Digital Commons Network^™

The Comparison Of Effects Of Synthetic And Natural Arachidin-3 On Rotavirus Infected Cells, Rebekah Napier-Jameson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rotavirus (RV) causes severe, life-threatening diarrhea, in infants, young children and immunocompromised adults. There are several effective vaccines for young children, however they are strain specific and are not protective against many RV strains in developing countries. Therefore, it is important to investigate anti-RV therapeutic agents. Our laboratory has shown arachidin-1 (A1) and arachadin-3 (A3) significantly inhibit RV replication in two cell lines, however the molecular mechanism(s) of action are not known. A synthetic molecule of A3 (sA3) has been produced, but its’ antiviral effects have not been examined. Our hypothesis is that sA3 produces the same effects on RV-infected …

Complex Personalities: An Original Composition For Virtual Wind Ensemble And An Accompanying Exploration Of The Effects Of The Internet On Music Collaboration And Composition, Chris Kamerling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the impact that the internet has had on the esprit de corps of the musical community. As a mechanism for that exploration, it also includes an original composition comprised of three character pieces. The exegesis of the piece will describe the basis of these musical representations and explore the application of the piece as a vehicle for a shared musical experience across the internet. A virtual ensemble was created by crowd-sourcing from social media. Participants played different parts that were combined by computer manipulation into a final product.

Bridging The Gap: Community Gardens As A Supplement To Senior Adult Food Assistance Programs, Jheri-Lynn Mcswain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity and access to nutrition-rich food for senior adults receiving food assistance is an ever-growing concern in the United States. For households that lack accessible food, the availability of alternative sources of nutrition such as community gardens could be critically important to maintaining a stable level of food security. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of using a community garden as a supplemental food assistance tool for congregate meals sites and food pantries. This study encompassed the following three phases: 1) surveying the trends in Shelby County, Texas senior adults receiving food assistance to determine …

Analysis Of Hybridization Between Native And Invasive Pupfishes (Cyprinodon), Kristina Ayers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species are detrimental to native species and when hybridization is involved a decrease in biodiversity may result. Cyprinodon variegatus is an invasive species that has caused devastation to several Cyprinodon species through rapid hybridization and genetic introgression. Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis is native to the Brazos, Wichita and Red Rivers but fish collected between 2006-2012 from the Brazos River expressed intermediate morphological traits suggesting hybridization had occurred. My objective was to investigate if C. variegatus and C. rubrofluviatilis had hybridized in the Brazos River and if so, to determine the extent of introgression. Molecular analysis of specimens collected between 2013-2017 identified …

Texas Foster Care Service Providers’ Awareness And Perceptions Of Human Trafficking And Related Risk Factors Among Child Welfare Involved Youth, Kennedy Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to explore foster care service providers’ levels of awareness of human trafficking, exploitation, and related risk factors as experienced by foster youth, and to explore what factors influence those levels of awareness. The study entailed distributing a digital survey to foster care service providers in a snowballing method and encouraging them to send the survey to others. The survey found a statistically significant relationship between awareness/identification of risk factors and identification of exploitation, and the respondent’s previous human trafficking training. This supports the literature which indicates trafficking specific training is necessary to identify trafficking …

A Study Of The Effect On Organizational Factors On Job Satisfaction Of Geriatric Practitioners Between Millennials And Older Generations, Peter (Minsuk) Jang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to recognize and improve the understanding of social workers’ job satisfaction in the geriatric area. Low job satisfaction makes social workers want to move their field and change their career. The research is the conceptual model of the moderating effect of patient engagement. The hypothesis is that the organizational factors of this model (climate, workplace, pay, supervision) lead to low job satisfaction for social workers and the generation gap between Millennials and older generations will result in different job satisfaction. The assumption was that among the factors (climate, workplace, pay, supervision), salary has the …

Preparing For A National Weightlifting Championship: A Case Series, Spencer K. Travis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to observe psychological, physiological, and performance changes to determine when two high-level weightlifters were peaked for a major competition. We addressed this purpose by conducting a two-part case study series with one USA international level female and one USA national level male weightlifter. Both athletes were considered to be peaked on competition day. The results support our hypothesis that jumping performance would be peaked on competition day corresponding with an increased recovery and decreased stress state. However, contrary to our hypothesis, each athlete exhibited small decreases in muscle size leading into the competition relative …

Cluster Set Loading In The Back Squat: Kinetic And Kinematic Implications, Alexander Wetmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetic and kinematic implications of cluster loading as a resistance training programming tactic. Cluster loading involves introducing rest during a set which may allow athletes to train at higher absolute intensities. Eleven trained males were recruited for this study. Subjects completed two testing sessions consisting of three sets of five back squats at 80% of their one repetition maximum. Cluster loading included 30s of inter-repetition rest. All testing was done on dualforce plates with four linear position transducers. Paired sample t-tests were used to determine differences between conditions with Cohen’s d …

The 2-Domination Number Of A Caterpillar, Presley Chukwukere

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A set D of vertices in a graph G is a 2-dominating set of G if every vertex in V − D has at least two neighbors in D. The 2-domination number of a graph G, denoted by γ₂(G), is the minimum cardinality of a 2- dominating set of G. In this thesis, we discuss the 2-domination number of a special family of trees, called caterpillars. A caterpillar is a graph denoted by P_k(x₁, x₂, ..., x_k), where x_i is the number of leaves attached to the ith vertex …

The Expected Number Of Patterns In A Random Generated Permutation On [N] = {1,2,...,N}, Evelyn Fokuoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous work by Flaxman (2004) and Biers-Ariel et al. (2018) focused on the number of distinct words embedded in a string of words of length n. In this thesis, we will extend this work to permutations, focusing on the maximum number of distinct permutations contained in a permutation on [n] = {1,2,...,n} and on the expected number of distinct permutations contained in a random permutation on [n]. We further considered the problem where repetition of subsequences are as a result of the occurrence of (Type A and/or Type B) replications. Our method of enumerating the Type A replications causes double …

Hydrodynamic Drivers Of Dissolved Oxygen Variability Within A Highly Developed Tidal Creek In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Douglas Matthew Pastore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Erosion and water quality degradation have been observed in Singleton Swash in Myrtle Beach, SC, and have been hypothesized to be related to migration of the beach-face channel. Dredging this channel temporarily fixes erosional threats to nearby infrastructure but the effects on water quality are not well understood. It is hypothesized that variations in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration (used here as a proxy for water quality) within the water column are related to changes in vertical mixing and transport due to oceanic tidal forcing. This study utilizes current meters, pressure sensors, and optical DO probes to measure and study the …

Seasonal Occurrence, Relative Abundance, And Migratory Movements Of Juvenile Sandbar Sharks, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Winyah Bay, South Carolina, Caroline Collatos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Winyah Bay, located on the coast of South Carolina, is the fourth largest U.S. estuary by discharge rate (Voulgaris et al. 2002), and provides an annually used habitat for juvenile C. plumbeus (Abel et al. 2006, Gary 2009). From May to September 2016 and 2017, we set a total of 303 bottom longlines in middle and lower Winyah Bay to assess sex ratios, size distributions, and catch per unit effort (CPUE), as well as the potential influence of abiotic parameters on CPUE. A subset of eleven juvenile C. plumbeus was tagged with VEMCO (V16-4H) acoustic transmitters to analyze seasonal occurrence, …

Holocene Formation History Of Mud Depocenters On The Continental Shelf In The Gulf Of Cadiz, Southwestern Spain, Mary Lee King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Holocene mud accumulation on the continental shelf in northern Gulf of Cadiz, from the Guadalquivir River to the Tinto-Odiel Estuary, is described as two types of mud depocenters (MDCs): a sheet-like prodelta and mud belt. Despite a substantial number of investigations of this continental shelf (Somoza et al., 1997; Hernández-Molina et al., 2000; Lobo et al., 2001; synthesis: Lobo et al., 2015), information on Holocene sediment facies and a robust stratigraphic age model remained unestablished (Lobo et al., 2002; and Lobo and Ridente, 2014). Objectives of this study are to describe the dynamics of MDC formation in a chrono- and …

Semi-Quantitative Assessment On Winyah Bay's Microplastic Contamination Levels, Samantha Ladewig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although there is much concern globally regarding microplastic contamination in aquatic environments, there is little documentation on microplastic contamination concentrations within South Carolina inland waters and coastal areas. Specifically, Winyah Bay, SC should be of high priority for microplastic contamination evaluations as it is the third largest drainage basin (47,060 km2) and the second largest (157 km2) estuarine system on the east coast of the United States. Today, the general influencing physical factors on microplastic transport are mostly known by the scientific community, however, transport and deposition patterns of microplastics heavily vary by location depending on various physical, chemical, and …

Impact Of Data Selection On The Accuracy Of Atmospheric Refractivity Inversions Performed Over Marine Surfaces, Ian Joseph Matsko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the Earth’s atmosphere there is a planetary boundary layer that extends from the surface to roughly 1 km above the surface. Within this planetary boundary layer exists the marine atmospheric boundary layer, which is a complex turbulent surface layer that extends from the sea surface to roughly 100 m in altitude. The turbulent nature of this layer combined with the interactions across the air-sea interface cause ever changing environmental conditions within it, including atmospheric properties that affect the index of refraction, or atmospheric refractivity. Variations in atmospheric refractivity lead to many types of anomalous propagation phenomena of electromagnetic (EM) …

Characterization Of A Turbulent Boundary Layer In Open Channel Flow Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Mathew James Stanek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Turbulent boundary layers are influential in numerous applications (e.g. naval architecture, ocean engineering, sediment transport, etc.), yet considerable knowledge gaps still exist. Boundary layers are regions where transfer of mass, momentum, energy, and heat occur within the interface between a fluid and a solid, or between two fluids. Utilization of optical flow measurement techniques to measure the velocity field with high spatial resolution enables non-intrusive investigation of the complex fluid dynamics of boundary layers. In this study two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry was employed to investigate, primarily, the overlap layer of a turbulent boundary layer developed in the recirculating flume facility …

Hardbottom Characterization And Relationship To The Geologic Framework In Long Bay, South Carolina, Cathryn J. Wheaton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hardbottom seafloor is a common element among sediment-starved portions of the inner continental shelf along the U.S. Atlantic margin. These areas are characterized by indurated sediment surfaces that are heavily altered by biological and physical processes. Long Bay, in northeastern South Carolina, offers ideal environmental conditions for hardbottom exposure with only patchy Holocene sand deposits, interspersed with extensive hardbottom areas. Here we use high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, CHIRP subbottom profiling and electrical resistivity data, along with surficial sediment samples, hardbottom thin sections, and water column radioisotope (radon-222) analysis to investigate the origin and geologic framework of a region of hardbottom seafloor …

Unique Osmoregulatory Morphology In Primitive Sharks: An Intermediate State Between Holocephalan And Derived Shark Secretory Morphology, Matthew Eric Larsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discovery of an unusual rectal gland in the Atlantic sixgill shark, Hexanchus vitulus, led to examination of rectal glands in 29 species of epipelagic and deep-sea sharks. Eight of 14 deep-sea species of sharks had digitiform glands that were previously assumed to be characteristic of elasmobranchs (N=281; mean width-length ratio ± SD = 0.18 ± 0.07). Hematoxylin-and-eosin stained sections from deep-sea sharks were similar to those from shallow water sharks. Glands from the family Somniosidae were kidney bean-shaped (N = 3; mean width-length ratio ± SD = 0.46 ± 0.05); whereas those from the families Echinorhinidae and Hexanchidae appeared lobulate …

The Effectiveness Of Localized Ultrasound And Aptamer Surface Modification On Nanoemulsions For Drug Delivery To Spheroids., Daniel A. Hodge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a group of diseases that affects 1.6 million and kills nearly 600,000 Americans each year. The National Cancer Institute defines it as “diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues” and it is often treated with one or more of the following: chemotherapy, radiation, surgery. The expense for these treatments is expected to rise to $156 billion by 2020. Localized delivery can improve effectiveness and cancer survival rates, decrease the cost of treatment, and decrease the side effects of chemotherapy. This paper addresses models for this localized delivery through nanoemulsions. Nanoemulsions are a …

Tooling For Injection Molding Using Laser-Powder Bed Fusion., Mohith Ram Buxani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) has been considered for some time by the injection molding industry for the fabrication of tooling for injection molding in order to address large lead times and costs for tool-making. Computer-aided simulations are also routinely used to evaluate new part and mold designs as well as understanding the effects of material compositions and processing conditions on part quality and overall productivity. However, there remains a significant need to integrate the perspectives from injection molding, 3D printing, metal powders, and component design and process simulation to better utilize LPBF for fabricating tooling required for injection molding. The …

The Enhancing Reading Comprehension Performance Using The Strategy Of Highlighting Electronic Text, Christa Ashbaugh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension is a criterial skill that an individual must utilize to navigate in the twenty-first century. This skill is developed throughout grade school and continues into adulthood. Many successful readers use active highlighting to assist in their reading comprehension. Active Highlighting is one of the most commonly used approaches to increase reading comprehension. Technology is ever growing and slowly replacing its paper-format counterparts. Educational settings are beginning to use this tool as a more efficient way to teach and test student’s abilities. High-stake tests such as the SAT, are wanting to provide an online format for their exams. As …

Student Voice To Improve Instruction: Leading Transformation Of A School System, Suzanne K. Barker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For educators to improve instruction, they should listen to and learn from students, who are the central focus of education. While there is a growing body of research demonstrating the value of educators partnering with students to improve learning, there is little research on how to implement, diffuse, and sustain the use of student voice at the district level. There was a need for a model of district-wide implementation of student voice that educational leaders could model to implement a student voice initiative in their schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide a historical narrative of the …

Steric Effects Of Alkyl Ammonium Salts On The Combustion Of Exchanged Smectite Clays, Celeste A. Keith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bomb calorimetry was explored as a new method for determining the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of clays. Smectite clays were modified with several alkyl ammonium salts varying in number of carbons and the spatial orientation of the carbons about the central nitrogen atom. The clays used, standards purchased from the Source Clay Repository, have CECs of 44, 80, 88, and 120 meq/100 g. Theoretically, the combustion energy of the organo-clays should be approximately the same for each salt. Any differences in energy would be due to the different structures of the salts and how they are oriented in the interlamellar …

Acculturation And Cross-Cultural Adaptation Among Refugees: The Moderating Role Of Emotions, Ezdehar Z. Alsahow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a result of venturing across language and culture boundaries, individuals may

be exposed to different ways of living and thinking in which may trigger changes in the

way they conceptualize themselves and others. However, such experiences are not

identical for everyone, and the circumstances facing the crisis of refugees would appear

to be exceptionally difficult.

This paper aimed to address refugees’ attempt to acculturate and integrate into a

new society by examining potential moderating factors of emotional processes. The study

focuses on anger, anxiety, pride, and guilt; emotions that refugees carried with them

when they arrived to the new …

Classification Of One-Year Student Persistence: A Machine Learning Approach, Ben Siebrase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multilayer perceptron neural networks, Gaussian naïve Bayes, and logistic regression classifiers were compared when used to make early predictions regarding one-year college student persistence. Two iterations of each model were built, utilizing a grid search process within 10-fold cross-validation in order to tune model parameters for optimal performance on the classification metrics F-Beta and F-1. The results of logistic regression, the historically favored approach in the domain, were compared to the alternative approaches of multilayer perceptron and naïve Bayes based primarily on FBeta and F-1 score performance on a hold-out dataset. A single logistic regression model was found to perform …

An Examination Of The Impact That Communities In Schools' Interventions Make On High School Academic Performance, Coleton Cooper Dean Spruill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study seeks to answer the question: What impact does a local Communities In Schools (CIS), a nationwide dropout prevention program, affiliate's interventions have on a high school student's academic performance, absenteeism, and completion rates? To do this, the study examines the grade point average, absenteeism rate, and completion rate of 1298 students across four years of existing data from a local school district. For comparison purposes, the study uses a quasi-experimental approach and breaks the data into four groups: two experimental groups (At-Risk CIS students and Not-At-Risk CIS students) and two control groups (At-Risk students and Not-At-Risk students). …

The Association Between Medication Adherence In Mental Illness And Substance Use Disorder Relapse In Patients With Dual Diagnosis, Tyler Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The aims of the study were to (1) identify personal, social, and clinical history for patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness, (2) measure agreeance between patient self-report versus facility record history for mental illness, substance abuse, and psychotropic medication, (3) investigate the specific role of medication adherence and barriers to use for psychotropic medications upon SUD relapse, and (4) assess follow-up changes in mental illness severity and medication adherence in dual diagnosis patients enrolled in a substance abuse rehabilitation program.

Methods: The pilot study utilized a mixed methodology. Inclusion criteria included male patients at least 18 …

The Relationship Between The Dark Tetrad Using The Hexaco Personality Models In Relationship To Mental Toughness In College Athletes, Michael K. Ryerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dark Triad has been examined before in previous literature many different times. The Dark Tetrad is recently new to the field and does not have the same amount of literature as the Triad. The Dark Triad and Tetrad have been examined with the Big Five Personality model numerous times and have been negatively correlated in the previous research. However, most of the research examined did not use Honesty-Humility that the HEXACO Personality Model has incorporated into the Big Five Personality model. The topic of mental toughness has been researched numerous times since its acceptance as a personality trait. The difficulty …

Reconstructing The Death Star: Myth And Memory In The Star Wars Franchise, Taylor Hamilton Arthur Katz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mythic narratives exert a powerful influence over societies, and few mythic

narratives carry as much weight in modern culture as the Star Wars franchise. Disney’s 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm opened the door for new films in the franchise. 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the second of these films, takes place in the fictional hours and minutes leading up to the events portrayed in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Changes to the fundamental myths underpinning the Star Wars narrative and the unique connection between these film have created important implications for the public memory of …

Improving Integrated Care For Medically Underserved Patients At A Texas Fqhc Using Sbirt And Phq-9, Irene Fuentes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Integrated Care, under provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aimed to reduce fragmented care for Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs) who depend on community-based centers for their health care needs. Well-defined by the World Health Organization, social determinants of health such as low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, and housing instability often contribute to health disparities, making it difficult for MUPs to achieve optimal health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to gather preliminary data indicating the need to integrate a social work program at a Texas Federally Qualified Health Center using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to …