Digital Commons Network^™

Data In Action Story : Sharing And Exploring Earth Science Data, Dan Pham

Theses

To fill in the gap between the data vendors, who want to promote commercial datasets, and Earth Science researchers, who want an accessible method to the valuable datasets, the “Data in Action” story concept has been adopted by the NASA Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program to encourage creating and sharing data information in story form. To aid researchers in exploring similar stories in their fields of interest, this researcher created an “Influence Network” within the “Data in Action” framework. The Influence Network is a data visualization feature which gathers information related to story relationships using a concept called “influence.” …

Environmental Factors Influencing Selection Of Cave Entrances As Nesting Sites By The Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis Phoebe), J. Foster Sims

Theses

The Eastern Phoebe (Saynoris phoebe) is a medium-sized flycatcher found throughout eastern North America that traditionally nested in cave entrance zones. However, with the onset of human civilization and the adoption of man-made structures (e.g., barns, porches, bridges), the Eastern Phoebe’s population has dramatically increased (over 90%) in recent years. There has been little recent research regarding the continued use of cave entrances as nesting sites by the Eastern Phoebe. In this study, I surveyed 50 cave entrances in northern Alabama and south-central Tennessee to determine the environmental factors that influence the use of cave entrances as nesting …

The Impact Of Mkp-2 Deficiency On Hematological Parameters In Diet Challenged Mice, Cassandra Secunda

Theses

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulate metabolic homeostasis and MAPK dysfunction promotes metabolic diseases. MAPK phosphatases (MKPs) regulate MAPKs and are implicated in obesity and platelet activation. To elucidate the role of MKP-2 in platelet function and NAFLD, tail bleed, platelet isolation, and western blot assays were performed. MKP-2 KO mice and control mice were fed either a chow or 12- 13 week high fat diet (HFD), a 10 week iron deficient (ID), or an iron supplement (IS) regimen. On the chow diet, the bleeding time was significantly reduced in female MKP-2 KO mice. Male MKP-2 KO IS mice showed significantly …

A Study Of Explainable Real-Time Object Detection And Human-Ai Teaming Interactions In Virtual Environments, Joseph Schwalb

Theses

The exponential nature by which Artificially Intelligent (AI) models grow enables evermore complex tasks to be achieved. Since these tasks tend to augment human capability, interacting with these models presents a unique way to commission assistive automation. The introduction of Explainable AI (XAI) enables AI stakeholders to converse with models, understand model reasonings, and comprehend biases while considering reliability requirements. The introduction of this Explainable capability in Human-AI teams presents a unique approach to addressing the complexities behind Human-Computer Interactions. Our application of Explainable AI for Intelligent Systems to augment decision-making is poised to shine a light on the challenges, …

Disjointed Cynicism, Jay Armstrong

Theses

Like most students, I started this writing MA program to become a better writer, which would be a tremendous benefit to me both personally and professionally. Put simply, I want to write books I would enjoy reading. While I have enjoyed a few of the short stories that I have written so far, my work is nowhere near the level of the action-lacked novels I love to read for leisure. I feel my biggest shortcoming is in framing up multiple storylines to make a well-paced novel, which is my long-term goal. My writing usually has a lot of action and …

Composition, Nutritional And Physicochemical Properties Of Milk Fat Globule Membrane Enriched Ingredients For Use In Infant Nutrition Products, Pierre Ponchon

Theses

The aim of this thesis was to investigate the nutritional, techno-functional and physicochemical properties of milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) enriched whey protein concentrate (WPC) ingredients. This research focused on the physicochemical, nutritional, techno-functional, and microstructural properties of MFGM-enriched whey protein concentrate (WPC) powder ingredients, which included 3 MFGM-enriched WPC ingredients and a WPC ingredient co-enriched with α-lactalbumin and MFGM. These were compared to parallel stream (WPC 80 and whey protein isolate (WPI)) and upstream, whole milk powder (WMP) bovine derived ingredients of varying macromolecular composition, including MFGM-enrichment. The macromolecular compositions of the MFGM-enriched WPC ingredients included fat contents ranging …

The Satiating Potential Of Plant Proteins Transiting The Upper Gut., Leo Nunn

Theses

Increasing the feeling of fullness through modulation of satiety hormones by dietary proteins may be a promising daily approach in the prevention of unnecessary weight gain and in the maintenance of a healthy weight over our lifetime. The effects of animal sourced proteins on satiety hormone (GLP-1, PYY and CCK) has been well documented. However to meet the EU Green Deal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a 15-20 % dietary shift to plant proteins is required. This thesis examined the satiating potential of six plant protein ingredients, Teff, Oat Fibre, Lentil Protein Isolate, Buckwheat, Quinoa and Strong …

The Transformation Of Cherokee Medicial Practices And The Hesitations That Surround Them, Rebecca Bills

Theses

Studies on traditional Cherokee medicine during the 1800s explained Cherokee religious beliefs and the treatments they used to heal the members of their community. However, no updated research has been done to see if Cherokees are still using traditional medicine and if they are, which kinds are they using in the 21st century. This is in part due to the fact that Native Americans and the U.S. government have a complicated relationship from centuries of mistreatment, broken treaties, and the removal from their ancestral homelands. This has created a distrust between native and non-natives. Today, traditional healers' identities are protected …

Feature Selection In High-Dimensional Space With Applications To Gene Expression Data, Nishan Pantha

Theses

Recent years have seen rapid growth in high-dimensional datasets. Most existing machine learning (ML) algorithms fail in high-dimensional settings where many features could be redundant. A critical process of feature selection is thus applied in such a setting that helps in identifying the most relevant features while removing redundant ones. With the increase in high dimensionality, one is also faced with problems of efficiency and interpretation in performing such selection methods. Therefore, this thesis proposes a “novel” feature selection framework that uses an ensemble of interpretable ML algorithms to perform feature selection and the ranking of final features. Finally, this …

The Survival Of Punic Identity In The Imperial Roman Age, Ryan Alcanio

Theses

After the Roman conquest of Carthage in 146 BC, North Africa began the process of becoming a Roman Province. From the 1st century AD onward, the surviving culture of the Carthaginian and Punic peoples underwent significant changes that better incorporated it into the Roman world. The Punic religion became adopted into the Roman Pantheon and took on Roman attributes while the Punic language survived mostly intact thanks to the written form adopting the Latin alphabet by the 2nd century AD.

The Age Of De Fer: Maps, Knowledge, And The Western World View, 1680-1720, Fiona Keating

Theses

This thesis determines the degree to which cartographic tools and maps such as Nicolas de Fer’s Carte de la Mer du Sud et de la Mer du Nord (Paris, 1713) might be considered ‘weapons’ of empire and examples of eighteenth-century ‘plundering’ of the Pacific. It analyses the connection between knowledge, power, empire and identity in the so-called ‘Age of Discovery’ by examining the map created by de Fer in the early years of the Scientific Revolution and the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. Carte de la Mer du Sud et de la Mer du Nord is an encyclopaedic, visual representation of western …

One Beat At A Time: Mitigating The Risk Factors Of Rheumatic Heart Disease Through Public Policies, Duy Phuong Huynh Nguyen

Theses

This thesis examines the challenges associated with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and the persistent prevalence of these diseases in the Australian context. In particular, the study focuses on the high resurgence of these preventable conditions within the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Torres Strait Island population. The study begins with an initial analysis on the initial infection of the Group A streptococcus (GAS: Streptococcus pyogenes). We then examine current knowledge of the mechanisms which permit the transmission and development GAS infections, leading to ARF and RHD. This chapter explores current challenges associated with …

Vegetarianism And Social Change: Alternate Diets As Activism?, Jasper Lloyd

Theses

Research into vegetarian and vegan (vegist) diets has previously found animal rights to be the primary/most significant motivator. Such studies, however, were largely conducted prior to the mass mobilisation of young people - instigated by the global School Strike for Climate in 2018 - in environmental activism. This project, which included 110 surveys and 9 interviews with vegist students (18-25) at an Australian University in 2019 and 2020, examines a) the motivations for vegism in a young cohort, and b) explores the experience, tactics, and goals of young vegists through a social movement theory lens. The project found that a …

Is Patient Controlled Analgesia A Feasible Method Of Pain Relief In The Emergency Department: A Mixed Method Study, Raja Natasya Raja Azlan

Theses

Although pain is the most common reason for patients to present to emergency departments (EDs), conventional methods of pain management in EDs are suboptimal. Patient controlled analgesia (PCA), commonly used for post operative pain relief, was proposed as a modality of pain management in ED. PCA enables the patient to self-administer intravenous analgesia, has been rigorously evaluated in acute care settings and is widely used in many clinical areas. It is not routinely used in EDs. The literature review found critical gaps in the existing evidence of PCA use in EDs justifying this research. A three-phase sequential mixed methods study …

Novel Investigations For Reflux Disease And Their Complications In The Oesophagus, Jin-Soo Park

Theses

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a disease process in which gastric acid from the stomach refluxes upwards into the lower oesophagus and causes typical symptoms such as heartburn. In contrast, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) is a reflux disease where stomach contents reflux upward to the upper oesophagus, pharynx, larynx, and lungs. LPR instead causes more nebulous and atypical symptoms such as voice change, chronic cough, and laryngitis. Furthermore, prolonged acid contact can cause cellular changes that increase risk of oesophageal malignancy.

GORD is a prevalent disease, and there are various investigative modalities to assess, diagnose, and quantify its impacts. On …

Advances In Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery: Management And Diagnostic Techniques, Gregory L. Falk

Theses

Upper gastrointestinal surgery has progressively moved from the surgically open abdomen to minimally invasive surgery, largely due to technological improvements in instrumentation. A direct result of this Gestalt has been improved patient comfort, rapid recovery and significantly less length of stay in the hospital and therefore significant cost-savings. This was the key impetus to my development of many of the skills in minimally invasive surgery and the subsequent dissemination to other surgeons in an organized and well-recognized teaching system. Many of the novel techniques of this type of surgery led to several publications both in the English and French oncological …

The Influence Of Personal Traits, Individual Behaviours And Population Health Determinants On The Epidemiology Of Facial Injury: Psychiatric Comorbidity, Substance Abuse, Sars Social Distancing Measures, Gary Russell Hoffman

Theses

ABSTRACT Introduction Injury can be defined as an act or event that causes harm, hurt or damage. It occurs as a result of the transfer of energy to living tissue. The biological response to such an insult is inflammation and is based on the activation of immune competent cells in tandem with alterations in vascular permeability. The process is orchestrated at a subcellular level by the release of immunomodulatory molecular mediators. T

he bones of the skull and face are the key determinant of human appearance. They form the framework to which other tissues are attached. The variability of facial …

The Characteristics Of Senior Leadership Teams In High Performing Western Australian Catholic Composite And Secondary Schools, Daniel Michael Groenewald

Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of principals, senior leadership team members, and middle leaders regarding the characteristics of senior leadership teams (SLTs) in high-performing Catholic Education Western Australian composite and secondary schools (CCSS). The study investigated the characteristics that enhanced and inhibited SLTs. It explored the resources and professional learning that could improve SLTs and the role of the principal in the SLT. This research is the first study of SLTs in CCSS.

The study's literature review identified six areas of literature that formed the conceptual framework of this thesis. These six areas were: the …

The Other Beginning Of Thinking: Heidegger And Neoplatonism, Emile Alexandrov

Theses

This thesis establishes an “other beginning” for thinking by repositioning Plato and Neoplatonism in Heidegger’s history of metaphysics. The thesis achieves this by revising Heidegger’s interpretation of Plato and retrieving Neoplatonist approaches to non-discursive thinking, corresponding to some of Heidegger’s post-turn concerns. The thesis begins by justifying the adoption of Heidegger’s “two beginnings” idea and illustrating what I label the “fundamentals of truth of the first beginning,” which Heidegger used to envision the other beginning of thinking. The fundamentals of truth inform Heidegger’s reading of Hölderlin and the later writings that emerged from the 1950s onwards. The second part re-thinks …

The Perceptions Of Year 5 And 6 Students, Their Teachers And The School Principal Of Their Australian Identity And The School's Role In Developing Students' Australian Identity., Renae Nahajski

Theses

The aim of this qualitative research was to investigate the perceptions of Year 5 and 6 students, their teachers and the school principal of their Australian identity and the school’s role in the development of Australian identity. The study explores participants’ perceptions of their own identity and investigates where and when students feel they are taught about Australian identity.

The research also investigates where and when the principal and teachers feel the school develops students’ Australian identity. The review of the literature highlighted three areas that formed the conceptual framework for the study. The three areas were national identity; curriculum; …

The Role Of Mkp-2 In Cellular Senescence And Metabolic Function, Morgan Welch

Theses

Senescence is a state of permanent cell cycle arrest which stops proliferation. It is hallmarked by changes in proteins such as p21, p53, and p16, which are regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) which are regulated by MAPK Phosphatases (MKPs). One such MKP, MKP-2, has a paucity of information on its physiological function. To study MKP-2 in senescence, we used mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from novel MKP-2 whole-body knockout mice. These MEFs were analyzed using senescence-associated β-galactosidase assays and immunoblotting approaches. It was found that there were reduced β-Galactosidase positive cells and reduced senescence phenotypes in the Mkp2 -/- …

Seasonal Vulnerability Of Snakes To Road Traffic At Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Jackson S. Schoettle

Theses

Snakes are important predators and prey in North American food webs that exhibit seasonal activity patterns in temperate regions. During periods of heightened activity, they will often utilize roads both for traveling from one habitat patch to another and/or for thermoregulation. In this thesis, I explore how human recreational activities impact the diversity and distribution of snake communities by examining the relationships between seasonality of human recreational activities and gravel road closures for waterfowl management on snake road mortality and activity at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alabama, USA. Many studies have investigated how snakes interact with paved roads, …

A Comprehensive Study Of Algorithmic Bias : Fairness In Ai, Ethical And Social Implications In Real World Applications, Lakshitha Rikhab Chand Jain

Theses

Algorithmic bias, also known as algorithmic discrimination or AI bias, is a pervasive phenomenon marked by the systematic and unjust treatment of specific demographic groups based on attributes like race, gender, age or other distinguishing characteristics. The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms across various domains has amplified concerns surrounding algorithmic bias, which has the potential to perpetuate discrimination and deepen societal inequalities. This thesis embarks on a comprehensive exploration of algorithmic bias, delving into its multifaceted nature. It dissects various forms of bias, including selection bias, confirmation bias, and measurement bias, shedding light on the …

Exploring The Metabolic Capabilities And Biotransformation Potential Of Environmental Lactococcus Strains, Desirée Román Naranjo

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to characterize environmental Lactococcus strains to identify different and diverse metabolic capabilities that could be applied to microbial biotransformation, defined as the conversion of a cheap/waste substrate into a value-added product. Due to the increased amounts of food processing waste generated worldwide and the impact of climate change, new sustainable approaches are necessary to contribute to waste valorization and the circular bioeconomy. We ask to what extent and in what ways environment isolated Lactococcus strains could contribute to food biotransformation by metabolizing a different range of substrates. We do so to further understand and …

Genetic Selection For Improved Production Efficiency In The Mature Dairy Herd, Maeve Williams

Theses

Improving dairy cow production efficiency is highly desirable because of its well-documented impact on profitability and sustainability. Long-term gains in dairy cow production efficiency have already been delivered through genetic selection. Nonetheless, achieving further improvements in production efficiency could cement the economic and environmental efficiency of the dairy industry, globally. To date, several components contributing to production efficiency have been overlooked, with many studies focusing on dairy cow production efficiency over short periods rather than lifetime efficiency. Therefore, the objectives of this thesis were to quantify the genetic variance components of complementary dairy cow efficiency metrics; including dry matter intake, …

Identification And Creation Of Novel Bacteriocins With Potential Food And Clinical Applications, David Lynch

Theses

Bacteriocins represent a heterogeneous group of small, ribosomal-synthesized, potent antibacterial peptides produced by bacteria, capable of inhibiting bacteria both closely related or indeed those from other genera than the producer. In addition to their role as food preservatives, bacteriocins have potent activity against medically significant pathogens and are considered attractive alternatives to antibiotics, due to their inherent heat stability, potency at nanomolar scale, resistance to proteases and low levels of acquired resistance in commercial applications. The aim of this thesis was to identify, purify and bioengineer novel bacteriocins from Staphylococcus and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), with a view to expanding …

Investigating Optimal Lipid:Protein Profiles For Infant Milk Formula, Valentina Ivanova

Theses

From the early twentieth century onward, much research has focused on improving infant milk formula (IMF). During the development of IMF, breast milk is commonly considered as the reference and IMF manufacturers are thriving to mimic the composition and/or to match the functionality of breast milk as closely as possible. A variety of bioactive ingredients, found in human breast milk, have been isolated and investigated for their potential functionality and utilised in the production of IMF. This study evaluated the current knowledge on compositional differences between human breast milk and IMF, and recent advances and developments in IMF production. Following …

Enabling Autonomous Driving Using 5g And Beyond, Mahmoud Wadi

Theses

The number of road accidents reported last year in UAE was 3488 accidents resulted in the death of 381 people. The shift towards the need for an intelligent transport system (ITS) supported by the use of autonomous vehicles (AV) is needed. This paper discusses the evolution of autonomous driving supported with a 5G network mainly focusing on key enabler technologies such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Autonomous driving (AD) is involved in safety applications so the communication system has to be reliable while exchanging communication in real-time with low …

Silent Love, Yuehui Zhu

Theses

Silent Love is a 3D animated short film about a family that faced the death of one of their family members. The story talks about the daughter struggling to tell her hard-of-hearing mom that her father has passed away in the hospice room. The film starts in the hospice room. The daughter sits next to the hospice bed, and the audience can see a body covered by a white sheet. The camera zooms into a family photo on the nightstand, with a lunch box full of food. Then with a montage editing, the scene cuts back to when the daughter …

Drawing From The Past, Pengpeng Chen

Theses

Drawing From the Past is a short, 3D animated film that portrays the different thoughts about drawing between two generations and is based on my personal experience. Some art students get less encouragement from their families than other students. In Asian traditional thinking, majoring in art was not the correct career direction, which is correct in that period， because of the economy. Majoring in art means students need to pay more money than other majors. In addition, art is not necessary for some people who worry about food. In the previous period, many people worry about their lives. That means …