Digital Commons Network^™

Consumer Decision Making For Accommodations In The Shared Economy, Jeffery C. Kreeger

Theses and Dissertations

Although many components of the shared economy have existed over time, it has recently blossomed into a thriving business that facilitates sharing of assets and services with strangers by using applications on the Internet. Recently, a convergence of many factors favorable to the development of the shared economy occurred and has become a new way of doing business for many and has introduced a new business model. Many people are shifting their goals from owning assets to borrowing them. This is not only economically favorable, but it is also environmentally favorable for the planet. The Lodging Shared Economy (LSE) is …

Determining The Population Dynamics And Reproductive Life History Of Commercially Important Tunas In The Gulf Of Mexico, Katrina C. Hounchell

Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is an important spawning ground for many commercially important fish species including yellowfin, skipjack, and blackfin tunas. In particular, it is an essential spawning habitat for Atlantic bluefin tuna, whose stock status is of great international concern. It is vital to the appropriate conservation management of these species to determine both the location of their spawning grounds and the genetic diversity found within them. Fish eggs are a fisheries-independent source of spawning information that can provide more accurate estimates of spawning sites compared to larvae. This study describes population diversity and reproductive life histories in …

Atherosclerotic Plaque Adhesion Strength And Its Role In Plaque Rupture, Bilal Merei

Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases are disorders affecting the blood vessels and the heart. According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. They are responsible for over 17.1 million deaths per year worldwide, representing 31.5% of deaths 1, 2. Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting large arteries, is the underlying cause of many cardiovascular diseases. Plaque rupture is a serious complication of advanced atherosclerosis, often leading to life-threatening clinical consequences such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) or stroke. 75% of newly developed myocardial infarction cases are caused by atherosclerotic plaque rupture. It affects approximately …

Branded For Success: A Longitudinal Examination Of Brand Associations As Drivers Of Team Identification For A New Sport Brand, Henry Wear

Theses and Dissertations

The competition for the sport consumer has intensified over the last decade, and many teams are now seeking to establish a foothold in the marketplace (Baker, McDonald, & Funk, 2016). To form a competitive advantage in the sport industry, many sport organizations are beginning to think of their organizations as brands to be managed (Ross, 2006). From a sport marketer’s perspective, it is difficult to rely on brand characteristics based on success or team composition to promote a sport brand and develop fans due to the unpredictable nature of the sport product. Conversely, brand characteristics regarding the logo, color scheme, …

Multilevel And Multisectoral Processes Of Implementing Nutritionsensitive Ideology And Programming In Ethiopia’S Development Landscape, Andrea Marie Warren

Theses and Dissertations

This research sought to understand the ways in which ideas and discourses in international development are adapted in a country context. Our particular focus was on how ideas at the international and national level become reality at the subnational and community levels. We primarily examined the sensitization of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program to nutrition across sectors and down levels of government as a way to understand how the global momentum around nutrition, particularly multisectoral or nutrition-sensitive initiatives, can be translated into action.

The first manuscript delves further into the operational realities of implementing multisectoral nutrition-sensitive programming among the neglected …

Utility Of The Modified Early Warning System Score In Early Sepsis Identification, Lisa E. Hart

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quality improvement project is to improve outcomes for patients presenting to the emergency department with sepsis, realizing that time is a key factor. The appraised evidence indicates that early recognition and prompt treatment improve outcomes and decrease mortality. The evidence further highlights that use of an early warning system, like the Modified Early Warning Score, can assist nurses and providers with recognizing deterioration more quickly and lead to a reduction in time to interventions. Between January 2016 and March 2017, the author conducted a retrospective chart review to compare time to antibiotic administration and lactate measurement …

Institutional Brokerage And The Governance Of Global Value Chains: The Case Of The Us Apparel Industry., Alessandro Perri

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study of the apparel industry, I analyze the governance of buyersupplier interfaces in outsourced global value chains through an institutional theory lens. I set forth that transactional and relational cross-national barriers, linked to institutional distance between home and host country in outsourced production networks, and supplier capabilities are key determinants of variations in the governance mode chosen by lead buyers for their outsourced value chain. I further posit that lead buyers respond to the additional costs imposed by home–host country institutional distance and by structural supplier capability constraints, by means of governance modes that provide institutional brokerage, …

Improved Simultaneous Estimation Of Location And System Reliability Via Shrinkage Ideas, Beidi Qiang

Theses and Dissertations

In decision theory, when several parameters need to be estimated simultaneously, many standard estimators can be improved, in terms of a combined loss function. The problem of finding such estimators has been well studied in the literature, but mostly under parametric settings, which is inappropriate for heavy-tailed distributions. In the first part of this dissertation, a robust simultaneous estimator of location is proposed using the shrinkage idea. A nonparametric Bayesian estimator is also discussed as an alternative. The proposed estimators do not assume a specific parametric distribution and they do not require the existence of finite moments. The performance of …

Acculturative Stress And Depression Among Latinos/As: Investigating The Role Of Neighborhood Context, Rebeca Castellanos

Theses and Dissertations

Latinos/as are the fastest growing demographic in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). As they encounter U.S. society, Latino/as may experience acculturative stress (Berry, 1997). Empirical evidence suggests that Latinos/as in the U.S. report high rates of depression symptoms (Wassertheil-Smoller et al 2014). Acculturative stress has been strongly associated with depression (Driscoll & Torres, 2013) and research suggests that Latino/as may experience acculturative stress differently depending on their generational status (i.e., how recently they or their parents immigrated to the U.S). There is evidence to suggest that contextual factors such as neighborhood context may influence both acculturative stress processes …

Functional Data Smoothing Methods And Their Applications, Songqiao Huang

Theses and Dissertations

In many subjects such as psychology, geography, physiology or behavioral science, researchers collect and analyze non-traditional data, i.e., data that do not consist of a set of scalar or vector observations, but rather a set of sequential observations measured over a fine grid on a continuous domain, such as time, space, etc. Because the underlying functional structure of the individual datum is of interest, Ramsay and Dalzell (1991) named the collection of topics involving analyzing these functional observations functional data analysis (FDA). Topics in functional data analysis include data smoothing, data registration, regression analysis with functional responses, cluster analysis on …

Deep Learning: An Exposition, Ryan Kingery

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper we describe and survey the field of deep learning, a type of machine learning that has seen tremendous growth and popularity over the past decade for its ability to substantially outperform other learning methods at important tasks. We focus on the problem of supervised learning with feedforward neural networks. After describing what these are we give an overview of the essential algorithms of deep learning, backpropagation and stochastic gradient descent. We then survey some of the issues that occur when applying deep learning in practice. Last, we conclude with an important application of deep learning to the …

Polarization Observables T And F In The Yp -> Pi P Reaction, Hao Jiang

Theses and Dissertations

The theory that describes the interaction of quarks is Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), but how quarks are bound inside a nucleon is not yet well understood. Pion photoproduction experiments reveal important information about the nucleon excited states and the dynamics of the quarks within it and thus provide a useful tool to study QCD. Detailed information about this reaction can be obtained in experiments that utilize polarized photon beams and polarized targets.

Pion photoproduction in the yp -> pi p reaction has been measured in the FROST experiment at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. In this experiment circularly polarized photons …

Ultrathin Graphene Oxide Membranes For Water Purification: Fundamentals & Potential Applications, Weiwei Xu

Theses and Dissertations

To develop ultrathin GO membranes with both high permeation rate and excellent selectivity, it is essential to understand the interlayer nanostructure and its influence on water purification performance. We purposely deposited GO at a fast rate and at a rate ~12 times slower to control the interlayer nanostructure of the resulting membranes. The d-spacing difference between proposed thermodynamically favored interlayer structure which formed at slow deposition rate and another relative randomly packed interlayer structure formed at fast deposition rate were corroborated by XRD, organic vapor deposition, and AFM. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed that, in type I structure, functionalized patches …

Underwater Cave Mapping And Reconstruction Using Stereo Vision, Nicholas Weidner

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a systematic approach for 3-D mapping and reconstruction of underwater caves. Exploration of underwater caves is very important for furthering our understanding of hydrogeology, managing efficiently water resources, and advancing our knowledge in marine archaeology. Underwater cave exploration by human divers however, is a tedious, labor intensive, extremely dangerous operation, and requires highly skilled people. As such, it is an excellent fit for robotic technology. The proposed solution employs a stereo camera and a video-light. The approach utilizes the intersection of the cone of video-light with the cave boundaries resulting in the construction of a wire frame …

The Eccentric Compositional Style Of Mark Applebaum: An Analysis Of His Acoustic Percussion Works, Richard Shane Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

Mark Applebaum is an American composer and Professor of Composition at Stanford University who has made significant contributions to contemporary music. His music has been performed all over the world and his popularity as a composer continues to increase. The experimental nature of his music and his continual innovation and creativity makes his music worthy of study. However, there has been no scholarly research done on his music. Because of this void, a study of his music is needed and would be valuable to both performers and scholars alike.

The oeuvre of Mark Applebaum is vast and includes music written …

Piglia And Russia: Russian Influences In Ricardo Piglia’S Nombre Falso, Carol E. Fruit Diouf

Theses and Dissertations

In his work Nombre falso (False Name, 1975), leading Argentinian writer Ricardo Piglia (1941-2017) presents a double tale composed of the story of a search, and of the supposed results of the search: the short story Luba. According to the narrator, the short story is written by influential Argentinian author Roberto Arlt (1900-1942), but it is in fact a distorted copy of Russian writer Leonid Andreev’s (1871-1919) The Dark (T’ma, 1907). Piglia mixes real life with falsification to create his work, changing elements of the life of Arlt and modifying Andreev’s story. In this work, I revisit Piglia’s text, paying …

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

Comparison Of Intimate Partner Violence And Sexual Assault Among Black And White College Women At Predominantly White Institutions (Pwis), Cynthia Nicole White

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The current study sought to compare Black and White college women’s experiences following sexual assault or physical intimate partner violence (IPV) while attending a predominately White institution (PWI). Prevalence rates, depression, academic effects, binge drinking, and help-seeking among victims was compared by race.

Method: Black (N= 435) and White (N= 4,313) college women from 3 large PWIs in the United States completed online surveys. The survey included questions about race, sexual assault, physical IPV, depression, academic outcomes of victimization, binge drinking, and help-seeking.

Results: Black women were more likely to experience physical IPV than White women, …

The Relation Between Quantitative Eeg Coherence And Self-Report Adhd Behavior Scale Responses, Tayllor Vetter

Theses and Dissertations

Differences in brain wave activity during resting states between adults with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have been detected with electroencephalography (EEG). However, the relation between these patterns of brain wave activity and a dimensional, self-report measure of ADHD symptoms in male and female college students has never been investigated. The present study aimed to determine whether coherence, a measure of brain wave activity, can predict self-report symptoms of inattentiveness and hyperactivity in male and female college students. The analyses consisted of 14 male and 28 female adults between 18 and 27 years of age. Regression analyses were utilized to …

Improving Peptide Identification By Considering Ordered Amino Acid Usage, Ahmed Al-Qurri

Theses and Dissertations

Proteomics has made major progress in recent years after the sequencing of the genomes of a substantial number of organisms. A typical method for identifying peptides uses a database of peptides identified using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The profile of accurate mass and elution time (AMT) for peptides that need to be identified will be compared with this database. Restricting the search to those peptides detectable by MS will reduce processing time and more importantly increase accuracy. In addition, there are significant impacts for clinical studies. Proteotypic peptides are those peptides in a protein sequence that are most likely to …

Improving Scientific Literacy Through Reading Strategies: An Action Research Study, Myra L. Finneran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative action research study is to examine a Scientific Reading Intervention Model (SRIM) with students enrolled in Honors Chemistry at a private high school in South Carolina. Students were given a pre-test prior to the intervention. The research took place over a six-week period in the spring of 2017. A teacher-participant worked with the researcher-participant to implement the intervention that consisted of three reading activities—pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading. These three activities were designed to enable the low-level science readers to better comprehend their chemistry texts by activating prior knowledge with an anticipation guide, identifying key concepts …

Internet Speed And The Effect On Health Information Technology Adoption, Matthew W. Yuen

Theses and Dissertations

Background. The Internet has become pervasive in everyday life; the Pew Research Center reported over 84% of Americans use the Internet either on their phone or a computer. However, due to the methods by which the Internet was created, an Internet digital divide was created. The Internet digital divide is the disparity in access and speed of Internet of certain populations. This study looked into the disparity between urban and rural populations and their Internet access in two forms: e-prescriptions adoptions and Internet health information seeking behavior (HISB) through their mobile devices.

Methods. This study used 4 datasets, …

Polynomials Of Small Mahler Measure With No Newman Multiples, Spencer Victoria Saunders

Theses and Dissertations

A Newman polynomial is a polynomial with coefficients in f0;1g and with constant term 1. It is known that the roots of a Newman polynomial must lie in the slit annulus fz 2C: f��1 1 such that if a polynomial f (z) 2 Z[z] has Mahler measure less than s and has no nonnegative real roots, then it must divide a Newman polynomial. In this thesis, we present a new upper bound on such a s if it exists. We also show that there are infinitely many monic polynomials that have distinct Mahler measures which all lie below f, have …

Korean Popular Music (K-Pop), Youth Fan Culture, And Art Education Curriculum, Aelim Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The advent of digital technologies has allowed the multi-directional distribution of cultural products and blurred boundaries between national popular cultures. This sociocultural condition opens up a global public sphere for youth so that they can actively participate as part of a transcultural audience of popular culture and communicate with their peers from all over the world. K-Pop (Korean popular music) is an example of popular content that has reached across the globe and attained a worldwide fandom through digital media platforms. The K-Pop industry proactively applied various strategies to utilize this media condition and target global youth. Considering the cultural …

A Mechanistic Study Of Micro Rna 21 Induced Hepatic Fibrosis And Use Of Sparstolonin B In Remediation Of Environmental Nafld, Diptadip Dattaroy

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the increased prevalence of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a major public health problem in the Western world and Asian countries. Approximately a third of the general population in the US has NAFLD. NAFLD includes a spectrum of histological characteristics ranging from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis and can be characterized into to two major phenotypes: nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Water disinfection byproducts like trihalomethanes can act as crucial risk factors for NAFLD progression. Here I have studied the molecular mechanisms of a water disinfection byproduct, Bromodichloromethane, in induction …

The Development Of Novel Hybridized Hyaluronic Acid Biomaterials For Applications In Tissue Engineering And Controlled Drug Delivery, Panita Maturavongsadit

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is focused on the development of novel hybridized biomaterials for applications in tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. Two types of materials used in my research are biopolymers and nanomaterials. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polymer commonly found in extracellular matrix (ECM), was the primary polymer used in my research due to biocompatibility, biodegradability and the ease of manipulation to offer a wide range of physical and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the nanomaterials, including Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), gold nanorods and graphene, provide attractive properties, such as a nanoscale topography, biochemistry, high surface area, and special chemical and electrical …

Early Economic Hardship, Maternal Support, And Depressive Symptoms Among Black Young Adults, Mia Brantley

Theses and Dissertations

Substantial associations between childhood economic hardship and adult mental health have been acknowledged within social science research. However, there is a scarcity of research examining this relationship among Black Americans, as well as the sociocultural factors that may assist Black Americans in dealing with the effects of childhood economic hardship. This study suggests that family structure, specifically maternal support, may be a significant resource for Black Americans in the face of early economic adversity and mental health outcomes. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative sample of Black Americans, this study outlines …

Tectonic Studies Of Southeastern North America: The Suwannee Basin, Brunswick Suture Zone, Osceola Arc, And Pangean Transcurrent Fault System, Susannah Katherine Boote

Theses and Dissertations

A series of exotic terranes with complex tectonostratigraphic relationships construct the North American margin and record information critical to understanding the evolution of the Appalachian orogen. The Coastal Plain cover remains a challenge in this region; however, synthesis of seismic reflection, seismic refraction, well, and aeromagnetic data allows for a substantially revised interpretation of the basement rocks and structures that comprise the pre-Mesozoic crust of southeastern North America. These data reveal: (1) a Neoproterozoic subduction zone and paired continental-margin arc are preserved in Gondwanan crust in southeastern North America, (2) the Gondwanan Suwannee Basin of Early to Mid-Paleozoic age is …

Inflammatory Potential Of Diet And Pancreatic Cancer Risk: Interaction And Mediation Analysis In Two Prospective Cohorts, Jiali Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Inflammation plays a pivotal role in pancreatic cancer etiology and can be modulated by diet. We aimed to examine the association between inflammatory potential of diet, assessed with the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DIITM), and pancreatic cancer risk in two prospective cohorts, the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial and the National Institutes of Health American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study. We explored effect modification by important inflammation-related lifestyle factors, and investigated whether type-2 diabetes mediated the association in a pooled analysis of both studies.

Methods: A total of 101,449 and …

Spiritual Journeys: A Study Of Ifá /Òrìṣà Practitioners In The United States Initiated In Nigeria, Tony Van Der Meer

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand the culture of one of the newest branches of traditional Yorùbá Ifá/Òrìṣà practice in the United States from practitioners born in the United States that were initiated in Nigeria, West Africa.The epistemology of the Ifá/Òrìṣà belief system in the United States has been based on the history and influence of Regla de Ocha or Santeria that developed out of Cuban innovation and practice.This is an ethnographic and auto-ethnographic study that pulls from participant observation, field notes, interviews, and photos as data.The central question of this dissertation is what are the challenges and …