Digital Commons Network^™

Psycholinguistics In Fluency Disorders: Prearticulatory Speech Planning In Stuttering And Cluttering, Emily O’Dell Garnett

Theses and Dissertations

The Covert Repair Hypothesis (CRH) is an account for speech errors in normally fluent speakers, and also hypothesizes errors in the phonological encoding stage in people who stutter (PWS). Previous research has shown that PWS exhibit poorer performance compared to typically fluent adults (TFA) on linguistic tasks designed to tap into the level of phonological encoding, such as phoneme monitoring. Stuttering and cluttering often co-occur, thus the field can benefit from extending this methodology to study people who clutter (PWC). Experiment 1 in Chapter 2 used phoneme monitoring to study phonological encoding in PWS and PWC, with three conclusions: (1) …

The Meaning Of Place Recovery On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Ronald L. Schumann, Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Recovery is a post-disaster period of adjustment when individuals, households, neighborhoods, and communities work to overcome the effects of a disaster and regain functionality. Recovery is a multi-scalar process whose outcomes are manifested in the physical landscape; however, assessments of the meaning, progress, and outcomes of recovery are specific to individuals who view the landscape from an embodied perspective within the local social hierarchy. Common recovery measurement techniques used by emergency managers, planners, local leaders, and hazards scholars approximate recovery with reconstruction of physical infrastructure or repopulation of residences. These longitudinal quantitative proxies may claim to represent the status of …

Ethnic Discrimination: Measurement And Associations With Smoking-Related Outcomes Among Arab Male Current And Former Smokers In Israel, Amira Osman

Theses and Dissertations

We evaluated the psychometric properties of two instruments used to assess ethnic discrimination among Arabs in Israel. The “Experiences of Discrimination” (EOD) scale was adapted to assess interpersonal ethnic discrimination (EOD-A) and a new measure was developed to assess perceptions of institutional group discrimination (IGD) against Arabs as an ethnic group. Then, we examined the association between each form of ethnic discrimination (interpersonal and institutional) and smoking outcomes among Arab men from Israel, and whether social support and coping efficacy moderate these associations. Data were analyzed from a cross-sectional study of Arab male current and former smokers, aged 18-64. A …

Low-Dose Stimulant Treatment During Periadolescence In A Fasd Model: Interactions Among The Catecholamines, Victoria Macht

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most common of deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is difficulties with attention. Because attention deficits are commonly treated with stimulants, the impact of d-amphetamine (AMPH) treatment during the juvenile period in an animal model of FASD was examined. A dose-response study first assessed the appropriate dose of AMPH to use. In the dose-response study, therapeutic doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg/day of AMPH were chronically administered to female rats between postnatal days (PD) 26-40. Rats were subjected to an open field test on the first and last day of treatment. The dose of …

Profiles Of African American College Students’ Risky Behaviors: General And Culturally-Specific Stress And Social Support As Factors Of Risk And Resilience?, Isha Walwina Metzger

Theses and Dissertations

Studies show that, while alcohol use and risky sexual activities increase during emerging adulthood, college students are more likely to engage in these behaviors than their non-student counterparts (Slutske et al., 2004). Researchers should explore risk behavior participation among African American youth, as they often face health disparities and more severe consequences of engaging in these acts than their White American counterparts (Sharma & Atri, 2006; Jackson, Hodge, & Vaughn, 2010). Although epidemiological and variable-centered studies often examine the drinking and sexual behavior of African American college students, there is a need for research utilizing a profile-oriented approach to explore …

Best Practice For A Standardized And Safe Registered Nurse Shift Handoff, Nancy Rankin Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most important times for the delivery of patient care occurs during the change of shift handoff between professional nurses. This complex interchange of information and responsibility carries with it distinct possibilities for error that can adversely affect a patient’s hospitalization, safety, and the quality of patient care outcomes (Blouin, 2011; Hilligoss & Cohen, 2011). Communication errors, including errors during shift handoff, account for more than 70% of sentinel events that occur in the provision of healthcare in the acute care setting (Federwisch, 2007; Streeter, 2010). Poorly conducted and unstructured shift handoffs are known to result in delayed …

Bacterial Communication And Its Role As A Target For Nanoparticle-Based Antimicrobial Therapy, Kristen Publicover Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to establish the environmental and public health importance of alternative forms of antimicrobial therapy, specifically those that utilize nanotechnology to combat quorum sensing-controlled bacterial infections. Quorum sensing (i.e. chemical communication) is an inherent characteristic that is essential to bacterial pathogenesis and biofilm formation (where most infections occur). A thorough review of the literature has been conducted to establish an understanding of the state of nanotechnology research as it relates to combatting bacterial infections. This synthesis, provided in Chapter 1, demonstrates how the chemical and structural designs of nanoparticles can be manipulated to specifically target …

An Investigation Of A Culturally Responsive Approach To Science Education In A Summer Program For Marginalized Youth, Brittany A. Garvin

Theses and Dissertations

The demographics of today’s schools are becoming more and more ethnically and linguistically diverse, as culturally diverse students comprise approximately one third of school populations (Ladson-Billings, 2005). However, the educational experiences of students of Color demonstrate a history of marginalization and inequity (Williamson et al., 2007) as far too many students of Color have maintained poor educational achievement outcomes. The effects of such disproportionally high levels of low academic achievement are extensive and can be witnessed across subject content areas, particularly in math, science, and literacy. To improve the academic performance of students who are culturally, racially, ethnically, and linguistically …

Illuminating The Interactions And Functions Of Glutaredoxins, Bola Proteins, And Erv1 In Iron Homeostasis, Adrian Colleen Dlouhy

Theses and Dissertations

Iron is a redox-active protein cofactor required for essential cellular functions such as respiration, however excess intracellular iron can generate damaging reactive oxygen species. Understanding how cells regulate iron levels is critical for treatment of human diseases that span from anemia to iron overload disorders. Glutaredoxins (Grxs) with a CGFS active site are highly conserved proteins shown to have roles in iron homeostasis and iron-sulfur cluster assembly, thus earning them the title “the Iron Whores”. They can exist either as a [2Fe-2S] cluster-bound dimer or an apo monomer, suggesting conservation of structure and function. In addition, Grxs interact with the …

Geographic Accessibility To Health Services And Neonatal Mortality Among Very Low Birthweight Infants In South Carolina, Portavia Featherstone

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Infant mortality is commonly denoted as a marker of population health with more than half of all infant deaths occurring during the neonatal period (0-27 days) of infancy. Mortality for infants born very low birthweight (<1500 grams) is markedly higher than the babies born with normal birthweight (2500-4000 grams). The purpose of this research project was to assess geographic access to perinatal health services and the risk of neonatal death among infants born with very low birth weight. Data and methods: The linked birth and death records of a retrospective cohort of very low birthweight (<1500 grams) infants born in South Carolina between the years 2010 and 2012 were used (n=3191). We assessed the impact of travel time from maternal residence to delivery hospital and travel time from maternal residence to the nearest prenatal care provider (obstetricians/gynecologists, community health center, or rural health clinic). Logistic regression modeling was performed with adjustments for maternal characteristics (race, age, chronic/gestational hypertension, chronic/gestational diabetes mellitus, smoking, prenatal care), newborn characteristics (gestational age, birthweight, gender, NICU admission at birth), and the birth in a level III hospital. Results: There were a total of 563 neonatal deaths in this population and the neonatal mortality rate was 17.64 neonatal deaths per 100 live births. We did not find significant associations of travel time from maternal residence to delivery hospital and to a closest prenatal care provider with neonatal death after adjusting for confounders. However, we found that a one-week increase in gestational age (OR: 0.61 [95% CI: 0.57-0.65]) and non-Hispanic Black mothers (versus non-Hispanic White mothers) (OR: 0.65 [95% CI: 0.45-0.94]), were associated with the lower odds of neonatal death, while non-NICU admission at birth (OR: 5.99 [95% CI: 4.05-8.84]) was associated with an increased odds of neonatal death. Conclusion: Although we did not find that travel time was associated with neonatal mortality among very low birthweight infants, our study identified a few significant correlates for neonatal deaths in this birthweight group. Future studies should investigate the role of geographic access to care on mortality during other periods of infancy and among other birthweight groups.

Decision-Making Processes Of Judges In Family Court: An Investigation Of Salient Features Relating To Termination Of Parental Rights Hearings, Jennifer G. May

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study uses Corbin and Strauss’ approach to the Grounded Theory method of analysis to determine the salient features of decision-making in termination of parental rights (TPR) hearings. Specifically this study addresses: what information is used to make decisions in a TPR case; what training or systemic improvements are needed; the role of intuition, prior experience or other stores of knowledge; how judges prioritize sources of information; and how “best interest of the child” is interpreted by family court judges. A theory of judicial decision-making relating specifically to TPR hearings is proposed.

Patterns Of Selection Amongst Dengue Virus Serotypes And Efficacy Of Computational Epitope Prediction Applications, April Christina Hall South

Theses and Dissertations

Dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-borne virus of global concern that leads to infections with symptoms ranging from high fevers and headaches to death. Current estimates place almost half the world’s population living in areas that are at-risk for infection by dengue and that area continues to expand over time. There are four distinct serotypes of dengue (DENV1, DENV2, DENV3, and DENV4). Disease severity from dengue infection is significantly worse if there is a secondary infection by a heterotypic serotype. The problems of increased severity with secondary infection as well as host immune response evasion by the virus itself have …

Historical Violence And Modernist Form In Zoe Wicomb's David's Story, Kaelie Rianne Giffel

Theses and Dissertations

The essay brings together Zoe Wicomb’s David’s Story with Walter Benjamin’s “Theses on the Philosophy of History” and (less centrally) Julia Kristeva’s work on “Women’s Time.” I argue that, while Derek Attridge claims that the novel’s modernism emerges from its interrogation of historical crisis, David’s Story is modernist because of its experimentation with nonlinear narrative and an engagement with modern intertexts such as Heart of Darkness and Ulysses. Benjamin’s “Theses on the Philosophy of History” illuminates the structure of Wicomb’s novel, which creates what Benjamin calls a “constellation” of stories that are non-causally yet historically related to each other. …

Map Kinase Signaling In Plant Responses To Biotic Stress, Carlton James Bequette

Theses and Dissertations

Plants must be able to perceive and properly respond to a multitude of environmental conditions and produce appropriate cellular responses for optimal growth and reproduction. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation cascades are critical components of signal transduction networks that mediate cellular responses to a wide range of both biotic and abiotic extracellular stimuli. This thesis presents an investigation of three novel aspects of MAPK signaling, the role of MAPKs in the regulation of cell death, the organization of MAPKs in a multi-protein complex, and the negative regulation of MAPKs by MAPK phosphatases. In tomato, three MAPKs play an essential role …

Cluster Analysis With Batch Effect, Yifan Tang

Theses and Dissertations

Clustering, as a fundamental process in data science, is frequently used in preliminary data analysis. Batch effects are a powerful source of variation that can come from many sources in data collection, and influence data. We propose a method to simultaneously remove batch effects and perform cluster analysis. We see a batch effect as a fixed value added on to each batch, and do not make assumptions about the distribution of batch effects. We represent the data using a Gaussian mixture model, and use the EM algorithm to estimate the cluster means, the cluster covariance matrices, and the batch effects, …

Tp53 And Hras Influence On Hpv16 E7 Expression In Hpv16-Transformed Human Keratinocytes, Nella Christie Delva

Theses and Dissertations

Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. HNSCC affects regions of the upper aerodigestive tract such as the lip, tongue, nasopharynx, oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx. About 25% of all HNSCC cases and up to 65% of Oropharyngeal Carcinoma (OPC) cases are positive for HPV DNA. African American patients, especially males, present primarily with HPV-negative HNSCC. HNSCC’s that are HPV-positive tend to be HPV-active at initial presentation: these cancers contain HPV DNA and express HPV RNA. However, recurring HPV-positive cancers of the head and neck are more often inactive: these tumors contain HPV DNA, …

Exploring Birthparent’S Experiences Of Creating An Adoption Plan For Their Children With Special Needs, Sanjukta Tawde

Theses and Dissertations

Very little information is available regarding the experience and needs of families who create an adoption plan for their child with disability. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the experiences of birthparents who created an adoption plan after the diagnosis of Down syndrome so as to understand their needs during the process. Birthparents were invited to participate in the study through National Down Syndrome Adoption Network (NDSAN) by membership emails. Information about the study was made available on the organization’s website and social media pages. Potential participants also learned about the study from one of the …

Pathways Thinking As A Mediator Between Positive Emotions And General Life Satisfaction In Middle School Students, Kathleen B. Franke

Theses and Dissertations

Informed by the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, we tested a model of the origins of life satisfaction with a sample of 567 middle school students from the Southeastern United States. The pathways thinking domain of hope was proposed to mediate the relation between positive emotions and general life satisfaction at a single time point, as well as over one year. At Time 1, pathways thinking was a significant mediator of positive emotions and life satisfaction. In the longitudinal model, pathways thinking did not significantly mediate this relation between positive emotions and later life satisfaction. These findings have implications for …

Estimation Of Tip-Sample Force In Tapping Mode Atomic Force Microscopy Using Neural-Network And Repetitive Control Approaches, Alireza Toghraee

Masters Theses

"Atomic Force Microscopy is one of the most powerful tools for imaging, measuring and manipulating materials at nanometer scale. Among different modes of AFM, tapping mode, in which the oscillating tip touches the sample periodically, is most common mode. During the tip approach and retract, the tip interacts with sample and experiences different force regimes. This tip-sample interaction force contains information about the sample topology, material properties and tip geometry. However, quantitative measurement of the time-varying tip-sample interaction forcing function is challenging in the tapping mode because of the combined dynamic complexities of the cantilever and nonlinear complexity of the …

United In Diversity: Mechanosensitive Ion Channels In Plants, Eric S. Hamilton, Angela M. Schlegel, Elizabeth S. Haswell

Biology Faculty Research

Mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels are a common mechanism for perceiving and responding to mechanical force. This class of mechanoreceptors is capable of transducing membrane tension directly into ion flux. In plant systems, MSion channels have been proposed to play a wide array of roles, from the perception of touch and gravity to the osmotic homeostasis of intracellular organelles. Three families of plant MS ion channels have been identified: the MscS-like (MSL), Mid1-complementing activity (MCA), and two-pore potassium (TPK) families. Channels from these families vary widely in structure and function, localize to multiple cellular compartments, and conduct chloride, calcium, and/or potassium …

In Vitro Study Of Wound-Healing Capabilities Of Bioactive Glass Fibers Under Various Culture Conditions, Sisi Chen

Masters Theses

"Bioactive borate glass has been recognized to have both hard and soft tissue repair and regeneration capabilities through stimulating both osteogenesis and angiogenesis. However, the underlying physiological and cellular mechanism behind this function remains unclear. In this study, in vitro dynamic flow modules were designed to mimic the micro-environment near the vascular depletion and hyperplasia area in wound-healing regions, and were used to investigate the biocompatibility and functionality of borate glass nano-/micro-fibers. Glass-cell interactions were investigated either by dosing fibers to the upstream of or co-cultured with cells, and two types of borate glasses (with or without CuO/ZnO doped were …

A Network For Integrating Bioinformatics Into Life Sciences Education, Sarah C.R. Elgin, Elizabeth Dinsdale, Neal Grandgenett, William Morgan, Anne Rosenwald, William Tapprich, Eric W. Triplett, Mark A. Pauley

Biology Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Constitutive Activity In Orphan G Protein Coupled Receptors, Adam Lee Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goal of this research was to use a distal signaling pathway analysis to evaluate the extent of agonist independent constitutive signaling among orphan class-A G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). These receptors translate extracellular signals via conformational change into intracellular activation of different G proteins and subsequent second messenger synthesis. These small molecules regulate cellular biochemistry, eventually leading to nuclear signaling that results in changes in gene expression. Some GPCRs are capable of signaling in the absence of an activating ligand, a phenomenon called constitutive activity that is inhibited via an "inverse-agonist". The use of cAMP dependent Luciferase expression is …

Nmr T₁ Studies Of Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (Cup) Surface Water, Yousef Abobaker Dawib

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation is subdivided into three topics: Experimental study of colloidal unimolecular polymer (CUP) hydration; probing of polymer chain dynamics by ¹³C solid state NMR technique; and the anticorrosive effect of 5-mercapto-1, 3, 4-thiadiazole-2(3H)-thione (MTT) derivatives.

The states of water in colloidal unimolecular polymer system were investigated by low field proton NMR. Bound and free water fractions were determined using spin-lattice relaxation measurements. A model equation was used to analyze the inversion recovery data.

The proton cross polarization and the pulse sequence for total spinning sideband suppression CP-TOSS NMR method were developed to determine the chain mobility of polymers …

Local Alternative Sources For Cogeneration Combined Heat And Power System, Abdulhakim Amer Agll

Doctoral Dissertations

"Global demand for energy continues to grow while countries around the globe race to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions by implementing policy measures and advancing technology. Sustainability has become an important issue in transportation and infrastructure development projects. While several agencies are trying to incorporate a range of sustainability measures in their goals and missions, only a few planning agencies have been able to implement these policies and they are far from perfect. The low rate of success in implementing sustainable policies is primarily due to incomplete understanding of the system and the interaction between …

The Sensitivity Of A Test Based On Spearman's Rho In Cross-Correlation Change Point Problems, Congjian Liu

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In change point problems, there are three main questions that researchers are interested in. First of all, is there a change point or not? Second, when does the change point occur in a time series? Third, how quickly can we detect the change point? In this thesis, we first explain what a change point is, and what a cross-correlation is. We then discuss prior research in this area. Then we discuss and examine a test based on Spearman's rho, introduced by Wied and Dehling (2011), which tests the null hypothesis of no change point, and compare the change point we …

Predators And Anti-Predator Behavior Of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius Wilsonia) On Cumberland Island, Georgia, Mary K. Strickland

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Predation, the major cause of nest failure in birds, is an important factor when considering management and conservation plans. The predator assemblage in an ecosystem changes each year and can cause profound differences in bird nest survival rates. Shorebirds such as Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) are ideal study species because they are declining and predator control is often a recommended component of management plans. Therefore the objectives of my research were to determine the predator assemblage of the southern end of the beach on Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia, and to determine how three variables affected the display …

The Obama Effect On African American High School Males, Aundra Simmons Vaughn

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

“Of all the challenges in education today, I can think of none greater than the challenge of motivating, educating, and empowering black male learners” (Kafele, 2012, p. 67). Research documents the struggles of African American males in society and education. There is concern among educators for role models for young people to emulate (Lines, 2001). To explore President Obama as a role model and the impact of his historic election on African American recent high school male graduates, a qualitative research study was used. A phenomenological design helped described the “essence” of the phenomenon— the election of an African American …

Hypomania And The Effects Of Working Memory Load On Risk-Taking, Joseph B. Todd

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Hypomania is an episodic mood state that closely resembles mania, and it is characterized by irritability, euphoria, racing thoughts, and impulsivity. The present study focuses on risk-taking, a behavioral manifestation of impulsivity, and the potential working memory mechanisms responsible for eliciting this behavior in people affected by hypomanic symptoms. Specifically, research suggests that taxing working memory accelerates the process by which individuals with high levels of hypomanic symptoms engage in risk-taking. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects on hypomanic traits and working memory taxation on a behavioral measure of risk-taking. One hundred and forty-five participants …

The Relationship Between Core Stability Related Measures And Performance In Adolescent All-Star Cheerleaders, Rachel S. Leitz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: To determine if a relationship exists between core stability related measures (CSRM) and total cheer performance (TCP); including tumbling, jumping, and stunting. Secondly, to determine if TCP can be predicted by these CSRM.

Methods: Fifty female competitive cheerleading bases aged 10-18 from various all-star cheer programs in the southeastern region of the United States were included. Participants filled out a current health status questionnaire prior to participation. The CSRM included the timed sit-up test, trunk extensor endurance test, trunk flexion to extension range of motion, dominant limb single leg stance test, and normalized to height dominant limb single leg …