Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Nonnative Phonotactic Constraints On The Perception Of Nasal-Initial Consonant Clusters, Msafiri Otonya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of non-native phonotactic constraints on the perception of nasal-initial consonant clusters (NICC), specifically whether native English speakers can perceive NICC as accurately as native Swahili speakers. The ABX task was conducted over Zoom to test L1 English speakers (N=12) and L1 Swahili speakers (N=12). Stimuli with four conditions were used: 1) The stimuli had one of the three nasal sounds (/m/, /n/, and /?/) in word-initial consonant clusters; 2) The stimuli had NICC composed of a nasal sound followed by either a voiced or voiceless consonant; 3) The consonant clusters were composed of sounds that …

Equity, Social Justice, And Ethical Responsibility In Higher Education: Voices Of Business Students At A Pervasivley Sectarian University, Van Brooks Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This proposed study explores the perceptions and experiences of business students who attend a pervasively sectarian university in the South (MPSU) regarding their perceptions of equity, social justice, and ethical responsibility through their experiences on campus and in their academic program. This study will discuss socio-political influences at the national, state, and local levels and examine existing university policies and practices to identify recommendations for organizational change using Lewin’s unfreezing model as a theoretical framework.

The Trajectory Of Resilience, Meaning In Life, Social Support, Posttraumatic Growth, And Posttraumatic Stress For Emerging Adult Trauma Survivors, Marcela C. Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: The literature suggests the relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic stress (PTS) is curvilinear, and that type or severity of trauma may affect this relationship. The relationship between depression, anxiety, and PTG is understudied. It is well established that meaning in life predicts PTG, PTS, and resilience, yet most of the research has measured general perceived meaning rather than meaning beyond-the-self, specifically, which was initially theorized by mid-century Humanistic psychologists. Mixed findings about whether searching for meaning is beneficial or harmful suggests potential moderators of search for meaning should be explored. METHOD: Participants (N = 628) were emerging …

The Bake Sale: Fundraising And Social Justice In The 21st Century, Kelly E. Spivey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bake sales have recently come to the forefront of our consciousness as a method of fundraising for social justice but the practice’s history reaches back to the 18th century. A readily available tool for women, baking was put to work to raise money for voting rights in the early 20th century. Less than fifty years later, bake sales appeared as a key fundraising tool for the civil rights movement. The reappearance of bake sales today stems from several factors, including the presidential election of Donald Trump in 2016, the appearance of COVID-19 in the United States in early 2020, and …

Microbial Community Responses To Salinification: Applications In Climate Change And Extreme Environments, Eric Weingarten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment microbial community responses to elevated salinity are important in predicting the effects of sea level rise as well as in understanding those communities that can thrive in extreme environments. In this dissertation, I use natural and field experiments to investigate how salinity influences microbiome structure in coastal wetlands. Through the use of amplicon sequencing, I demonstrate that there are compositional differences between the microbiota of four wetland salinity classes: limnetic, oligohaline, mesohaline, and polyhaline. These results were reciprocated in a microcosm study exposing freshwater sediment to meso- and polyhaline conditions, showing that communities shifted proportionally to the magnitude of …

Ceramic Analysis Of The 2019 Excavations Of Ely (44le12) Mound Site, Lee County, Virginia, Shannon Medah Wooten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippian frontier in southwestern Virginia is a relatively unexplored area. This area was occupied by Mississippian and Radford locals, creating a crossroads between the two groups. The Ely Mound site is a Mississippian frontier site that can help understand the influence of Mississippian and Radford cultures on the development of chiefdoms. This thesis will analyze the ceramics from the mound test unit and shovel test survey of the 2019 excavation at Ely located in Lee County, Virginia. The temper patterns were used to understand the date and use of the site. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze …

Soul Liberation: Black Christian Intellectual Engagement With Black Power, Jemar Tisby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the Civil Rights movement, Black Christians figured prominently as clergy, leaders, and foot soldiers in the struggle. As a result, the presence of Black Christians during this phase of the Black activism is well-documented by historians. During the Black Power era, however, scholars tend to overlook the ongoing presence and significance of Black Christians in the movement. Soul Liberation corrects this omission by studying Black Christian engagement during the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Lining-Out And Performance Practice Of The Dr. Watts Hymn- Lining Tradition In Three Selected African American Missionary Baptist Churches In The Northern Mississippi Delta Region, Kelvin K. Towers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive study is to analyze the performance practice of lined-hymns that are sung in three selected African American Missionary Baptist churches located in the Northern Mississippi Delta region. ‘Dr. Watts’ lined-hymn singing has survived in some African American church denominations for approximately 150 years without the availability of a standardized printed musical notation source. Focus of the investigation is guided by five questions exploring the historical context, liturgical function, musical characteristics, performance practice, and method of learning of this musical tradition. Further examined are the role of the song leader, and cultural beliefs and philosophical differences …

Design And Optimization Of Alkali-Activated Binders For Construction Applications, Rami Khalil Al-Sughayer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research is focused on investigating the potential use of by-product waste and natural materials for improving alternative green cement mixes. The primary objective of this research is to expand the use of sustainable and more environmentally friendly cement alternatives, by enhancing their performance for construction applications. To activate the binding properties of binder under investigation, they have to be mixed with an alkaline solution in specific quantities. To broaden the use of these binders in the construction industry, parameters such as the effect of different chemical activators types and dosages, curing times and temperatures, processing techniques, and the chemical …

Epigenetic Regulation In Brevundimonas Subvibrioides And Comparison With The Caulobacter Crescentus Model, Satish Adhikari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Epigenetics is a form of DNA methylation-based gene regulation. The CcrM methyltransferase and transcriptional regulator GcrA, constitute an epigenetic regulatory system well-conserved throughout the Alphaproteobacteria. The regulatory targets of GcrA and CcrM were identified in the Alphaproteobacterium Brevundimonas subvibrioides, and then compared to those of its close relative Caulobacter crescentus. Both these bacteria belong to the same family and inhabit the same environment. Although the regulators themselves are highly conserved, the genes they regulate are vastly different. GcrA directly regulates 204 genes in C. crescentus, and though B. subvibrioides has orthologs to 147 of those genes, only 48 genes retained …

The Perceptions That Um First-Generation College Students Have Regarding The Impact Of Campus Engagement On Their Success At The Institution, Martin B. Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation students are often underprepared for college and have lower persistence rates (Balemian & Feng, 2013), and they face a unique set of challenges in their transition to college that many of their peers do not (Pelco, Bell, & Lockeman, 2014). Consistent with national statistics, data obtained from UM’s Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning indicate first-generation students at UM persist and graduate at lower rates than their peers whose parents have a bachelor’s degree.

There are many reasons why first-generation students have lower success rates, and, for some students, a lack of engagement is one of them (Pascarella, …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Ocular Inserts By Hot Melt Extrusion And 3d Printing, Meghana Mokashi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot melt extrusion (HME) has emerged as a viable approach for a wide range of pharmaceutical applications over the last few decades. The HME method is more efficient than other traditional technologies due to its high throughput, low residence time, lack of organic solvents, and a combination of intensive mixing and controlled temperature. Because of the ability to construct complex and personalized dosage forms depending on the requirements of the patient, three-dimensional printing (3DP) is an emerging approach in the fabrication of pharmaceutical dosage forms. The objective of the current study is to fabricate Lidocaine HCl ocular inserts by HME …

A Numerical Study Of The Effects Of Time-Varying Streambed Conductivity On Groundwater – Surface Water Interactions During Storm Events, Jiayu Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Streambed conductivity is widely recognized as a vital parameter controlling the stream-aquifer exchange. Many field measurements have revealed that temporal variation of streambed conductivity is rapid and dramatic during floods. However, previous numerical studies either assumed streambed conductivity as steady over storm events or focused on time-varying streambed conductivity during low-stage periods. This study aims at bridging this gap by both incorporating time-varying streambed conductivity into a numerical model of groundwater (GW) – surface water (SW) interactions and simulating them under different flooding conditions, making this dissertation the first modeling study to explore combined effects of high-stage events and time-varying …

Come As You Are: Islamic Religiousness As A Context For Mental Illness Beliefs And Treatment, Elijah Phoenix Mudryk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States is home to approximately three million Muslim-Americans, a diverse and growing demographic group that has woven itself into the fabric of American life. Hailing from many regions around the world, Muslims in the U.S. are varied in racial and ethnic backgrounds and not dominated by any particular race or ethnicity. National pride and a strong religious identity are shared aspects among U.S. born Muslims and immigrants alike (Pew, 2018). In addition to the typical challenges of daily life, Muslim-Americans have experienced high levels of religious and ethnic discrimination. Post-9/11, Muslim-Americans suffered a 1600% increase in reported hate …

Exploring Copper Active Sites In Biology With Relevance To Alzheimer's Disease And De Novo Designed Biocatalysts, Suchitra Mitra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Copper is one of the most abundant and less toxic metal on earth. In nature, a variety of proteins have copper in their active site structure. Copper bound to amyloid proteins are implicated to play pathophysiological roles in neurodegenerative diseases. On the other hand, copper containing metalloenzymes in Nature catalyze important biochemical reactions. Cu containing metalloenzymes play a significant role in a variety of functions viz. electron transfer, oxygen reduction, oxygen transport, and substrate oxidation owing to the readily available redox states of Cu+/Cu2+. While Cu bound to amyloid proteins that are often referred as intrinsically disordered or misfolded proteins …

Acoustic Bessel And Vortex Beams: Forces And Refraction, Xudong Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-contact manipulation techniques or tweezers devices are invaluable for applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. Acoustic tweezers using either standing waves or focused beams have been investigated for more than a few decades with advantages of label-free operation, noninvasiveness, and biocompatibility when compared with the optical, magnetic, and electrical counterparts. Here, a new type of acoustic tweezers (i.e. acoustic tractors) is studied using acoustic Bessel and vortex beams that are able to pull objects against the beam's propagation over centimeter ranges. Stable acoustic tractors require transversely stable trapping in addition to axially negative pulling. Hence, the transverse forces acting …

Quality And Cost Associated With Cancer Care, Yiqiao Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer has been one of the leading causes of death for decades in the United States. It poses a significant burden to patients, stakeholders, and society in both economic (e.g., healthcare costs) and human (e.g., health-related quality of life) terms. This dissertation aimed at filling gaps in the literature on the cost and quality associated with cancer care.

First, a retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an alternative payment model - accountable care organizations (ACOs) - on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and healthcare cost among patients with cancer. Findings from this study indicate that although …

This Garden: Oysters And Place Along Florida's Forgotten Coast, Annemarie Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

THIS GARDEN is an audiovisual installation that tells the story of oyster farmers and place in Spring Creek, Florida. I use the oral history interviews and documentary photography I made there to explore aquaculturists’ deep relationship with the surrounding environment. To these farmers, the bay is a garden. They work within those often-unpredictable waters to cultivate new life. This accompanying thesis builds a chronological narrative of oyster aquaculture industry along Florida’s Forgotten Coast. It connects Florida’s burgeoning aquaculture industry to the long history of human involvement along the Gulf Coast in commercial fishing and wild harvest oyster operations. Lastly, I …

Applications Of Fluoronitroalkenes In 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition And 1,4-Conjugate Addition, Hamdan Eid Alrefaei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fluorinated compounds have been routinely synthesized in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. Approximately, 45% of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018−2019, and 52% of agricultural products between 2010 and 2017 were fluorinated compounds. In comparison to their non-fluorinated counterparts, fluorinated drugs have different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profiles. Bond strength and electronegativity of the fluorine atom can affect the compound's pKa, dipole moment, and metabolic stability. Therefore, methods to access fluorinated compounds are highly pursued in organic synthesis. Various fluorinating agents (nucleophilic and electrophilic) have been developed over the last few decades and are widely employed …

Navigating Internalized Stigma And Identity Development In Bipolar Disorder I: A Grounded Theory Investigation., Kaylyn L. Watterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness stigma occurs at multiple levels in Western societies. Internalized stigma, the application of negative stereotypes and prejudice about mental illness to self-concept, has deleterious effects on mental health for adults living with a serious mental illness. Historically, research on stigma in serious mental illness has centered on schizophrenia. Recently, researchers and clinicians have drawn attention to bipolar disorder I, an affective disorder that creates disruptions in functioning and increased risk for substance abuse and suicide. Despite the growing literature establishing the relationship between recovery in serious mental illness and identity, little is known about how adults in long-term …

Evaluating Canola Genotypes For Growth And Yield Under Different Environmental Conditions In South Dakota, Unius Arinaitwe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canola (Brassica napus L) and carinata (Brassica carinata A. Braun) are potential oilseed crops for diversifying cropping systems and expanding into marginal lands impacted by saline and sodic soils in South Dakota (SD). However, genotypes that are high yielding, with high agronomic adaptability and stability over diverse environments, and salt tolerant have not been selected. One field experiment was conducted at two environments (Brookings - eastern SD and Pierre - western SD) from 2019 to 2020 to evaluate genotypes for growth and yield stability. Three greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate genotypes for salt tolerance in …

Policies Affecting Post-Traditional Students And Students Facing Economic Instability At The Community College, Joshua Patrick Bowens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation in practice researches policies from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) that relate to Post-Traditional students and students experiencing economic instability. Using a conceptual framework of Motivational Theory (Maslow, 1943; Harrigan & Lamport-Commons, 2015; Herzberg, 1959) and the Principal-Agent theory (Jensen, & Meckling, 1976), this dissertation focuses on how one community college (CC) within the CCCS system interprets and implements those policies both college and campus wide, as well as departmentally. Although many studies exist pertaining to community college students, literature pertaining to Post-Traditional students in a community college setting has not been fully explored. This will …

Accurate Measurement Of Healthy Joint Kinematics To Inform Diagnosis And Treatment, Vasiliki Kefala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The description of human motion has a primary importance in different scientific areas such as medicine, sports, physical therapy. Kinematics specifically studies pure motion without reference to the causes of motion such as forces. Understanding the kinematics of human movement is of critical importance in medicine and biology. Motion measure­ment can be used in order to to evaluate functional performance of limbs under normal and abnormal conditions. Kinematic knowledge is also important for diagnosis and surgi­cal treatment of joint disease and the design of implants to rehabilitate function. Accurate joint kinematics is essential to protect articular functionality. An alteration may …

Tibial Strains And Tray-Bone Micromotions After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Computational Studies Evaluating The Tibial Fixation, Huizhou Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cemented and cementless fixation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have been successfully used for decades. As the number of younger and more active patients treated with TKA continues to increase, long-term implant survivorship is of increasing importance. One of the most common complications and hence the reason for revision is mechanical loosening (23.1% of all revised TKA). The loosening mechanisms have been proposed for different fixation types. For cemented fixation, bone remodeling after surgery is regulated by the changes in strain energy density (SED). The recruitment of osteoclasts and osteoblasts is controlled by SED-related signals. Insufficient stimuli can promote bone …

“It Sucks, But I’M Grateful”: Understanding The Experience Of Autistic Students Living In The Residence Halls, Mary F. Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As populations of Autistic students at institutions of higher education increases, it is becoming more important for institutions to evaluate their programs with these students in mind. While the Autistic population has grown, policies and services on campuses have not become more inclusive or supportive of this population as a response. This evaluation examines the Residential Learning Model, the guide through which the residential life program at one institution of higher education is delivered to the students living in the residence halls. Through the lens of the Autistic students and the student staff who live and work in the residence …

Developing Whey Protein Encapsulated Probiotics And Evaluating Environmental Listeria Using Whole-Genome Sequencing, Shayanti Minj

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a novel value-added dairy-based health formulation was developed using whey protein hydrolysate and probiotic organisms. In the first part of the study, different forms of whey proteins, concentrate WPC80, isolate WPI90, and hydrolysates WPH10, WPH15 and WPH20 were screened for bioactivities (antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antihypertensive activity). Hydrolysate WPH10, exhibiting the highest bioactivities was conjugated with maltodextrin. A batch of 2L conjugated solution was spray dried in a Niro drier with an inlet and outlet temperature of 200⁰C and 90⁰C, and alternatively, freeze dried at −80 °C under 50 mTorr vacuum. The bioactivities of the conjugated samples were …

School Gardening In America And A Survey Of South Dakota Schools, Aminah Hassoun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School gardening has a longstanding history in American education, dating as far back as the mid-1800s. Despite fluctuations in popularity throughout the twentieth century, school gardens have grown into an established method for hands-on teaching. This paper builds upon a historical framework of school gardening in American public education with particular focus on the connections between school gardens and agricultural education. This study offers a descriptive portrait of contemporary K-12 school gardens in South Dakota. Schools across the state were surveyed about their gardens to gain a better understanding of garden-based teaching in practice both in general education and agricultural …

An Integrative Analysis On The Role Of Notch1 And Notch3 In Musculoskeletal Disease, Haydee Magdalena Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway involved in cell fate decisions and cell renewal of multiple systems, including skeletal and muscle homeostasis. As the multifunctional nuclear complex of Notch1 is essential for its pathological function, identifying these interacting partners represents a potentially broad range of druggable vulnerabilities. We have completed a BioID proteomics study and found a large set of nuclear proteins associated with NOTCH1, including transcriptional regulators and epigenetic modulators, of which Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) is a promising interacting partner of Notch1. Our Cytoscape analysis predicted HDAC1 to be a top critical node in an activated …

Bio-Inspired Materials For Electrochemical Sensors, Matthew Joseph Hummel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical biosensors are a rapidly growing research area that has greatly improved its specificity, accuracy, and precision in the detection of biomolecules in contemporary literature and industry alike. Typically, these systems exist in a three-electrode conformation with a working electrode functioning as the anode, a counter electrode functioning as the cathode, and a reference electrode allowing for the control of potential in the system. The method by which these sensors work is through the sharing of electrons via redox reactions with the target molecule and the working electrode or modifications on its surface. By exploiting the function of biomaterials that …

Cold Climate Grape Cultivar`S Physiological And Gene Expression Responses To Low And Freezing Temperatures, Turhan Yilmaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grapevine (Vitis Vinifera), widely cultivated in the world and USA, is a significant and valuable fruit crop. After cold climate grapevine cultivars were released by breeding programs in the 1990s, the production of grapes expanded in the Northern cold climate region of the US. The objectives of this study were to test 1) freezing tolerance and chilling fulfillment, 2) the effect of pruning methods on yield and winter survival, and 3) transcriptomic changes in natural and controlled chilling conditions during chilling requirement fulfillment in cold climate grapevine cultivars. Pruning methods, spur (SP), short cane (SC), and spur plus short cane …