Digital Commons Network^™

Survey Of Well Water Contamination In A Rural Southwestern Pennsylvania Community With Unconventional Shale Gas Drilling, Shyama Karen Alawattegama

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The recent increase in unconventional shale gas extraction (USGE) using hydraulic fracturing and associated claims of ground water contamination has raised awareness of ground water issues. The Woodlands, a community that relies on well water, reported changes in water quality and yield concurrent with USGE activities. In an effort to determine the extent of the issues and if a correlation existed, residents participated in a survey and well water samples were collected and analyzed. Base maps of the study area were created identifying current horizontal wells, legacy operations (e.g., gas and oil wells, coal mining), and topography. Fifty-six out of …

Development Of A Physiologic Ex Vivo Vessel Perfusion System., Mitchell J. Buller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Over time, continuous flow ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become the primary form of implanted mechanical circulatory support (MCS) due to their smaller size, higher energy efficiency, longer durability, and fewer LVAD-related complications when compared to pulsatile flow VADs. However, continuous and pulsatile flows may elicit different cellular and tissue response, particularly in the arterial vasculature, which could have a profound impact on the future operation of MCS devices. Therefore, a unique ex vivo perfusion system integrated with a mock adult circulatory system was design to study the impact of VAD-generated flow patterns on vascular function. Methods: The benefits …

Surface Bound Peg-Rgds On Peg-Da Hydrogels And Its Effects On Rpe Cell Morphology And Differentiation., Jeremy E. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Age related macular Degeneration is a retinal condition resulting in visual impairment and central vision loss caused by dysfunction of the Bruch’s membrane and the retinal-pigmented epithelium. . A novel treatment idea proposes that these layers may be repaired through replacement using a synthetic Bruch’s membrane, such as modified poly(ethylene glycol) commonly known as PEG, allowing regrowth of the RPE layer in vivo or through inclusion of a functioning RPE layer when implanting the membrane. Modifying poly(ethylene glycol) with surface bound adhesion peptides such as RGDS provides an excellent biomaterial scaffold in which RPE cells may repopulate and regain their …

Recognizing 'Game Changers' In Extrapolation Models: An Application To Counterinsurgency, Micah Dolcort-Silver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent empirical studies suggest insurgencies may be accurately described by aggregated extrapolation models, such that past behavior becomes the best predictor for future action. I argue that aggregated extrapolation models possess two flaws that make it a poor choice for examining insurgencies. First, aggregated extrapolation models ask the wrong question. The more interesting question is to ask when present action is no longer explainable by past behavior. Secondly, aggregate models mask changes that a phenomenon undergoes over time which are only revealed upon disaggregating the data. Starting with a model and findings provided by Neil Johnson, I use casualty data …

The Organic Beauty Industry: A Gendered Economic Review, Brianna D. Connelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organic beauty has grown to a $6 billion dollar industry supplying consumers with products that align with unique social consumption preferences. This thesis explores the historical economic perspective of the traditional beauty industry and the development of the organic beauty industry. Capitalism influenced the traditional beauty industry during the pursuit for profits that lead to jeopardizing customer and environmental safety. Consumers responded to this behavior by founding an organic beauty industry that not only considered social issues, but negated gendered beauty standards in the process. Organic product efficacy has emerged as an issue that must be dealt with by regulation …

Aging And Technology Perspectives Of Web-Based Chronic Disease Self-Management, Jennifer Marie Dickman Portz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many people suffer from chronic disease; however, older adults are at greatest risk of chronic conditions. Although social workers regularly engage with chronically ill older adults, they are not noticeably involved with the research and development of chronic disease management. As such, with recent movements toward health information technology, the efficacy of technology-based chronic disease management is not well established for older adults. Informed by theories of self-management, human development, and technology design, this research investigated lifespan differences of web-based chronic disease self-management. Using a sequential mixed methods design, a secondary data analysis of a diabetes specific web-based self-management intervention …

Evolving Minds: Helping Students With Cognitive Dissonance, Terry L. Bramschreiber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even 150 years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, public school teachers still find themselves dealing with student resistance to learning about biological evolution. Some teachers deal with this pressure by undermining, deemphasizing, or even omitting the topic in their science curriculum. Others face the challenge and deliver solid scientific instruction of evolutionary theory despite the conflicts that may arise. The latter were the topic of this study.

I interviewed five teachers that had experience dealing with resistance to learning evolution in their school community. Through these in-depth interviews, I examined strategies these teachers use when …

Regime Evolution And The Non-Proliferation Regime: The Proliferation Security Initiative As A Case Study Of Transgovernmental Networking, Pallavi Gulati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The practice of non-proliferation has evolved significantly since its origins during the Cold War. The most recent and notable contribution to the non-proliferation regime has come in the form of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a loose consortium of 102 nation-states through which countries can coordinate, share intelligence, and build capacity to interdict weapons of mass destruction (WMD) related transfers. My objective in this paper is to move beyond the “activity not an organisation” rhetoric espoused by proponents of the PSI and to ask a set of deeper and broader questions regarding why transgovernmental networks (TGNs) like the PSI arise …

¿Del Mar Quién Es Dueño? Artisanal Fisheries, Tourism Development, And The Struggles Over Access To Marine Resources In Playa Gigante, Nicaragua, Nikolai Alexander Alvarado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In post-revolutionary Nicaragua tourism development has been embraced as a way to inject foreign exchange into an ailing economy. Despite rapid growth of the sector, particularly along Nicaragua's southwestern Pacific coast, little attention has been given to the impacts of this development on local producers. This research focuses on the tourism development taking place in the fishing community of Playa Gigante and its impacts on artisanal fisheries. Additionally, I focus on the struggles over access to marine resources, especially with creation of La Anciana Marine Protected Area (MPA), a marine conservation corridor being pushed forth by the largest resort development …

Design And Development Of An Integrated Mobile Robot System For Use In Simple Formations, Christopher D. Brune

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, formation control of autonomous unmanned vehicles has become an active area of research with its many broad applications in areas such as transportation and surveillance. The work presented in this thesis involves the design and implementation of small unmanned ground vehicles to be used in leader-follower formations. This mechatronics project involves breadth in areas of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering design. A vehicle with a unicycle-type drive mechanism is designed in 3D CAD software and manufactured using 3D printing capabilities. The vehicle is then modeled using the unicycle kinematic equations of motion and simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. Simple …

"As Our Elders Taught Us To Speak It": Chinuk Wawa And The Process Of Creating Authenticity, Kylie N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chinuk Wawa (also called Chinook Jargon) began as a trading language of the Pacific Northwest in the late eighteenth century. As it developed, it became the major heritage language of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, an intertribal nation located in Oregon. Now, as older speakers of the language pass on, there is an effort by the Grand Ronde to revitalize this language not only on the Grand Ronde Reservation, but also in nearby Portland, Oregon. However, revitalization can be a complicated process, as tribal leaders attempt to define Chinuk to maintain its traditions while adapting its vocabulary for …

Host Use And Geographic Variation In Fall Webworms (Hyphantria Cunea), Katrina J. Loewy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Host use in herbivores is determined by a variety of ecological drivers, including bottom-up and top-down selective pressures such as host abundance, host plant quality, and parasitism pressure. If the relative importance and strength of interactions among these selective conditions change over an herbivore’s geographic range, local patterns of host use should change in response, evident in differing diet breadths. The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a widespread, polyphagous moth with two color morphs, red and black-headed. In the eastern United States, fall webworms feed on dozens of plant species and previous research demonstrated that host plant abundance …

News Media Framing Of Gay Teen Suicide And Bullying, Averie Alese Greene

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined patterns of framing in newspaper articles that mention gay teen suicide, gay bullying, and the "It Gets Better" campaign. A content analysis of randomly selected newspaper articles from 2009-2011 was performed. After presenting the frequency of content themes, emergent patterns are discussed. The most consistent theme--an evasive frame-- occurred with regard to homophobia, heterosexism, and meaningful solutions to anti-gay bullying. The day-to-day discrimination that LGBTQ people face was rarely addressed; instead, hot-button political topics such as same-sex marriage and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" were presented as signs of social progress. This research shows the importance of media …

Pioneers, Proclamations, And Patents : A Narrative Of The Conquest, Division, Settlement, And Transformation Of Kentucky., Brandon Michael Robison 1986-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a narrative of Revolutionary Kentucky, focused on three key areas. First, it traces the struggle Native Americans, white settlers and speculators, and the various colonial, state, imperial, and national governments that claimed the territory for control and possession of Kentucky’s lands in the late eighteenth century. Second, this study focuses on the long-term effects of the struggle over Kentucky’s lands, paying particular attention to Virginia’s land laws of 1778-79, which created the framework by which the state distributed Kentucky’s land, and based on poor implementation of Jeffersonian notions of republicanism and allodial land ownership. Third, this study …

Sex Differences In Violent School Victimization : Using Self-Control To Understand Variation In Victimization., Anthony Smith 1989-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Violent victimization of students within the school environment has become a major issue to our school systems, administrators, teachers, and students. Despite this high rate of violent victimization, little is known about the individual predictors and whether they operate similarly for males and females. The present study utilizes an 8th grade student sample to determine the predictive ability of self-control, deviant peer associations, age, sex, and race on violent school victimization. In addition, each of these items will have their predictive ability tested on males and females separately to examine whether the items are equally effective across biological sex. Findings …

The Relationship Between Early Attachment And Adolescent Risky Behaviors With Changes In Loneliness In A Mediating Role., Sze Sze Tong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The premise that attachment in the early stages of development is influential on future development has been extensively researched. Though research denotes that attachment in early development does influence behavioral outcomes in later stages of development, the path of influence is an indirect one, often involving more temporally proximal mediating variables (i.e. mediating variables that occur in the time between the assessment of attachment in the early stages and the measurement of behavioral outcome variables in the later stages of development). Previous research in this area has identified various mediating variables: relationship variables, individual child characteristics, environmental variables, and behavioral …

The Role Of A7 Nicotine Acetylcholine Receptors In Lung Injury And Repair., Glenn Vicary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco-related chronic lung diseases are characterized by alterations in lung architecture, leading to decreased lung function and airflow limitation. Knowledge of the exact mechanisms involved in tobacco-induced tissue remodeling and inflammation remains incomplete. We hypothesized that nicotine, a component of tobacco, stimulates the expression of extracellular matrices leading to relative changes in lung matrix composition, which may affect immune cells entering the lung during inflammation. We found that nicotine stimulated collagen type I mRNA and protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in primary lung fibroblasts. The stimulatory effect of nicotine was inhibited in lung fibroblasts harvested from mice …

How Care Demands, Caregiving Appraisal And Coping Affect Self-Care Management Of Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia., Xiaorong Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) is very stressful. Chronic stress which increases the risk for the development of disease and chronic illness is prevalent in caregivers of persons with ADRD. However, how caregiving affects self-care management of caregivers of persons with ADRD has not been well defined. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine relationships among care demands, caregiving appraisal, coping and caregiver self-care management and to investigate whether care demands, caregiving appraisal and coping are predictors of caregiver self-care management. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 45 primary …

Generalized Estimating Equation Based Zero-Inflated Models With Application To Examining The Relationship Between Dental Caries And Fluoride Exposures., Sheng Xu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the study of dental caries, the number of caries is frequently characterized by over-dispersion and excessive zeros. In addition, the numbers of caries from the same subject are correlated. Zero-Inflated (ZI) regression models, such as ZI-Poisson (ZIP), ZI-Negative Binomial (ZINB), have been developed to account for the excessive zeros in count data. However, the existing zero-inflated models assume that the counts are uncorrelated. On the other hand, Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) have been developed in the literature to estimate the parameters while accounting for the correlations of observations from the same subject. However, the GEE models incorporating excessive zero …

Pacap : A Novel Neuropeptide For Pituitary Gonadotroph Maturation, Function And Regulation., Rongqiang Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a 38-amino acid C-terminally a-amidated peptide that was first isolated from ovine hypothalamic extracts on the basis of its ability to stimulate cAMP production in anterior pituitary cells. As a member of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)/secretin/growth hormone-releasing hormone/glucagon superfamily, PACAP has been well conserved during evolution from sea squirt to humans, which suggests important biological functions. Two types of PACAP receptors have been characterized. PAC1-R is the only one PACAP-specific receptor with high affinity. Although PACAP was first found in hypothalamus, it is also expressed in the pituitary. In the research to be …

Coup-Tfii And Its Interacting Proteins In Breast Cancer And Endocrine Resistance., Lacey Morgan Litchfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor II (COUP-TFII) is an orphan nuclear receptor that functions as either a transcriptional activator or repressor. COUP-TFII expression is reduced in endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells and overexpression of COUP-TFII restores the ability of antiestrogens to inhibit cell proliferation. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that the activity of COUP-TFII in maintenance of endocrine sensitivity and cell differentiation is dependent on its interacting proteins. A direct interaction was identified between COUP-TFII and the phosphoprotein nucleolin, which was found to function as a coregulator for COUP-TFIImediated transcription. COUP-TFII increased the expression of the tumor suppressor …

Nanocarbon/Elastomer Composites : Characterization And Applications In Photo-Mechanical Actuation., Robert James Loomis 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Materials that change shape or dimensions in response to external stimuli are widely used in actuation devices. While plenty of systems respond to heat, light, electricity, and magnetism, there is an emerging class of light-driven actuators based on carbon nanostructure/elastomer composites. The addition of nanomaterials to elastomeric polymers results not only in significant material property improvements such as mechanical strength, but also assists in creating entirely new composite functionalities as with photo-mechanical actuation. Efficient photon absorption by nanocarbons and subsequent energy transduction to the polymeric chains can be used to controllably produce significant amounts of pre-strain dependent motion. Photo-mechanical actuation …

Adherence To The American College Of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines For Pharmacotherapy In New York Heart Association Class Ii-Iv Heart Failure Patients And Associated Re-Hospitalization Rates., Matthew T. Mefford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will assess differences in the rates of re-hospitalization among New York Heart Association class II, III, and IV heart failure patients, focusing on levels of adherence to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for heart failure patient pharmacotherapy. Hospitalization data on 128 HF patients will be analyzed looking at 14 day, 30 day, and 6 month time points, assessing key aspects of treatment and patient characteristics as potential risk factors in predicting re-hospitalization trends. Effectiveness of ACC/AHA adherence to pharmacotherapy upon primary hospital discharge will be itemized in an intention to treat analysis, with guidelines determined …

Spectral Investigation Of The Conformation Of Primary And Secondary Micelles Of Sodium Cholate And The Impact Of Ph And Salt Concentration., Sarah Elizabeth Milliner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bile salts are biosurfactants that aid in the digestion and absorption of lipids. Unlike most classical surfactants, they are facial amphiphiles with a rigid steroid backbone whose hydrophobic and hydrophilic faces are on opposite sides. As the concentration of bile salts increases, primary micelles are formed. Despite decades of studies of the molecular organization of these micelles, there is no agreement on their arrangement. To bridge this gap, one- and two-dimensional NMR studies of sodium cholate (NaCho) monomers and primary micelles were carried out. The experimental changes in chemical shift were interpreted with the aid of theoretical predictions. The observed …

Cardiovascular Disease Among Diabetic Women With Bilateral Oophorectomy., Duke Appiah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women and the risk is increased threefold in diabetics. In postmenopausal diabetics, the ovary responds to hyperinsulinemia by increasing secretion of testosterone precursors which increases the risk of CVD. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-2010) and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures were used to test the hypothesis that a history of bilateral oophorectomy -surgical removal of both ovaries-would decrease the risk of CVD among postmenopausal diabetic women due to reduced androgen levels. Logistic regression, discrete time logit model, B-Spline regression and Cox proportional hazards models were …

In-Situ Monitoring Of Transport Properties Of Graphene During Plasma Functionalization And It's Applications In Energy Storage., Ruwantha Jayasingha Atapattu Mudiyaneselage 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monolayer Graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition was subjected to controlled and sequential hydrogenation using RF plasma while monitoring its electrical properties in-situ. Low temperature transport properties were measured for each sample and correlated with ex-situ Raman scattering and X-ray photoemission characteristics. The dominant transport mechanism for weak hydrogenation was found to be electron diffusion and low temperature transport for strong hydrogenation is governed by variable range hopping. This investigation of transport properties of hydrogenated graphene supports to develop the universal scaling functions for metallic and insulating graphene by identifying the critical hydrogen concentration. A clear transition from Weak to …

Predictors Of Social Vulnerability : A Multilevel Analysis., Regardt J. Ferreira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past three decades there has been a rapid increase in the number of disasters occurring worldwide that affect communities, households and individuals. The increase in disasters and the associated impacts are evident in our society. The impact of disasters can have more chronic impacts generating social and economic hardship, loss of employment, dissolution of personal relationships, and the long-term decline of physical and mental health. A study was undertaken to develop an understanding of the predictors of individual social vulnerability on individuals nested within communities. The Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System and 14 other community level data sources …

Cigarette Smoke Promotes Genomic Evolution In The Periodontal Pathogen Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Josh George

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

P. gingivalis is an opportunistic, anaerobic, Gram-negative oral pathogen strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases. Clinical isolates of P. gingivalis exhibit great genetic diversity. Tobacco smoking greatly increases the risk of P. gingivalis infection. Furthermore, cigarette smoke extract (CSE) is an environmental stressor for P. gingivalis, differentially regulating multiple genes including ones that encode proteins involved in DNA translocation, replication and repair. Therefore, we hypothesized that CSE exposure would promote genomic instability in this important periodontal and systemic pathogen, which may contribute to increased virulence. P. gingivalis W83 was passaged 50 times in CSE-conditioned medium after which, genomic …

Sexual Dimorphism In Periodontitis In A Mouse Model., Robert C. Gleason 1988-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Periodontal disease is an infection-driven chronic inflammatory disease. It occurs primarily from excessive inflammatory reactions that arise from complex exchanges between the host immune system and the tooth associated oral bacteria. It is the number one cause of tooth loss among adults. However, many factors confound results between males and females as to which sex is more susceptible to periodontal disease. Identifying the sex more prone to disease is integral in developing models of risk assessment and looking into the pathogenesis. Objective: To examine in vivo and in vitro the differences between male and female mice challenged with Porphyromonas …

Tgf-B Signaling Pathway, Er-A And The Heterogeneity Of Breast Cancer Risk Among Hispanic And Non-Hispanic White Women., Stephanie Denkhoff Boone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many risk factors for breast cancer differ between race/ethnic groups. Few studies have included Hispanic women: a genetically admixed population that differs from other ethnic groups for breast cancer incidence, survival, and tumor phenotype. The objective of this study was to determine if genetic variation in ERa and TGF-ß signaling genes (TGF-ß1, TGF-ßR1, RUNX1, RUNX2, RUNX3) is associated with breast cancer risk, and if these associations differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women (NHW). Data from The Breast Cancer Health Disparities (BCHD) study were used. BCHD is a multi-site consortium including two case-control studies within the U.S. and one in …