Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological, Evolutionary, And Molecular Mechanisms Driving Pyocin Diversity In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa., Aubrey A. Mojesky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteriocins are narrow-spectrum antibiotics produced in nearly all lineages of bacteria, meaning that these antimicrobials target closely related individuals. The bacteriocins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, called pyocins, are highly prevalent and diverse in populations of this species. Laboratory studies have shown that pyocins can function to mediate the outcome of interactions, often allowing for the coexistence of multiple strains, as no one pyocin genotype is competitively superior. Although this has been demonstrated under laboratory conditions, the function of pyocins in natural settings and the ecological, evolutionary, and genetic mechanisms underlying pyocin diversity remains unclear. As such, for my dissertation, I …

Identifying The Cardiovascular Effects Of Multiple Pollutants., Katlyn Elizabeth Mcgraw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death from environmental exposures. Although exposure to PM_2.5 is an established risk factor for CVD, the contribution of other hazardous pollutant exposure to CVD is less clear. Overall, this work aimed to examine the effect of pollutants with lesser documented effects on cardiovascular disease using a multi-pronged approach to exposure assessment. The three aims were to examine the relationship between county-level toxic chemical releases and CVD mortality in the contiguous United States between 2002 and 2012, to assess the relationship between individual-level VOC metabolites and vascular function, and to build multipollutant …

A Home For Friendless Women With Critical Essay "But What Was She Wearing?", Kelly E. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a historical novel accompanied by a critical lyric essay. Through a combination of scholarly research and creative activity, the novel reimagines the lives of the women who lived as inmates and administrators in the Home for Friendless Women, a charity home that operated in Louisville in the late nineteenth century. The critical essay draws from my interdisciplinary background to combine personal experiences, archival and scholarly research, and literary analysis to connect the U.S. dress reform movement in the 1850s, and its failure to change public perception about what was acceptable attire for middle and upper class women, …

Computational Frameworks For Microrna Functional Analysis Of Inter-Kingdom And Indirect Targeting., Mohammed Sayed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Genes are DNA sequences that encode the information needed to synthesize molecules necessary for the function of the cell. Some genes are called protein-coding genes because they have the code required to manufacture proteins. The expression of a certain gene means its product (protein) is produced. Although some genes are not protein-coding, they regulate the gene expression of other protein-coding genes. Of these, microRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that inhibit the expression of other genes by binding to their mRNA transcripts. miRNAs have been shown to be linked to several biological processes like development and diseases like cancer. Recently, …

A Translingual Approach To The Theory And Practice Of Basic Writing., Rachel Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Linguistic justice and the treatment of language difference are of great concern to the discipline of rhetoric and composition. Yet, basic writing, arguably the field’s richest source of language variation, has not received the full benefit of what has been termed the “translingual turn” (Alvarez; Corcoran; Hall; Jackson; Kubota). This dissertation explores the role of language ideologies in the theory and practice of basic writing, culminating in a review and critique of current uptakes of translingualism in basic writing scholarship. Overall, I find that greater attention needs to be paid to the translingual potential of seemingly conventional language as well …

Correctional Officers' Response To Stress: An Exploration Of The Associations Between Violence And Trauma Exposure, Coping Mechanisms, And Ptsd., Katie Lorraine Hughes-Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines correctional officer coping mechanisms and whether they impact the likelihood of an officer developing PTSD symptoms. Additionally, research questions focus on whether problem-focused or emotion-focused coping mechanisms moderate the relationship between exposure to trauma and PTSD symptoms. The data for the current dissertation comes from a larger National Institute of Justice grant determined to examine mindfulness as an intervention for correctional officer PTSD within Kentucky Department of Corrections. Approximately 245 officers from seven adult institutions participated in the study and completed a lengthy survey. Main variables for the current analysis include two dependent variables, both of …

Re-Visiting The Flutie Effect: An Exploration Of Athletic Success' Impact On Student Enrollment Decisions., Addison Pond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With each passing year, FBS collegiate athletic departments are faced with increased expenditures (Huml et al., 2019). Subsequently, institutional funding has become an increasingly common and controversial method of athletic department funding (Jewell, 2020). These spending and subsidization patterns are commonly met with controversy, causing the need to further unpack the benefits that schools receive from these behaviors. One anticipated benefit of athletic success is increased numbers of student applications. While the impact of football and basketball success on student interest (the “Flutie Effect) has been a popular topic in sport management literature, there is a lack of primary data …

Love Labor: Literal Symbols And True Abstractions., Karen Weeks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

If the home can be a metaphor for our own interiors, then the things that collect there can be similarly thought of, performing as punctuated moments within that interior, giving it shape, creating contours. Within the domestic setting, macro social forces such as global capitalism as well as the more immediate experience of meeting our children’s demands can push and pull us, equally informing the experience of being in the home. Love Labor: Literal Symbols and True Abstractions is comprised of images sourced from common ephemera of the home meant to represent the everyday: notes, discarded letters, open envelopes, unfinished …

Major League Baseball Fans’ Climate Change Attitudes And Willingness To Adapt: Climate Vulnerability Vs. America’S Pastime., Jessica R. Murfree

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change threatens the ability to enjoy sport around the world, including in the United States. While the scientific community reached consensus regarding the presence and severity of climate change near the turn of the twenty-first century, that same agreement has not been met across the American general public. Major League Baseball (MLB) is particularly vulnerable to climate change in the U.S. due to its season duration, geographic footprint, and largely outdoor nature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between U.S.-based MLB fans’ sport identification and their climate change attitudes, perceptions of climate change risk, and …

Urban Arterial Lane Flow Distribution: A Before And After Traffic Microsimulation Analysis On The Effect Of Implementing New Route Markings And Signage., Larry Michael Summers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban arterials may not effectively utilize available lanes to move vehicles efficiently as drivers try to establish position along the corridor. This study evaluates lane flow distribution before and after implementing new route markings and overhead signs to utilize existing lanes better. A cellphone-based traffic data service called StreetLight gathered the traffic data used to establish the VISSIM model parameters for simulating current and projected conditions. This study shows that the lane assignment signage and route markers affected the lane flow distribution in the simulation. The simulation indicated the existing condition had average queue lengths of 320.6 meters, average travel …

Formula, Moment, And Ips In Stockhausen's Evas Erstgeburt., Jonathon Pan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This analysis covers the form in Stockhausen’s Evas Erstgeburt, the first act from his Monday opera, Montag aus Licht. It discusses the presence of Stockhausen’s musical formula within this act and observes that his formula is integrated at several structural levels. This formula is a passage of music that determines the pitches, rhythms, and structure of all the music of Stockhausen’s Licht cycle. This formula is a three-voice schema, and these three voices are named Michael, Eve, and Lucifer. While the formula creates landmarks in the music, which indicate towards form, a formula analysis is limited in describing the direction …

“So, How Real Can I Get?": Opportunities And Obstacles For Teacher Learners Enacting Culturally Responsive Pedagogy., Jonathan P Baize

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the experiences of three alternative certification teachers (teachers who begin teaching as they worked to complete teacher education courses for initial certification) whom I call “teacher learners” (Jacobs & Low, 2017) as they try to enact culturally responsive practices while navigating their first-year of teaching. The teacher learners worked to develop their understanding and capacities to enact a culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) even as they were faced with the obstacles inherent to shifting teaching practices in K-12 schools. Through these challenges, they still furthered their conceptualization of CRP, as evidenced by, and in some ways guided …

Machine Learning Approaches For Lung Cancer Diagnosis., Ahmed Mahmoud Ahmed Shaffie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The enormity of changes and development in the field of medical imaging technology is hard to fathom, as it does not just represent the technique and process of constructing visual representations of the body from inside for medical analysis and to reveal the internal structure of different organs under the skin, but also it provides a noninvasive way for diagnosis of various disease and suggest an efficient ways to treat them. While data surrounding all of our lives are stored and collected to be ready for analysis by data scientists, medical images are considered a rich source that could provide …

Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Characterization Of Ottawa Sand And Kaolin Clay Through Experimental Models., Mohammad Joshaghani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in energy geotechnics and increased utilization of ground source heat pump systems (e.g., geothermal boreholes and energy y piles) and energy geo-structures require improving the understanding of the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of soil. Energy geo-structures consist of above-ground facilities, buried structures, and the soil surrounding the buried structure. A buried structure transfers the energy between the ground and above-ground facilities. Energy transfer between above-ground facilities and the soil will cause temperature changes in soil and this will affect soil hydro-mechanical properties. The changes in soil temperature can also significantly alter the soil-structure interaction and its mechanical strength. Soil temperature …

Restaurant Style Prediction Using Word2vec And Support Vector Machine., Saleh Abdullah Almohaimeed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural Language Processing represents a quantum leap for governance and industries. It enables them to have an insight into hidden patterns and information within their data. In this thesis, we have worked on an important field in Natural Language Processing, which is Text Classification. Our goal is to help restaurant owners to find which dishes customers like more. To do that we have used a dataset from Yelp.com that has 150,000 restaurant reviews, then count the most frequent dishes mentioned. However, this way is not effective except if these reviews are categorized into different restaurants-styles. For this reason, we have …

Retaining First-Generation And Pell-Eligible Students With A Near-Peer Coaching Intervention, Kacie Hutson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retention has been a focus of universities and policy makers for decades. However, there is a gap in research of Pell-eligible and first-generation student retention and completion. Researchers have indicated that peers can influence retention of other students. Using the theories of Astin (1993) and Tinto (1993) as the framework, this study explored near-peer coaching effects on retention of Pell-eligible and first-generation students. The study focused on the College Possible Catalyze program which trains near-peer coaches for partnering institutions. near-peer coaches were assigned 120 first-time full-time Pell-eligible or first-generation students at two partnering institutions. The study compared the retention of …

From Byronic To Gothic Blood Sucker: Subversion Toward A Non-Gendered Identity, Hannah Hoover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and linking trends of the Byronic hero that have merged into a variety of genres reveal that the hero is a mode of subversive gender expression, which has evolved within the Gothic through feminine desire. Delving into Bram Stoker’s Dracula will provide unique insight into the audience’s desires/expressions of gender. Finding the transition point from the monster vampire of Dracula to Stephanie Meyer’s desirous, sparkling boy-next-door in Twilight will track the trajectory of gender and sexual norms through time. From the foundational adaptation of the Byronic hero in Wuthering Heights to the repressed vampiric desire …

Electrodeposition Of Hydrogen Molybdenum Tungsten Bronze Films And Electrochemical Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide., Mohammad Bajunaid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The foremost aim for performing this study was to focus on the electrodeposition of mixed hydrogen molybdenum tungsten bronze films, which have the potential for e^– transfer interactions carrying out the reduction of carbon dioxide. A yellow peroxymolybdic tungstate solution was prepared and used for the electrodeposition of hydrogen molybdenum tungsten bronze films on conductive carbon paper. Electrodeposition was carried out at -2.0 V from 20 - 120 minutes to determine the effect of deposition time on film thickness and CO₂ reduction. These films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The deposited films served as a working electrode …

Perceptions Of Teachers Of Color In Independent Schools: Factors Associated With Teacher Retention, Mary Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of faculty of color in K-12 independent schools in the United States with particular attention to either supportive or non-supportive factors in their work. This study was designed to explore strategies for school leaders to retain faculty of color. This study was composed of the interviews of 12 faculty of color working at independent schools. Although there has recently been more attention given to the need to diversify the student body in independent schools, these schools still face challenges in diversifying the faculty population.

The findings indicate …

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Does Not Stimulate Amyloid-Beta Toxicity In A Ceanorhabditis Elegans Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Opeyemi F. Showemimo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is symptomized by amyloid-beta plaques in the brain and accounts for more than 65 percent of dementia cases. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency can result in similar cognitive impairment and roughly 15% of the elderly are vitamin B12 deficient. Vitamin B12 deficiency results in the accumulation of toxic methylmalonic acid and homocysteine. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a strong risk factor for AD. To test if vitamin B12 deficiency stimulates amyloid-beta toxicity, Caenorhabditis elegans expressing amyloid-beta in muscle were fed either vitamin B12-deficient OP50-1 or vitamin B12-rich HT115(DE3) E. coli bacteria. Increased amyloid-beta toxicity was found in worms fed the …

Improving Student Success And Engagement In Virtual And Hybrid Classrooms., Sydney Fogo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis examines virtual classes from the University of Louisville in the Fall 2020 semester to discover points of weakness relative to keeping students engaged in online courses. Three surveys were taken by a select group of participants over the course of the fall semester in order to collect student opinion on specific classes. Interviews were held with a subset of students from the group of participants and also with professors who taught the study’s participants in the fall of 2020. Their responses and conversations were used to determine possible areas of improvement for virtual classes. This information was …

Predicting Henry's Law Constants Of Volatile Organic Compounds Present In Bourbon Using Molecular Simulations., Christopher A Abney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Henry’s Law describes the partitioning of molecules into liquid and gas phases at low concentrations. Henry’s Law, which is based upon a species-dependent constant and the gas phase partial pressure, is useful for predicting phase behavior of dilute solutes. However, Henry’s Law constants are difficult to measure experimentally or to predict using structure-property or thermodynamic models. Herein, molecular simulations were used to calculate Henry’s Law constants for 18 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in bourbon. The novel simulations analyzed solvation thermodynamics of small organic molecules in 120 proof ethanol. A fast-growth non-equilibrium free energy method was used in which the …

An Investigation Of Barriers And Facilitators To Living Kidney Donation, Rachel E. Crenshaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is strong interest in increasing living kidney donation, as the need for kidney transplants is quite high. Although previous studies outline some barriers and facilitators associated with donating, living kidney donation comprises only a small percentage of overall kidney transplants and thus further research on factors influencing the decision to donate is needed to find ways to increase the donor pool. Ten semi-structured interviews of living kidney donors were completed and analyzed for common themes that either support the current literature or surface additional barriers and facilitators. In addition, a systematic review and analysis of social medial support groups …

Covid-19 Serological Diagnostic Development Using A Sars-Cov-2 Rbd Foldon Fusion, Joey Emery Breckenridge Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Serological tests are conducted to assess humoral response against viral protein antigens, to assess viral exposure and protection from pathogens. The rapid development and modularity of serological assays have proven critical to managing the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 is within the trimeric Spike protein and serves as a highly immunogenic target for potentially neutralizing antibodies. Current receptor binding domain serological assays use recombinant monomers or dimers of the receptor binding domain. The receptor binding domain is presented to the immune system natively in the context of the Spike protein trimer. Therefore, a recombinant trimeric receptor …

Cfd Analysis Of Acoustofluidic Channels And The Effects On Biologic Delivery., Zachary T. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

T-cell transformation is an ever-expanding treatment for several types of cancer, with a potential to be adapted to other disorders in which the immune system plays a key role in the pathophysiology. Currently, all FDA approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell cancer therapies rely on transformation via viral transduction. However, viral transduction is plagued by poor consistency and the potential to create adverse immune reactions when T-cells are reintroduced into a patient. Other transformation methods are being explored, with an alternative called acoustofluidic sonoporation showing promise. In these procedures, cells are passed through a channel, of the millimeter scale, while …

Automated Conversion Of Multicellds Digital Cell Lines And Isa-Tab Filesets., Connor Joseph Burns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biological simulation tools are a valuable asset to bridge the gap between biological experimentation and biological theory. As systems thinking has become more regularly applied to biological materials and processes, these materials and processes have been characterized in multi-disciplinary, computational manners. This characterization has yielded an ability to create more realistic simulation tools that can provide in silico experiments for a wider range of scenarios. One prominent simulation tool is PhysiCell, an open-source physics-based multicellular simulation program which utilizes input Digital Cell Lines or Digital Snapshots from the MultiCellular Data Standard (MCDS) project.

This project aims to allow data exchange …

Biomechanical Characterization Of Video-Recorded Short-Distance Falls Involving Children Equipped With A Biometric Device In A Childcare Setting: A Pilot Study., Danielle K. Cory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: A fall is the most common falsely reported injury scenario when a young child presents for medical care and the caregiver is concealing abuse. There is a lack of reliably witnessed falls with known outcomes to aid in the distinction between accidental and abusive injuries.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to characterize video-recorded short distance falls involving young children in a childcare setting, to identify body regions most commonly impacted in these short distance falls, to characterize the head biomechanics of these falls, and describe fall characteristics. Additionally, physics-based models were used to predict fall biomechanics in …

Annealing Of Encapsulated Heavy Metals From Brine Water Utilizing Microwave Enabled Sol-Gel Process, Adam Michael Flynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various waste encapsulation strategies have been investigated to solidify and stabilize heavy metal wastewater for proper long-term storage. This work aims to enhance a method of novel sol-gel encapsulation of heavy metals from mock brine waters using tetramethyl orthosilicate with the addition of an annealing step at various temperatures in order to reduce leaching of metals from the silica monoliths when exposed to water. The metals tested for encapsulation and leaching were mercury (II) chloride, potassium dichromate, sodium selenite, boric acid, cadmium chloride, and copper (II) acetate. The annealing of the silica monoliths led to an increased degree of for …

Image Analysis Of Charged Bimodal Colloidal Systems In Microgravity., Adam J. Cecil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colloids are suspensions of two or more phases and have been topics of research for advanced, tunable materials for decades. Stabilization of colloids is typically attributed to thermodynamic mechanisms; however, recent studies have identified transport or entropic mechanisms that can potentially stabilize a thermodynamically unstable colloidal system. In this study, suspensions of silsesquioxane microparticles and zirconia nanoparticles were dispersed in a nitric acid solution and allowed to aggregate for 8-12 days in microgravity aboard the International Space Station. The suspensions were subsequently imaged periodically at 2.5x magnification. Due to the inadequacy of existing image analysis programs, the python package “Colloidspy” …

From Deficit To Strength: The Educational Influence Of Single Black Mothers On Their Sons’ Academic Achievement, Tyre’ D’Vallion Jenkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of single Black mothers’ in supporting their sons’ academic achievement and to better understand their overall success. Historically, research that has been conducted on single Black mothers is viewed from a deficit lens (Copeland, 1977; Grier & Cobbs, 1968; Karon, 1958; Moynihan, 1965; Pettigrew, 1964). The role of single Black mothers has been grossly misunderstood, insinuating that they would be economically poor, uneducated, and lacked effective parenting skills. This study incorporated phenomenological and narrative methodologies, such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observational field notes to capture the participants’ …