Digital Commons Network^™

Elucidating The Interdependence Of Motor-Cognitive Development And Performance, Thomas Cade Abrams

Theses and Dissertations

As the development of complex coordination and control (i.e., motor development) involves the integration of neuromotor, psychological, social, and cognitive processes (i.e., executive functions), a better understanding of how these processes are embedded and manifest across stages of development throughout the lifespan is needed. The long-term processes associated with the acquisition and development of motor competence (MC), specifically, effortful practice and performance of various locomotor and object control skills, provide direct mechanisms for contributing to executive function (EF) development via different learning-related (e.g., synaptogenesis, hippocampal neurogenesis) as well as exercise-related (e.g., exercise-mediated neurogenesis, angiogenesis) mechanisms. However, traditional MC assessments use …

Decellularization Strategies Of Naturally Derived Biomaterials For Tissue Engineering Applications, Julia Elizabeth Hohn

Theses and Dissertations

In 2017, over 3.5 million peripheral vascular surgeries were performed worldwide with over 400,000 vascular repair or replacement surgeries being performed in the United States each year alone. As the number of vascular repair surgeries, including both coronary and peripheral bypass grafting procedures, continues to increase each year, these statistics indicate an urgent need for more effective and readily available replacement materials. Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering (TE) approaches, including the design, fabrication, and validation of suitable biomaterials in vitro that direct the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues, have been proposed to alleviate this problem. While advanced biomaterials have …

The Power Of Story In Developing A Cycle Of Efficacy For Teachers And Students, Melissa Renee Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

There is scarce nationwide evidence of the impact of instruction on student achievement in the area of writing (Coker et al., 2018; Persky et al., 2003; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2002). Standardized writing assessment has shifted to text-dependent analysis, which requires students to read and analyze a passage and then compose an essay in response to a text dependent prompt. This type of writing requires students to understand how and why authors make decisions and then support a claim with analysis. This multiple-case, action research study followed three elementary teachers as they reflected on a journey resulting in transformation …

Xenobiotic Exposures On Women’S Reproductive Health, Maria Zubizarreta Mcclam

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental and chemical exposures are continually introduced into our bodies. The female reproductive cycle is complex and particularly sensitive to toxic substances. A recent rise in infertility and reproductive diseases and cancers make reproductive toxicity a public health concern. The overall purpose of this dissertation is to explore how environmental and chemical exposures impact women’s reproductive health and overall wellbeing. To do this, a variety of topics related to women’s reproductive health are explored, including how environmental exposures can impact reproduction, methods for studying reproductive dysfunctions, fertility preservation among cancer patients, and the overall wellbeing of female cancer patients.

The …

Supporting Black Children Within A Eurocratic Educational System: Making Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Foundational To The Role Of The Literacy Coach, Jennipher C.K. Frazier

Theses and Dissertations

This critical qualitative study documented what was learned about the process of making culturally relevant teaching foundational to the commitment of a literacy coach while working closely with a kindergarten and first grade teacher for one school year. Critical Race and Black Critical (BlackCrit) theories were the driving theoretical frameworks used to design the study, represent findings, and provide insight into the process of working to make culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) foundational to the role of a literacy coach with a particular focus on supporting the Black child. The methods used to gain knowledge about CRP as foundational to the …

Analysis Of The Cytopathogenic Effect Of Different Hiv-1 Vpr Isoforms On Primary Human Cd4+ T Cells And A Model Cell Line, Jonatan Josue Fierro Nieves

Theses and Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the causal agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease characterized by the depletion of CD4+ T cells which impairs immune response. Analysis of HIV-1 infected patients has identified two distinctive phenotypes that differ in length of time towards the development of AIDS, Rapid Progressor (RP) and Long-Term Non-Progressor (LTNP) patients. The cause of the differences between these two groups is a process that is still under investigation. Hints about a possible cause have been attributed to the discovery of mutations in the viral protein R (Vpr) that have been associated with these phenotypes: mutations …

Improving Ideation Of User Actions Using A Novel Ideation Method, Thomas L. Ashworth

Theses and Dissertations

During early stages of the design process, ideation methods are used to generate a set of potential solutions based on a particular need. Solutions to design problems generally require both technology and user actions (or tactics) of some sort, although solution ideas may omit explicit mention of either technology or tactics. Previous research suggests that an explicit consideration of tactics in early-stage ideation enables design teams to improve the quantity, quality, variety, and novelty of their idea sets. In this paper, a novel ideation method known as the Random Prompts method is presented, and its performance is evaluated against a …

Adhkār And Aḥzāb In Islamic Thought And Practice: Invocation And Devotion In Egypt Thirteenth-Fifteenth Centuries, Mariam Ghorab

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines discourses around duʿāʾ in the disciplines of ḥadīth, Islamic Law, and Sufism during the thirteenth to fifteenth century Egypt. I argue that duʿāʾ shaped Muslim daily life and solidified a community of prayer. Invocations generated a discursive tradition and social organization that allows us to document the experience of this praying public. Prayer was at the heart of daily life, and its significance to Muslim devotion made it the subject of commentaries that analysed its language and its embodiment. Works of ḥadīth archived the plethora of duʿāʾ’s material. Its various manifestations warranted a thorough legal investigation in …

Finding Biomarkers From Long-Non-Coding Rnas In Serum Of Patients With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Nouran Yonis

Theses and Dissertations

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming a serious global public health problem as it is a highly prevalent condition, that begins as simple liver steatosis and develops into an inflammatory steatosis form known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NAFLD has been linked with multiple comorbidities, which in certain cases predisposes to mortality secondary to extrahepatic neoplasms and coronary diseases. On the other hand, NASH leaves patients at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of NAFLD- based HCC is steadily increasing and is projected to surpass the incidence of HCC from viral origins. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been …

High Power Microwave Operational Exposure Detection Using Thermoacoustic Wave Generation In Lossy Dielectric Polymers, James J. Frey

Theses and Dissertations

A feasibility analysis for the use of microwave-induced thermoacoustic (TA) wave generation in lossy dielectric media to detect pulsed high power microwave directed energy weapons in force health protection applications was conducted based on a series of empirical and computational investigations. A potential target volume material, carbon-loaded polytetrafluoroethylene, was identified for further study based on anticipated complex dielectric properties, with laboratory measurements of select electromagnetic (EM), thermal, and elastic material properties of relevance to the TA effect conducted to determine parameter values. A planar geometry TA-based signal chain model using thin film piezoelectric sensors was developed for both finite element …

Analytic Case Study Using Unsupervised Event Detection In Multivariate Time Series Data, Jeremy M. Wightman

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of cyber-physical systems (CPS) has emerged as a critical domain for providing US Air Force and Space Force leadership decision advantage in air, space, and cyberspace. Legacy methods have been outpaced by evolving battlespaces and global peer-level challengers. Automation provides one way to decrease the time that analysis currently takes. This thesis presents an event detection automation system (EDAS) which utilizes deep learning models, distance metrics, and static thresholding to detect events. The EDAS automation is evaluated with case study of CPS domain experts in two parts. Part 1 uses the current methods for CPS analysis with a qualitative …

A Methodological Framework For Parametric Combat Analysis, Dustin L. Hayhurst Sr.

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a taxonomic structure for understanding the tension between certain factors of stability for game-theoretic outcomes such as Nash optimality, Pareto optimality, and balance optimality and then applies such game-theoretic concepts to the advancement of strategic thought on spacepower. This work successfully adapts and applies combat modeling theory to the evaluation of cislunar space conflict. This work provides evidence that the reliability characteristics of small spacecraft share similarities to the reliability characteristics of large spacecraft. Using these novel foundational concepts, this dissertation develops and presents a parametric methodological framework capable of analyzing the efficacy of heterogeneous force compositions …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Saudi Land Bridge Project, Faris J. Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

Projects are the backbone of economic thrive of nations, especially infrastructure projects. It’s counted as the base layer of allowing economic trade between beneficiaries. Railway projects have always been a huge element in increasing trade operations between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world, by providing an efficient and environmentally friendly way that is capable of hauling large loads of exports all the way to the seaports and from there to the rest of the world. The Saudi land bridge project will cost about $11 billion and will provide a new link between the existent railway in the eastern …

Socioeconomic Status And Physical Attractiveness In Partner Selection 32 Years Later: An Empirical Replication And Extension Of Townsend And Levy (1990), Elena Kelsey Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Partnership is a universal part of human existence. Human partner selection has been long studied within evolutionary and sociocultural frameworks. One study by Townsend and Levy (1990) found that physical attractiveness and socioeconomic status influence male and female partner selection in distinct ways. The present study replicated and extended the work of Townsend and Levy, investigating how physical attractiveness, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity influence relationship willingness at various levels of involvement. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted, and planned post hoc pairwise comparisons and parameter estimates were analyzed. We analyzed responses from 503 single American adults of four …

The Role Of Small Gtpases In Regulating Blood-Brain Barrier Mechanotransduction, Brandon Jude Deore

Theses and Dissertations

Fluid shear stress is an important mediator of vascular permeability, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of shear on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have yet to be clarified in cerebral vasculature despite its importance for brain homeostasis.. Neurological symptoms including the formation of microclots, stroke, and other neurological pathologies associated with changes in cerebral blood flow are hallmarks of BBB dysfunction. The in vitro model used in this dissertation is compatible with real-time measurement of barrier function using a transendothelial electrical resistance as well as immunocytochemistry and dextran permeability assays. These experiments reveal that there is a threshold level …

Bioengineered Scaffolds To Induce Alignment And Promote Axon Regeneration Following Spinal Cord Injury, Kiet Anh Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Scaffolds delivered to injured spinal cords to stimulate axon connectivity often act as a bridge to stimulate regeneration at the injured area, but current approaches lack the permissiveness, topology and mechanics to mimic host tissue properties. This dissertation focuses on bioengineering scaffolds through the means of altering topology in injectables and tuning mechanics in 3D-printed constructs as potential therapies for spinal cord injury repair. A self-assembling peptide scaffold, RADA-16I, is used due to its established permissiveness to axon growth and ability to support vascularization. Immunohistochemistry assays verify that vascularized peptide scaffolds promote axon infiltration, attenuate inflammation and reduce astrogliosis. Furthermore, …

Exploring Perceptions Of New Media Among The Lakota Nation, Isabelle C. Kramer

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception, the worldwide web has fundamentally altered our understanding of communications. With the rapid adoption of new media around the globe, individuals are increasingly able to communicate with people on the other side of the planet in real-time--traditional boundaries like time and space are no longer relevant barriers to intercultural communication. As such, scholars are scrambling to recognize and understand the broader implications of social media, videoconferencing, blogging, etc on more traditional definitions of culture. Additionally, researchers are beginning to study the ways in which minority cultures are utilizing new media, and the way that new media impacts …

Examining The Effects Of Eating Behaviors On Mental Health And Internalization Of Weight-Based Messaging, Avery E. Bollinger

Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to explore the effects of eating behaviors on mental health and the internalization of attitudes toward one's appearance. This was performed through a survey distributed through a global online market research firm, Dynata, and gathered 495 eligible participants. Of those, 78 represented the plant-based group, and 417 represented the non-plant-based group. Each completed the survey containing sections with the Mizes Anorectic Cognitions Scale (MACS) to assess if they were at low or high risk for having/developing an eating disorder, a section determining if participants were plant-based (defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and …

Archaic Sites, Ecological Zones, And Wetlands Resources In The Eastern Great Basin, Lindsey R. Lyle

Theses and Dissertations

Archaeological data has increased significantly with Cultural Resource Management agencies finding and recording archaeological sites all across Utah. With the site data from the Utah State Historical Preservation Office, I examine the expansion of Archaic sites in the Eastern Great Basin from the Early Archaic through the Late Archaic, through the lens of elevation and ecological zones and proximity to wetland resources. I argue that the aridness of the Middle Holocene caused the people to expand into the mountains of Utah, and that the expansion continued into the Late Archaic period, even though the environment became more moist again. I …

Air Quality Impacts From Mineral Dust, Fireworks, And Urban Pollution Revealed By Trace Element Chemistry And Strontium Isotopes Ratios In The Wasatch Front, Utah, Usa, Micah J. Marcy

Theses and Dissertations

Airborne particulate matter (PM) in urban areas is derived from a combination of natural and anthropogenic sources. To identify PM sources and their effects on air quality, we collected PM using active filter samplers over a two-year period in the urban Wasatch Front, northern Utah, an area affected by multiple pollution sources. Filters from active samplers and other PM samples were analyzed for major and trace element concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr ratios. We identified wind-blown mineral dust from dry lake beds, winter inversions, and fireworks as primary PM sources affecting air quality in the Wasatch Front. Dust contributes Al, Be, Ca, …

Jephthah's Daughter: A Hebrew Foreground For Jesus' Passion In Matthew, Hanna Elizabeth Seariac

Theses and Dissertations

While there are key differences between Jephthah's daughter's story and that of Jesus, not least the difference in gender of the sacrificial victims, this thesis posits that both the similarities and differences between these two accounts can enrich readings of Jesus' death in the gospel of Matthew. A careful comparison of the narrative of Jephthah's daughter with Jesus' Passion narrative in the gospel of Matthew leads to the conclusion that Jesus' death should be interpreted as a human sacrifice. Reading Jesus' death as a human sacrifice and locating it in that socio-religious context makes his death indicative of a transactional, …

An Exploration Of Factors That Impact Uptake Of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines, David Samuel Redd

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction The discovery and continued development of vaccines is arguably one of the most important innovations in human history. Vaccination greatly reduces the worldwide incidence and transmission of diseases, preventing permanent injury and premature death. Mass vaccination campaigns have led to the eradication or partial eradication of severe infectious such as smallpox and polio, have reduced childhood mortality, and has led to an overall increase in average health in the human population globally. Despite the documented benefits of vaccination, vaccine hesitancy is increasing, and the uptake of some vaccines is low. Vaccines have been so successful at preventing disease that …

Regulation Of T Cell Activation By The Cd5 Co-Receptor And Altered Peptides, Characterization Of Thymidine Kinase-Specific Antibodies, And Integrating Genomics Education In Society, Kiara Vaden Whitley

Theses and Dissertations

Helper T cells (Th) are a vital component of the immune system responsible for directing other immune cells to eliminate pathogens and cancer. Specifically, Th cells facilitate B cell and cytotoxic T cell (Tc) activation and recruitment and enhance their function against cancer and infectious diseases. Th cells are a valuable resource for improving Tc responses in cancer treatment and have become a focus of immunotherapeutic research. While it is increasingly clear that helper T cells serve an important role, the details about which entities produce an effective Th cell response remain unclear. CD5 is a T cell co-receptor that …

The Relationship Between Thalamic Morphology And Behavioral Features In Amnestic And Aphasic Variants Of Alzheimer's Disease, Holly Rochelle Winiarski

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The presence of AD pathology can result in diverse behavioral phenotypes, including the typical amnestic variant characterized by memory deficits, and an atypical aphasic variant characterized by language deficits. Previous research has identified unique cortical atrophy patterns in each phenotype, though less focus has been drawn to subcortical involvement. The current study sought to dissociate these behavioral phenotypes by characterizing their thalamic volume and shape features using high-dimensional brain mapping procedures. Relationships between brain metrics and specific language and memory deficits were also investigated in aphasic AD and amnestic AD, respectively. Method: Thalamic integrity was examined in aphasic AD …

Landscaping Wilderness In Hollywood Westerns And Brazilian Nordesterns, Michael Ashman

Theses and Dissertations

In this comparative examination of cinematic representations of American and Brazilian wildernesses, I argue for the necessity of a transnational, postregional, and ecocritical approach to film studies. The way that the deserts of the American West are represented by Hollywood Western filmmakers reveal underlying ecological and political philosophies, and provide a productive contrast with representations of the sertão, a similarly arid biome in Brazil. Among other theoretical approaches, this study uses W. J. T. Mitchell’s idea of “landscape” as a verb to examine the formal devices by which filmmakers and audiences “landscape” these “wildernesses.” Using John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) …

Examination Of 14-3-3 Interactors Identifies A Novel Mechanism Of Regulation For The Ubiquitin Binding Kinase Tnk1 That Can Be Targeted To Block Tumor Growth, Christina Marie Egbert

Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research have begun to identify oncogenic mut-drivers that are responsible for driving a large percentage of cancers. These high frequency mut-drivers have therapeutics in the clinic for patient treatment. However, there is another group of low frequency mut-drivers that fail to rise above the noise of the high frequently drivers. These low frequency drivers represent a group of genes with untapped potential for new targeted therapies. However, identifying these drivers can be difficult. This study focuses on identifying new functional phosphorylations using the phospho-docking protein 14-3-3. The family of 14-3-3 proteins have been linked to many oncogenic pathways …

Effects Of Localized Irrigation And Fertilizer On Woody Plant Establishment In Degraded Semi-Arid Environments, Holley M. Lund

Theses and Dissertations

Semi-arid native plant communities worldwide are often disturbed either intentionally or incidentally by human activity. In order to restore ecological function after human activities cease, native plant communities need to be restored. Woody plants are important to ecological function for many reasons including reducing erosion and providing food and shelter for wildlife. Unfortunately, woody plant establishment in these areas has proven to be challenging. Direct seeding efforts can be hindered by poor germination and low seedling emergence. To overcome this, seedling transplants are often used in harsh sites. However, transplanted woody seedlings often experience high mortality during the first year, …

Multiscale Modeling And Analysis Of X-Ray Windows, Microcantilevers, And Bioimpedance Microelectrodes, Kyle Grant Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

X-ray detector windows must be thin enough to transmit sufficient low-energy x-rays, yet strong enough to withstand up to an atmosphere of differential pressure. Traditional low-energy x-ray windows consist of a support layer and pressure membrane spanning that support. Numerical modeling of several x-ray windows was used to show that both low- and high-energy x-ray transmission can be improved by adding a secondary support structure. Finite element analysis of the x-ray window models showed that the stress from a typical applied load does not exceed the ultimate strength or yield strength of the respective materials. The specific x-ray window models …

Identifying Pneumococcal Proteins That Elicit An Iga Response, Amber Travis

Theses and Dissertations

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an asymptomatic colonizer of the upper respiratory tract as well as an opportunistic pathogen. Colonization is prerequisite to causing disease in a host, and it often involves formation of biofilms. There are currently two vaccines available against pneumococcus, both of which focus on preventing invasive disease by targeting the polysaccharide capsule of the most invasive serotypes. We hypothesized that by using membrane proteins expressed during the biofilm state, we can formulate an effective vaccine against colonization which would lead to an overall decrease in disease incidence. To do this, we selected protein candidates expressed during biofilm growth …

The Perception And Use Of Native Plants In The Landscape: Understanding The Practices Of Landscape Architects In The Southeast United States, Megan Wichlan

Theses and Dissertations

Landscape architects and designers have the ability to construct plantings in a landscape with native or non-native plants, or a combination of both plant types. The question at hand is, why choose one over the other? This study explores what might impact the plant choice decisions of practicing landscape architects in the southeast United States. A survey is utilized to understand how respondents make plant choice decisions and perceive native plants. Comparisons between previous studies are made focusing on their distribution methods, survey populations and major findings. The findings of this study are not conclusive due to a small response …