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Neuropsychological Profiles To Aid In Determining The Necessity For Neuroimaging Reviews: Providing Evidence For A Screener For Cerebrovascular Abnormalities, Kayla Blaire Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to provide evidence for a white matter abnormality (WMA) screener by investigating whether commonly used neuropsychological measures of executive functioning and processing speed have predictive power for identifying high WMA burden.

Participants were administered a brief neuropsychological evaluation by a doctoral student under the direct supervision of a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and underwent an MRI scan. A neurologist rated each participant’s MRI results using the Fazekas scale. A total of 178 participants were included, divided into two groups based on their Fazekas rating: low WMA burden (46%) and high WMA burden (54%).

A confirmatory factor analysis indicated …

The Effect Of Resilience: Exploring The Link Between Depression And Cognitive Performance In A Memory Disorder Clinic Population, Amanda Capriglione

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Research has consistently shown that depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive impairments, namely in memory, attention, and executive functioning (for a review, see Rock et al., 2014), particularly in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). As MCI is often a precursor to dementia, understanding and addressing modifiable factors that influence this trajectory is essential for prevention and intervention efforts. Resilience, defined as the capacity to adapt positively to adversity, has been identified as a potential protective factor against age-related cognitive decline. Prior studies (e.g., Laird et al., 2019b; Miller et al., 2023) suggest that resilience buffers against the cognitive …

The Smuggled Body: Embodied Experiences Of Sudanese Displacement Along The Sudan–Egypt Corridor, Marielys Padua Soto

Theses and Dissertations

The outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023 triggered one of the world's largest displacement crises, forcing millions of Sudanese civilians to flee toward neighboring countries, particularly Egypt. As legal pathways became increasingly restricted following Egypt's tightening of visa policies, many asylum seekers relied on migrant smuggling networks to reach safety. This thesis examines how restrictive mobility regimes are materially experienced through the body by introducing the concept of the smuggled body, defined as the body through which the physical, emotional, and social consequences of border control, irregular mobility, and forced displacement are lived. Drawing on embodiment theory, border …

Nanoscale Water Confinement And Coordination-Driven Ion Transport In Eutectogel Electrolytes For Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications, Abdallah Akar

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid expansion of renewable energy systems, portable electronics, electric vehicles, and smart grid technologies has intensified the demand for advanced electrochemical energy storage devices capable of delivering high power density, long cycling life, operational safety, and environmental sustainability. Among these technologies, supercapacitors have attracted considerable attention because of their rapid charge-discharge capability, excellent cycling stability, and high-power performance. However, their relatively low energy density remains a critical limitation that restricts their broader practical application. Since the energy density of supercapacitors scales with the square of the operating voltage, expanding the electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte represents one of …

Simulation-Based Assessment Of Operational And Retrofit Solutions For Effluent Compliance Of A Capacity-Limited Oxidation Ditch Wwtp, Ahmed Sameh Harash

Theses and Dissertations

Oxidation-ditch wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Egypt's Nile Delta are increasingly carrying hydraulic and organic loads beyond what they were designed for. This work can be considered pioneering as this work compared operational and structural retrofit alternatives for such a plant within a single verified simulation framework. The present study fills that gap by building a digital twin of the Qaha WWTP, a dual-train Carrousel oxidation ditch in Qalyubia Governorate, calibrated to a baseline flow of 7,420 m³/day in the SUMO24 platform (a third-generation, open-source wastewater treatment process simulation software) using the SUMO2c biokinetic model (a simplified variant of Activated …

Sustainable – Low-Cost - Upgrade Of Activated Sludge Process For Nitrogen And Phosphorus (N&P) Removal From Wastewater, Abanoub N. Basta

Theses and Dissertations

Many municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in developing countries were designed primarily for organic matter and suspended solids removal and therefore face increasing difficulty in meeting modern nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) discharge requirements. Conventional biological nutrient removal upgrades commonly require additional reactor volume, recirculation systems, aeration energy, and capital investment. Accordingly, sustainable retrofit strategies that improve nutrient removal within existing treatment footprints are increasingly needed, particularly in water-scarce and land-constrained regions.

This study investigated the integration of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) into the aeration stage of an activated sludge process as a hybrid nature-based enhancement for nitrogen and phosphorus …

Study Of Fast Switching Metastable-State Photoacids And Controlled Drug Release From Polycaprolactone (Pcl) Vascular Scaffold, Rana Salman Abbood Abbood

Theses and Dissertations

Metastable-state photoacid (mPAH) has become a common tool for controlling and driving chemical processes with light. mPAHs with fast reverse reactions are desirable for precise temporal control or generating quick pulses of proton concentration. In this work, different approaches towards fast reversing mPAHs are studied. Experimental and computational results showed that stabilizing the charge–transfer intermediate is an effective way to increase the rate. A novel mPAH with a reverse reaction ≈500 times faster than the most widely used mPAH in methanol has been developed. Another water-soluble mPAH exhibited a reverse reaction with a rate constant of 7.8 s−1, the fastest …

Comparative Performance Of Physiological Vital-Sign Forecasting Under Random And Patient-Wise Splitting Using Deep Learning, Lavanya Vasavi Chittem Reddy

Theses and Dissertations

Physiological vital-sign forecasting estimates future measurements based on recent temporal patterns and can support analysis of continuously recorded monitoring data. This study comparatively evaluated deep feedforward, recurrent, bidirectional recurrent, long short-term memory, and bidirectional long short-term memory architectures for one-step-ahead forecasting of peripheral oxygen saturation, heart rate, and pulse rate. Each model received consecutive observations of peripheral oxygen saturation, heart rate, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and age, while separate single-output models predicted the next value of the selected target.

Random and patient-wise data splitting were compared using identical input definitions, preprocessing procedures, model architectures, and training hyperparameters. The strongest architecture …

Stimuli-Responsive Proton Transfer: Photoacid Design, Co2 Sorbent Regeneration, And Polymer Applications, Melyse Ava Laud

Theses and Dissertations

Control over proton transfer enables the regulation of many pH-dependent chemical and material processes. Stimuli-responsive functional materials provide a means of achieving this control. Functional materials such as Metastable-state photoacids (mPAHs) reversibly release large amounts of protons when stimulated by light from a weakly acidic site within their structure. However, the dark acidities of previously reported mPAHs limit their use under basic conditions. To address this limitation, a benzimidazole-type mPAH was developed with an improved ground-state pKa of 11.9 and a metastable-state pKa of 9.8, enabling reversible proton transfer under mildly basic conditions. Additional mPAHs were examined to determine how …

Establishing Kinetic Lipidomic Methods For Quantifying In Vivo Shifts In Metabolic Homeostasis, Coleman Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

Lipidomics conventionally measures molecular abundance, but abundance alone cannot distinguish a lipid pool that is actively turning over from one that is static. This dissertation develops kinetic lipidomics, a mass spectrometry approach that uses deuterated-water labeling to quantify in vivo turnover across an entire lipidome. We apply this framework to investigate how apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype alters brain metabolism in the context of Alzheimer's disease risk. The method simultaneously recovers three parameters for hundreds of lipid species: the fractional turnover rate (k), the fraction of the pool accessible to endogenous synthesis (Asyn), and the effective number of deuterium-incorporating sites (nL). …

A Generalized Coherence Framework For Contribution Analysis In Multi-Input Systems With Correlated Inputs, With Application To Essential Tremor, Nolan H. Howes

Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying the contribution of individual inputs to an output is a fundamental problem in the analysis of dynamic systems , with applications spanning numerous engineering disciplines. Traditional coherence-based methods provide useful tools for contribution analysis when inputs are uncorrelated; however, they generally fail when correlation exists between inputs. Because correlated inputs are common in both engineered and biological systems, this limitation restricts the usefulness of conventional coherence analysis in many practical applications. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop, apply, and validate a generalized coherence framework capable of quantifying input contributions in multi-input systems regardless of input correlation. First, …

Hiv-1 Vpr Polymorphisms As Determinants Of Aids Pathogenesis, Sidney T. Sithole

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) exhibits remarkable variability in disease progression, influenced by both host and viral factors. Among the viral accessory proteins, HIV-1 Viral Protein R (Vpr) is a multifunctional regulator of viral replication, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, innate immune signaling, and host gene expression. Although Vpr has been extensively studied, the mechanisms by which naturally occurring Vpr polymorphisms influence host cell responses and contribute to HIV-1 pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. This dissertation investigates the functional significance of naturally occurring HIV-1 Vpr polymorphisms, with a primary focus on the R77Q variant associated with long-term nonprogression. This work integrates …

A Fundamental Study Of Fatty Acid Ionic Liquids And Their Effects On Biomolecules, Achismita Dutta

Theses and Dissertations

Fatty acid ionic liquids (FAILs) are a class of ionic liquids (ILs) with relatively low toxicity and potential applications in biological systems. This study examined the interactions of tetramethylguanidinium decanoate, tetramethylguanidinium octanoate, choline decanoate, and choline octanoate with lipid membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids. Membrane leakage experiments using model lipid vesicles showed that decanoate-based FAILs produced greater membrane permeabilization than octanoate-based analogues, consistent with their higher membrane permeability. These effects were stronger for the ILs than for decanoate alone and occurred below the critical micelle concentration (CMC), suggesting that micelle formation may not be essential for membrane disruption. The ability …

A Hybrid Rule-Based And Large Language Model Framework For Extracting Acronym–Definition Pairs From Scientific Literature, Petro Skrypnyk

Theses and Dissertations

Authors of scientific papers rely heavily on acronyms and often use them without defining them, making the literature harder to read and index. This thesis develops and evaluates a hybrid rule-based and large language model (LLM) framework that extracts acronym–definition pairs from scientific PDF documents. It extends an earlier Rowan University system that combined a regular-expression parser with a single LLM on 200 papers. That system showed that neither the parser nor the LLM alone is sufficient for accurate extraction of the pairs. The framework is a fully automated pipeline from PDF input to scored results. It compares four LLM …

The Relationship Of Running Mechanics And Anthropometrics On Running Performance, Carmen Riaño Aransay

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Running performance is influenced by physiological, biomechanical, and anatomical factors. Running economy is one of the strongest predictors of performance and has been associated with several running mechanics and anatomical characteristics. However, little is known about how changes in running mechanics across increasing running speeds relate to race performance or whether these variables can distinguish athletes specializing in different running events. This study investigated the relationships between running mechanics, anatomical characteristics, and middle and long-distance running performance while evaluating whether these measures could classify athletes by event specialization. Methods: Ninety-two trained runners completed biomechanical testing while running on an …

Novel Protein Purification Strategies And Structural Insights Into Vacuolar Protein Sorting 34 Inhibitor Binding For Structure-Guided Drug Discovery, Wisdom Oshireku Abiodun

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses key bottlenecks in protein X-ray crystallography by developing a simplified purification strategy based on reversible protein self-assembly and applying it to the structural characterization of the therapeutically important kinase VPS34. The first objective of this study was to develop a simplified, chromatography-independent protein purification strategy by exploiting the reversible pH-dependent polymerization of the Translocation ETS Leukemia Sterile Alpha Motif (TELSAM) crystallization chaperone. Repeated cycles of polymerization and resolubilization enabled the direct purification and concentration of TELSAM-fusion proteins from bacterial lysates, eliminating several conventional purification steps. Validation using three previously characterized TELSAM-fusion proteins demonstrated that compatible targets could …

Dual-Polymer Concrete With Recycled Pet And Hdpe Aggregates: Mechanical And Durability Performance Assessment, Omar Abd El Mageed Hammouda

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the fresh, mechanical, durability, thermal, performance as well as preliminary financial aspects of dual-polymer concrete incorporating recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a partial replacement for fine aggregate and recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate, with silica fume as a supplementary cementitious material held constant at 10% by weight of cement. The study responds to the convergence of two pressing challenges in the Egyptian context: the scale of plastic waste mismanagement, which results in widespread informal open burning and environmental contamination, and the high operational energy demand of residential buildings in Egypt's hot …

Molecular And Spatial Signatures Of Pathological Network Activity In Acute Brain Slice Models Of Epileptiform Activity, Kutter R. Hine

Theses and Dissertations

Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent episodes of abnormal neuronal activity that range from self-limiting seizures to prolonged status epilepticus (SE). Although the electrophysiological properties of these pathological network states have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms underlying seizure persistence and the spatial organization of transcriptional responses remain imperfectly understood. This thesis employed both bulk RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomic approaches to investigate molecular responses associated with pathological network activity in acute mouse brain slice models. To identify transcriptomic differences associated with pharmacosensitive and pharmacoresistant-like epileptiform states, bulk RNA sequencing was performed using a baclofen-modulated zero-magnesium (0-Mg) model of epileptiform activity. …

Developing An Object Level Understanding Of Sine And Cosine As Ratios And A Coherent Trigonometry, Jeffrey Peter Nair

Theses and Dissertations

Solving right-triangle problems as well as integrating right-triangle and circular trigonometry into a coherent understanding are documented challenges for students. Prior research has deeply investigated students constructing ratio meanings for sine and cosine using a circle-first approach, which then can be extended to right triangles. Also, past work has separately documented distinct meanings that are useful for sine and cosine, in addition to the ratio meaning, including as lengths in a unit circle and coordinate points. This study took these existing ideas and put them together into one possible developmental progression, based on APOS theory, where students can learn length, …

Improving Rural Students’ Access To Advanced Mathematics: A Policy-Based Curriculum Study, Alison Shae Blackledge

Theses and Dissertations

Students with advanced mathematical readiness in rural high schools face difficulties reaching their fullest potential due to significant opportunity gaps. The limited availability of advanced coursework and a scarcity of STEM opportunities often lead to disengagement and behavioral challenges. This project examines the challenges faced by rural students with advanced mathematical readiness and designs a curriculum framework to expand access, support growth, and sustain engagement. Renzulli’s (1977) Enrichment Triad Model serves as the foundation for a curriculum plan intended to transition students from passive learners to independent mathematical investigators. Three research questions are addressed in this study: (1) Which barriers …

Impact Of In-Season Potassium Fertilizer Application On Sweetpotato Yields, Alyssa Lynn Hotchkiss

Theses and Dissertations

Sweetpotatoes require approximately three times more potassium (K) than nitrogen (N), making K the most applied nutrient in production. However, K fertilizer recommendations for sweetpotatoes in Mississippi remain outdated or are based on recommendations for other crops. This study evaluated the effects of K fertilizer rate, timing, and application method on sweetpotato production. Field trials were conducted during the 2023 and 2024 growing seasons at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Treatments included preplant K applications of 0, 134, or 191 kg ha⁻¹ K₂O, in-season sidedress applications of 56 kg ha⁻¹ K₂O, and four foliar K treatments. …

Breaking The Chain Or Passing The Torch? Caregiver Type, Perceived Caregiving, And Extent Of Aggression In Emerging Adult Relationships, Amara Mason

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how caregiver type (alternate caregiving versus biological parent caregiving), childhood adversity, and parenting styles relate to intimate partner violence (IPV) and attachment outcomes. Guided by Intergenerational Transmission of Violence Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Attachment Theory, the study explored whether alternate caregiving buffered or intensified the effects of early adversity on later relational functioning. College students aged 18–25 from a southern U.S. university completed anonymous self-report measures assessing caregiving experiences, childhood trauma, attachment, and IPV. Measures included the Conflict Tactics Scale–Revised (CTS2), Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale (ACEs), and Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that …

Scan Statistics For Nonhomogeneous Poisson Processes: A Method For Cnv Detection, Asanka Rathnayaka Duwage

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies scan statistics for detecting localized changes in non-homogeneous Poisson processes. The motivating problem arises from genomic sequencing data, where tumor and normal read locations may differ over short regions due to copy number variation, while the underlying event intensity varies across the domain. In this setting, methods based on homogeneous Poisson process assumptions are not appropriate. The dissertation develops and studies scan-based methods for detecting local differences while accounting for non-homogeneous structure. Three related approaches are considered. The first develops a scan statistic for a nonhomogeneous Poisson process and uses extreme value calibration after transformation under the …

Estimating Leaf Physiological Traits In Eastern Cottonwood And Its Hybrids By Integrating Uav Hyperspectral Images With Statistical And Machine Learning Approaches, Bipin Paudel

Theses and Dissertations

Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and its hybrids are high-yield, fast-growing short-rotation woody crops with strong potential in bioenergy and industrial applications. Given their genetic diversity, these species require non-invasive assessment of photosynthetic, leaf biochemical, and water-use efficiency traits. These traits reflect plant physiological status, carbon cycling, productivity, as well as nutrient cycling, and hyperspectral remote sensing provides high-resolution spectral information essential for high-throughput phenotyping. Therefore, this study develops a robust framework to predict physiological traits using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-acquired canopy-level hyperspectral reflectance (~400 nm - 1000 nm, with 2.2 nm band spacing) by integrating linear and non-linear machine learning …

Synthetic Strategies For Bioactive Peptides: From Aggregation Inhibitors To The Total Synthesis Of Tunicyclin C, Stephanie Graciela Garcia Morin

Theses and Dissertations

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), a brain protein called "tau" abnormally clumps and forms neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), causing damage to brain cells. Ac-PHF6-NH2 is a hexapeptide segment of tau protein that plays a dominant role in tau aggregation and is used as a model to design tau protein aggregation inhibitors. In this research we synthesized four dehydroamino acid (□AA) containing PHF6 analogues with △Abu (derived from L-threonine) and △Val (derived from □-OH-Valine) at position 2 or 3 via dehydrations or azlactone ring-openings as key reactions. We evaluated their proteolytic resistance, ability to inhibit aggregation of PHF6, and impact on the morphology …

Measuring Proteostasis Changes In Apolipoprotein E Mouse Models Using Quantitative And Kinetic Proteomic Methods, Ariel E.A. Denos

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurological disorder associated with brain mass loss and cognitive decline. It affects millions of elderly people and is currently uncurable. Since 1906, when the disease was first described, researchers have uncovered many components of AD pathology. However, it is now evident that curing Alzheimer's Disease will require intervention before the pathological onset of amyloid beta plaque deposition, tau neurofibrillary tangles, and associated neuronal loss. Studying AD from the perspective of early intervention requires special attention to small changes that may disrupt the normal processing of cells. Cells undergo a natural cycle of creation and destruction …

Development And Validation Of The Global Impact Of Chronic Illness Scale – Universal, Abigail Kukay

Theses and Dissertations

The current manuscript presents the development and validation of the Global Impact of Chronic Illness Scale – Universal (GICIS-U), a novel measure of chronic illness impact through three separate studies. The pilot study aimed at measure development, which included item selection and two rounds of item refinement using feedback gained through four focus groups. Study 1 consisted of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine factor structure of the measure. Participants were 183 individuals recruited from an online participant pool and social media outlets who completed the refined GICIS-U online. Results of the EFA suggested a six-factor structure, of which …

How Family Functioning Impacts Adolescent Outcomes: The Roles Of Cohesion, Flexibility, Communication, Satisfaction, And The Family Environment On Well-Being Across Levels Of Family Complexity, Emily E. Shaw

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research is a combination of two studies. The overarching and guiding focus for this study involved how family functioning and environments influence adolescent psychological well-being, and do these associations vary based on levels of family complexity. Study 1 examined family complexity and family environments as potential predictors of family functioning, while Study 2 examined family functioning and family complexity as potential predictors of adolescent negative (i.e., anxiety and depression) and positive (i.e., engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness) well-being. In Study 1, family complexity was not predictive of family functioning, but the family environment was a strong predictor. …

Development Of A Gis-Based Research Data Preservation Platform For Historically Significant Wood Preservative Research Field Sites, Lorali Gene Pace

Theses and Dissertations

Wood protection research plots have played a critical role in the development and evaluation of preservative treatments used throughout North America, including decades of research associated with Mississippi State University’s Department of Sustainable Bioproducts. However, without spatial documentation, much of this research history and institutional knowledge is at risk of being lost. This study develops a GIS-based research preservation platform to document, organize, and preserve historic wood protection testing data. Using ArcGIS Pro, field-collected spatial data, historical records, aerial imagery, and ArcGIS Online technologies, a digital geodatabase and interactive web application were created to organize research locations and connect them …

Development And Comparison Of Retained Ownership Decision Methodologies For Feeder Cattle Owners, William John Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

Cattle producers retain ownership through the feeding phase in the hopes of increasing profits. Because not all cattle generate positive profits, retention decisions on an individual basis substantially affect overall profitability. This study develops, simulates, and evaluates among others a new prediction methodology intended to help improve profitability. The method is an integrated framework combining a novel multilevel (hierarchical) growth model, futures basis-adjusted price forecasting, and production cost estimation to predict which animals are expected to be profitable. Individual performance data were collected for 12,066 in-sample (2003 to 2011) to predict growth and profits for 12,496 out-of-sample cattle (2011 to …