Digital Commons Network^™

Arctic Landscape Dynamics: Modern Processes And Pleistocene Legacies, Louise M. Farquharson

Geosciences

The Arctic Cryosphere (AC) is sensitive to rapid climate changes. The response of glaciers, sea ice, and permafrost-influenced landscapes to warming is complicated by polar amplification of global climate change which is caused by the presence of thresholds in the physics of energy exchange occurring around the freezing point of water. To better understand how the AC has and will respond to warming climate, we need to understand landscape processes that are operating and interacting across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This dissertation presents three studies from Arctic Alaska that use a combination of field surveys, sedimentology, …

Satellite Remote Sensing Of Active Wildfires In Alaska's Boreal Forest, Christine F. Waigl

Geosciences

This research addresses improvements to the detection and characterization of active wildfires in Alaska with satellite-based sensors. The VIIRS I-band Fire Detection Algorithm for High Latitudes (VIFDAHL) was developed and evaluated against existing active fire products from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). This new algorithm is based on VIIRS 375 m spatial resolution imagery and was tuned using fires in Alaska's boreal forest. It provides improved fire detection of low-intensity fires, especially during daytime and at sensor zenith angles smaller than approximately 50° off nadir. Low-intensity active fires, which represent residual …

Music To Mend Heartache: Song Choices To Match, Change, And Distract Mood, Rhiannon Kallis, Anna V. Ortiz Juarez-Paz

The Qualitative Report

Romantic turmoil is something that most people experience in their life. When faced with an upsetting event, such as a breakup or fight with a partner, a person may turn to music to achieve a more desirable state of mind. The current study extended past research on music and coping by focusing specifically on a person’s use of music when they have emotional distress due to a romantic event. Ten interviews revealed the major theme “Music as a Tool,” regarding how people use music as social support. The first subtheme, Alliance with Mood, describes how participants used music as a …

Researcher Emotions As Data, A Tool And A Factor In Professional Development, Liora Nutov

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this paper is to explore and reflect on my own emotions while carrying out a research process and on their effect on the research and on myself as a researcher. After a brief literature review of the ways in which researcher emotions are perceived in qualitative research in the field of social sciences, I offer a reflective account of my own experience and suggest that researcher emotions can serve both as additional data and as an analyzing tool, as well as being a factor in the professional development of researchers.

Following The Flâneur: The Methodological Possibilities And Applications Of Flânerie In New Urban Spaces, Jessica Rizk, Anton Birioukov

The Qualitative Report

This paper considers the historic concept of flânerie, the act of “strolling” through urban spaces, as an unconventional approach to gathering qualitative data. In adopting a flânerie identity, the researcher is able to critically analyze urban spaces and the relation of self to those spaces. Through a (re)conceptualization of the 19th century flâneur, we explicate the methodological possibilities and applications of flânerie, in particular, as suited to excavating new urban tropes, whilst giving expression to new urban subjectivities. The authors adopt a flânerie identity, engaging in a qualitative inquiry vis-à-vis two “strolls” occurring in Toronto, Canada. The strolls provide opportunities …

Respons Tiga Klon Tanaman Rami (Boehmeria Nivea (L.) Gaud) Terhadap Konsentrasi Asam Giberelat Yang Berbeda, Cucu Suherman, Anne Nuraini, Veronika Sri Rahayu Wulandari

Jurnal Kultivasi

Tanaman rami merupakan salah satu jenis tanaman perkebunan penghasil serat yang serat-nya dapat dimanfaatkan dalam industri tekstil. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh interaksi zat pengatur tumbuh asam giberelat (GA3) dan tiga klon rami terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman rami serta mengetahui interaksi konsentrasi asam giberelat dan klon rami yang paling baik. Percobaan dilakukan di Kebun Percobaan Ciparanje, Fakultas Pertanian, Universitas Padjadjaran, Kabupaten Sumedang, ordo tanah Inceptisol, waktu pelaksanaan bulan Februari 2017 sampai bulan April 2017. Tipe curah hujan C (agak basah) menurut klasifikasi Schmidt dan Fergusson, dengan ketinggian tempat 754 mdpl. Percobaan ini menggunakan Rancangan Acak Kelompok pola Faktorial …

Migration Patterns And Energetics Of Adult Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus Tshawystcha In Alaska Rivers, Kristin R. Neuneker

Fisheries

Adult Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha undertake extensive and energetically costly migrations between food resources in the ocean and their freshwater spawning habitats, requiring them to adapt behavioral and physiological traits that allow them to successfully reach their spawning streams and reproduce. Such adaptations may be shaped by physical factors in the environment and individual- and population-specific biological characteristics. Chinook Salmon in North America are important resources for both United States and Canadian stakeholders, but relatively little is known about their freshwater migration patterns and energetic status in many rivers across their range. This research explored variation in migration timing and …

Estimating Sizes Of Fish Consumed By Ice Seals Using Otolith Length-Fish Length Relationships, Kelly Walker

Fisheries

Arctic fishes and ice seals are key components of the Alaskan Arctic ecosystem. Bearded (Erignathus barbatus), spotted (Phoca largha) and ringed (Pusa hispida) seals are consumers of Arctic marine fishes. Little is known about the sizes of fish that ice seals consume because prey items are digested quickly once exposed to stomach acids. Otoliths, fish ear bones, are often the only parts of a fish that remain in a seal stomach. Otolith length relates directly to fish length, making size estimations of consumed fish possible for piscivore diet studies. Otoliths were measured from fishes collected from cruises in the Beaufort …

Language Abilities In Single- And Dual- Language Learners With Autism Or Other Developmental Disorders, Yael Dai

Master's Theses

Parents and providers worry that exposure to two languages will impair language acquisition in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental delays (DD). However, limited research to date suggests that language milestones and abilities are unaffected. The current study explored language abilities in toddlers with ASD or DD exposed to one versus multiple languages, prior to any intervention. Results showed slower language acquisition in ASD than DD but no main effect of language exposure group or interaction of language group by diagnosis. This study suggests that bilingual parents can communicate with their children in both languages without harm …

Human Dimensions Of Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus Horridus) Management In Connecticut, Lindsay Keener-Eck

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Maternal Involvement In Early Childhood: Exploring The Roles Of Maternal Stress And Children’S Narrative Representations Of Mothers, Rahmet Akpolat

Master's Theses

For children from low-income families, parent school involvement can be a crucial protective factor that supports children’s cognitive and emotional development. The present study seeks to explore how maternal stress in early childhood is associated with mothers’ later school involvement and whether children’s internalized positive, disciplinary and negative maternal representations act as potential mediators of this relationship. Currently, little research has been done on the contextual factors influencing parent school involvement in early childhood and this study aims to fill this gap in the literature. The data included 169 children and mothers from low-income families. Mothers completed questionnaires designed to …

Analysis Of A Newly Digitized Long-Term Dataset Of Environmental Observations From Long Island Sound, Jacob Snyder

Master's Theses

Project Oceanology, a non-profit oceanographic educational organization has been collecting data including pH, oxygen, and temperature conditions as well as abundances of benthic invertebrates and near-shore fish catches since 1972 from Eastern Long Island Sound. These data had been stored solely on single-copy paper sheets and were therefore inaccessible to analysis. I digitized more than 100,000 abiotic measurements and 50,000 species abundance and size data collected over the past 45 years, and developed a web-based SQL database housed on the Long Island Sound Integrated Coastal Observing System (LISICOS) server. The database will ultimately become a searchable, downloadable, user-friendly web-based tool …

Cultural Differences In Group Therapy: A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Embodied Experience Of The Cultural Bump, Natalie R. Breitmeyer

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Utilizing transcendental phenomenology, this study sought to better understand dance/movement therapists’ experiences of the culture bump phenomenon in the group therapy setting. Culture bumps are defined as moments in which two or more people enter a situation with different culturally-based expectations about customs, behavior, beliefs, communication styles, and other norms (Archer & Nickson, 2012). Data were collected using individual inperson semi-structured interviews with five Chicagoland dance/movement therapists who self identified as having experienced the phenomenon of the culture bump while in the group therapy setting. Data analysis was completed using Moustakas’ (1994) adaptation of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method and resulted in …

Parental Perceptions On The Impact Of Adhd Medication Regarding Children’S Inappropriate Behavior And Academic Performance, Amy Vest

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) suggested that parenting a healthy child brings about a variety of challenges throughout life, however parenting a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) proves a daunting task inundated with unanswered questions and multitudes of stressful situations. The purpose of this research is to study parent perceptions of a child’s ADHD medication to determine if a relationship exists between the ADHD medication, inappropriate behavior and academic performance. The quantitative survey instrument provided the means to examine the significance of the child’s ADHD medication on one day of the parent’s choice within the …

The Role Of Brain Stem 5-Ht1a And Gaba-A Receptors In The Thermoregulatory Response To Hypoxic Stress, Alexander Schmidt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a leading cause of infant mortality. Alterations in brainstem development of Serotonin (5HT) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are linked to its cause. The sympathetic premotor neurons located in the Nucleus of the Raphe Pallidus (NRP) in the brainstem have both 5-HT1A and GABA-A receptor subtypes that mediate protective cardiovascular responses to environmental stress. It is hypothesized that alteration in these receptors at the NRP will also modify protective thermoregulatory responses to hypoxic stress such as hypothermia. Using aseptic techniques, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (230-385g) were instrumented with radiotelemetry probes to non-invasively measure core …

Tetrameric Structure Of Beta-Amylase 2 (Bam2) In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Lauren Elizabeth Pope

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Plants store starch during the day for use at night. This process of transitory starch degradation is mostly attributable to the β-Amylase (BAM) family, which are starch exohydrolases that cleave the penultimate α-1,4 glycosidic bonds of starch to release maltose. BAM2 was recently characterized as a catalytically active, K⁺-requiring tetramer with sigmoidal kinetics and cooperativity. All other catalytically active BAMs display Michaelis-Menten kinetics, no cooperativity, and do not require salt, making BAM2’s characteristics intriguing. Due to a lack of a crystal structure, a monomeric homology model of BAM2 was generated using I-TASSER based on a BAM5 from soybean. …

Using Social Narratives To Improve The Healthcare Experiences Of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Margaret Spindel

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience significant emotional stress when they visit a healthcare provider. The focus of this research project was to explore the use of social narratives to help reduce stress associated with this environment. Social narratives are short stories designed to walk a child through a potential situation that they will encounter, that they may not be familiar with, or that they are not currently handling properly. As part of an initial literature review, evidence for the need for additional intervention in the healthcare setting for children with ASD was established. Continuing literature review then …

Out Of The Darkness And Into The Limelight: How Nurse Jackie Betters The Nursing Image, Shayla M. Holloway

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Due to the media’s portrayal of nurses, the nursing image has been

misconstrued over the past few years. Although nurses tend to be overlooked in the

media, there are television series out there that help promote the profession. This

essay considers how the television series Nurse Jackie is positively changing

society’s view of the modern day nurse. By analyzing some of the main protagonists

in season one of this controversial late night drama, one can see how Nurse Jackie

dispels popular nursing stereotypes and enhances the nursing image. Although

viewers may not grasp this shows impact on nursing, this show …

Eighteenth And Nineteenth Century Bassoon Tutors And Their Published Contributions To Bassoon Pedagogy, Gina Michelle Moore

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This research project is a survey of eighteenth and nineteenth century bassoon tutors and their contributions to bassoon pedagogy. Tutors for this project were chosen from the two main schools of bassoon playing and pedagogy during the time centered in France and Germany. Bassoon teachers surveyed will include: Joseph Frölich, Karl Almenräder, Christian Julius Weissenborn, Ludwig Milde, Etienne Ozi, Eugène Jancourt, and Eugène Bourdeau.

Navigating Culture: An Exploration Of Domestic Violence And Abuse Resource Provision To The Harrisonburg Iraqi Refugee Community, Kaitlin Michelle Holland

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

There are currently 22.5 million refugees worldwide who have been displaced from their home countries due to war, conflict, or persecution. Of this total, only 1% are recommended for resettlement each year. In recent years, many of these resettled refugees have come from Iraq, fleeing conflict stemming from the Iraq war and ISIS. Upon resettlement, refugees face significant acculturation difficulties that can negatively affect mental health. Additionally, experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) can also negatively affect physical and mental health. I researched how the refugee migration experience and domestic violence and abuse affect mental health as well as what …

Theatre For The Community: A Practical Application, Megan Larissa Ciszek

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application

This paper serves to synthesize and reflect upon my Creative Honors Capstone project entitled “Theatre for the Community: A Practical Application.” The initial steps of the project included research into community based theatre and community outreach. This research was then used to inspire the process necessary for a fully realized production of Annie Baker’s Body Awareness, structured with community collaboration in mind. In this way, Body Awareness’ process acted as my first attempt at the practical application of my research. This paper both acts as the exploration of the concept of creating and …

Ionis Scientists Provide Initial Assessment Of Successful Phase 1/2a Huntington's Disease Trial And Discuss Next Steps, Kenneth P. Serbin

At Risk for Huntington's Disease

No abstract provided.

Small-Animal Models Of Zika Virus, Justin G. Julander, Venkatraman Siddharthan

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can result in serious consequences, including severe congenital manifestations, persistent infection in the testes and neurologic sequelae. After a pandemic emergence, the virus has spread to much of the new world and has been introduced to many countries outside of endemic areas as infected travelers return to their home countries. Rodent models have been important in gaining a better understanding of the wide range of disease etiologies associated with ZIKV infection and for the initial phase of developing countermeasures to prevent or treat viral infections. We discuss herein the advantages and disadvantages of small animal models …

Pathological Personality Traits And Neuropsychological Function, Rui Tang

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Traditional categorical diagnosis in DSM-5 has received widespread criticism due to its extreme heterogeneity, poor diagnostic reliability, poor validity and high comorbidity. The alternative trait model introduced the domain of psychoticism, which captures the trait of positive schizotypy. Positive schizotypy has been linked to vulnerability to schizophrenia spectrum disorders, which has shown several areas of neuropsychological dysfunction. Considerable evidence has demonstrated that the dimensional model has superior reliability and validity and ties to important clinical constructs such as neuropsychological function. Little research has tied the dimensional model of personality pathology to neuropsychological domains including processing speed and executive function. The …

African-American Males, Part-Time Work, And Persistence, Ami M. Tripp

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The central research question for this study asked how do African-American males perceive working part-time, while enrolled full-time, to have an impact on their persistence? A secondary question asked, what factors influenced African-American male students to persist through graduation? The participants comprised of 35 African-American male college students who graduated Spring 2016. This study was focused on part-time employment and its support of persistence for African-American men. Hence, persistence theory was the most pertinent lens through which to view the literature and the data collected in this study. This study employed a case study research, as it is an empirical …

Dual Enrollment And Rural Alaska: A Qualitative Case Study Examining Student Access And Impact, Corey S. Weiss

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This case study employed an interview process that examined the access rural Alaskan students have to dual enrollment and how it differs from the access of similar school districts in remote areas of Texas. The interviewees consisted of administrators of five school districts in northern and western Alaska and their counterparts in districts in western Texas. The outcome of this study is relevant to dual enrollment research as it provides more data from a region that has been overlooked by researchers and establishes that the school districts have a substantial degree of access to dual enrollment, with no significant differences …

Perceptions Of Effective Teaching Strategies And Assessments Of Critical Thinking In Radiographic Clinical Practice, Christian Raby

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The following dissertation represents research concerning radiologic science clinical coordinators and program director’s perception of student critical thinking skills, teaching strategies and assessment. The survey used in the study was based on Gosnell’s (2010) model that evaluated critical thinking skills in radiography program director perceptions. Results from the research offers a contribution to the field of radiography in general and specifically in clinical practice. The survey was sent electronically through Qualtrics to 523 clinical coordinators employed at JRCERT accredited institutions. A solid 31.74% response rate was reached with a slightly skewed delineation of facility representation (hospital 18.9%, community college 38.41% …

The Mediating Role Of Trauma Symptoms In Teen Dating Violence Victimization, Caitlin Rancher, Ernest Jouriles, Renee Mcdonald, Jeff Temple, David Rosenfield

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

This research examined whether the frequency of recent physical and sexual teen dating violence (TDV) victimization is associated with re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal trauma symptoms, and whether they, in turn, predict the frequency of future TDV victimization. Participants were 104 (49% female) 14 to 17 year olds, recruited primarily from truancy courts to participate in three assessments, spaced three months apart. Adolescents reported on their trauma symptoms, experiences of physical and sexual dating violence victimization and characteristics of their romantic relationship at every assessment. Results indicated that the frequency of recent TDV victimization is related to re-experiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal …

2017 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 16.

Commencement Speaker: Herb Byrd III

Micro-Architectured Metamaterials: Design And Analysis, Li Ai

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Metamaterials are engineered materials with unusual properties deriving mainly from their micro-architectures rather than composition. They have attracted increasing attention owing to their tailorable multi-functional properties that cannot be exhibited by naturally-occurring or traditionally-manufactured materials. Materials with a negative Poisson’s ratio (PR) and materials with a non-positive coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are examples of mechanical metamaterials. In this dissertation, metamaterials with negative Poisson’s ratios and negative coefficients of thermal expansion are designed using both heuristic approaches and topology optimization methods.

Firstly, based on a star-shaped re-entrant structure, three two-dimensional (2-D) periodic cellular materials are developed, which can be tailored …