Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceptions That Um First-Generation College Students Have Regarding The Impact Of Campus Engagement On Their Success At The Institution, Martin B. Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation students are often underprepared for college and have lower persistence rates (Balemian & Feng, 2013), and they face a unique set of challenges in their transition to college that many of their peers do not (Pelco, Bell, & Lockeman, 2014). Consistent with national statistics, data obtained from UM’s Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning indicate first-generation students at UM persist and graduate at lower rates than their peers whose parents have a bachelor’s degree.

There are many reasons why first-generation students have lower success rates, and, for some students, a lack of engagement is one of them (Pascarella, …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Ocular Inserts By Hot Melt Extrusion And 3d Printing, Meghana Mokashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot melt extrusion (HME) has emerged as a viable approach for a wide range of pharmaceutical applications over the last few decades. The HME method is more efficient than other traditional technologies due to its high throughput, low residence time, lack of organic solvents, and a combination of intensive mixing and controlled temperature. Because of the ability to construct complex and personalized dosage forms depending on the requirements of the patient, three-dimensional printing (3DP) is an emerging approach in the fabrication of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The objective of the current study is to fabricate Lidocaine HCl ocular inserts by HME …

A Numerical Study Of The Effects Of Time-Varying Streambed Conductivity On Groundwater – Surface Water Interactions During Storm Events, Jiayu Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streambed conductivity is widely recognized as a vital parameter controlling the stream-aquifer exchange. Many field measurements have revealed that temporal variation of streambed conductivity is rapid and dramatic during floods. However, previous numerical studies either assumed streambed conductivity as steady over storm events or focused on time-varying streambed conductivity during low-stage periods. This study aims at bridging this gap by both incorporating time-varying streambed conductivity into a numerical model of groundwater (GW) – surface water (SW) interactions and simulating them under different flooding conditions, making this dissertation the first modeling study to explore combined effects of high-stage events and time-varying …

Come As You Are: Islamic Religiousness As A Context For Mental Illness Beliefs And Treatment, Elijah Phoenix Mudryk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States is home to approximately three million Muslim-Americans, a diverse and growing demographic group that has woven itself into the fabric of American life. Hailing from many regions around the world, Muslims in the U.S. are varied in racial and ethnic backgrounds and not dominated by any particular race or ethnicity. National pride and a strong religious identity are shared aspects among U.S. born Muslims and immigrants alike (Pew, 2018). In addition to the typical challenges of daily life, Muslim-Americans have experienced high levels of religious and ethnic discrimination. Post-9/11, Muslim-Americans suffered a 1600% increase in reported hate …

Exploring Copper Active Sites In Biology With Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease And De Novo Designed Biocatalysts, Suchitra Mitra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Copper is one of the most abundant and less toxic metal on earth. In nature, a variety of proteins have copper in their active site structure. Copper bound to amyloid proteins are implicated to play pathophysiological roles in neurodegenerative diseases. On the other hand, copper containing metalloenzymes in Nature catalyze important biochemical reactions. Cu containing metalloenzymes play a significant role in a variety of functions viz. electron transfer, oxygen reduction, oxygen transport, and substrate oxidation owing to the readily available redox states of Cu+/Cu2+. While Cu bound to amyloid proteins that are often referred as intrinsically disordered or misfolded proteins …

Acoustic Bessel And Vortex Beams: Forces And Refraction, Xudong Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-contact manipulation techniques or tweezers devices are invaluable for applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. Acoustic tweezers using either standing waves or focused beams have been investigated for more than a few decades with advantages of label-free operation, noninvasiveness, and biocompatibility when compared with the optical, magnetic, and electrical counterparts. Here, a new type of acoustic tweezers (i.e. acoustic tractors) is studied using acoustic Bessel and vortex beams that are able to pull objects against the beam's propagation over centimeter ranges. Stable acoustic tractors require transversely stable trapping in addition to axially negative pulling. Hence, the transverse forces acting …

Applications Of Fluoronitroalkenes In 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition And 1,4-Conjugate Addition, Hamdan Eid Alrefaei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fluorinated compounds have been routinely synthesized in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Approximately, 45% of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018−2019, and 52% of agricultural products between 2010 and 2017 were fluorinated compounds. In comparison to their non-fluorinated counterparts, fluorinated drugs have different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profiles. Bond strength and electronegativity of the fluorine atom can affect the compound's pKa, dipole moment, and metabolic stability. Therefore, methods to access fluorinated compounds are highly pursued in organic synthesis. Various fluorinating agents (nucleophilic and electrophilic) have been developed over the last few decades and are widely employed …

Navigating Internalized Stigma And Identity Development In Bipolar Disorder I: A Grounded Theory Investigation., Kaylyn L. Watterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness stigma occurs at multiple levels in Western societies. Internalized stigma, the application of negative stereotypes and prejudice about mental illness to self-concept, has deleterious effects on mental health for adults living with a serious mental illness. Historically, research on stigma in serious mental illness has centered on schizophrenia. Recently, researchers and clinicians have drawn attention to bipolar disorder I, an affective disorder that creates disruptions in functioning and increased risk for substance abuse and suicide. Despite the growing literature establishing the relationship between recovery in serious mental illness and identity, little is known about how adults in long-term …

Linear And Nonlinear Photophysical Characterization Of Novel Visible And Nir Emissive Materials, Shane Autry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of novel emissive materials is an ever-growing area of chemical research. The applications for these emissive materials include but are not limited to optoelectronics, dye sensitized solar cells, biological imaging dyes, etc. Many systems have been developed over the years that have led to understand the fundamental properties of various emissive building blocks. By characterizing these structures and the understanding of the basic nature of their behavior within varied environments, brighter more efficient molecules can be designed and synthesized. This, in turn, will lead to many benefits for society. This dissertation aims at spectroscopically characterizing newly developed molecular …

The Plight Of Valinor: A Historically Informed Perspective On The Future Development Of Space Law And Potential Exercise Of Self-Determination By Human Settlements On Mars, Marshall David Mckellar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breathable air, water, food, shelter, sleep: these are the five basic requirements for human survival. Providing these basics to a single person living on Earth is a challenge; providing them to 1,200 people living in the harsh Martian environment is a different matter entirely. Nonetheless, in 2047, SpaceX successfully constructed Valinor—the first human inhabited scientific settlement on Mars—by transporting hundreds of scientists and engineers, along with countless scientific experiments and technologically advanced survival equipment, to the red planet. Each year saw more successful missions to Valinor and the world community grew more excited about the reali-zation of humanity’s expansion into …

Elementary School Counselors' Experiences Working With Children Who Self-Harm, Maegan Tatum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elementary-aged children struggle with low self-esteem, are often impulsive, and struggle to develop appropriate coping skills. As such, many children have begun to experiment with self-harm. Because children spend a great deal of time in school, school counselors are often the first to know that a student has self-harmed. Although school counselors have extensive experience working with students who self-harm, most school counselors indicate a need for more training and implementation of school district policies regarding self-harm. Additionally, current literature focuses on the experiences of middle and high school counselors because self-harm and NSSI are primarily noted in adolescents. In …

Computational Modeling Of Non-Active Functional States Of The Cannabinoid Receptor 1 And Its Ligands, Ayooluwa Olufunmi Aderibigbe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is a class A G-protein coupled receptor that is implicated in a variety of physiological processes, such as energy homeostasis, appetite regulation, cognition and motor control, and mood regulation. CB1 is widely distributed throughout the body, but is mainly expressed in the brain. Molecules that reduce CB1 signaling exhibit anti-obesity properties due to their effect in reducing appetite and body weight gain. However, the consequence of reducing CB1 signaling in the CNS includes adverse neuropsychiatric effects such as depression and suicidal ideation. Two methods of scientific interest for developing CB1 antagonists as anti-obesity drugs are …

Stratigraphy And Geochemistry Of Paleocene-Aged Bauxites From North Mississippi, Timothy Brendan Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bauxite is a heavily-mined aluminum ore that forms through the relative depletion of silica to aluminum. In North Mississippi, bauxite occurring within the Upper Midway and Lower Wilcox groups has been the subject of study for over a century. Despite the abundance and duration of research, controversy surrounds the subjects of bauxite genesis and economic value. The last detailed study of North Mississippi bauxite was in the 1980’s, so the goal of this project is to apply newly available technologies and modern hypotheses on bauxite formation to refine and obtain new data. Fieldwork observations yielded pisoliths, horizonation, and possible rhizoliths, …

The Meat Of The Gothic: Animality And Social Justice In United States Fiction And Film Of The Twenty-First Century, Amber Hodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Meat of the Gothic: Animality and Social Justice in United States Fiction and Film of the Twenty-First Century— situates twenty-first century US gothic narratives in relation to animal studies, even as it illuminates how these narratives interrogate the effects of historic and ongoing global systems of human oppression: slavery, imperialism, and capitalism. Instead of reacting to bias by asserting a claim to a humanity perpetually imbricated in divisions of class, race, and gender, present-day authors and filmmakers create characters who form communities that include nonhuman actors as a means of generating empowerment and critique. My approach to these narratives …

How Do Prey Capture And Simulated Fire Affect Growth And Nutrient Limitation In A Carnivorous Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia Alata?, Jalen Christopher Holloway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carnivorous plants are defined as being able to benefit from the nutrients of prey in the environment, and have at least one trait that either retrieves, ingests, or lures a prey to its traps. The association of carnivorous plants with fire-prone habitats was initially described as a paradox, considering that carnivorous plants are often associated with nutrient-poor soils and fires can increase soil nutrient availability. This apparent paradox assumes, however, that the nutrients that increase in availability following fire are those also provided by prey, which might not be true. In habitats with nitrogen-poor soils, fire has been shown to …

Development Of Site - Specific Drug Delivery Systems Using Hot Melt Extrusion And Fused Deposition Modeling 3d Printing, Nagireddy Reddy Dumpa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to preferential site of drug absorption and the need for increased concentration of medication at the required tissues, dosage forms should be designed or formulated in such a way that medication is released at a specific site or after a specific time in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Knowledge of transit times of dosage forms in each part of GIT, by use of particular polymers or employing specific delivery systems such as floating systems, delivery of medication to specific sites in the GIT can be achieved. HME coupled FDM 3D printing has the capability to create customized dosage forms for …

Polyester-Pamam “Janus-Type” Linear-Dendritic Blockopolymers (Ldbcs) As Next Generation Biomaterials, Indika Chandrasiri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanomedicine is defined as the application of knowledge and tools of nanotechnology for disease treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, delivery, and sensing. Rapid advances in polymer chemistry and nanotechnology have led to an extensive development of polymeric-based therapeutic systems for nanomedical applications. Compared to traditional molecular-based therapies, polymers facilitate a higher level of versatility and functionality, such as simultaneous imaging and delivery. In particular, amphiphilic diblock copolymers and their self-assemblies have shown apparent success in nanomedicine owing to their ability to provide narrow molar mass distributions and highly ordered nanoscale multimolecular aggregates, including micelles and vesicles. However, engineering these polymeric materials to …

Nmr-Based Characterization Of A Glucan Isolated From Ganoderma Lucidum, Alysia Gonzales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ganoderma lucidum is a polypore fungus commonly known as Lingzhi, Youngji or Reishi mushroom in East Asia. It is frequently marketed as an herbal supplement and often utilized as traditional Chinese medicine. Our research comprises the structural investigation of the principal polysaccharide from this fungus. After proper purification, the fungal glucan was subjected to multiple experiments of NMR spectroscopy, including 1D 1H and 13C, 2D; 1H-1H COSY, 1H-1H TOCSY, 1H-1H NOESY, 1H-13C HSQC, 1H-1H Phase Sensitive-TOCSY, and 1H-13C TOCSY-HSQC NMR spectra. Data has confirmed that this fungal polysaccharide contains residues of glucose (91.31%) as major, galactose (4.99%), and mannose (3.69%) …

Towards A New Method Of Determining Protein Structure, Niloofar Abolhasani Khaje

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydroxyl radical protein footprinting (HRPF) by fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) is a mass spectrometry-based technique that measures the apparent protein oxidation rate by freely diffusing hydroxyl radicals at different regions in a protein, and correlates changes in this apparent rate with changes in the solvent accessibility of the protein target based on quantifying the amount of oxidation of different regions of a protein. While there have been many advancements in HRPF-FPOP, oxidation measurement still suffers from high variability between measurements. High variability reduces the power statistical power this technique even in the presence of radical dosimetry measurements and …

Implementation Of The Michael Heggerty Model To Increase Student Achievement Of At-Risk Readers In Kindergarten, Michelle White Nowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study seeks to help at-risk readers improve phonemic awareness in kindergarten at Mayberry Elementary by implementing the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Model so the students can become successful readers. Using three elements in this study, professional development, teacher PLCs, and data talk meetings with peer teachers in kindergarten throughout the year, the researcher sought to build teacher capacity in the implementation of the Michael Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Model to improve student achievement. Surveys, observations, focus groups, and interviews were used in the study. Additionally, the goal of this study aimed to improve the educator's capacity to address …

The Validity Of Transracialism, Samantha Nichole Priest

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this article, the idea that transracialism could be a valid identity is considered. Standpoint epistemology presents the strongest case against transracialism as a valid identity because, according to Collin’s, racial groups have a special sense of a shared history. However, arguments for race as a social construction show how transracialism could function the same way we ordinarily feel like gender functions in our society. The violent disapproval of transracialism highlights both that ordinary usage is being challenged and that it is changing. Ultimately, narrative views of personal identity, like those suggested by Aslidair MacIntyre, and the ordinary function of …

Mediating Effects Of Mental Health Literacy And Stigma On The Relationship Between Mental Health Status And Psychological Help Seeking Behavior Among Collegiate Student Athletes, Brent Wade Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student athletes experience unique demands that create specific mental health challenges, yet they tend to utilize mental health services at lower rates when compared to the general student population. Participants were 282 (174 males, 108 females) current NCAA student athletes. A mediated regression was used to determine the mediating effects of Mental Health Stigma (MHS) and Mental Health Literacy (MHL) on the relationship between Mental Health Status and Psychological Help Seeking Behavior (PHS). Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between mental health status and psychological help seeking behavior, R2 = .05, F(1, 280) = 13.74, p < .001. Mental health status predicted PHS (? = -.22, 95% CI [-.11, -.04]). A multiple regression analysis was conducted on PHS based on MHS and MHL, F(2,279) = 9.49, p < .001. MHS was a statistically significant predictor of PHS uniquely accounting for approximately 4.2% of the variance. MHL was not significant and uniquely accounted for .1% of the variance. Analysis of a supported mediation model was conducted using MHS as the single mediator. Controlling for the mediator, the direct effect indicated by the relationship between mental health status and PHS, (? = -.046, 95% CI [-.094, .007], z = -2.04, p = .04), denoting a partial mediation and small effect. The total indirect effects with the mediator was statistically significant, (? = -.028, 95% CI ([-06, -.003]), z = -2.327, p = .02, indicating a moderate effect and accounting for 61% of the model effect. Results from this study can be used to inform program development, institutional supports, and inform further research into reduction of MHS and increasing MHL. Keywords: student athletes, mental health status, mental health stigma, mental health literacy, psychological help seeking behavior

Design And Synthesis Of Salvinorin-Based Compounds For The Opioid Receptors., Nicholas S. Akins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Opioid receptors (OR) are expressed throughout both the peripheral and central nervous system and play crucial roles in the modulation of antinociception, addiction, anxiety, and depression. Salvinorin A, the main isolate of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum, is one of the most potent naturally occurring kappa opioid receptor agonists. Salvinorin A possesses beneficial effects as a therapeutic in a variety of CNS disorders, but due to its strong hallucinating, anxiogenic effects, and short half-life(t1/2), it has never advanced to clinical trials. Instead, salvinorin A has been used as an important prototype for the development of related drug candidates. Our initial …

Application Of Passive Air Samplers For Atmospheric Research, And Determination Of Metals In Tree Rings And Marine Sapropel By Icp-Ms, Byunggwon Jeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on studies of atmospheric mercury (Hg) using passive air samplers (PAS) and studies of trace elements in tree cores and sediment using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mercury is a toxic element that is dispersed globally through the atmosphere. Accurately measuring airborne Hg concentrations aids understanding of the pollutant’s sources, distribution, cycling, and trends. Mercury PAS are designed to capture gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) at a known rate. Compared to active air sampling the low-cost of PAS allows for greater spatial coverage. We used a commercially available Hg PAS (MerPAS®) and observed differences in GEM between …

The Black Petromodernism Of Zora Neale Hurston: Energy, Race, And Mobility, Stuart Mullet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis situates Zora Neale Hurston and the folk communities in her oeuvre within the context of modernity’s dependencies on fossil fuels. Such a disciplinary context provides an energy footing for our understandings of African American migrations in the twentieth century—which radically transformed the nation on multiple levels—and it illuminates the communal values that undergird Black approaches to petromodern forms of mobility. Furthermore, by engaging the Black spaces of the South, my argument begins filling a gap in the energy humanities. Few scholars in this field engage deeply those populations and regions that disproportionately experience the underbelly of petromodernity and …

Executive Functioning And Purpose In Life Among Emerging Adults In College, Alexis Kaylyn Liberto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Executive functioning (EF) is a complex neurocognitive concept that grew from the field of neuropsychology and has been explored through various avenues. The most accepted theoretical organization of EF includes a three-factor model that is comprised of inhibition, updating, and shifting. The three-factor conceptualization can be measured through various objective EF neuropsychological assessments and self-reported levels of EF abilities. Goal-planning and organizing cognitive processes are another important facet of EF, as they involve self-regulation abilities. Individuals able to “regulate” themselves behaviorally and move towards goals tend to be more successful and move towards their purpose in life. A facet …

Electromagnetic Survey Design Using Artifical Neural Networks, Shariful Islam Sharif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acquiring geophysical information requires selection of the geophysical method based upon the defining physical property and a survey design with adequate resolution but cost effective based upon the size of the area to be surveyed. The objective of this study is to use artificial neural nets (ANNs) to design an optimal survey. The developed approach is tested for the case of soil pipe surveying using electromagnetics. Soil pipes are tortuous voids located within 1.5 m depth of the ground surface. They trend perpendicular to the slope and have cross-sectional dimensions on the order of millimeters to tens of centimeters. The …

Nonreciprocity Applications In Acoustics And Microfluidic Systems, Masoud Naghdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Breaking reciprocity in linear acoustic systems and designing a novel actuator for the nonreciprocal valveless pumps are studied in this dissertation. The first part was started by deriving the acoustic governing equations in a moving wave propagation medium. It was shown thatthe Coriolis acceleration term appears ina cross-product term with the wave vector. It means the main reason for breaking reciprocity in the circular fluid flow is the Coriolis acceleration term. Finally, the governing equations were solved numerically by COMSOL Multiphysics software. Moreover, Green`s second identity was used as a complimentary method to prove breaking reciprocityin such a system with …

Kindergarten Readiness Through The Lens Of Parent Perspective, Ashley Barrows Goralczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a phenomenological approach to explore parent perspectives about kindergarten readiness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents from a public preschool whose children were about to start kindergarten. The parents’ own kindergarten experiences were discussed as well as their perspectives and beliefs about what kindergarten readiness means as it relates to the preparation for and transition into kindergarten. Interview transcripts were analytically coded resulting in findings that were authentic and specific related to personal kindergarten recollections, kindergarten preparedness practices, and assumptions about preschool used as a kindergarten preparation tool. Findings answered the research questions providing specificity about …

An In-Depth Approach For Functional Oligosaccharide Analysis, Hao Liu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heparin and heparan sulfate (Hp/HS) are linear complex glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which are involved in diverse biological processes. Although Hp/HS GAGs influence numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes, their high degree of size polydispersity and sequence microheterogeneity make structure-function characterization challenging. In addition, it is hard to understand the structures that underlie any of the various functions with MS, because of the lability of the sulfate group during tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. The work presented here describes an in-depth approach for functional oligosaccharide characterization including chemical derivatization of Hp to inhibit COVID-19 infection, multi-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC) fractionation method, chemical derivatization …