Digital Commons Network^™

Spherical Self-Assembly Of Rous Sarcoma Virus Ca, Probed By Ssnmr And The Structure Of Pap And Reflectin Protein, Xin Qiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we investigate the morphology of three different protein assemblies, which are formed by prostate acidic phosphatase, residues 248-286 (PAP39), reflectin and rous sarcoma virus capsid (RSV CA). First of all, the main aim of this research is to study the structure of PAP39 which is derived from protease cleavage of Prostate Acidic Phosphatase. The PAP39 can form fibrils of different morphologies in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and NaBiCarb (25 mM sodium bicarbonate and 40 mM sodium phosphate, pH=8.83) buffer conditions, each exhibiting different potentials to enhance the infection of HIV in vitro due to different assemble pathways. In …

Mechanochemical Synthesis Of Fuels From Sustainable Sources Utilizing Solid Catalysts, Jacob Todd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mechanochemistry requires less solvents which results in less waste generation. The question becomes can we apply mechanochemistry to current chemical reactions and reduce the generation of waste. This process can be simple or can be very extensive resulting in the generation of large amounts of waste and very little product. A significant advantage of mechanochemistry is the reduced need for solvents that would be common place for reactions. Mechanochemistry transfers energy to reagents via impacts from milling media. Energy can be transferred to the reagents no matter their state-of-matter. Much of the current studies in mechanochemistry today are done using …

Life After The Boat: Understanding The Needs Of Refugees Living In Second Reception Centers In Sicily, Russell Manzano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migration to Italy has drastically increased, with thousands of refugees traveling by sea to Sicily every month. International refugee policy is largely managed through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and although it attempts to regulate refugee assistance, immigration policy within the European Union is complex and continuously fluctuating. Upon arrival in Sicily, authorities send refugees to first reception centers, and then transfer them to second reception centers operated by local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The implementation of Italian immigration policy varies among regions; resettlement agencies often transfer refugees among centers where they receive different economic assistance, thus creating further …

Computational Study Of The Effect Of Interparticle Contact In Conductive Properties Of Random Particulate Systems, Dongfang Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effective conductivity of random particulate material system is computationally investigated using the Monte Carlo scheme and finite element method. A cubic system consisting of randomly-dispersed, equal-sized, deformable ellipsoids are modeled in this study. The steady-state conduction analysis along with a finite element analysis are performed to evaluate the electrical or thermal conductivity for the mechanical contact system. To represent more realistic material system, interfacial friction and gap conductance (or contact resistance) are included among the contacting particles. The Monte Carlo simulations are implemented to give a quantitative relationship between the effective conductivity and the inclusion volume fraction. Several parametric …

Women's Hit Cheating Songs: Country Music And Feminist Change In American Society, 1962-2015, Madeline Rachel Morrow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines songs about cheating performed by women in country music that appeared on year-end country songs charts in Billboard magazine from 1962 through 2015. The study of a total of fifty qualifying songs included a focus on their lyrical and musical content, the performers' personae and careers, and the way the particular outside factors of feminism and changing gender relations in American society may have influenced them. These songs do not show a purely linear progression of or emphasis on social change, in spite of country music's pride in conveying the truth about the lives of its songwriters, …

Z2-Orbifolds Of Affine Vertex Algebras And W-Algebras, Masoumah Abdullah Al-Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vertex algebras arose in conformal field theory and were first defined axiomatically by Borcherds in his famous proof of the Moonshine Conjecture in 1986. The orbifold construction is a standard way to construct new vertex algebras from old ones. Starting with a vertex algebra V and a group G of automorphisms, one considers the invariant subalgebra V^G (called G-orbifold of V), and its extensions. For example, the Moonshine vertex algebra arises as an extension of the Z₂-orbifold of the lattice vertex algebra associated to the Leech lattice.

In this thesis we consider two problems. First, …

The Roles Of Perceived Stress, Coping Styles, And Perceived Social Support On The Alcohol Consumption Among American College Students, Jesse Wynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intention of this study was to better understand how certain aspects in a college student's life (i.e., perceived stress, styles of coping, and social support) or how combinations of these variables may contribute to higher levels of alcohol consumption. The present study examined the relationship between perceived stress, functional coping strategies, dysfunctional coping strategies, and perceived social support using Lazarus and Folkman's model of stress, appraisal, and coping. A sample of (N = 201) University of Denver undergraduate students between the ages of 18-25 complete measures of perceived stress, coping strategies, perceived social support, and alcohol use. Results …

The Negotiation Of Racial, Ethnic, And Religious Identification In American Heathenry, Thad Nathan Horrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation of religious, ethnic, and racial identification in the social "field" of Heathenry. Heathenry is a reconstructionist religious movement attempting to reconnect with or revive the pre-Christian traditions of the Germanic tribes of northern Europe. Often articulated as an "ethnic religion," Heathenry has also been frequently tied to white supremacist violence and hate crimes. Applying Anthony Wallace's model of revitalization movements, I attempt to make sense of what it is contemporary Heathens are trying to accomplish in today's society: What is it Heathens are trying to revitalize?

As a field of contestation over common-sense meanings …

It Is Expensive To Be Poor: Equity In Financing Education In Turkey (2004–2012), Elene Murvanidze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Turkish government, under the rule of Justice and Development Party (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), (2002-2017) has conducted many educational reforms. Different researchers have evaluated effectiveness of those policies differently. Some claim that policies result in a more inclusive and diverse educational system, others argue that the reforms would rekindle child labor, increase child brides and condemn girls to illiteracy. In our research we measure the effects of educational reforms on equity in financing education (i.e., out-of-pocket expenditures).

After estimating Gini, Concentration and Kakwani indices, and graphing Lorenz and Concentration curves, we find out that education financing in …

A Phenomenological Exploration Of How Campus Environments Shape The Success Of Racially Minoritized Faculty At Predominantly White Institutions, Raquel Wright-Mair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite existing and emerging research on the experiences of racially minoritized faculty members in the academy, little scholarship addresses how Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) cultivate campus environments that support the success of racially minoritized faculty members. Utilizing the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model as the theoretical framework to inform the design and implementation of this inquiry, this qualitative study provided an in depth understanding about what aspects of campus environments contributed to racially minoritized faculty succeeding in the academy. Specifically, a phenomenological approach allowed participants to share their everyday lived experiences through one-on-one interviews. A total of twelve racially …

Ancestral Queerness: Normativity And Deviance In The Abraham And Sarah Narratives, Gil Rosenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interpreters of the Abraham and Sarah narratives in Gen 11-21 often focus on the importance of the line of inheritance, through a particular biological child. While they also note the many irregularities in Abraham and Sarah's familial relationships and activities, there has been no sustained attention to the combination of deviance and normativity that characterizes these narratives. I argue that, due to their particular combinations of normativity and deviance, Abraham and Sarah are Queer, where Queer is a general, cross-cultural category which includes but is not limited to contemporary forms of queerness (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, etc.).

Using …

Shhhuicide Stories: A Crip Critical Analysis Of Attempt Survivors' Narrations Of Suicidality, Emily Krebs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estimations suggest that one person in the United States tries to take their own life every 38 seconds (Yeager & Roberts, 2015, p. 38), making suicide the 10th leading cause of death in the nation (AFSP, 2016). Despite the prevalence of this issue, communication surrounding suicidality remains scarce - as do concrete understandings of what causes the desire to die in the first place. Dominant understandings link suicidality to chemical/neurobiological issues in the brain (mental illnesses), but these claims have not yet been scientifically proven (Hjelmeland, Dieserud, Dyregrov, Knizek, & Leenaars, 2012) and, as this study suggests, biomedical aspects of …

Tears Of A Clown: Reexamination Of Disabled Narrators In William Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury And As I Lay Dying, Alexandra Rose Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that Darl Bundren of Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, and Benjy Compson of The Sound and the Fury exhibit certain similarities, suggesting that, in relation to Donald M. Kartiganer's model from the introduction of The Fragile Thread: The Meaning of Form in Faulkner's Novels, they would be paired together better than his initial couplings. This argument proposes to discuss why Darl Bundren is the reincarnated version of Benjy Compson in terms of their internal discourses, narratorial skills, and disability within each novel. As both characters could easily be labeled "disabled," this endeavor will also speculate …

Dense Core Vesicle Heterogeneity In Anterior Pituitary Cells, Kelly Sinak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Peptides, which are packaged in dense core vesicles, are an integral part of the function of the endocrine and neurological systems. The dense core vesicles function as an efficient form of peptide storage prior to regulated exocytosis. Two different dense core specific transmembrane proteins traffic different when comparted to retained prolactin cores, offering evidence of heterogeneity of vesicles within a single cell. By comparing synaptotagmin 1 and 7 distribution in male rat and lactating female lactotrophs, a distinct pattern emerges. Cells that retain prolactin cores after exocytosis correspond with those that contain synaptotagmin 1. This finding is a reversal for …

Governmentality/Animacy/Mythology: A Biopolitical And Rhetorical Mosaic Of Hiv Stigma In A Time Of Prep-Aration, Brendan Geoffrey Aaron Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 1981, roughly 35 million people have died from the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the end stages of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and an estimated 39 million are living with HIV today. While various factors such as poverty, lack of education, and poor access to treatment and healthcare compound the epidemic across the world, the endemic in the industrialized west faces specific communication-based challenges to slowing the spread of HIV. Now classified as a "chronic manageable condition", an HIV diagnosis is no longer the death sentence of the early outbreak in the 1980's. A major factor in the …

Preclinical Assessment Of Immunocal® As A Preventative Treatment For Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi) In A Mouse Model Of Closed Head Injury, Elizabeth Eugenia Ignowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past three decades, traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been considered a "silent epidemic" and recognized as an emergent public health problem by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). TBI is defined as a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Due to the debilitating effects and prevalence of TBI, novel preventative treatment regimens are highly desirable in at risk populations. According to the CDC groups disproportionately affected by TBI include athletes, people aged 75+, and service men and women, among others. Here, we investigated a unique whey protein …

Parallel, Cross-Platform Unit Testing For Real-Time Embedded Systems, Tosapon Pankumhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Embedded systems are used in a wide variety of applications (e.g., automotive, agricultural, home security, industrial, medical, military, and aerospace) due to their small size, low-energy consumption, and the ability to control real-time peripheral devices precisely. These systems, however, are different from each other in many aspects: processors, memory size, develop applications/OS, hardware interfaces, and software loading methods. Unit testing is a fundamental part of software development and the lowest level of software testing, as it tests individual or groups of functions, methods, and classes, to increase confidence that the developed software satisfies both software specifications and user requirements. Although …

The Effect Of Parental Population Density On Offspring Immune Function, Dana Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that an individual's environment, genetic code, and gene by environment interactions have an effect on its overall phenotype. However, there is a growing body of work that shows that parents can have an effect on their offspring's phenotype beyond the inherited genetic code. Studies have shown that parents may affect their offspring through physiological mechanisms such as egg provisioning and epigenetic effects and through behavioral mechanisms such as maternal care. In many of these cases, the parental effect is triggered by an environmental cue. Previous work has shown that density can impact immune function and cuticle …

Amoral Antagonists: Interrogating The Myth Of The West In Cormac Mccarthy's Fiction, John Thomas Arthur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of the American West, of conquering the frontier, forms the very backbone of national identity in the United States. Cormac McCarthy's southwestern works probe the Western mythic: Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, and his screenplay The Counselor offer an alternative to the romantic, antiseptic Western American tradition, exposing the necessary complexity of a realm that cannot be encapsulated in the binary dualism that has so long defined it.

The amoral nature of Cormac McCarthy's antagonists demonstrates that the story of expansion is more complex than is/has been typically understood, both by scholars and the …

Selfhood, Historical Consciousness, And The State In International Relations Theory, Edinson Oquendo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work seeks to examine the role of the state in international relations. While international relations treat states as institutions endowed with agency, they lack any means of explaining how the state can gain agency, autonomy, and rationality.

My dissertation seeks to reorient the theoretical assumptions of international relations in two ways. I develop a theory of the of the state that seeks to explain the mechanisms by which individuals are able to form collective social institutions and to endow them with authority and agency. I examine the relationship of the individuals to collective bodies such as states that can …

A Comparative Study Of Culture And Cultural Heritage In Humanitarian Aid Efforts: Post-Earthquake Haiti And Post-Tsunami Aceh, Natalie K. Ruhe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices affected the humanitarian aid response to disasters in Haiti and Aceh Province, Indonesia. It examines the importance of local knowledge in post-disaster response situations and how aid workers' "expertise" interplays with local knowledge, decision-making structures, and leadership. I questioned how knowledge of cultural practices could contribute to a more effective humanitarian aid approach and identified housing, social institutions and local leadership, economic systems, religious belief and practice as primary focuses. Examples detail how cultural beliefs and practices - as well as cultural heritage - may be vehicles for social stability and …

The Dynamics Of Community Museums And Their Communities: Museo De Las Americas' Spanish Happy Hour Fostering Social Inclusion For The Latino And Denver Metro Area Communities, Maritza Hernandez-Bravo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many museums are now aspiring to collaborate and engage with Latino communities and the community as a whole. Due to Museo de las Americas status as a community museum, I predicted that I would find a collaborative effort already occurring between the institution and their community, which can aid in creating a sense of social inclusion by being committed to including diverse voices by having clarity of purpose that makes sense both within the context of the community and the institution itself. I used staff, volunteer and visitor interviews and observations of the program to evaluate the degree of collaboration …

Central Sacrifice And The Sacrificial Other: A Thematic Comparison Of Anti-Judaic And Anti-Semitic Artwork Emerging In Germany, Madison Elizabeth Tarleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study finds solace in image(s) more so than in written text(s) and the religious understanding of anti-Judaic and anti-Semitic distinction, rather than a historian's perspective. By utilizing both a religious and artistic lens, the images become the text from which the scholar(s) will study. Focusing exclusively on German image(s) and artwork, this study will span up to eight centuries, twelfth to nineteenth. A contemporary look at Medieval and later images will not explain the thoughts of those who originally saw them, but the images will raise their own set of emotions, understanding, and historical lineage, giving credence and validity …

The Viability Of Profit-Loss Sharing Models To Finance Small And Medium Enterprises: The Case Of Saudi Arabia, Alhanoof Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore the role of profit-loss sharing (PLS) models to alleviate access to finance for small and medium enterprises in Saudi Arabia, in the light of the stringent requirements of traditional financial institutions, to ensure the growth and development of the SME sector. A central question of this study is the extent to which Islamic banks can adopt profit-loss sharing modes to finance SMEs. The main results present the barriers preventing Islamic banks from the application of profit-loss sharing that increase incidence of agency problems for such institutions. High asymmetry of information and the nature of Islamic …

Why Does The Caged Bird Sing? A Phenomenological Analysis Of The African American Clergywoman And Her Plight In Black Churches: An Ethical Dilemma, Andriette Dionne Jordan-Fields

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative analysis with a phenomenological approach seeks to address the fact that the Black Churches fail many of its members, specifically the female segment, which encompasses at least eighty-five to ninety percent of the churches population. Despite the historical evidence of how the Black Church championed causes/issues of discrimination, while being considered the bastion of liberation, African American females historically have been disregarded, disrespected and denied leadership opportunities, by the patriarchal leadership. This deleterious, ecclesial episteme (the churches system of understanding) and the ideology of African American male clergy, toward clergywomen, have developed strategies of containment, designed consciously and …

Variable Oxidation & Defects In Ti-6al-4v Material In Electron Beam Melting Additive Manufacturing, Edward Patton Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Powder-based metal in additive manufacturing (AM) is advantageous for rapid prototyping of parts and components, with the benefit of reusing powder to reduce production costs. A common driver in the aerospace industry is free-form complex geometries which can be created using CAD software to optimize specifications with strength-to-weight ratios in components. Weight optimization of aircraft components using additive manufacturing reduces material, which significantly reduces production cost in comparison to cast and wrought metallic products. Large biomedical and aerospace industries heavily invest in feedstock metal powders that have low density under structural stresses and high temperatures, resulting in superior resistance to …

Urban Children's Experience Of A Natural Place Outside Of Denver, Corey J. Martz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, a common and ingrained perception is that humans are separate from nature. Over the last several decades, urbanization, the increasing presence of technology, and progressively busier schedules contribute to a growing concern over a disconnect between children and nature. In light of this potential disconnect, I explored how urban children experience a natural place outside of the city. In this study, I investigated the "sense of place" of 27 children living in Denver, Colorado; sixteen of these children had experienced a natural place at a summer camp outside of the city. The children created photo-story maps …

Simulation Of Sic Mosfet Power Converters, Mustafa Nameer Albadri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the use of wide bandgap devices (SiC-MOSFET) in the design and implementation of various power converters (Push-pull inverter, Buck converter). Different parameters and scenarios were discussed and implemented for both silicon and silicon carbide MOSFET cases. A comparison between same circuits is done using silicon in the first case and silicon carbide MOSFET was implemented under the same conditions and parameters to investigate the silicon carbide MOSFET enhancement to the circuit. The modeling for silicon and silicon carbide MOSFET was created using the spice model provided from leading electronics companies as ROHM, CREE and INFINION. This spice …

Aztec Human Sacrifice As Entertainment? The Physio-Psycho-Social Rewards Of Aztec Sacrificial Celebrations, Linda Jane Hansen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human sacrifice in the sixteenth-century Aztec Empire, as recorded by Spanish chroniclers, was conducted on a large scale and was usually the climactic ritual act culminating elaborate multi-day festivals. Scholars have advanced a wide range of theories explaining the underlying motivations and purposes of these abundant and regulated ritual massacres. Recent scholarship on human sacrifice in ancient Mexico has observed far more complexity, nuance, and fluidity in the nature of these rituals than earlier mono-causal explanations. Several recent examinations have concentrated their analysis on the use of sacred space, architecture, movement, and embodiment in these festivals. As an extension of …

Sequential Growth Of Molecular Complexity Via Alternating Ground State And Photochemical Reactions, Haibo Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new strategy of increasing molecular complexity by post photochemical oxidation followed by secondary intramolecular photochemical reaction is developed. It is based on the mild oxidation of photochemical generated alcohol by primary intramolecular cycloaddition of aromatic o-aminoaldehydes and a secondary intramolecular cycloaddition of aromatic o-aminoketone. Both cycloadditions are triggered via excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Additionally, an efficient continuous reaction of photocatalyzed 2-nitrobenzyl alcohol intramolecular reduction and aryl nitroso Diels-Alder (NDA) reaction was discovered.