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Who Has The Right To Reproduce? Forced Sterilization In South Carolina In The Early Twentieth Century, Kathryn Pownall Apr 2022

Who Has The Right To Reproduce? Forced Sterilization In South Carolina In The Early Twentieth Century, Kathryn Pownall

Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to uncover the history of forced sterilization in South Carolina. Compulsory sterilization of the feebleminded, a form of eugenics, gained prominence in the United States throughout the early twentieth century. It was both an ableist and misogynistic movement that targeted women because they were seen to be responsible for reproduction. Sterilization was regarded as a solution to halting the reproduction of feebleminded individuals, who would otherwise continue to depend on the state financially. South Carolina was slow to implement a sterilization law, becoming the thirty-first (and second-to-last) state to pass one. Although South Carolina shares a border …


The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Domestic Dogs: Ancestry And Genetic Structure Of Free-Roaming Dog Populations In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Gabriella Jean Spatola Apr 2022

The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation On Domestic Dogs: Ancestry And Genetic Structure Of Free-Roaming Dog Populations In Chernobyl, Ukraine, Gabriella Jean Spatola

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the effects of ionizing radiation on domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) which were commonly used as laboratory subjects during the era of atomic bomb testing (1950s - 1980s). Early laboratory studies on radiation effects in dogs provided important foundations of knowledge for research that has more recently shifted to natural populations exposed to ionizing radiation from nuclear accidents. A unique group of free-roaming dogs reside in an environment polluted by radioactive contamination deposited during the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, providing one such opportunity to study the effects of ionizing radiation on dogs …


Describing The Impact Of The Sales Of Antibiotics On The Environment And In Population Health, Andrés Gaviria-Figueroa Apr 2022

Describing The Impact Of The Sales Of Antibiotics On The Environment And In Population Health, Andrés Gaviria-Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations

The role of antibiotics in human health is of significant importance in the advancement of the medical field. It has contributed to an improvement of the quality of life and the age expectancy of the population. Antibiotic resistance is an expected consequence of the use of antibiotics. Bacteria have developed biological mechanisms that would help them become resistant to antibiotics. The uncontrolled use of antibiotics is significantly contributing to the ability of bacteria to become resistant to those antibiotics. This study, using the model of the Socio-Ecological Coupling of Antibiotic Resistance, explains how social and environmental factors interact and impact …


International Financial Assistance And Inequality In Emerging Markets: Colombia, Egypt And Turkey, Sara Farag Apr 2022

International Financial Assistance And Inequality In Emerging Markets: Colombia, Egypt And Turkey, Sara Farag

Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigates the effects of the three main pillars of structural adjustment policies imbedded in IFI funding facilities on income inequality in three specific cases; Colombia, Egypt and Turkey to uncover if income inequality present in those emerging markets is attributed to; the policy reforms conditionality or to pre-existent country features. The three main pillars of policy conditions discussed in this thesis are 1. Government Expenditure Reforms, 2. External Sector Reforms, and 3. Financial Sector Reforms. My hypothesis is that, although pre-existent country features may have had an impact on the levels of inequality a populace faces, the …


National Athletes' Perceived Image Of The Government In The Development Of Sports In Malaysia, Danial Bin Azizan Durisic Apr 2022

National Athletes' Perceived Image Of The Government In The Development Of Sports In Malaysia, Danial Bin Azizan Durisic

Theses and Dissertations

Malaysian national sports depend on the support of the government to further improve its quality and continue to grow. The declining quality of Malaysian sports prompted this study, which seeks to explore the perceptions of the Malaysian government’s sport development efforts through the lens of the national athletes and provide recommendations that could lead to strengthened sports development and improved quality of sports in Malaysia. This research intends to compare the results obtained from current and former national athletes and compare it with the Sport Policy Factors Leading to International Sporting Success or SPLISS Model (Bosscher et al., 2006), which …


Be With Me: Well-Being And Singling Contact; The Moderating Role Of Autistic Traits, Michelle Lupien Lieber Mar 2022

Be With Me: Well-Being And Singling Contact; The Moderating Role Of Autistic Traits, Michelle Lupien Lieber

Theses and Dissertations

Sibling contact (synchronous or asynchronous) in young adulthood may have implications for individual well-being (health, life satisfaction & depressive symptoms). This link may be moderated by each individuals' traits, specifically autistic characteristics. Current literature has examined sibling contact, mediums of contact, autism relationships, but has yet to consider sibling contact moderated by autistic traits. This study analyzed data from 390 young adults 61% female, mean age = 25.65) who gave self-reports over two collection waves. Structural Equation Models found that regardless of autistic traits, synchronous contact was linked with increased life satisfaction as well as lower depressive symptoms, and asynchronous …


"A Crash Of Worlds": How Red Dead Redemption Ii Creates A World Where Players Experience Empathy Through Character Performance, Heather Rose Moser Mar 2022

"A Crash Of Worlds": How Red Dead Redemption Ii Creates A World Where Players Experience Empathy Through Character Performance, Heather Rose Moser

Theses and Dissertations

Players of an open-world video game are more than merely audience members watching a narrative play out--they actively participate and perform in the world. Drawing from scholars like Edmund Husserl, Konstantin Stanislavski, Ossy Wulansari, and PJ Manney, this paper explores principles of performance, phenomenology, and empathy to examine how open-world role-playing games, specifically Red Dead Redemption II, help players experience empathy. Constructing this experience through character attachment, length of play, and identification in a safe experimental space, these games become a bridge leading to greater empathy for people who are different from the player. The immersive nature of these games …


Examining The Perceptions Of Fake News, Verification, And Notices On Twitter, Brendan Patrick Gwynn Mar 2022

Examining The Perceptions Of Fake News, Verification, And Notices On Twitter, Brendan Patrick Gwynn

Theses and Dissertations

The rise of social media platforms has had a significant impact on the conventional model of gatekeeping. With increased access to information--as well as the ability to contribute to the public discourse--individuals no longer need to rely on the mass media for news. These realities have led to increased conversations surrounding credibility in the digital age. Although not a new concept, fake news has become increasingly common in recent years. The web--particularly social media outlets, like Twitter--have enhanced the spread of misinformation. To combat this, social media platforms have introduced gatekeeping features like verification marks and warning labels. However, questions …


An Eye To The Sky: Describing Characteristics Of Weather App Users Through Q Method, Danielle Wardinsky Hallows Mar 2022

An Eye To The Sky: Describing Characteristics Of Weather App Users Through Q Method, Danielle Wardinsky Hallows

Theses and Dissertations

The world revolves around weather information - whether the need is to understand, prepare for, or navigate weather. Although traditional television viewership of weather forecasts are on the decline, mobile weather applications are becoming the new media medium for weather information. In fact, the total number of app downloads in the weather market reached 69.5 million at the end of 2021 (Statista, 2021). As a result, understanding the characteristics of weather app users and what those users are looking for is pertinent to research regarding weather communication. While weather is an ongoing phenomenon sought to be understood by people for …


Identification Of Sources Of Air Pollution Using Novel Analytical Techniques And Instruments, Nitish Bhardwaj Mar 2022

Identification Of Sources Of Air Pollution Using Novel Analytical Techniques And Instruments, Nitish Bhardwaj

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a collection of studies that investigates the issue of air pollution in the field of environmental chemistry. My thesis consists of research works done to measure the concentration of particulate matter (PM) and gas-phase species in ambient air. High concentrations of PM is a significant problem in Utah and in other regions of the world. Particles having an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 micrometers and smaller play a crucial role in air pollution and pose serious health risks when inhaled. PM is composed of both organic and inorganic components. The organic fraction in PM ranges from 10-90% of …


Nutritional Messaging: To Eat Or Not To Eat?, Christina Triptow Mar 2022

Nutritional Messaging: To Eat Or Not To Eat?, Christina Triptow

Theses and Dissertations

There is a great deal of diet-specific processed foods on the market today. With so many options it can become difficult for consumers to decide what products to purchase. This situation is further intensified by the plethora of contradictory messages found in food advertising, especially in weight loss and dieting food advertising, but also seen in government nutrition campaigns and all over the internet on platforms like social media, blogs, and so forth. These messages can be confusing and frustrating for consumers as they try to decipher which foods they should eat to reach their health or weight loss goals. …


Virtual Advertising In The Nba: How Arousal Level And Visual Attention Alter Brand Recall And Recognition, Caleb H. Porter Mar 2022

Virtual Advertising In The Nba: How Arousal Level And Visual Attention Alter Brand Recall And Recognition, Caleb H. Porter

Theses and Dissertations

During the 2020 season, the NBA implemented, for the first time, the use of virtual advertisements. Virtual advertisements are digitally superimposed ads directly on the court that are visible to anyone viewing the broadcasted version of a game. This study used eye-tracking and galvanic skin response (GSR) in conjunction with the limited capacity model of motivated mediated message processing (LC4MP; Lang, 2006a) to a) determine virtual advertising's effectiveness compared to traditional in-stadium advertising and to b) monitor the effect emotional arousal has on advertising recall and recognition. A sample of 176 fans of the Utah Jazz viewed one of four …


Narrowing The Digital Divide: Instructional Practices Promoting Growth Mindset To Address Students’ Digital Literacy Needs In A Secondary School Learning Environment, Alyssa A. Krisanda Mar 2022

Narrowing The Digital Divide: Instructional Practices Promoting Growth Mindset To Address Students’ Digital Literacy Needs In A Secondary School Learning Environment, Alyssa A. Krisanda

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was: (1) to explore the ways in which high school teachers use instructional practices that promote a growth mindset among their students, (2) how those practices are used to improve digital literacy, and (3) how these practices evolved during the transition from face-to-face instruction to remote instruction. This study aimed to explore not only how teachers are using instructional strategies to promote growth mindset, but how those strategies are helping to address students‘ digital literacy needs with the intent to narrow the digital divide. For this study, the case-selection variant of …


Osteoarthritis And Cartilage Insult: Elucidation Of Molecular Interplay And Attempted Interventions, Brandon James Rose Mar 2022

Osteoarthritis And Cartilage Insult: Elucidation Of Molecular Interplay And Attempted Interventions, Brandon James Rose

Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and incapacitating joint disease beginning with breakdown of articular cartilage and extending into subchondral bone. At present, the processes through which the disease occurs are poorly understood, and interventions are limited to pain relief and eventual joint replacement. OA is commonly associated with obesity and corresponding pathologies, and as OA is demonstrably not a product of passive erosion of cartilage over time or under increased loads there must needs be some other mechanistic link between the two conditions. We hypothesize that the production of ceramides, a hallmark of the insulin resistance syndrome underlying many obesity-related …


Social-Emotional Beliefs And Competencies Of High School Teachers In A High Need District: Relationship With Teacher Self-Efficacy, Deborah Ann Goodman Mar 2022

Social-Emotional Beliefs And Competencies Of High School Teachers In A High Need District: Relationship With Teacher Self-Efficacy, Deborah Ann Goodman

Theses and Dissertations

Social-emotional learning (SEL) research has focused more on SEL programming and outcomes in students, and little is known about SEL in teachers especially among high school teachers. This cross-sectional quantitative research study was undertaken to gather baseline information about SEL among 240 high school teachers from a high need district with the following hypotheses: 1) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies significantly vary by years of teaching, educational attainment, and professional development, 2) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies of school significantly vary by classroom setting, school type, and grade level teaching. and school type, and 3) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies …


Student Perceptions Of Instructors Comparing A Low Mediated Immediacy Syllabus To A High Mediated Immediacy Syllabus, Ann Marie Katlyn Kamps Mar 2022

Student Perceptions Of Instructors Comparing A Low Mediated Immediacy Syllabus To A High Mediated Immediacy Syllabus, Ann Marie Katlyn Kamps

Theses and Dissertations

Instructional communication researchers have begun exploring the effects of levels of immediacy and mediated immediacy on students’ perceptions and success in the classroom. To date, researchers have concluded high levels of immediacy are beneficial for instructors to use both in their classroom and online as well. To extend this line of research, this experiment explores the effects of mediated immediacy on student perceptions of instructor’s clarity, credibility, and motivation. Results indicated that high levels of mediated immediacy in syllabi have positive effects on student perceptions and should be integrated within the online classroom. These findings contribute practical implications for instructors …


The Inhibition Of Valproic Acid-Induced Negative Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Through Nrf2-Mediated Redox Regulation, Ted Brenton Piorczynski Mar 2022

The Inhibition Of Valproic Acid-Induced Negative Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Through Nrf2-Mediated Redox Regulation, Ted Brenton Piorczynski

Theses and Dissertations

Valproic acid (VPA) is a commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug that causes negative neurodevelopmental outcomes, including neural tube defects (NTDs) and neurodevelopmental disorders, in fetuses exposed to it. While the exact mechanism by which VPA causes defects is unknown, research has shown that VPA increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that lead to redox dysregulation. We hypothesize that VPA causes negative neurodevelopmental outcomes through the disruption of redox-sensitive signaling pathways that are critical for proper embryonic development, and that protection from the VPA-induced redox disruption may decrease the prevalence of the observed defects. Time-bred mice were treated with 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione …


The Effectiveness Of Myofascial Release On Overhead Athletes With Posterior Shoulder Tightness, Breiann E. Richey Mar 2022

The Effectiveness Of Myofascial Release On Overhead Athletes With Posterior Shoulder Tightness, Breiann E. Richey

Theses and Dissertations

Context: Posterior shoulder tightness is common among collegiate overhead athletes due to repetitive overhead patterns, often resulting in altered range of motion patterns. This may be associated with additional non-painful hypersensitive areas of taut muscle called latent myofascial trigger points (LTrPs), which have been linked to muscle imbalances, muscular weaknesses, impaired motor recruitment, and internal rotation (IR) range of motion (ROM) deficits. Evidence supports improvements in glenohumeral ROM and isometric strength through instrument assisted manual therapy techniques on MTrPs in baseball players. Ischemic compression (IC) is a form of therapeutic myofascial release that can be performed by any clinician trained …


Evaluation Of Bmi, Diet Quality, Alcohol Intake, And Physical Activity In Cancer Survivors: Is There An Association With Primary Source Of Nutrition Advice?, Zachary J. Heindl Mar 2022

Evaluation Of Bmi, Diet Quality, Alcohol Intake, And Physical Activity In Cancer Survivors: Is There An Association With Primary Source Of Nutrition Advice?, Zachary J. Heindl

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if cancer survivors are meeting nutrition and physical activity recommendations presented by the ACS. The association between a survivor’s primary source of nutrition advice and these factors was also assessed. Method: A sample of 132 cancer survivors was recruited through social media. Inclusion criteria included: United States citizenship, at least 18 years of age, and diagnosis of cancer or malignancy by a health care professional. A one-time, self-administered survey was distributed via Qualtrics. The Dietary Screener Questionnaire was utilized to determine average daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and the weekly …


Classroom Practices Of Urban High School Teacher’S Pedagogy Strategies And Approaches For Preparing African American Students For College, Leah Hansberry Mar 2022

Classroom Practices Of Urban High School Teacher’S Pedagogy Strategies And Approaches For Preparing African American Students For College, Leah Hansberry

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative case study of ten urban high school teachers' classroom practices in terms of pedagogical strategies and curriculum development approaches for college preparation of African American students. Arkansas released a High School-to-College Success Report in 2012 to assess how well high schools prepared students for post-secondary success. There is a dearth of research on urban high school teachers' perspectives on pedagogy strategies for college preparation of African American students. The theoretical framework for this study was derived from Dunkin and Biddle's (1974) Curriculum Model. The overarching research question guided this study: …


#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow Mar 2022

#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow

Theses and Dissertations

Indigenous women experience violence at a disproportionate rate compared to non- Indigenous women. The disproportionate violence has created a crisis commonly referred to as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Over the last 15 years, activists, organizations, and families have responded to the lack of political motivation to address the violence by raising awareness on social media. While people communicate via multiple social networks, Twitter is the leading forum for information about the movement and accompanying events such as vigils, walks, and memorials. For this reason, this dissertation explored the Twitter presence of the MMIW social movement. Analysis …


Improving Water Quality Through Reducing Agricultural Nutrient Loss: Field Pennycress As A Cover Crop, Mujen Wang Mar 2022

Improving Water Quality Through Reducing Agricultural Nutrient Loss: Field Pennycress As A Cover Crop, Mujen Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural nutrient loss through water runoff from the Upper Mississippi (UM) River Basin is one of the major contributing sources to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic dead zone. Cover cropping has been identified as one strategy for farmers to use to reduce nutrient loss from their fields. However, the upfront costs and slow economic return of implementing cover crops prevent farmers from widely adopting traditional cover crops.Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) is an emerging potential “cash cover crop” species that may provide the soil and environmental benefits of traditional cover crops and the economic incentive farmers need to widely implement cover …


The Challenges Of Navigating Feminism In Nigeria: A Case For Third Space Feminism, Pearl Osibu Mar 2022

The Challenges Of Navigating Feminism In Nigeria: A Case For Third Space Feminism, Pearl Osibu

Theses and Dissertations

This project features two parts: a critical portion discussing the feminism landscape in Nigeria, and a creative portion—a work of fiction titled “Glued together”. This abstract only concerns the critical aspect of the work, to which the creative part will only be tangentially related. In Nigeria, the largest country in Africa sited in the Sub-Saharan hemisphere, the very mention of the word, feminism is anathema. There is a lot of resentment towards, and pushback against the very idea. This lack of trust can be linked to certain voiced concerns that feminism is some “white man’s invention from the west” to …


I'M Not A Virus: Asian Hate In Donald Trump's Rhetoric, Jennifer Zheng Mar 2022

I'M Not A Virus: Asian Hate In Donald Trump's Rhetoric, Jennifer Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, expressions of anti-Asian sentiments have been on the rise. From March 2020 to June 2021, there were a total of 9,081 self-reported incidents of hate across the United States (Stop AAPI Hate, 2021). As the coronavirus spread into the United States, President Donald Trump immediately blamed China. He did so by referring to the virus as the “Chinese Virus” and used the hashtag #chinesevirus on Twitter (Weise, 2021). Anti-Asian sentiments expressed on Twitter grew after Trump’s tweet about the “Chinese virus” and the number of Chinese and other Asian hate crimes grew exponentially. …


Farewell To The Chief: The American Presidential Funeral, Aaron Lee Shuman Mar 2022

Farewell To The Chief: The American Presidential Funeral, Aaron Lee Shuman

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, the author argues that the funeral of an American President constitutes a final venue from which the president can communicate with the American public. In this “speech” the president can make subtle statements about which parts of their lives they want to be remembered for. The work’s argument is illustrated through a case study analyzing the 2018 funeral of President George H.W. Bush, backed by oral history interviews with individuals who had attended the funeral in an official capacity. The author closes the work by insisting that the presidential funeral offers a window into the mind of …


African American Doctoral Students’ Success: Experiences Affecting The Mental Health, Stress, And Satisfaction Of Doctoral Students At Pwis & Hbcus, Desarae Nelson Mar 2022

African American Doctoral Students’ Success: Experiences Affecting The Mental Health, Stress, And Satisfaction Of Doctoral Students At Pwis & Hbcus, Desarae Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the effect the institution type has on African American graduate student mental health and program success. The primary research question was how do phenomena/strategies, causal conditions, competing internal and external demands, coping strategies, and positive and negative consequences create stress that influences the mental health and success of African American doctoral students differently at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs)? This primary research question was addressed by the responses to seven sub-questions based on the constructs outlined in a conceptual framework derived from a graduate …


Statistical Modeling Of Drug Properties, Host Clinical And Genetic Factors In Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Kristin Ashby Mar 2022

Statistical Modeling Of Drug Properties, Host Clinical And Genetic Factors In Drug-Induced Liver Injury, Kristin Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a rare adverse reaction that can result in liver transplant or death. Currently, there are no reliable methods to identify which individuals are at risk of developing severe or chronic DILI prior to drug administration. Here, we investigated the interplay between drug properties, clinical, and genetic factors and DILI risk, severity, and trajectory. First, we used a large, published dataset of 1036 drugs to examine the relationship between DILI risk and two drug properties, lipophilicity and extent of metabolism. Each drug property was tested alone and in combination with daily dose using five different DILI …


Mirrors To The Soul: Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Critical Reflections Of Situating Race, Racism, And Antiracism Within The Literacy Curriculum, Marian Cunningham Mar 2022

Mirrors To The Soul: Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Critical Reflections Of Situating Race, Racism, And Antiracism Within The Literacy Curriculum, Marian Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Research that engages preservice teachers in critical reflective practices may reveal the level at which they understand and confront their own biases when addressing race within the institutions and societies they interact. This study was conducted to understand the depth in which elementary preservice teachers critically reflect on their own racialized experiences and beliefs and how they situate race within the literacy curriculum through the lens of critical race theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 preservice teachers. Findings indicated that preservice teachers believe antiracist themes should be integrated into literacy. However, due to lack of exposure, limited coursework, and …


Modelling Physico-Chemical Properties Of Binary Nano-Alloys By Nano-Thermodynamics And Machine Learning, Luke David Geoffrion Mar 2022

Modelling Physico-Chemical Properties Of Binary Nano-Alloys By Nano-Thermodynamics And Machine Learning, Luke David Geoffrion

Theses and Dissertations

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are some of the fastest growing fields of materials science that have given impact to several fields of science including biology, medicine, and catalysis. These applications take advantage of several properties of nanoscale materials that are present at sizes below 100 nm namely the increased surface to volume ratio. From a theoretical point of view, nanoscience research is dominated by Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics. These techniques dominate for good reason, but are not without their own limitations due to their computational complexity which results in very long calculation time to complete on materials whose size …


The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes Mar 2022

The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

There is a well-established and growing body of research dedicated to understanding the influence of past victimization on physical health outcomes. Consequently, knowledge on identifying how past victimization types influence each domain of physical health and if these outcomes differ by gender and sexual orientation remains largely absent within literature. Therefore, the purpose of the following study is to expound upon victimization literature by examining the physical health outcomes associated with different victimization types and to examine how these factors differ by both gender and sexual orientation with regard to victimization type (personal, property, and stalking). Guided by both life-course …