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The Effects Of Eligibility Complexity And Incentive Structure On Taxpayer Behavior, Joshua Lee Simer Jan 2020

The Effects Of Eligibility Complexity And Incentive Structure On Taxpayer Behavior, Joshua Lee Simer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Policymakers often use tax incentives to encourage desirable taxpayer behavior, and researchers from multiple disciplines provide evidence that these incentives lead to behavioral change. A new stream of literature focuses on the factors that affect the extent to which tax incentives achieve this goal, with specific emphasis on the factor of complexity. This study expands this literature by investigating the effect of eligibility determination complexity and tax incentive structure on the relationship between incentives and taxpayer behavior. Based on the findings from research on the take-up of social benefits, I predict and find some evidence that taxpayers are more likely …


Social Distance, Stigma, And Help-Seeking: An Exploration Of Autism Beliefs In The Southern United States, Christian Shannon Courson Jan 2020

Social Distance, Stigma, And Help-Seeking: An Exploration Of Autism Beliefs In The Southern United States, Christian Shannon Courson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stigma has been associated with physical and mental health conditions and their treatment long before formal care systems. Negative perceptions within the lay community, such as stigma and social distancing, negatively impact individuals with autism and their families. The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with autism stigma among laypeople in the Southern United States. Specifically, the study explored how demographics, knowledge, and familiarity are related to social distancing and stigma, and how these factors relate to beliefs about and intentions of help-seeking. Using a lay sample (N=108) of rural Southern towns, survey data was collected in …


Assessing Distance Perception In Virtual And Augmented Realities With Electroencephalography, Ethan Luckett Jan 2020

Assessing Distance Perception In Virtual And Augmented Realities With Electroencephalography, Ethan Luckett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A comfinding in spatial perception research is that subjects tend to underestimate distances in virtual reality compared to the real world. The degree and methods of measurement of underestimation vary between studies, but the trend of underestimation is consistent. This study uses electroencephalography as a neuroimaging technique to examine patterns of brain activity when fixating objects in near space and far space in the real world, in virtual reality, and in augmented reality. For the augmented reality condition, a custom optical see-through augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD) was built and calibrated. A calibration method was developed to correct the geometric …


Formulation Development Of Curcumin-Piperine Solid Dispersion Via Hot-Melt Extrusion To Enhance Solubility And Bioavailability Of Curcumin, Abdulmajeed Althobaiti Jan 2020

Formulation Development Of Curcumin-Piperine Solid Dispersion Via Hot-Melt Extrusion To Enhance Solubility And Bioavailability Of Curcumin, Abdulmajeed Althobaiti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curcumin has been known to have a variety of biological activities in different diseases, including inflammation, cancer, and diabetes. The limited bioavailability of curcumin is due to its low solubility and extensive metabolism, rendering curcumin unusable as an oral therapeutic agent. The aim of the study is to enhance the solubility and bioavailability of curcumin by preparing curcumin-piperine solid dispersion (SD) utilizing the hot-melt extrusion technique. Three physical mixtures with different ratios were prepared as following: F1 (5% w/w piperine, 15% w/w curcumin, 80% w/w Soluplus®), F2 (10% w/w piperine, 30% w/w curcumin, 60% w/w Soluplus®), and F3 (15% w/w …


Incorporation Of Acoustic And Chemical Modifications To Biochar For Pollution Abatement, Riya Chatterjee Jan 2020

Incorporation Of Acoustic And Chemical Modifications To Biochar For Pollution Abatement, Riya Chatterjee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A series of my researches aim to develop an advanced suitable carbon activation techniques using ultrasound waves, and chemical functionalization for the application of environmental remediation. Ultrasound irradiation exfoliates the graphitic layers of biochar, and creates new/opens the blocked pores, thus creating active sites for chemical activation using amine. CO2 is one of the major air pollutants and a leading cause of the global warming. Thus, it is imperative to establish a proper CCS technology. Reductive photocarboxylation could be an effective way to attach CO2 on carbonaceous structure such as biochar. Biochars have highly porous structure, high surface area and …


On Southern Soil: The Art And Ecology Of Racial Uplift, 1895-1950, Laura Wilson Jan 2020

On Southern Soil: The Art And Ecology Of Racial Uplift, 1895-1950, Laura Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a critical and material reappraisal of Southern land, by examining the relationship between soil and 20th century black modernity in the United States. Interacting with theories of black modernism laid out by scholars such as Houston A. Baker, as well as recent texts which examine the relationship between African Americans and the natural world, including Kimberly Smith's African American Environmental Thought: Foundations (2007) and Monica M. White’s Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement (2018), On Southern Soil considers the complex relationship between agriculture and the pursuit of African American citizenship in the first half …


Lavender, Helene Achanzar Jan 2020

Lavender, Helene Achanzar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A collection of creative writing.


Hayek And Natural Law: Grounding Social Institutions In Human Action And Morals, Ethan Davis Jan 2020

Hayek And Natural Law: Grounding Social Institutions In Human Action And Morals, Ethan Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Friederich Hayek’s The Constitution of Liberty provides us with a theory of freedom, one that seeks to minimize coercion in the name of progress. The concept of progress is the grounding for Hayek’s entire theory. It ultimately provides the value of both liberty and those things which derive their value by preserving, promoting, and constituting liberty, such as rights and laws more generally. The problem is that progress is an ill-defined concept because Hayek’s descriptions of it are so vague that it cannot provide any satisfying explanation of why progress itself is desirable and, consequently, why we should promote liberty …


Examining Communication Patterns And Identity In Families With Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Amber L. Alvey Jan 2020

Examining Communication Patterns And Identity In Families With Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Amber L. Alvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Deafness in the context of the hearing family attacks the backbone of the family structure, namely communication” (Ahlert & Greeff, 2012, p. 402). There is a link between communication and identity, specifically the role of communication on identity (Jung & Hecht, 2004). The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences of families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing by investigating the relationship between family communication patterns and identity. In this study, I conducted in-depth interviews with the parents of children who are hard of hearing to investigate family communication patterns and identity. Using Family …


In Situ Analysis Of Line-1 Promoter Activity Using Lacz Transgenic Mice, Partha Sarathi Saha Jan 2020

In Situ Analysis Of Line-1 Promoter Activity Using Lacz Transgenic Mice, Partha Sarathi Saha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Apart from an evolutionary role, transposable elements have been implicated in animal development and also in pathophysiology. Non-LTR retrotransposons– LINE-1, Alu and SVA - are responsible for over 120 cases of human genetic diseases as heritable insertions, and are emerging as an important etiological factor for cancer and neurological disorders as somatic mutations. It is estimated that among the total number of 500,000 LINE-1s presents in the human genome, 80-100 LINE-1s remain competent for retrotransposition. Retrotransposition is only possible when LINE-1 is expressed. Because LINE-1 transcription is regulated by its 5’UTR promoter, it is essential to understand the spatiotemporal control …


In-Season Crop Management Effect On Soybean Yield And Grain Quality In Eastern South Dakota, Kelsey Bergman Jan 2020

In-Season Crop Management Effect On Soybean Yield And Grain Quality In Eastern South Dakota, Kelsey Bergman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield has increased over time by introduction of newer varieties and improved agronomic practices. However, grain protein concentration has been decreasing at the same time. New field studies in 2018 and 2019 investigated inseason crop management practices effect such as use of foliar protection application, fertilizer application, different maturity length or different planting dates on grain yield and grain quality. The studies were established near Brookings, SD and Beresford, SD. In-season treatments were targeting nutrient availability or protecting soybean canopy during the grain filling period. Such treatments included the use of fungicide, insecticide, or supplying …


Mechanistic Studies To Understand The Role Of Human Gut Microbiota In Colonization Resistance And Gut Health, Sudeep Ghimire Jan 2020

Mechanistic Studies To Understand The Role Of Human Gut Microbiota In Colonization Resistance And Gut Health, Sudeep Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human gut microbiota is comprised of thousands of species which fall into two major categories or “enterotypes” based on dominating bacteria: “Bacteroides” and “Prevotella”. Bacteroides enterotype dominates the microbiota of the western population because of a high protein and fat diet, whereas Prevotella enterotype is dominate in the gut of the eastern population because of a high carbohydrate diet. While most of the microbiota studies focused on the Bacteroides enterotype using both metagenomics and culturomics, Prevotella enterotype is understudied, especially in the field of culturomics. The structure of the Prevotella dominated gut microbiome is revealed by …


Genomic And Culturomic Analysis Of Gut Microbiota Function And Salmonella Enterica Expansion, Gavin Fenske Jan 2020

Genomic And Culturomic Analysis Of Gut Microbiota Function And Salmonella Enterica Expansion, Gavin Fenske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Enteric bacteria that are resident in the hindgut of mammals are critical in immune development, digestion, and colonization resistance against pathogens. One of the major pathogens that gut commensals provide resistance against is Salmonella enterica, a major foodborne pathogen capable of infecting almost every warm-blooded animal. Given the interplay between pathogens and commensals in the gut lumen, the gut microbiota of pigs was studied by combining two disparate techniques: shotgun metagenomics and high throughput culturomics. Metagenomics readily identifies major taxa present in samples and can give an estimation to total genetic catalogue from an environment. However, many rare or …


Different Treatments Of Biochar Carbon Yp-50f To Enhance Specific Capacitance Of Supercapacitor, Ezaldeen Adhamash Jan 2020

Different Treatments Of Biochar Carbon Yp-50f To Enhance Specific Capacitance Of Supercapacitor, Ezaldeen Adhamash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High cost and environmentally unfavorable impacts are the significant difficulties that prohibit renewable energy storage from many applications. To work with these problems, novel renewable materials such as biomass derived carbon that have high surface area and low cost should be used. Renewable biochar carbon YP-50, synthesized from coconut, and activated using different plasma gases including methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), and argon (Ar). Compared with the conventional activation method, the plasma treatment takes less effort and time. Significant improvements of the specific capacitance (SC) and specific surface area (SSA) were observed …


A Natural Antimicrobial From Bacillus Subtilis As A Biosanitizer For Resilient Membrane Biofilms, Pratishtha Verma Jan 2020

A Natural Antimicrobial From Bacillus Subtilis As A Biosanitizer For Resilient Membrane Biofilms, Pratishtha Verma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The microbial attachment and colonization on separation membranes lead to biofilm formation. Some selective isolates within the biofilm constitutive microflora acquire resistance and emerge predominant over prolonged use of the membrane. Thus, proving the cleaning and sanitization protocols to be ineffective in adequately removing resilient biofilms. This subsequently leads to selecting microbial resistance within the constitutive microflora to almost all antimicrobial treatments and hence, creates a need to develop novel alternative strategies to control biofilm formation on membrane surfaces. The first research project under this study was designed to understand the microbial interactions and emergence of predominance within biofilm constitutive …


Investigating Post-Concussion Neurocognitive Deficits Using The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing Tool, Megan Ekern Jan 2020

Investigating Post-Concussion Neurocognitive Deficits Using The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment And Cognitive Testing Tool, Megan Ekern

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Concussions represent a serious public health concern due to their severe short and long-term consequences. Many adolescents participate in sports that involve the chance of injuries such as concussions. Concussive injuries can be difficult to describe because most symptoms involve non-physical indicators such as impaired cognition, altered behavior, or sleep disturbances. Symptoms can also be influenced by age, gender, and previous history of concussions. Current best practice is to remove the athlete from activity and perform several tests to critically evaluate and assess the injury. ImPACT is a type of neuropsychological testing that includes patient information, baseline tests, postinjury assessments, …


Using Computational Fluid Dynamics To Accurately Model Agricultural Spray Nozzles, Zachary Chapman Jan 2020

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics To Accurately Model Agricultural Spray Nozzles, Zachary Chapman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a tool used by engineers in many industries to study fluid flow. A relatively new industry to adopt the use of CFD is the agricultural industry. The present work seeks to understand whether CFD can be used to accurately model spray nozzles. A spray nozzle commonly used in agricultural spraying was simulated. First, the impact of factors such as mesh size, mesh type, and physics models have on the solution were investigated. Next, a method to pulse the spray was determined. This was required to compare simulation results with experimental data. A user-defined function was …


Semantic Segmentation Using Modified U-Net Architecture For Crack Detection, Michael Sun Jan 2020

Semantic Segmentation Using Modified U-Net Architecture For Crack Detection, Michael Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The visual inspection of a concrete crack is essential to maintaining its good condition during the service life of the bridge. The visual inspection has been done manually by inspectors, but unfortunately, the results are subjective. On the other hand, automated visual inspection approaches are faster and less subjective. Concrete crack is an important deficiency type that is assessed by inspectors. Recently, various Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have become a prominent strategy to spot concrete cracks mechanically. The CNNs outperforms the traditional image processing approaches in accuracy for the high-level recognition task. Of them, U-Net, a CNN based semantic segmentation …


The Role And Molecular Mechanisms Of Wss1 In Preserving Genomic Stability, Daniel Kwesi Sam Jan 2020

The Role And Molecular Mechanisms Of Wss1 In Preserving Genomic Stability, Daniel Kwesi Sam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cells are constantly under threat from both exogenous and endogenous sources of DNA damage. Eukaryotic organisms, however, possess conserved mechanisms that accurately and faithfully respond to DNA damage. The inability to effectively remove DNA lesions can lead to an accumulation of mutations which can compromise cellular viability. The DNA damage response is conserved from bacteria to eukaryotic organisms and have been well characterized, however, how covalently crosslinked proteins are removed from DNA remains enigmatic This thesis provides genetic and biochemical evidence implicating Wss1, a yeast metalloprotease in genome maintenance. We have identified SUMOylation to be an important signal that mediates …


Understanding The Effect Of Single- And Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Sprouted Quinoa And Sprouted Proso Millets, Gabriela John Swamy Jan 2020

Understanding The Effect Of Single- And Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Sprouted Quinoa And Sprouted Proso Millets, Gabriela John Swamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to Mordor Intelligence Research, the new compositional research and moisture content extrusion process are helping the growth of the plant protein market. The demand for plant proteins is growing at a fast rate, owing to change in lifestyle, lack of balanced dietary intake, and improved research and development in order to develop new kinds of plant-protein enriched products. It is necessary to identify the right plant protein sources and choose the right processing methodology to create highly digestible foods which can be consumed by infants and elderly as well. In addition, it is important to support local farmers and …


A Series-Elastic Robot For Back-Pain Rehabilitation, Elhussein Shata Jan 2020

A Series-Elastic Robot For Back-Pain Rehabilitation, Elhussein Shata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Robotics research has been broadly expanding into various fields during the past decades. It is widely spread and best known for solving many technical necessities in different fields. With the rise of the industrial revolution, it upgraded many factories to use industrial robots to prevent the human operator from dangerous and hazardous tasks. The rapid development of application fields and their complexity have inspired researchers in the robotics community to find innovative solutions to meet the new desired requirements of the field. Currently, the creation of new needs outside the traditional industrial robots are demanding robots to attend to the …


Effects Of Cellulose Nano-Fiber As An Additive On Performance Of Asphalt Binders And Mixes, Marco Paulo Pereira Castro Jan 2020

Effects Of Cellulose Nano-Fiber As An Additive On Performance Of Asphalt Binders And Mixes, Marco Paulo Pereira Castro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Findings of a study conducted on asphalt binders and mixes modified by addition of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) to evaluate the feasibility of them as an additive is presented in the current thesis. Cellulose Acetate (CA) is an ester of cellulose and is obtained by the reaction of cellulose with acetic anhydride and acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. Due to its high temperature sensitivity, high ductility, large surface area, high strain resistance, and low electrical resistivity, cellulose acetate can be used for several application. The question is if CNF can be used as an additive in the asphalt, …


Impact Of Postweaning Management Strategies On Beef Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality, Christina Elaine Bakker Jan 2020

Impact Of Postweaning Management Strategies On Beef Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality, Christina Elaine Bakker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this dissertation was to determine the impact of selected post weaning management strategies on beef carcass characteristics and meat quality. The specific objectives were 1) determine the effect of a rumen-protected long chain fatty acids fed during finishing on live performance, serum fatty acid profile, carcass traits, and predicted carcass composition, and 2) determine effects of feeding brassica-based cover crops to cattle during backgrounding on live animal performance, carcass characteristics, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor of strip steaks, and case life of ground beef and strip steaks. Results from both objectives indicate post weaning management strategies do …


The Association Between The Comprehensiveness And Strength Of Written Physical Activity Wellness Policies And The Observed School Physical Activity Environment, Maggie Kringen Jan 2020

The Association Between The Comprehensiveness And Strength Of Written Physical Activity Wellness Policies And The Observed School Physical Activity Environment, Maggie Kringen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if there is a relationship between physical education/activity wellness policy comprehensiveness and strength and the observed physical activity (PA) environment.
Methods: The Wellness School Assessment Tool 2.0 (WellSAT 2.0) was used to evaluate the quality of written wellness policies. The School Physical Activity and Nutrition Environment Tool (SPAN-ET) was used to evaluate the school environment. Pairwise correlations and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine if written wellness policy quality affects the school PA environment. Data are presented as mean ± SD and significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.
Results: One significant relationship was found between WellSAT …


Cold-Water Prey Fish Monitoring And Ecology In Lake Oahe, Nicholas B. Kludt Jan 2020

Cold-Water Prey Fish Monitoring And Ecology In Lake Oahe, Nicholas B. Kludt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Lake Oahe, a large mainstem Missouri river reservoir that spans 375 river kilometers in central North and South Dakota, naturalized Rainbow Smelt are the primary forage species for a regionally important Walleye Sander vitreus fishery. Walleye condition in Lake Oahe is highly correlated to Rainbow Smelt relative abundance through time, the latter species being typified by erratic abundance trends since accidental introduction in 1971. Cisco Coregonus artedii were introduced in the early 1990s to augment the cold-water prey base. We evaluated Lake Oahe cold-water prey base monitoring and dynamics through: 1.) a comparison of two hydroacoustic survey designs, 2.) …


Reverse Genetic Analysis Of Ehd1 For An Association Between Flowering Time And Seed Dormancy In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Yeter Karakoc Jan 2020

Reverse Genetic Analysis Of Ehd1 For An Association Between Flowering Time And Seed Dormancy In Rice (Oryza Sativa L.), Yeter Karakoc

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to understand the evolutionary mechanism of seed dormancy and flowering time and to provide basic knowledge for the manipulation of germination features in crop breeding. Flowering time and seed dormancy are two adaptive traits for flowering plants. Seed dormancy (SD) helps regulate the timing of germination to promote the survival of seed-bearing plants in adverse environments. Cereal crops and weedy/wild relatives, such as Asian cultivated rice and weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.), have weak and strong seed dormancy, respectively. Thus, weedy and cultivated rice has been used as a model system to investigate mechanisms of seed dormancy …


Volcanic Impact On Stratospheric Chlorine Chemistry And Perchlorate Formation: Evidence From Ice Cores, Joshua Andrew Kennedy Jan 2020

Volcanic Impact On Stratospheric Chlorine Chemistry And Perchlorate Formation: Evidence From Ice Cores, Joshua Andrew Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate, suspected to be chemically formed in both the troposphere and stratosphere, has been recently measured in Arctic snow and ice cores. These comprise both discontinuous snow and ice cores from the Canadian Arctic and a continuous record of perchlorate was compiled from an analysis of Greenland ice cores. While the background perchlorate concentration typically is very low, a few spikes in concentration coinciding with deposition of volcanic sulfate were observed in the Greenland record, suggesting that perchlorate levels in the atmosphere may be impacted by volcanic eruptions. As of yet, no work has been done to investigate the connection …


Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth Jan 2020

Understanding How Agricultural Intensification Impacts Ring-Necked Pheasant Distribution And Survival In Eastern South Dakota, Hilary R. Kauth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) have thrived in South Dakota in conjunction with successful land retirement programs or early farming practices through the 1950s, which created interspersions of agriculture and native landscapes that were ideal for pheasants. Recently, the Prairie Pothole ecosystem has undergone rapid agroeconomic expansion, effectively reducing ideal interspersions of native prairie and cropland into agriculturally homogeneous landscapes. Indices of pheasant abundance have suggested persistent population declines since 2008, raising concerns regarding landscape suitability. Our goal was to understand how agriculture intensification impacts pheasant ecology. The objectives were to: 1) estimate overwinter hen probability of survival, resource …


Business Cycles And American Dreams: (Dis) Aggregate Fluctuations And Intergenerational Mobility, Kailie Drescher Jan 2020

Business Cycles And American Dreams: (Dis) Aggregate Fluctuations And Intergenerational Mobility, Kailie Drescher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I test my central hypothesis that aggregate economic fluctuations (business cycles) affect intergenerational economic mobility (American dreams). I exploit heterogeneity across U.S. state-level business cycles. I argue that these cycles impose countercyclical credit constraints on households that rely on credit to invest in the human capital of their children. Thus, credit constraints effectively limit the skills and expected earnings of children. I focus on an empirical measure of absolute mobility that Chetty et al. (2017) propose: the rate of absolute income mobility, which measures the fraction of adult children who earn more than their parents earned, conditional …


Interaction Of Streptomyces Closely Associated With Bacillus In Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions, Aminya Baniya Jan 2020

Interaction Of Streptomyces Closely Associated With Bacillus In Nitrogen-Limiting Conditions, Aminya Baniya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biological Nitrogen Fixation is the process of conversion of atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia which is performed by symbiotic as well as free-living diazotrophic bacteria. A previous project to isolate free-living nitrogen fixing bacteria from a natural prairie yielded Streptomyces which grew on nitrogen free medium. Genome sequencing of three isolates revealed the presence of a second 16S rRNA gene sequence aligning with Bacillus, however repeated streaking only yielded Streptomyces colonies. The aim of this research was to characterize the interaction of three Streptomyces isolates that grow under nitrogen-free conditions, and appeared to be associated with Bacillus. The separation of Bacillus …