Digital Commons Network^™

Transforming Lives: Exploring The Impact Of Transitioning On Female-To-Male Transpersons And Partners Of Female-To-Male Transpersons, Megan Marie Tesene

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Recent trends in gender scholarship point to an increased research focus on transidentified persons. However, the majority of it revolves around the experiences of transpersons as individuals while ignoring the influence that transitioning has on intimacy in personal relationships. Furthermore, while previous research on FtM transpersons tends to emphasize the benefits that transmen receive from transitioning, the current study focuses on some of its negative implications. Through ten semi-structured, in-depth interviews, this research explores the experiences of four transmen and six partners of transmen who were involved in a romantic relationship during the transition process. My findings indicate that transitioning …

Design And Development Of Workstation For Microparts Manipulation And Assembly, Emrah Deni̇z Kunt, Ahmet Teoman Naskali̇, İslam Shoukry Mohammed Khalil, Asif Sabanovic, Ebubeki̇r Yüksel

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this paper, microassembly system design issues are discussed with requirements, constraints and necessities for the development of an assembly platform, and these issues are shown over a versatile and reconfigurable microassembly workstation which is designed and realized as a research tool for investigation of the problems in microassembly and micromanipulation tasks. First prototype of a workstation and the development of a second prototype with enhancements on mechanical and control structure of the system are presented with details on the configuration of the systems. In addition, several experiments using a workstation are presented both on the first and the second …

First Trimester Maternal Serum Papp-A Levels And Macrosomia In Nondiabetic Mothers, Ebru Tarim, Servet Özden Haciveli̇oğlu, Tayfun Çok, Hali̇l Tayfun Bağiş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To determine whether or not there is a relationship between first-trimester maternal serum pregnancy-associated placental protein (PAPP-A) levels and fetal macrosomia in nondiabetic mothers. Materials and methods: In this study, 63 consecutive term macrosomic neonates (Group 1) (birth weight >= 4000 g) and 100 consecutive appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) term neonates (Group 2) were included. Transabdominal ultrasound examinations were performed to diagnose any major fetal defects and to measure crown-rump length (CRL) and fetal nuchal translucency (NT) thickness. Blood samples were drawn from each woman in order to obtain fasting blood glucose, PAPP-A, and free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) levels. Ultrasound measurements …

The Prenatal Diagnosis Of Familial Satellited Yq Chromosomes, Sezi̇n Yakut, Saffet Öztürk, Mehmet Şi̇mşek, İbrahi̇m İnanç Mendi̇lci̇oğlu, Güven Lüleci̇

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

To report a rare chromosomal abnormality, familial satellited Y chromosome (Yqs), in 3 Turkish prenatal cases. Material and methods: Metaphase chromosomes were prepared from amniocytes for prenatal cases and from lymphocytes for their fathers according to the standard methods. Results: In all cases, the analysis of all GTG-banded metaphases showed satellites on the long arms of chromosome Y as 46, XYqs karyotype. The indications for cytogenetic study were advanced maternal age and abnormal ultrasonographic findings with increased risk in the first trimester screening test. Cytogenetic studies of the fathers revealed that the Yqs were inherited. The satellites were positively stained …

Power Of Inhibition Activity Screening And 3d Molecular Modeling Approaches In Hdac 8 Inhibitor Design, Gamze Bora Tatar, Tenzi̇le Deni̇z Tokluman, Kemal Yelekçi̇, Hayat Yurter

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

In-vitro inhibition activity screening and in-silico 3D molecular modeling approaches are important tools for design and development of specific histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. The objective of this study was to investigate the consistency between these 2 approaches. The HDAC 8 inhibition activities of 8 randomly selected different carboxylic acid derivatives were screened and in-vitro experimental results were compared with in-silico molecular modeling calculations. This study demonstrated that there is no sole gold standard technique for inhibitor design, and it was concluded that a combination of molecular modeling and activity screening assays will ensure more comprehensive and dependable results.

Simulated Performance Intensity Functions, Andrew Hines, Naomi Harte

Conference papers

Measuring speech intelligibility for different hearing aid fitting methods in a simulated environment would allow rapid prototyping and early design assessment. A simulated performance intensity function (SPIF) test methodology has been developed to allow experimentation using an auditory nerve model to predict listeners’ phoneme recognition. The test discriminates between normal hearing and progressively degrading levels of sensorineural hearing loss. Auditory nerve discharge patterns, presented as neurograms, can be subjectively ranked by visual inspection. Here, subjective inspection is substituted with an automated ranking using a new image quality metric that can quantify neurogram degradation in a consistent manner. This work reproduces …

Simulation Of Cell Seeding And Retention In A Disordered Polymeric Scaffold, Tejaswini Narayana

LSU Master's Theses

Historically, bone repair has been performed using materials like metals, ceramics, cements and bioactive glass. The major problem with all these materials is that they do not perform the necessary non-structural functions of bone. Engineered tissue, created by growing bone cells on porous biodegradable material (scaffold), will address this issue with current bone repair techniques. Improving engineered tissue treatments requires a thorough understanding of factors affecting cell seeding and proliferation inside a disordered porous material which is not feasible using current experimental techniques. A model for particle transport in a disordered porous material that can predict the particle deposition pattern …

Integrated Weather Sensor Platform And Decision Support System For Improved Sweet Potato Production, Jose Pablo Rojas Jimenez

LSU Master's Theses

Water management represents an essential component in all agricultural activities, where significant improvements can be achieved through the implementation of field measuring devices and irrigation scheduling models. The methods that integrate these tools may be based on information regarding the soil, crop, and weather. Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the most important components of the soil water-balance used in modeling. A number of estimation methods have been developed to determine Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo) under various types of weather conditions. In this research, an analysis was conducted between different ETo estimation methods and ETo calculated from soil water content measurements and …

Dielectric Properties Of Nitrogen Incorporated Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Films , Salem Alfaify

Dissertations

Deposition of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD) films have been carried out and dielectric properties of nitrogen incorporated UNCD films were studied using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), UV/VIS spectroscopy, and reflectance spectroscopy. Dielectric functions of the films were correlated with their nanostructure, elemental concentration, and growth conditions. The films were grown in a 915 MHz microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system with 0%, 10%, and 20% N2 gas diluted into Ar/CH4/H2 plasma. Samples were deposited on 6-inch Si substrates. For UV/VIS spectroscopy studies, samples were deposited on quartz substrates. The bonding structure was investigated by Raman spectroscopy and the surface morphology of the …

"Don't Let The Job Change You; You Change The Job": The Lived Experiences Of Women In Policing, Carrie Buist

Dissertations

In the last decade, the percentage of women working as police officer has not seen any significant increase. This dissertation, "Don't Let the Job Change You; You Change the Job:" The Lived Experiences of Women in Policing uses in-depth, participant guided interviews with current women police officers to gain a better understanding of their experiences. The goal of this project was to allow the women to speak for themselves, and in sharing the narratives of their lived experiences as officers, both add to and build on the existing research on women working in policing. In addition to the interviews, observations …

A Training Curriculum For Assessing And Treating Sex Offenders With Mental Illnesses, Shawna Elizabeth Walker Boles

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this paper was to develop a continuing education program to teach sex offender-specific treatment providers (SOSTP) in the community how to appropriately assess, treat and manage adults with severe mental illness who are also sex offenders (SMISOs) in an outpatient setting. This paper begins with an overview of the most relevant literature associated with the treatment of sex offenders and a presentation of some of the current programs developed to treat sex offenders with severe and persistent mental illnesses. This review also outlines the paucity of resources and the need for SOSTPs to receive expanded training to …

Experiences That Influence A Student's Choice On Majoring In Physics, Donya Rae Dobbin

Dissertations

Currently the production of college graduates with science and engineering degrees is insufficient to fill the increasing number of jobs requiring these skills. This study focuses on physics majors with an in-depth examination of student transitions from high school to college. Many different areas of influence could affect a student's decision to major in physics. The first phase of this study addresses all of the potential areas of influence identified from the literature. The goal was to identify common influences that might be used to increase students' interest in majoring in physics. Subjects (N=35) from the first phase were recruited …

The Impact Of Structured Group Counseling On Resiliency, Self-Efficacy, And Racialidentity Among African American Female Teenagers, Lashonda B. Fuller

Dissertations

African American female teenagers are at-risk for low academic achievement as well as personal and social problems. These concerns have the potential to impact their psychological development including resiliency, self-efficacy, and racial identity. This is an issue that needs focused attention. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to determine if a structured group counseling model effectively impacts African American female teenagers‟ resiliency, self-efficacy, and racial identity. The researcher conducted four structured counseling groups over a period of 20 weeks; however, the teenagers participated in consecutive 10 week sessions. The treatment was applied to two groups simultaneously, and the groups …

The Relationship Between Spirituality And Personality, Kimberly C. Koessel

Dissertations

Current literature is lacking a theoretical framework for understanding spirituality within the context of psychological functioning. Despite empirical support for the potential psychological benefits of spirituality, conceptual differences underlying definitions and measurements of spirituality have impeded theory development. Additionally, very few studies have explored spirituality from a secular perspective. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationship between spirituality and personality within a population of undergraduate and graduate students. This research obtains sample data through a demographic questionnaire, a measure of humanistic spirituality, and an inventory of normal personality. Quantitative statistical analyses are employed to explore a variety …

African American Experiences Of Race Relations In The Supervision Dyad, Brandi L. Pritchett-Johnson

Dissertations

Everything we do is embedded within multiple contexts of collective and individual historical events that culminate in present day encounters. As an increasing number of racial minorities have entered the ranks as mental health practitioners, the configuration of the treatment and the supervision dyad has changed (Owens-Patterson, 2002). The fundamental aim of this study explored, captured, and described the supervision experience from the nuanced perspective of African American supervisors. A qualitative approach was employed using in-depth interviews to capture the complexity of race relations within the supervision dyad through an African Centered framework, aiding in our understanding of supervised training …

Short-Term Nicotine Abstinence And Decision Making, Gabriel D. Searcy

Dissertations

Research has shown that acute drug administration may affect impulsivity (i.e., choice for small, immediate rewards over large, delayed rewards) on laboratory delay-discounting tasks. Few studies have investigated how drug abstinence affects impulsivity. Investigating how drug abstinence affects impulsivity may be relevant to preventing relapse. Two previous studies have investigated the effects of short-term nicotine abstinence on impulsivity using delay-discounting tasks. The results were mixed, one study suggested that choices became more impulsive (i.e., delayed money was devalued) under nicotine deprivation. One goal of the present research was to further investigate how nicotine deprivation affects delay-discounting for money rewards. In …

Exploring The Experiences Of Living With A Controversial Illness In Patients With Fibromyalgia, Samantha L. Wheeler

Dissertations

Fibromyalgia is an illness of great controversy estimated to affect approximately 4% of the US population. There are no widely accepted etiological causes or clear physiological explanations of fibromyalgia. Only a few research studies have addressed the concept of illness uncertainty in patients with fibromyalgia. There are no current studies that examine how fibromyalgia patients experience, perceive, and understand their illness in terms of having a syndrome with an unknown etiology.

This qualitative study, using phenomenological methods, explored the concept of unknown etiology as one factor in illness uncertainty. Ten participants, diagnosed with fibromyalgia from 2-15 years were interviewed. The …

Molecular, Cellular And Systemic Effects Of Atrazine On The Xenopus Laevis Tadpole, Renee Maryanne Zaya

Dissertations

Atrazine is one of the two most commonly used herbicides in the US and it is the most studies are among the first to link physiological effects of atrazine to changes in tissue and gene expression in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. These studies provide the groundwork for future studies into the mechanisms behind responses to chemical stressors generating data resulting in a better understanding of how these chemicals affect us all. commonly found herbicide in ground water. As a result, a great deal of attention has been placed on its use and safety. It has also been implicated to play a …

An Analysis Of Parent Evaluations Within The 360° Holistic Evaluation System Of Camp Adventure Child And Youth Services, Michelle Therese Bafunno

Graduate Research Papers

Evaluation is a key component to the success of any organization. It allows an organization to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the various programs they offer and identify areas for improvement. Evaluation can be a beneficial tool for an organization to grow when used effectively. Utilizing a holistic evaluation system allows an organization to evaluate from different perspectives. Camp Adventure™ Child and Youth Services employs a 360° holistic evaluation system that gains feedback from multiple stakeholders in order to include multiple points of view when evaluating the organization.

This study focused on one group of stakeholders within the Camp …

National Board Of Professional Teaching Standards Certification Portfolio Option, Tracy Lynn Bell Maxted

Graduate Research Papers

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an independent organization that encourages teachers to voluntarily examine and reflect on their teaching. Twelve teaching standards are used for the evaluation. For Adolescence and Young Adulthood Science the standards are to show teachers:

■ Understand Students;

■ Understand Science;

■ Understand Science Teaching;

■ Engage the Science Learner;

■ Sustain a Learning Environment;

■ Promote Diversity, Equity & Fairness;

■ Foster Science Inquiry;

■ Make connections in Science;

■ Assess for Results;

■ Reflect on Teaching and Learning;

■ Develop Collegiality & Leadership; and

■ Connect with Families & Community.

An Analysis Of Managing Waste And Decreasing Lead Time In A Medium Sized Manufacturing Company, Tahir Murgic

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The importance of managing waste and reducing lead time in manufacturing cannot be denied. This study provides knowledge about both topics in a medium sized manufacturing company. The methodology that is used in this research is mixed methodology. Interviews were done with managers, and they were analyzed qualitatively. The next part is the quantitative research part that is done by asking employees via questionnaire. This study provided the close concepts of JIT (Just in Time) and waste management. Management must be committed to change, to train everyone to the new culture, to ensure that the organization's culture fosters employee participation, …

Is She Real Or Is She Wonder Woman? Finding The Authentic Woman In Graphic Novels And Comic Strips, Michael Welch

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to discover whether or not women are portrayed in an authentic manner in comic books and graphic novels. This study provides a brief history of comic books and graphic novels from the late 19th Century to early 21st Century. The study then reviews qualitative studies on the gender roles of women in graphic novels, women in prime time television, collection development and graphic novels, children's animated television, young adult's perceptions of televised women heroes, gender and racial stereotypes in newspaper comics, and "wonder women" or women in heroic roles in comic books and television. …

A Manual For The Implementation Of Service Learning Into Collegiate Outdoor Recreation Programs, Nicholas Robert Kilburg

Graduate Research Papers

This manual contains the information needed to design service learning projects for implementation into collegiate outdoor recreation departments. The program manual describes how to design, fund, implement and evaluate service learning programs in an outdoor recreation program. The theories of behavior change and their relation to service learning, the benefits of service learning for university students, how successful service learning projects are structured and the benefits service learning programs can also be found in this manual.

Many colleges and universities have outdoor recreation programs that offer adventure trips with the goal of providing participants with a memorable experience that allows …

Examining The Cause-Related Marketing Relationship Between Children’S Miracle Network And Walmart: Initial Development Of An Ethical Decision Making Framework, Taryn L. Kuntz

Graduate Research Papers

Cause-related marketing relationships have often been identified as win-win-win partnerships for the consumer, nonprofit organization and for-profit corporation. Critics suggest this is not always the case and that in fact, some for-profit organizations participate in such relationships to cover up unethical or illegal behavior. Focusing on Walmart's relationship Children's Miracle Network affiliated children's hospitals, this literature review explores the nature of cause-related marketing relationships and takes a psychological approach to ethical decision making as it relates to philanthropy in order to evaluate whether nonprofit organizations have a concern as a partner in a cause-related marketing relationship. Ethical decision making models …

Decolorization Of Dyes And Distillery Waste Effluent: Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Several Biological And Physico-Chemical Processes, Mylène Godin

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Dyes and pigments are used extensively in many important industries. They are also important environmental contaminants and must be removed in a cost-effective manner from wastewater. The present investigation focuses on the use of several inexpensive physico-chemical and biological systems. The goal is to assess and compare their ability to decolorize water containing a representative triphenylmethane dye ( crystal violet), a representative azo dye (Congo red), and a rum distillery waste effluent, also known as still bottoms. The selected processes were photodegradation, ozonation, adsorption and bioremediation. Photodegradation was studied with three light sources, namely a commercially available 42 Watt fluorescent …

Factors Controlling Hop Flowering And Their Potential For Use In The Brewing And Pharmaceutical Industries, Margaret Nicole Crain

Honors Program Theses

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is a dioecious, perennial vine grown in temperate regions across the world (Stevens et al., 1997). Today hop is being used for two purposes. The first and most prolific is its use in beer brewing. The other is a recent development, but ever growing interest in the use of hops for pharmaceuticals.

Characterization And Utilization Of Rice Defense Associated With Partial Resistance To Bacterial Panicle Blight: An Emerging Rice Disease Problem In The Southeastern United States, Bishnu Kumar Shrestha

LSU Master's Theses

Rice is a staple food for much of the world’s growing population. Rice production is limited by a number of abiotic and biotic factors. These factors have direct effects on food security because less food is available to growing population. Bacterial panicle blight (BPB), caused by the bacterium Burkholderia glumae, is an emerging disease that causes grain rot, panicle discoloration, and unfilled grains in rice. Up to 70% of yield reduction has been reported in severely infected rice fields. No completely resistant rice cultivars have been identified, however, a medium-grain cultivar, Jupiter, showed a high level of partial resistance …

Investigations Of Wave-Induced Turbulent Structures In Vegetated Flows, Agnimitro Chakrabarti

LSU Master's Theses

The role of coastal vegetation in mitigating shoreline erosion by damping of incoming waves and the resultant effect on sediment transport is a critical area of coastal management research. However our understanding of the underlying hydrodynamic processes is limited. Laboratory flume experiments were conducted where a naturally grown emergent vegetation channel and a vegetation-less sand channel were exposed to regular waves. Wave height data was collected using wave gauges located at various points along the channel in the direction of oncoming waves. Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters (ADVs) placed at various depths in the water column measured wave orbital velocity signatures. This …

In-Silico Hyperthermia Performance Of A Near-Field Patch Antenna At Various Positions On A Human Body Model, Sergio Curto, Terrence See, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann, Zhi Ning Chen

Articles

A compact patch applicator designed to enhance targeted energy coupling at 434 MHz is a key enabler for sensitizing temperature increments in body regions containing superficial tumours. A detailed FDTD body model is used to explore simulated RF coupling and temperature increments for typical clinical conditions. The antenna impedance matching, specific absorption rate and thermal distribution parameters are evaluated to identify applied performance outcomes. The analysis reveals physiological-RF coupling patterns for an optimised closely-coupled single element applicator.

A Methodology Towards Comprehensive Evaluation Of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators For Prosthetic Finger Design, Kevin O'Toole

Doctoral

Presently, DC motors are the actuator of choice within intelligent upper limb prostheses. However, the weight and dimensions associated with suitable DC motors are not always compatible with the geometric restrictions of a prosthetic hand; reducing available degrees of freedom and ultimately rendering the prosthesis uncomfortable for the end-user. As a result, the search is on-going to find a more appropriate actuation solution that is lightweight, noiseless, strong and cheap. Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators offer the potential to meet these requirements. To date, no viable upper limb prosthesis using SMA actuators has been developed. The primary reasons lie in …