Digital Commons Network^™

Methods To Evaluate Ruminant Animal Production Responses, Jose Manuel Diaz Gomez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In experiment 1, 80 steers (197.0 kg initial body weight; BW for fall, 116.9 kg for spring), were stocked at 2.45 and 4.1 calves/ha in fall and spring, respectively in 16 tall fescue pastures [fall ergovaline (EV) = 1,475 ppb and spring EV = 1,173 ppb] under 2 treatments, mineral (MIN) (n = 8) and cumulative management (CM) (n = 8). Forage allowance did not differ (P = 0.76) between CM and MIN during fall but differed during spring (P ≤ 0.05, 2.55 vs. 3.22 kg DM/kg BW, for MIN and CM, respectively). For fall, average daily gain (ADG) resulted …

The Van Hiele Analysis Of Curricular Materials: A Comparative Study, Vinay Kumar Kalyankar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to investigate K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbooks for their effectiveness in preparing students for high school geometry. The basis for the study is van Hiele theory pioneered by the Dutch educators and researchers of geometric understanding in adolescents, Dina van Hiele Geldof and Pierre van Hiele. Another driving force for this dissertation is research into mathematics textbooks and curriculum standards of school mathematics as seen in CCSSM and state specific standards documents, both of which influence the mathematics students have the opportunity to learn.

The K-8 geometry curriculum standards and textbook instructional segments …

Are Two Unmatched Minority Statuses Worse Than One? The Impact Of Social Status Similarities On Alliance In A Mock Clinical Interview, Roselee Jeannette Ledesma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Strengthening therapeutic alliance through social identity matching has been a strategy used to reduce psychotherapy dropout among racial/ethnic and sexual minority clients. Limited research has examined social identity match by manipulating social identity (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual orientation) in an analogue therapy setting. This study (1) assessed whether self-reported alliance was positively associated with theoretical proxies of alliance and (2) examined the effects of racial/ethnic and sexual orientation match on therapeutic alliance (self-reported) and proxies of alliance (perceived similarity, liking, blame, empathy, closeness, microaggression proxies, verbal validation, and open body language). Participants (N = 71) were heterosexual White women interested in …

The Effect Of Organizational Tenure, Bargaining Unit Status, And Union Membership On Local Government Employee Public Service Motivation, Ty Ryburn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two of the largest challenges public organizations face in motivating their workforces are the aging workforce and the strong union influence (Lavigna, 2014). On June 27, 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Janus vs. AFSCME to abolish agency fees, and gave public service employees in bargaining units the right to choose whether they want to pay union dues or pay no fees at all.

In examining the unique motivational factors of employees in the public sector, Perry and Wise (1990) developed a theory called Public Service Motivation (PSM). Later, Perry (1996) developed a survey instrument which despite criticism, …

Contrasting Geometric Variations Of Mathematical Models Of Self-Assembling Systems, Michael Sharp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-assembly is the process by which complex systems are formed and behave due to the interactions of relatively simple units. In this thesis, we explore multiple augmentations of well known models of self-assembly to gain a better understanding of the roles that geometry and space play in their dynamics. We begin in the abstract Tile Assembly Model (aTAM) with some examples and a brief survey of previous results to provide a foundation. We then introduce the Geometric Thermodynamic Binding Network model, a model that focuses on the thermodynamic stability of its systems while utilizing geometrically rigid components (dissimilar to other …

A Case Study On The Differences In Scores Of Undergraduate Students In Traditional, Online, And Hybrid Classes, Patricia Ruth Kuhn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this research was to ascertain whether there are variances in academic performance between students taking an educational technology course in traditional, online, and hybrid learning environments. As a secondary goal, the study assessed the differences in academic performance of male and female students in these classes.

All students in this study held an undergraduate status of junior or above. They had earned a minimum of 45 hours and had a minimum 2.75 overall GPA. These students also passed the certification test for state educators and had been accepted as teacher candidates of the College of Education …

Adaptive Boundary Control Using The Natural Switching Surfaces For Flyback Converters, Luciano Andres Garcia Rodriguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The derivation and implementation of the natural switching surfaces (NSS) considering certain parametric uncertainties for a flyback converter operating in the boundary conduction mode (BCM) is the main focus of this paper. The NSS with nominal parameters presents many benefits for the control of nonlinear systems; for example, fast transient response under load-changing conditions. However, the performance worsens considerably when the converter actual parameters are different from the ones used in the design process. Therefore, a novel control strategy for NSS considering the effects of parameter uncertainties is proposed. This control law can estimate and adapt the control trajectories in …

Countering Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities In The Power System, Fengli Zhang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Security vulnerabilities in software pose an important threat to power grid security, which can be exploited by attackers if not properly addressed. Every month, many vulnerabilities are discovered and all the vulnerabilities must be remediated in a timely manner to reduce the chance of being exploited by attackers. In current practice, security operators have to manually analyze each vulnerability present in their assets and determine the remediation actions in a short time period, which involves a tremendous amount of human resources for electric utilities. To solve this problem, we propose a machine learning-based automation framework to automate vulnerability analysis and …

Illuminating Pay Secrecy: Construct Clarification And An Exploration Of Effects Via The Incentive And Sorting Tracks, Sarah Holtzen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pay secrecy is a burgeoning debate in compensation research. On one side of the debate, it is argued that pay secrecy is a useful and beneficial practice because it can prevent potential dissatisfaction and destructive competition possible when people make unfavorable pay comparisons. On the other side, it is argued that pay secrecy is undesirable because it obscures the motivational properties of pay and does not prevent people from making pay comparisons, nor safeguard them from the resulting dissatisfaction. Despite the popularity of pay secrecy in organizations today, extant research has failed to provide any definitive answers as to whether …

Toward Understanding The Mechanism Of Protein Targeting In The Chloroplast Signal Recognition Particle Pathway, Mercede Furr

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Protein targeting is a vital cellular function. The signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway is a universally conserved targeting system present in the cytosol and used to co-translationally target many proteins to the inner membrane of prokaryotes and the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotes. The chloroplast has a homologous SRP system which post-translationally targets light harvesting chlorophyll binding proteins (LHCPs) to the thylakoid membrane for integration. The chloroplast SRP (cpSRP) is a heterodimer with a 54 kDa subunit equivalent to SRP54 in the canonical pathway. In addition, cpSRP contains a novel 43 kDa subunit which is a unique and irreplaceable component. cpSRP43 …

Cover Crops As An Integrated Approach For Pest Suppression And Pollinator Promotion In Arkansas Watermelon Production Systems, Paige Laurel Hickman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Arkansas watermelon growers face a variety of insect pest and disease problems that have the potential to threaten yield. Integrated pest management tactics can provide control over these threats and are intended to cut down on pesticide use and its associated negative impacts like pesticide resistance, non-target effects, and runoff. Cover crops provide an array of benefits and can be useful in integrated pest management. Evidence has shown that certain cover crops can increase beneficial insects and suppress disease in the following cash crop. They can also provide important resources to pollinators. In order to build a better understanding of …

Chasing The Genetics Of Ascites In Broilers Using Whole Genome Resequencing, Alia Parveen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

We are using whole genome resequencing to identify chromosomal regions associated with resistance or susceptibility to ascites, a form of pulmonary hypertension syndrome, meat-type chickens. Previous Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) based on Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have identified regions on chromosomes 2, 9 and Z. Despite several GWAS and further genotyping, there are no reliable or potential markers for ascites phenotype. We have completed screening of Copy Number Variations (CNVs) and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in ascites resistant and susceptible birds from the relaxed, REL, line derived from a commercial elite broiler line. DNA samples from resistant and susceptible birds …

Contributions Of Role-Playing Games: Advantages Of Incorporating Social Media In Disaster Response, Erin Mullin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After a disaster, emergency managers need to know who needs help, what type of help they need, and how soon they need it. Traditionally, they have relied on 911 calls and ground assessments to collect this information. Because the needs of a population are not able to be identified in a timely manner by ground assessments and because individuals are often unable to get through to 911, many civilians in distress turn to social media outlets as a last-ditch effort to obtain the services they need. Due to the uncertainty concerning the accuracy of social media posts, responding to disaster …

Death On The Horizon: Osteoethnography Of The People Of Akhetaten, Alissa Michelle Bandy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to define and implement osteoethnography. Osteoethnography is the analysis and description of an ancient culture through the bioarchaeological and archaeological evidence, utilizing cultural anthropological theories and techniques. An osteoethnographic narrative is presented in this dissertation, which describes the embodied lives of the people of the 18th Dynasty Egyptian city of Akhetaten, now known as Amarna, founded in 1355 B.C.E. by the Pharaoh Akhenaten. Osteoethnography looks at how people are shaped by and shape their environment, how culture impacts health, and how culture informs the lives of its practioners. Osteoethnography employs life course theory, and …

Sentiment Analysis, Quantification, And Shift Detection, Kevin Labille

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on event detection within streams of Tweets based on sentiment quantification. Sentiment quantification extends sentiment analysis, the analysis of the sentiment of individual documents, to analyze the sentiment of an aggregated collection of documents. Although the former has been widely researched, the latter has drawn less attention but offers greater potential to enhance current business intelligence systems. Indeed, knowing the proportion of positive and negative Tweets is much more valuable than knowing which individual Tweets are positive or negative. We also extend our sentiment quantification research to analyze the evolution of sentiment over time to automatically detect …

The Anonymous Web In Adichie’S Americanah, Michelle Jude Gibeault

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adichie’s Americanah is a novel that elevates anonymous blogging into black cultural performance. The novel follows a young Nigerian, Ifemelu, who arrives in the United States on a student visa and depicts her stressful confrontation with racism in post-slavery America. Through beginning a blog, Ifemelu voices her experiences as a black woman and immigrant in ways that renew the concerns of James Baldwin, an author whom she studies closely. Like Baldwin, her style blends humor and techniques of persuasion that trace to traditional oral folklore. Ifemelu’s success rests partly on Adichie’s construction of her as a character of good ethos, …

Use Of Harvest Weed Seed Control Strategies In Arkansas Soybean, Jeremy Kyle Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today, most growers use chemical weed management programs; however, a sole reliance on herbicides will place more resistance selection pressure on the weeds to which the herbicide is being applied. As herbicide resistance continues to grow and rob growers of yield, alternative weed control options are being sought to create complex integrated weed management programs to prolong the use of effective herbicides. Harvest weed seed control (HWSC) is a non-chemical practice that has been widely adopted in Australia due to herbicide resistance problems. In most cases, herbicide-resistant weeds that survive applications of herbicides produce viable seed that pass through the …

Women In Stem: Strategies And Recommendations For Academic Women And Institutional Leaders, Sarah Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women still comprise a small number of full professors in STEM disciplines in research universities, which have historically been male dominated. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recognized the challenge of getting more women to enter the professoriate, earn tenure, and advance to full professor. These women can then encourage more women to enter into STEM as educators and researchers. The purpose of this study was to recognize, explore, and depict strategies used by women full professors to overcome obstacles they faced while advancing in academic STEM fields. The study participants also offered recommendations for women faculty desiring to become …

Quantitative Analysis Techniques For Assessing Organelle Organization And Dynamics In Individual Cells, Isaac Vargas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In biomedical optics and microscopy, the organization and morphology of organelles have been widely studied. In spite of novel imaging techniques, there is still a lack of quantitative tools to easily measure cellular characteristics from image data. Previous studies have explored multiple approaches to assess organelle organization and alignment, resulting in complicated and extensive algorithms that are both subject to multiple steps of image processing and influenced by non-cellular artifacts. In this thesis, a technique called the Modified Blanket Method (MBM) is introduced to quantify organelle organization through measurements of fractal dimension (FD) on a pixel-by-pixel basis. With the use …

Observations Of A Multi-Component Intervention For Elementary Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorder After Self-Efficacy Coaching, Anna Kristen Bensinger

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) experience more negative student outcomes compared to other special education disability categories, specifically, higher dropout rates, less access to higher education and incarceration. Mathematically, 73% of students with EBD achieve below the 50th percentile on standardized tests (Wagner, Kutash, Duchnowski, Epstein, & Sumi, 2005). This study focused on the exploration of a multi-component mathematics and behavior intervention targeting student self-efficacy for productive learning behaviors in the general education mathematics classroom setting for elementary students with EBD. Participants for this study were students from two 4th grade classrooms, who have been identified with co-occurring …

Getting Serious About Games: A Study Of Work And Play Through Information Systems, Jeffrey K. Mullins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Play and games shape, and are shaped by, culture. They represent an integral and ubiquitous component of humanity. Technological advances are blurring the lines between work and play, and their increasing convergence requires deeper understanding. Organizations seek to harness the motivational power of games to improve instrumental outcomes but face numerous challenges in doing so. Extant theory struggles to inform practice on the use of gameful experiences to achieve practical goals. This dissertation presents three essays that explore the domain of gameful information systems (IS), defined as IS that are designed or perceived to afford or support user experiences similar …

High Frequency Ltcc Based Planar Transformer, Adithya Venkatanarayanan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As we move towards high power and higher frequency related technology, conventional wire-wound magnetics have their own limitations which has led path to the development of planar based magnetic materials. Nowadays more planar magnetic technology has been employed because it is easier to fabricate them. The planar magnetic is a transformer or an inductor that replaces the wire-wound transformer or inductors which generally uses copper wires. One of the main reasons why we move to planar magnetic technology is its operation at higher frequency which provides higher power density. This study explains in detail about the design and fabrication of …

Created For Connection: The Impact Of A Faith-Based Christian Marriage Enrichment Program, Chad N. Imhoff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Created for Connection (CFC), a faith based marriage enrichment program on relationship satisfaction, adult attachment style and adult attachment behavior. This study further adds to the existing knowledge base related to faith-based programs delivered in an intensive weekend format (Johnson & Sanderfer, 2016). Participants were volunteers from the local community who identified as Christian. To ascertain the effectiveness of CFC, three self-report measures were administered at three different intervals: two weeks before the program, two weeks following the program and a six-week follow-up. I measured attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, …

The Social Construction Of Black Fatherhood In Responsible Fatherhood Policies, Azaliah B. Israel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Responsible fatherhood legislation bridges the gap between two explicit family policies in order to serve fathers: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 and the Child Support Enforcement Act of 1975. Historically, these two polices have been racialized and discourse surrounding them may contribute to negative cultural formula stories about the primary targets of responsible fatherhood programs: low-income Black fathers.

The first article addresses the question of whether and how congressional discourse disrupts or legitimizes negative cultural formula stories about Black fatherhood. This study examines congressional discourse during hearings on fatherhood legislation. Members of congress legitimized …

American And Iraqi Prose Fiction Of The Iraq War: Traumas Of The Self, Traumas Of The Nation, Ghyath Manhel Alkinani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

War is so omnipresent in our contemporary world that the story of war is too important to be left to fiction writers to frame and give meaning for. This dissertation provides an analysis of two dominant patterns in contemporary Iraqi and American prose fictional representations of the Iraq War: the individualistic trauma hero narrative and the nationalistic, collective narrative. I argue that the trauma hero myth that dominates American representations of the Iraq War psychologizes and de-politicizes war experience alienating the victim of trauma by decontextualizing their experience and negating the Other. On the other hand, the sweeping nationalistic narrative …

Toolpath Planning Methodology For Multi-Gantry Fused Filament Fabrication 3d Printing, Hieu Trung Bui

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized the way industries manufacture and prototype products. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most popular processes in AM as it is inexpensive, requires low maintenance, and has high material utilization. However, the biggest drawback that prevents FFF printing from being widely implemented in large-scale production is the cycle time. The most practical approach is to allow multiple collaborating printheads to work simultaneously on different parts of the same object. However, little research has been introduced to support the aforementioned approach. Hence a new toolpath planning methodology is proposed in this paper. The objectives …

Female Experience Of Trauma And Mourning In Two Postconflict Novels Of El Salvador And Peru: Roza, Tumba, Quema By Claudia Hernández, And La Sangre De La Aurora By Claudia Salazar, Raquel Castro Salas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on how literature approaches the Salvadoran and Peruvian armed conflicts and contributes with perspectives of the female experience while offering illustrations of mourning processes. It is based on a close analysis of two postconflict novels that emerged after the publication of the corresponding truth commissions final reports. These novels are Roza, tumba, quema (2017) by Claudia Hernández from El Salvador, and La sangre de la aurora (2013) by Claudia Salazar from Peru. The contributions studied in this analysis focus on two areas: (1) a problematization of the female experience of the armed conflicts, and (2) a focus …

Blackting: The Inseparable Act Of Being Black And Acting: For The Magical Negro, Austin Dean Ashford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I am honored to present my Thesis for my M.F.A. in Theatre, in the form of a multidimensional project, drawing inspiration from the structure of Moby Dick by Herman Melville. As an undergraduate, the structure of Moby Dick intrigued me as it defies the form we call “a novel.” The book includes traditional prose, an entire play, verses of poetry, and even an essay. The structure of Moby Dick further influenced my love for Speech and Debate, especially around the event of Program Oral Interpretation (POI). POI places multiple genres of literature in conversation with each other and centers them …

A Sense Of Unending: Apocalypse And Post-Apocalypse In Novels Of Late Capitalism, Brent Linsley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

From Frank Kermode to Norman Cohn to John Hall, scholars agree that apocalypse historically has represented times of radical change to social and political systems as older orders are wiped away and replaced by a realignment of respective norms. This paradigm is predicated upon an understanding of apocalypse that emphasizes the rebuilding of communities after catastrophe has occurred. However, in the last half-century, narratives that emphasize the destruction of human civilization without this restorative component have begun to overshadow the more historically popular post-apocalyptic models that were particularly abundant during the early days of the Cold War. In light of …

Community College Students’ Perceptions Of Law Enforcement, Jason L. Sharp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of public perception towards law enforcement. Students from three different Kansas community colleges were surveyed about their perceptions of law enforcement effectiveness and professionalism, and what might impact those perceptions.

A total of 159 community college students responded to the survey. The majority of the respondents were female (78%), and Caucasian (77.4%). Respondent’s age represented the following percentage breakdowns: 29.6% being 18-19 years old, 27.7% being 20-24 years old, and 30.8% being 25-34. Resulting in 88% of respondents being between the ages of 18-34 years old.

Mean and standard deviation …