mellema

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Security system design flaws will create greater risks and repercussions as the systems being secured further integrate into our daily life. One such application example is incorporating the powerful potential of the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) into software services engineered for improving the practices of monitoring and prescribing effective healthcare to patients. A study was performed in this application area in order to specify a security system design for a Health Prescription Assistant (HPA) that operated with medical IoT (mIoT) devices in a healthcare environment. Although the efficiency of this system was measured, little was presented to …

Lost In The Identification Process: Where Are Gifted Blacks And Other Minorities In Gifted And Talented Education?, Tiffany M. Chenier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted and talented (GT) education has persisted for decades, prompting a need for deeper investigation into the policies and procedures governing GT identification. The aim of this research was to investigate whether variations in practices for GT identification and the definition of giftedness, contribute to this underrepresentation. This qualitative case study used predetermined criteria outlined in the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students to examine the contents of each district’s GT identification plan available in electronic or downloadable form using document analysis. I also used …

Digital Orchestration In Media Compositions, Jimmy Bartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As composers gain access to better tools, digital mockups have increasingly grown in popularity. Composers often aim to emulate an idealized orchestral sound in their mockups. By understanding the nature of acoustic orchestration and instrumentation, specific techniques and approaches for virtual instruments and sample libraries, and methods to process and manipulate MIDI audio, composers can achieve this idealized sound. This thesis will focus on the common techniques and methods that composers can use to achieve this in digital mockups. Concluding the thesis is an original work that combines digital and live instruments while exploring different techniques to achieve an ideal …

Geologic Face Mapping Methodology Utilizing Global Positioning Systems And Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Luke Whitenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geologic field mapping has traditionally been a low-technology process, limited by time in the field and a delicate balance between data collection and coverage area. Advancements in Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and software packages offer new tools and techniques for collecting high volume, accurate geologic information. These tools can provide geologists with safe and efficient ways to collect and process greater volumes of field data.

Field data for this study was collected from three open pit mines using a Trimble Geo 7X GPS unit with Geo 7 Series Rangefinder module and a Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 …

Best Practices In Professional Learning Communities That Influence Teacher Self-Efficacy, Silian Molly Hornsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined best practices in professional learning communities (PLCs) that influence teacher self-efficacy. Participants were primary and intermediate teachers and teacher leaders from a large suburban elementary school in Texas. Participants had to have at least 1 year of teaching and PLC experience. The semistructured teacher and teacher-leader interviews were recorded and transcribed in real time using Otter.ai software. After members checked the transcription, the transcription was uploaded into the NVivo software for coding and identifying common themes. The findings were separated into themes based on the study’s research questions. Research question 1 explored what teachers and …

Community College Engineering Degree Partnerships With 4-Year Universities, Jeffrey Mark Stear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing the number of STEM professionals and reducing inequities in STEM are national priorities. Community colleges are important to address these concerns because they represent a higher percentage of underrepresented minority (URM) and women students. However, students starting 4-year STEM degrees in community college have had a lower completion rate. Partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities have the potential to improve success for community college students, but more research is necessary. The purpose of this ex post facto, quantitative, correlational study was to determine the relationships among participation in different types of partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities, …

Childhood Discipline Disparities For African American And Latinx Students, Cierra Townsend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American and Latinx students are disproportionality impacted by punitive discipline models including suspensions, detention, and expulsions. This disproportionality removes students from the education setting creating adverse social emotional, academic, and economic outcomes. Students who are suspended and expelled are more likely to have contact with the juvenile justice system and or to be pushed out of school into alternative settings. Therefore, punitive discipline leads to increased school-based pathways to the juvenile justice system (SPJJ), also known as the school the prison pipeline (STPP). Despite knowledge of these adverse outcomes, schools continue to utilize punitive discipline practices. School psychologists are …

Quantum-Powered Battery Scheduling In Modern Distribution Grids, Diba Ehsani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rising need for exploiting a novel and evolved computation is an increasing concern in the power distribution system to address the exponential growth of distribution-connected devices. Scheduling numerous battery energy storage systems in an optimal way is one of the emerging challenges that will be more noticeable as the number of batteries, including residential, community, and vehicle batteries, increases in the grid. This thesis focuses on this topic and offers a necessary component in building the quantum-compatible distribution system of the future. Using a constrained quadratic model (CQM) on D-Wave’s hybrid solver as well as a binary quadratic model …

The Interplay Of Spin, Charge, And Heat: From Metal/Insulator Heterostructures To Perovskite Bilayers, Sam M. Bleser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation begin with an investigation of non-local spin transport in an amorphous germanium (a-Ge) sample via the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). In that study we show that commonly used techniques such as differential conductance and delta mode of a paired Keithley 6221/2182a for non-local resistance measurements can lead to false indicators of spin transport. Next, we turn out attention to a thickness dependent study in thermally-evaporated chromium (Cr) thin films on a bulk polycrystalline yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) substrate. This project analyzed the spin transport in the Cr films versus thickness via the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE). This …