Digital Commons Network^™

Yoga And Mindfulness In The Self-Contained Classroom, Deborahlee M. Wehner

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the effectiveness of the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) intervention of yoga and mindfulness in a third through fifth grade self-contained classroom. Specifically, the study analyzed the effects of yoga and mindfulness on (a) self-efficacy and (b) self-regulation. Ten students participated in the study, five males and five females. This research used an experimental/control group design. Prior to the six-week intervention period both the control group and experimental group completed a questionnaire rating their self-efficacy in the areas of academics, social and behavior. Post intervention the students completed the self-efficacy questionnaire again. During the six-week intervention period …

Gender And Organizational Citizenship Behavior In Library Technology: Mixed Methods Study, Sharon Whitfield

Theses and Dissertations

Academic librarianship continues to be a feminized profession, yet there are specializations within the profession that tend to be gender segregated, such as library technology. In this mixed methods study, women technology librarians' behaviors are examined through the gendered lens of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), which are discretionary, voluntary acts that are outside an employee's job description (Organ, 1988), but help shape the organizational culture and facilitate organizational functioning (Podsakoff & MacKenzie, 1997). This mixed methods study uses a survey to inform the extent of differences in organizational citizenship behaviors between men and women, and interviews to provide new insight …

A Retrospective Perusal Of An Unlikely Friendship In Nineteenth Century America: Frederick Douglass And William Lloyd Garrison, Melissa Ann Saenz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reexamines the evolving friendship between the two most prominent U.S. abolitionists of the Nineteenth Century, Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. The purpose is to provide a more complex picture of their friendship than one-sided antagonistic view often highlighted by scholars. While applying the political principle of egalitarianism and Aristotle’s three notions of friendship (pleasure, utility, and goodness) from Nicomachean Ethics, one can derive an alternative vista to a profound and fruitful relationship. By doing so, one can acknowledge that within their friendship, they were morally sovereign men led by reason despite the adverse events that played out …

Functional Characterization Of The Novel Gene Cia7 From Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Hector Guillermo Gonzalez Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

Heavy metal contamination presents a constant threat to biological systems. These metals interact with the catalytic-domain of enzymes, interfering with their normal rates of activity as well as inducing oxidative stress. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is an excellent model organism used in studies of heavy metals due to its high endogenous tolerance. In C. reinhardtii, a novel gene, designated as CIA7, was isolated and hypothesized to confer tolerance to heavy metals. This was due to CIA7’s conserved Cys-residue motif and its homology in a number of bacterial metal binding proteins. This study aimed to demonstrate what role CIA7 exerts on tolerance towards …

The Survival Of The Feminine Figure Through The Reconciliation Of Nature And Logos, Daniela Nunez

Theses and Dissertations

This work focuses on analyzing and questioning the role two feminine protagonists play in a phallogocentric social system depicted within two novels. The research will explore the narrative and outcome experienced by Doña Bárbara and Janie Crawford, from Rómulo Gallegos’ Doña Bárbara and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, in a post-colonial twentieth-century American continent. Hélène Cixous’ concept of feminine writing, which roots from her essay “The Laugh of the Medusa” and her book The Newly Born Woman will be the philosophical lens and medium of analysis for both Doña Bárbara and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Both …

The Vita Activa As A Literary Lens For George Orwell's 1984, Juanita Y. Escamilla-Deligani

Theses and Dissertations

This study explicates Hannah Arendt’s social theory and political studies and applies them as literary lens for George Orwell’s iconic dystopian novel 1984. The thesis focuses on Hannah Arendt’s The Human Condition (1958) and The Origins of Totalitarianism (1968). The Human Condition provides Arendt’s comprehensive delineation of the vita activa and its supporting social components. It explains different social components how they work interdependently to culminate in a free and public life: the vita activa. While her work stresses that democracy is not a perfect system, it is the system that best respects humanity’s attribute of plurality. The Origins of …

Facile Fabrication Of Superhydrophobic And Superolephilic Materials For Effective Oil Absorbtion And Oil-Water Separation, Ali Tawfeeq Abdulhussein

Theses and Dissertations

Surfaces that have a water contact angle (WCA) above 150° and a negligible difference between the receding and advancing contact angles are superhydrophobic, meaning that a simple, minimal tilt will cause water droplets to roll off the surfaces. Superhydrophobic surfaces are found in nature and can possess several fascinating properties, including the ability to self-clean. A typical superhydrophobic surface has micro/nanostructure roughness and low surface energy, which combine to give it its unusual anti-wetting properties. Because of their unique capabilities, superhydrophobic surfaces have interested scientists in research and industry fields for years. In recent decades, researchers have developed a number …

The Internal And External Factors Impacting The Persistence Of Underprepared Hispanic Students In Community Colleges, Rhonda Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

This study of Hispanic developmental students attending two-year colleges provides insights into the barriers to persistence for this growing population of students. Four research questions were explored in the study. The first question asked which demographic factors of gender, age, dependent children, and marital status impacted retention. The second question asked which socio-cultural factors of support of friends, support of parents, being a first generational student and social integration impacted persistence of Hispanic students in two-year colleges. The third question asked which environmental variables of working full-time, lack of adequate preparation and lack of financial support impacted persistence. The final …

Design, Fabrication And Validation Of A Hand-Wore Device For Assisted Object Grasping For The Visually Impaired, Xiaoping Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Grasping a target object is very challenging to a visually impaired individual due to vision loss. An object grasping task can be divided into three sub-tasks: detecting the target ob-ject, maintaining hand-object alignment while approaching the object, and taking a hold of it. Vision loss makes the first two sub-tasks impossible. To help a visually impaired per-son re-gain the capability in performing the two sub-tasks, a hand-worn assistive device is designed. The device consists of control and visual guidance. Control involves an exo-skeleton mechanism worn by user’s right hand. The mechanism, driven by two micro-motors, drags the thumb to move …

Capture Zone Analysis Of A Wellfield To Assess Contaminant Transport, Prince Kojo Oware

Theses and Dissertations

Radium is a common contaminant to the deep Cambrian- Ordovician aquifer in northern Illinois. Deep groundwater aquifers are used as fresh water resource in many parts of the world. Due to overuse, increase in salinity, natural and human-driven contamination, sustainability of these aquifer systems is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to better understand the groundwater flow system in deep bedrock aquifers in northern Illinois, and its control on the radium contamination in Rochelle’s Public Water Supply Wells (PWSW). We have tested two hypotheses: (1) the Radium (Ra) transport is driven by large pumping centers that interrupt groundwater flow …

Assessing Perception Of Risk Of Sexual Assault At A Border Region University, Mary Lisa Mckinnon

Theses and Dissertations

It is important to recognize the sociological contexts for understanding why sexual assault is an ongoing problem in society. There are important implications for major institutions with regards to sexual assault reporting and victimization. The stigma associated with victimization, marginalized populations who feel blamed for their victimization, and outdated attitudes about sexual assault all affect reporting and policy. This research will conduct a study on resources, reporting, and perceived personal safety and the effect of risk associated with sexual assault on college and university campuses. By using data that was collected through a survey, information was collected from a border …

Synthesis Of Bipyridine Carbohydrate Receptors, Maxwell Addo

Theses and Dissertations

Macrocyclic molecules consisting of aromatic groups with amino side chains are known to bind selectively to carbohydrates, mainly monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Some of these macrocyclic molecules, for example, Pyridine-based and Naphthyridine-based macrocyclic structures, behave like carbohydrate receptors and bind selectively to carbohydrates in aqueous solutions through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. Bipyridine receptors mimic natural lectins. A bipyridine receptor was designed and synthesized from Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine and 2,2-bipyridine-4,4-dicarboxyaldehyde. The receptor was purified and characterized using extraction, HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) spectroscopy and ESI-MS (Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry). Masses and peaks obtained matched the expected structure …

Combretum Farinosum Extract Toxicity To Skin And Lung Cell Lines As Measured By The Mtt Assay, Elester Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Fossil evidence dates plant usage in healthcare as far back as 60,000 years. In fact, indigenous biomedicine in South Africa has an estimated economic value of over $326 million. Researchers have concluded that approximately 200,000 healers deliver this form of healthcare to 27 million South Africans. Worldwide, plant usage in healthcare is estimated at 65%. The use of plants from the Combretaceae family in medicine have been of much interest to scientists. However, Combretum farinosum has little published research on its pharmacological properties, unlike many of its extensively studied congenerics. Combretum farinosum roots, fruits, leaves, and stems were sequentially Soxhlet …

Exploring The Possible Relationships Between Terrestrial Arthropod And Plant Community Structures In The South Texas Plains, Chad Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The South Texas Plains is one of many locations worldwide that has rapidly changed from grass-dominated rangeland into a relatively densely wooded thicket; a mechanism of succession termed the “mesquite-nucleus hypothesis,” which states that a mesquite tree is well evolved to encroach on grassland and change the micro-habitat, thereby allowing other woody species to encroach more easily, has been proposed. The current study tests the mesquite-nucleus hypothesis by studying arthropod community structure and its relationship to the surrounding plant community structure. Arthropods are easily trapped and counted, but complete survey data for South Texas is sparse. Pitfall traps were used …

The Family Oxyopidae In South Texas (Araneae: Oxyopidae), Amelia Solis

Theses and Dissertations

The genital structures of most spiders are poorly studied in respect to their morphology. Conventional taxonomic practice recommends utilizing light dissecting microscopy as the preferred method of investigation. Because of this, the understanding of genital morphology is incomplete and further studies with more advanced equipment and higher magnifications should be done focusing on these important structures. Features found in both male and female genitalia can help identify new and existing species, as well as generate new data to construct new taxonomic groups. Five species belonging to the Family Oxyopidae: Oxyopes acleistus, O. apollo, O. salticus, O. tridens, and Peucetia viridans, …

Investigations Of Novel Strategies To Treat Bacterial Infection And Development Of New Reaction Methodology, Shane Philippi

Theses and Dissertations

Quorum Sensing (QS), a form of bacteria communication mediated through chemical signaling, was investigated in the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. QS has the ability to regulate when a bacterial pathogen is infective or benign. LasR is the main regulator in this system and is also the receptor targeted for inhibition. A Structure Activity Relationship was produced for the system along with the binding pocket being explored.

A new reaction methodology was developed inspired by the Haloform reaction. The reaction was optimized based on solvent, stoichiometry, and conditions. Changing the initial electrophile and the reagent nucleophile created the scope of the …

Evolution Of Endurance Running Genes Across Primates, Natalia T. Grube

Theses and Dissertations

The endurance running hypothesis has emerged as a key idea to explain several unique anatomical, physiological, and genetic features of modern humans—among these features is the evolution of ACTN3 (Bramble & Lieberman 2004, Nature), a gene linked to human athletic performance. An additional gene linked to human endurance performance is ACE. Because endurance running is a uniquely human trait, I predicted that ACE and ACTN3 genes would be evolving adaptively in the human lineage when examined in a wider primatological framework. To test this I compiled ACE and ACTN3 genes from 14 primate species and phylogenetically tested if these genes …

A Crispr/Cas9 Tissue Specific Forward Genetic Screening Method In Danio Rerio, Joshua Don Yates

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the cutting-edge innovations on the CRISPR/Cas9 system involve the use of complex sgRNA libraries. For example, such libraries have recently been used in functional genomics applications to screen for specific genes in both cell lines and living organisms, as well as in subcellular imaging to fluorescently label chromatin in living cells. However, chemically synthesizing customized libraries can be cost prohibitive, requires precise genomic information, and can takes several weeks. We developed a rapid and efficient enzymatic method to generate sgRNA libraries from arbitrary DNA substrates, significantly reducing the cost of library generation. A type IIS restriction enzyme binding …

The Impact Of Community-Based Training Outreach In Improving Water Quality, Health, And Sanitation In Kenya, Lavender Matuyia Ntaoti

Theses and Dissertations

Water is an important component of the human body. A greater percentage of the body comprises of water. Digestion, brain function, movement, and sweating among others are the basic functions of the human body that require water. Often, water quality is neglected in developing countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Many individuals in these countries understand the importance of having accessible water but do not prioritize the quality and the sources of the water available to them. Public health scholars endorse education, training, and sanitary infrastructure to promote awareness and importance of water quality. To address an existing waterborne …

Effects Of Electrical Stimulation On Glioma Cells In Vitro With Implications For Treating Chronic Pain: Development Of A Model System, David C. Platt

Theses and Dissertations

Glial cells comprise over 70% of the central nervous system cells and exhibit diverse functions including regulation of synaptic transmission, neuron protection/repair, maintenance of neuronal metabolism, and are implicated in the development of persistent neuropathic pain. In addition, a perturbation in the concentration of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) has likewise been associated with the development of a chronic pain state. This perturbation in ROS/RNS creates an environment of oxidative stress. However, the mechanism by which the pain signal transmission is modulated, and the roles ROS play in the perpetuation of the pain state are …

The Effects Of Dixie Harrow Treatments On Greater Sage-Grouse Resource Selection And The Nutritional Value Of Sagebrush During Winter, Jason Alan Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) is an important source of food and cover for many animals, especially during winter months. Understanding how wildlife species respond to sagebrush management actions can help improve conservation planning. Dixie harrow is a method of improving spring/summer habitat for many herbivores by reducing sagebrush cover to stimulate the growth of grasses and forbs. These treatments, however, may influence the quantity and quality of sagebrush available to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) during winter. We evaluated the effects of Dixie harrow on sage-grouse resource selection during winter (Chapter 1) and on the nutritional value of sagebrush (Chapter …

“Power In Repose”: Sleep And Agency In American Literature, 1875-1916, Hannah Leigh Huber

Theses and Dissertations

“Power in Repose” argues that American literature provided its own response to the cult of wakefulness that emerged at the turn of the twentieth century. Narratives by authors Henry James, Charles Chesnutt, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman emerged from a time in which conceptions of rest were reshaped by the coalescence of America’s Protestant work ethic and industrial advancement. By complicating the separation of public and private space, my chosen texts present characters exhausted by the permeation of the supposedly impervious aspects of modernity, such as artificial light, traffic commotion, and round-the-clock labor and social activity. Marginalized figures are …

Design And Synthesis Of Ceragenins–Cationic Steroid Antimicrobial Compounds, Structural Improvement And Synthesis Of Cyclopentenone Prostaglandins And Modification And Synthesis Of Derivatives Of Ribityllumazines: Potential Antigens For Activation Of Mait Cells, Yubo Li

Theses and Dissertations

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous and display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity that can control bacterial colonization of surfaces. Ceragenins are small-molecule mimics of AMPs and have several advantages over AMPs, including cost of manufacture and stability. A ceragenin, CSA-120, modified with an acrylamide group was directly incorporated into fluoropolymer coatings as a means of inhibiting bacterial biofilm formation. The ceragenin-containing coatings displayed improved performance. By conjugating a copper chelating group to the ceragenin, chelation of 64Cu by the conjugate was effective and provided a stable complex that allowed in vivo imaging. This conjugate may provide a means of identifying infection sites …

Discussing History Of Mental Illness In A General Genetic Counseling Setting: Patient And Caregiver Interest And Comfort, Alena Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored patient, parent, and/or caregiver interest in and comfort with discussing personal and/or family history of mental illness (MI) with a genetics provider during a general genetics visit.

Methods: Participants were seen for initial genetic consultation through offices of the Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) October 8th, 2018 through January 31st, 2019.

Following the genetics appointment, participants completed a 38-item questionnaire. Results: Thirty participants completed or partially completed the questionnaire. Most participants had a child being evaluated (n=26, 87%). Overall, 26/29 participants (90%) indicated some degree of comfort with being directly or hypothetically asked about personal and/or family …

Becoming A Culturally Relevant Feminist Teacher: An Autoethnography Of An Exchange Student, Astri Napitupulu

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis recounts the journey of an exchange student at a public university in Central Illinois on becoming a feminist teacher. By reflecting on her experiences as a Master’s student in the United States and high school teacher in Indonesia, the author unpacks her journey on becoming a feminist teacher. The author argues for the need of a feminist lens to understand the White supremacist heteropatriarchal capitalist system that is also infused in United States educational system. Finally, this research contends for a culturally relevant feminism as viable in her home institution in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Relationship Between Mindset And Motivation In An Alternative School Mathematics Classroom, Jo Ellen Dowdy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of a Khan Academy growth mindset lesson plan on the motivation of at-risk ninth grade students in a mathematics classroom. Data were collected for quantitative analysis of students’ self- reporting of perceptions pertaining to mindset beliefs before and after a mindset intervention and perceptions about motivation in the mathematics classroom. Analysis revealed there was no relationship between mindset and motivation. A minimal decrease in fixed mathematical mindset was determined after a Khan Academy mindset intervention. Increases were found in students’ beliefs in the importance of math, the usefulness …

Providing Prevention Education About Child Sexual Abuse To Parents: Testing Media Effects On Knowledge, Behavioral Intentions And Outcomes, Jane Long Weatherred

Theses and Dissertations

For over thirty years, efforts have been made by child sexual abuse (CSA) advocates to attract and engage parents in child sexual abuse prevention education programs. This study provided parents with CSA prevention education about how to talk to their children about CSA and assessed their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intentions to perform this behavior utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior. A follow-up survey was conducted to find out if the parents actually performed the behavior of talking to their children and what they talked to them about. The results were 1) that all of the …

The Role Of Historical Simulations In An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Social Studies Class, Anna Hasenkamp

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an action research study as part of a Dissertation in Practice. Based on observations from the classroom of the participant-researcher, Problem of Practice is described: an over-reliance on teacher-centered instructional methods and the mismatch of these instructional techniques to the pedagogy endorsed by the International Baccalaureate. Through the identification of this PoP led to a research focus concerning student achievement, instructional methods, and the use of historical simulations in the social studies classroom. As a result of this research focus, the research question of what, if any, is the possible impact of historical simulations on student achievement? …

Possession Of Status Value: An Extension Of Status Value Theory, Nicolas L. Harder

Theses and Dissertations

Through what mediums is it possible to spread status? Prior research shows that status can be inferred from reward states, status and expectations can spread from one valued characteristic to another, and that differences in the status value of an object possessed by an individual can lead to differences in power during exchange interactions. However, it is not known if possession of these objects actually results in increased status and expectations for an individual possessing the status valued object. Building on Status Value Theory, Status Construction Theory, Reward Expectations Theory, and the Status Value Theory of Power, I construct a …

Comparing Academic Vocabulary List (Avl) Frequency Bands To Leveled Biology And History Texts, Lynne Crandall

Theses and Dissertations

For decades, teachers and language learners have been concerned about matching the difficulty level of texts to the proficiency level of learners in order to achieve comprehensible input, which leads to effective learning. Some leveling systems and research use word lists as part of their leveling processes, particularly the Academic Word List. The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) has not been explored yet as a leveling tool, so this study aims to address this lack of research by examining how the AVL words vary in cumulative frequency bands and also in separate frequency bands with regard to level and topic. The …