Digital Commons Network^™

Reading "Particularized Worlds": Apocalypse, The Postsecular, And Postcritique In Toni Morrison's A Mercy, Eli Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Toni Morrison’s 2008 novel A Mercy uses the concepts of world and apocalypse to explore a tension between individual perception (what Morrison calls “particularized worlds”) and larger social systems. In so doing, A Mercy reveals the nuanced networks of relationships that define worlds of belief and culture. By exploring its treatment of worlds and apocalypse and its attitudes toward the characters who experience them, this paper argues that Morisson’s work demonstrates a novel and timely readerly disposition, one that provides a more ethical approach to reading literature within the postcritical and postsecular landscape.

Dietary Patterns And Their Effects On C-Reactive Protein Regarding Female Reproductive Disorders, Mckenzie Moe

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Chronic inflammation, as indicated by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), plays a critical role in women’s reproductive health disorders. CRP is one of the most common biomarkers of inflammation. Dietary components, lifestyle factors, and women’s reproductive health disorders are major components that influence the levels of CRP within the body. Other influential factors include injury, infection, and illness. The purpose of this review is to explore the findings of literature available on nutrition interventions for CRP levels in consideration of women's reproductive disorders.

Methods: This narrative review examines the works of 15 articles, including 10 cross-sectional and five longitudinal designs. …

Measuring The Effects Of The Leaves On Stalk Strength And Dynamic Response In Maize, Grant C. Ogilvie

Theses and Dissertations

Maize is one of the most widely cultivated grains in the world, making it crucial to world food security and important economically. One major problem in maize production is stalk lodging (greensnap), which results in billions of dollars in lost harvests annually for maize farmers in the US alone. Understanding the mechanical properties of maize plants is crucial to addressing this problem. Previous studies have suggested that the leaf blades and leaf sheaths affect maize mechanical properties. The objectives of this thesis are twofold: to present measurement techniques for the stalk bending strength, damping ratio, and natural frequency of maize …

A Levinasian Investigation Of Leaders Learning Humility, Spencer Fumio Yamada

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the development of humility in individuals and business organizations. Humility in business leadership has received increased attention in recent years; however, little is known regarding how individuals and organizations become more humble. The first article in this dissertation is a theoretical examination of humility and argues that the philosophy of ethicist and phenomenologist Emmanuel Levinas provides a theoretical lens by which the development of humility could be productively explored. Levinas argued that the human experience is based on the ethical responsibility that individuals have towards one another, providing a set of assumptions for an examination of professional …

Development Of A Qualitative Spot Assay For Zinc Detection In Fortified Cereal Grain Matrices, Ashley L. Lamborn

Theses and Dissertations

The present thesis is a compilation of a literature review, journal manuscript, and two standard operating procedures (SOP) on the qualitative determination of zinc in fortified cereal grain products and matrices. The literature review addresses the premise of the research as well as potential solutions for the development of a rapid qualitative spot assay for zinc determination. Quality assurance assays affirm the presence of micronutrients in food fortification initiatives, but no rapid qualitative spot methods for the assessment of zinc currently exist. Chromogenic reagents that may perform a key role in the rapid determination of zinc are identified. The journal …

Analysis Of Nitrogen Accumulation And Gene Expression In Hydroponically-Grown Chenopodium Genotypes, Teal Kalt

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient required by all plants to complete their life cycles. Inefficient N uptake contributes to over fertilization and subsequent environmental and sustainability issues resulting in the need for improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Chenopodium quinoa is a resilient pseudocereal crop that is relatively adapted to N-deficient soils. Previous studies have uncovered the unique genetic structure of quinoa and its physiological responses to N availability; however, gaps remain in understanding its molecular mechanisms for NUE. This study investigates four quinoa genotypes (Real-1, 0654, KU-2, and QQ74) hydroponically grown in N-deficient conditions. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis identified …

Using Human Computation And Harmonic Expansions For Characterization And Design Of Grain Boundary Networks, Christopher W. Adair

Theses and Dissertations

Grain Boundary Networks (GBNs) are a high-dimensional feature in polycrystalline microstructural materials that are formed from the crystallographic degrees of freedom. This feature affects multiple material properties such as diffusivity, fracture, elasticity, heat transfer, and others. The link between the crystallography and the material properties is called the structure-property linkage, and allows for simulation and design of materials. While it is possible to use the structure-property linkage to design materials for better performance, the high-dimensional nature of the interconnected grain boundaries preclude the use of many common optimization algorithms for efficiency or local minima considerations. This work shows how the …

The Force Will Be With You"¦ Won't It? How In-Groups Grow And Develop Around Fandom Through The Lens Of Star Wars, Joseph R. Wirthlin Jr

Theses and Dissertations

The creation of Star Wars by George Lucas sparked the creation of a vast universe of films, books, television shows, toys, games, and more. Star Wars fans quickly took the reins, fleshing out the universe Lucas had created in new and exciting ways. Decades after the conclusion of the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy arrived on the scene, sparking excitement and trepidation among fans of the Original Trilogy. A decade after the Prequel Trilogy concluded and three years following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Corporation, the Sequel Trilogy arrived at an even more significant wave of mixed …

"Because He Was A Cripple": Collective Care And The Theory Of Complex Embodiment In Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Briley Wyckoff

Theses and Dissertations

Published in 1843, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol planted itself squarely into a society that depended upon physical labor and valued able-bodiedness. The crutch-bearing Tiny Tim is iconized for his angelic nature and positive outlook on his impairment, prompting critical conversation about narrative prosthesis and poster children, yet the other illustrations of disability in the novella are rarely explored. Contrary to the tendency of disability scholars to conclude that A Christmas Carol leans too heavily into the trope of inspirational disability or diminishes disabled agency, Dickens's incorporation of disability actually extends far beyond Tim as each member of the Cratchit …

Investigating The Effects Of Sex And Estrous Cycle On The Incubation Of Cue-Induced Oxycodone Craving, Bhumiben Pradipkumar Patel

Theses and Dissertations

The overprescription and misuse of opioids like oxycodone has played a significant role in the ongoing opioid crisis. While effective painkillers, drugs like oxycodone are also reinforcing and often misused. While sex and ovarian hormones can impact the analgesic effects of these drugs, the impact of these factors on oxycodone reinforcement are not fully understood. This relationship between ovarian hormones and opioid reward is further complicated by the fact that opioid use can disrupt ovarian hormone levels and produce reproductive cycle irregularities. Using a rat model of drug craving and relapse vulnerability, we found that chronic oxycodone exposure produced reproductive …

The Curse Of El Dorado: How The Californnia Gold Rush Shaped The History Of Hawai'i, Ernesto Coronado

Theses and Dissertations

In the discourse of Western historiography, we fail to account for the importance of the Hawai’ian Islands. American imperialism did not stop with the occupation of the Pacific Coast but continued into the Pacific. In the mid-nineteenth century, Hawai’i and its monarch, King Kamehameha III, stood at the center of a dispute between Britain, France, and the United States. King Kamehameha III used the California Gold Rush and Hawai’i’s location to his advantage to garner capital and prevent the imperial powers from annexing his kingdom. However, even he knew he could not stop the mass wave of Hawai’ians leaving the …

Toxiverse: An Online Comprehensive Chemical Profiling, Modeling, And Data Analysis Platform, Yitao Shen

Theses and Dissertations

Massive chemical data is now publicly available through publications and various online databases. However, most online databases only provide data unsuitable for modeling purposes and limited machine learning (ML) modeling for those data. As a public chemical toxicity evaluation tool to resolve these issues, the Toxicology Universe (ToxiVerse) portal hosts curated chemical structures and toxicological/pharmaceutical data of 26,000 compounds which can be used directly for modeling purposes. Furthermore, users can upload chemical datasets to extract all involved bioassays for compounds inside as biological profiles. ToxiVerse also features automatic QSAR modeling of uploaded datasets using multiple chemical descriptors and algorithms provided …

Elucidating The Antibiofilm Characteristics Of A Carbon Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Surface And A Copper-Coated Carbon Infiltrated Carbon Nanotube Surface, Lucy Christena Bowden

Theses and Dissertations

Post-surgical implant-associated infections cause considerable patient morbidity and mortality. These infections are often caused by biofilm-forming bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bacterial biofilms are resistant to immune clearance and are a reservoir of antibiotic resistance. Implant materials that resist bacterial colonization may be able to improve patient outcomes. Carbon infiltrated carbon nanotubes (CICNT) are a potential surface modification for medical implants. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on characterizing the antibiofilm effect of the CICNT surface, better understanding its mechanism of action, and characterizing the enhanced antibiofilm effect of a copper-coated CICNT surface. S. aureus biofilms …

Examining Second-Grade Music Students’ Creativity And Agency During Game-Like Music Activities In Music Learning Centers, Hunter Knight Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of my second-grade students’ creativity and agency in game-like music activities during peer-to-peer social interactions in music learning centers. Following were the guiding research questions for this study. During music learning centers: 1) How did students create game-like music activities, 2) What types of play did they demonstrate, 3) How did they describe their experiences, and 4) What music characteristics did they demonstrate? I collected data during three 50-minute second-grade music classes over the course of two weeks at St. Peter’s Catholic School (SPCS). I used the following data collection …

Phytochemicals And Human Health, Erin Kelley Richards

Theses and Dissertations

This review explores the intricate relationship between phytochemical intake and human health. It first highlights the contrast between the phytochemical-poor Standard American Diet (SAD) and ancestral diets rich in diverse plant and animal foods. The classification, sources, and health benefits of various phytochemicals, including polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes are described and discussed. The bioavailability of these compounds and their interactions with the gut microbiome are elucidated, emphasizing on their potential in modulating multiple pathways associated with aging and chronic diseases. The 12 hallmarks of aging and how phytochemicals may influence these hallmarks are reviewed. While exploring the potential benefits …

A Performance And Pedagogical Guide To William Butler Yeats Songs By Ben Moore, James Allen

Theses and Dissertations

American composer, Ben Moore, has written music that has spanned genres including operas, children’s operas, art songs, cabaret songs, and musical theatre songs. His career spans multiple decades, but his music is not performed as often as it should in the Classical Music community. Moore’s music can be daunting at first glance, but many of his composition stylings are present in many of his works. Should one learn how to navigate one of his art songs, they will have a guide that should translate over to his other works. I have decided to focus on the seven art songs with …

Trios For Oboe, Bassoon, And Piano By Underrepresented Composers: An Annotated Bibliography And Performance Guide, Alexandra Castro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project is to highlight repertoire for the trio of oboe, bassoon, and piano, focusing on works by historically underrepresented composers, specifically women and people of color (including Black, Latinx, Indian, Asian, and Native American composers), as well as my performance suggestions and comments for each piece. By creating an annotated bibliography and providing performance insights for each piece, the author seeks to increase the visibility and accessibility of these compositions. This research reflects a broader effort to diversify classical music, promoting works that mirror our society’s diverse cultural landscape. As a first of its kind, this …

Supercritical Water Oxidation For Removing Pfas Contaminants: A Numerical Study, Ashley Joy Poyner

Theses and Dissertations

Per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of stable pollutants known for their long lifetimes and resistance to treatment methods used traditionally to remove other contaminants. PFAS and their ability to accumulate in both aquatic and terrestrial environments present threats such as detrimental effects to people and ecosystems due to their ability to penetrate entire systems. Though many methods are being explored to treat PFAS contamination in different systems, Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) is a promising method for both removing and decomposing PFAS, with the ability to completely oxidize these persistent contaminants. This study is a numerical investigation …

The Role Of B Cells In Promoting Lipid Absorption By Promoting Lacteal Development, Kenny Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The absorption of dietary lipids in the gut is necessary to maintain the metabolic tone of tissues. Inflammation in the gut can cause defects in lipid absorption, which can result in tissue wasting, otherwise known as cachexia. Cachexia is commonly observed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and cancer patients. The underlying cause of cachexia is unknown, and there are currently no effective therapeutic options available to treat it. Lymphatic drainage in the small intestine (SI) is specialized to promote the transport of dietary lipids into circulation. Lacteals are blunt-ended lymphatic vessels localized to the central axes of villi in …

The Impact Of Ballet Techniques On Singing Performers, Julie H. Welch

Theses and Dissertations

Singing performers are tasked to being a multifaceted artist using their acting and even dance skills in a performance. Voice teachers have long incorporated physical activity into training, but traditional ballet techniques—such as core tension and neck elongation—can contradict healthy singing practices. Given ballet’s deep historical connection to opera and stage performance, this study aims to examine whether integrating ballet into vocal training enhances or hinders a singer’s technique and overall performance. This investigation surveyed forty subjects who identified as teachers, singing performers, or students earning a performance degree and interviewing select subjects for further information; results will be discussed.

Transcrite Par L'Auteur: Analyzing And Performing The Piano-Vocal Scores Of Maurice Ravel's Operas, Jordan Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

The two operas of Maurice Ravel, L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges, are, like most of the composer’s works, known for their innovative orchestrations and instrumental flourishes. However, the piano-vocal scores of the operas have their own unique qualities worthy of study. With the piano writing at times fiendishly difficult—standing toe-to-toe with Ravel’s solo piano music—the score demands simplification, particularly for less experienced performers serving as accompanist or rehearsal pianist for these works. Many sections of the music are impractical or even impossible for a single pianist to perform, but this study offers alternate solutions and simplifications for pianists …

Reclaiming The Body: Gender Politics And Embodied Meaning In Piano Performance And Pedagogy, Rachel Misheff

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the mind-body duality and its gendered metaphor on the lived experiences of historical and contemporary female pianists. Specifically, it explores how the principles of mind-body dualism have constructed gendered practices in piano performance and pedagogy that have both marginalized female pianists and engendered distinct embodied relationships to music. The study draws upon research from other disciplines, such as phenomenology, theories of embodiment, feminist theory, psychoanalysis, and Embodied Music Cognition, to examine how these gendered musical norms resulting from mind-body dualism functioned as forces of social inscription. This research, therefore, suggests that the body’s lived …

Activation Of Basal Forebrain Afferents Following Systemic Inflammation, Alexis Morgan Blas

Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is a large-scale immune response typically due to an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory responses due to some type of infection or insult. Around 1.7 million adults in the United States will develop it each year, making it the leading cause of increased morbidity and mortality in hospitals. Sepsis can lead to many different symptoms, one of which is delirium. Delirium is a mental state of confusion and disorientation and involves delusions, hallucinations, memory issues, and most commonly inattention. Delirium is more prevalent in older individuals which leads to further complications and a higher likelihood of development of long-term …

A Novel Geometric Modeling Kernel For Automated Fiber Placement, Rowen Burney

Theses and Dissertations

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) is a key manufacturing technique for producing high-performance composite structures, yet existing geometric modeling frameworks lack the specialized functionality required for efficient toolpath planning and laminate optimization. This work presents Knots, a Geometric Modeling Kernel (GMK) developed specifically to address these limitations by providing a unified geometric foundation tailored for AFP. Unlike general-purpose Computer Aided Design (CAD) libraries, Knots is optimized for AFP, offering specialized geometric operations that streamline the transition from design to manufacturing. It directly manages the loading and computation of geometric data, ensuring structured laminate generation while supporting automation and scripting for improved …

A Study To Identify The Causal Rare Genetic Variants In Primary Open And Closed Angle Glaucoma, Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome, And Associated Glaucoma, Suganya K

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness globally typically diagnosed with a triad of clinical symptoms of increased intraocular pressure (IOP) with associated optic disc, optic nerve head (ONH) changes, and visual field defects. Genetic and environmental factors are some of the strong aetiology factors for glaucoma and identification of these factors has a potential implication in the management of the disease and its outcome. There is a paradigm shift towards understanding the genetics of glaucoma, wherein the variants in the nuclear, mitochondrial genome and other regulatory regions are being identified as contributing risk factors.

METHODOLOGY AND …

Modeling And Characterization Of On-Orbit Servicing Architectures For Efficient Mission Planning, Samantha Q. Vi Tang

Theses and Dissertations

As space-based systems become increasingly critical to global infrastructure, efficient satellite maintenance and resource management have become essential to ensuring operational longevity. On-orbit servicing has emerged as a key strategy for extending satellite lifespans, mitigating space debris accumulation, and enhancing the cost effectiveness of space operations. This study presents a comprehensive mixed-integer programming (MIP) model to optimize servicer task assignments and routing while minimizing propellant consumption. The model captures the operational complexities of servicing a network of satellites across multiple orbits by incorporating realistic constraints, such as fuel limitations and task completion time windows. Sensitivity analysis allows mission planners to …

Characterizing The Effects Of Rage Upregulation In Lung Development, Derek Michael Clarke

Theses and Dissertations

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) is a transmembrane, multi-ligand cell surface receptor highly expressed in pulmonary tissue, where it plays a critical role in mediating inflammatory responses. Under chronic toxicant exposure, often associated with cigarette, e-cigarette, and diesel particulate, RAGE transitions from a protective to a deleterious state, contributing to pathological processes. In adult models, RAGE's role in the development of lung disease has been well studied, yet in the context of lung development RAGE has not been well studied with a small number of clinical papers finding increased levels of RAGE in bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD) and respiratory distress …

A Century Of Depicting Characters With Disabilities In Newbery Award And Honor Books, Merna Kay Raines

Theses and Dissertations

A Century of Depicting Characters With Disabilities in Newbery Award and Honor Books Merna Kay Raines Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Educational Specialist Between 1922 and 2021, 426 books received the Newbery Award, with 64 books featuring characters with disabilities. However, it was not until 1931 that the Newbery Honor Award was given to recognize the author of a book featuring a character with disabilities. Newbery Award-winning books are considered quality literature and are found in most libraries and classrooms. Understanding the portrayal of characters with disabilities is important because students easily access these books. This content …

Climate Change Policies And Good Governance In Egypt, Mahmoud Elshourbagy

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt recognizes the impacts of climate change and is particularly vulnerable because of its high-density population, economic burden and geographical location. In response, Egypt established National Climate Change Council in 2016. In 2022, the council issued “National Climate Change Strategy 2050” to integrate and align the efforts of government bodies to adapt and mitigate climate change risks. One of the strategic goals of “National Climate Change Strategy 2050” is to enhance climate governance in Egypt as a critical tool. This study attempts to evaluate climate change policies in the context of good governance by using a tool developed by World …

Sustainable Well-Being For Young Adults: An Online Course To Build Ecological And Psychological Flourishing In A Changing Climate, Jeremy Stanley Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable well-being is "happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations" (O'Brien, 2010, p. 2). Sustainable well-being education may encourage environmentally sustainable behavior while also teaching people how to live meaningful lives. However, there is currently a lack of research-based disseminable courses for teaching sustainable well-being. We hypothesized that taking the course would result in lower eco-anxiety and higher well-being, as well as increased pro-environmental self-efficacy and pro-environmental values. We used a randomized crossover repeated measures research design to assess pre and post effects. Quantitative results indicated that participating in …