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Characterization Of Sites For Native Herbaceous Understory Restoration In West Gulf Coast Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Savannas, Brooke Mccalip

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas were once dominant in East Texas and parts of western and central Louisiana. Native understory species have since been removed or reduced by exotic plants that were introduced and from the reduction in the frequency of both wild and prescribed fires. A diverse layer of understory species can still be seen today, but not often in the historical savanna setting that is desirable in longleaf pine ecosystems. This project aimed to identify site characteristics associated with longleaf ecosystems that support a dense, herbaceous understory with little to no midstory cover.

A total of …

Characterization Of Sites For Native Herbaceous Understory Restoration In West Gulf Coast Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Savannas, Brooke Mccalip

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas were once dominant in East Texas and parts of western and central Louisiana. Native understory species have since been removed or reduced by exotic plants that were introduced and from the reduction in the frequency of both wild and prescribed fires. A diverse layer of understory species can still be seen today, but not often in the historical savanna setting that is desirable in longleaf pine ecosystems. This project aimed to identify site characteristics associated with longleaf ecosystems that support a dense, herbaceous understory with little to no midstory cover.

A total of …

Breeding Bird Response To Post Oak Savanna Restoration Seven Years Post Management In Eastern Texas, Courtney Mcinnerney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oak savannas were once an abundant vegetation type in the Midwestern United States that have now declined to <1% of their original distribution. Historically, natural disturbances such as periodic fire and grazing maintained oak savannas, but these have been reduced or eliminated, resulting in woody encroachment and subsequent habitat loss and degradation. In 2009-10, a baseline, pre-restoration study was completed to determine vegetation characteristics, breeding bird abundances, nest success, and nest site selection at the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area (GEWMA) in eastern Texas. The results showed a lack of savanna vegetation structure on degraded sites and few savanna or grassland obligate bird species. The goal of this study was to determine how breeding birds of oak savanna vegetation types in eastern Texas respond to restoration effects 7 years after initial management. Post-restoration surveys completed in 2016-17 showed a change in avian assemblages from a more woodland dominated community to grassland/savanna community. The presence and breeding of savanna obligate species dickcissel (Spiza americana) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) indicates that the restoration was successful. The presence of savanna species can be linked to the herbaceous vegetation that was restored to more closely resemble historic oak savanna structure and can quantify the success of restoration efforts.

The Effectiveness Of Best Management Practices On Water Quality In The Attoyac Bayou Watershed Of East Texas, Cheryl Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection Plan, best management practices (BMPs) were developed for livestock, wildlife, and on-site sewage facilities (OSSFs), using bacteria source tracking (BST), spatially explicit load enrichment calculation tool (SELECT) model, as well as a cost benefit analysis. An evaluation of these BMPs was conducted on the Attoyac Bayou (AB), Big Iron Ore Creek (BIO), Naconiche Creek (NC), Terrapin Creek (TC), and Waffelow Creek (WC) to see if they were meeting their designated use criteria for elevated Escherichia coli (E. coli). Water quality parameters were monitored for five sample locations within the Attoyac Bayou Watershed during March …

Wellness And Karate, Cristina Kumpf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The promotion of wellness is an integral part of the counseling field and is considered to be a central focus to the counseling process (Barden, Conley, & Young, 2015; Myers, 1992). The counseling profession adopted the concept of wellness because it harmonizes with many of the founding principles of the ACA and is seen as a process of questing toward optimal health and well-being in body, mind, and spirit (Barden, Conley, & Young, 2015; Myers, 1992; Myers, Sweeney, & Witmer, 2000). Additionally, ACA Code of Ethics (2014) state that counselors “engage in self-care activities to maintain and promote their own …

Structure And Thermodynamics Of Polyglutamine Peptides And Amyloid Fibrils Via Metadynamics And Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Riley Workman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aggregation of polyglutamine (polyQ)-rich polypeptides in neurons is a marker for nine neurodegenerative diseases. The molecular process responsible for the formation of polyQ fibrils is not well understood and represents a growing area of study. To enable development of treatments that could interfere with aggregation of polyQ peptides, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms by which polyQ peptides aggregate into fibrils. Many experimental techniques have been employed to probe polyQ aggregation, however, observations from these studies have not lead to a unified understanding of the properties of these systems, instead yielding competing, fragmented theories of polyQ aggregation. This …

The Association Of Prescription Opioid Exposure And Patient Factors With Prolonged Postoperative Opioid Use In Opioid Naive Patients, Jennifer Lanzillotta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background

Research suggests prolonged postoperative opioid use occurs in 4-13% of opioid naïve patients and is related to factors other than surgical pain. However, it is unclear which patient factors and prescribing practices are associated with prolonged use after surgery among opioid naïve patients.

Objectives

To identify factors associated with prolonged postoperative opioid use (refills 90-180 days after surgery) in opioid naïve patients in two domains: specific patient characteristics (demographics, smoking status, comorbidities, etc.) and exposure through postoperative opioid prescriptions (in oral morphine milligram equivalents [OME]).

Methods

An electronic medical record dataset analysis of inpatient and outpatient opioid naïve adult …

Gq Noncanonical Roles In Translational Regulation, Brett Demarco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates protein nucleic acid interactions, focusing on G-quadruplex (GQ) forming DNA/RNA in human disease. GQ structures are formed in DNA/RNA, when four guanine residues form planar tetrads stabilized by Hoogsteen base pairing, that stack forming a GQ structure stabilized by potassium ions. These GQ structures are targeted by the arginine glycine-glycine (RGG) RNA-binding domain. Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a translation regulator protein implicated in the fragile X syndrome, has an RGG domain and has been previously shown to interact with neuronal GQ forming messenger RNA (mRNA). We have investigated three neuronal FMRP mRNA targets that we …

The Zombie Apocalypse Has Already Happened: Queering Subjectivity In Zombie Film, Jessica Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation traces the encounter between psychology as a human science and the viral zombie film genre using the collaborative works of Deleuze and Guattari in conjunction with the queer anti-humanist theories of Colebrook and Halberstam. I interwove thematic (i.e. plot, dialogue, character development) and cinematographic (i.e. shot composition, editing, lighting, musical score) analyses of fourteen viral zombie films with theoretical arguments regarding the deterritorialization of the human subject and its relevance to psychology as a human science. The films were selected from the plethora of viral zombie films released after the turn of the 21st century. The selection was …

Back In The Closet: A Queer-Modified Interpretive-Phenomenological Analysis Of Gay Men Creating An Identity Through Clothing, Jose Arroyo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How one dresses comprises their personal style, which subsequently informs one’s orientation to the world. Clothing is a global practice that demarcates our experience of self, others, and the world; and—as we are swathed in clothing since birth—those experiences are primarily split among gendered lines. Using Merleau-Ponty (2014/1945), I reconceptualize how clothing can be understood as inseparable from our body, and I use Deleuze and Guattari (1987/1980) to illustrate how clothing augments our embodied experience to produce a process of identification with our style. I also draw from queer theorists (Ahmed, 2006; Halberstam, 2011) to illustrate how we can disrupt …

End-Of-Life Care Practices In Two Cultures: A Comparative Ethical Analysis And Recommendations, Nora Alharbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation examined the similarities and differences between the end-of-life care strategies employed in the United States and Saudi Arabia. End-of-life care has emerged in recent decades as a medical practice specialty. It has taken on enhanced significance in the United States in tandem with the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, but it is also a significant focus of practice and research in other countries as well. In the context of Saudi Arabia, however, end-of-life care is still very much an emerging phenomenon that is being shaped and informed by Saudi culture, tradition and the Islamic faith.

This …

Cooperative Regulation Of Translational Repression By Fmrp And The Mirna Pathway, Navneeta Kaul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited monogenic cause of intellectual disability. FXS patients exhibit social and language deficits, hyperactivity, seizures, growth abnormalities, macroorchidism, anxiety, and epilepsy. FXS is caused by the transcriptional silencing of the fragile X mental retardation gene 1 (Fmr1), resulting in the loss of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is a selective mRNA binding protein that plays a role in translation repression. Studies suggest that FMRP utilizes the miRNA pathway to repress translation of its target mRNAs through an unknown mechanism. The aim of my thesis is to investigate …

Spg Directs Arp2/3 Mediated F-Actin Networks To Support Syncytial Furrow Ingression In Drosophila, Shannon M. Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Drosophila embryo, nuclear divisions 10-13 occur in a syncytium with transient membrane furrows separating neighboring nuclei before the occurrence of cellularization. This process is driven by cytoskeletal and membrane trafficking networks, and while RalA and Rab8 have been identified to drive membrane addition to furrows, less is known about the control of dynamic F-actin networks needed for furrow formation. Here, the role of the DOCK protein Sponge (Spg) in furrow formation is explored through shRNA knockdown and live-imaging of syncytial Drosophila embryos. I have found that Spg is required for furrow ingression and that without Spg, furrows can …

Play And Exhibitions: Expanding Definitions Within Museums, Helena Sizemore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of the utilization of play, as a method for visitor engagement, within the context of the museum. Play, as a method for learning and engagement, is often a contested topic between scholars and practitioners within the museum field. This is in part due to the ambiguous nature of defining play, the ever-present dichotomy between work and play, and the struggles museums find in balancing education and entertainment. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, Colorado names play as part of one of its core values. Using anthropological theoretical and methodological approaches, I examine …

Developing A Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy Experiment For Solid State Materials, Daniel Hammerland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy (FSRS) is a ultrafast spectroscopy technique first implemented by chemists to understand isomerization and other ultrafast molecular morphology changes by resolving vibrational dynamics[1, 2, 3]. FSRS has an unparalleled temporal and spectral resolution [4, 1, 5, 6] that arises as a result of a clever combination of picosecond and femtosecond pulses. However, despite this capability, FSRS has yet to be applied to modern materials in condensed matter physics. This thesis explores the design and implementation of FSRS to study two-dimensional materials in order to measure their quantum confined vibrational dynamics on utlrafast time scales.

A Bi-Encoder Lstm Model For Learning Unstructured Dialogs, Diwanshu Shekhar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creating a data-driven model that is trained on a large dataset of unstructured dialogs is a crucial step in developing a Retrieval-based Chatbot systems. This thesis presents a Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) based Recurrent Neural Network architecture that learns unstructured multi-turn dialogs and provides implementation results on the task of selecting the best response from a collection of given responses. Ubuntu Dialog Corpus Version 2 (UDCv2) was used as the corpus for training. Ryan et al. (2015) explored learning models such as TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) and a Dual Encoder (DE) based on Long …

Serial Murder Mysteries: Revisiting Definitional Issues, Data Challenges, Archaic Theories, And Myths Using Empirical Evidence, Jolene Vincent

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While serial killings have been the focus of much scholarly research, the definition of what it means to be a serial killer has been debated by law enforcement agencies and academics for decades. This overall lack of understanding about serial killers and the murders they commit has contributed to the numerous limitations concerning the general knowledge about this unique form of homicide. Furthermore, serial killers have typically been examined using psychological models, psychiatric approaches, or the external drives/motives of the offenders, while the development of a sociological perspective has received less attention. This current research uses arguably the most complete …

Thriving With Down Syndrome: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Talia G. Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Down syndrome (DS) is a chromosomal abnormality associated with intellectual disability (ID) and multiple medical complications. However, despite significant deficits related to the disability, there are people with DS who are thriving in our community. This dissertation examines those who thrive with DS and the individual and environmental factors that influence their thriving within two manuscripts. Manuscript One presents a synthesis of seminal and current positive psychology and disability studies literature. Review indicates that thriving with ID occurs when individuals report (a) a healthy transactional relationship between the individual and the ecological system; (b) high subjective well-being; and, (c) an …

Electrochemical Microsensors For In Situ Monitoring Of Chemical Compounds In Engineered And Natural Aquatic Systems, Jared Church

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adaption of needle-type electrochemical microsensor (or microelectrode) techniques to environmental science and engineering systems has transformed how we understand mass transport in biotic and abiotic processes. Their small tip diameter (5-20μm) makes them a unique experimental tool for direct measurements of analytes with high spatial and temporal resolutions, providing a quantitative analysis of flux, diffusion, and reaction rate at a microscale that cannot be obtained using conventional analytical tools. However, their applications have been primarily limited to understanding mass transport dynamics and kinetics in biofilms. With the advancement of sensor fabrication and utilization techniques, their potential applications can surpass …

Analysis Of Hybridization Between Native And Invasive Pupfishes (Cyprinodon), Kristina Ayers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species are detrimental to native species and when hybridization is involved a decrease in biodiversity may result. Cyprinodon variegatus is an invasive species that has caused devastation to several Cyprinodon species through rapid hybridization and genetic introgression. Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis is native to the Brazos, Wichita and Red Rivers but fish collected between 2006-2012 from the Brazos River expressed intermediate morphological traits suggesting hybridization had occurred. My objective was to investigate if C. variegatus and C. rubrofluviatilis had hybridized in the Brazos River and if so, to determine the extent of introgression. Molecular analysis of specimens collected between 2013-2017 identified …

Examining The Meaning Of Course Evaluation, Tyesha Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching evaluations significantly influence faculty members’ annual evaluations and progress toward tenure and promotion within academic programs in higher education. Those with consistently strong, positive, teaching evaluations have been deemed effective instructors and often validated with increases in salary, teaching awards, and promotion and tenure. This is especially the case when strong course evaluations are received in addition to documented scholarship and research activities and positively evaluated professional service. However, questions are being raised about the meaningfulness of students' ratings of course instruction. Do these measures effectively assess competence as instructors or do they measure other unknown processes in the …

The Comparison Of Effects Of Synthetic And Natural Arachidin-3 On Rotavirus Infected Cells, Rebekah Napier-Jameson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rotavirus (RV) causes severe, life-threatening diarrhea, in infants, young children and immunocompromised adults. There are several effective vaccines for young children, however they are strain specific and are not protective against many RV strains in developing countries. Therefore, it is important to investigate anti-RV therapeutic agents. Our laboratory has shown arachidin-1 (A1) and arachadin-3 (A3) significantly inhibit RV replication in two cell lines, however the molecular mechanism(s) of action are not known. A synthetic molecule of A3 (sA3) has been produced, but its’ antiviral effects have not been examined. Our hypothesis is that sA3 produces the same effects on RV-infected …

Delineating Metrics Of Diversity For A Snake Community In A Rare Ecosystem, Zachary John Marcou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snakes are among the least understood vertebrate groups despite their considerable diversity. A diverse community of snakes in an ecosystem can indicate a complex habitat structure that is capable of supporting a robust assemblage of other biota. I used remote photography arrays (RPA) to quantify metrics of diversity for the snake community occurring in a ~7,000–ha tract of contiguous Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Savanna within the Angelina National Forest (ANF; Angelina and Jasper Cos., TX), over the course of two consecutive snake activity seasons. I quantified the snake species richness, Shannon diversity, and Shannon equitability for the snake community in …

Bridging The Gap: Community Gardens As A Supplement To Senior Adult Food Assistance Programs, Jheri-Lynn Mcswain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity and access to nutrition-rich food for senior adults receiving food assistance is an ever-growing concern in the United States. For households that lack accessible food, the availability of alternative sources of nutrition such as community gardens could be critically important to maintaining a stable level of food security. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a community garden as a supplemental food assistance tool for congregate meals sites and food pantries. This study encompassed the following three phases: 1) surveying the trends in Shelby County, Texas senior adults receiving food assistance to determine …

Macromolecule Loading On Plga Particles Through Surface Adsorption, Yiwei Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advent of biotherapeutics have impacted the ways in which diseases are treated. In many instances development of recombinant proteins and oligonucleotides into therapeutics are slowed by poor stability of the candidate drugs. Progress has been made in using polymeric particles as carriers of macromolecule drugs. Historically the method is to encapsulate biological drugs into spherical polymeric matrices. Owing to its biocompatible and biodegradable nature, poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has been used extensively in formulating biological drugs into nano- and micro-sized particles. The development of PLGA biologic formulations, however, has been hampered by matrix acidification; the hydrolysis of the polymer …

Egfr Signaling From The Early Endosome., Julie A. Gosney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is an integral component of proliferative signaling. When activated by a ligand at the plasma membrane, EGFR dimerizes with another ErbB family receptor, leading to kinase domain activation and transphosphorylation of C-terminus tyrosine residues. These phosphotyrosines act as crucial regulators of EGFR signaling as effector proteins dock to the receptor at these sites. The receptor undergoes clathrin-mediated endocytosis into early endosomes, where it can then be trafficked to a lysosome for degradation. However, the kinase domain of EGFR retains its activity during trafficking, suggesting that EGFR can continue …

A Structural Equation Analysis Of The Relationships Between Ptsd, Depressive Symptoms And Suicidal Ideation : Is General Strain Theory A Viable Framework For Explaining Suicide Risk Among Correctional Staff?, Wm. Clay Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a large body of evidence, which suggests PTSD is strongly related to increased suicide risk, however, some studies suggest the true nature of their relationship is better explained through the development of depression due to the effects of PTSD. While a majority of the studies examining this relationship focus only on general populations, a growing body research suggests that high-risk occupations such as police, firefighters and correctional staff are developing PTSD at rates as high as 8 to 10 times that of the rate of these general samples. This study, then, aims to fill a small gap in …

Cannabidiol Alters The Immune Response To Porphyromonas Gingivalis In Mice., Shilpa Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Porphyromonas gingivalis is an important etiologic agent of chronic periodontitis, an infectious disease defined by destruction of supporting tissues of the teeth. Marijuana is a risk factor for chronic periodontitis, although underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. As phytocannabinoids have been ascribed antiinflammatory properties, we hypothesized that cannabidiol exposure would lead to altered immune response to P. gingivalis infection facilitating bacterial persistence and, subsequently, increased alveolar bone loss in cannabidiol (CBD)-exposed mice. Methods: P. gingivalis-infected cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) knockout and wild type C57/Bl6 mice were exposed, or not exposed, to cannabidiol. Oral swabs from mice were used to monitor …

Uncertain Certainties: An Analysis Of The American Response To The 2014-2016 West African Ebola Epidemic., Kelly Carty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the construction of scientific facts surrounding the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak as well as the subsequent uptake and transformation of those facts by the United States government. While the Ebolavirus ravaged the communities of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, the incidence of the virus in other countries was very low. Nonetheless, the United States spent $576 million on domestic preparedness and response. This study addresses this mismatch in the context of the reinvigorated interest among rhetoricians into writing and science. Applying and expanding the methodology of Jeanne Fahnestock, this study analyzes Ebola-related statements in scientific articles, …

Post-Diagnosis Quality Of Life And Mortality In Non-Hispanic White And Hispanic Women Diagnosed With Invasive Breast Cancer., Delvon T. Mattingly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of breast cancer is increasing, and the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of breast cancer survivors may help to further understand survivorship. This study evaluated HRQOL as a potential prognostic factor for mortality among Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Hispanic women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Data were used from the Health, Eating, Activity, and Lifestyle (HEAL) Study. Data for 351 participants were analyzed for associations between HRQOL scores (subscale, component) and mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression was conducted to assess the relationship between HRQOL and mortality outcomes (all-cause, breast cancer-specific, non-cancer). Median follow-up time from HRQOL assessment (approximately …