Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Community-Based Eibi Treatment: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Adaptive Behavior And Language Outcomes, John Kuntz

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of lifelong, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, relationship development and by the presence of repetitive or stereotypical behaviors including restricted interests. Continued advances in understanding treatment outcomes and broadening access to effective treatment is critical to improving the quality of life of children with autism and their families and minimizing the cost associated with care. The overall aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a community-based implementation of an Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) treatment program through a large-sample, longitudinal secondary analysis of administrative data. Additionally, …

An Investigation Of The Succination Of The Selenoproteins Thioredoxin Reductase And Glutathione Peroxidase, Scott Lanci

Theses and Dissertations

We have identified the irreversible protein modification S-(2-succino)cysteine, a product of the Kreb’s cycle intermediate fumarate reacting with the thiol group of cysteine (Cys) residues, also termed succination. Succination is increased in adipose tissue of diabetic mice in vivo and in adipocytes matured in high glucose medium (25 mM) in vitro. Selenocysteine (Sec) is a less common but highly conserved amino acid that has major functions in redox chemistry. Sec possesses a lower pKa (~5.4) and is much more reactive in comparison to Cys. This project aimed to determine if succination occurred on Sec residues in two selenoproteins that play …

A‌ ‌Study‌ ‌Of‌ ‌The‌ ‌Factors‌ ‌That‌ ‌Lead‌ ‌To‌ Burnout‌ ‌In‌ ‌The‌ ‌Accounting‌ ‌Profession‌, Stephen N. Kervin

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide information on the causes of burnout to employees in the accounting profession. A review of the literature revealed research on many different industries, but a lack on research within the accounting profession. The purpose of this research study was to examine what demographic variables increase the likelihood of an employee suffering from burnout.

In order to identify the causes of burnout for accountants, this study used a descriptive research design. The research utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and a demographic questionnaire.

Quantitative analysis was applied to the interpretation of the descriptive data …

Scratching The Surface Or Digging Deeper: An Exploration Of Students' Attitudes Toward Their Ethnic Identity And Cultural Proficiency Among Undergraduate Students At Rowan University, Danielle Simcic

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gauge the attitudes of selected undergraduate students toward their ethnic identity, cultural knowledge, and cultural accountability at Rowan University. This study was conducted in the spring 2015 semester; freshmen residing in the Chestnut residence hall and seniors residing in the Rowan Boulevard apartment complex were surveyed. There was a total of 260 subjects surveyed over the course of three weeks. The subjects reported generally positive attitudes regarding their ethnic identity, cultural knowledge, and cultural accountability. The findings of this study revealed that Rowan University students indicated positive attitudes regarding their ethnic identity, cultural …

Contest Or Congruence: The Effects Of Work/School Conflict And Facilitation On Working College Students, Madeline Mareen Miscenich

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to find out more about working students perspectives on work/school conflict and facilitation. The subjects that participated in the study included students workers of Rowan University employed through the Federal Work Study (FWS) Program in the area of Gloucester County, New Jersey. Data from the subjects were gathered using a quantitative survey design, with items presented in a Likert scale format. The data were analyzed using SPSS Software, and frequency of response, measures of central tendency, and Pearson correlations were examined in order to determine student attitudes regarding work/school conflict and facilitation. Subjects were …

Involvement Patterns Of Campus Recreation Employees, Justin Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of involvement exhibited by student employees employed by Ashland University Department of Recreational Services during the 2015-2016 academic year. In addition to examining the involvement patterns, the study also examined any links between involvement in specific areas of employment and involvement in other areas on campus. These links of involvement and the amount of involvement were also examined in connection with the satisfaction of different areas of campus, leading to understand the level of satisfaction with the subjects collegiate experience.

The gap in research had not examined the demographics of …

Synthesis And Biological Activity Of Novel Quorum Sensing Compounds, Joseph Nicholas Capilato

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria communicate with chemical signals in a process known as quorum sensing. This population density-dependent process involves the bacterial production, release and detection of structurally specific small molecules and enables the bacterial pathogen to regulate its virulence on a population-wide level. Using a variety of chemical and biological techniques, I have studied various quorum sensing systems in several bacteria, including Vibrio cholera and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A key principle of this research involves the design, synthesis and testing of novel compounds for their biological activity. These molecules are typically based off of an initial lead target, which is often identified …

A Multi-Objective Approach To Tactical Maneuvering Within Real Time Strategy Games, Christopher D. Ball

Theses and Dissertations

The real time strategy (RTS) environment is a strong platform for simulating complex tactical problems. The overall research goal is to develop artificial intelligence (AI) RTS planning agents for military critical decision making education. These agents should have the ability to perform at an expert level as well as to assess a players critical decision-making ability or skill-level. The nature of the time sensitivity within the RTS environment creates very complex situations. Each situation must be analyzed and orders must be given to each tactical unit before the scenario on the battlefield changes and makes the decisions no longer relevant. …

Synaptic Annealing: Anisotropic Simulated Annealing And Its Application To Neural Network Synaptic Weight Selection, Justin R. Fletcher

Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning algorithms have become a ubiquitous, indispensable part of modern life. Neural networks are one of the most successful classes of machine learning algorithms, and have been applied to solve problems previously considered to be the exclusive domain of human intellect. Several methods for selecting neural network configurations exist. The most common such method is error back-propagation. Backpropagation often produces neural networks that perform well, but do not achieve an optimal solution. This research explores the effectiveness of an alternative feed-forward neural network weight selection procedure called synaptic annealing. Synaptic annealing is the application of the simulated annealing algorithm …

Making Room For Play: Preschool Center Choices, Hailey S. Morelos

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the learning center choices of preschool students who received special education services and preschool students who did not receive special education services in order to identify the preference of teacher-led vs. student-led learning centers. Both children who receive special education services and children who do not receive services displayed a wide range of choosing student led and teacher led centers. It is hypothesized that there will be a difference between the student led center vs. teacher led center between children who receive special education services and children who do not. The study …

Connection Between Effort And Academic Success In Learning Disabled Students Identified With Learned Helplessness, Nancy D. Braunwell

Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted with high school students eligible for special education services that have also been identified with learned helplessness. Students were given the intervention of study activity and exposure to success via assessments to determine if they would make a connection between their effort and their academic success. This connection is typically absent in learned helpless students. The data indicated that these students did make that connection and would continue the study activity on their own time after the intervention period to continue to experience success.

Attention Deficits And Perception Of Emotion In Groups, Agnes Renee Strojewska

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between attention deficits and the recognition of emotions of either individuals or groups (ensembles). Previous research has suggested that individuals with ADHD may have deficits in social cognition, specifically in recognizing the internal (emotional) states of others, though it remains unclear whether these deficits are a discrete component of ADHD or merely the byproduct of the inattention characteristic of the disorder. Perception of ensemble characteristics, or ensemble coding, has recently been the target of increased interest in perception research, and appears to represent a powerful mechanism for processing sensory information, particularly in situations when …

The Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera): Phylogeny, Origins, And Leaf-Like Crypsis, Joseph D. Mugleston

Theses and Dissertations

Tettigoniidae (katydids) has more than 7200 species and is the largest family within the insect order Orthoptera. Their unique biology including leaf-like crypsis, acoustic signaling, and courtship rituals garners much of their academic attention. However, the taxonomy of katydids is chaotic and previous to these studies, little work had been done to decipher the phylogenetic relationships within this family. Without a robust phylogenetic framework, questions regarding the evolution of katydid disguises including the leaf-like crypsis cannot be addressed. This dissertation contains three chapters. Chapter 1 provides the first phylogenetic hypothesis focusing on Tettigoniidae. In this chapter we show a character …

Criteria For Selecting Pegylation Sites On Proteins For Higher Thermodynamic Stability, Paul B. Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

PEGylation of protein side-chains has been used for more than 30 years to enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of protein drugs, and has been enabled by the recent development of many chemoselective reactions for protein side-chain modification. However, there are no structure- or sequence-based guidelines for selecting sites that provide optimal PEG-based pharmacokinetic enhancement with minimal loss to biological activity. Chapter 1 is a brief introduction to protein PEGylation. In chapter 2 we use the WW domain of the human protein Pin 1 (WW) as a model system to probe the impact of PEG on protein conformational stability. Using a combination …

The Pmrhfijklm Operon In Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis Enhances Resistance To Ccl28 And Promotes Phagocytic Engulfment By Neutrophils, Lauren Elizabeth Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a foodborne pathogen that is the ancestral strain to Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of Plague. Y. pseudotuberculosis invades a host through the intestinal epithelium. The bacteria resist mucosal innate immune defenses including antimicrobial chemokines and phagocytic cells, and replicate in local lymph nodes. They cause Tuberculosis-like symptoms, including necrosis of local tissue and granuloma formation. Like all bacteria, Y. pseudotuberculosis has a net negative charge, which contributes to its susceptibility to some cationic antimicrobial peptides. Y. pseudotuberculosis is able to reduce this negative charge by adding 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose (L-Ara4N) to the lipid A portion of lipopolysaccharide. The …

Longitudinal Examination Of Observed Family Hostility And Adolescent Anxiety And Depression As Mediated By Adolescent Perspective Taking And Empathic Concern, Trevor Dennis Dahle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine hostility in family interaction and its impact on adolescent depression and anxiety with adolescent perspective taking and empathic concern as mediators. Gender differences were also examined. Adolescents were from 353 two-parent families in a large north-western city in the United States and on average were 13.25 years old (SD=1.01) for girls and 13.30 years (SD=.99) for boys at the beginning of the study. This study utilized data from waves 3-5. Earlier waves of data were not used because some of the measures were not available for earlier waves. Results indicated that …

An Investigation Of Associations Between Heart Rate Measures Of Aerobic Fitness And Executive Functioning In Pre-Adolescent Children, Kimberly Anne Barnett

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the associations between direct measures of aerobic fitness and executive functioning in pre-adolescent children aged 8 to 12 years. To evaluate these associations, the study employed a cross-sectional design and a series of three step hierarchical regressions were conducted. Results suggest that after controlling for age, sex, and BMI percentile, heart rate measures of aerobic fitness did not independently predict executive function. These findings provide preliminary evidence that contradicts a growing body of research within the adult literature demonstrating an association between aerobic fitness and executive function.

An Investigation Of The Impact A Rov Competition Curriculum Has On Student Interest In Stem, Specifically Technology And Engineering, Daniel Gordon Bates

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the impact a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) program has on student interest in, and perception of, technology and engineering (sTEm). ROV programs embed areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into their curriculum; however, emphasis for this study is placed on interest and perception of the "T" and "E" of STEM. Although there are many articles detailing the benefits of ROV programs, there is little empirical data documenting the impact on student interest and perception of sTEm. This study outlines the background of a few major ROV programs in the U.S.; specifically Utah Underwater Robotics (UUR), …

Characterization Of Five Brevibacillus Bacteriophages And Their Genomes, Michael Allen Sheflo

Theses and Dissertations

Brevibacillus laterosporus (B. laterosporus) is a pathogen difficult to distinguish from Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae), and contributes to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) of honeybees. To develop a biocontrol agent to limit its presence, bacteriophages were isolated from Utah County soil samples and used to infect B. laterosporus isolated from Utah County honey and larvae samples. Since CCD is prevalent in Utah beehives, bacteriophage that infect and lyse B. laterosporus may be isolated and characterized. Pathogens were isolated from soil samples, and 16S rRNA gene tests initially identified the strains as P. larvae. Bacteriophages were isolated, purified, and amplified sufficiently to …

Glutamate And Gaba Receptor-Mediated Plasticity In The Mesolimbic Dopamine System By Alcohol, Ashley Cerise Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Alcoholism is a devastating chronic relapsing disorder with significant costs to individuals and society. The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system plays an important role in regulating reward and addiction. GABA neurons located in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) regulate VTA DA neuron activity, and are a relevant target for alcohol in the brain. VTA GABA neurons exhibit marked hyperexcitability during withdrawal from ethanol. Past research has demonstrated that the motivational effects of opiates cause a change in VTA GABA(A) receptors in opiate-dependent animals, which switch from a GABA-induced hyperpolarization of GABA neurons to a GABA-induced depolarization. The focus of this study …

Modeling And Design Of Memristor-Based Fuzzy Systems, Sherif Hassanein Hamed Amer

Theses and Dissertations

The incessant down scaling of CMOS technology has been the main driving force for the semiconductor industry over the past decades. Yet, as process variations and leakage current continue to exhibit more pronounced effect with every technology node, this down scaling paradigm is expected to saturate in the few coming years. This prospect has led the research community to seek new technologies to surpass those challenges. Amongst the promising candidates is the memristor technology recently characterized by HP Labs. The miniaturized features and the peculiar behavior exhibited by the memsitor make it very well suited in some applications. For instance, …

Associations Between Physical And Sedentary Activity Regularity And Sleep In Preschoolers And Kindergartners, Kara Mcrae Duraccio

Theses and Dissertations

Short sleep duration in childhood has been associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Research suggests that physical activity might mediate this association; however, studies examining associations between physical activity and sleep in young children have reported equivocal findings. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies is that past studies have looked at total physical activity counts rather than examining physical activity regularity. We aim to explore the relationship of regular physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep in preschoolers and kindergartners. 131 children (ages 4-6) were included in this study. Each child wore a waist-worn accelerometer for three days …

Competition Dynamics Within Communities Of Desert Wildlife At Water Sources, Lucas Keith Hall

Theses and Dissertations

Water is a vital resource for species inhabiting arid and semi-arid regions and can shape the biotic communities that we observe. Because water is considered a limiting resource for many species in desert environments, there is the potential for competitive interactions between species to occur at or around water sources. For this dissertation I tested hypotheses related to resource competition among different species of wildlife in the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts of western Utah. Chapter one evaluated the influence of feral horses (Equus caballus) on patterns of water use by communities of native birds and mammals. Chapter …

Molecular Studies Of South American Teiid Lizards (Teiidae: Squamata) From Deep Time To Shallow Divergences, Derek B. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

I focus on phylogenetic relationships of teiid lizards beginning with generic and species relationship within the family, followed by a detailed biogeographical examination of the Caribbean genus Pholidoscelis, and end by studying species boundaries and phylogeographic patterns of the widespread Giant Ameiva Ameiva ameiva. Genomic data (488,656 bp of aligned nuclear DNA) recovered a well-supported phylogeny for Teiidae, showing monophyly for 18 genera including those recently described using morphology and smaller molecular datasets. All three methods of phylogenetic estimation (two species tree, one concatenation) recovered identical topologies except for some relationships within the subfamily Tupinambinae (i.e. position of …

Glutamic Acid Resorcinarene-Based Molecules And Their Application In Developing New Stationary Phases In Ion Chromatography, Tayyebeh Panahi

Theses and Dissertations

Resorcinarenes can be functionalized at their upper and lower rims. In this work, the upper rim of a resorcinarene was functionalized with glutamic acids and the lower rim was functionalized with either methyl or undecyl alkyl groups. The cavitands were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electron microscopy. The binding of resorcinarene with amine guests was studied in DMSO by UV-vis titration. The obtained binding constants (K values) were in the range of 12,000-136000 M-1. The resorcinarenes were shown to form aggregates in a variety of solvents. The aggregates were …

A Distributed Control Algorithm For Small Swarms In Cordon And Patrol, C Kristopher Alder

Theses and Dissertations

Distributed teams of air and ground robots have the potential to be very useful in a variety of application domains, and much work is being done to design distributed algorithms that produce useful behaviors. This thesis presents a set of distributed algorithms that operate under minimal human input for patrol and cordon tasks. The algorithms allow the team to surround and travel between objects of interest. Empirical analyses indicate that the surrounding behaviors are robust to variations on the shape of the object of interest, communication loss, and robot failures.

Layered Double Hydroxides-Biopolymer Nanocomposites For The Controlled Delivery Of Vitamins, Raghda El-Said El-Dessouky

Theses and Dissertations

In this investigation, vitamin B6- and folic acid-intercalated zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxides (Zn2+/Al3+ = 3), were successfully prepared by coprecipitation (B6-LDH and Fa- LDH, respectively). Both vitamin-intercalated LDHs were characterized by XRD and FTIR analyses and compared to control pristine LDHs synthesized following the same method. The XRD analysis confirmed the structural crystallinity of the synthesized LDHs, which are typical of hydrotalcite-like materials, and confirmed the intercalation of both vitamins through the observed expansion in the LDH interlayer spacing. The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of the vitamins in the LDH layers by observing the peaks pertaining to the vitamin-specific …

Influence Of Release Timing On Survival And Movements Of Translocated Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus) In Utah, David C. Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Translocation of wildlife has become common practice for wildlife managers charged with management of animals on increasingly modified landscapes. Translocation can be used to reduce population density in the source area, supplement existing populations, reestablish extirpated populations, and establish new populations. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are a species of great interest to the public in western North America. Although translocations have been used to manage mule deer, very little has been done to document the outcomes of this management practice. The purpose of this research was to evaluate movement, site fidelity, space use, and survival of translocated mule …

Thermal And Convective Loading Methods For Releasing Hydrophobic Therapeutics From Contact Lenses, Ryan Ruben Horne

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the feasibility of loading silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lenses with two different hydrophobic therapeutics, latanoprost and DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), for treatment of glaucoma and hyperemia respectively. The two methods of loading were 1) thermal loading in an aqueous medium and 2) convective loading in a solution of n-propanol. Dailies Total1® lenses prepared in this manner were tested for their loading and their release into artificial tears. Continuous release over 1-4 days at therapeutic levels is achievable from thermal loading of DMPC, convective loading of DMPC, and convective loading of latanoprost. The DMPC loading processes can be naturally integrated …

Analyses Of Mrna Cleavage By Rele And The Role Of Trna Methyltransferase Trmd Using Bacterial Ribosome Profiling, Jae Yeon Hwang

Theses and Dissertations

Protein synthesis is a fundamental and ultimate process in living cells. Cells possess sophisticated machineries and continuously carry out complex processes. Monitoring protein synthesis in living cells not only inform us about the mechanism of translation but also deepen our insights about all aspects of life. Understanding the structure and mechanism of the ribosome and its associated factors helped us enlarge our knowledge on protein synthesis. Recently, with the dramatic advances of high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics, a new technique called ribosome profiling emerged. By retrieving mRNA fragments protected by translating ribosomes, ribosome profiling reveals global ribosome occupancy along mRNAs in …