Digital Commons Network^™

Investigations Of Molecular Complexes For Catalytic Water Oxidation And Carbon Dioxide Reduction, Sha Tamanna Sahil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern society and technological advancements rely on a reliable and continuous supply of energy. The sun has always been the ultimate source of energy and mediated by mother nature; however, the continued reliance and use of fossil fuel resources (i.e. coal, oil, and natural gas) is causing increasingly negative environmental effects. For instance, the emission of tons of greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion is a leading cause of global warming, rising sea levels, and human health issues. Indeed, the concentration of CO2, a product of combustion, recently exceeded 415 ppm, rising from a pre-industrial level of less than 300 …

Emotional Carry-Over In Ethical Decision Making: The Impact Of Self-Control And Moral Potentcy, Franklin Faison Tillman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent theories have posited that emotions play a central role in ethical decision making. However, most research has focused on and suggested that consumers follow cognitive, rational processes in decision making. While this is a well-established approach, research regarding the role of emotions in ethical decision making has gained considerable theoretical attention in recent years. Although various factors have been investigated for the influence on ethical judgments, the role of task related, and incidental emotions have received less attention. Theoretical models that examine ethical decision-making conflict at times and are historically divided into either a rational-based approach or a non-rationalist-based …

Essays On Migration, Andreas Benjamin Vortisch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation covers two evaluations on migration policies and their impact on distinct groups of immigrants.

The first chapter deals with a recent policy in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, which started to charge tuition fees from international students in 2017. Tertiary education remains free of charge in all other 15 states, which warrants a difference indifferences approach. My analysis with publicly available data focuses on enrollment rates and provides additional insights into the geographical distribution of changes in enrollment behavior. I find that the international enrollment share decreased by about 2 percentage points at treated institutions, largely thanks to …

Exploring The Standard Model And Beyond Using B And D Meson Decays, John Waite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this research, I have tested the standard model(SM) and various new physics (NP) models using B and D meson decays. In D meson decays, the SU(3) flavor symmetry of the SM for Cabibbo favored decays is tested against experimental measurements. The SU(3) analysis with η and η′ are considered in a general and consistent way for the first time. In B decays, a fit to the data for four B → πK decays is performed, within the SM and with NP. The fit confirms that the SM gives a poor fit to the B → πK data which is …

Electrochemistry, Spectroscopy, And Mass Transport Of Lanthanide Solutes In Bis(Trifluoromethylsulfonyl)Amide-Based Ionic Liquids, Heather Danielle Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, the characterization of lanthanide elements (Dy, Er, Gd, Ho, Tb, Tm, Yb) in various RTIL solvents based on the ubiquitous bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide anion (Tf2N-) was investigated. The effect of cation structure on the mass transport and electron transfer properties of Yb3+ in [X]-Tf2N RTILs is considered, where [X] is one of six quaternary ammonium cations with varying structure and chemical properties. Cyclic staircase voltammetry (CSV), rotating disk electrode voltammetry (RDEV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments are used for this purpose. For each RTIL, the dependence of the redox reaction is examined at each of the working electrodes: …

Opioid Tapering And Mental Health Crisis In Older Adults, Shishir Maharjan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Opioid tapering and discontinuation have been increasing in recent years with the implementation of national prescribing guidelines. The study aimed to examine the relationship between opioid tapering and mental health crisis events in older Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted using the 2012-2018 5% national Medicare claims data. Older adults with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) who were receiving long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) were included in the study Cases were defined as individuals experiencing mental health crisis events; controls were identified using incidence density sampling. The opioid tapering velocity was measured in the 120-day hazard period that …

Immune-Related Adverse Events Of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Incidence, Risk Factors, Clinical Outcomes, And Economic Burden In Older Adults With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Yiran Rong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To fill the gap in existing literature related to immune-related adverse events (irAEs) induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), this dissertation focused on: 1) assessing the incidence, spectrum and risk factors for the development of irAEs; 2) assessing the clinical impact of irAE occurrence on survival and treatment discontinuation; 3) analyzing and estimating the incremental economic burden of irAEs among an older population in the United States (US). A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the SEER-Medicare 2020 linkage database in order to evaluate the three study objectives. The dissertation included 8,175 patients diagnosed …

Preparation, Characterization And In-Vitro Release Studies Of Icg-Encapsulated Liposomes, Prateek Uttreja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to create Indocyanine Green (ICG) loaded liposomal formulations that were efficient and had controlled drug release. During the Second World War, the photographic dye indocyanine green (ICG) was created. ICG was developed as a medical diagnostic tool for cardiac output tests and for monitoring liver function after receiving FDA approval. The preparation of ICG-encapsulated conventional and PEGylated liposomes containing different types of phosphatidylcholine (PC) such as HSPC, DSPC, DPPC and cholesterol (CH) in the molar ratios of 55:45 and PC:CH: DSPE-PEG2K (polyethylene glycol) in the molar ratio of 55:40:5 respectively was done using …

Chemical Imaging Of Latent Fingerprints Using Ftir Microspectroscopy, Reba E.A. Chamblee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of latent fingerprints, the pattern left behind on surfaces from the friction ridges of a human finger, has been a lead investigative tool in identifying suspects for over a century. Pores from the skin ridges produce natural secretions containing various endogenous compounds that can be transferred onto surfaces that the finger touches. The chemical composition of fingerprint residues can thus contain both natural secretions as well as environmental contaminants collected from surfaces or materials the person has touched. With this, incriminating evidence such as traces of explosives or illicit drugs can be characterized from latent fingerprints, giving strong evidence …

Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional agricultural practices can have unintended consequences on the environment and wildlife. Insects and birds are declining at rapid rates around the world, and the current conventional agricultural paradigm is a major driver through habitat loss and the intensification of production. Invertebrates in agroecosystems provide services to both farmers and the rest of society. Regenerative systems may promote the functioning of an agroecosystem by influencing invertebrate abundance, diversity, and ecosystem services and mitigate bird and insect declines through conservation practices that increase soil health, reduce disturbances, and increase biological diversity. Here I address knowledge gaps of the effects of regenerative …

Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complexity and redundancy in the network topology of the cell hinder our understanding of the natural system, making it challenging to engineer living organisms with the desired functionality. The long-term goal of synthetic biology and bioengineering is to engineer cells to perform specific functions with increased robustness. The robust engineered systems can be easily applied to different species with the same outcome. An effective approach is a bottom-up approach where we tease apart the biological pathways and study them independently. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of biological pathways can be further applied to construct complex biological circuits that function similarly …

Learning By Doing: Student Group Fitness Instructors Gain Leadership, Communication, And Relationship Building Skills In Campus Recreation, Morgyn Felty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student employee positions in campus recreation allow students to gain transferrable skills. Previous studies show that students employed in specialized program areas have different experiences that are beneficial for their development. Addressing the gap in research, the purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between leadership, communication, and relationship building skills among student group fitness instructors. Additionally, to investigate if transferrable skill development varies based on an instructor’s work experience and demographics. A total of 112 student group fitness instructors from 17 different NIRSA institutions completed an electronic questionnaire in the fall of 2021. Recreation directors were invited …

Response Of Soil Biochemical And Physical Properties To Long Term Prairie Cordgrass And Kura Clover Intercropping System, Vaishnavi Varikuti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) (PCG) is a warm-season perennial grass that can be used as a biofuel feedstock and can be grown on marginal lands. Previous studies on intercropping of a perennial legume i.e., kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum) (KC) with PCG can improve soil biochemical properties, increase biomass production, mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while reducing the chemical fertilizer requirement. However, there is a lack of evidence about the effects of PCG production on soil biochemical and physical properties during the cropping season and at deeper soil depths in reference to support plant growth, environmental implications and enhance the soil …

Characterization Of Shear Strength And Cracking Resistance Of A Chemically Stabilized Clayey Soil, Abdulaziz Alhawiti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving the engineering properties of the subgrade soil by means of chemical stabilization is known to enhance the construction conditions in plastic soils and result in a reduction in design thickness requirements of the base, subbase, and wearing course in a layered pavement structure. This can also potentially lead to an increase in pavement life. This study was undertaken to study the effect of hydrated lime and Portland cement used as a stabilizing agents on the strength properties and the cracking resistance of a clayey soil collected from South Dakota. Hydrated lime was mixed with the collected soil by 2%, …

Nanomechanical Characterization And Comparison Of Additively Manufactured Grcop-42 Alloy, Trupti Suresh Mali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an aggressive thermomechanical environment, the superior mechanical as well as thermal properties of materials play an essential role. GRCop which is a copper-based alloy developed by NASA has the potential to fulfill the requirements necessary for hightemperature applications such as the combustion chamber of liquid rocket engines. The first alloy of this family, GRCop-84 (Cu-8 wt.% Cr-4 wt.% Nb) was discovered followed with the development of GRCop-42 (Cu-4 wt.% Cr, 2 wt.% Nb). The reduction in alloying element percentage enhanced thermal conductivity with less built time while maintaining the strength of the material. The conventional fabrication is replaced with …

Using Structure Location Data To Map The Wildland-Urban Interface In Montana, Usa, Alexander R. Ketchpaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increasing wildfire activity and rapid population growth in the wildfire-urban interface (WUI) make more Americans exposed to wildfire risk. WUI mapping plays a significant role in wildfire management. This study used the Microsoft building footprint (MBF) and the Montana address/structure framework datasets to map the WUI in Montana. A systematic comparison of the following three types of WUI was performed: the WUI maps derived from the Montana address/structure framework dataset (WUI-P), the WUI maps derived from derived from the MBF dataset (WUI-S), and the Radeloff WUI map derived from census data (WUI-Z). The results show that WUI-S and WUI-P …

The Terrors Of Everyday Life: The Gothic Novel As A Woman's Conduct Guide To Survival, 1791-1817, Jessica Berg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gothic is often associated with the fantastical, with people and events that only take place within our darkest nightmares. In my thesis, I explore how, in the hands of Ann Radcliffe and Jane Austen, the Gothic exposes the hidden dangers of reality perpetuated by conduct literature. Within conduct manuals, thousands of regulations direct women’s behaviors and identify the perfect woman as one who exists passively within the safety of the domestic sphere. Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest (1791) and Austen’s Northanger Abbey (1817) engage in subterfuge against eighteenth-century conduct literature and expose the realities of the domestic sphere: …

Using Deep Neural Networks To Analyze Precision Agriculture Data, Stephanie Liebl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the population of the Earth increases, there is a growing need for food to feed the inhabitants. Precision agriculture offers techniques and tools that can be used to help accommodate the growing population. One specific precision agriculture tool is remote sensing data, which can be used to image fields as an effort to better predict or understand the crops. In this thesis, deep neural networks are used to evaluate various spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions of three different satellite images to determine which best predicts corn yield. The main metrics we used to evaluate the models were R-squared (R2), …

The Significance Of A New 11,000-Year Volcanic Record From The South Pole And Inferences From Comparisons With Other Volcanic Records, Derek Lee Brandis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snow accumulation at the polar regions of the planet preserves chemical substances from the atmosphere creating natural archives. Records of the atmospheric environment including atmospheric chemical composition and the climate can be reconstructed from ice cores from the polar ice sheets. Sulfur emitted by explosive volcanic eruptions is preserved as sulfate in polar snow and can be used to reconstruct the record of volcanic eruptions. Since large volcanic eruptions impact the environment and climate, records of volcanic eruptions from ice cores can help us to study and understand climate change and model the future climate environment. A 1750-m ice core …

Superhalogen-Based Li-Rich Anti-Perovskite Superionic Conductors, Md Mominul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solid-state batteries are being widely explored to meet next-generation energy storage demand with a great potentiality of achieving high energy and power densities at All-solidstate Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In recent years, electronically inverted lithium-rich antiperovskite (LiRAP) solid electrolytes with the formula Li3OX, where X is a halogen or mixture of halogens have appeared as a prospective alternative of the commercially available flammable and corrosive organic liquid electrolytes because of their high ionic conductivity, structural variety, and wide electrochemical window. Here, For the first time, we have successfully formulated and synthesized a completely new class of super halogen based double anti-perovskite …

Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus Virginiana L.) Encroachment On South-Central South Dakota Rangelands: Impact On Plant Communities, Austin K. Domeier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grasslands historically covered 46 million km2 of Earth’s surface representing nearly 42% of the living vegetation. Encroachment of woody species onto grasslands and savannas is a widely researched global phenomenon, with eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) trees being the most prominent woody encroacher in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) due to the lack of prescribed fire and planted ERC escaping from shelterbelts. This encroachment poses a threat to native plant communities in terms of their reproduction, regeneration, and diversity. ERC are fierce competitors and can establish in most soil types, are drought tolerant, and prolific seed reproducers. These qualities …

Design, Development, And Testing Of Near-Optimal Satellite Attitude Control Strategies, Giovanni Lavezzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in space technology and interest toward remote sensing mission have grown in the recent years, requiring the attitude control subsystems of observation satellites to increase their performances in terms of pointing accuracy and on-board implementability. Moreover, an increased interest in small satellite missions and the recent technological developments related to the CubeSats standard have drastically reduced the cost of producing and flying a satellite mission. In this context, the proposed research aims to improve the state of the art for satellite attitude control methodologies by proposing a near-optimal attitude control strategy, simulated in a high-fidelity environment. Two strategies are …

Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A20 Inhibitor of NF-κB (ABIN1/TNIP1) is a known regulator of TNFα signaling induced cell death and inflammation. The regulatory activity has been attributed to ABIN1’s recruitment of the ubiquitin editing enzyme TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3/A20) to Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1). The regulation of RIPK1 by ABIN1 and A20 relies on a third player, linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), which is involved in the recruitment of ABIN1 to RIPK1. Loss of LUBAC or ABIN1 is embryonic lethal, but loss of A20 is not embryonic lethal. The embryonic lethality due to loss of ABIN1, paired with the lack of lethality …

Effect Of Finishing System And Animal Age On Carcass Traits And Nutritional Profile Of Bison Bulls, Clay Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this thesis project were to 1) evaluate the influence of grain- and grass-finishing systems on carcass characteristics, proximate composition, nutritional profile, and fatty acid composition of bison bull meat, and 2) evaluate the influence of animal age on carcass characteristics of bison bulls. For objective 1, bison bulls were allowed to graze native range in north-central Nebraska until approximately 26 mo of age, when they were randomly assigned to either grain-finishing (n = 98; in an open lot with ad libitum access to prairie hay, alfalfa hay and corn for 95 d prior to slaughter) or grass-finishing …

Living In A Gradient: The Influence Of Water Temperature Variation On Development, Settling Time And Survival Of Pallid Sturgeon Larvae In The Missouri River, Maria Elizabeth Erceg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) are a federally endangered species experiencing widespread reproduction and recruitment failures. Recruitment failure is hypothesized to be caused by habitat modifications made to the Missouri River that disrupt connectivity and alter temperature profiles downstream of constructed dams. Hypolimnetic releases from Missouri River dams affect the temperature downstream, creating colder conditions during the downstream drifting phase for dispersing larvae. Understanding the influence of water temperature changes on larval development is crucial for recovery efforts. In this study, we evaluated the effects of water temperature daily heating rate on energy use, settling behavior, and growth rate of endogenously …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of The Temperature And Impurity Profiles In The Protodune-Sp Neutrino Detector, Jenna Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the ProtoDUNE single-phase detector were developed, refined, and analyzed. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is a prototype detector that is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international research collaboration aimed at better understanding neutrinos and the role they play in our universe. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is used to gather data and inform design changes for the full-sized far detector prior to its construction. The effects of certain geometric features and heat sources on the thermal profiles within the liquid region of the detector were investigated in a set of parametric studies. The …

Exploring Nursing Faculty Emotional Exhaustion And Its Relationship To Student Incivility, Shantelle Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if nursing faculty experience emotional exhaustion (EE). Further, this study aimed to explore the relationship between nursing student incivility and faculty EE and to determine if there were differences in levels of faculty EE based on educational level, academic rank, and years of teaching experience. Background: Nursing education is stressful for both students and faculty. When faced with stress and demands, students can become uncivil. This student incivility can add additional strain to faculty’s already strenuous work and personal lives and can contribute to them becoming emotionally exhausted. Due to EE, …

Machine-Learning And Meta-Analysis Techniques To Quantify And Predict Soil Organic Carbon, N2O-N And Co2-C Emissions In Cover Crop Systems, Deepak Raj Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People worldwide are challenged by multiple threats including climate change, growing populations, and soil degradation. Addressing these challenges requires understanding of the local environment, farming systems and modern technologies. These technologies include new ways to process information that include artificial intelligence, machine learning and meta-analysis. Models produced using these technologies may be useful for predicting the consequences of implementing conservation practices that reduce GHG emissions as well as for determining the carbon footprint of cropping systems that include environmentally friendly conservation technologies such as growing cover crop. Therefore, our objectives of this study were to: 1) provide an overview of …

Understanding The Impact Of Human Germline Single-Nucleotide Variants, Samuel Adjei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

All genetic variations in the human genome are due to mutations, and therefore determining the impact of the different categories of mutations, particularly nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (SNVs) which are the most abundant in the population is essential for understanding the genetics of human diseases. Generations of mutation studies have focused on a relatively small number, partly due to technological limitations. However, advances in next-generation sequencing have allowed for empirical assessments of genome-wide mutations. genome sequence of any individual contains extensive protein-altering genetic variation (missense mutations) and of which only a few are unambiguously deleterious. Characterizing the phenotypes of these …

Fire Emissions In The Tropical Indonesia: Improved Estimation And Driving Forces Investigation, Xiaoman Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indonesia has experienced frequent fires since the 1970s due to large-scale peatland conversion and extensive drainage for agricultural development. Fire emissions released from these fires have led to Indonesia being the world’s 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases in certain years. Given that fire emissions severely affect climate, weather, and the human environment, numerous approaches have been developed to estimate fire emissions. However, existing emission estimates differ largely by a factor of four in this tropical country because of frequent cloud interferences and low-temperature smoldering fires. Therefore, this dissertation aims to improve the quantification of Indonesian fire emissions through enhanced …