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All That Is Cyber Melts Into Control: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Cybernetic Metaphors, Cem İsmail Addemir

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis historicizes and interprets the logic of cybernetics as a communication technology and how it shaped notions of control in the mid-20th century. To situate my analysis, I focus on cybernetics, the tradition within communication studies that focuses on controlling communication through the application of feedback loops to a particular system. Since the discovery and popularization of cybernetics by the late 1950s, its central logic has been widely applied to computational technology and influenced future systems theories. Specifically, my thesis employs a rhetorical examination of cybernetic metaphors through metaphor criticism to trace the genealogy of cybernetic discourses that I …

Finding The Why: Trauma's Origins And Effects In Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Hope Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the effects of Toni Morrison’s first novel, The Bluest Eye, on its readers and the public discourse surrounding the central issue of systemic racism and incest. The central focus of the analysis is trauma in the novel: how Morrison captures that trauma in writing, how the reader encounters and interprets that trauma, and the effects of that trauma on the narrative and the reader. To construct this argument, I apply the lenses of reader response criticism, psychoanalysis, and trauma studies to the novel.

Morrison expressed concern that readers would miss the crucial message of why the …

Microfabrication Of Silicon Carbide And Metallized Polymers Using A Femtosecond Laser, Joseph Taylor Eddy

Theses and Dissertations

Femtosecond lasers deliver a high peak concentration of optical power while maintaining low average power. With an accompanying optical setup, this power can be focused and used for high-precision fabrication of metallized polymers via ablation, creating conductive structures on a thin film. These lasers can also be harnessed in tandem with hydrofluoric acid and the two-photon absorption principle to selectively etch silicon carbide, a very durable and machining-resistant semiconductor with desirable properties. This thesis presents improvements made to the Laser-Assisted Chemical Etching (LACE) technique and the ablation system. ��, the two- photon absorption coefficient of silicon carbide, is measured and …

The Effects Of Ketones On Brain Metabolism And Cognition, Erin Reiko Saito

Theses and Dissertations

The brain is one of the most energetically demanding organs within the human body and is cognitively susceptible to energetic deficits such that the rise in obesity, insulin resistance, and Alzheimer’s disease in recent decades pose a substantial threat to cognitive longevity. The therapeutic efficacy of ketones are well-established in epilepsy and are currently being applied to other disease states. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by impairments in brain glucose uptake and metabolism in regions relevant to learning, memory, and cognition that progress with the disease. While brain glucose uptake is impaired, ketone uptake is unaltered, potentially enabling ketones to fuel …

An Authoethnographic Study Of My Biliteracy Writing Practices As An Akan Speaker Of English: Implications For L 2 Writing, Gabriel Opare

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I discuss my academic literacy socialization practices, particularly my linguistic and social adjustments in US graduate school. This autoethnographic study utilizes stories and evidentiality (corpus from my graduate school papers) as self-reflective epistemologies to understand my literate practices in a US academic discourse community. Contributing to the scholarship on the academic socialization of transnational graduate students in the US, I discuss and analyze my stories and experiences around academic writing practices in navigating graduate school's academic requirements and expectations in the context of higher education in the United States. By focusing on my lived experiences as a …

Leptopilina Heterotoma Responds To A Change In Host Species With Specific Altered Protein Expression, Dakota Fuss

Theses and Dissertations

Leptopilina heterotoma is a generalist endoparasitoid wasp that parasitizes Drosophila spp. worldwide. When L. heterotoma oviposits within the prey larvae it also injects venom to suppress the melanotic encapsulation immune response of the host. Without the venom to protect the egg(s) from host immunity, the parasitism would result in failure. L. heterotoma venom is composed of proteins, non-protein compounds, and virus-like particles (VLPs), of which proteins make up the majority of the venom and are the main determining factor conferring venom function (Goecks et al. 2013, Heavner et al. 2013, Moreau and Asgari 2015, Small et al. 2012). Previous studies …

Coaching As Servant Leadership: Applying The Social Change Model Of Leadership Development To Youth Basketball Programs, Brady Fritcher

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents an original interpretation of the Social Change Model of Leadership Development (SCM) in order to provide youth basketball coaches with a tool for practicing and teaching servant leadership principles in their program. Because scholars and coaches both have a long tradition of borrowing leadership styles from other areas of study, adapting them, and examining their potential applicability to sport (Westre, 2003), many youth basketball coaches use servant leadership theory to inform their approach to coaching. While this is sufficient for coaching philosophy development, Robert Greenleaf (1977) did not identify the specific skills that define servant leaders, nor …

Exploring Tilt In Esports, Justin Falwell

Theses and Dissertations

In esports communities, "tilt" is a commonly used term that tends to describe a phenomenon generally associated with intense frustration and a subsequent deterioration in performance. Despite its common usage, to date, there has been surprisingly little exploration into the phenomenon within esports. Through semi-structured, phenomenologically-based interviews with four collegiate esports athletes, the present study aimed to explore player perceptions of the fundamental experiences of tilt. The abridged IPA revealed several insights into various aspects of tilt including common triggers, manifestations of, and responses to the phenomenon. Findings from this study may be used as the groundwork for future studies …

Relationships Between Running Biomechanics And Femoral Articular Cartilage Thickness And Composition In Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Patients, Hyunwook Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have demonstrated morphological and compositional changes in femoral articular cartilage. However, it is unclear how running biomechanics are associated with femoral cartilage thickness and composition for both ACLR patients and controls. Objectives: (1) to compare measures of femoral cartilage thickness and composition between ACLR patients and matched non-ACLR controls at resting, (2) to investigate how 30 minutes of running influences the aforementioned measures for ACLR patients and controls, and (3) to investigate relationships between running biomechanics and knee cartilage thickness and composition in ACLR patients and controls. Methods: Twenty ACLR patients (age: …

Exploring The Heterogeneity Of Dopamine Signaling In The Rat Striatum, Rebecca Louise Chicosky

Theses and Dissertations

Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter critical for locomotion, motivation, and reward learning and has implications in the neuropathologies of Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, and substance use disorder. The rat striatum, which receives the densest DA innervation in the entire rat brain, shows distinct heterogeneity at different anatomical levels, e.g., dorsal and ventral subregions, patch and matrix compartments, and microdomains. The previous use of carbon-fiber microelectrodes (CFM), a single site microsensor coupled to fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), has limited the ability to view and characterize this DA heterogeneity. Furthermore, studies examining the effects of amphetamine (AMPH), a psychostimulant with clinical efficacy and …

The Historical Evolution Of State Capacity And Its Effect On Democratization: A Case Study Of Egypt, Ashley Elizabeth Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Why are some states able to democratize while others are not? This thesis examines the connection between state capacity and democratization utilizing a case study of Egypt and a controlled comparison with Tunisia. Via process tracing, I determine that Egypt has a deeply institutionalized, strong coercive state capacity and a weak administrative capacity. These iterations of state capacity developed during Egyptian state formation from 1805-1840 and were further institutionalized at two critical junctures: early British occupation from 1883-1907, and Nasser’s presidency from 1952-1967. Path dependency makes successful democratization unlikely because of the significant legacy left in Egypt during these critical …

Individualized Therapeutic Composition As A Method Of Improving Sleep Quality In College Students, Nicholas Lanz

Theses and Dissertations

The life of a college student is often bombarded with circumstances, emotions, and decisions that produce stress and anxiety, affecting sleep quality and daily function. Listening to music designed for relaxation has the potential to decrease stress and improve factors of healthy sleep quality. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of listening to music uniquely composed for each individual on stress relief and sleep quality in college students. The music therapy intervention utilized in this study was individual composition sessions. The researcher met with each participant individually to compose an instrumental piece of music that was …

The Development Of An Effective Synthetic Pathway To The Hiv Protease Inhibitor Darunavir And Its Structural Derivatives For Sar Studies Via An Asymmetric Glycolate Aldol Addition Reaction Approach, Emmanuel Ayim

Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for disease control and Prevention (CDC) published an article describing the disease that would later become known as HIV/AIDS in 1981. There were no treatments for this new disease, and by the time patients began exhibiting detectable symptoms, it would be too late to provide any meaningful treatments. Through the efforts made by the scientific community and social activism, new classes of drugs appeared for the treatment of this disease. These drugs are highly effective when combined with other therapeutic agents that suppress the proliferation of the virus. These combined therapies have helped alleviate the previously insurmountable risks …

You Ca N’T Police Your Way Out Of These Problems: Disregarding The Structural Components Of Community Problems, Kian Spencer Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) emerged in response to longstanding criticisms revolving around police accountability and effectiveness. It emphasizes civilian participation in crime-prevention and problem-solving efforts to build trust between the police and minoritized communities with whom they have had an antagonistic relationship. Traditional policing is reactive in nature, with officers acting only after crime has been committed or a call for service has been made; it enforces the law; “legitimizes” use of violence; and emulates military structure and tactics. In this study I describe it as “enforcement” or “crime-fighting policing.” COPS programs are embedded within this structure. Unlike traditional policing, …

Investigating The Antibiotic Potentiating Effects Of A Novel Reactive Oxidant Species-Generating Antimicrobial., Gracious Yoofi Boafo Donkor

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rise in antimicrobic resistance and the decline in antibiotic discovery, drug development has expanded into alternative antimicrobial compounds, such as silver. Silver-containing compounds have emerged as a promising alternative due to their multi-specific effects on inhibiting bacterial growth. Our work focuses on the antimicrobial effects of AGXX, a novel antimicrobial which has been shown to exert its broad-spectrum effects through the production of highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Although preliminary studies have demonstrated the potency of AGXX in gram-positive pathogens, its effects on gram-negative pathogens remain largely unknown. The goal of my thesis was to examine …

Can Video Comparison Facilitate Children's Stem Learning?, Alexis Rene Colwell

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a video comparison activity in teaching 6- and 7-year-old children that a diagonal brace provides stability in structures, which is an important engineering principle. Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Comparison, Single Model, or No Training. The children in the Comparison group saw two metal towers in a training video where the researcher pushed on the towers to demonstrate that one was stable (diagonal brace tower), and one was unstable (horizontal crosspiece tower). Children in the Single Model group saw a video of the one …

The Use Of Functional Assessment To Promote Maintenance And Institutionalization Of A Performance Management Intervention For Behavior Technicians, Daniel John Cymbal

Theses and Dissertations

In Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), any intervention is judged by its immediate effects, the long-term impact on the targeted performance, and the likelihood that the organization and/or its constituents will adopt the intervention (Sigurdsson & Austin, 2006). However, maintenance and adoption of procedures is rarely measured (Redmon, 1991). A core tenant of behavior analysis is the role of environmental stimuli in maintaining behavior, but most tactics to promote durability are not examined in this fashion (e.g., Conard et al., 2016; Johnston, 1979). A logical, but under investigated, avenue is to examine the role of functional assessment in producing durable change. …

Ensemble Of Handcrafted Features Of Environment Sound Classification Using A Deep Convolutional Neural Network To Enhance Accuracy And Reduce Computational Complexity, Ibrahim Abdulrahman Aljubayri

Theses and Dissertations

Environmental sound classification (ESC) is an area of active research in signal and image processing that has made significant strides over the past several years. The goal of ESC is to classify environmental sounds by extracting and analyzing handcrafted and deep features from various acoustic events. The task is complex because environmental sounds are typically unstructured, nonstationary, and overlapping. Multiple deep learning (DL) approaches have successfully tackled the ESC problem and outperformed conventional classifiers like k-nearest neighbors (kNN) or support vector machine (SVM). However, most DL approaches have high computational costs, making them unsuitable for use in embedded systems applications. …

The Synthesis Of Novel Rare Earth Thiosilicates Using The Boron Chalcogen Mixture Method For An Interest In Their Magnetic And Optical Properties, Adam Alexander King

Theses and Dissertations

The chalcogens or the group sixteen elements excluding oxygen, are of interest due to their wide variety of structures and compositions, which gives the potential for a plethora of desired physical properties. This is due to their increased ability to catenate, forming stable chalcogen-chalcogen bonds. When the chalcogens combine with certain main group elements and transition metals they form anionic framework building blocks known as chalcometallates. One such chalcometallate of interest is the thiosilicates, compounds containing Si-S bonds as the anionic frameworks. These compounds are of interest due to their potentials in both their optical and magnetic properties. However, traditional …

Revisiting The Exchange Rate Pass- Through To Domestic Prices In Egypt, Ahmed Abdelhamid

Theses and Dissertations

Exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) refers to the extent to which the movements in the exchange rate influence domestic prices. This study revisits the exchange rate pass-through in Egypt using quarter data from 2006 to 2022. The study employs a Structural Vector Autoregression (SVAR) model to estimate the degree of ERPT. The findings suggest that ERPT in Egypt is incomplete, meaning that changes in the exchange rate do not fully pass through to consumer prices. The study also investigates the role of the money supply in absorbing the shocks in the nominal exchange rate. The study has important implications for policymakers …

A Descriptive Study Of Factors That Support And Hinder Classroom Discourse With English Learners, Jillian Camille Plum

Theses and Dissertations

The population of English Learner (EL) students in the United States is increasing and is projected to represent 40% of our country by 2030 (Flynn and Hill, 2005). Many educators do not feel prepared to teach this marginalized group of students effectively. Therefore, EL coaches in this urban district in the Midwest collaborate with teachers to support instruction for EL students. However, teachers in this district still have a difficult time implementing classroom discourse, one of many EL components to help EL students achieve Fluent English Proficiency (FEP) status. This dissertation in practice (DIP) seeks to investigate and answer two …

Study Of Non-Covalent Interactions Using Molecular Rotors And Balances, Daniel Onyekachi Madukwe

Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of this dissertation is on the quantification of non-covalent interactions using molecular rotors and balances. While molecular rotors were used to measure kinetic effects of weak non-covalent interactions, molecular balances were used to measure their thermodynamic effects. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the use of molecular rotors in measuring and studying the kinetic effects of the hydrogen bonding interaction on the bond rotation transition states. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the quantification of lone pair – lone pair and sp²-CH/π interactions respectively, using molecular balances. These studies were carried out in the …

Magnetic Softness Tuned Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles For Highly Efficient Cancer Theranostics, Jie Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided magnetic nanofluid hyperthermia (MNFH) using iron oxide based superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPNPs) has recently attracted considerable attention as a treatment modality for cancer theranostics, because MRI-guided MNFH can allow for diagnosis, therapeutics, and prognosis simultaneously using the same administrated magnetic nanofluid agent. However, several primary limiting factors: (1) insufficient AC magnetic heating induction (specific loss power/intrinsic loss power, SLP/ILP) at the biologically safe and physically tolerable range of AC magnetic field (H_AC,safe: f_appl × H_appl < 3.0 ~ 5.0×10⁹ A·m^-1·s^-1), (2) low _r2- relaxivity directly related to the low resolution of …

An Exploration Of Racial Trauma And Protective Factors In Black Youth, Daria Chantal Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Black students’ experiences in school can vary due to racism and discrimination within and outside of the classroom, which can impact their academic progress and overall well-being. In this three-part study, the impact of discrimination is observed to determine if there is a long-term effect of these situations and, if so, determine if there is utility to implement school-based resources to decrease these negative effects. The first study examined whether ethnic-racial socialization in childhood could moderate against symptoms of trauma in young adulthood that were potentially caused by discrimination from peers and teachers in childhood through hierarchical regressions. The second …

Exploration Of The Association Between Obesogenic Environments And Childhood Overweight/Obesity Rates In Rural Counties In The United States, Kara Lea Ferguson Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Rising obesity rates, particularly among children, pose a significant public health concern. Of particular concern is the prevalence of childhood obesity in rural communities, with up to 38% of rural children classified as overweight or obese, compared to 30% of urban children. Rural communities often lack the typical built environment characteristics associated with increased physical activity rates and healthy eating behaviors. Further, research on obesogenic environments within rural areas is limited. This study aimed to address this research gap by examining the association between obesogenic environment features and childhood overweight/obesity rates across the urban-rural continuum.

Simple and multiple linear regression …

Molecular Mediators Of Axonal Transport And Local Translation Of Cdc42, Rhoa Molecular Mediators Of Axonal Transport And Local Translation Of And Calreticulin Mrnas And Their Implications For Axon Growth And Regeneration, Matthew Davis Zdradzinski

Theses and Dissertations

Neurons are highly polarized cells with expansive cytoplasmic processes, axons and dendrites, which create unique subcellular domains. Localization and translation of mRNAs in these subcellular regions is now recognized as a critical mechanism through which polarized cells establish and maintain the specialized domains that are needed for their functions. RNA profiling studies have uncovered hundreds to thousands of mRNAs in axons and these axonal mRNA profiles differ across neuronal populations, physiological conditions, and developmental growth states. Functionally organizing these mRNA populations into cohorts of coregulated mRNAs via RNA binding proteins allows us to better understand how the transcriptome is regulated …

Cardiac Imaging In Mice With Micro-Computed Tomography: An Assessment, Kyle Porter Stegmann

Theses and Dissertations

While echocardiography continues to be a renowned imaging approach to study LV function and geometry in mice, contrast enhanced micro-CT has recently gained popularity because of the high-resolution three-dimensional images produced. However, comparative analyses between echocardiography and micro-CT are limited and conflicting. Therefore, to demonstrate the validity of micro-CT against echocardiography, this study aimed to compare identical measurements of LV function and geometry in wildtype and genetically modified mice in which confounding parameters such as time and anesthetic conditions were taken into consideration. Globally deleted FAP knockout mice (n=12) and age-matched wild type mice (n=14) were included in this study. …

Laboratory Management Models In Core Facilities, Karmen Michael Owen

Theses and Dissertations

Core biotechnology facilities are often defined as laboratories that house shared resources for research. These laboratories are of great importance to research communities because a large portion of scientific research data is generated at these facilities. Different investigators can use core facilities to help further their research. In a university setting, there are several management strategies from small cores that house a specific type of instrument, to large cores that house many different technologies. Funding strategies also differ significantly, from those that are funded by a small group of well-funded investigators, to cores managed by a specific department or school, …

Shakespeare In Virtual Reality: Social Presence Of Students In A Virtual Reality Book Club, John Funchess Ott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to implement and evaluate the impact of a virtual reality book club on the social presence of students. This research examined participants using virtual reality headsets to study the works of William Shakespeare. This study examined two research questions: 1) How does the implementation of a virtual reality technological innovation affect students’ knowledge of Shakespearean works? 2) How does the implementation of a virtual reality technological innovation affect social presence in students? Participants interacted within virtual worlds with one another and the researcher. Data was collected using a pre-post assessment test, writing …

Expanding On The Solid State Chemistry Of F-Element Chalcogenides, Logan Skyler Breton

Theses and Dissertations

An overarching goal in solid state chemistry is to achieve predictability regarding the synthesis of compounds with desired properties. While this goal is far from being reached, solid state chemists are hard at work synthesizing and characterizing new materials to further our understanding of structure-property relationships, and to expand our fundamental knowledge to rationalize the outcomes of solid-state syntheses. With the advent of new solid state synthetic methods, novel compounds exhibiting exciting properties are still being discovered today. The infancy of these synthetic methods promises a myriad of undiscovered compounds with potentially interesting properties which has resulted in a recent …