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Diversification And Evolution Of Hawaiian Megalagrion Damselflies (Pinapinao, Odonata: Coenagrionidae), Robert K. Hadfield

Theses and Dissertations

The Megalagrion damselflies of HawaiÊ»i present a valuable study system for understanding the impacts of geology on evolutionary processes. Despite their significance, our understanding of the temporal, geographic, and phylogenetic origins of these damselflies remains incomplete. Prior phylogenetic studies have proposed adaptive ecological and morphological progressions, but evaluating these hypotheses relies on a sound understanding of phylogenetic relationships within the genus. Previous phylogenetic analyses have produced conflicting topologies. To resolve these uncertainties, we performed phylogenetic analyses including divergence time estimation with 90 nuclear loci (>50 kbp) and 2 mitochondrial loci (>1000 bp), sampling representatives from each genus within …

Guiding 3d Chiral Self-Assembly At Nano/Micro Length Scales Via 3d Printing, Mohsen Esmaeili

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into the intricate realm of 3D printing bio-inspired materials with tailored nano/microscale architectures. The first chapter investigates the flow-induced alignment of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) during 3D printing, employing a microfluidic strategy integrated with polarized optical microscopy (POM). Birefringence measurements under varying conditions reveal the influence of initial CNC suspension structures on flow-induced patterns, particularly in the chiral nematic phase. Hydrodynamic simulations complement experimental findings, elucidating the impact on CNC particle alignment, providing insights for designing 3D printed architectures with internal chirality for advanced applications.

The second chapter explores the 3D printing of complex geometries inspired by Bouligand …

Deconvolving Provenance Signatures Of Pliocene-Pleistocene Coastal Loess Deposits Along The Atlantic Margin Of Argentina, Will Robert Quanrud

Theses and Dissertations

Dust derived from southern South America provides critical nutrients for autotropic marine biota in the South Atlantic Ocean, such that fluxes of wind-blown sediment may ultimately affect the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Expansive sand, silt, and loess deposits are exposed in Central Argentina, recording millions of years of eolian processes; however, the provenance and transport pathways of this dust remains unclear. Coastal loess deposits ranging in age from Pliocene to upper Pleistocene are present along the Atlantic margin of Argentina and provide information on sediment transport pathways for the last 4 million years. Nine samples of loess were collected and …

Examining The Impact Of A Professional Learning Community On Teachers' Awareness Of Neurodiversity In The Classroom, Taylor Diane Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research study, the researcher sought to explore the influence of Professional Learning Community (PLC) participation on the recognition and awareness of general education teachers on neurodiversity in their classrooms. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the effects of the teachers’ awareness on their instructional approaches. The participants of this study hail from a variety of cultures and languages from around the world. Conducted over a six-week period in an international school in southern Germany, the participants demonstrated an enhanced understandings of neurodiversity through their engagement in the PLC sessions. The data collection tools used in the study …

Illuminating The Twilight Zone: In-Situ Imaging Facilitates Discovery Of Mesopelagic Plankton Dynamics And Community Structure, Alexander Barth

Theses and Dissertations

Ocean ecosystems provide both food and regulation of climate. Much of ocean ecosystem functioning occurs through processes in the pelagic, where plankton are the dominant organisms. While plankton have been researched for several centuries, recent advances in technology are greatly improving the ability to better understand plankton and how their communities are structured. Specifically, in-situ imaging allows oceanographers and plankton ecologists to better sample fragile taxa and record organisms’ true traits at high frequencies. These tools can facilitate investigation into new topics in plankton ecology and better understand critically understudied habitats, like the mesopelagic of open-ocean systems. However, in-situ imaging …

Macro–Micro-Coupled Simulations Of Bead–Spring Breaking-Reforming Networks, Andrei Medved

Theses and Dissertations

In this work we investigate the dynamic behavior of bead-spring polymer solutions in viscoelastic fluids, which are essential in industries like materials science, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. The study leverages GPU-accelerated simulations and detailed modeling of polymer chain dynamics at the mesoscale, which enables efficient analysis of intricate fluid behaviors and the microscale dynamics of polymer chains. Additionally, the research examines the breaking-reforming dynamics of polymer chains, crucial for understanding phenomena such as shear thinning and thickening. The findings have broad applications, from improving inkjet printing and 3D printing technologies to developing new drug delivery systems and biocompatible materials. This work …

(Re)Imagining Decolonial Cookbooks After Deforestation, Kamran Shams

Theses and Dissertations

Food, like most else, is fundamentally changed by colonization. It is not just the aftermath of colonization, the settlement, that changes food—it is the act of colonial infiltrating itself. Such is the case made by Fernando Ismael Quiñones Valdivia in “Colonial Imaginations: Solitude in the Cartas y Relaciones of Hernán Cortés”—though not for food but for colonized societies broadly. More specifically, he contends that a new epistemological possibility arises when colonizer regards land as an object to be conquered, which precedes the epistemological articulation of subject/object divide. His article supplies a framework for thinking about coloniality so that a close …

A Formative Process Evaluation Of Social Care Programming In A Health Care System Serving A Predominantly Rural State, Samuel Bethel

Theses and Dissertations

Health and social care continue to integrate, but relatively little is known about how social care is designed, implemented, and maintained across the health care continuum. This is especially true for health systems serving rural and under-resourced communities. To fill these gaps, this dissertation project applied formative process evaluation methods to a single case study of the largest health care system serving a predominantly rural state and its integrated social care programming. Data were collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews following a purposeful and snowball sampling method among key informants for the design, implementation, and maintenance of social care programming as …

The Crucial Role Of The Ahr-Ilc3-Il22 Pathway In I3c-Mediated Protection Against Colitis And Associated Microbial Dysbiosis, Chandani Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations

Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by dysregulation of the immune system that results in chronic inflammation and dysbiosis. Previously we showed that a naturally sourced aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), was effective in the reduction of colitis-associated disease severity through innate lymphoid type 3 cells (ILC3s) in an interleukin-22 (IL-22) dependent manner. In one of our studies, we used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis of colonic lamina propria cells from colitis models treated with I3C. Our results indicated that there were changes in the expressions of genes integral to IL-22 signaling when I3C was used …

Evaluating Nutrient Limitation Of Phytoplankton Growth In North Inlet Estuary, Sc, Catherine Schlenker

Theses and Dissertations

The biolimiting nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are vital components of molecules essential to life. In marine systems, N:P ratios tend to follow the “Redfield ratio” of 16:1, which is often used to infer nutrient limitation of phytoplankton biomass. Traditionally, estuaries are thought to be N-limited (N:P < 16), but there have been increasing instances of P-limitation (N:P > 16) in coastal waters worldwide. Over the last few decades, nutrient loading in North Inlet Estuary (NIE) has changed such that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN):dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) ratios have increased by ca. 130%. This increase suggests that the estuary may be transitioning to N and P colimitation or primary P-limitation. We …

Environmental Implication Of Environmental Disclosure, Jie Lian

Theses and Dissertations

Recent environmental incidents and disasters have intensified awareness and concerns about environmental issues, making the reduction of the private sector’s environmental impact a pressing necessity. The path to better environmental performance depends on enhancing environmental disclosure. While an increasing number of firms are embracing environmental disclosure, and legislative efforts are steering towards mandating such disclosures, the comprehensive understanding of the environmental implications of these disclosures remains surprisingly limited. A significant gap exists in understanding the challenges of environmental disclosure in promoting sustainability and complex consequences in various contexts.

The dissertation aims to fill this literature gap by focusing on the …

Erodibility Of Sand-Silt-Xanthan Gum Mixtures, Edwin Kotey

Theses and Dissertations

The high frequency of earthen embankment failure recorded during floods has led to the general rule that embankments should not be overtopped. This notwithstanding, overtopping cannot be entirely avoided particularly during extreme events, such as winter storms and hurricanes. Reducing soil erodibility is thus fundamental to prevent and control disasters caused by embankment failure. Recent studies have explored the use of environmentally friendly additives, such as biopolymers, to improve soil properties. Geotechnical tests have shown that biopolymers can effectively increase soil strength, but little is known about biopolymer-treated soil resistance to erosion by flowing water. Results of flume experiments to …

A Comprehensive Review And Meta-Analysis Of Breast Cancer Gene Expression Data: Understanding The Molecular Complexity Of A Silent Epidemic, Ifeanyichukwu O. Nwosu

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer death; it accounts for 23% of total cases and 14% of deaths, with over 2 million new cases diagnosed and 600,000 deaths in 2020. This is a huge public health burden. Traditionally, clinical subtypes of breast cancer are defined based on a patient's immunohistochemistry profile. These profiles are determined by the combined expression status of three receptors: estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. It has also been observed that women of African descent, more commonly present with ER, PR and …

Quantification Of Immunometabolite Derived Protein Modifications During Mitochondrial Metabolic Stress, Justin Hunter Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The immunometabolite itaconate accumulates during lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of macrophages and microglia. Itaconate non-enzymatically reacts with cysteine residues to generate 2,3-dicarboxypropylcysteine (2,3-DCP), referred to as protein dicarboxypropylation. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolite fumarate non-enzymatically reacts with the amino acid cysteine to form S-(2-succino)-cysteine (2SC), resulting in irreversible protein succination. Since fumarate and itaconate levels dynamically change in activated immune cells, the levels of both 2SC and 2,3-DCP reflect the abundance of these metabolites and their capacity to modify protein structure and function. I generated esters of 2SC and 2,3-DCP from protein hydrolysates and used stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem …

Teacher-Researcher As Indicator: Developing A Third Space For Newcomer Youth In A Secondary Classroom, Gabriel Andres Chen Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This paper was written to reveal answers to the Problem of Practice identified at the site school as it has experienced a steady growth in newcomer multilingual learners. This minority-majority group of students at the school have underperformed academically despite the use of varied teaching strategies. In an effort to help newcomer students through intentional sheltered instruction, I held the believe that as a former multilingual learner now serving as their classroom teacher, I could be an indicator for the classroom allowing me to realize there may be hopes, needs, and attitudes that were hidden from current pedagogical practices.

In …

Black Mph Internship Experiences In Racialized Organizations: Critical Counter-Narratives For A More Racially Just Public Health Workforce, Zach Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

Internships are a vital component of Master of Public Health (MPH) programs. Despite 14% of MPH students identifying as Black, limited research has examined their internship experiences. This is particularly troubling given the racial demographics of the public health workforce and the racialized nature of most public health organizations. Using critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework and critical counter-narrative as a methodology, this study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) How do Black MPH students describe their racialized experiences in their internships? and 2) What are the implications of Black MPH students’ narratives for policies and …

Neural Mechanisms Of Estrogen And Inflammation In Female Stress Susceptibility, Samantha Jane Bouknight

Theses and Dissertations

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are highly debilitating psychiatric disorders that notably share stress as an etiological factor. Stress is a common occurrence experienced daily by virtually everyone and, while most people are resilient, a substantial portion of the population exhibit risk factors that yield them susceptible to developing stress-related psychiatric disorders. One prominent factor that has long been known to increase this risk is the female biological sex with women presenting at least twice as often with disorders like PTSD and MDD compared to men. Interestingly, this bias exists distinctly during the reproductive years and …

Mental Trauma, Colonial Mimicry, And Internalized Racism In Tsitsi Dangarembga's The Book Of Not, Lily Kay Lynn Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s second novel in her Nervous Conditions trilogy, The Book of Not (2006) emphasizes the disabling nature of colonial domination and terror through pain and violence inflicted on the body and the mind. Through the use of Frantz Fanon’s colonial and post-colonial theory and Homi Bhabha’s concept of colonial mimicry the critical nature of Tambudzai—the main protagonist—position in the novel becomes apparent. Just as the title suggests, the novel becomes a book of negation and unbecoming as Tambudzai tries to find her place as a woman in Southern Rhodesia while attending a European colonial institution while war rages just …

The Effectiveness Of Equivalence-Based Instruction On Time-Telling Skills In Children With Moderate Developmental Disabilities Including Autism Spectrum Disorder And Intellectual Disability, Rongzhi Li

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of equivalence-based instruction (EBI) on teaching time-telling skills to children with moderate developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability. Three children with ASD or intellectual disability participated in the study. The experiment was conducted using a concurrent multiple baseline design across subjects. During the acquisition training, each participant was taught 24 discrimination relations including matching 12 picture analog clock faces and 12 printed digital clocks to their dictated times. After the training, the participants were assessed to see whether their visual-visual responses (transitivity relations) and oral naming …

Association Between Autoimmune Diseases And Lymphoma Risk Using The Uk Biobank, Hannah Grace Dice

Theses and Dissertations

Background. Lymphoma is a blood cancer that develops when white blood cells multiply in an abnormal way and collect in the lymph nodes. Autoimmune diseases result when the immune system is overactive, causing it to attack and damage the body’s own tissues. Limited studies have been conducted to investigate the association between autoimmune diseases and lymphoma risk.

Literature review. Based on prior research, six autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis (UC)) were examined to better understand their association with lymphoma risk. Prior research has concluded that certain aspects of these autoimmune diseases …

Unpacking The Relationship Between Legitimacy, Procedural Justice, Identity, And Desistance, Qassim Bolaji

Theses and Dissertations

Knowing why people stop offending over time and the criminal justice agencies' role in this process is essential for designing effective crime control interventions. Legal authorities have the core function of ensuring that social norms and laws are obeyed. However, the coercive and punitive tactics that police, judicial, and penal authorities typically resort to have been shown to have only limited impact on controlling and preventing crime while having the unintended consequence of worsening the public's perception of their institutional legitimacy. Specific to policing, the use of coercive policing tactics and their perceived ineffectiveness has, in recent decades, led to …

The Role Of Telehealth And Obstetrics Capacity On Maternal Health Care: A Mixed Methods Approach, Shanikque L. Barksdale

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The United States (US) is experiencing a maternal health crisis, with rising severe maternal morbidity and mortality rates and persistent racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities. While telehealth can address access challenges, there is limited evidence of its impact on access to maternity care and outcomes among rural and minoritized communities. The overall objective of this study was to analyze the disparities in maternal outcomes and user satisfaction by hospital-based telehealth and obstetric care availability.

Methods: A convergent parallel mixed methods approach was used. A multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze whether the changes in the proportions of hospitals …

The Disruption Of Kinship: Interracial Relationships, Displacement, And Marginalized Mixed-Race Families In Korean War Literature, Hyunwook Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The Korean War (1950–1953) left a profound mark on the Korean peninsula, its people, and their diaspora, with its impact still felt today. Korean War literature serves as a vital source for understanding the war's social and cultural ramifications, particularly for marginalized groups, including military sex workers, mixed-race children, and mixed Korean adoptees. Emphasizing the role of interraciality in their experiences, the dissertation delves into literary representations that depict encounters between Korean women and American soldiers, leading to the formation of novel mixed-race families both within military camp towns in Korea and domestic spaces in the United States. While much …

A Click Chemistry Amplified Nanopore Assay For High Performance Testing Of Protein Biomarkers In Diseases, Xiaoqin Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Nanopore detection technology enables nanometer-scale single-molecule detection, yielding valuable insights into analyte molecules' properties such as size, shape, charge, and concentration. Due to its label-free nature, high sensitivity, and real-time capabilities, it finds widespread application in genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, and environmental monitoring. Click chemistry, encompassing the attachment of a probe or substrate to a biomolecule, termed bioconjugation, features the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition as a quintessential reaction, forming a 5-membered heteroatom ring. This study harnesses this reaction to craft single-strand DNA probes for nanopore testing, leveraging copper's catalytic properties for signal amplification. Host-guest reaction, a noncovalent bond between molecules, specifically …

Effects Of A Classroom Cognitive Apprenticeship On Scientific Reasoning, Student Agency, And Biology Self-Efficacy On Students In High School Biology, Anne Morris Byford

Theses and Dissertations

Students entering high school often bring misconceptions about the nature of science and experimentation with them from middle school. Many also bring a belief that they are not a “science kid” and, therefore, cannot be a strong student in Biology. This belief can lead to a lack of self-efficacy and of student agency in the classroom. Exposure to authentic research experiences has been shown to increase in self-efficacy and scientific reasoning. Typical research experiences have been limited to summers, specialized after school programs and, in many cases, honors students. To circumvent the unequitable access to these experiences and to determine …

Investigation Of The Environmental Factors Regulating The Biomass And Toxin Production Of The Benthic Cyanobacterium Microseira Wollei In Lake Wateree, South Carolina, Kara Clyburn

Theses and Dissertations

Impacts from anthropogenic activities and climate change are significantly altering nitrogen (N) cycling processes and biological productivity along the freshwater to marine continuum, and the acceleration rate of excessive N and phosphorus (P) concentrations entering aquatic environments is unprecedented. As a result, nutrient pollution is contributing to the increasing magnitude and duration of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs), oxygen (O2) depletion, loss of biodiversity, and impacts to human and ecosystem health. Lake Wateree, South Carolina (SC) is a freshwater drinking and contact recreational water resource with elevated symptoms of eutrophication, including the increasing prevalence of the N2 fixing benthic cyanobacterium …

Maternal-Child Cortisol Attunement Differs In Preschoolers With Autism, Fragile X Syndrome, And Neurotypical Development, Rachel Hantman

Theses and Dissertations

Early maternal-child attunement sets a critical foundation for later social development. While maternal and child cortisol attunement in neurotypical (NT) development has been clearly established, little research has examined these relations in neurodevelopmental populations, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Given their elevated-risk for disrupted maternal-child attunement and given elevated stress and dysregulated cortisol patterns in both children with ASD and FXS and their parents independently, this is a critical gap. This study addressed this gap in the literature by examining early maternal-child cortisol attunement in 97 mother-child dyads (_nNT = …

South Carolina School District Takeover: A Critical Policy Analysis, David Osworth

Theses and Dissertations

School takeover is a reform strategy where a school or district is placed into the control of a state or municipal government agency. Takeover has become increasingly popular in many states as an attempt to improve schools and district that are struggling either academically or financially. Takeover, however, is more likely to be implemented in districts serving a higher proportion of Black students. Due to the racialized nature of this policy this study uses a Critical Race Theory (CRT) methodology to engage in a critical policy analysis of school takeover in one rural school district in South Carolina. This study …

Design Of An Artificial Transcription Factor For Inducing Potent Interferon-Γ Signals, Ashley King

Theses and Dissertations

Cytokines are small immune signaling proteins responsible for cellular communication and their levels are tightly regulated throughout immune recognition and defense. Interferon gamma is a key cytokine responsible for upregulation of antigen presentation and supports the differentiation of pro-inflammatory effector cells. Due to its role in regulation, excess interferon gamma is cleared from the body limiting the success of interferon gamma immunotherapies. This study reports the design and validation of an artificial transcription factor (ATF) that induces endogenous interferon gamma expression. The transcription factor contains zinc finger proteins to recognize the interferon gamma gene and an activation domain to promote …

Serial Minimalism, Feminism, And Queer Identity In Selected Piano Works Of Ann Southam, Elizabeth Churchya

Theses and Dissertations

In her late period of solo piano composition, Canadian composer Ann Southam (1937–2010) developed her own signature postminimalist style combining the static consonance of minimalism with the disruptive instability of twelve-tone serialism. This study analyzes three selected solo piano works in this compositional style: Slow Music: Meditations on a Twelve Tone Row (1979), Qualities of Consonance (1998) and Simple Lines of Enquiry (2007), illustrating how Southam develops a twelve-tone row through minimalist techniques. Additionally, the present study interprets salient structural, harmonic, and temporal elements through the context of gender and sexuality. An outspoken feminist, Southam considered her use of minimalist …