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Meaning In Life And Psychological Distress: Examining Veterans And Psychological Adaptation To Civilian Life, Victoria Mccutcheon Jan 2022

Meaning In Life And Psychological Distress: Examining Veterans And Psychological Adaptation To Civilian Life, Victoria Mccutcheon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Veterans’ transition from the military to civilian life can be conceptualized as a cultural transition (i.e., acculturation). This transition means leaving the familiarity and consistency of military life and attempting to integrate one’s values, skills, expectations, and identity as a service member into the dominant civilian culture. The present study seeks to examine the psychological adaptation component of acculturation (i.e., the individual’s feelings and perceptions of being in the new culture) in a veteran sample, as it relates to meaning in life. The existing body of veteran literature has demonstrated that meaning and purpose (a distinct component of meaning) are …


Inevitable Mortality And The Incessant Momentum Of Medicalized Death, Clifford Mckay Jan 2022

Inevitable Mortality And The Incessant Momentum Of Medicalized Death, Clifford Mckay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Atul Gawande, MD, affirms the inevitability of human mortality and the end of life in natural death. He decries current medical delivery’s incessant momentum toward medicalized death and recommends a meaningful conversation between doctor and patient to chart a course of care that supports what is important to the patient. But the tradition of a doctor’s dominance and a patient’s submissiveness disrupts the conversation. New definitions of both doctor and patient, and the intent to respect a patient’s autonomy, will facilitate decision-making and support patients’ values at the end of life, diminishing the momentum of medicalized death.


Using Ab Initio Quantum Mechanical Methods For The Characterization And Isomerization Of Novel Compounds, Kimberley N. Poland Jan 2022

Using Ab Initio Quantum Mechanical Methods For The Characterization And Isomerization Of Novel Compounds, Kimberley N. Poland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational quantum chemistry is the branch of chemistry derived from quantum mechanics to calculate structures and properties of molecules utilizing rigorous mathematical equations and approximations. This work focuses on utilizing wavefunction based methods to compute molecular properties such as optimized geometries, harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies, dipole moments, strain energy, and isomerization channels with high degrees of accuracy, allowing for a direct comparison with previous work and experiment. Electronic structure modeling using various \textit{ab intio} methods can provide insight into the characterization and behavior of molecules otherwise unobserved, including, but not limited to, detection in the interestellar medium.


Investigating The Effects Of Absurd Humor And Mortality Salience On Moral Identity, Belongingness, Belief In A Just World, And Meaning In Life, Joshua Semko Jan 2022

Investigating The Effects Of Absurd Humor And Mortality Salience On Moral Identity, Belongingness, Belief In A Just World, And Meaning In Life, Joshua Semko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Humans have a sense of meaning, and people actively create and maintain meaning in their lives. One way humans make meaning is through fluid compensation, which is the automatic process of compensating for a threat to one’s global meaning system by temporarily strengthening other, non-related beliefs. This phenomenon has been thoroughly investigated in response to mortality salience (i.e., reminders of one’s death), but not absurd humor. This is important because little is known about the role of humor in meaning making. More research is needed to determine whether humor is a unique meaning-making process. Further, no studies have investigated …


The Effect Of Pitch Height On Instrument Gender Ratings, Raven Gordon Thompson Jan 2022

The Effect Of Pitch Height On Instrument Gender Ratings, Raven Gordon Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pitch height on instrument gender ratings. This study’s participants (N=64) consisted of music major (n=32) and non-music major (n=32) students who are enrolled at the University of Mississippi. Using a 5-point semantic rating scale, participants rated the perceived masculinity and femininity of six musical instruments (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba) as they are played at the approximate midpoint of their ranges and as they played in ranges that countered their established instrument-sex-stereotype. Specifically, female instruments (flute, clarinet) played in their low ranges while male instruments (trombone, tuba) played …


Genome-Wide Identification Of Wrky Transcription Factor Encoding Genes In Amborella Trichopoda Baill. (Amborellaceae), Bijaya Pradhan Jan 2022

Genome-Wide Identification Of Wrky Transcription Factor Encoding Genes In Amborella Trichopoda Baill. (Amborellaceae), Bijaya Pradhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are DNA-binding proteins, which play important roles in managing plant stresses and regulating growth and development processes. The WRKY TF family has expanded significantly through genome/gene duplications in the plant evolutionary process. Although the WRKY TFs have been identified in hundreds of plant species, they are yet to be identified in Amborella trichopoda, a species that represents the most basal group of Angiosperms. The main objectives of this study were to conduct genome-wide identification of the WRKY gene family in A. trichopoda and to assess their homologs in Angiosperms. In this study, we identified …


Effects Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Health And Crop Yields In Eastern South Dakota, Alex Mclain Jan 2022

Effects Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Health And Crop Yields In Eastern South Dakota, Alex Mclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation management practice adoption on agricultural land has increased in recent years due to increasing public and private investment. The anticipated impact of increasing conservation management practice adoption are reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved soil, water, and air quality. Understanding how these conservation management practices affect agricultural producers economically is vital to properly incentivize these practices. The existing literature on how conservation management practices affect soil health and crop yields is mixed and generally has been conducted on experimental research stations. These studies may not fully account for the on-farm effects of conservation management practices. The objectives of this …


E. Coli Persister Cell Survival And Rhizobia Attachment To Soybean Roots, Tanim Islam Jan 2022

E. Coli Persister Cell Survival And Rhizobia Attachment To Soybean Roots, Tanim Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The theme of this thesis revolves around how bacteria respond and thrive during stress. Chapters 1-3 are about how bacteria deal with life-threatening antibiotics. Chapter 4 covers new research on how bacteria can move from a stressful individual lifestyle (free-living bacteria) to initiating a symbiotic relationship with a plant (a less stressful lifestyle). In Chapter 1, I briefly summarize the current state of knowledge in the field of antibiotic resistance and persistence. In Chapter 2, I add to this knowledge by providing new insights into several antibiotics' potency and exploring the antibiotic Eagle effect. In Chapter 3, I use pyruvate …


Identifying Adp-Ribosylation As The Biochemical Signal That Marks Dna-Protein Crosslinks For Sprtn-Dependent Proteolysis, Katelyn Hurley Jan 2022

Identifying Adp-Ribosylation As The Biochemical Signal That Marks Dna-Protein Crosslinks For Sprtn-Dependent Proteolysis, Katelyn Hurley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) form when proteins covalently attach to DNA. It is estimated that hundreds of DPCs form in our cells each day. Because these lesions are cytotoxic, mammalian cells have evolved multiple intricate repair systems to remove DPCs and restore genome integrity. One mechanism mammalian cells rely on for DPC repair is direct proteolysis by the metalloprotease, SPRTN. While it is known that SPRTN degrades a heterogenous array of DPCs, including both naturally occurring and chemically induced, how SPRTN selects DPCs amongst chromatin-associated proteins remains unknown. Our main objective is to determine how DPC repair is regulated. In Chapter …


Soil Hydro-Physical Properties, Computed Tomography Measured Pore Parameters, And Soil Health Indicators As Influenced By Tillage And Crop Rotation Systems, Goutham Thotakuri Jan 2022

Soil Hydro-Physical Properties, Computed Tomography Measured Pore Parameters, And Soil Health Indicators As Influenced By Tillage And Crop Rotation Systems, Goutham Thotakuri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long-term tillage and crop rotation systems are important agricultural management practices as these can have direct impact on the soil’s key properties. The objectives of this study were to (ⅰ) quantify the soil pore characteristics under long-term tillage and crop rotation using X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and to assess the relationships between XCT-measured pore parameters and soil hydro-physical properties; and (ⅱ) evaluate the impacts of long-term tillage and crop rotation on select soil health indicators. The objective (ⅰ) was carried out at Haskell Agricultural Laboratory (HAL), Concord, NE; and objective (ⅰi) was carried out at South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL), …


Assessment Of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Shelby Duncan Jan 2022

Assessment Of Aged Woodchip Bioreactor Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Shelby Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors are a critical tool for mitigating nitrate loading to downstream water bodies. The properties of the woodchip are a key factor in the design of the bioreactor which are usually designed to optimize that retention time of the water being treated. Retention time is affected by active flow volume, porosity, and flow rate. As a bioreactor ages, the carbon material will break down and, in some cases, sedimentation will occur within the bioreactor. Both processes will affect the porosity and hydraulic performance of the bioreactor. When flow through the bioreactor is significantly different than the original design, …


A Novel Crispr/Cas Gene Editing System For Plants Which Bypasses Genetic Transformation And Tissue Culture, Aastha Acharya Jan 2022

A Novel Crispr/Cas Gene Editing System For Plants Which Bypasses Genetic Transformation And Tissue Culture, Aastha Acharya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

CRISPR/Cas system is a powerful gene-editing tool that has revolutionized gene editing in many ways. However, the current delivery methods for using CRISPR/Cas system inn plants have some drawbacks that have greatly limited their routine application in plant research and improvement. Specifically,, the methods heavily rely on either genetic transformation for delivering Cas and/or its gRNA coding sequences into the targeted cells or tissue culture, or both for recovering the whole edited plants. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed a simple, easy to use yet effective system for CRISPR/Cas gene editing in plants that can bypass genetic transformation and …


Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions To Improve Nutrient Uptake And Biotic Stress Response In Crops, Jaya Krishna Yakha Jan 2022

Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions To Improve Nutrient Uptake And Biotic Stress Response In Crops, Jaya Krishna Yakha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mutualism is a very common phenomenon among living organisms on earth. Legumes because of their high protein content, serve as a great nutrient resource for animals. This group of plants can form a mutualistic symbiosis with beneficial microbes. For example, Alfalfa (Medicago) and soybean (Glycine max) can get colonized with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia bacteria simultaneously forming a complex tripartite interaction for nutrient benefits. Most of the previous research evaluated individual symbionts, either rhizobia bacteria or AMF, but not both. There are only a few reports which discuss the nutrient exchange mechanisms in a tripartite interaction. Thus, there …


Crispr/Cas9 Whole-Genome Screens Identify Genes Critical For Neutral Lipid Metabolism In Macrophages, Rifat Sultana Jan 2022

Crispr/Cas9 Whole-Genome Screens Identify Genes Critical For Neutral Lipid Metabolism In Macrophages, Rifat Sultana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lipid-laden macrophages contribute to atherosclerotic plaque formation in atherosclerosisrelated heart diseases. Thus, understanding formation and degradation of lipid would help identify therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I have explained the current understanding of cholesterol metabolism in macrophages and how mTOR could play a potential role in this process. Additionally, I have described how CRISPR/Cas9 whole-genome screens present an effective tool to identify genes regulating cholesterol metabolism including positive and negative regulators of lipid droplet formation and lipid droplet degradation. In Chapter 2, I have described the results of the CRISPR/Cas9 whole-genome …


Impact Of Natural Cheese Composition On Proteolysis And Its Effects On Process Cheese Functionality, Natasha Scherber Jan 2022

Impact Of Natural Cheese Composition On Proteolysis And Its Effects On Process Cheese Functionality, Natasha Scherber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cheddar cheese is a commodity and a top-selling cheese in the United States. Enhanced flavors of cheddar cheese requires aging, which will allow proteolysis increase. Proteolysis is the most complex process that happens in cheese manufacturing and can be difficult to control because of environmental factors and compositional characteristics. The ripening process, which is the most timely and costly procedure in cheese manufacturing, can also be unpredictable when aspects, such as cheese composition, are changed. The coagulant is responsible for the first stage in proteolysis, which will produce large peptides. Small peptides are subsequentially produced during the second stage by …


Evaluating Fungicide Timing, Efficacy, And Sensitivity As Well As Candidate Resistance Genes Against Fungi Causing Phomopsis Stem Canker In Sunflower, Ruchika Kashyap Jan 2022

Evaluating Fungicide Timing, Efficacy, And Sensitivity As Well As Candidate Resistance Genes Against Fungi Causing Phomopsis Stem Canker In Sunflower, Ruchika Kashyap

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phomopsis stem canker is one of the major diseases of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) caused by complex of Diaporthe spp., in the U.S. This disease became of economic importance after 2010 epidemic in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota and since then the prevalence of this diseases has increased due to increased average precipitation in these major sunflower growing regions of the U.S. The two important disease management strategies involve the use of fungicides and partially resistant hybrids. However, over the years, researchers and growers have seen varied results on Phomopsis stem canker disease severity reduction and yield gains, when …


Efficacy Of Nanomaterials And Biorationals On The Bacterial Leaf Streak Management In Wheat, Abraham Hangamaisho Jan 2022

Efficacy Of Nanomaterials And Biorationals On The Bacterial Leaf Streak Management In Wheat, Abraham Hangamaisho

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops in the United States. Most wheat varieties are susceptible to bacterial leaf streak (BLS), a major disease caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtpvu). BLS is challenging to manage since common chemicals do not provide adequate control. Nanomaterials and plant extracts have shown potential to provide a sustainable environmentally friendly control of animal and plant diseases. However, limited data are available on the efficacy of plant extracts and nanomaterials controlling BLS in wheat. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of plant extracts and …


Genome-Wide Association Mapping And Genomic Prediction For Enhancing Fhb Resistance In Hard Winter Wheat, Jinfeng Zhang Jan 2022

Genome-Wide Association Mapping And Genomic Prediction For Enhancing Fhb Resistance In Hard Winter Wheat, Jinfeng Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wheat is one of the most important staple crops providing 20% of energy for 35% of the world population. Fusarium head blight (FHB), primarily caused by the fugal Fusarium graminearum Schwabe, is a damaging disease in wheat that affects global wheat production every year and causes food safety issues. The disease not only reduces the grain yield and quality but also produces mycotoxin in the diseased kernels making them unsuitable for human consumption or as livestock feeds. Breeding FHB resistant cultivar is the most effective and economical approach to managing the disease. This study combines genome-wide association study (GWAS) and …


Design Of Affordable Polyaniline - Based Wearable Sensor For Real Time Plant Growth Monitoring, Temitope Borode Jan 2022

Design Of Affordable Polyaniline - Based Wearable Sensor For Real Time Plant Growth Monitoring, Temitope Borode

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need for precision agriculture in today and future farming cannot be overstressed. Recent agriculture is characterized by numerous challenges such as environmental stressors and resource constraints resulting in low crop yield and unsustainable agriculture practices. Understanding plant growth mechanism and growth rate under the external influence is a bedrock towards precision agriculture practices ensuring optimum yield and sustainable utilization of resources. The current study addresses this need by developing and applying an affordable and stable sensor for monitoring plant growth. The sensor was fabricated by in-situ chemical polymerization of aniline on an elastic band substrate by dip coating. The …


Design, Synthesis, Structure Optimization, Structure-Activity Relationship (Sar), And Biological Evaluation Of Novel And Potent Thiazolo[4,5-D]Pyrimidine Corticotropin Releasing Factor (Crf) Receptor Antagonists, Md Rabiul Islam Jan 2022

Design, Synthesis, Structure Optimization, Structure-Activity Relationship (Sar), And Biological Evaluation Of Novel And Potent Thiazolo[4,5-D]Pyrimidine Corticotropin Releasing Factor (Crf) Receptor Antagonists, Md Rabiul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Manufacture Of Ingredients For Use In Clean Label Process Cheese Products, Ahmed Hammam Jan 2022

Manufacture Of Ingredients For Use In Clean Label Process Cheese Products, Ahmed Hammam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Micellar casein concentrate (MCC) is a high protein ingredient that can be used in several applications, such as manufacture of acid curd and process cheese products (PCP). Acid curd is one of the casein (CN) products, which can be obtained by precipitating the CN at a pH of 4.6 (isoelectric point) using starter cultures or direct acids. Acid curd has low mineral and calcium content due to the solubility of colloidal calcium phosphate at the isoelectric point in the whey. Acid curd and MCC can be utilized in manufacture of clean label PCP formulations. PCP is a dairy food prepared …


Defining Amino Acid Requirements Of Pregnant Sows: Challenges And Opportunities, Christian D. Ramirez-Camba Jan 2022

Defining Amino Acid Requirements Of Pregnant Sows: Challenges And Opportunities, Christian D. Ramirez-Camba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The efficient use of protein in animal production is dependent on the protein supply and its constituent amino acids (AA) in relation to the animal's needs. Excess AA are deaminated, and the resulting nitrogen (N) is excreted, whereas suboptimal AA intake reduces animal performance. Both increased nutrient excretion and decreased animal performance reduce the overall efficiency of the production unit. In sows, AA requirements should be adequate for optimizing reproductive performance, as measured, for example, by the number of pigs produced per sow per year while limiting N excretion. There is a desire to feed pregnant sows AA levels that …


Gendered Negotiation Of Space: A Study On Gender And Mobility Among Transgender Persons In Pakistan, Sana Illahe Jan 2022

Gendered Negotiation Of Space: A Study On Gender And Mobility Among Transgender Persons In Pakistan, Sana Illahe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender persons, known as khwaja sira in Pakistan, have historically been marginalized and excluded from various spatial domains, as they do not fit the societal norms of binary gender. They are subject to gender discipline by the Pakistani society to coerce them into conforming to the social norms. This research study uses in-depth interviews and applies grounded theory in conjunction with Michel Foucault’s concept of discipline to explore how khwaja sira are subject to societal discipline in Pakistan. The discipline ranges from tacit to overt forms, including verbal and sexual harassment. Khwaja sira are disciplined within their families, in formal …


Factors Influencing Mortality Of Stocked Rainbow Trout In Black Hills Reservoirs, Charles A. Mordhorst Jan 2022

Factors Influencing Mortality Of Stocked Rainbow Trout In Black Hills Reservoirs, Charles A. Mordhorst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because return to angler is an important outcome of put-and-take fisheries, understanding mortality of stocked Rainbow Trout is fundamental to managing these fisheries. Harvest rates of stocked Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Black Hills of South Dakota are believed to be below management objectives. Rainbow Trout not harvested by anglers are assumed to be lost to various sources of mortality, raising concerns about the cost of the Rainbow Trout stocking program relative to the benefit provided to anglers. (Simpson 2008). This study evaluated the factors influencing mortality of Rainbow Trout stocked into Black Hills reservoirs. We assessed the effects …


Optimization Of Electrically Driven Fluid Flow Through Tissue Hydrogels, Joseph C. Walker Jan 2022

Optimization Of Electrically Driven Fluid Flow Through Tissue Hydrogels, Joseph C. Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Identification And Characterization Of Candidate Rumen Bacterial Species From Beef Cattle With The Potential For Metabolizing Lipids, Cheyenne E. Hron Jan 2022

Identification And Characterization Of Candidate Rumen Bacterial Species From Beef Cattle With The Potential For Metabolizing Lipids, Cheyenne E. Hron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ruminants and the microorganisms within their rumen have an intricate symbiotic relationship. Ruminants are able to convert plant materials that are indigestible to humans into meat, milk, and fiber for human consumption and use. Supplementing lipids in diets fed to beef cattle could be beneficial for the host animal as lipids are a higher density energy source. However, they can be detrimental to rumen microorganisms. While much research has been involved in elucidating the composition of the ruminal microbiome, knowledge of the effects of lipids on the ruminal microbiome has been quite limited. In this context, we took advantage of …


Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura Jan 2022

Evaluating Avian Use Of Cover Crops In The Corn Belt, Megan Figura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tallgrass prairie of North America has changed drastically since colonial settlement, with up to 99% of this region converted for agriculture and other land-uses. Concurrent with grassland conversion, grassland birds have experienced the most extreme, consistent, and widespread population declines of any avian guild. Agricultural lands in the U.S. Midwest were able to provide adequate habitat for several bird species until the 1950’s; however, altered and intensified management practices have degraded much of remaining suitable habitat and undermined ecosystem functions. Consequently, many grassland birds have been identified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in many State Wildlife Action …


Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr Jan 2022

Pathogen Prevalence In Domestic Sheep In Western Nebraska: Implications For Bighorn Sheep Conservation And Coexistence On A Multi-Use Landscape, Kaytlin Bohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are members of the same genus and thus share multiple pathogens that can be spread between them. One specific respiratory pathogen of concern is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae), which has been linked to pneumonia epizootics in bighorn sheep that are often characterized by all age die offs upon initial exposure followed by years of low lamb recruitment. Domestic sheep have been identified as one carrier of M. ovipneumoniae with transmission between sheep species occurring when there is close contact on the landscape. To prevent this cross-species transmission, importance has been placed …


Preparation And Characterization Of Cellulose-Based Biodegradable Films From Switchgrass And Spent Coffee Grounds, Sajal Bhattarai Jan 2022

Preparation And Characterization Of Cellulose-Based Biodegradable Films From Switchgrass And Spent Coffee Grounds, Sajal Bhattarai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plastic packaging materials, which take more than 700 years to degrade, have polluted land, water, and the atmosphere. The consequent environmental and life hazards require attention to alleviate plastic concerns. Developing plastic-replacing materials could be a viable option. To this end, lignocellulosic fraction from inexpensive and widespread agricultural biomass switchgrass (SG) and biowaste spent coffee grounds (SCG) offer a possible solution, mainly to prepare biodegradable packaging films. Herein, lignocellulosic fraction from SG and SCG has been extracted, solubilized in ZnCl2 solution, and crosslinked through Ca2+ ions to prepare gels and cast biodegradable films. The SG was subjected to three extraction …


Northern Great Plains Saline Sodic Soil Development, Classification, Remediation, And Management., Shaina Westhoff Jan 2022

Northern Great Plains Saline Sodic Soil Development, Classification, Remediation, And Management., Shaina Westhoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil salinity and sodicity are issues of growing concern in the United States (U.S.) and globally. Knowledge gaps for glaciated, dryland salt-affected soils exist because much original salinity and sodicity research focused on irrigated systems. Land managers are being asked to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel for an expanding global population. The number of land managers and crop advisors who are affected by these soils is increasing. Addressing salinity and sodicity knowledge gaps will be critical for their success. Salinity and sodicity have been impeding crop productivity since the advent of cultivation. Saline and sodic soils form via multiple …