Digital Commons Network^™

Making Monsters: The Intersection Of Black And Queer Characters In Vampire Fiction, Jalissa Jones

Theses and Dissertations

For centuries we have looked at the vampire as a monster, one that skirts the line into acceptability not only because of the vampire's motivations, but more importantly because our depictions of vampires make them desirable to us. This thesis explores the vampire archive, and the question of how the monstrosity of the vampire interacts with race, sexuality, and gender to further uphold notions of white supremacy. This thesis will look at the classic vampire canon set forth by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu and two contemporary black vampire narratives: The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez …

Do Exploratory Probing Movements Predict Perceived Geometric Or Affordance Properties Of A Surface?, Arghya Kashyap

Theses and Dissertations

People use different exploratory movements to perceive different properties of a handheld object and different exploratory wielding movements to perceive different properties of a wielded object. We investigated whether people use different exploratory probing movements to perceive different properties of a surface. Participants probed a surface and attempted to perceive either an affordance (whether they could stand on that surface) or a geometric property (angle of inclination) of that surface. Perceived angle was nearly perfectly correlated with (but imperfectly scaled to) surface angle. The perceived boundary between surfaces that could be stood on and those that could not be stood …

Stress And Behavior In Beef Calves During Weaning, Kathleen E. Tierney

Theses and Dissertations

Animal welfare in commercial livestock operations has been an increasing topic of concern. It is well known that stress can have significant behavioral and physiological repercussions. It is especially important in commercial operations to reduce stress, as animal efficiency is the leading priority. In an effort to reduce stress on animals and improve welfare in livestock operations, several studies have evaluated common husbandry practices. One of the most widely studied practices is weaning, which encapsulates the process of removing the young from the dam. Several studies have evaluated the effects of weaning on beef cattle through a variety of behavioral …

Knowledge And Ontology Enhanced Approach To Natural Language Understanding (Koe-Nlu) In Computational Social Media And Healthcare, Naga Usha Gayathri Lokala

Theses and Dissertations

Natural Language Understanding (NLU) faces both opportunities and challenges as the amount of social media and healthcare data grows. This is particularly evident in context-sensitive applications such as evaluating cognitive health, identifying mental health symptoms, and monitoring drug abuse. Even though traditional NLU models work well for processing language in a wide range of areas, they often lack the ability to understand language in a specific domain, reason in context, and incorporate structured external knowledge. This dissertation talks about the Knowledge and Ontology Enhanced Approach to Natural Language Understanding (KOE-NLU), a new framework that is meant to make NLU systems …

Invention Beyond The Author, Jonathan Brent Butler

Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation examines how what Michel Foucault calls the “author function” affects contemporary students of writing and examines some historical alternatives to this way of conceptualizing the writing process and the writer’s role in it. Chapter 1: Author (Dys)function describes the author function and its discontents, the problems of the Romantic conception of “genius,” and summarizes the following chapters. Chapter 2: Early Writing Instruction focuses on classical approaches to rhetorical instruction that emphasize habit and aim at the cultivation of a particular subjectivity characterized by the capacity to respond to shifting rhetorical situations; this chapter draws on the work …

Choice Overload In The Digital Age: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach, Jacob Matthew Stanley

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the neural mechanisms of value-based multiattribute decision making through the lens of choice overload during consumer choice. Two behavioral experiments established that choice sets of a moderate size with nine options were perceived as most optimal compared to choice sets with three and 24 options, and options chosen from the largest set size were judged to be the least satisfying. A functional MRI study then examined how the brain responds to choice sets varying in size and complexity by manipulating the number of options presented as well as the presence of asymmetrically dominated decoy alternatives during a …

Emotions And Cognition, Krystal D. Becks

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Cognitive functioning is linked to emotional processes, with this relationship shaped by various biological (e.g., age, sex, diseases, and genetics), psychological (e.g., emotional well-being, coping strategies, mental health), and sociological (e.g., income and education) factors. Understanding these interactions is critical for advancing research on cognitive-emotional health across diverse populations. Purpose: To examine the relationship between positive and negative emotions and cognitive functioning among healthy adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Aging Brain Cohort (ABC) study (n=434). The independent variables were subsets from the NIH toolbox emotional battery. The dependent variables were from the NIH …

Perspectives Of Corporate Instructional Design Experts On Effectiveness, Personal Traits And Attributes, And Technology, Thomas A. Gant

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological descriptive study explored corporate instructional design experts' perspectives on effectiveness, personal traits and attributes, and technology that enhance their expertise. Three central themes emerged: "Mastering Instructional Design: The Journey of Continuous Learning and Skill Development," highlighting the importance of mentorship, lifelong learning, and professional development; "Accessing Instructional Design Expertise Through Individual Strengths," emphasizing adaptability, problem-solving, and empathy; and "Navigating Technological Integration and Innovation in Instructional Design," showcasing the transformative role of tools such as virtual reality, learning management systems, and authoring software. Semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom with 10 corporate instructional designers with at least 10 years …

La Enseñanza Del Arte A Estudiantes Con Trastorno De Déficit De Atención: Una Aproximación Fenomenológica Desde La Perspectiva Docente, María Torres Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada se diseñó con el propósito de explorar, describir y entender las experiencias fenomenológicas de los docentes en la enseñanza del arte a estudiantes diagnosticados con Trastornos de Déficit de Atención (TDAH). Se documentaron las vivencias, se explicaron las experiencias y se describieron los problemas que enfrentan los docentes en su proceso de enseñanza a los estudiantes con TDAH. El marco teórico empleado fue la Teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples de Howard Gardner, que plantea la existencia de ocho inteligencias que son la musical, la corporal cinestésica, lingüística, lógico-matemática, espacial, interpersonal, intrapersonal y naturalista.

Esta investigación tuvo un …

Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer Concrete; Synthesis, Development And Characterization, Heba Fouad

Theses and Dissertations

Geopolymers are rendered as an essential sustainable replacement to the widely used Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) which causes immense carbon dioxide emissions, hence a detrimental impact on society’s health and the environment. Geopolymers are three-dimensional networks of polymerized tetrahedral silicate and aluminate in the form of Q4(4Al), Q4(3Al) and Q4(2Al) which act as the principal binding phase in concrete. Past research has reported the synthesis of geopolymers from different aluminosilicates precursors, their characterization, and their wide range properties. However, previous studies still have not properly investigated effective range of synthesis ratios for a particular source material, optimum curing regimes, short- …

End-To-End Autonomous Quadcopter Using Reinforcement Learning, Mohamed Marwan Chawa

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the potential of Reinforcement Learning (RL) for achieving robust and adaptable quadcopter control, focusing on trajectory and attitude stabilization. We compare state-of-the-art RL algorithms, specifically Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO), against traditional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers across three tasks: hovering, slow trajectory following, and fast trajectory following. To enhance realism, we employ a modified PyFlyt simulation environment with a high-fidelity Crazyflie 2.x model, accounting for motor dynamics, noise, wind disturbances, and aerodynamic drag.

The challenge of operating a quadcopter can be divided into two distinct parts: planning a flight path and actually following that path. Our focus is on …

Knighthood In The Wilderness: Ecocritical Readings Of Nature And Chivalry In The World Of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Dajana Memko

Theses and Dissertations

Many interpretations of the Green Knight portray him as a personification of nature or as nature’s embodiment. Ecocriticism, however, challenges a more anthropocentric approach, calling into question deeply ingrained ideals of chivalry and human dominion over nature. The Green Knight is a hybrid creature whose striking features mark his otherness; yet, through his familiarity, he challenges the knight of Camelot and asks them to consider their chivalric identities as well as the nature of their Trojan ancestry and legacy. Among them, Gawain is forced to confront his identity as he ventures into the wilderness of Wirral, and his interactions with …

The Ghostly Angel In The Haunted Home: The Haunted House As A Metaphor For A Woman's Body In Crimson Peak, Andrea I. Amado-Fajardo

Theses and Dissertations

Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro), often overshadowed by del Toro's more critically acclaimed filmography, deserves to be acknowledged for its central trauma metaphor and its nuanced approach to gender. Far from being merely a horror movie fueled by disturbing sequences such as those found in contemporary supernatural horror films, Crimson Peak slowly unravels how Allerdale Hall parallels the film's female leads as they house and live with ghosts, revenants of a traumatic past. This essay explores the personification of the haunted house as a metaphor for the personified trauma that resides in a woman's body using Crimson Peak …

Geochemical Characterization And Predictive Soil Mapping Of Ice-Free Regions In Antarctica, Rachel Willmore

Theses and Dissertations

Antarctic soils are formed by extreme climate, minimal biological activity, and diverse geological settings. This study analyzes 201 soil samples across four ice-free Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions - North-west Antarctic Peninsula, Transantarctic Mountains, South Victoria Land, and North Victoria Land - to create a geochemical database (pH, EC, CEC, C and N, and ion concentrations) as well as to determine if there are consistent trends between geochemical properties and soil forming factors (SCORPAN). Despite variation in geochemical properties and SCORPAN covariates, some consistent trends emerged across all regions and individual Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions. Using SCORPAN covariates and multiple linear …

Fans In Ancient Egypt: Iconographic And Contextual Study Of Fans In The Predynastic, Old, And Middle Kingdoms, Nadra Zaki

Theses and Dissertations

A variety of fans existed throughout ancient Egyptian history. They had several forms and were made of different materials. They appear in two- and three-dimensional representations, as well as in texts. They relate to royalty and high officials and also feature in domestic settings, both out- and indoors. Fans were used for creating breeze, and providing shade in real life, and also during the journey to the afterlife, where they combined physical and metaphysical protection. Several names were associated with fans, depending on their functions, both in the secular and sacred world.

Earlier studies have either generally examined fans …

Taking A Bite Out Of Shark Week: Discovery's Csa And Csr Messages, Kari Mortenson

Theses and Dissertations

The present study looks at how companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social accountability (CSA) messages differently. This study uses Discovery Channels Shark Week as an example by utilizing a grounded deductive analysis of Discovery's X, formerly known as Twitter, posts from 2015-2020. This timeline was chosen thanks to Discovery partnering with the non-profit organization Oceana in 2010 to create more informed and conservation minded content. The posts on Discovery's X account during each Shark Week from 2015-2020 were examined. Each were coded for themes, Other, CSA, or CSR, and additional frames for those themes. The frames gathered …

The Influence Of Heat Therapy On Redox Signaling In Skeletal Muscle, Kimberly Miriam Richard

Theses and Dissertations

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been identified as crucial signaling molecules in skeletal muscle adaptations to exercise and signal for protective pathways within the myofiber. Pathological heat stress studies in animals demonstrate the ability of heat to increase ROS production in skeletal muscle. Limited data on the influence of therapeutic heat on ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle exists in the literature. The purpose of this study was to assess ROS production and redox signaling in human skeletal muscle following an acute, therapeutic bout of heat treatment. We hypothesized that heat would create an oxidized environment within …

Performance Prediction For Hub-Based Swarms, Puneet Jain

Theses and Dissertations

Optimization problems lie at the core of improving performance in various tasks, ranging from day-to-day work scheduling to coordinating robots in a warehouse fulfillment center. Distributed swarm systems provide a robust and adaptive solution approach to many optimization problems. Instead of using one really sophisticated agent, multiple smaller less sophisticated agents can provide the flexibility to evaluate more options and still provide a "good" answer. This dissertation uses graphs to model, analyze, and simulate swarm behavior, primarily to predict the time-to-converge (TTC) and success probability. First, we use a bipartite model for the distributed best-of-N problem, and show how the …

A Comparison Of Rfssw And Rsw For Automotive Manufacturing, Damon Michael Gale

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, automotive body panels have been made of steel and joined by a process called resistance spot welding (RSW). However, in efforts to reduce vehicle weight to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle, automotive manufactures have begun substituting aluminum in place of steel. While aluminum can be joined with RSW, a myriad of challenges arise from doing so. These challenges result in less consistent weld quality and accelerated electrode wear. Refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) is an emerging joining technology that could replace RSW as it is believed to be capable of creating superior joints in thin sheet …

Design & Development Of Fr1 Band Antenna For V2x Communication, Sujanth Narayan Kg

Theses and Dissertations

The developing trends in the automotive industry are evolving towards connected and autonomous vehicles that provide various advantages namely enhanced safety & security, congestion less traffic, smart mobility, and environmental sustainability at a lower cost with greater cause to the society. Vehicle to Everything (shortly V2X) Communication plays a significant role in autonomous driving. Salient features of V2X provide improved better driving experience and traffic efficiency even during fast moving scenarios.

V2X technologies are being carried out in sub 6 GHz range mainly at the 5.9 GHz band called the Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) based on IEEE 802.11p providing support …

Next Generation Sequencing Based Profiling Of Genes In Patients With Syndromic Forms Of Retinitis Pigmentosa, Harshavardhini G

Theses and Dissertations

India is one of the largest populations in the world and is estimated to have a high prevalence of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). RP is clinically and genetically heterogenous, characterized initially as night blindness, leading to complete vision loss due to retinal degeneration. RP can occur in non-syndromic or syndromic forms, affecting other organs as observed in Bardet Biedl Syndrome (BBS) and Usher syndrome (USH).

BBS is characterized by RP, polydactyly, obesity, renal anomalies and learning difficulties. USH is characterized by RP and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), with variable presence of vestibular dysfunction. Nextgeneration sequencing (NGS) has become a cost-effective technology …

Meretseger: A Reexamination, Parker M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Meretseger, “She Who Loves Silence,” the cobra goddess of the Theban necropolis and local deity of Deir el-Medina, is well attested for in the New Kingdom. This single sentence makes up most of the information in publications today, derived from Bernard Bruyère’s Mert Seger à Deir el Médineh (1929-1930), the only study dedicated to the “Mistress of the West.” Since then, new evidence has been found after 1930 and has not been compiled into a single publication until now. This thesis will reexamine Meretseger to form a more accurate, up-to-date study of her attestations and iconographic representations and trace her …

Effects Of Microbial Lipases On Parmesan And Feta Cheese Flavor Profiles, Erin N. Caswell

Theses and Dissertations

Lipolysis is crucial for cheese flavor development, as lipolytic enzymes convert fats into free fatty acids that enhance flavor. While Kid/Goat (KG) lipases are traditionally used in cheese production, microbial lipases like M. javanicus (MJ) and C. cylindracea (CC) provide vegetarian, cost-effective alternatives. This study compares the flavor, texture, and composition of Feta and Parmesan cheeses made with microbial lipases as a replacement for traditional lipase. Conventional cheese making techniques were used to make experimental batches of Feta and Parmesan cheeses using a standard KG lipase and two experimental lipases, CC and MJ, and comparing all three against a control …

Development Of Novel Nanocarriers With Multi Modal Action Against Lung Cancer, Gayathri K

Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer ranks among the top causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The deteriorating environment and unhealthy lifestyle in the modern era has further contributed to the exponential increase in lung cancer incidence across the globe. Lung cancers fall under two major types based on the location of the tumour in the lung namely, small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) which is more aggressive, and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which is more prevalent. Late diagnosis has been a major cause for poor prognosis as the cancer is detected only in an advanced stage.

Conventional therapies like chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy against lung cancer …

Identifying Fecal Contamination Sources In The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Amanda M. Free

Theses and Dissertations

The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR) has a history of elevated fecal coliform counts. However, the source of the contamination is not well understood. According to past sanitary surveys, there has been a history of malfunctioning residential septic systems and inadequate wastewater treatment in the upper watershed. Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) and birds are also abundant in the estuary and could be potential contributors to elevated fecal coliform levels. To better understand the temporal and spatial variation of fecal coliforms in the GNDNERR and inform oyster reef management, eight sites within the GNDNERR watershed were sampled monthly for …

Multi-Temporal Uav Remote Sensing Combined With Machine Learning For Estimating Cotton Yield, Amrit Shrestha

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate crop yield estimation early in season can help in identifying specific areas within a field that may require different management practices, thus enhancing overall efficiency and productivity. However, early estimation has been a challenging task mainly due to integrated complex association between genetic × environment × management factors. Over the decades, machine learning techniques, especially artificial neural network, has been widely adopted in conjunction with uncrewed aerial system (UAS) for high-throughput plant phenotyping and crop yield estimation. This study introduces the plus neural network (pNN) to incorporate temporal dynamics across different crop growth stages. Cotton field data from 2020-2023 …

A Correlation Study Between Soil Selenium Levels And Diabetes Prevalence Across U.S. Regions: An Archival Data Analysis (2012-2018), Baoshan Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the correlation between soil selenium levels and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence across U.S. regions between 2012 to 2018. Selenium, an essential trace element, plays an important role in antioxidant defense and metabolism. While appropriate selenium intake may protect against diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing oxidative stress, excessive intake can have adverse effects. This research analyzed the most recent data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), for over 3,000 counties in the U.S. A correlation analysis model was used to determine the relationship between soil selenium …

Assembly And Analysis Of A Mobile Reactor System For The Continuous Conversion Of Landfill Gas To Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Benjamin Eston Gibens

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy changes have shifted research and development to pursue technology that promotes a circular economy and net zero emissions by 2050. Current research is actively developing “drop-in” sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that reduce emissions and are compatible with modern-day jet engines, mimicking conventional jet fuel's physical and chemical properties. While ensuring sustainable engine performance and operability using drop-in SAF is critical, several challenges remain in the economic outlook of SAF production. Biogas reforming and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) can be used in series to convert landfill gas to SAF; however, novel design approaches must be considered to alleviate capital and …

Algal Community Investigations: Present Day To Year-2100 For Mississippi Lakes And The Western Mississippi Sound, Emma Madison Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Algae play a key role in the aquatic environment as primary producers; however, they can form harmful algal blooms that are detrimental to the aquatic environment, people, and even the economy. It is generally believed that climate change will influence future algal blooms. The first study estimated algae community in three freshwater locations in Mississippi, Desoto Lake, White’s Creek Lake, and Columbus Lake, and one saline location, Western Mississippi Sound, using modern and new tools of the autonomous surface vessel, FlowCam, and EcoTaxa. From those results and leading into the second study was the application of four climate scenarios on …

Projecting Land Cover Changes And Impacts On Bird Conservation Using Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing And A Cellular Automata – Artificial Neural Network Model In Nairobi National Park, Kenya., Frank Juma Ong'ondo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines land cover changes and their projected future impacts on bird species conservation in and around Nairobi National Park, Kenya. 2016 and 2023 Satellite imagery, analyzed through Google Earth Engine and the MOLUSCE plugin were used to assess changes in five land cover types: grassland, shrubland, forest, urban, and water. Bird population data from the Kenya Bird Map were used to evaluate birds' responses to land cover changes. Birds were categorized into five habitat guilds—grassland-dependent, shrubland-dependent, forest-dependent, water-dependent, and urban-dependent bird species. Between 2016 and 2023, grassland and shrubland decreased by 14.21% and 5.54%, respectively, and urban increased …