Digital Commons Network^™

Psychological Well-Being And Heart Disease: The Utility Of Mental Health And Management Plans, Jennifer Anne Heath

Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the correlation between mental health and coronary heart disease (CHD) and the usefulness of including mental health treatment into disease management plans. Consistent with previous research and literature regarding the correlation between CHD and depression, results suggest individuals experiencing CHD experience more symptoms of depression, including feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. Additionally, individuals with CHD also tend to experience more difficulty with relationships and completing household chores. Individuals who have management plans created by their healthcare providers experience less depressive symptoms than those without management plans. This suggests management plans are crucial in the treatment of mental …

The Effects Of Elevated Pco₂ And Temperature On The Embryonic Development, Larval Survivorship, Condition, Calcification, Morphology, And Behavior Of The Florida Stone Crab, Menippe Mercenaria, Philip Michael Gravinese

Theses and Dissertations

The emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere over the last century has increased atmospheric and oceanic temperatures, and has led to a decrease in oceanic pH. The increased ocean temperatures and reduced pH have been detrimental to marine life. In addition, Florida’s watersheds have suffered from decades of disrupted hydrology and diverted runoff, which has increased nutrients and changed coastal carbonate chemistry. Although the adult stages of many marine species are capable of tolerating fluctuations in environmental conditions (i.e., elevated pCO₂ tolerances to such conditions improve. and temperature), marine larvae that hatch in coastal habitats may not have the …

The Challenges That International Students Face When Integrating Into Higher Education In The United States, Raja Almurideef

Theses and Dissertations

For the last two years, the number of international students aspiring to obtain a qualification in U.S. universities has been exponentially growing by 8% (IIE, 2014). The purpose of this study was to discuss the challenges faced by international students in the United States. Although international students benefit universities, they encounter adjustment difficulties that differ from those of domestic students, such as culture shock, homesickness, loss of social support, discrimination, language barriers, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and academic adjustments. This quantitative study was conducted with undergraduate international students from different countries enrolled at Rowan University during the spring semester of 2016. …

Effects Of Parasitism And Mite Control Methods On European Starling Development, Aderinsola Oluwasikemi Odetunde

Theses and Dissertations

Certain developmental stressors can lead to developmental trade-offs in young organisms. Hematophagous ectoparasites are a common stressor experienced by European starlings, and we wished to explore what aspects of an ectoparasite infestation drove trade-offs. The first part of this study was to test the hypothesis that blood loss was the sole mediator of trade-offs due to hematophagous ectoparasite infestation. We used nestlings that were exposed to mites in the nests, nestlings in mite-reduced nests experiencing supplementary blood loss, and nestlings in mite reduced nests with no supplementary blood loss. We also used a new heat treatment to reduce mites in …

Effect Of Cover Crops And Nitrogen Application Timing On Nutrient Loading And Concentration Through Subsurface Tile Drainage, Michael Douglas Ruffatti

Theses and Dissertations

It has been estimated that nitrate (NO3-N) leaching from artificially drained agricultural fields in the Upper Mississippi River Basin accounts for approximately 65% of nitrogen (N) delivered annually to the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the impact fertilizer application timing and cover crops (CC) adoption on the load and concentration of nutrients in subsurface drainage leachate. This experiment was conducted at the Illinois State University Nitrogen Management Field Station, in Lexington, IL. Treatments include a zero control (no N fertilizer and no cover crop), fall dominated N application (70% fall, 30% spring) with …

Takeover On The Tallgrass Prairie: How Lespedeza Cuneata Establishes Dominance, Morgan Rae Walder

Theses and Dissertations

Invasion ecology aims to study mechanisms by which invasive species are able to enter, establish, and spread within an ecosystem. This study analyzed Darwin’s naturalization and the biotic resistance hypotheses as the most likely explanations for invasion by an exotic legume, Lespedeza cuneata, into a tallgrass prairie. Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis posits that exotic species are less able to establish in communities that have related species, because similarity in morphology and function promotes intense competition for resources. The biotic resistance hypothesis states that competitors, herbivores, and pathogens already present in the community limit the colonization, naturalization, and persistence of invaders, therefore …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon ( Pah )-Porphyrin Hybrids, Ruixiao Gao

Theses and Dissertations

Carbaporphyrins are porphyrin analogs where one or more pyrrole units are replaced with a carbocyclic ring. Benziporphyrins are porphyrin analogues with a 1,3-phenylene unit replacing one of the pyrrole subunits. Because of cross-conjugation, benziporphyrins are not aromatic species. However, protonation of benziporphyrins can afford some aromatic characteristics. Although the synthesis of many examples of monocarbaporphyrins have been successfully executed, no examples of porphyrinoids with pyrene subunits have been prepared. Pyrene-containing porphyrinoids, which have been named as pyreniporphyrins, are theoretically significant molecules that provide insights into the aromaticity and reactivity of porphyrinoid systems.

In this thesis, two projects were conducted to …

Membrane Biophysics Of Listeria Monocytogenes: Analysis Of An Alternate Pathway Of Branched-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis And Elasticity Of Fatty Acid Utilization, Laura E. Kuczek

Theses and Dissertations

The membrane homeostasis of the psychrotolerant foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes involves maintaining fluidity in a range of different conditions by incorporation of specific branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs). BCFAs are synthesized through a well-characterized pathway from branched-chain amino acids into short branched-chain acyl-CoAs followed by elongation by the FAS II system. Branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (Bkd) is a major player in this pathway. MOR401 is a transposon insertion mutant deficient in Bkd and has decreased membrane BFCAs. Low levels of BCFAs in L. monocytogenes are linked to diminished growth, less resistance to antimicrobials, and a severe reduction in virulence. Rescued growth …

Variations In Geochemistry And Mineralogy Of Aeolian Dust Deposition To Mountains In Utah And Nevada, Usa, Dylan Binder Dastrup

Theses and Dissertations

Major and trace metal loading to mountains in the western US depends on dust sources, intensity of storms and their availability for transport during snowmelt and runoff. Previous work has been conducted on dust production, composition, and its affect on solar radiation and timing of snow melt. This study was conducted to 1) examine temporal and spatial variability in dust chemistry; 2) evaluate form and availability of major and trace elements in dust; and 3) identify potential dust sources affecting mountains in Utah and Nevada. Spring and summertime dust was collected across northern Utah over the course of three years …

The Strategic Global Climate And The Construction Of The Strategic Global Climate Scale, Leah Rose Wolfeld

Theses and Dissertations

As the world grows smaller, globalization increasingly impacts organizations, and many organizations have difficulty preparing for such a complex and unpredictable environment. The Strategic Global Climate consists of the employee perceptions of the policies, processes, and rewarded behaviors that promote organizational effectiveness in the complex global arena. A favorable Strategic Global Climate communicates the organization’s values and aligns leadership and business strategies for prosperity in the global arena. Additionally, organizations with a Strategic Global Climate should develop a strong global leadership bench strength, experience smooth international business partnerships, and have a competitive advantage. Organizations must be able to measure such …

An Item Response Theory Analysis Of Emotional Expressivity Measures, Melissa K. Matheys

Theses and Dissertations

The understanding of psychometric properties of emotional expressivity measures is often limited to rudimentary statistics. The present study investigated, in depth, the psychometric properties of four measures of emotional expressivity (the Self-Concealment Scale, the Distress Disclosure Index, the Emotional Expressivity Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire – Suppression subscale). Item response theory (IRT) analyses suggested that recoded versions of the measures’ Likert scales may be beneficial in practice as well as the deletion of some measures’ items. IRT analyses of the four measures of emotional expressivity provide more information than classical test theory statistics about how to implement these measures …

Total Physical Response And The Natural Approach To Teaching Foreign Language To Students With Disabilities, Jessica Lynn Dalessandro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using the instructional strategies of Total Physical Response (TPR) and Natural Approach (NA) on the foreign language acquisition of students with learning disabilities (LD) in an inclusion Spanish classroom. The study utilized an ABAB single subject design, and was designed to build on the research recommendation of Duran (1993) to examine the effect of a combined approach utilizing TPR and NA strategies to teach foreign language to students with LD. Results reveal that the daily language acquisition scores of two of the four students increased during both intervention phases, …

A Statistical Approach To Characterize And Detect Degradation Within The Barabasi-Albert Network, Mohd-Fairul Mohd-Zaid

Theses and Dissertations

Social Network Analysis (SNA) is widely used by the intelligence community when analyzing the relationships between individuals within groups of interest. Hence, any tools that can be quantitatively shown to help improve the analyses are advantageous for the intelligence community. To date, there have been no methods developed to characterize a real world network as a Barabasi-Albert network which is a type of network with properties contained in many real-world networks. In this research, two newly developed statistical tests using the degree distribution and the L-moments of the degree distribution are proposed with application to classifying networks and detecting degradation …

Optimal Control Of An Uninhabited Loyal Wingman, Clay J. Humphreys

Theses and Dissertations

As researchers strive to achieve autonomy in systems, many believe the goal is not that machines should attain full autonomy, but rather to obtain the right level of autonomy for an appropriate man-machine interaction. A common phrase for this interaction is manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), a subset of which, for unmanned aerial vehicles, is the concept of the loyal wingman. This work demonstrates the use of optimal control and stochastic estimation techniques as an autonomous near real-time dynamic route planner for the DoD concept of the loyal wingman. First, the optimal control problem is formulated for a static threat environment and …

A Temporal Framework For Hypergame Analysis Of Cyber Physical Systems In Contested Environments, Nicholas S. Kovach

Theses and Dissertations

Game theory is used to model conflicts between one or more players over resources. It offers players a way to reason, allowing rationale for selecting strategies that avoid the worst outcome. Game theory lacks the ability to incorporate advantages one player may have over another player. A meta-game, known as a hypergame, occurs when one player does not know or fully understand all the strategies of a game. Hypergame theory builds upon the utility of game theory by allowing a player to outmaneuver an opponent, thus obtaining a more preferred outcome with higher utility. Recent work in hypergame theory has …

A Gis Analysis Of Land Cover Effects On Water Systems: Nutrients And Algae In Stormwater Ponds, Nicole Lee Kappel

Theses and Dissertations

Anthropogenic land conversion is occurring rapidly and has the potential to impact our water quality. This study aims to explore the effect of watershed land characteristics on water quality within stormwater ponds (SWPs). Rapid land conversion is known to affect water quality of receiving water bodies, however not much is known about the effect of urbanization on SWPs. Geographic informational systems (GIS) was used to determine areas of land that drain into ponds. Water samples were collected and analyzed for total phosphorous, dissolved reactive phosphorous, nitrate, and ammonia. Algal pigment and percent cover measurements were taken in the field and …

Hints Of Wholeness, Dylan Yvonne Welch

Theses and Dissertations

The fertile tension between what we know and don’t know about ourselves is the mystery that invigorates existence. In this essay, I posit that beauty is found in a knot of knowability and unknowability bound together in wholeness. This work contemplates our unique receptivity to that underlying but invisible wholeness which makes its presence known as beauty in nature immediately around us and on a cosmic scale.

The Effect Of The Dsm Changes On Autism, Paris Newsome

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the changes that have been made to the Diagnostic Statistical Manuals over the years have had a major effect on Autism and its prevalence rate. This thesis used publicly available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Autism Speaks Organization. Since publicly available data was used for this research no demographic or identifiable information about the population was obtained for this study. There are five editions of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and two revised editions. This study specifically looked at the last three editions of …

Development Of Microsatellite Markers For Loxosceles Devia Gertsch & Mulaik (Araneae: Sicariidae) Using Next Generation Sequencing, Tanya Y. Garza

Theses and Dissertations

Brown recluse spiders in the genus Loxosceles are known for causing severe necrotic skin lesions. Despite their impact on human health, very little is known concerning the genetic diversity or population structure of this genus. The development of a suite of molecular markers (microsatellites) would allow us to obtain genetic data and expand the resources available to study Loxosceles devia, the species found throughout south Texas. Microsatellites are long tandem repeats about 1-6 nucleotides long of DNA, also known as simple sequence repeats. Their co-dominant method of inheritance, wide spread distribution across the nuclear genome, ease of scoring, and high …

The Characterization Of The Novel Gene Cia7 Using Pb Exposed Wild-Type And Mutant Strains Of Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii, Jose Angel Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

Industrialization has increased the risk of heavy metal contamination. This leads to contamination of the ecosystem surrounding microalga and other primary producers. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular alga that is of interest in toxicity studies due its detoxification pathways. This study aims to compare three common markers of cellular health and heavy metal homeostasis namely, levels of Pb bioaccumulation, chlorophyll fluorescence, and cell size between two strains of C. reinhardtii: a wild type (CC4425) and a mutant (CC5013). The mutant strain has a gene designated as Cia7 that has been disrupted by Ble insert. Cia7’s cysteine rich protein product (CIA7) …

Prolactin Gene Duplication Within The Family Cichilidae, Elaine Almanza

Theses and Dissertations

The prolactin gene has undergone a duplication event within the cichlid lineage, producing two distinct forms of prolactin (PRL188 and PRL177). The hormone prolactin is critical for regulating parental care in many species. Cichlid fishes exhibit a wide variety of parental care strategies, including maternal-only, paternal-only, and biparental care. A recent study found evidence for positive selection acting on the duplicate prolactin gene (PRL177), suggesting that this duplication event was associated with the evolution of alternative mating strategies. Polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate and amplify genes for both prolactin hormones and two prolactin receptors from brain derived cDNAs …

Illinois Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Advanced Placement® And Dual Credit Courses, Glenn A. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework have been associated with positive educational attainment outcomes for students and yet opportunity gaps exist for children to access these programs depending on the school they attend. The many benefits of Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework for students make it necessary that any education agenda by policymakers should include avenues to increase access to these programs for students. This study explored Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework in Illinois through the perceptions of teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members using a cross-sectional survey. The survey was administered to examine whether there are …

Haptic Shape-Based Management Of Robot Teams In Cordon And Patrol, Samuel Jacob Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

There are many current and future scenarios that require teams of air, ground or humanoid robots to gather information in complex and often dangerous environments, where it would be unreasonable or impossible for humans to be physically present [1-6]. The current state of the art involves a single robot being monitored by one or many human operators [7], but a single operator managing a team of autonomous robots is preferred as long as effective and time-efficient management of the team is maintained [8-9]. This is limited by the operator's ability to command actions of multiple robots, be aware of robot …

Learner Agency And Responsibility In Educational Technology, Michael Thomas Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

Though the topic of learner agency has received relatively little discussion in the literature of educational technology, it is nevertheless a significant and actually omnipresent concern of both scholars and practitioners. Through the journal-ready articles contained herein, I show how theories of learning and certain practices of instructional designers reflect implicit positions on the agency of learners. I also discuss agency in more concrete terms as the responsibility for learning that is shared with learners in instructional design contexts. In addition, I provide practical suggestions to help designers keep the learner at the forefront of their design thinking. Through this …

Effects Of A Tier 3 Self-Management Intervention With Parent Involvement On Academic Engagement And Disruptive Behavior, Ashley Nicole Lower

Theses and Dissertations

This manuscript includes two studies. The research design for study 1 was a single-subject reversal design, while study 2 was a case study with 5 experimental conditions. These studies investigated the effects of a Tier 3 peer-matching self-management intervention on two elementary school students who had previously been less responsive to Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions. The Tier 3 self-management intervention, which was implemented in the classroom, included daily electronic communication between teachers and the two students' parents. Results indicated that this intervention effectively reduced disruptive behaviors and increased total engagement when implemented with integrity; without integrity, results were …

Structural And Dynamic Analysis Of Wild And Splice Variants Human Μ-Opiod Receptors In Complex With Morphine And Ibntxa And Human Topoisomerase Ii Alpha Mutational Basis Of Amsacrine Resistance, Safaa Sader

Theses and Dissertations

Morphine prescribing is limited by its high addiction tendency and other serious effects. Recent animal’s biological studies on Mu 6TM splice variants, which mainly include G1, G2 and Mu3, supported a high safety and potency profiles of IBNtxA as potential alternative of Morphine. Nevertheless, there is no high-resolution structures of these 6TM variants, and the detailed structural features and dynamic characteristics of these splice variants remain elusive. We applied homology modeling and MD simulation to probe the structural, dynamic and ligand binding differences between the wild type (7TM) and two major truncated 6TM variants (G1 and G2). MD results underscored …

Characterizing Interaction Between Pask And Pbp1/ Atxn2 To Regulate Cell Growth And Proliferation, Nidhi Rajan Choksi

Theses and Dissertations

Pbp1 is a component of glucose deprivation induced stress granules and is involved in P-body-dependent granule assembly. We have recently shown that Pbp1 plays an important role in the interplay between three sensory protein kinases in yeast: AMP-regulated kinase (Snf1 in yeast), PAS kinase 1 (Psk1 in yeast), and the target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1), to regulate glucose allocation during nutrient depletion. This signaling cascade occurs through the SNF1-dependent phosphorylation and activation of Psk1, which phosphorylates and activates poly(A)- binding protein binding protein 1 (Pbp1), which then inhibits TORC1 through sequestration at stress granules. In this study we further …

Enhancing Scientific Comprehension Through Content Acquisition Podcasts, Caroline Elizabeth Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of using Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs) to teach children with learning disabilities scientific vocabulary. CAPs are multimedia instructional podcasts that combine images and sound to teach supplemental vocabulary. Four children ages 9 to 10 with learning disabilities were taught vocabulary words to prepare them for end-of-year testing. Words were taken from units about rocks, soil and fossils. This study used a multiple probe multiple baseline across units design. Data analysis showed that three of four participants experienced significant improvement in at least one of three units. Social validity questionnaires showed that all four …

Quantification Of Frictional Drag Due To Biofouling On In-Service Ships, John Travis Hunsucker

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to improve the quantification of frictional drag due to biofouling on in-service ships by advancing the knowledge and methodology used to study the interactions between fouling communities and the surrounding environment. This research examined the influence of hydrodynamic stress on the development and frictional drag of fouling communities that developed on a fouling release coating; investigated the reliability of using ship performance monitoring to detect changes in the hull and propeller condition; and evaluated the feasibility of developing a field deployable instrument capable of measuring the local frictional resistance on a ship hull in …

Rapid Generation Of 3d Microchannels Using A Multiphoton Laser System In Blended Hydrogels To Serve As Templates For Microvascular Generation, Stephanie Renée Burtch

Theses and Dissertations

Lack of scaffold microvascularization is one of the biggest problems facing graft survival and success within current tissue engineering applications. Fortunately, techniques aiming to form microchannels within three-dimensional scaffolds have shown promise in providing templates for tube-like cell formations. Unfortunately, many current patterning approaches are limited in the types of materials the technique can be applied to and lack the ability to form capillary-sized (<10 microns in diameter) networks. In this study, a multiphoton laser was used to create channels down to the micron level within an optically-clear hydrogel scaffold. Different percentages of poly (ethylene glycol) diacryate (PEGDA) and collagen were used to create different blends of hydrogels at 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% collagen/PEGDA (w/w). Mechanical and transmittance testing were performed on all blends in order to determine which had optimal mechanical strength and optical clarity for laser subtractive printing. Swelling and degradation were measured to confirm the scaffolds served the tissue engineering requirement of eventual degradation. All gels with PEGDA incorporation showed an increase in mechanical stability and transparency when compared to pure collagen gels. Hydrogel blends showed resistance to degradation in phosphate-buffered saline, but appeared to exhibit collagen degradation in collagenase, although no statistical significance was seen. Cell viability tests within the hydrogels showed viability in cell-seeded hydrogels when compared to dead controls, although cells lacked some markers of healthy cells, such as spreading. In conclusion, results show that hydrogel blends provide a good matrix for subtractive optical micropatterning approaches, although other types of hydrogels may improve cell spreading and other cell responses.