Digital Commons Network^™

Metamorphis, Luca Lee Sobarzo Faust

Theses and Dissertations

Web3D interactive experience that explores time, communication, and transformation, from a personal storytelling perspective. Hosted on a web platform, the experience displays three environments: Metamorphis, Cuir AI, and Hain. These spaces propose a fragmented narrative that seeks to interrogate both the characters and the viewer’s perception on the linearity of time

Enhancing Sustainable Process Designs Through Strategic Material Utilization And Waste Minimization Approaches, John David Chea

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability is a growing concern as resources are continually depleted for various applications without adequate renewal plans. The resulting impacts on the ecosystem, health, and resource circularity are often overlooked. This research analyzes improvement opportunities at each major stage in a product's life cycle. Raw material acquisition, product synthesis, process waste management, and the fate of a material in the end-of-life phases were examined. The viability of utilizing renewable resources has been demonstrated in this work by extracting bio-based chemicals from underutilized renewable resources at a commercial scale and transforming the extracted resources into polymeric materials. The optimization of raw …

Greywater Treatment Using Integrated Sand Filtration With Ultrafiltration For Reuse, Aya El-Wattar

Theses and Dissertations

Membrane flux was observed and the two membrane sizes that achieved stable flux were chosen to be used in the later stages of the study. The chosen membranes were of 300 kDa and 400 kDa Molecular Weight Cutoff (MWCO).

The third phase of the study involved running the full system on synthetic greywater then on real greywater. The parameters investigated were COD, TSS, Turbidity and BOD₅. Total COD removal after sand filtration, 300kDa UF and 400 kDa UF was 65, 66 and 73.4% respectively. Total TSS removal after sand filtration, 300kDa UF and 400 kDa UF was 93.1, …

Investigation Of The Effect Of Senescence On Daily Activity Patterns In Male Octopus Insularis, Mariam Steinblatt

Theses and Dissertations

Senescent male octopuses often show comparatively increased activity. We observed daily activity for an adult male Octopus insularis. The subject's diurnal behavior was marked movement or stationary to observe differences. Movement increased over 26 days, but the difference was non-significant. The observation period was likely short, and the subject already senescent.

Design And Synthesis Of Substituted N,3,3-Triphenylpropanamide And 1-Benzhydryl-N-Phenylazetidine-3-Carboxamide Analogs And Their Biological Evaluation, Michael Dorogan

Theses and Dissertations

As D₁R agonism has significant implications in the treatment of cognitive deficits, we sought to develop novel D₁R PAMs, through the derigidification of BMS D₁R PAM hit compound. While we were able to synthesize derigidified analogs of the BMS hit compound, derigidification did not produce active D₁R ligands.

Children And The Cold War: Race & Hypocrisy Amid Fear Of Nuclear War, Richard D. Mctaggart Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

During the Cold War, American propaganda centered the wellbeing of the child in its messaging warning of atomic attack at the hands of the Soviet Union. However, despite American claims that all children were valued by the United States, this was proven untrue by its unequal treatment of Black children.

Paper, Clay, And Thread: Tools Of Decolonization In The Work Of Guadalupe Maravilla, Juan Javier Salazar, And Julieth Morales, Alexandra J. Goldman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains case studies on artwork by Guadalupe Maravilla, Juan Javier Salazar, and Julieth Morales. Each chapter focuses on one important medium in ancient American indigenous art - cartography, ceramics, and textiles – as explored in-depth by a contemporary artist from a region in which the medium has significant roots.

“This Little Patch Of Earth Is Inexhaustible”: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner And The Outdoors Movements, Erica Evans

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the influence of reform movements and hiking and mountaineering organizations on the life and work of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. I explore how principles of these outdoors movements, including a healthy mind/body connection and rustic lifestyle, inform Kirchner’s works created while living in Davos, Switzerland.

Artist-Scholar: Tradition And Modernity In The Work Of Tseng Yuho, Jennie Tang

Theses and Dissertations

Chinese American artist-scholar Tseng-Yuho (1925-2017) developed an original, modern style called dsui hua based on her extensive knowledge of traditional Chinese ink art and scroll mounting techniques, Chinese and Western art history, and experiences living in or travelling to mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Paris, Hawai‘i, and New York.

“W”: Women In Afropop Entertainment At The Intersection Of Race, Gender, Sexuality, And Culture, Coreen Robledo

Theses and Dissertations

Performing artist uses a personal and historical viewpoint as a catalyst to discuss some women's challenges in the Afropop and African entertainment by offering social, patriarchal, cultural, and sexual contexts that the writer argues construct the images, reputations, decision-making, and circumstances of Brown and Black women in the entertainment industry.

New Music For A New World: Robert Ashley’S Television Operas, Nicole Kaack

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Ashley defined the majority of his works as “television operas”—spoken narrative music for television broadcast. Analyzing Ashley’s works through their cross-disciplinarity, this thesis addresses the development of Ashley’s chosen medium; assesses his use of visual, linguistic, and musical structures; and interprets their basis in American cultural identity.

Cashing Out (Documentary), Girard Tecson

Theses and Dissertations

My 30-minute documentary film, Cashing Out, explores my journey into the world of sneaker culture and the major impact it made in my life.

Revolutionary Women, Fredgy Noël

Theses and Dissertations

Revolutionary Women is a five screen video installation that honors five women leaders of the Haitian Revolution that lasted from August 22, 1791- January 1, 1804. Women revolutionaries are almost non-existent in its historical documentation in spite of their important roles as fighters, military leaders, and spiritual guides. Revolutionary Women aims to fill this gap. It re-inserts these erased women into the history of the Revolution through telling the stories of Cécile Fatiman, Dédée Bazile, Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière, Victoria "Abdaraya Toya" Montou, and Sanite Bélair. The video installation takes an experimental mixed-media approach to tell their dynamic stories. The five screens …

The Case Of The Disappearing Owner: Do Dogs Show Behavioral Evidence Of Violation Of Expectation?, Rita Kanagat

Theses and Dissertations

The What the Fluff challenge became a series of viral YouTube videos that started in 2018. In the videos, a person stood behind a blanket in a doorway in front of their dog and lifted and lowered the blanket revealing and obscuring themselves, and finally disappearing with a final blanket drop. The dogs’ reactions were varied but were suggestive of a violation of expectation response. We conducted a community science study that employed methodologies consistent with the What the Fluff Challenge paradigm that were conducted in the owners’ homes with their dogs. Each owner was required to run a control …

Evidence Of Mirror Self-Recognition In Beluga Whales, Alexander Mildener

Theses and Dissertations

Four beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were tested for mirror self-recognition at the New York Aquarium. The whales were exposed to a mirror and a non-reflective plexiglass control. Two whales, Natasha and Maris, demonstrated self-directed behavior and Natasha passed one mark-test. Two whales demonstrated compelling evidence for MSR.

Bloody Show, Leonie Weber

Theses and Dissertations

Leonie Weber reflects on how reproductive, domestic, and emotional labor is addressed in her artwork, and her experience as an artist-parent in the art world. Moreover, she specifically discusses mothers who are navigating their own artistic paths. Her practice encompasses sculpture, printmaking, performance, and installation.

Investigating The Role Of Vasopressin Receptor 1a Expressing Neurons In Mouse Dorsal Raphe, Tirth Nimishbhai Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Human social interactions heavily impact our physical and mental wellbeing. Arginine-vasopressin (Avp) and serotonin have both been implicated in modulation of social behaviors ranging from affiliation to aggression. In male mice, Avp neurons in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) show increased activity during prosocial behavior. BNST sends Avp afferents to the dorsal raphe (DR) in the midbrain, a home to a large portion of serotonin neurons in the mouse brain. Previous data suggests that DR is activated during male prosocial behavior with a female stimulus, and Avp indirectly excites serotonin neurons. We hypothesized that DR contains a population …

Gender Stereotypes In Children’S Picture Books: A Study Of Authors, Illustrators, And Main Characters In A Classroom Library Collection, Mildred Sari Bernstein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental study was to evaluate the gender stereotyping in picture books from a classroom library collection that primary school students use for independent reading in the classroom. Using the Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade fiction books from the classroom library collection from Booksource, this research included 151 books from an original total collection of 900 books of which 491 books were considered fiction. A revised coding sheet, originally from Hamilton et al. (2006), was used to code the books. Seven volunteers and the researcher coded each book with 17 books coded three times. Volunteers were …

Being Your Own Religious Protagonist: The Ramifications Of Religious Guilt, Shame, And Abuse On Women’S Identities, Amanda Rose Farrell

Theses and Dissertations

Through analysis of various literary texts, social media, and television, “Being Your Own Religious Protagonist: The Ramifications of Religious Guilt, Shame, and Abuse on Women’s Identities” will examine the different ways in which women experience religion as children and teenage girls, as well as how their individual and complex religious experiences affect their upbringing and eventual identities as adult women. I am particularly interested in looking at how these experiences affect not only their identities, but their decisions regarding faith and whether or not they wish to remain in the same religious organizations they grew up in. While many who …

Tiered Vocabulary And Educational Television: A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Major Broadcast Television Networks, Kimberly Dimarco

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have studied children’s exposure to television and the impact it has on children’s academic development, and have discovered that educational television programs may positively influence children’s vocabulary growth (Fuenzalida, 2017; Heintz & Wartella, 2012; Larson & Rhan, 2015; Linebarger, Moses, Liebeskind, & McMenamin, 2013; Neuman, Wong, Flynn, & Kaefer, 2019; Neuman, Samudra, Wong, & Kaefer, 2019, Peters & Webb, 2018; Williams & Thomas, 2017). However, few studies have been conducted examining the types of vocabulary words contained in television programming and the frequencies of which these words occur. This study attempted to help enhance the literature by executing a …

Second Grade Language And Literacy Development Through Analysis Of Receptive And Productive Skills On The Nyseslat, Jasmin Varela

Theses and Dissertations

The future success of today’s students and our nation depends on how well prepared our students are to contribute to the globalized world of the 21st century. The population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is exploding in the United States. If students are not given the appropriate language scaffolds to learn English, ELLs will struggle academically, finding themselves ill-prepared for success in the workplace and their roles as active civic participants. This quantitative study focused on three cohorts (n = 25 each) of randomly selected second grade students enrolled in Dual Language Program, Transitional Bilingual Education Program, or English as …

The Role Of Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Efficacy For Course-Taking And High School Graduation Of English Language Learners, Yazmin Torres

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education may improve English language learners' academic achievement and high school graduation. In particular, it highlights the plight faced by ELLs in high schools regarding quality education that allows them to graduate on time and attend college. The analysis for this study is grounded on the self-efficacy component of Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1977), which focuses on the hypothesis that students are motivated by positive experiences that contributes to their academic success (Hsieh & Kang, 2010). Using Albert Bandura's self-efficacy framework and nationally representative data from the High …

Overexpression Of Abcc1 And Abcg2 Confers Resistance To Bmn-673, A Poly (Adp-Ribose) Polymerase (Parp) Inhibitors, Qiuxu Teng

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer remains a growing public health challenge worldwide. Although the development of chemotherapies has effectively reduced the cancer death rate and improved patients’ prognosis, the frequent occurrence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) in cancer has caused impairments on the efficacy of many structure-unrelated anticancer agents, leading to treatment failure and recurrence. One of the most common causes of MDR is the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters on cancer cell membranes, which transport anticancer drugs out of cancer cells, thereby reducing the intracellular drug concentration. BMN-673 (talazoparib) is a potent poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor that is approved for BRCA-mutated HER2-negative …

Gating And Pathogenic Mechanism Of Polycystin Ion Channels, Yan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), one of the most common and life-threatening human genetic diseases, is caused by mutations in PKD1 or PKD2 genes. PKD1 gene encodes PKD1 (also known as polycystin-1 or PC1) protein, which are the founding members of the PKD1 proteins family; while PKD2 encodes TRPP2 (also known as polycystin-2 or PC2) protein, the founding member of the TRPP subfamily. PKD1 family consists of PKD1, PKD1L1, PKD1L2, PKD1L3, and PKDREJ. Whereas the TRPP subfamily includes: TRPP2, TRPP3, and TRPP5. Proteins in PKD1 and TRPP families are collectively called polycystins. TRPP proteins can either form homotetrameric ion …

Mancozeb Exposure Results In Oxidative Stress And Disruption Of Mitochondrial Complexes Iii & Iv In Transformed Human Colon Cells, Amanda Dhaneshwar

Theses and Dissertations

The ethylene bisdithiocarbamate pesticides, a subclass of the dithiocarbamate pesticides, are broad spectrum organometallic fungicides used on a variety of crops. The fungicide Mancozeb is comprised of an ethylene bisdithiocarbamate backbone complexed to the metals manganese and zinc. Ingestion of food containing pesticide residue and occupational exposure are common routes of Mancozeb exposure. Previous work demonstrated that Mancozeb exposure to HT-29 colon cancer cells resulted in cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and disruption of mitochondrial complex I, II, and V activity. The current study investigated the effect of Mancozeb exposure on mitochondrial complex III and IV activity and oxidative stress parameters in the …

Measurement Of Desmosine By Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry And Its Application To Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Michael Fagiola

Theses and Dissertations

The mechanical properties of lung elastic fibers are derived from the specialized features of their core elastin protein, which contains distensible, coiled peptides that store the energy needed to expel air from the lungs. Elastin crosslinks provide structural support for the fibers and play an important role in determining the morphologic features of the lung. Degradation of elastic fibers in lung disease is associated with the release of desmosine, a unique amino acid that can be readily identified and quantified in body fluids and solid tissue using LC–MS-MS. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of desmosine …

The Unstoppable Anthropocene Engine: Animal Studies In Literature And The Lack Of Individual Animal Study, Paul Spampanato

Theses and Dissertations

Animal studies is a growing field in the Humanities and, in particular, Literature studies. This dissertation, The Unstoppable Anthropocene Engine, focuses on canonical literature of the fin de siècle and Modernist eras that utilize animals in their narratives. Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and Djuna Barnes’ Nightwood are the literary texts examined throughout the dissertation to discuss the importance of looking at specific animals that represent particular groups. Through these novels and poem, readers will see that when we …

The Monsters And Their Racial Identities In Frankenstein And The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, Sara N. Rodia

Theses and Dissertations

By examining the monsters through a racial lens in Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, this thesis aims to show how the creature and Hyde can be reflective of the racial stereotypes in Britain in the 19th century. This thesis maps out how the monsters in the novels embody nonwhite races and how the narrative can either keep them in the category of monster, or humanize them. The creature represents nonwhite races, and Shelley critiques racist ideologies of the early 19th century through the creature’s narration in the novel. Further, Shelley demonstrates the monstrous nature …

Gender, Sex, And The Body In Medieval Armenia, Ashley Bozian

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates textual representation of the body, gender, and sexuality in Armenian chronicles produced between the fifth and eleventh centuries CE. In so doing, it reconstructs the development of Armenian somatology between Zoroastrian and Islamic suzerainties. Specifically, the dissertation examines the modalities by which the body functioned to medieval Armenian cognition as the locus of identity and alterity through the deployment of such devices as the following, to each of which is devoted a chapter: masculinity, femininity, archetypes of sexual morality, legislation of sexual conduct, sexual experientiality (in both temporal and eschatological dimensions), anatomy, and violence. As such, the …

Animal Instinct: Radical Black Feminism And The Virtue Of The Demonic, Amity S. Nathaniel

Theses and Dissertations

The impossible strive towards “human” has dominated much of Black feminist studies, but there are scholars such as Sylvia Wynter, Zakiyyah Iman Jackson, Alex Weheliye, and Octavia Butler who've re-configured the concept of humanity in their work by embracing different species and technologies that could provide liberation for Black women. My dissertation explores these new spaces, using Wynter’s “demonic ground” theory as a backbone, to conceptualize Black post-humanism, animality, and the embracing of the “demonic” as radical tools of empowerment. My dissertation aims to establish the consistent and perpetual violence that Black women—from past to present—have endured by living on …