Digital Commons Network^™

Strategic Enhancement Of Biofuel Production Using Bacillus Subtilis As A Model Organism: A Dual Approach Of Gene Essentiality Mapping And Optimization, Angela A. Zebede

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With rising global demand for renewable energy, enhancing microbial platforms for biofuel production is vital. This study engineered Bacillus subtilis to improve resilience to solvent stress by targeting membrane lipid biosynthesis pathways essential for integrity. Growth curve analysis (OD₆₀₀) showed that phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) knockout strains grew significantly slower than wild type (168), indicating the importance of these lipids under stress. Laurdan fluorescence spectroscopy was used to assess membrane properties. Generalized polarization (GP) analysis revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in membrane order upon 1%–2% 1-butanol exposure. GP values declined progressively from control to 2% treatment, reflecting increased membrane fluidity …

An Income Subsystem As A Discrete Stochastic Leslie System: A Simulation-Based Approach, Fahd Nii Okantah Cobblah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis formulates the household-income engine of an integrated population sim- ulator as a Discrete Stochastic Leslie System (DSLS). The nonnegative state vector nt ∈ Rk + aggregates income, savings, debt, employment, and transfers. (Here, the subscript + denotes the positive cone, i.e., vectors with nonnegative components). Annual evolution is linear in state, stochastic in coefficients: nt+1 = Ttnt + εt, with Tt : Rk + → Rk + cone-preserving. Exogenous macro drivers (inflation, employment, tax, salary inflation, mortgage) are forecast via ARIMA; forecasts multiply entries of Tt, preserving linearity in expectation while introducing realistic temporal correlation. The discrete-event implemented …

Mountain Communities During A Time Of War: A Case Study Of The Hutsul Region In The Carpathian Mountains Of Ukraine, Pavlo Rybaruk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ethno-ecological technologies employed by the Hutsul people within the highland agrarian economy of the Carpathian Mountains. Over centuries, the Hutsuls have developed ethno-ecological technologies that maintain ecological integrity while supporting community livelihoods.

The study addresses three primary research questions: What are the most important ethno-ecological technologies of the Hutsul highland economy? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be applied to economic, agricultural, and tourism development in the Hutsul region? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be combined with contemporary approaches to encourage sustainable development in the region?

The research explores the devastating impact of the Russian …

Perceptions Of Practitioners: An Examination Of Practices For Retention And Support Of Special Education Teachers, Megan L. O'Dell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition remains a critical challenge in public education, particularly among special education teachers who face unique legal, instructional, and emotional demands. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of current and former K–5 special education teachers to better understand the practices and resources that influence their decision to remain in or leave the profession. The central research question investigated how leadership, professional learning, and working conditions shape teacher sustainability in special education roles. Twelve participants, including six currently employed special education teachers and six who had exited the profession, participated in semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed five major themes: …

Synthesis Of Phenyl-Substituted Zinc Dipyrrin Photosensitizer For Carbon Dioxide Reduction, Stephen Ankomah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The release of CO₂ from fossil fuel combustion drives the need for its conversion into more sustainable options like CO and CH₄ via photocatalytic reduction. This process requires a catalyst, sensitizer, and electron donor. Zinc dipyrrin-based complexes are promising photosensitizers, offering an alternative to expensive, rare-metal-based systems. Most first-row transition metal dipyrrin compounds have short excited-state lifetimes due to rapid nonradiative decay, but Zn(II) dipyrrin complexes stand out. With a d¹⁰ configuration, they lack deactivating ligand field states and can access long-lived triplet states through a charge-separated intermediate. A phenyl-substituted Zn(II) dipyrrin complex was synthesized and studied using NMR to …

Exploring The Impacts Of Medical Invalidation On Postpartum Parents With Pcos, Shalini Venkat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) face an increased risk of poor perinatal health, yet little is known about whether negative healthcare experiences contribute toward these outcomes. Patients with PCOS have reported experiencing invalidation by healthcare providers; however, the effects of these encounters in postpartum populations remain unclear. Using data from an online survey, the current study investigated whether PCOS status moderated the relationships between invalidating communication by healthcare providers, pregnancy and birth complications, postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety. While experiences of invalidating communication by healthcare providers predicted worse perinatal health, those with PCOS solely experienced an increased risk of …

“War Is God” And “Unguessed Kinships”: Blood Meridian And Cormac Mccarthy’S “Border Tetralogy”, Seth Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis applies the metaphysics of philosopher Gilles Deleuze to Cormac McCarthy’s novel Blood Meridian, arguing that the novel initiates a thread of immanent subjectivity that unfolds throughout the Border Trilogy that follows it. Against a hierarchical metaphysics of transcendence, specifically an inverted Platonic Idealism, Blood Meridian dramatizes an immanent world of “optical democracy,” a prose style that levels the human and nonhuman and eludes subject and object categories. The kid’s autonomy from Judge Holden’s violent domination marks the truncated beginning of a Deleuzian subjectivity of becoming-other and immanent kinship. This incomplete gesture continues in the Border Trilogy, where …

Exploring Commuter Trio Students' Student Support Services At A Public University, Travis J. Batiste Edd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study explored the experiences and service needs of TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) commuter students at a public regional university in northern Louisiana. The literature review showed that while TRiO SSS programs have a demonstrated history of promoting academic success and retention for first-generation students, low-income students, and students with disabilities, little institutional research has been conducted to better understand how student residential status impacts learning outcomes and utilization of campus resources. Drawing on Astin’s theory of involvement, this study described the lived experiences of TRiO SSS commuter participants and the impact of commuting on their engagement, programmatic use, …

World On Fire: The Hunger Games And The Rhetoric Of Revolution, Rachel Olivares

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the decade between 2010 and 2020, more people participated in mass protests than at any other point in human history. From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street and Hong Kong’s “umbrella movement,” street demonstrations exploded on a global scale. This period of global unrest coincided with another explosion: the dystopian young adult series The Hunger Games surged in popularity, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon. Following the release of the book series and its subsequent film adaptations, The Hunger Games became a global symbol of grassroots resistance as social and political movements adopted the language and symbols of its …

The 4-Day School Week: Impacts On Rural Texas School Districts, Geoffery Bowdoin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how school administrators, teachers, and parents in rural Texas districts view the effects of the 4-day school week. Across Texas, a growing number of districts have adopted shorter calendars to address teacher shortages, boost morale, and manage tight budgets. The goal of this research was to gain a clearer understanding of how this schedule shift influences student performance, district finances, and teacher recruitment and retention. The study followed a qualitative descriptive approach. Data were collected through two means. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 school administrators, while 29 teachers and 42 parents completed surveys. Research participants came …

The Impact Of Career Development Education In Rural Communities: A Program Evaluation, Hayden S. Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of a regional career development education program using a post-test-only, exploratory descriptive design with middle and high school students from rural and urban school districts in West Central Texas. Students who participated in the Career and Education Outreach (CEO) program received four classroom sessions focused on labor market information, high-demand industries, employability skills, and career pathways. The purpose of this research was to explore whether students’ perceptions of the value of career development education differed based on geographic region, economic level, educational level, ethnic composition of the district, and the students’ own demographic characteristics. A …

Community College Student Admissions Experiences, Jeremy D. Loy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Community college students have always faced barriers to going to college and getting their degrees. Much of the research centers on the completion of their degrees. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of community college students during enrollment. To understand how community college students experience the enrollment process, the study used phenomenology to hear the experiences of students through semistructured interviews. Findings showed that three broad themes emerged from this research. First, students felt both nervous and uncertain about college, but they also recognized the importance of college to improve their lives. Second, students …

A Qualitative Study On Black Women Leaders And Their Career Paths In Higher Education, Beatrice Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership roles within higher education, especially in the presidency at historically Black colleges and universities. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the career paths and challenges Black women faced through their lived experiences in leadership roles across higher education institutions within predominantly White institutions and HBCUs. Guided by Black Feminist Thought as the theoretical lens, the study examined the intersecting barriers of race and gender that shaped the participants’ leadership trajectories in higher education. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires, allowing participants to reflect on systemic inequities, mentorship experiences, and leadership development. Findings revealed …

Secondary Special Education Teachers: Perceptions On Burnout Since The Start Of Covid-19, Regina Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined burnout among secondary special education (SPED) teachers following the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly disrupted education and intensified teacher stress. Burnout, defined by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, has been linked to teacher attrition and decreased student achievement. The problem addressed was the increased levels of burnout and stress among SPED teachers and the lack of sufficient administrative support to mitigate these effects. The purpose was to explore SPED teachers’ perceptions of burnout since the pandemic and identify the supports needed to reduce it. Using a qualitative case study design grounded in Maslach’s burnout theory, the …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study On The Importance Of Principal Leadership On Title I Middle School Teachers’ Decisions To Remain Teaching In The School, Lebrandan Keshaun Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study examined the perspectives of novice middle school teachers with 0–5 years of experience who taught core academic subjects in Texas Title I school districts. I sought to understand how principal leadership or the building administrator to whom these teachers report influenced their decisions to remain in the teaching profession. Grounded in Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory, I described how leadership functions as both a motivator and a hygiene factor in shaping job satisfaction and retention. Data collection involved semistructured interviews and an optional Likert scale survey to capture both narrative insights and measurable perceptions. The findings illuminated the …

Exploring The Role Of Christian Religiosity In The Acceptance Or Rejection Of Ai Chatbot Use Among Faculty At Church Of Christ Universities, Amos Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions are navigating the benefits and challenges of generative AI chatbot use and preparing faculty and students to engage with these tools ethically and responsibly. The problem is that there are many challenges and barriers to using these technologies in higher education, and Christian higher education institutions must also address context-specific considerations regarding mission and vision rooted in biblical faith and practice. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression through structural equation modeling was to examine faculty perceptions of AI chatbots and how Christian religiosity moderates acceptance. An online survey …

Response To Intervention Implementation With Culturally Diverse Students, Alysia R. Chatman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study examined how elementary educators implement response to intervention (RTI) and multitiered systems of support with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Drawing on self-determination theory and culturally relevant pedagogy, the researcher conducted semistructured interviews with five participants, three classroom teachers, one interventionist, and one campus administrator from three Title I elementary schools in a large suburban Texas district. Transcripts were analyzed through thematic coding. Four themes emerged: (1) training and preparedness for RTI implementation, (2) administrator support and follow-through, (3) understanding and application of culturally responsive teaching, and (4) RTI meeting structure and process. Participants reported a …

Leading With Strength: The Relationship Between Character Strength Awareness And Teacher Self-Efficacy, Ashton Lynn Knox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional educational leadership practices have historically emphasized weakness-based approaches to leadership regarding teacher interventions. Emerging research grounded in positive psychology suggests that strength-based interventions may offer a more effective pathway for supporting educators. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the influence of character strength awareness on teacher self-efficacy. Guided by a strength-based leadership framework, the researcher investigated whether intentional character strength interventions could positively impact teachers’ perceptions of their instructional effectiveness. The study employed an action research design with 14 K–12 teachers from a rural public school district in Texas. Participants completed the Values in Action …

Sex, Riots, And Holy Water: How Modern Society Desecrates And Reconsecrates The Sacred, Jodeyah J. Mills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how modern societies desecrate and reconsecrate the sacred through rhetoric, ritual, and visual performance. Using three case studies, Nazi Germany’s transformation of Quedlinburg Abbey, the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Sabrina Carpenter’s controversial church music video, “Feather,” this project analyzes how sacred meaning is violated and restored in religious, civic, and popular contexts. Drawing on Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic cycle and postsecular theory, it argues that desecration and reconsecration are dialogic acts that expose competing moral vocabularies within culture. Each event demonstrates that even in a secular age, people respond to ruptures of ultimate meaning …

Principals’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Facilitate And Support Technology Integration In Schools: A Case Study Of Four Rural Texas Principals, Christina J. Campbell Ed.D.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School administrators face the challenge of leading technology integration that provides meaningful learning opportunities to prepare students for 21st-century skills and careers. Research has shown that administrative leadership support, behaviors, assumptions, and policies impact technology integration in the classroom. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards include guidelines for education leaders and their role in supporting educators using technology. However, leaders underestimate the impact of their leadership on effective use in the classroom. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of South Texas rural public school principals working in Chapman Independent School District …

Metamorphosis: An Original Jazz Guitar Concerto Exploring Improvisation And Polystylistic Strategies In The Modern Concerto, Ronnie J. Whitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The electric guitar is underutilized in large ensemble art music. Some composers have sought to alleviate this deficiency by expanding the literature through the electric guitar concerto. Few electric guitar concerti are written for improvised jazz guitar, therefore presenting a need for this research. In this thesis, I explore the development of the jazz guitar concerto and nine compositional strategies that benefit composers writing a multi-genre jazz guitar concerto. I analyze selected jazz guitar concerti through lenses, including phrase-level compositional devices, textural and timbral schema, and musical hybridity, to identify these strategies. These concerti include: D.J. Sparr’s Katrina, Jake …

Discovering Eternal Sunshine: Storytelling Functions Of Vocal Timbre And Layering In Ariana Grande’S 2024 Album, Emily Mcquaid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the narrative of Ariana Grande’s 2024 concept album eternal sunshine in relation to the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Chapter 1 contextualizes the album and its related media, including music videos, additional album releases, a short film, and interviews with insights from Grande. Chapter 2 realizes Peaches as the narrator of the album, demonstrates how the lyrics of each track of the album connect to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and establishes the framework for vocal timbre analysis in the rest of the paper. Chapters 3 through 5 analyze how …

Educational Experiences And Educational Attainment Of Elementary Students From Low Socioeconomic Status Backgrounds: Sequential Mixed Methods Evidence From Texas, Morgann L. Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds face significant challenges in their educational experiences and educational attainment, and this is due to barriers related to their identity and background, inadequate support systems, and a lack of understanding of the traumas they experience. This sequential mixed methods study contains the perceptions of teachers, teacher leaders, counselors, and campus leaders in four high-poverty elementary schools in one Texas school district about the educational experiences and educational attainment of students from low SES backgrounds. The informal literature review focused on six spaces: 1) child, family, and community; 2) students from low SES backgrounds; …

The Educational Experiences Of Low Socioeconomic, Hispanic, Emergent Bilingual, Elementary Students: A Sequential Mixed Methods Study From Texas, Kiley Schumacher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of Hispanic students in Texas public schools has significantly increased over the past 20 years, yet their level of academic success continues to lag. Hispanic, emergent bilingual, low-socioeconomic, early elementary students face educational challenges related to barriers surrounding language and culture differences, limited resources, unmet needs, feelings of isolation, and an underprepared educational support system. This sequential mixed methods study reported on the perceptions of parents, teachers, and campus leaders in two Texas elementary schools regarding these students’ educational experiences. Guided by existence, relatedness, and growth theory, bioecological systems theory, and culturally responsive leadership theory, the study collected …

A Study And Comparison Of Two Trinidadian Panorama Arrangements For Steelband By Jit Samaroo: “Pan In A Minor” And “The Bee’S Melody, Alexica A. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes two Panorama arrangements by Trinidad and Tobago arranger Jit Sukha Samaroo: “Pan in A Minor” (1987) and “The Bee’s Melody” (1992). These works are analyzed to understand his arranging style and their significance within the field of steelband music. The study addresses the cursory scholarship on Panorama arrangements and focuses on how Samaroo reinterpreted Aldwyn “Lord Kitchener” Roberts’ Calypsos for the Amoco Renegades Steel Orchestra. This study highlights Samaroo’s approaches to melodic and rhythmic development, thematic expansion, orchestration, and textural variation. “Pan in A Minor” retains much of Kitchener’s original material while introducing structural expansion, whereas “The …

Structural Geology Of The Brady Mountain Area, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas: Integrating Field Mapping, Geospatial Techniques, Photogrammetry And 3d Modeling For Structural Analysis, Emmanuel Darko, Zachariah Fleming

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the Ouachita orogenic belt, representing the deformed Paleozoic rocks flanking the southern margin of the North American craton, is buried beneath post-orogenic Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments composing the Gulf Coastal Plain. The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma are the largest areas of outcrop for the Pennsylvanian-age Ouachita orogenic belt, making it an ideal place to study the orogeny. This study focuses on the Brady Mountain area within the Benton Uplift, the orogenic core of the Ouachita Mountains in western Arkansas. The region is comprised of numerous ridges trending nearly east-west and are for the most part densely …

Stars And Shapes: An Investigation Of Stripped Envelope Supernovae Structures Using Spectropolarimetry Observations And Hydrodynamic Models, Sabrina Desoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supernovae (SNe) are the energetic deaths of massive stars, dispersing heavy elements throughout the galaxies and shaping cosmic evolution across the universe. However, understanding the connections between the evolution of massive stars, their catastrophic demises, and the myriad of observed SNe, remains a fundamental challenge in astrophysics. My work aims to narrow this gap by integrating extensive observational data with advanced hydrodynamical simulations to better interpret SNe observations and understand the origin of their geometry. The observational component utilizes the largest spectropolarimetry dataset of stripped-envelope (SE) core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) gathered by the SNSPOL project. Analyzing nine Type Ib and eleven …

Islamic Political Anti-Theology: A Discursive Practice Of Contingency Beyond Sovereign Politics, Jason Andrus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contributing to the field of political theology from outside the European Christian tradition, this dissertation develops a description of the distinct logics that Islamic theology generates from its metaphysical assumptions. These logics in turn make possible a discourse of political anti-theology where politics operates through contingency rather than sovereignty. Political theology scholarship has excavated how modern politics derives from secularized Christian theological concepts—particularly transcendent sovereignty. This study demonstrates that Islamic theology's absolute insistence on divine transcendence (tawhid) produces something fundamentally different: a politics that renders sovereign authority conceptually impossible. I identify this discursive practice of political anti-theology through …

Exploring The Impact Of Statistics Course Modality On Student Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach, Becky Kelleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The importance of statistical literacy has become increasingly evident, as individuals grapple with interpreting statistics to inform critical decisions. Despite the recognized significance of statistical literacy, challenges persist in both educators’ and students’ efforts to navigate the complexities of statistics education. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of different course modalities on undergraduate students’ academic performance in introductory statistics courses. Using Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as a theoretical framework, this research aims to shed light on the complex dynamics influencing statistical literacy attainment. By addressing gaps and inconsistencies in the current literature, this study seeks to …

Frameworks For Repatriation: Moving Beyond Nagpra, Ashley Joplin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Museums and similar federally funded educational institutions have been collecting human remains since the Enlightenment era in the 1800s. Since then, these institutions have developed various collections practices that have encouraged the collection of human remains. Often unethical in nature, these collections have harmed historically marginalized communities, such as Indigenous and African American communities. While the ethics of collecting have been under scrutiny for decades, it was not until 1990 under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) that mainstream attention was drawn to the ethics of collections practices.

This thesis explores these collections practices and the repatriation …