Digital Commons Network^™

Impacts Of Multiple Coastal Stressors Across Life-History Stages In The Eastern Oyster, Amaelia Zyck

Open Access Dissertations

Urbanized estuaries are characterized as a complex of biotic and abiotic stressors, which currently challenge marine life and are expected to intensify and become increasingly unpredictable under the ongoing impacts of climate change. The persistence of coastal species that inhabit these stressful environments will ultimately depend on their ability to adapt. Many of these species have complex life cycles, featuring distinct morphological and physiological developmental stages that can exhibit unique responses to environmental pressures. However, since all stages share the same genome, selective pressures acting on one stage can have cascading effects throughout the life cycle. The larval stage, being …

Microplastics Detection, Characterization, And Cytotoxicity Evaluation Via Lab-On-Chip, Liyuan Gong

Open Access Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) pose a growing challenge to the ecological system, prompting increasing research efforts in diverse directions. Accurate characterization of MPs is essential for understanding their properties, relying on efficient sampling and detection techniques. Additionally, studying the cytotoxic effects of MPs is critical for evaluating their impact on biological systems. Lab-on-chip (LoC) systems offer significant advantages for precise particle manipulation and compatibility with advanced analytical instrumentation, making them valuable for MP detection and characterization. Microfluidic-based on-chip cell-culturing systems provide a controllable, physiologically relevant microenvironment for more realistic in vitro tissue modeling. By leveraging advanced LoC concepts and integrating state-of-the-art machine …

Investigating Mono-Driver Versus Multi-Driver Oncogenesis Via Alterations To Cell Signaling Pathways, Abygail Chapdelaine

Open Access Dissertations

The latest edition of Global Cancer Statistics released by the American Cancer Society reported approximately 20 million newly diagnosed cancer cases worldwide in 2022 with 9.7 million deaths. This ranks cancer as the second leading cause of death worldwide. For the majority of cancer patients, the standard treatment approach is chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, and while this has been successful in some patients, a lack of specificity to cancer cells causes severe side-effects when these agents damage healthy cells. Despite extensive efforts that have gone into developing targeted cancer therapeutics that block functions specific to cancer, they have not been …

Analysis Of Early Interventions To Retain Underrepresented Students In Computer Science, Michael Conti

Open Access Dissertations

Computer science, like many STEM disciplines, faces persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining women and individuals from racially and ethnically minoritized backgrounds. This study examines whether targeted interventions can produce sustained improvements in academic performance and sense of belonging among these underrepresented groups. By analyzing longitudinal data, this research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in promoting equity and persistence in computer science education.

Using An Ecological And Cultural Lens To Examine The 1st Year Persistence And Science Identity Development Of At-Risk Biology Students Experiencing Multiple Equity-Minded High Impact Practices, Aura Fajardo Grandidge

Open Access Dissertations

In this study, I used an ecological and a cultural perspective to examine the first-year experiences of two cohorts of biology students exposed to multiple equity-minded High Impact Practices (HIPs) designed to promote their persistence and science identity development.

In chapter 1, I applied Graham et al.’s Persistence Framework (2013) and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1977) to investigate the bridges and barriers to persistence that biology students face while experiencing either an equity minded learning community, a first-year seminar, a course-based research experience, and/or an active learning introductory biology course. Using a mixed methods approach that focused on phenomenology, I …

The Chemical Ecology Of A Caribbean Boulder Coral During Restoration And The Interplay Between Fish Predation And Microbiome Variation, Catherine E. Raker

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems on the planet. In recent decades, however, climate change and other global threats have caused severe declines in live coral cover worldwide. Coral propagation, or “gardening,” is a popular strategy to attempt to restore healthy corals to degraded reefs. Slow-growing boulder corals are often restored using microfragmentation, where cutting coral colonies into roughly 1 cm² fragments can increase their growth rates up to 5x. However, extreme early mortality of fragments has been observed in the field, which has been at least partially attributed to predation. It has been …

“What’S Supp” Developing An In Vitro Model For Healthy Oral Biofilms, Alex Labossiere

Open Access Dissertations

The study of oral plaque has largely been influenced by the study of pathogens. Here in Chapter 1, I will discuss how this pathogenic focus has been dominant until the onset of microbiome research and begin to explain microbiomes in the context of supragingival plaque in homeostatic communities. From there we will then discuss the possible roots where dysbiosis may arise from plaque to cause disease and ways in which we can study healthy supragingival plaque by in vitro models.

In chapter 2, I will discuss molecular commensalism and how it can be viewed as a tool to further understand …

Non-Coding Rnas As Regulators Of Coral Biology, Jill Ashey

Open Access Dissertations

Coral reef ecosystems face increasing threats from climate change, yet knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that underlie coral acclimatization, resilience, and development remains incomplete. Among these mechanisms, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), specifically microRNAs (miRNAs), are emerging as key regulators of gene expression in response to environmental and developmental cues. This dissertation explores the diversity, function, and dynamics of ncRNAs in scleractinian corals across ecological, physiological, and developmental contexts. In Chapter 1, I present the first comprehensive analysis of ncRNAs - specifically long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), miRNAs, and piwi-RNAs (piRNAs) - in three reef-building coral species from Mo’orea, French Polynesia: Acropora pulchra, …

Electro-Vascular Dynamics During Auditory Processing: Variation Along The Schizotypy Continuum, John P. Mclinden

Open Access Dissertations

Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) are complementary noninvasive neuroimaging modalities that have contributed greatly to our understanding of the mechanisms of auditory processing. As an emerging technology, fNIRS has produced promising insights into the mechanisms of auditory processing, although considerable work remains to characterize hemodynamic responses in auditory tasks. In addition, the complementary nature of EEG and fNIRS and the relationships between the signals they record have been underexplored. In particular, nonlinear interactions between these signals remain under-characterized, despite the potential benefit to future multimodal neuroimaging studies. A challenge in understanding these interactions is the influence of systemic …

The Effects Of Ph And Oncometabolites On Dna Repair Mediated By Alkb Family Enzymes, Quentin Mylie

Open Access Dissertations

Modifications of DNA and RNA, in particular methylations - such as N⁶-methyladenine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C), 1-methyladenine (m1A), and 3-methylcytosine (m3C) are crucial for gene regulation, genome integrity, and cellular adaptation. This dissertation investigates the role of the ALKB family of alpha-ketoglutarate (αKG) and iron-dependent dioxygenases in modulating these modifications, with a focus on how their activity is influenced by pH and metabolic factors, underscoring the connection between environmental conditions and epigenetic and genetic stability.

Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive literature review on the epigenetic and genetic regulation of DNA and RNA modifications, with a particular focus on methylation …

Textual Sediments: Genre And The Planetary Novel, William Bowden

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates how twenty-first-century prose fiction navigates the ecological and temporal dimensions of planetary crisis. In response to accelerating pressures - climate change, ecological collapse, and the intensification of capitalist modernity - literary studies has turned increasingly to the planetary as a conceptual frame. Yet this shift has often outpaced the development of adequate critical vocabularies and narrative methodologies. By drawing on ecocriticism, narrative theory, phenomenology, and related fields, Textual Sediments proposes a new framework for reading what it terms the planetary novel: a sedimentary genre characterized by temporal layering, formal hybridity, and a recursive engagement with scale. Through …

Confronting The Seaport Resilience Gap: Incentives, Frameworks, And Case Studies For Enhancing Resilience To Natural Hazards In Port Planning And Policy, Rosemarie Fusco

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the critical issue of seaport resilience, focusing on the gaps in resilience planning and the role of incentives in motivating resilience investment. The research arc addresses the question: What incentivizes seaports to increase natural hazard resilience (NHR)? It is organized into three interconnected manuscripts, each examining distinct aspects of the problem.

The first manuscript critically examines the resilience planning approaches of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as outlined in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the limited consideration of seaports despite their critical role in economic and social connectivity. SIDS offer critical insight into seaport resilience due …

Intersections Of Inattention: A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Experiences Of Multiply Marginalized Students In Community College Settings, Jana N. Knibb

Open Access Dissertations

Educational research has examined the impact of expanded access to higher education for historically marginalized groups. However, research on the experiences of students who are both racially minoritized and dis/abled is limited. Findings suggest that, due to their intersectional identities, multiply marginalized dis/abled students (MMDS) navigate policies and practices related to racist ableism, which further marginalize them and create additional barriers in their higher education experiences. Expanding this research requires theoretical frameworks that account for students' identities, experiences, and barriers in higher educational spaces and contexts. This qualitative study, grounded in Dis/ability Studies and Critical Race Theory in Education (DisCrit), …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) Effects On Tissue Disposition, Proteome, And Health Effects, Juliana Agudelo Areiza

Open Access Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a class of nonbiodegradable synthetic aliphatic environmental toxicants that are ubiquitous in the environment. A small subset, specifically perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been designated as highly hazardous to human health by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). PFOA and PFOS-associated adverse health effects include, but are not limited to, immune suppression, thyroid dysfunction, increased serum cholesterol, liver damage (i.e., alanine aminotransferase (ALT)), and developmental toxicity (i.e., low fetal birth weight and neurotoxicity). In this doctoral dissertation, it was hypothesized that environmental PFAS …

Defining The Peptidyl Transferase Active Site Of The Ribosome, Erin Killeavy

Open Access Dissertations

The ribosome is the instrument by which all biological life on earth translates a message of ribonucleic acid (mRNA) into proteins. The modern-day ribosome has evolved into a highly complex and exceedingly efficient macromolecular machine responsible for protein synthesis. The two primary functional activities of the ribosome, decoding and peptide bond formation, have been attributed to rRNA. While three rRNA bases have precisely-defined roles in decoding, no direct role for any RNA or protein residues within the active site has been established in catalysis of peptide bond formation.

This dissertation investigates the intramolecular RNA and intermolecular protein-RNA interactions within the …

Using Fishing Industry Input And Fishery-Dependent Data To Improve Understanding Of Offshore Fishing Activity And Business Operations, Julia C. Livermore Sheehan

Open Access Dissertations

As the US Blue Economy expands, the commercial and recreational fishing industries in Southern New England face a plethora of challenges. Demand for ocean space is increasing with the expansion of offshore wind development, proposals for additional marine monuments and sanctuaries, and plans for offshore aquaculture farms. Spatial conflicts are therefore increasing, while climate change is driving physical oceanographic changes and biological responses in species at all levels of the food web, resulting in shifts in species distributions and therefore fishing grounds. These challenges contribute to the conditions that businesses must adapt to in order to survive. Therefore, fishing businesses …

Altered Transcriptional Regulation Is An Early Driver Of Disease In An In Vitro Model Of C9orf72 Als/Ftd, Michelle Jean Gregoire

Open Access Dissertations

Neurodegenerative disorders affect millions of people worldwide and are only expected to increase in prevalence as the world’s population ages. The progressive loss of neurons, their structure, and function can lead to detrimental effects as neurons are responsible for the integration of signals in the brain and spinal cord. Despite the association of genetic mutations leading to neurodegeneration, the etiology of many of the disorders is unknown. Understanding how cellular pathologies affect different subsets of neurons is a major goal in the field of cell and molecular neuroscience. Similarly, understanding the mechanisms that may drive these pathologies is of interest …

Development And Evaluation Of Novel Electrode Designs And Gels For Use In Electroencephalography, Jay Vincelli

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the challenge of improving spatial resolution and signal quality in electroencephalography (EEG), focusing on tripolar concentric ring electrodes (TCREs) and conductive gels. The research aimed to develop standardized evaluation methods for TCREs, optimize gel performance, and explore non-invasive EEG techniques for studying brain activity in octopuses.

A novel planar EEG phantom was developed, enabling systematic evaluation of TCREs and gels. Sixteen commercial EEG gels were assessed using this phantom, revealing significant performance variations with TCREs. Based on these findings, a custom high-impedance gel was formulated specifically for TCREs. Additionally, the potential of TCREs for non-invasive EEG techniques …

Seeking Clarity In The Coastal Zone: Quantifying Submarine Groundwater Discharge (Sgd) By Thermal Infrared (Tir) Imagery And Radionuclide Tracer Modeling, Kyle S. R. Young

Open Access Dissertations

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is the flow of water from continental shelves to coastal waterbodies and is an important transport vector of terrestrially-sourced waters and pollutants to coastal waterbodies. Subject to variabilities and forcings operating over numerous scales, SGD is particularly difficult to quantify at the spatial resolutions necessary to assess source characteristics, while obtaining the coverage necessary to understand its spatial controls. Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems-deployed thermal infrared sensors (sUAS-TIR) provide a means of identifying SGD source zones and quantifying SGD TIR thermal anomaly (“plume”) areas at very high spatial resolutions over large areas, though are unable to quantify …

Development And Modeling Of An Innovative Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device For Quantitative Elisa, Ashutosh Kumar

Open Access Dissertations

This work contributes to the burgeoning field of paper-based analytical devices, with a particular focus on advancing global health outcomes through the development of an innovative paper-based Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (p-ELISA) platform. At its core, this research seeks to address the critical need for accessible, efficient, and reliable diagnostic tools by leveraging the unique properties of paper as a substrate for fluid dynamics and biochemical reactions. The motivation behind this endeavor is the potential for such devices to significantly improve diagnostic capabilities, especially in resource-limited settings where traditional laboratory infrastructure is scarce.

The work is structured around a comprehensive exploration …

Dynamics Of Some Non-Autonomous Difference Equations, Ryan Sullivan

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on non-autonomous difference equations. Results are proven for non-autonomous n-dimensional versions of commonly used maps, such as Ricker's map, Pielou's map, and more. Chapter I is about the dynamics a generalized Beverton Holt equation in 3-dimensions, and its non-autonomous analogue. Chapter I also includes a result for general 3-dimensional systems. Chapter II is about the convergence of non-autonomous difference equations.

Nanotube Spectral Fingerprinting And Machine Learning For Optimized Bioimaging/Sensing Applications, Aceer Nadeem

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis presents a multifaceted exploration of the optimization and application of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) in biomedical contexts, with a specific focus on enhancing their stability, functionality, and use as optical biosensors. The research spans several key areas, including the development of innovative techniques that couple machine learning with spectral fingerprinting for advanced diagnostics, the investigation of SWCNT chirality and its implications for cellular interactions, and the optimization of lyophilization processes to improve long-term stability and reproducibility.

The first section of the thesis delves into the fundamental properties of SWCNTs, emphasizing their unique electronic and optical characteristics. These properties, …

From Page To Stage: Enlightenment Common Sense & The Semiotics Of The Body, 1660–1820, Nilton X. Gomes

Open Access Dissertations

How did eighteenth-century audience members or novel readers come to see beyond the facades of literary characters and narrators? By looking into moments of bodily concealment in the eighteenth-century novel and theater, this dissertation examines how authors and playwrights in this period wrote with subtly and force to make the body as and in many instances more legible to their readers as the words on the page or the dialogues on the stage in attempts to suture the gap that lies between what a writer intends and what a reader grasps in a literary work. It also stresses the body’s …

Habitat Selection And Breeding Ecology Of American Woodcock In Southern New England, Colby R. Slezak

Open Access Dissertations

Declines in young forest in eastern North America during the last century have led to declines in wildlife species that inhabit and depend on this habitat for at least some portion of their annual cycle. For example, the American woodcock (Scolopax minor), a hunted upland shorebird that inhabits early successional habitats has experienced long-term (ca. 1% annually) population declines since monitoring of singing males began in 1968. For nearly a century, woodcock research has primarily focused on males because of the difficulties associated with capturing females, thus relatively little is known about females and if factors related to …

Investigation Of Fancd2 Function Utilizing A Multi-Omic Approach, Justin Blaize

Open Access Dissertations

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease characterized by congenital abnormalities, bone marrow failure, and a predisposition to cancer. FA is caused by a mutation in one of 23 genes, the protein products of which function in a pathway to repair DNA and maintain genome stability. While an important role for the FA proteins in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) has been established in vitro, there is still much to be learned about the function of the pathway, and the endogenous sources of ICLs in FA patients. In this work we study FANCD2, a key protein …

Multi-Sensor Fusion For Uuv Localization At The Ice-Water Interface, Lin Zhao

Open Access Dissertations

The polar oceans are crucial in influencing global overturning circulation, biological carbon pumps, and the carbon cycle. Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are promising tools to explore this area for scientific sampling and monitoring. However, underwater localization is challenging because of the lack of GPS. To improve the robustness of UUV under-ice navigation ability, in this dissertation, we investigated a multi-sensor fusion localization system for ice-water inter-face exploration. Specifically, the state-of-the-art Multi-State Constraint Kalman Filter (MSCKF) is leveraged to perform state estimation using Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Pressure, Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Forward-looking Sonar (FLS) and Mono-camera. Furthermore, robust feature estimation …

Late Pleistocene-Holocene Environmental Change At The Southern Ocean Sea Ice Edge Documented By Diatom Assemblages And Diatom-Bound Nitrogen Isotopes, Isabel Dove

Open Access Dissertations

The Southern Ocean plays a key role in modulating global climate via physical and biogeochemical processes, both today and in the past. Wind-driven upwelling brings nutrient-rich deep water to the surface, enabling carbon exchange with the atmosphere and fueling primary production that facilitates long-term storage of carbon in the deep ocean. The nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter within diatom microfossils (δ¹⁵N_DB) has been used to reconstruct changes in nutrient utilization related to upwelling-driven supply and biological demand and consequent impact on climate across Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles (2.58 Ma - 11.7 ka) and over the Holocene …

Burden Among Caregivers Of Youth With Psychotic Disorders And Clinical High Risk For Psychosis, Devon Carroll

Open Access Dissertations

Schizophrenia ranks among the most debilitating psychiatric disorders across the lifespan, leading to poor recovery outcomes, high mortality rates, and a surge in comorbid health conditions (Charlson et al., 2018). When psychotic illness strikes before age 18, it follows a more complex clinical course, presents with more severe negative psychotic symptoms, and carries a greater genetic vulnerability (Armando et al., 2018; Lin et al, 2016). Children categorized with “clinical high risk for psychosis” (CHR-P), a term used to describe a prodromal phase characterized by a gradual onset and presentation of sub-threshold psychotic symptoms, experience high rates of suicidal behavior and …

The Impact Of Computer-Based Simulations On Content Knowledge And Engagement Of Anatomy & Physiology Ii Students, Bonnie Rayta

Open Access Dissertations

This exploratory mixed-methods study looks to examine if there is a relationship between the use of computer-based simulations (CBS), student knowledge and student engagement in an anatomy and physiology II course. Research question one (RQ 1) asked: does the integration of CBS into lecture-based instruction improve students’ knowledge (KWD) in a second semester anatomy and physiology II course compared to students who participated in non-CBS instruction. Research question two (RQ 2) asked: does the integration of CBS into lecture-based instruction improve students’ engagement (ENG) in a second semester undergraduate anatomy and physiology II course compared to students who participate in …

Translanguaging Through Experiencing: The Lived Experiences Of Multilingual Learners Studying Chinese, Jiangping Cai

Open Access Dissertations

Although the United States has a population with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, multilingual education has been greatly influenced by monolingual and raciolinguistic ideologies (Flores & Rosa, 2019; García, 2014; Ruiz, 1984). With world language enrollment continuing to decline (Lusin et al., 2023), investigation of the lived experiences of diverse groups of multilingual learners (MLLs) would help to understand language learning from a sociocultural perspective, and better support multilingual education and planning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the Chinese learning experiences of native English multilingual students studying Chinese at a U.S. public university language program. The …