Digital Commons Network^™

From Surface To Subtext: Portrayals Of Success In Superfund Remediation., Haley Metcalf-Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Superfund sites represent some of the most contaminated and environmentally sensitive areas in the United States. How these sites are portrayed can significantly influence public perception of environmental risks, the effectiveness of remediation efforts, and the overall state of environmental health. Regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are entrusted with safeguarding public health and the environment. How they communicate about their actions, successes, and challenges directly impacts public trust and perceptions of their accountability. This dissertation examines the manifest and latent metrics used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine success in Superfund remediation by focusing on …

The Role Of Forest Disturbance And Habitat Characteristics In Shaping Arthropod Ecology., Kane Alec Lawhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances in forests often generate dead wood, which is an important resource for a variety of arthropods. In tropical wet forests where fire is rare, lightning and branchfalls are common disturbances that create canopy gaps with associated large amounts of localized dead wood. By contrast, prescribed fire is a common disturbance in temperate forest that creates habitat heterogeneity and widely dispersed dead wood resources. The ecological effects of these disturbances on arthropod communities are largely unknown. This dissertation investigates how disturbance and habitat associations in both tropical and temperate forest shape arthropod ecology. Throughout, I primarily focus on beetles, ants, …

Relation Between The Negative Cognitive Triad, Perceived Everyday Discrimination, Depressive Symptoms, And Tnf-A In Adolescents., Ashley Ann Marshall Dondanville

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is based on Beck's cognitive stress-vulnerability model of depression and previous research on (a) the increased risk for severe illnesses associated with TNF-⍺ (i.e., an inflammatory cytokine), (b) the effect of perceived everyday discrimination (PED) on depressive symptoms and TNF-⍺, (c) the association between depressive symptoms and TNF-⍺, (d) and findings that the negative cognitive triad (i.e., negative views of the self, world, and future) serves as a partial mediator between PED and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this study is to integrate Beck’s model and these different research lines by inspecting the associations between the stressor PED …

Bayesian Approaches In Multi-State Markov Models And High Dimensional Time-To-Event Data., Yuchen Han

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two projects. The first one involves nonparametric methods on Continuous Time Markov Chains (CTMCs). The second one is centered around Bayesian shrinkage models for detecting prognostic and predictive biomarkers in high-dimensional clinical data. Both these projects build on methods from across the frequentist and Bayesian paradigm to offer novel solutions. In the first project, we aim to model the nonlinear effects of continuous variables within multistate framework in a non-parametrically by appealing to the rich mathematical framework of Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces (RKHS). Then we adapted the classical Representer Theorem to penalized (squared norm) log-likelihood which …

Exploring Chronic Stress, Avoidance Coping, And Diurnal Cortisol In Head And Neck Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study Of Best Practices In Diurnal Cortisol Sampling., Brooks R. Harbison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer patients are vulnerable to the deleterious effects of chronic stress, especially those prone to avoidance coping. Research in the general population has linked these effects to aberrant diurnal cortisol. However, the current literature on cancer patients has shown inconsistent results in associations between chronic stress, avoidance coping, and diurnal cortisol, possibly due to inconsistent cortisol sampling practices. This pilot study of head and neck cancer patients aimed to address this gap in the literature by implementing best cortisol sampling practices to investigate the links among chronic stress, avoidance coping, and diurnal cortisol slope, average bedtime cortisol, and average wake …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Flow Patterns In The Post-Stenotic Region Of Model Arteries And Stenosis Severity., Michael Laroche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, contour fields of mean age and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) in the post-stenotic region of model arteries were analyzed to explore their correlation with FFR. While both high and low FFR cases exhibited similarities with an inner low-age region and an outer high-age region, low FFR cases displayed asymmetry in their low-age regions due to eccentric stenosis. Moreover, gradients of age across the artery diameter were more pronounced for low FFR cases. Additionally, low FFR cases demonstrated significantly higher TKE in the post-stenotic blood jet stream compared to high FFR cases that are reflected in low-age boundary …

Patterns Of The Use And Perception Of Cannabis Among College Students In Tennessee, Jayla Ruffus-Milner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis has been historically difficult to research due to its federal scheduling. However, as legalization of cannabis medically, recreationally, or both in states across the country has increased, so has the need to address the research gaps that persist. The purpose of this study was to explore the patterns of cannabis use and perceptions of college students in Tennessee, which encompass a demographic of mainly young adults who are typically associated with high usage patterns. The study uses quantitative data collected from an online survey sent to a university in East Tennessee to evaluate associations between students’ age, gender, race/ethnicity, …

Application Of Functionalized Organosilicas In Adsorption Of Nitrates, Stephen Amoako

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the critical environmental issue of elevated nitrate levels in water bodies, primarily due to excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers and improper waste disposal. It focuses on reducing nitrate concentrations in polluted water to permissible levels through the effectiveness of hybrid materials in nitrate adsorption. We synthesized nine amino-functionalized adsorbents using grafting and sol-gel techniques. Batch adsorption tests confirmed the high nitrate adsorption capacities of these adsorbents, with sol-gel materials showing the highest efficiency due to their abundant amino group contents. Among these, the surfactant-free, sol-gel adsorbent was the most effective, combining ease of synthesis with cost-efficiency. Our …

Exploring The Diagnostic Potential Of Radiomics-Based Pet Image Analysis For T-Stage Tumor Diagnosis, Victor Aderanti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally, and early detection is crucial for better

outcomes. This research aims to improve Region Of Interest (ROI) segmentation

and feature extraction in medical image analysis using Radiomics techniques

with 3D Slicer, Pyradiomics, and Python. Dimension reduction methods, including

PCA, K-means, t-SNE, ISOMAP, and Hierarchical Clustering, were applied to highdimensional features to enhance interpretability and efficiency. The study assessed the ability of the reduced feature set to predict T-staging, an essential component of the TNM system for cancer diagnosis. Multinomial logistic regression models were developed and evaluated using MSE, AIC, BIC, and Deviance …

Spectral Sensitivity Of Circadian Entrainment In Araneoid And Non-Araneoid Spiders, Craig Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial lighting at night is a growing worldwide phenomenon that can negatively impact flora and fauna in the surrounding area. With new technology, there is now opportunity for change: newer LEDs can emit specific wavelengths of light that may be less ecologically damaging. In this study, we aim to describe the circadian spectral sensitivity of two phylogenetically distant urban spider species with similar life histories, the Araneoid Parasteatoda tepidariorum and non-Araneoid Pholcus manueli, to determine differences between them. We exposed these spiders to progressively dimmer levels of white, blue, green, or red light. Despite evidence that spiders lack visual …

Electrocatalytic Reduction Of Hydrogen Peroxide At Paraffin-Sealed Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Fiber Ultramicroelectrodes, Yakubu Gausu Mohammed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Compared to unmodified carbons and even some metal materials, nitrogen-doped carbons have been found to exhibit better performance for reducing oxygen-oxygen bonds, a key step in electroreduction of both O₂ (an important reaction in energy applications) and H₂O₂ (an important reaction in sensing and biosensing). Previous studies from our lab revealed that thermal decomposition of urea in the presence of carbon fiber (CF) results in N-doped that exhibited good electrocatalytic properties for H₂O₂ reduction. However, previous methods of sealing ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs) made from N-doped CF using laser heating of borosilicate capillaries and epoxy …

An Application Of An In-Depth Advanced Statistical Analysis In Exploring The Dynamics Of Depression, Sleep Deprivation, And Self-Esteem, Muslihat Gaffari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression, intertwined with sleep deprivation and self-esteem, presents a significant challenge to mental health worldwide. The research shown in this paper employs advanced statistical methodologies to unravel the complex interactions among these factors. Through log-linear homogeneous association, multinomial logistic regression, and generalized linear models, the study scrutinizes large datasets to uncover nuanced patterns and relationships. By elucidating how depression, sleep disturbances, and self-esteem intersect, the research aims to deepen understanding of mental health phenomena. The study clarifies the relationship between these variables and explores reasons for prioritizing depression research. It evaluates how statistical models, such as log-linear, multinomial logistic regression, …

The Functional Role Of The Dynorphin-Kappa Opioid Receptor System In Cocaine-Dependent Male Rats, Jessica Lord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Activation of the dynorphin-kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system produces a negative emotional state during drug withdrawal, thereby motivating continued cocaine-seeking behaviors. However, it is not clear whether dynorphin plays a functional role in the onset of compulsive cocaine-taking. Here, escalation of cocaine self-administration was significantly attenuated by pretreatment of a long-acting KOR antagonist, norbinaltorphimine (NBI), in long access (LgA; 6-hours) male rats, whereas there was no effect of NBI on short access (ShA; 1-hour) rats on a fixed or progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Additionally, optical density of prodynorphin was increased in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core and shell, bed …

The Role Of Cardiac Mitochondria In Arrhythmias And Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy In Models Of Dravet Syndrome, Jessa L. Aldridge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dravet Syndrome (DS) is a pediatric epilepsy disorder. Individuals with DS are at increased risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). One mechanism implicated in the pathology of SUDEP is cardiac arrhythmias. A central element involved in cardiac regulation is mitochondria. In the heart, mitochondria maintain cardiomyocyte energy (ATP) generation and ion homeostasis but also produce harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) byproducts. We hypothesized that deficits in cardiac mitochondria could underlie arrhythmias and SUDEP in two independent mouse models of DS. Mitochondria produce ATP through the mitochondrial respiratory chain, also called electron transport chain, comprised of a series of …

The Effects Of A Period Of Match Congestion On Countermovement Jump Height And Match Performance Variables In Ncaa Division I Female Soccer Players, Fiona Dodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effects of a congested match period on countermovement jump height (CMJ) and match performance variables were examined over the course of a D-I female soccer season. Twenty-one female collegiate soccer players (20.3 ± 1.8 yrs, body mass (kg): 62.3 ± 7.3, height (cm): 168.9 ± 6.1, body fat (%): 23.0 ± 3.7. performed CMJ testing prior to regular season matches. Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to assess physical match performance, while pre- and post-season lab and field-based testing was also performed. Analysis of variance trend analyses (ANOVA) were conducted using a linear mixed-effects model (LMM) to examine trends in …

The Influence Of Teaching Digital Resources Of Myplate On Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practice (Kap) For Healthy Eating Habits Of Children, Afaf Alsofyani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the influence of teaching digital resources of MyPlate on the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to healthy eating habits among first and second-grade students. A pre-and post-assessment of this quasi-experimental research study measured the baseline KAP levels of 45 participants regarding healthy eating habits. Students were divided into three groups: digital MyPlate (n =16), pencil-and-paper (n =15), and control (n =14). Following the pre-assessment, an intervention was conducted involving teaching MyPlate and the five food groups. A post-assessment was then implemented to measure the change in KAP levels resulting from the intervention. …

Pilz Domain-Containing Proteins Regulate Motility In Acinetobacter Baumannii, Gabriel Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Acinetobacter baumannii is an increasingly multidrug-resistant pathogen contributing to hospital-acquired infections, necessitating a greater understanding of how it interacts with its surroundings. Many bacteria utilize different methods of bacterial motility to move about and interact with these surroundings. A bacterial second messenger, cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), can regulate various motility factors that are potentially advantageous for survival in and adaptation to their environment. Concentrations of c-di-GMP are regulated by specific synthesizing and degrading enzymes. Controlled levels of c-di-GMP allow interaction between the c-di-GMP and its binding effectors that induce changes in bacterial phenotypes such as biofilm formation and motility. A …

Relations Between Discrimination, Negative Attribution Style, Cortisol, And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescents., Hannah Widmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of our study was to integrate the chronic stressor of Perceived Everyday Discrimination (PED) into the Hopelessness Theory of Depression with a focus on the comorbidity between physical and mental health by way of depressive symptoms and cortisol in adolescents. Research has shown that cognitive diatheses mediate the relation between stress and depressive symptoms and cortisol predicts depression. We hypothesized that Negative Attribution Style (NAS) and cortisol would mediate the relation between PED and depressive symptoms. Altogether, 99 adolescents (mean age: 14.10 years, 36.4% female; 63.6% male; ethnicity: 2% Latinx; 98.2 % non-Latinx; race: 41.4% Black, 34.8% White, …

Assessing The Impacts Of Soil Arthropods On Geochemical Transformations., Thomas Blake Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains four individual chapters, two of which highlight studies assessing how arthropods contribute and drive geochemical transformations by directly and indirectly manipulating the availability of anoxic conditions. The first chapter serves as an introduction to the literature on the subject to contextualize the work carried out in later chapters. The second chapter is a field study conducted throughout the summer of 2023 in a lowland tropical rainforest in Costa Rica, where I characterized the temporal and environmental variation impacting greenhouse gas emissions from the nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes). From flux measurements taken across 29 …

The Role Of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Gene Ablation In Preserving Ejection Fraction During Chronic Volume Overload-Induced Heart Failure., Oluwaseun Ebenezer Akinterinwa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heart failure is a prevalent cause of hospitalization globally, especially among older adults. The ejection fraction is a critical parameter in assessing and managing heart failure patients. As we age, the cardiovascular system undergoes changes that increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. One of the most significant structural features that occur with age is reduced or impaired contractility of the left ventricular wall of the heart. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a crucial role in tissue remodeling, and their latency is linked with nitric oxide (NO). In the context of heart failure and constant stress, tissue remodeling leads to …

Racial Identity & Psychological Distress: The Mediating Role Of Sense Of Community And Spiritual Struggles Among Black Christians., Adebayo Ajibade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religious practice and church membership have historically been protective and critical in Black communities in the United States and across the African diaspora. Demographic studies have shown a consistent decline in religious adherence and practice across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. However, the decline in religious practice and participation in religious communities has been less pronounced among individuals of African descent. Participation in one’s religious community is often a source of positive social engagement and can foster positive intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., wellbeing). However, religious communities and religious practice can also be the source of conflict and emotional …

Unraveling The Complex Dynamics Of Cardiac Fibrosis: Ccn1 As A Novel Regulator Of Scar Collagen Architecture And Structural Integrity In Myocardial Infarction., Annalara Garland Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expansion of the extracellular matrix (ECM), known as fibrosis, accompanies nearly all forms of cardiac disease; however, its most significant and complex manifestations arise following a myocardial infarction (MI). This process, principally led by fibroblasts, constitutes a necessary and adaptive response acutely to fill the void from cardiomyocyte necrosis following ischemic injury due to the heart’s lack of regenerative capacity. This acute response never fully resolves and contributes to ongoing collagen accumulation in non-infarcted regions, leading to diminished ventricular compliance, ongoing myocyte loss, and attrition in function—culminating in heart failure. Further, recent research demonstrates that concomitant with progressive increases in …

Exosomal Cannabidiol: A Promising Candidate For Targeted Oral Delivery Against Breast Cancer., Disha Nagesh Moholkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer therapies are limited by lack of specificity, selectivity and numerous adverse effects. Repurposing potential anticancer compounds with appropriate drug carriers can help overcome these drawbacks. In our present study, we address the major obstacle for cannabidiol (CBD): its low oral bioavailability, using exosomes. Exosomes (Exo) are promising non-toxic and biocompatible drug delivery vehicles Our project aims are to address the research gap by formulating exosomal cannabidiol (ExoCBD): a tumor-targeted oral delivery system for the treatment of breast cancer. The targeting approach relies on the overexpression of folate receptors at the tumor site by using folic acid functionalized exosomes (FA-Exo). …

Mobilizing Feminist Politics In Yugoslavia: Sanja Iveković And Vlasta Delimar’S Performance Art., Candyce Sturgeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the radical performance works of Yugoslavian artists Sanja Iveković and Vlasta Delimar. Three performances by each artist are analyzed and juxtaposed with one another. These performances include Triangle, 1979, He is Looking at Me all the Time, 1979, and Nessie, 1981 performed by Sanja Iveković along with This was Me in 1980 when Comrade Tito Died, 1980, Visual Orgasm, 1981, and Tied to a Tree, 1985 performed by Vlasta Delimar. Throughout the paper I argue that these performances by Iveković and Delimar, along with their differing stances on feminism, create a multifaceted …

Health Professions Education And Critical Action Engagement: A Mixed Method Analysis., Leonda Richardson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Poorer health outcomes disproportionately impact racial/ethnically minoritized (e.g., Black Indigenous People of Color, or BIPOC) populations in the U.S. One plausible reason for the persistence of poorer health outcomes among this population is the teaching of racialized curricular content within academic health professions programs. This includes the absence of appropriate context through explicit socio-political curricular content (SPC) and critical pedagogy (i.e., social and structural determinants of health, history of racism in health care, social justice concepts; dialogue and reflective writing). Racialized curriculum is thought to initiate and/or exacerbate existing racial biases, cultural incompetence, and perpetuate dominant medical ideologies and myths …

Uncovering The Hidden Diversity Of Antibody Heavy Chains And Their Implications For Autoantibody Mediated Disease., Easton Earl Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the diversity of antibody (IG) molecules at the DNA and RNA level is imperative for understanding immunological processes and disease. Much of the work to uncover IG diversity has been focused on diversity in the variable region of the IG molecule which is crucial for antigen binding. However, the diversity of the constant region responsible for the functions of IG has largely been ignored in the field of immunogenetics. The work presented in this thesis challenges the dogma that the constant region is invariant in terms of genetic diversity. In this thesis we present the development of a long-read …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Exercise-Stimulated Resolution Of Inflammation And Its Dietary Dependence., Ernesto H. Pena Calderin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diet-induced obesity and adipose tissue (AT) inflammation that ensues sets the stage for systemic metabolic inflammation, disrupted insulin signaling, and eventual type 2 diabetes (T2D) development. At the center of this pathology lies a disruption in endogenous inflammation resolution pathways characterized by an imbalance in lipid mediator production (greater abundance of pro-inflammatory to pro-resolving lipids). Additionally, obese states are characterized by adrenergic deficiency, especially in response to physical activity. Inflammatory processes have been experimentally mitigated by either the pharmacological inhibition of pro-inflammatory signals (i.e., Leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) and its receptor BLT1, which establishes a potent chemotactic stimulus …

Social Identity And Personhood At An Early Byzantine Cemetery: Late Antique Child Burials At Syedra, Turkiye., Mekenzie Riley Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bioarchaeological studies of children in the past have proliferated in recent years and illustrate the informational depths accessible through investigations of mortality, age, and health and disease. Alongside analyses of childhood stress and mortality, the mortuary treatment of children provides critical insight into the social structures and identity formation processes that individuals or groups are subject to in life. This thesis will investigate the intersections of childhood, gender and sex, space, and mortuary treatment as seen in a Byzantine cemetery comprised primarily of children at the site of Syedra, Türkiye through bioarchaeological and proteomic analysis. Specifically, it seeks to explore …

Effects Of A Protection Zone In A Reaction-Diffusion Model With Shifting Bounded Habitat And Allee Effect., Davis Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We consider a reaction-diffusion equation that models a population in a shifting bounded habitat with a protection zone and the Allee effect. We assume that the population growth function exhibits the strong Allee effect and has a positive integral within the protection zone (indicating population persistence) and a negative integral in the surrounding patches (indicating population decay). We prove that the existence of steady-state solutions to this system depends on the length of the protection zone. It is demonstrated that there exists some value H* such that, for a protection zone of size H*, there exists a solution and, for …

Examining Associations Between Parental Meta-Emotion, Child Adhd Symptoms, And Socioemotional Impairments., Meaghan Flynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with elevated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are at increased risk for social and emotional problems compared to typically developing peers. Emerging research has suggested targeting parental emotion socialization practices to enhance socioemotional development among this population. Interventions have explored how targeting specific emotion socialization behaviors may promote emotional and social functioning for youth with ADHD; however, little research has evaluated how underlying parental attitudes may influence these behaviors and outcomes. Parental meta-emotion philosophy (PMEP) refers to an organized set of thoughts and beliefs on how parents view the purpose of emotions, expression of emotions, and how these beliefs are …