Digital Commons Network^™

Cross Roads Of The Living And The Dead: Necropolitics And Market Logic In Chris Abani's Graceland, Joshua Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that Chris Abani’s 2004 novel Graceland presents the austerity programs imposed on Nigeria in the 1980s as a form of financialized necropolitics. Through its representation of the entanglement between transnational capital interests and repressive state security forces, Graceland offers new ways of theorizing neoliberal governance and its relationship to the construction of what Achille Mbembe calls “death worlds.” In the novel, the state’s instrumentation and destruction of human bodies (for the accumulation of wealth) becomes an apt metaphor for structural adjustment. But the novel goes further by demonstrating how this logic of accumulation utilizes biopolitical and even …

The Quixotic Picaresque: Tricksters, Modernity, And Otherness In The Transatlantic Novel, Or The Intertextual Rhizome Of Lazarillo, Don Quijote, Huck Finn, And The Reivers, David Elijah Sinsabaugh Beek

Theses and Dissertations

The Quixotic Picaresque is a conflation of the narrative modes exhibited in Lazarillo de Tormes and Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote de la Mancha. This study examines these early modern Spanish novels and their American reincarnations, namely Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and William Faulkner’s The Reivers. Accordingly, this essay explores the correlation between Spain’s transition from feudalism to a modern mercantile society and the United States’ transition from an agrarian society based in slavery to a modern industrial nation within the cultural contexts of the four aforementioned novels. These novels make up part of the intertextual rhizome …

Antimicrobial Biomaterials And Sustainable Polymers From Renewable Biomass, Mitra Shiran Ganewatta

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, development of antimicrobial biomaterials and sustainable polymers from renewable biomass is described. In Chapter 1, an overview and recent development about sustainable polymers from renewable biomass, antimicrobial biomaterials and polymerization methods are given. Afterwards, the major research objectives of this doctoral research work are described.

Innovative cationic polymers containing pine resin sourced abietic acid is discussed in Chapter 2. The preparation of cationic compounds is conversed via a combination of Diels-Alder, catalytic esterification, quaternization and subsequent decoration of polycaprolactone that was prepared via ring-opening polymerization (ROP). Furthermore, the antimicrobial activity against a range of bacteria, biocompatibility with …

A Regression Analysis Of South Carolina Algebra I End-Of-Course Exam Scores By Schedule Type, Dawn M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between scheduling and first-year-high-school students’ exam scores on the South Carolina Algebra I End-of-Course (EOC) assessment. The study compared existing empirical data from two southeastern high schools from the same school district using 4 X 4 block schedules from 2011-2014 and modified block (A/B) schedules from the years 2014-2016. The study results included Algebra I EOC exam scores from the 3 years each school was on a 4 X 4 block schedule and for the 2 years each school employed a modified (A/B) block schedule. South Carolina Algebra I EOC …

Network Reconstruction And Vulnerability Analysis Of Financial Networks, Nathan Scott Woodbury

Theses and Dissertations

Passive network reconstruction is the process of learning a structured (networked) representation of a dynamic system through the use of known information about the structure of the system as well as data collected by observing the inputs into a system along with the resultant outputs. This work demonstrates an improvement on an existing network reconstruction algorithm so that the algorithm is capable of consistently and perfectly reconstructing a network when system inputs and outputs are measured without error. This work then extends the improved network reconstruction algorithm so that it functions even in the presence of noise as well as …

The Role Of The Speech-Language Pathologist When Working With Clients Who Are Transgender: A Guide Of Gender Identity And Cultural Competency, Brett Welch

Theses and Dissertations

It is within the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist to work with a client who is transgender for voice. However, regardless of the setting, a speech-language pathologist is likely to encounter a person who is transgender on their caseload. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association mandates that all of its members be culturally competent when working with clients from different cultural backgrounds, including those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.

This thesis pulls from sociological, linguistic, and queer theory literature to provide an in-depth understanding of identity, gender, and transgender identity formation. With this nuanced understanding of …

Increasing Marine Debris Awareness Through Public Education And Analyzing Fish For Microplastic And Pollutant Contamination, Stephanie R. Dubois

Theses and Dissertations

Marine debris is any persistent solid material that is manmade and then disposed of into the world’s oceans. Outreach and education was used in combination with biological research using an indicator fish species to raise awareness about the impacts of marine debris and encourage change in behavior to reduce marine debris. Pre and post surveys were administered during marine debris education tours for K-12 students at the Coastal Studies Lab on South Padre Island, Texas to determine change in knowledge and behavior regarding marine debris. Pinfish were collected from Laguna Madre and stomachs and livers removed for microplastics content and …

Pegda Pouches To Prevent Adhesions With In Vivo Bioreactor- Based Vascular Graft Strategies, Kranthi Vuppuluri

Theses and Dissertations

Different strategies have been investigated for the fabrication of vascular grafts. Using the peritoneal cavity of the patient as an “in vivo bioreactor” to recruit autologous cells to the implanted vascular conduit is one of the promising options. One of the main drawbacks with this strategy is the potential to form adhesions in the peritoneal cavity. In this project we are trying to address this potential side-effect by using polyethylene (glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) to produce a hydrogel pouch into which the electrospun conduits are placed, with the goal of reducing the potential to form peritoneal adhesion after implantation. PEG is …

Hybrid Phonon Polaritons Mimic Te Surface Wave Enhanced Supercoupling, Delroy Dominic Rebello

Theses and Dissertations

The study and excitation of surface plasmon polaritons SPhPs modes in polar dielectrics have attracted the interest of a wide range of research in various fields such as biology, physics and engineering. The excitation of SPhP in optical waveguides is because of TM-component of the incident light. TE-components are usually disbarred because, for TE-polarization component, orthogonal to the TM-polarization components, of the incidence waves, no SPhP mode exists. This thesis presents a novel hybrid TE SPhP mode waveguide in the mid-infrared region. By introducing a thin layer of high index dielectric material on the polar dielectric, where SPhPs are excited, …

Timing And Consequences Of Pleistocene Megafaunal Population Collapse In South America, Marco Felipe Raczka

Theses and Dissertations

A key question for ecologists and paleontologists studying the extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna is: what caused the extinction of these animals? Was the extinction of megafauna caused solely by human-hunting pressure, or was it a consequence of climate change? Could these extinctions be caused by a combination of both factors? Was this wave of extinction temporally uniform across South America? Despite the recent surge of research on this subject, these questions remain largely unanswered. Spores of Sporormiella, a genus of obligate coprophilous fungi, are now widely used to detect mega-herbivore presence and even estimate their abundance in paleoecological reconstructions. …

Activity Patterns And Division Of Labor At A Southeastern Tennessee Late Mississippian Site: Toqua, Dustin Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

Entheseal changes (EC), formally musculoskeletal stress markers, are the recordation of osteophytic change at an enthesis (any muscular origin or insertion). Study of EC is valuable in decoding past life activities, social dynamics, and health through the quantification of reactive osseous changes at entheses. The current study assesses EC to ascertain activity patterns at the Late Mississippian Dallas Phase (~1300-1550 AD) site of Toqua, aboriginally located in the lower Little Tennessee River Valley of East Tennessee. Toqua was a multiple mound, palisaded settlement of maize-intensive agriculturalists. The subsistence strategy may have required intense and possibly specialized labor of the upper …

Monitoring Heart Rate Variability In Relation To Sleep Quality, Yi-Tzu Wang

Theses and Dissertations

The development and analysis of heart rate variability for sleep quality monitoring have been concerned for many years in human being. Sleep is a physiological process that is essentially maintaining the function of human body. Heart rate variability have undergone much-needed development to assess the effects such as sleep disorder, insomnia, high blood pressure, stress and even diabetes. Accurately evaluating physiological signals that are practical to measure the sleep quality in individuals monitoring heart rate variability is an important activation of diverse biological systems during sleep. A noteworthy role of measuring the heart rate variability is played by the autonomic …

Synthesis And Characterization Of 3-D Tissue Engineered Tumor Models For Melanoma Study And Extracellular Matrix Investigation, Joseph L. Spano

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, projected to claim over 9,700 American lives and necessitate $3.3 billion in care and treatment costs in 2017. In order to reduce the socioeconomic burdens and lessen cancer-related mortality and morbidity, advancements in early-stage diagnostics and treatments are essential. Two-dimensional (2-D) tissue culture treated plastics (TCTP) are reductionist in vitro models that are commonly used in drug development and preclinical drug evaluation. These models poorly recapture the native tumor microenvironment (TME), providing unrealistic growth conditions, and are thus poorly suited to measure the efficacy of newly emerging therapies. We have developed …

A Comparison Of Airline Passengers' Perception And Attention Toward Onboard Safety Briefing Video Presentations, Yousef Aba Alkhail

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of the type of safety demonstration on a passenger's perception and attention. Furthermore, the study examined if there are gender differences based on participant gender. The design utilizes a two-study approach. Study 1 used Florida Tech College of Aeronautics students. For Study 1, the design for Florida Tech Aeronautics students was a mixed design using one within subjects variable and one between subjects variable. This study was a nonrandomized, posttest-only design. Experimental conditions were counterbalanced. The ANOVA analysis of Study 1 demonstrated that there was no significant interaction between gender …

Part (I): Synthesis, Characterization And Antibacterial Activity Of Vanadium(V) Complexes With Ons Schiff Bases Part (Ii): Synthesis Of 9-Cd₃-11-Cis-Retinal For The Investigation Of The Activation Mechanism Of Gpcr Rhodopsin By Solid-State ²H Nmr Spectroscopy, Samira M. Faylough

Theses and Dissertations

Vanadium compounds are known to play many roles in both biology and industry, and the biochemical activity of these compounds has led to their increased importance in both biological and medical research. In the present work, some new substituents for hydrazinecarbodithioate Schiff base ligands and their dioxo vanadium(V) complexes were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, DART mass, FT-IR, UV-vis, fluorescence spectrometer, and single X-ray diffraction analysis for complex K[VO₂{(S-benzyl-3-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl) methylene dithiocarbazate)}] (212). Dioxovanadium(V) complexes K[VO₂{(S-methyl-3-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)methylenedithiocarbazate)}] (211) and 212 have been tested for antibacterial activity against Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei strains. Ceftazidime was used as a reference …

Thermal Response Of Behavior And Gene Expression Of Heat Shock Proteins In The Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus Erectus, Cara Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus, is a dispersal-limited fish residing in the coastal and estuarine habitats of the Western Atlantic. With sea surface temperatures expected to rise +2°C in the next 85 years, these dispersal limited fish will experience varying degrees of short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) heat stress events. Previous studies have indicated that these different durations of increased temperatures will elicit distinctive behavioral changes in seahorses, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are yet unknown. Three-hundred captive-bred Hippocampus erectus were exposed to control, mild, severe, and lethal temperatures for different durations to assess how these animals respond …

The Impact Of Marine Protected Areas On Reef-Wide Population Structure And Fishing-Induced Phenotypes In Coral-Reef Fishes, Robert Young Fidler Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Overfishing and destructive fishing practices threaten the sustainability of fisheries worldwide. In addition to reducing population sizes, anthropogenic fishing effort is highly size-selective, preferentially removing the largest individuals from harvested stocks. Intensive, size-selective mortality induces widespread phenotypic shifts toward the predominance of smaller and earlier-maturing individuals. Fish that reach sexual maturity at smaller size and younger age produce fewer, smaller, and less viable larvae, severely reducing the reproductive capacity of exploited populations. These directional phenotypic alterations, collectively known as “fisheries-induced evolution” (FIE) are among the primary causes of the loss of harvestable fish biomass. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one …

Circadian Rhythms In The Retina Of The Atlantic Tarpon, Megalops Atlanticus, Kristin Leigh Kopperud

Theses and Dissertations

Light is a critically important environmental variable in the lives of marine organisms, affecting physiology and behavior acutely and dictating daily biological rhythms and seasonal reproduction in the long-term. In unpolluted natural environments, the daily light-dark cycle is a reliable environmental cue, but with today’s rapid coastal development, light pollution is an increasingly serious threat to living things, including marine fish. Alterations to the natural light-dark cycle may have profound implications for the health and longevity of organisms by interfering with the function of their internal timekeeping mechanisms. While extensive research exists on the harmful effects of inappropriate light on …

Reef-Building Threatened By Ecosystem Decline: A Case Study From Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Elizabeth M. Whitcher

Theses and Dissertations

Coral reefs are critical barriers to coastal erosion and flooding throughout tropical regions, but their role in coastal protection is threatened by declining coral populations and sea-level rise. Climate change is causing widespread losses of live-coral cover on Caribbean reefs, and is reducing the capacity of reef-building to keep pace with sea-level rise. Reefs that lag behind rising sea level will struggle to maintain their role as protective barriers, as rising water-levels over shallow reef-crests result in a reduction of the dissipation of wave energy. A clear understanding of reef-building processes in the Caribbean will be a critical component in …

Population Genetics Of The Florida Scrub-Jay At Kennedy Space Center, Cory James Spern

Theses and Dissertations

The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) has suffered ~90% reduction in population size due to degradation of habitat. This loss of habitat has led to the fragmentation of many subpopulations and it is unknown how this change in connectivity has affected their population genetics. A greater understanding of how populations have changed through time can be achieved using genetics. Past population genetic studies have primarily focused at the state-wide level, but more information is needed about how groups interact at smaller spatial scales. Using nine microsatellite loci, the genetic structure of scrub-jay was investigated at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Brevard …

Late Holocene Climate And Vegetation Change In Central Michigan, Rachel Kathleen Sales

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effects of drought and temperature change on eastern North America will be key in the context of future climate change. Perhaps the best method to understand how drought and temperature will impact this area is to study its paleoecological record. The records presented here, from Houghton Bog (44°23'4.50"N; 84°44'18.90"W) and Higgins Bog (44°28'58.90"N; 84°47'41.40"W) provide an opportunity to study the effects of drought and temperature on the interior of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan (hereafter central Michigan) during the Late Holocene (c. 4200 cal BP to present day). Pollen, charcoal, and testate amoebae records were analyzed to infer …

Production Of Mesophase Pitch From Gasified Lignin-Derived Tars, Adedayo O. Idowu

Theses and Dissertations

Lignin tars are created as a by-product of lignin gasification. Significant effort has gone into minimizing tar production. However, no process has been shown to completely eliminate its formation. As a result, the tar is being used to manufacture low value products such as asphalt, or is being used as a fuel in fixed combustion systems.

The research presented here is part of an effort to increase the viability of using lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock to produce high value products. We tested the postulate that tars derived from lignin could be processed into a mesophase pitch allowable for conversion …

Female Airline Transport Pilots: The Role Of Mentoring, Paul Cline

Theses and Dissertations

Women have been a part of aviation since its inception, yet they have been traditionally underrepresented in the ranks of commercial pilots. This study explored what role mentoring played in the lives and careers of female Airline Transport Pilots (ATP). Participants completed a modified version of the Mentor Role Instrument (MRI) developed by Ragins and McFarlin.

It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between female ATP who had been mentored and those who had not. Of the female ATP who had been mentored, those who reported an informal mentoring relationship rated their relationship higher than those who …

The Vocal Babbling Behavior And Its Sibling Effects In A Wild Parrot, Tatiana Dolgushina

Theses and Dissertations

Vocal learning is a rare trait in the animal kingdom, defined as the sensorimotor imitation of sounds, and is only found in select groups of birds and mammals. Parrots are a behaviorally complex group of birds, famous for their ability to mimic social companions, but how they develop this ability in the wild has received little attention. The vocal learning period consists of a complex vocal babbling stage, a crucial developmental precursor for imitation of adult vocalizations in humans and songbirds, but has not been described in any of the 360+ parrot species. This project quantifies potential individual variation in …

Multifunctionality Of Cover Crops On Organic Vegetable Farms In South Texas, Savannah M. Rugg

Theses and Dissertations

Situated in deep South Texas, the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is considered one the most productive agricultural regions in the southern US. With the highest concentration of organic farms in the state (Hidalgo county), finding management practices that comply with organic certification is increasingly pertinent. Cover cropping can serve multiple functions in an agroecosystem such as: suppressing weeds, increasing soil organic matter (SOM), increasing soil nitrates, and enhancing soil biodiversity. The four cover crops (lablab, sunn hemp, sudangrass, and pearl millet) were assessed to see their potential to increase soil nitrogen, to increase soil organic matter, and to suppress …

Investigating The Application Of Multibeam Sonar And Remotely Operated Vehicles In Fish Population Monitoring On Artificial Reefs, Robert Figueroa-Downing

Theses and Dissertations

Implementation of ROVs and multibeam imaging sonar in fisheries research has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of current monitoring practices. This study aimed to 1) compare ROV video and diver abundance estimates; 2) evaluate fish length measurement accuracy from sonar; 3) investigate key differentiating sonar characteristics. Results indicate: 1) Diver surveys captured greater diversity of species; survey methods were comparable with regards to conspicuous species (r = 0.089, p = 0.074); 2) Length measurements from multibeam imaging sonar had high predictive power (Rho = 0.998; p < 0.001) of actual standard lengths and; 3) variations between samples were largely due to swim bladder echo, relative position of the target fish, and schooling characteristics. We conclude that 1) ROVs are less apt at observing cryptic species; 2) The Blueview P900-90 sonar can accurately measure fish length; and 3) swim bladder morphology plays an important role in fish identification.

Fractals, Randomization, Optimal Constructions, And Replication In Algorithmic Self-Assembly, Cameron Chalk

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of the strict self-assembly of infinite fractals within tile self-assembly is considered. In particular, tile assembly algorithms are provided for the assembly of the discrete Sierpinski triangle and the discrete Sierpinski carpet.

The robust random number generation problem in the abstract tile assembly model is introduced. First, it is shown this is possible for a robust fair coin flip within the aTAM, and that such systems guarantee a worst case O(1) space usage. This primary construction is accompanied with variants that show trade-offs in space complexity, initial seed size, temperature, tile complexity, bias, and extensibility.

This work …

A High Density Micro-Electrocorticography Device For A Rodent Model, Mukhesh Kumar Koripalli

Theses and Dissertations

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a methodology for stable mapping of the brain surface using local field potentials (LFPs) with a wide cortical region, high signal fidelity, and minimal invasiveness to brain tissue. To compare surface ECoG signals with inter-cortical neuronal activity, we fabricated a flexible handcrafted ECoG electrode made with economically available materials. This research is on a Lewis rat implanted with a handcrafted 256-channel, non-penetrative ECoG electrode covering an area of 7mm x 7mm on the cortical surface. This device was placed on the motor and somatosensory cortex of the brain to record signals with an active animal. The recordings …

The Digital Surgeon's Warning: Do Disclaimers Have A Place In Beauty And Fashion Advertising?, Jess Gabl

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of disclaimers of photogenic manipulation, models’ body types, and the interaction between the two through the theoretical lenses of social comparison theory and priming effects. In an online experiment, this study employs a 3 (no disclaimer, presence of digital enhancement disclaimer, absence of digital enhancement disclaimer) by 2 (thin model body type and average model body type) factorial analysis to tease apart the effects of disclaimers on consumers (social comparison, self-esteem, and wishful identification) and the organizations that are compelled or choose to employ them (brand attitudes and perceptions of …

Isolation Of Microsatellites For An Endemic Species Of Freshwater Mussel Using Next-Generation Sequencing Technology, Aldo Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

Texas is home to 53 species of freshwater mussels. Unfortunately, factors associated with an increase in urbanization, such as decreasing water levels in lakes and rivers, have greatly affected the populations of many species. Currently, 15 species are classified as threatened by the state. Of these species, 11 have been petitioned to be enlisted under The Endangered Species Act (ESA), and one is currently a candidate for future protection. In this project, we have used next generation sequencing technology to develop a suite of species-specific genetic markers, known as microsatellites, to assess the genetic diversity of the populations of Popenaias …