Digital Commons Network^™

Childhood Abuse, Religiosity, And Opioid Use: Findings From The National Epidemiologic Survey On Alcohol And Related Conditions Data, James E. Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religiosity is adopting a belief system surrounding concepts of purpose, meaning, and value through an institution that has already defined these concepts prior to the individual member attending and that member’s degree of participation. Religiosity does have protective factors against negative health outcomes. This protective influence was evaluated in this study. Data from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions were examined to learn about the relationship between protective effects of religious participation on substance abuse, and whether this association weakened for individuals who have experienced higher levels of childhood abuse. A binary logistic regression …

Cannabidiol, Behavior, And Immune Biomarkers In Idiopathic Autism Spectrum Disorder., Sarah Huang Shrader

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogenous neurodevelopmental disorder currently estimated by the CDC to affect 1 in 36 children in the U.S.. This uniquely human condition is characterized by a spectrum of symptoms that feature social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors with restricted interest. Autistic individuals commonly exhibit multiple comorbidities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and seizures, which can complicate an already multi-faceted presentation. The majority of ASD cases are idiopathic in nature. Developing a well-validated animal model of ASD for translational research comes with many challenges, but is crucial for advancing our understanding of autism and …

Characterization Of The Impact Of Prenatal Cigarette Smoke Exposure On Age- And Sex-Specific Sirt1-Mediated Hepatic Molecular Phenotype In C57bl/6 Mice., Kendall S. Stocke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S., 7.2% of women still report having smoked at some point during pregnancy despite known risks to fetal health. Prenatal cigarette smoke exposure (CSE) in children puts them at risk for low birth weight, premature birth, and other adverse impacts on developmental and postnatal health. Children subjected to prenatal CSE have a higher risk of adulthood metabolic disease predicted by the Barker Hypothesis. The hepatic molecular phenotype associated with this risk is unknown. This dissertation characterizes the prenatal CSE-induced hepatic molecular phenotype during three key life stages. We used a murine model of prenatal CSE utilizing a Teague …

Middle School Outreach Efforts To Involve Immigrant Parents: What Are The Perceptions Of School Personnel And Immigrant Parents?, Marcella Denise Franklin-Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the years, a concern plaguing the education world is parent involvement. Ongoing research indicates students whose parents and family members are involved tend to experience greater academic achievement and decreased behavior issues (McNeal, 2015). With regard to parent involvement, immigrant parent involvement takes this concern to a new level with regard to the growing racial and ethnic diversity in education (Outley & Skuza, 2019). Guided by Epstein’s six types of involvement and Yosso’s community cultural wealth, this study explores one urban middle school’s outreach efforts to involve immigrant parents. In this qualitative case study, one middle schools’ stakeholders-the principal, …

A Possible Luxr Solo Type Regulator Of An Antibiotic-Like Compound From The Soil Bacterium Rhodococcus, Katelyn Sellick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhodococcus, a species of bacteria commonly found in the soil, is an under-explored producer of small bioactive compounds including siderophores, pigments and antibiotics. MTM3W5.2 is a strain of Rhodococcus that was previously discovered to produce an antibiotic-like compound that has inhibitory effects on other Rhodococcus strains, including the veterinary pathogen, R. equi. The biosynthetic gene cluster responsible for production of the antibiotic has been identified, and a small gene, BTZ20_3964 at the start of the operon is believed to be a luxR solo regulator of the gene cluster. The goal of this project was to determine this gene’s …

Communications And Methodologies In Crime Geography: Contemporary Approaches To Disseminating Criminal Incidence And Research, Mitchell Ogden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many tools exist to assist law enforcement agencies in mitigating criminal activity. For centuries, academics used statistics in the study of crime and criminals, and more recently, police departments make use of spatial statistics and geographic information systems in that pursuit. Clustering and hot spot methods of analysis are popular in this application for their relative simplicity of interpretation and ease of process. With recent advancements in geospatial technology, it is easier than ever to publicly share data through visual communication tools like web applications and dashboards. Sharing data and results of analyses boosts transparency and the public image of …

Hybrid Recommender Systems Via Spectral Learning And A Random Forest, Alyssa Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We demonstrate spectral learning can be combined with a random forest classifier to produce a hybrid recommender system capable of incorporating meta information. Spectral learning is supervised learning in which data is in the form of one or more networks. Responses are predicted from features obtained from the eigenvector decomposition of matrix representations of the networks. Spectral learning is based on the highest weight eigenvectors of natural Markov chain representations. A random forest is an ensemble technique for supervised learning whose internal predictive model can be interpreted as a nearest neighbor network. A hybrid recommender can be constructed by first …

Queer Students’ Perceptions Of Inclusion At Abc Community College: A Phenomenology, Francis Canedo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of Queer students at ABC Community College. Using phenomenology as its guiding framework, transcribed interviews were analyzed in order to seek the phenomenon of the experience. Examination of the literature suggested that Queer students’ experiences of discrimination could have a negative impact on academic achievement and that inclusive and affirming spaces have the opposite effect.

Further, Queer students search for affirming spaces from their faculty and peers, and the engagement these spaces provide may be good prognosticator academic achievement. When students are provided with inclusive spaces, they may be more likely to come …

The Gendering Of Death Personifications In Literary Modernism: The Femme Fatale Symbol From Baudelaire To Barnes, Amanda Mcnally

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The time of modernity, defined here as 1850-1940, contributed to massive changes in the representation of the feminine in literature. Societal paradigm shifts due to industrialism, advances in science, psychology, and a newfound push for gender equality brought transformation to the Western World. As a result of this, male frustrations revived the ancient trope of the femme fatale, but the modern woman—already hungry for agency, tired of maligned representation in heinous portrayals of skeletons, sirens, and beasts—saw a symbol begging for redemption rather than the intended insult. Women of the nineteenth century infused texture to a two-dimensional accusation that argued …

Growing Up Deaf In Appalachia: An Oral History Of My Mother, Elizabeth Shelton Tipton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the life experiences of a rural, Deaf Appalachian woman, Jane Ann Shelton, a second generation Deaf child born to Deaf parents from the communities of Devil’s Fork (Flag Pond, Tennessee) and Shelton Laurel (Madison County, North Carolina). Over two hours of videotaped interviews were interpreted and transcribed, followed by various other communications to describe the life of a rural, Deaf Appalachian woman without a formal high school degree. As an advocate and a political lobbyist in Tennessee during the 1980s and 90s, she was unparalleled by her peers (deaf or hearing) in her efforts to “enhance …

Period Estimation And Denoising Families Of Nonuniformly Sampled Time Series, William Seguine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nonuniformly sampled time series are common in astronomy, finance, and other areas of research. Commonly, these time series belong to a family of signals recorded from the same phenomenon. Period estimation and denoising of such data relies on periodograms. In particular, the Lomb-Scargle periodogram and its extension, the Multiband Lomb-Scargle, are at the forefront of time series period estimation. However, these methods are not without laws. This paper explores alternatives to the Lomb-Scargle and Multiband Lomb-Scargle. In particular, this thesis uses regularized least squares and the convolution theorem to introduce a spectral consensus model of a family of nonuniformly sampled …

We All Need Somebody To Lean On: Social Support As A Protective Factor For Individuals With Childhood Adversity, Rachel Clingensmith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research has shown that childhood adversity impacts development across the lifespan and has been linked to numerous negative health outcomes. Depression symptoms are one such outcome that has been associated with ACE exposure. The literature also indicates emotion regulation may be a mediator between ACEs and depression outcomes. The primary aim of this study (N = 766) is to investigate pathways leading from ACEs to depression and potential protective factors. It was hypothesized that difficulties in emotion regulation would mediate the link between ACEs and later depressive symptoms, social support would moderate the pathway between difficulties in emotion regulation …

Exploration Of Ataxia Telangiectasia And Rad3-Related’S (Atr’S) Role In Cell Death Regulation: Implications In Development, Cancer, And Stroke, Brian Cartwright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From gametogenesis until death an organism’s genome is under constant bombardment from endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage. To maintain genomic integrity amid this damage, cells have evolved responses which allow them to either preserve viability for recovery or initiate self-destructive pathways depending on the severity of DNA damage. One protein involved in initiating and carrying out these responses is the protein kinase ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR). ATR is known primarily for its regulatory role in initiating the checkpoint-signaling cascade following DNA damage and replicative stress. These signaling events lead to cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, or apoptosis …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Familial Emotion Socialization, And Adult Emotion Regulation: A Moderation Model, Rebecca Otwell-Dove

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with maladaptive outcomes, including difficulties with emotion regulation (ER). ER difficulties, in turn, increase risk for experiencing physical and mental health problems. Parental emotion socialization is one factor that has been associated with ER skills across development. No known studies, however, have examined whether parental emotion socialization moderates the relationship between ACEs and ER difficulties. In the current study, undergraduates (N = 678) completed questionnaires about their history of ACEs, parental emotion socialization experiences, and current ER difficulties. Correlational results indicated a positive correlation between ACEs and ER difficulties. Results of the hierarchical …

Structure Elucidation Of A Pyrrolobenzodiazepine Alkaloid And A Biologically Active Polyketide Produced By Rhodococcus Sp. Mtm3w5.2 Via Two-Dimensional Nmr Spectroscopy, Garrett Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the battle against ever-increasing drug resistence bacteria rages on, novel and sometimes more complex natural products can be used to combat this. In this study, two-dimensional NMR techniques were utilized to collect a complete spectral data set for two natural products. The first structure, a synthesized Pyrrolobenzodiazepine alkaloid natural product was confirmed through these methods. The second, a strain of Rhodococcus, MTM3W5.2, produces a novel antibacterial molecule in broth cultures and the active compound was fractionated using a Sephedex LH-20 column. Chromatographic purification yielded a pure sample at 58.90 minutes, RT.58. HRMS data deduced an exact mass of …

An Exploratory Study Of Duty-Related Stress Among Conservation Officers, Logan Ledford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research relating to police stress has typically focused on officers working in urban areas, neglecting their rural counterparts. This is especially true of conservation officers, who are tasked with enforcing laws in state parks and other recreational areas. To date, only a handful of studies have sought to better understand their experiences and perceptions. The current study seeks to further our understanding of conservation officer stress in three unique ways: (1) via applying McCreary and Thompson’s (2006) operational police stress scale (PSQ-Op) to the population, (2) determining whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) affect perceived stress, and …

Preparation Of Folic Acid-Carbon Dots-Doxorubicin Nanoparticles As Targeting Tumor Theranostics, Samson Dada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted much attention as an excellent gene/drug delivery and biological imaging agent for early cancer theranostics. In this study, we prepared two series of nanoparticles (NPs), which are composed of (CDs) with a targeting agent, folic acid (FA), and a chemotherapeutic agent Doxorubicin (Dox). All the NPs and their intermediates were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), fluorescence spectroscopy, and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The drug loading capacity (DLC) and drug loading efficiency (DLE) of two series of FA-CDs-Dox were assessed using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy at the wavelength of 485 nm. Both showed good DLE and DLC …

Investigating Administrators’ Resistance To Implementing Restorative Practices, Beri Deister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this case study, the researcher investigated the barriers to school administrators’ implementation of restorative practices as a management approach to student behavior. Based on the claim that restorative practices is a promising alternative to exclusionary disciplinary placements for changing behavior, the researcher used an emergent explanatory mixed methods design to better understand administrators’ resistance to change despite overwhelming evidence that exclusionary disciplinary practices are the primary contributors to national trends in disciplinary disproportionality and institutional discrimination. The researcher identified and analyzed barriers to create recommendations for addressing administrators’ resistance through organizational change strategies using systems theory.

Coaching Styles, Athletes' Needs Satisfaction, And Identity: An Analysis Of Athlete-Coach Relationship, Casey-May Huff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the use of the self-determination theory (SDT), developed by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan (2000), this study examined the various coaching styles and the relationship between both coaches’ and athletes’ identity. Thirty-two head coaches and 202 athletes from universities and colleges were surveyed. Coaches were matched with their athletes, producing 28 unique pairings. The first research question tested for coaching styles and how they connect to motivations. The second research question explored the coaching styles and how they relate to athletes’ motivations. A hypothesis examined differences between coaches’ reported coaching styles and their athletes’ needs. Results found …

The Potential Of Radium-224 As A Tracer Of Timescales Of Gulf Of Mexico Crude Oil Exposure To The Marine Environment, Matthew T. Kurpiel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Petroleum pollution in the marine environment can be deleterious to coastal and marine ecosystems and can have sustained effects for years. While oil slicks on the surface of the ocean are tracked with relative ease using satellite-based technology, deep sea, neutrally-buoyant hydrocarbon plumes remain exceedingly difficult to track. We provide evidence for the utility of Ra-224 as a potential hydrocarbon tracer to determine the marine exposure time of crude oil. We employed time course incubations to constrain a time dependent Ra-224 release signature and tested a variety of timescales, temporal resolutions, oil sources, seawater, and experimental treatments to determine potential …

A Program Evaluation Of Mentoring: How Does It Affect Teacher Attrition, Jo-Lynette Crayton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was teacher attrition. The purpose of this qualitative research was to conduct a program evaluation of the mentoring program in a large urban district in Texas. The research conducted was through questionnaires derived from the teacher questionnaire of the National Teacher and Principal Survey 2015–2016 School Year and in-depth interviews of both novice teachers and mentors. Findings indicated that connectedness, modeling, and collaborative conversations were critical to the success of novice teachers. Additional findings indicated that training, classroom observations, and monthly meetings were the most effective components of the Study Independent School District …

Evaluating The Relationships Between Science Class Success And Math Placement In High School, Tila Hidalgo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order for students to perform well in science, they need opportunities to develop formal reasoning. Teachers in a private school in Latin America noted that students who had not yet completed Algebra I were struggling in a 9th-grade chemistry course more than their classmates who had completed Algebra I. The purpose of this causal, comparative action research was to determine if math placement was key to supporting student success in science. Data on achievement, as indicated by final exam scores in math, science, and English, were used from the cohort of students enrolled in 9th grade in 2015 and …

Coarse Root, Forest Litter, And Soil Organic Matter Contributions To Carbon Sequestration In Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda) Plantations In East Texas, William Wedge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding ecosystem carbon dynamics is of increasing importance with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations on the rise. Land management strategies, such as land use conversion, effect ecosystem carbon cycling dynamics and can alter the quantity of carbon sequestered in vegetation and soils. In East Texas and much of the southern United States, there has been a trend of converting marginal pastureland into loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations. This afforestation, like all other land use conversions, leads to a redistribution of carbon in vegetation and soil carbon sinks. In 2003, five marginal pasturelands in East Texas were afforested with loblolly pine …

Evaluating The Effects Of Sanitizing Drinker Lines In Commercial Broiler Houses On The Water Quality And Microbial Content In Biofilm Layers, Kennedi Achilles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The importance of water quality and its ability to cause major impacts, whether it is positive or negative, is often overlooked in the poultry industry. The microbial content of water is just one of many water characteristics that need to be monitored and regulated to ensure a flock is receiving good quality water. A field study was conducted to determine the effects of four different sanitizers under commercial broiler house conditions, with three replications over a three flock period. Each flock was grown for 56 days with a 2 week period between each flock. Four oxidative sanitizers were used and …

Using The Coaching Approach Behavior And Leading By Modeling (Calm) Program To Examine Attachment And Parental Behaviors In Childhood Anxiety, Seana Bandi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is one of the most common disorders in children that can often lead to detrimental outcomes. Empirically-supported risk factors for child anxiety include the child’s temperament and behavioral inhibition, insecure attachment, parental over-controlling behaviors, parental anxiety, and the impact of adverse life events on the child. Targeting these risk factors early on has the ability to lead to a decrease in anxiety symptoms later in adolescence and adulthood.

Evidence suggests behavioral, therapeutic interventions are effective for treating anxiety and other mood disorders for middle childhood and adolescents. Recent research has begun to focus on developmentally-appropriate adaptations for younger children …

School-Based Services For Children With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (Pans), Maura Miglioretti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) is an emerging disorder affecting school age children causing deleterious cognitive, social, emotional, and academic effects. Most frequently, children with PANS demonstrate severe, rapid-onset obsessive-compulsive symptoms in addition to a variety of other psychiatric disturbances. Symptoms are known to significantly a child’s educational experience. Despite this, little is known about the educational impacts related to the disorder or the supports provided to children with the diagnosis. This research sought to identify the school related impairments of children with PANS, the school-based services provided for children with PANS, and the relationships between obsessive compulsive symptoms and …

School Based Policies Protecting Lgbtq+ Youth, Amy Tiberi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the 2017 National School Climate Survey, over half of all LGBTQ+ students reported experiencing LGBTQ+ related discriminatory policies or practices in their schools (GLSEN, 2019). While there is legislation in place that should standardize compliance and equality within school districts, there is often a discrepancy in implementation and follow through in public school systems. This study sought to examine a) school psychologists’ knowledge of federal legislations protecting LGBTQ+ youth, b) school psychologists’ self-report of the implementation of these regulations in their school’s policies, and c) the attitudes of school psychologists working with LGBTQ+ youth. Results indicated that attitude …

Genetic Diversity Of White-Tailed Deer Populations In Southwestern Pennsylvania And The Development Of A Forensics Panel, Melanie Quain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the 20^thcentury, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) became scarce, prompting conservation efforts by hunters and wildlife managers with the goal to recover this species. Various strategies were implemented including reintroductions from areas that still had large deer populations, developing bag limits, seasonal restrictions, and habitat management. These efforts were highly successful across the United States.

Today, white-tailed deer are one of the most abundant and widely-distributed large-bodied mammals in North America. However, there are several important management concerns. In numerous states, including Pennsylvania, CWD negatively impacts deer populations and has become a major health concern. When …

Design And Synthesis Of Pyrimidine Based Heterocycles As Potential Anti-Cancer Agents With Combination Chemotherapeutic Potential Or Targeted One Carbon Metabolism Inhibition And Anti-Opportunistic Agents, Arpit Doshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of monocyclic, bicyclic and tricyclic pyrimidine-based heterocycles as a) single agents with combination chemotherapy potential having dual antiangiogenic effects and cytotoxic effects or b) one-carbon metabolism inhibitors for targeted tumor therapy; or c) selective Pneumocystis jirovecii (pj) dihydrofolate reductase (pjDHFR) inhibitors for pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) infection.

The work in this dissertation is centered on identifying structural features that are necessary for inhibition of tubulin polymerization or thymidylate synthase as well as for inhibition of one or more of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs)- vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2), epidermal growth …

A Quantitative Study Of Drug Recrystallization In Drug-In-Adhesive Transdermal Patches Using Vibrational Spectroscopy, Yi Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug-in-adhesive (DIA) transdermal patches are an important type of transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). The drugs used in the DIA system are frequently present in metastable forms, such as amorphous solids or supercooled liquids. These drug states are thermodynamically unstable and tend to undergo recrystallization. Recrystallization of the active pharmaceutical ingredient can adversely affect the efficacy of transdermal products. This dissertation demonstrates a systematic approach to quantify the crystalline content of the API in DIA systems. This approach uses a novel method of preparing calibration standards and a spectroscopic method to reliably predict crystalline content in DIA patches. Spectroscopic tools, …