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Device Design Factors For Enhancing The Functionality Of Chronic Intracortical Microelectrodes, Heui Chang Lee

Open Access Dissertations

Intracortical microelectrodes are devices used in brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to help regain lost motor, sensory, and cognitive functions of individuals with neurological disorders. However, the long-term performance of microelectrode arrays is hampered by a series of inflammatory tissue responses. The consequence of the inflammatory response is the formation of a dense astroglial sheath around the vicinity of the electrode, impeding the electrical conduction between the electrode and neurons. Furthermore, due to the cascade of neuroinflammatory events, the number of neurons is significantly reduced near the electrode, manifested by decrease in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the yield of electrodes. Over time, …

Poetry Matters: Radical Politics In Postmodern American Poetry, Christopher J. Padgett

Open Access Dissertations

Directly or indirectly, poetry produced in the postmodern era is implicated in the politics of the time. Postmodern American poetry, then, is not reducible to a single poetic mode or to a specific set of stylistic features. In other words, a more comprehensive understanding of postmodern American poetry can be made by employing a flexible version of Raymond Williams’ notion of uneven development, a theory that insists on the synchronic existence of dominant, residual, and emergent cultural elements. As the stylistically and politically diverse work of the six poets—Susan Howe, Robert Grenier, Gary Snyder, A.R. Ammons, Sherman Alexie, and Kenneth …

Project Management Methodology Applied To A Research And Recommendations Study: Understanding Workplace Accidents Involving Equipment "Blind Spots", Blake Delaney

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Nearly 25 percent of work vehicle-related deaths take place while the vehicle is moving in reverse. The total cost to employers in 2000 was $60 billion, with two-thirds of the accidents taking place on-the-job. Due to the high number of vehicle blind spot accidents that take place each year, it is critical to ensure current technology is being utilized to prevent future accidents. (“Guidelines for employers to reduce motor vehicle crashes,” 2006) While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigates industrial fatalities, too little information is gathered into general categories to effectively understand the overall effectiveness of U.S. regulations, …

Cell Source Optimization For Cardiac Tissue Engineering, Joshua Biggs

All Theses

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of death associated with cardiovascular disease affecting approximately 735,000 Americans each year. The resulting damage caused by MI initiates a pathological progression towards congestive heart failure. Donor shortages rule out transplantation as a viable treatment option and coronary revascularization does not solve the issue of regenerating the infarct scar. Stem cell therapies, however, show great potential, but have been largely unsuccessful at regenerating diseased myocardium. This study aims to differentiate human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) by methods of co-culture and chemical induction to produce functional cardiomyocytes, as well as by …

Drawing Conclusions: The Use Of Room-By-Room Probate Inventories To Study The Terminology, Evolution, And Function Of Charleston Drawing Rooms And Parlors 1728-1866, Michelle Marie Thompson

All Theses

This thesis examines the contents of seventy-five entertaining rooms called eitherparlor or drawing room in a sample of fifty room-by-room probate inventories recordedin Charleston, South Carolina between 1728 and 1866. Analysis of these inventoriesrevealed that the usage of the term parlor declined in favor of the term drawing room inthe late eighteenth century until the former appears to have supplanted the term parlorabout 1810. Analysis of this sample of inventories also revealed that the furnishingsCharlestonians acquired to appoint their principal entertainment rooms shifted as thesocial activities staged in them changed. Eighteenth-century parlors tended to be multi-functional, sometimes containing beds and …

The Cellular And Molecular Characterization Of Essential Hypertension Using Innovative Pathology Models, Joshua T. Rodriguez

All Theses

Essential hypertension, characterized by elevated blood pressure levels, is a primary risk factor for other cardiovascular diseases. There has been a drastic rise in the amount of people who have essential hypertension; trends predict that 1.56 billion people worldwide will be living with essential hypertension by 2025. Anti-hypertensive drugs lower elevated blood pressure levels, but do not eliminate the disease itself or reverse the structural damage to arteries. This study aims to elucidate hypertension-induced endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction using a blood vessel tissue engineering approach as a pathology model. In order to characterize EC dysfunction, the FlexCell® system was used …

Gastrointestinal Health As A Stimulus For Native American Attraction To Medicinal Asteraceae And Further Implications For Human Evolution, Christopher David Stiegler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Asteraceae, or the daisy family, is the largest family of flowering plants in the world, and its ethnobotanical, medical, and economic value is readily apparent cross-culturally. The aim of this thesis is to examine why constituent genera of the Aster family have remained such an integral part of human medicinal plant knowledge, and thereby to reveal any potential physiological, biological, or evolutionary mechanisms underlining human patterns of use regarding the Asteraceae. The present study focuses specifically on Native American plant knowledge made available by the expansive database in the works Daniel Moerman (Moerman 2003). Frequencies of plant use and …

"That's Empowering!": The Influence Of Community Activism Curriculum On Gifted Adolescents' Self-Concepts, Ashley D. Beason-Manes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The first of the following manuscripts addresses the experiences of a group of gifted middle school students as they engaged in community action projects that provided them opportunity to become activists in their school, neighborhood, and larger community. This study pays special attention to participants’ self-concepts as measured by the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children (2012) and through participant interviews. The study finds evidence of students’ co-cognitive components of giftedness when themes of courage, sensitivity to human concerns, and sense of destiny are applied. Main themes from Harter’s scale are also applied, and participant interviews reveal evidence of academic and …

A Dollar A Day: Child Sponsorship And The Marketization Of Human Development, Taylor Hallett

Capstone Collection

Child sponsorship as a method of international development offers child sponsors a personal connection to the process of alleviating poverty in the global South. As a form of human development, child sponsorship is constituted by neoliberal principles of marketization and social entrepreneurship. How does child sponsorship, in this context, require us to rethink the ethics of international development in light of ongoing debates about neoliberalism? In this research, I argue that child sponsorship reifies the binary of the “developed” and “undeveloped” worlds. Through undertaking a content analysis of three organizations (Compassion International, World Vision, and UNICEF) and applying post-structural critique …

Testimonio Y Materialidad. El Encuentro Con El Espacio Y El Lugar (Testimonio And Materiality. The Encounter With Space And Place), Megan Corbin

Languages & Cultures Faculty Publications

This essay explores the individual dimension of the encounter with sites of memory in the Southern Cone post-dictatorship. It reveals the existence of a testimonial desire in connection with the former clandestine centers of detention, torture, and extermination in Argentina and Chile and proposes that this desire produces a frustrated encounter with the material in the moment in which the visitor arrives to the site of memory. It argues that this “incomplete” nature of the testimonial pact we have with the space is one of the most productive experiences the space could provide to the visitor because it puts the …

Analyzing Nation Branding Through Public Relations Lenses-- The Case Of The 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony, Ruoshi Li

Dissertations - ALL

Abstract

Studies across several disciplines, including marketing, political science and culture studies, have already touched on the concept of nation branding. Different experts with distinct academic backgrounds look at nation branding from different angles. This paper first takes a critical review of the conceptualizations of nation branding and then revisits the public relations theories, followed by a synthesis of public relations concepts with nation branding in a case study of the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony. It also seeks to open a conversation within the field of communication and public relations on the trend of nation branding. With an aim of …

A Shrine For President Lincoln: An Analysis Of Lincoln Museums And Historic Sites, 1865-2015, Thomas D. Mackie Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze how communities and special interest groups have presented Abraham Lincoln in historic sites and museums with significant Lincoln collections and interpretive themes. Commemoration of Abraham Lincoln began during the murdered president’s funeral trip and extended throughout the later nineteenth century with statues, biographies, Decoration Day oratories, historic sites, special exhibits, and museums. These sites devoted to the 16th president are among the earliest public historic museums and preserved sites. They include galleries, research exhibits, interactive galleries, pioneer villages, outdoor museums, and historic houses. After continued expansion in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, …

Pink Glasses: A Work In Progress, Dominique Maldonado

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A creative writing anthology (poems, short fiction, and non-fiction) that showcases both the positive and negative personal experiences of being an older, learning disabled student.

The Path Of Least Resistance: A Student’S Guide For Working Smarter, Not Harder., Scott Abel

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The amount of stress that accumulates over the course of one’s collegiate career can be overwhelming to say the least. What if I told you that with a basic strategy you could cut your workload in half and alleviate much of the stress that goes hand in hand with school? Well now you can. This capstone project shows students different ways to achieve their goals by my method of Working Smarter and not Harder.

Rhetorical Analysis Of Monsanto, Kyle J. Brannon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Rhetoric, and therefore persuasion, can be utilized to impact society in profound ways. These communication devices can also be used for more sinister and nefarious purposes that can leave black marks on any society’s history. For the purpose of this rhetorical analysis, I thoroughly investigated three artifacts used by the Monsanto Corporation. This project attempts to show how Monsanto utilizes rhetoric and persuasion to convince consumers their products are safe to purchase, although there is no scientific consensus regarding that safety to humans and the environment. Through an examination of these artifacts, I was able to examine how Monsanto used …

Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Servant Leadership In The United States And Latin America, Ismael Merino

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this study, the subject matter evaluated is the difference between the United States and Latin America concerning the practice and acceptance of servant leadership. This research compares the practice and the acceptance of servant leadership between the United States of America and Latin America. In order to do this, a cross-cultural comparison was conducted between these two groups. The objective was to find the differences in the leadership styles of these two groups and subsequently analyze the results. The Hofstede’s cultural dimensions were used to be able to compare cultural differences, and understand why these differences appear in the …

How Can Self-Regulated Learning Be Supported In E-Learning 2.0 Environment: A Comparative Study, Hong Zhao, Li Chen

Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE)

As a critical factor that affects the learning performance in distance education, self-regulated learning (SRL) has elicited considerable interest. Self-regulated learners can manage their learning activities efficiently but researchers indicate that learners have difficulties in SRL behavior. Thus, providing support to facilitate self-regulatory processes is important. E-learning has the potential to be a learning tool to examine students’ self-regulatory skills. New advances in technology, especially the development of Web 2.0 technology, have provided effective support for self-regulated learning. This study addresses the following research question: How can SRL be supported properly in E-learning environment? Because learning processes cannot be conceptualized …

The Captivity Of Opportunity: The Conversation Surrounding Church-Going Hispanic Immigrants, Nicolet Hopper Bell

Master's Theses

Immigration is a long-standing topic of discussion in the United States. Hispanic immigrants, or families of Hispanic immigrants, living in America face unique challenges. Through focus group interviews, participants from a predominantly Hispanic Protestant church narrated their experience of living in the United States. Guided grounded theory data analysis revealed three categories and 14 subcategories, or themes of conversation, surrounding this hot topic. Participants shed light on the distinctive challenges they faced, how these challenges affected them, and how they attempted to overcome these difficulties. By exploring these results through the lens of social stigma theory (Goffman, 2009) and intergroup …

Contextualizing Diversity’S (Non-)Performativity, Eike Marten

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

The article contextualizes the traveled skeptical evaluation of diversity as a ‘non-performative’ (Ahmed) in German Gender Studies and Diversity Studies debates. The text analyses and highlights performative effects of a ‘narrative of overcoming’ according to which a multidimensional and non-hierarchic notion of diversity supersedes and replaces the critical concepts of gender and difference.

Multiplex Real Time Pcr And Melt Curve Assay Development For The Simultaneous Detection And Identification Of Streptococcus Pneumoniae And Staphylococcus Aureus, Melissa J. Pierpont

All NMU Master's Theses

Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae are bacteria that commonly colonize healthy individuals without causing disease. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), a more virulent type of S. aureus, is carried by a small percentage of people. These two bacteria have an adversarial relationship both in vitro and in vivo, with S. pneumoniae being able to limit the growth of S. aureus. It has been hypothesized that the relationship between these bacteria may be altered in individuals immunized with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, raising concerns that vaccinated individuals may be more likely to carry MRSA. Assessing the carriage rate of these bacteria …

Multi-Perspective Interview Of Video Streaming Featuring: Leandra Preston-Sidler, University Of Central Florida; Kiren Shoman, Sage Publishing; And Michael Arthur, The University Of Alabama, Katina Strauch, Tom Gilson

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Minor Transnational Writing In Ireland, Borbála Faragó

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Minor Transnational Writing in Ireland" Borbála Faragó investigates the poetic work of some of Ireland's migrant writers through the lens of minor transnationalism. Ireland's peculiar migration history where there are two quite distinct groups of inward migrants, requires careful rethinking of terminology. Faragó proposes to circumnavigate the binary approach of investigating center versus periphery and instead look for lateral connections between marginalized groups. Reading the works of Ireland's internal others brings to the fore issues of authenticity, ethics, and identity that can foreground some of the ambiguities inherent in transnational studies today. Interpreting the oeuvre of these …

Twice Heard, Paradoxically (Un)Seen: Walking The Tightrope Of Invisibility In Palestinian Translated Fiction, Mona Nabeel Malkawi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the translators’ invisibility in postcolonial translated Palestinian fiction. On one hand, this analysis revolves around the ethical stance of translators towards authors in a postcolonial theoretical framework. On the other, it brings postcolonial translation scholars’ approaches into practice and examination. Therefore, this study provides a critical analysis of reading novels in translation as both a channel of decolonization from Oriental and imperial discourses and an aesthetic catalyst for freedom in exile, specifically translated by Trevor LeGassick, Elizabeth Fernea, Salma Jayyusi, Adnan Haydar, and Roger Allen. The intriguing paradox of the translator’s invisibility is inherent in the contradiction …

Behind The Curtain: Fetishism And The Production Of Virtual Reality Treatment For Ptsd, Janice Haaken, Mariel Stadick

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan, a virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy designed for the treatment of combat-related PTSD, has generated wide public interest in the wake of growing concerns over mental health problems among service members. Enlisting concepts from the fields of cultural studies and psychoanalytic film criticism, the paper interprets the VR therapy program as a form of technology fetishism within the expanding apparatus of military mental health operations. Even as the program seeks to expose the “invisible wounds of war,” the stories produced through this use of visual culture conform closely to hegemonic military accounts of the psychological effects of combat.

Estimating Self And Spouse Intelligence Among Jordanians, Firas Al-Hamouri, Adnan Atoum, Mohammad Melhem, Hamzeh Rababa

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The current study aimed at exploring self and spouse estimates of general and multiple intelligences among a sample of married Jordanian Students. Two-hundred and ten participants, recruited from Yarmouk and Al-Balqaa Universities, Jordan, completed a brief questionnaire based on those used in previous research which included an estimation of general IQ and each of the multiple intelligence sub-types. Results of the study partially replicated the results from other multiple intelligence self-estimate studies showing sex differences on general and logical intelligences, and confirmed previous research results that estimated verbal (linguistic) intelligence followed by numerical (logical) intelligence are the best significant predictors …

Measuring Organizational Climate At The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, Sarah Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to answer the question, according to the Competing Values Framework, what is the organizational climate of the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District (ATCPHD)? Organizational climate for this study refers to the collective perceptions of employees on their interactions with their peers, management, and the organization. This study surveyed the 64 employees at the ATCPHD with the Organizational Climate Measure (OCM). Forty employees participated in the study. The study determined that the climate of the ATCPHD, according to Competing Values Framework (CVF), was the Human Relations organizational climate with a secondary climate of Relational Goals. …

Understanding Adolescents' Unique Experience Of Happiness Within The Family: Bridging Multiple Perspectives Of Adolescents, Parents, And Siblings, Marsha Cohen

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the essence of middle adolescents'; unique experiences of happiness within the family system from the multiple perspectives of adolescents, their parents, and their siblings. Another goal was to make thematic comparisons between and within families in order to better understand the complexity and development of the phenomenon for adolescents. Seven families participated in this study. Each family consisted of a middle adolescent, a parent, and a sibling, yielding a total of 21 participants. A semistructured interview was conducted with each participant. Data were analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen …

Using Mouse Models To Define How The P53 R72p Polymorphism Impacts The Adverse Effects Of Doxorubicin And Ionizing Radiation, Emily Dominguez

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at codon 72 of the tumor suppressor gene p53 codes for either an arginine (R) or proline (P) (p53 R72P). This SNP may impact how cells respond to genotoxic insult. Studies in cell culture and in tissues from mouse models of the SNP indicate that, in response to gentoxic treatment, the two variants may differentially induce apoptosis and expression of p53 target genes. In epidemiological studies, the P variant is associated with decreased cancer survival and increased risk of side-effects from genotoxic cancer treatment. Genotoxic therapy is still the mainstay of cancer treatment, and doxorubicin …

Black-White Disparities In Criminal Justice Referrals To Drug Treatment: Addressing Treatment Need Or Expanding The Diagnostic Net?, Karen Mcelrath, Angela Taylor, Kimberly K. Tran

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Slightly more than half of admissions to U.S. publicly-funded treatment for marijuana use are referred by the criminal justice system; this pattern has remained for at least 20 years. Nationally, Blacks comprise nearly a third of treatment admissions for marijuana use. This article explores the interplay between race and criminal justice referrals to treatment for marijuana use. Using data from the (U.S.) 2011 Treatment Episode Data Set, we examine the relationship between race and diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (dependence versus abuse) among referrals to community-based treatment in North Carolina. We compare Black/White differences in cannabis diagnoses across four referral …

December 2016 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.