Digital Commons Network^™

Construction Of A Real-Time Forecast Model With Deep Learning Techniques For Coastal Engineering & Processes: Nested In Basin Scale Suite Of Models, Md Ahsan Habib

Theses and Dissertations

The study aims to develop a robust and adaptable real-time forecasting system for coastal and estuarine regions, considering the challenges of limited or unavailable forecast data. To address the challenge of data unavailability, this study proposes the application of a deep learning model (DLM). This research involves the development of a high-resolution numerical model nested within global models. Calibration and validation are performed by comparing the model with observed data. The study explores the effects of various parameters, such as vertical resolution, wind variability, and bottom roughness, on model performance. It finds that the 10-layer model improves vertical stratification and …

By All Memes, I Want To Learn Arabic: Teachers’ And Students’ Perceptions Of Using Memes In Afl Classrooms, Amani Batran

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

As educational technology advances, teachers nowadays tend to incorporate technology into their classroom practices to enhance students’ learning and achieve better outcomes. Memes, which are pictures with texts and sometimes movements circulated mostly among social media users, are a powerful tool to reach learning goals in a fun and engaging way. Researchers explored memes’ effectiveness in various disciplines, yet the field of teaching Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) lacks investigation in this area. Therefore, this study aims to examine teachers’ and students’ perspectives on the use of memes in the classroom. This research also explores the disparities in …

Exploring Black Women, White Women, And White Genderqueer Faculty Experiences Of Critical Incidents Of Whiteness In The Workplace: A Critical - Constructivist Narrative Inquiry, Gabrielle Mcallaster

Theses and Dissertations

The cross-racial collaborations of Black women and white individuals in the academy are fraught and complex, as their livelihoods are connected to larger socio-political structures and intersecting systems of oppression, namely race and gender (Crenshaw, 1989, 1990). In this study, I engaged in the research alongside three Black women, two white women, and one white genderqueer faculty to uncover their experiences of critical incidents of whiteness in the workplace at Historically White Colleges and Universities (HWCUs). I relied on three critical theoretical frameworks, Intersectionality, Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS), and Critical Human Development Resource Development Theory (CHRD), to comprehensively examine Black …

Meaning Making And Athletic Gender Discrimination: Associations Between Sports Participation And Gender Discrimination Among Adolescent Females, Chenae Christensen Duerden

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that participation in athletics provides adolescent females with a variety of positive mental and physical benefits. While Title IX paved the way for increased female participation in organized sports, female athletes, including adolescents, continue to face various forms of gender discrimination. Research also suggests that females with a strong feminist identity are more likely to identify and speak out against gender discrimination. Accordingly, this study seeks to examine the association between gender discrimination and sports participation and the potential moderating role of feminist identity and cognitive appraisals of discrimination on this relationship. Participants were 580 adolescent females (age …

Metabolomics Unveiled: Decoding Platelet Dynamics In Smokers, And Head-Neck Cancer Patients, Anthony Nasr Tanios

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the metabolomics profiles of platelets in smokers and head and neck cancer patients compared to normal healthy donors. This study analyzed the metabolomics profile of the platelets from smokers and cancer patients compared to healthy individuals. Samples were collected and processed by the research group of Prof. Dr. Barbara Wollenberg at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar-Technical University of Munich. The data analysis was performed at the Technical University in Munich (TUM). Untargeted metabolomics profiling was conducted using both hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and reverse-phase (RP) chromatography in both positive and negative ionization modes. This …

High-Risk Fertility Behaviors: Impact On Child And Risks Of Maternal Mortality In Kenya, Mercy Chepkosgei Kiprop

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid population increase in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last several decades and limited healthcare interventions have exacerbated child and maternal mortality. The maternal mortality ratio (deaths per 100,000 live births) in Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for at least 50 percent of maternal deaths globally. In 2020 alone, 5 million children under 5 years died in Kenya. Research also points out that, tragically, many of the mothers and children died of preventable or treatable conditions. Previous research has focused on biological or socioeconomic determinants of child mortality rather than their joint influences. In this study, we investigate the premise that all …

Primary Care Provider Density And Social Ecological Factors Related To County-Level Diabetes Prevalence In The United States, Robert Alan Kemsley

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes is a critical public health concern with considerable financial and personal costs in the United States. Research has identified several interventions available to primary care providers to prevent diabetes. These interventions may prevent diabetes by influencing personal, community, and public health policy factors. These factors are key components of the social ecological model, which examines the influence of diverse social influences on health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the univariate relationship between PCP density and diabetes prevalence, as well as the multivariate relationship between PCP density and diabetes prevalence with physical inactivity prevalence, obesity prevalence, …

Flying By Ml Or Cnn Inversion Of Affine Transforms, Lloyd Van Warren

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes how to automate the reading of dials, gauges, and instruments using machine learning (ML) methods. This process can be described as analog to digital conversion through an air gap without any direct electronic connection. The goal is to convert the values of existing instruments into digital values for control and monitoring without requiring any intrusion, changes, or upgrades to the instruments being observed. Images of instrument faces can be distorted by various kinds of noise, but this can be overcome using a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) approach similar to handwriting recognition. One advantage of this …

Integration Of Insoluble And Soluble Dopants Into Steel Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Mckay Goodman Sperry

Theses and Dissertations

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) method whereby complex parts can be built to near net geometry in an automated environment. Parts formed by LPBF have excellent properties and require little post-processing. While LPBF allows for creative designs to reduce weight and part count by integrating sub-components of assemblies, designers are limited to one material within any LPBF print. Although various materials can be used in LPBF, metals are of special interest to many industrial customers due to their high strength and toughness. The metals commonly used for LPBF include iron, aluminum, and titanium alloys. These …

Characterizing Dust From National Wind Erosion Research Network Sites Using Strontium Isotopes, Major And Trace Element Chemistry, And Mineralogy, Abby L. Mangum

Theses and Dissertations

The frequency of dust storms is increasing globally yet it is often difficult to determine dust sources in mixed events. Dust events may negatively impact human health, but the composition of major dust sources is not well characterized in arid regions globally. In the western US, the National Wind Erosion Research Network (NWERN) has various sites evaluating seasonal dust emissions to quantify dust fluxes. We used existing dust samples to characterize the isotopic, chemical, and mineralogical composition of dust over multiple seasons from ten representative NWERN sites and compared with land use, vegetation, and surficial geology. Our results show variability …

Detecting Lumbar Muscle Fatigue Using Nanocomposite Strain Gauges, Darci Ann Billmire

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Muscle fatigue can contribute to acute flare-ups of lower back pain with associated consequences such as pain, disability, lost work time, increased healthcare utilization, and increased opioid use and potential abuse. The SPINE Sense system is a wearable device with 16 high deflection nanocomposite strain gauge sensors on kinesiology tape which is adhered to the skin of the lower back. This device is used to correlate lumbar skin strains with the motion of the lumbar vertebrae and to phenotype lumbar spine motion. In this work it was hypothesized that the SPINE Sense device can be used to detect differences …

Evaluating The Impact Of Math Self-Efficacy, Math Self-Concept, And Gender On Stem Enrollment And Retention In Postsecondary Education, Marcia Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

Low enrollment and high attrition of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) continues to be an issue for postsecondary institutions. Improvements in representation of women has been seen in some of the agricultural and biological sciences; however, in many of the more math intensive areas such as geosciences, engineering, mathematics/computer science, and physical sciences (GEMP), women continue to be underrepresented leading to underrepresentation in the workforce and further exacerbating gender gaps. Studies suggest the lack of representation is not due to a gap in math ability between men and women, yet underrepresentation remains predominantly within math intensive STEM …

Perceptions Of Pregnant Women Surrounding Covid-19 Vaccine Decision-Making, Mckinsey Owen

Theses and Dissertations

Background/Significance: Vaccines are essential to decrease the harmful effects of illness. The COVID-19 vaccination reduces mortality and hospitalizations from the COVID-19 virus. On August 11, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strengthened its recommendation for all people ages 12 years and older who are pregnant, lactating, or trying to get pregnant to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Despite the recommendation, pregnant women appeared to be vaccine hesitant. This qualitative descriptive study explored this hesitancy. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore pregnant women’s perceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy and to identify information sources pregnant women …

Adult Children Of Alcoholcs: An Exploration Of The Narratives They Share, Tristin Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Framed by Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Theory, this thesis project explored the stories that adult children of alcoholics shared regarding their experiences with their alcoholic parents. More specifically, narration about being an adult child of an alcoholic was explored alongside measures of individual coping and resilience. Thematic narrative analysis of interviews (n = 9) illuminated two main story types: distance due to alcoholism (n = 5) and closeness despite (history with) alcoholism (n = 4).

Identifying Handsaws From Cut Marks On Bone: A Microscopic Trait Analysis, Sarah Elizabeth Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

A naturalistic approach in applied forensic research is paramount to reliable expert testimony. Less controlled, or natural, methods in forensic toolmark research are meant to mimic the conditions under which criminal dismemberment would occur; ensuring that the outcomes of such research are applicable in criminal cases. In a monumental study, Steve Symes (1992, Morphology of Saw Marks in Human Bone: Identification of Class Characteristics, University of Tennessee) made experimental cuts into defleshed, degreased human bone with serrated blades and found that blade set width was indicative of kerf width, although kerf width alone could not indicate blade or set type. …

Ecology And Retribution: Blake, Tokarczuk, And Animal Rights, Kristina Isaak Powell

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk's 2008 novel, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, engages with William Blake's life and his writings on animal welfare and speaks to current conversations about multispecies justice in the environmental humanities. It argues, first, that in recognizing how this novel's protagonist, Janina, selectively reads Blake to rationalize retributive justice, readers should resist a tendency to mistake this character for Tokarczuk's ideal advocate for environmental ethics. Secondly, it asserts that legal scholars' division between retributive and restorative justice offers valuable framework for approaching both this novel and ongoing debates about …

Marital Stability In Newlywed Remarried Couple Relationships: Positive Communication And Marital Interactions In Shared Moments Or Activities, Colette Hickman-Evans

Theses and Dissertations

Remarriages are more structurally diverse, last less time, are more vulnerable, and at greater risk for divorce than first marriages. The newlywed stage of marriage is a critical time when relationship patterns are established or reinforced that can impact a relationship for years to come, yet very few studies have examined remarried relationships in the newlywed stage. This study examined the association between marital interaction, positive communication, and marital instability in 348 newlywed remarried couple participants from a nationally representative sample. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and actor-partner interdependence model with mediation (APIMeM), the findings indicated that positive communication was …

Group Therapy For Externalizing Behavior Problems In Youth: A Meta-Analysis, Rachel Anne Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing behavior problems are a common concern among youth and can be associated with significant problems. As such, the need for effective treatment is evident. While research on psychosocial interventions has been promising, the specific efficacy of youth group therapy has not been assessed in a meta-analysis. Objectives: to assess group therapy's efficacy for youth with behavioral issues and whether treatment effects are moderated by study, patient, leader, or group characteristics. Method: major databases were used to identify and screen potential articles based on inclusion criteria. Included studied were analyzed in a random effects meta-analysis, and potential moderators were assessed. …

Quantifying Speech Pause Durations In Typical English Speakers, John Hoffer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines filled and unfilled pause durations between utterances in the speech of 60 people with no language disorder. It also evaluates the proportions of different pause lengths, examines the location of pauses within an isolated speech sample, and compares speech pause in male speakers and female speakers. Using speech samples gathered from a picture description task, Praat acoustic analysis software was used to segment C-units and measure pause duration between utterances (Boersma & Weenink, 2022; Öktem et al., 2021). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze these data, including pause duration mean and standard deviations. Pause mean durations ranged …

Design, Synthesis And Immunological Testing Of Minimal Oligosaccharide Epitopes For Glycoconjugate Vaccines Targeting Capsular Polysaccharides Of Serotypes 3, 4, 7f And 9v Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Seth A. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The rise in antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria has led to the need for new methods of combatting bacterial infection. Since the surfaces of bacteria are covered in uniquely patterned capsular polysaccharides, vaccines targeting these polysaccharides have become a popular field of research for protection against pathogenic bacteria. Though licensed polysaccharide vaccines are commercially available, they lack the efficiency to protect patients that are immunocompromised or at high risk because they elicit T cell independent immune responses, resulting in low-affinity antibodies. To elicit a T cell dependent response and thereby recruit B cells that produce high-affinity antibodies, a vaccine was …

Investigating The Use Of Translational Methods To Characterize Therapeutic Interventions In Models Of Pulmonary Disease, Ashley Rae Chang

Theses and Dissertations

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease with no known cause or cure. IPF has an incidence of 75/1,000,000 of the population, predominately in men over the age of 60. This relatively rare disease develops in a chronic and progressive way, ultimately leading to death within two to five years of diagnosis. Our use of translatable methodologies in the bleomycin mouse model of IPF led to the novel identification of the similarities between the average percent loss of lung function in previous human clinical trials to that of our mouse model data. There is no treatment for IPF …

Developing Microfluidic Devices For Biomolecule Analysis, Jacob Brent Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

Microfluidics can take laboratory processes and miniaturize them, which led to the term lab-on-a-chip. Microfluidic devices are fabricated with a variety of materials and methods, each offering distinct advantages for bioanalysis. This dissertation describes two methods to create these devices, with the use of four different materials to achieve different assay needs. In the first application in this dissertation, hot-embossed cyclic olefin copolymer was used to create microdevices to electrophoretically separate seven preterm birth biomarkers. One biomarker, thrombin-antithrombin III, cannot be purchased commercially so I developed methods for its assembly in the lab. Dot blots and mass spectrometry were used …

Context Dependence Of Non-Covalent Interactions Among Amino-Acid Side Chains Along The Solvent-Exposed Surface Of Coiled Coils, Kimberlee Larsen Stern

Theses and Dissertations

Coiled coils are a well-known protein structure prevalent in eukaryotic function, synthetic applications, and de novo protein design. Coiled-coil folding is often described using heptad repeat positions labeled abcdefg where a and d positions occupy the interface between the coils, e and g positions flank the interface, and the b, c, and f positions face the solvent-exposed surface. The a, d, e, and g positions have been extensively studied in the coiled-coil literature. There is a lack of investigation on the impact of the b, c, and f positions on coiled-coil folding. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the heptad …

Navigating Molecular Complexity: A Multidimensional Approach Utilizing Computational Chemistry, Jacob Andrew Parkman

Theses and Dissertations

Preparing molecular coordinate files for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be a very time-consuming process. Herein we present the development of a user-friendly program that drastically reduces the time required to prepare these molecular coordinate files for MD software packages such as AmberTools. Our program, known as charge atomtype naming (CAN), creates and uses a library of structures such as amino acid monomers to update the charge, atom type, and name of atoms in any molecular structure (mol2) file. We demonstrate the utility of this new program by rapidly preparing structural files for MD simulations for polypeptides ranging from small …

Soft Contact Lens Tear Film Proteomics For Clinical Diagnostic Biomarker Discovery, Robert Kimball Roden

Theses and Dissertations

Human tear film is an accessible biospecimen rich with useful biological information. As tear protein biomarkers for both ocular and systemic diseases have been identified in tears, efforts are being made to create point-of-care tests useful for clinical diagnoses. However, there are significant obstacles to tear diagnostics, including inadequate sampling methods and biomarkers with insufficient sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, tear film diagnostics are particularly challenging for dry eye disease (DED) patients, where low tear volume makes sampling more difficult and the multifactorial nature of DED makes identifying the exact pathological subtype very complex. As soft contact lenses (SCLs) are designed …

Cesium Voltilization In Lif-Bef2: Predicting Release In The Event Of Fhr Fuel Failure, Johnny Hedrick Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This work demonstrates how ICP-MS can be employed to evaluate cesium volatilization from LiF-BeF2 (Flibe) salt with ab initio molecular dynamics studies used as corroborating data to better understand cesium behavior. Using mixtures of Flibe with 2 mol% CsF, it was found that cesium was stable within the salt melt at temperatures between 500-650°C over a time span of 8 hours. At 800°C, cesium vaporized from the salt at a rate of 0.83% / hr with a mass flux of 0.0023 g Cs / cm2hr. The atomistic modeling results show poor solvation of Cs at 500°C and 800°C, with stability …

The Performative History Of Tomboys In Anglophone Literature Prior To Little Women, Kimber Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the expansive history of literary tomboys in the century preceding Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (1868). Applying concepts from gender performativity theory, it explores earlier and previously overlooked portrayals of tomboys (or, alternatively, "hoydens" or "romps"), especially in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's A Trip to Scarborough (1777), Isaac Bickerstaffe's The Romp; A Comic Opera in Two Acts (1786), Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey (1817), and E.D.E.N. Southworth's The Hidden Hand (1859). Because the tomboy phenomenon emphasizes that gender roles must be learned and can be resisted, tomboy characters are …

Differential Levels Of Nutrients And Heavy Metals In Tilapia Collected From Drains In Egypt, Emily Burch

Theses and Dissertations

Tilapia is one of the most widely cultivated and consumed fish globally. In terms of human health, tilapia is an excellent source of protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and micronutrients. Tilapia and other aquatic species have become increasingly susceptible to contamination, as anthropogenic activities have been increasing around the world. Anthropogenetic activities often introduce high levels of contaminants, including heavy metals, into the marine environment. These contaminants often do not biodegrade, and they are absorbed by aquatic species. Contaminants can bioaccumulate and proceed in biomagnification up the fish food chain putting consumers at an increased risk of exposure. Heavy metals can …

Exploration Of The Impact Of Gender-Affirming Care And Social Support On Executive Functioning And Mental Health In Gender-Diverse Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults, Karys Michaela Normansell-Mossa

Theses and Dissertations

Between 4.8% and 26% of adults presenting to gender dysphoria clinics have an autism diagnosis. Both autistic people and gender-diverse people have higher rates of mental health conditions including anxiety and depression and more difficulties with executive functioning, all of which impact quality of life. Some work suggests that gender affirmation leads to better mental health outcomes, including better executive functioning, but this has not been studied directly in autistic adults who identify as gender-diverse or transgender. As such, we elected to explore the relationships among these variables at this intersection of gender diversity and autism. In a sample of …

International Human Rights Through Queer Theory: A Discursive Analysis Of The Russian, Lithuanian, And Kyrgyz Lgbtq+ Lived Experience Within The Global Paradigm, Mariem Youssef

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to shed light on the subordination of international human rights law to that of the paradigm of international relations through asserting the existence of US Empire i.e., that emulates historical empires, British and French, which aims to emancipate subjugated minorities, formerly women and presently LGBTQ+ individuals from their national oppressive regimes. This is achieved through a discussion of pervious literature that discusses queer theory with a special focus on Russia, Lithuania, and Kyrgyzstan as the main case studies. While the overt intentionality of the “empire” is to protect LGBTQ+ individuals through perpetuating the prototype of the “International …