Digital Commons Network^™

Two Essays On Time Perceptions And Patience, Frank May

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation examines how the properties inherent to time can affect perception of wait time and, consequently, patience. Patience, or the willingness to forgo a smaller reward in the present in order to obtain a larger reward in the future, is an important construct in the consumer behavior literature. I focus on how consumers perceive wait time when faced with an intertemporal choice between a smaller-sooner option and a larger-later one (e.g., receive less money earlier vs. more money later). In this type of situation, wait time is standing between the individual and a better option. I argue that the …

Six1 Overexpression Promotes Epithelial– Mesenchymal Transition And Malignant Progression In Models Of Cervical And Colon Cancer, Hanwen Xu

Theses and Dissertations

Inappropriate expression of embryonic genes, particularly homeodomain transcription factors, contributes to tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The overexpression of Six1, a member of the Six family of homeodomain transcription factors, has been found in various human cancers, and is associated with tumor progression and metastasis. We have previously determined that the expression of SIX1 mRNA increased during in vitro progression of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16)- immortalized human keratinocytes (HKc/HPV16) toward a differentiation-resistant (HKc/DR) phenotype. However, the mechanism(s) of how Six1 promotes HPV16- mediated transformation remain unknown. In this study, we explored the role of Six1 at early stages and late …

Vocab4me: A Tool That Provides Vocabulary Recommendations For Publishing Linked Data, Srikar Nadipally

Theses and Dissertations

The web before linked data was a database of html documents. These documents were meant for human consumption and it was hard for machines to make sense of data in html documents. The linked data was introduced with the aim of making the web a global database of data that is machine processable. Linked Data describes a method of publishing structured data so that it can be interlinked and become more useful. Realizing the promise of linked data a lot of people started publishing linked data. But the process of publishing the huge amount of existing data is cumbersome and …

Genetic Background Influences Behavior And Responses To Epigenetic Changes Induced By A Methyl-Donor Diet, Kimberly R. Shorter

Theses and Dissertations

With recent strides in epigenetics, mainstream media informs the public that we can “beat our genes” by, for instance, changing our diet. Genetics, however, still plays a role in phenotype. Folate and other methyl-donor pathway components are widely supplemented due to their ability to prevent neural tube defects during prenatal development. In addition to vitamins, these compounds are also added to commercial flour, energy drinks, and other supplements. Several lines of evidence suggest that these supplements act through epigenetic mechanisms, including altering DNA methylation. Increasing evidence suggests potential deleterious effects of excessive folate. Given the benefits of these compounds, risk …

Utilizing Next Generation Sequencing To Generate Bacterial Genomic Sequences For Evolutionary Analysis, Derrick C. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Many important questions in the field of prokaryotic biology cannot be answered due to the low availability of sequenced and finished genomes. Recent improvements in technology and decreases in price have made the ambition of de novo bacterial genomic sequencing a reality for a wide range of researchers. However, with the advancement of sequencing technology comes the need for an evaluation to determine the most reliable bioinformatics methods in generating a complete and accurate assembly. Biases inherent in the sequencing technology and GC-rich genomes complicate genome assemblies. Here, we sequenced bacterial strains from the GC-rich Caulobacter genus and the closely …

Ghosts Of The Horseshoe: A Mobilization Of A Critical Interactive, Richard Lee Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Critical Interactives (CIs) are designed to harness the voluntary, reality-bending excitement of discovery as afforded by play, but to do so in the context of rules that mobilize procedural rhetoric to instantiate critical awareness. Critical interactives are not just about improving lives through code or education; rather, they establish a methodology for generating more aesthetic and reflective interactive experiences. To grasp more fully the logic underpinning CIs, we need to understand the powerful nature of interactivity and outline how such interactivity involves a notion of ethics, i.e., a way of living, in and through media practice.

Ghosts of the Horseshoe …

Tradition Or Technology?: The Impact Of Paper Versus Digital Map Technology On Students’ Spatial Thinking Skill Acquisition, Larianne Collins

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates whether spatial learning outcomes differ with respect to different instructional media. Specifically, it examines traditional, paper aerial imagery as compared to digital imagery visualized with 3D globes. Two research questions provided the focus: 1) Does spatial thinking skill development differ between analog (paper) and digital map media; 2) Does spatial thinking skill development differ based on attitudes toward geography, past travel experience, or demographic variables such as gender, and are there interaction effects among them related to the different media?

Spatial thinking skill development was measured as students received instruction using either paper or digital maps. Spatial …

Lost In The Middle Kingdom: Teaching New Languages Using Serious Games And Language Learning Methodologies, Renaldo Justin Doe

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the design and development of a serious video game for language learning entitled Lost in the Middle Kingdom. Our game utilizes several language learning methodologies including second language acquisition theory, content-based instruction, and task-based language teaching. This thesis examines previous language learning games and their drawbacks in order to create a more effective experience. Lost in the Middle Kingdom seeks to balance language learning with fun and intuitive gameplay in order to deliver a form of interactive media that is accepted by both the gaming and research communities. Our test data illustrates the strengths and weaknesses …

Embodying Ritual Performance: An Iconographic Analysis Of Burial 38 At The Etowah Site, Amy M. Goldstein

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an iconographic study of Burial 38 from Mound C at the Etowah, a Mississippian mound site in present-day Northwest Georgia. The goal of this study was to gain an understanding of the iconographic meaning of the artifacts in Burial 38 as well as the significance of the arrangement of individuals within the burial and its relationship with Mound C more broadly. Applying theories of relational ontology, performance, and gender, I build on King’s (2010) interpretation of Mound C’s final construction phases as a ritual event that transformed the mound into a sacred center, melded foreign and local …

Using Ipads In Teaching Vocabulary For Students With Learning Disabilities, Kellie Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using iPad to improve vocabulary skills for students with learning disabilities. The participants were 2nd grade students placed in a learning disability resource room. Baseline data was collected using traditional methods during vocabulary intrusion for the first three weeks. During intervention, the iPad was integrated in vocabulary instruction by adapting iPad app, Vocabulary City. The findings indicate students understanding, recognition, and implementation of vocabulary words increased when iPad app technology was implemented.

Verbal Fluency: Norms For The Lakota Population In Semantic And Phonemic Fluency Tasks, Larissa M. Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

The Lakota language in western South Dakota is spoken by a people group with a rich cultural and religious heritage. The Lakota language, still spoken by elderly Lakota people, is slowly vanishing as the majority of people in younger generations are no longer learning Lakota and with it the semantic knowledge of how Lakota speakers view the world. This study was completed to gather semantic information about the animals that bilingual Lakota English speakers name in English and in Lakota.

An additional objective of this study was to develop normative data for the Lakota people on phonemic (letter P) and …

Consonant Correspondences Of Burmese, Rakhine And Marma With Initial Implications For Historical Relationships, Heidi A. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a consonantal comparison of the Burmese, Rakhine and Marma languages of Myanmar and Bangladesh, with primary focus on initial and medial consonants. Its main purposes are to provide new data from the Rakhine and Marma languages of Bangladesh and to make some initial observations about the historical relationship between the three languages based on compiled consonant correspondences.

Although much literature is available on the Burmese language as the primary representative of the Southern Burmish languages, little information is available on Rakhine and Marma. This thesis thus extends previous work on the family tree to these two close …

The Phonetics And Phonology Of Bora Tone, Amy Roe

Theses and Dissertations

Bora is a Witotoan language spoken in Peru and Colombia. It has an unusual mixed tone/stress system in which L is the specified tone and H the unspecified tone. In this thesis, I describe the underlying tone patterns of noun and verb roots and show how their surface representations change in different phonological environments. I examine noun stems with seven different suffixes and one prefix and verb stems with thirteen different suffixes.

Disyllabic noun roots have three surface tone patterns: L∅, ∅L, and ∅∅. Additionally, Bora has a low boundary tone that associates to the right edge of noun phrases. …

Limitation, Subversion, And Agency: Gendered Spaces In The Works Of Margaret Mahy, Cynthia Voigt, And Dia Na Wynne Jones, Elizabeth Ann Pearce

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that adolescent literature featuring female protagonists often illustrates complicated relationships between gender and space. My contention is that because of their gender, these protagonists are uniquely constrained to the home, which creates a literary pattern that has serious ideological implications. While I argue that the dominant discourse of these novels implies that girls should adhere to specific cultural norms, some of these works, however, provide room for subversion and agency, including new ways of looking at patriarchal constructions. To demonstrate these issues at work, I use the novels of three female authors from three different …

Vocabulary Instruction: Using The Keyword Approach With The Interactive Smart Board In Inclusive Classrooms, Kelly Volpe

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to (a) evaluate the effects of a traditional approach, the definitional approach, to vocabulary instruction for middle school students in an inclusive class; (b) evaluate the effects of using the keyword method in vocabulary instruction for middle school students; (c) evaluate the effects of using the keyword method and the Smart Board in vocabulary instruction for middle school students; (d) compare the effectiveness of the traditional approach, the keyword method, and the keyword method with the Smart Board in vocabulary instruction; and (e) examine the teacher and students satisfaction with the traditional approach, keyword …

Cell Wall And Autolytic Properties Of A Cold-Sensitive Listeria Monocytogenes Mutant Deficient In Branched-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis, Anthony M. Martini

Theses and Dissertations

Cellular membranes modulate several critical functions of bacterial physiology, including solute diffusion and nutrient transport. Biophysical properties of phospholipids, as well as environmental pressures such as temperature, can have a profound effect on these membrane functions and the kinetics of associated enzymes. Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen capable of robust low temperature growth, a characteristic thought to be facilitated by a membrane highly enriched in branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA). Mutants deficient in the biosynthesis of these fatty acids exhibit severe growth defects under low temperature and extreme pH conditions. Morphological investigations have also revealed these mutants to undergo …

The Effects Of Opedix < Sup > Tm < / Sup > Knee Support System, Philip Mathew

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Knee supports are often employed to decrease adductor angle and/or adductor moment and thus medial knee joint loading in persons with medial knee osteoarthritis. It is compelling that these gait alterations would also be considered beneficial in healthy individuals from a prophylactic application. While the Opedix product was designed specifically as a knee support system, in the present study lower extremity kinematic chain with emphasis on hip and knee were investigated.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test Opedix garments and describe the changes in sagittal (X), frontal (Y), and transverse (Z) planes for both kinematic and …

Implications Of Vertebral Degenative Disease And Vertebral Ligamentous Ossification In Native Populations Of The Lower Tennessee River Valley, Sarah Ann Boncal

Theses and Dissertations

Cervical vertebrae are an effective biomechanical proxy for understanding physical activities of a populace due to the osteological reactivity of nuchal muscle use to extensive weight and pressure. Differentiation in the distribution of osteophytosis (OPL), osteoarthritis (OA), and ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) along the cervical vertebrae may indicate particular biomechanical stresses and/or burden-bearing differences between subsistence strategies.

A collection of 287 pre-Columbian Native American individuals (N = 854 vertebrae) was analyzed for presence and severity of OPL, OA and OLF. The sample consists of remains from six archaeological sites located in the lower Tennessee River Valley: three sites …

Targeting Of Receptors For Advanced Glycation End-Products (Rage) Diminishes Acute Secondhand Smoke-Induced Inflammation In Mice, Tyler Thomas Wood

Theses and Dissertations

The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) has increasingly been demonstrated to be an important modulator of inflammation in cases of pulmonary disease. Published reports involving tobacco smoke exposure have demonstrated increased expression of RAGE, its participation in pro-inflammatory signaling and its role in irreversible pulmonary remodeling. The current research evaluated for the first time the in vivo effects of short-term tobacco smoke exposure in RAGE null and control mice compared to identical animals exposed to room air only. Quantitative real time PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry revealed elevated RAGE expression in controls after four weeks of exposure and an anticipated …

Caroline Murat: Powerful Patron Of Napoleonic France And Italy, Brittany Dahlin

Theses and Dissertations

Caroline Bonaparte Murat created an identity for herself through the art that she collected during the time of her reign as queen of Naples as directed by her brother, Napoleon, from 1808-1814. Through the art that she both commissioned and purchased, she developed an identity as powerful politically, nurturing, educated, fashionable, and Italianate. Through this patronage, Caroline became influential on stylish, female patronage in both Italy and France. Caroline purchased and commissioned works from artists such as Jean-August-Domonique Ingres, François Gérard, Elizabeth Vigée LeBrun, Antonio Canova and other lesser-known artists of the nineteenth century. Many of these works varied in …

The Effects Of Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity On The Executive Function Of Sixth Graders, Alyssa Michele Humphreys

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cognitively engaging exercise, aerobic exercise, and resting conditions on the executive function of 6th graders. Four conditions were tested: cognitively engaging exercise, repetitive aerobic exercise, cognitively engaging rest, and rest. Executive function was measured by pre and post Stroop tests, which is a test of reaction time and inhibition. Results showed no significant differences between conditions in the choice reaction time test, however the cognitively engaging exercise was significantly different from all other conditions on the Stroop test.

Secondary Dormancy And Summer Conditions Influence Outcomes In The Pyrenophora Semeniperda - Bromus Tectorum Pathosystem, Katie Karen Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

Variable mortality of Pyrenophora semeniperda–infected Bromus tectorum seeds has been referred to as a “race for survival.” Dormant seeds are highly susceptible to P. semeniperda infection. While much is known about primary dormancy little is known about secondary dormancy in B. tectorum seeds. Dormancy status is not the only variable determining outcomes within the Bromus - Pyrenophora pathosystem. Varying temperature and intermittent hydration may strongly influence germination outcomes of B. tectorum in the presence of P. semeniperda. While it has long been assumed that B. tectorum seeds are infected by P. semeniperda in the fall it was recently suggested that …

Story Generation Ability In Four Children With Language Impairment, Monica Leroy Chamberlain

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project focused on the complexity of story generations produced by four children with language impairment across treatment sessions. Specifically, the participants' utterances were analyzed to determine if the children produced simple story elements and/or more complex cause/effect story elements. The children's utterances were also analyzed to identify emotion words in order to consider the children's awareness of the emotions experienced by characters in the stories. All participants approached the story generation task by describing characters and actions based on pictures from the book. Two participants did not express any causal relationships and two participants expressed some awareness of …

Investigating The One-On-One Master-Apprentice Relationship: A Case Study In Traditional Craft Apprenticeship, Isaac W. Calvert

Theses and Dissertations

Governments around the world are calling for a revival of apprenticeship on a large scale, emphasizing the value of the one-on-one, human interaction between master and apprentice and the teaching involved in that interaction. Although a broader historical view of apprenticeship shares these ideas, certain prominent threads within recent educational research have done a great deal to deemphasize them. Some go so far as to overlook the master-apprentice relationship altogether, assert that masters simply do not exist, and claim that apprenticeship learning happens without any teaching at all. In response to these claims, the researcher took part in an autoethnographic …

An Intonational Description Of Mayan Q'Eqchi', Karl Olaw Christian Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

Q'eqchi' is one of many Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala, C.A. This study provides the first Tone Break and Indices (ToBI) transcription system (Silverman et al., 1992) labeling of Q'eqchi' within the Autosegmental-Metrical (AM) model of intonation (Liberman, 1975; Pierrehumbert, 1980; Ladd, 1996). As an exploratory study into the basic intonation patterns of the language, observations were made on a variety of phenomenon relating to the intonational structure and contour pattern of the language. Three native male speakers of Q'eqchi' each provided 75 spoken sentences designed to best observe the basic patterns of intonation in the language. Each spoken utterance …

Machado De Assis: Uma Nova Leitura Através Das Lentes Do Corpus Lingu?Stico, Liege Christiane Pradera

Theses and Dissertations

O presente estudo analisa dados obtidos através da pesquisa por meio do corpus linguístico que provam estatisticamente o estilo adotado por Machado de Assis. Através da frequência de palavras-chave, escolhas léxicas mais significativas de cada romance e de alguns contos, esse estudo analisou a forma do romancista em criticar a sociedade oitocentista do Rio de Janeiro. Os resultados mostraram a disposição do autor de censurar o cientificismo do século XIX, os anseios e desejos da burguesia, assim como os conflitos da alma humana e a problemática dos relacionamentos da sociedade carioca. Por meio dos dados obtidos, há uma observação do …

Population Genetics Of Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley, Utah, Paula S. Dunken

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined population genetics of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Strawberry Valley, Utah located in the north-central part of the state. The Strawberry Valley population of sage-grouse experienced a severe population decline with estimates of abundance in 1998 less than 5% (~150 individuals) of similar estimates from the 1930s (>3,000 individuals). Given the population decline and reduced genetic diversity, recovery team partners translocated sage-grouse from four different populations into Strawberry Valley over 6 years (2003-2008). Translocations have been used as a strategy to increase both population size and genetic diversity in wildlife populations. We assessed whether genetic diversity …

Discovery Of An Allosteric Site On Furin, Contributing To Potent Inhibition: A Promising Therapeutic For The Anemia Of Chronic Inflammation, Andrew Jacob Gross

Theses and Dissertations

Release Date: October 2017

Anemia of chronic inflammation (ACI) is a condition that develops in a setting of chronic immune activation. ACI is characterized and triggered by inflammatory cytokines and the disruption of iron homeostasis. Hepcidin, a small peptide hormone, is the master regulator of iron homeostasis, and rapidly responds to iron supply and demand. Under conditions of chronic inflammation, hepcidin is elevated, and alters the way that iron is absorbed and disrupted throughout the body, resulting in disrupted iron homeostasis through inhibition of the iron exporter protein ferroportin. Anemia arises when insufficient erythropoietic activity combined with inadequate iron supply …

Articulated Spine For A Robot To Assist Children With Autism, Brandon M. Norton

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects about 1.5 million individuals in the US alone. The consequences of ASD affect families, caregivers, and social structures. This thesis adds to a growing group of people performing research on mitigating the effects of autism through robotics. Children with ASD tend to interact with robots more easily than with other humans. The goal of robotic therapy is not to help children interact with robots, but to generalize the behavior to humans. An articulated spine is a key to human emotional expression through shaping, weight shifting, and flow. Despite this importance, this feature is all but …

Analysis Of Data Center Network Convergence Technologies, Robert-Lee Daniel Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations

The networks in traditional data centers have remained unchanged for decades and have grown large, complex and costly. Many data centers have a general purpose Ethernet network and one or more additional specialized networks for storage or high performance low latency applications. Network convergence promises to lower the cost and complexity of the data center network by virtualizing the different networks onto a single wire. There is little evidence, aside from vendors' claims, that validate network convergence actually achieves these goals. This work defines a framework for creating a series of unbiased tests to validate converged technologies and compare them …