Digital Commons Network^™

Lipophosphoglycan Polymorphisms Do Not Affect Leishmania Amazonensis Development In The Permissive Vectors Lutzomyia Migonei And Lutzomyia Longipalpis, Paula M. Nogueira, Agna C. Guimarães, Rafael R. Assis, Jovana Sadlova, Jitka Myskova, Katerina Pruzinova, Jana Hlavackova, Salvatore J. Turco, Ana C. Torrecilhas, Petr Volf, Rodrigo P. Soares

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Background: Lipophosphoglycan (LPG) is a dominant surface molecule of Leishmaniapromastigotes. Its species-specific polymorphisms are found mainly in the sugars that branch off the conserved Gal(β1,4)Man(α1)-PO₄ backbone of repeat units. Leishmania amazonensis is one of the most important species causing human cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World. Here, we describe LPG intraspecific polymorphisms in two Le. amazonensis reference strains and their role during the development in three sand fly species.

Results: Strains isolated from Lutzomyia flaviscutellata (PH8) and from a human patient (Josefa) displayed structural polymorphism in the LPG repeat units, possessing side chains with 1 and 2 β-glucose …

Common Goods In Uncommon Times: Water, Droughts, And The Sustainability Of Ancestral Pueblo Communities In The Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, Ad 1100-1700, Michael Aiuvalasit

Anthropology Theses and Dissertations

Adapting our infrastructure and institutions to climate change is a crucial dilemma for modern society. Archaeologists should be well positioned to address this issue with examples from the past. Yet, too often when we find that cultural changes are synchronous with climate variation, such as abandonment of a region during a drought, we advance causal arguments to what may merely be correlations. I argue that identifying proxies for resource management in the archaeological record, particularly for resources managed by collective action and vulnerable to climate change, can help to address this problem. To test this approach I studied water management …

Gardner-Webb Awards Over 240 Degrees During Commencement Exercises Dec. 16, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Gardner–Webb University hosted Fall Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 16, in the Lutz-Yelton Convocation Center. More than 240 graduates were honored during the ceremony, and the University conferred its 4,500th Master of Business Administration degree. The ceremony featured graduates of Gardner-Webb’s traditional undergraduate program, Degree Completion Program (DCP), and graduate programs.

Postcard, 10th Annual Holizaar At Studio@620 In St. Petersburg, Florida, Studio At 620

Postcard Collection

A promotional postcard for the 10th Annual Holizaar, a holiday art market held at Studio@620. The event features nearly 30 vendors offering a variety of items, including art, jewelry, clothing, succulents, and organic bath and body supplies. The market provides unique gift options for attendees.

2017 Fall - Commencement Program, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Commencement Ceremonies and Programs

No abstract provided.

Quantum Chemical Studies Of Noncovalent Interactions And Multicenter Bonds Utilizing Local Vibrational Modes, Vytor Oliveira

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

Noncovalent interactions play an important role for the design of novel drugs, better catalysts, synthesis of complex supramolecular structures, and so on. To develop new materials, a well-founded knowledge of how to control the strength of these interactions is desirable. Despite the many investigations done so far, a quantitative assessment of the intrinsic strength of most types of noncovalent interactions is still missing. Recently and for the first time, the Konkoli-Cremer local modes analysis was successfully used to probe the intrinsic strength of hydrogen and pnicogen bonds. We extended these investigations to more than 300 halogen and chalcogen bonds. A …

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 …

Muon-Neutrino Electron Elastic Scattering And A Search For The Muon-Neutrino Magnetic Moment In The Nova Near Detector, Biao Wang

Physics Theses and Dissertations

We use the NOvA near detector and the NuMI beam at Fermilab to study the neutrino-electron elastic scattering and the muon neutrino magnetic process beyond the Standard Model physics. The particle identifications of neutrino on electron elastic scattering are trained by using the multi-layer neural networks. This thesis provides a general discussion of this technique and shows a good agreement between data and MC for the neutrino-electron elastic weak scattering. By using 3.62e20 POT dataset in the NOvA near detector, we find 1.58e-9 Bohr magneton as the 90% C.L. upper limit. We also find a sensitivity of 8e-10 Bohr magneton …

Soil Morphological, Physical, And Chemical Parameters Affecting Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Site Quality And Ecosystem Restoration Potential In East Texas, Ryan Svehla, Kenneth W. Farrish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a large decline in coverage of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) within its range in the southeastern United States since the time of European settlement. Due to this decline, interest has developed in the re-establishment of this species on suitable sites. However, many attempts have been unsuccessful in re-establishment, likely in part due to the lack of emphasis on selection of suitable soils. Historically, longleaf pine was found on soils with a wide range of soil properties, including higher quality soils, due to frequent fires which kept many competing species suppressed. Decline in longleaf pine coverage …

Geology Of The Northern Alto Relex Area, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, Robert Schoen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Detailed, 1:12,000-scale geologic field mapping was conducted around Alto Relex in the northern Sierra Del Carmen Mountains in Big Bend National Park. Alto Relex is a prominent, near vertical, ~1000 foot-high fault-line scarp. Cretaceous rocks in the area were folded and faulted by Laramide compression, intruded by Tertiary sills and overprinted by high-angle normal faults from Basin and Range extension. During the Laramide Orogeny and Basin and Range extension, the underlying basement shear zone called, the Texas Lineament, was reactivated creating a transpressional and transtensional regimes. The general geology of this area was outlined by Moustafa (1988) working primarily from …

Structural Analysis Of The Northwest Wind Mountain Quadrangle, New Mexico: Proterozoic Shearing To Cenozoic Brittle Faulting In The Burro Mountains, Jensen Kohl Angelloz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Preliminary investigation of the Bullard Peak metamorphic series (BPMS) in the northwestern Wind Mountain quadrangle within the Burro Mountains of southwestern New Mexico suggests a possible previously unidentified shear zone, prompting detailed (1:12,000) geologic mapping and collection of structural data. The study area has a complex tectonic history, including 1) ~1.65 Ga metamorphism during accretion of the Mazatzal terrane to Laurentia’s southern margin; 2) ~1.4 Ga intrusion of Granite and Rhyolite Province granitoids; 3) significant uplift during the formation of the Ancestral Rockies (~300 Ma) and the Rocky Mountains (~70-50 Ma); and 4) inversion tectonics with reactivation of compressional faults …

Senior Recital: Jacob Morgan, Trumpet And Brooks Payne, Percussion, Jacob Morgan, Brooks Payne, Jonathan Steltzer, Muhsin Quraishi, Brad Cannata, Judith Cole

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degrees Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mr. Morgan studies trumpet with Douglas Lindsey. Mr. Payne studies percussion with John Lawless.

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 …

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 …

An Informatics Solution For Operating Room Efficiency, Richard A. Barrow

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Problem: For most hospitals, a major cost is the operating room. Inefficiency increases costs and risks for adverse events. An efficient operating room can also be a major revenue generator.

Context: This evidence-based performance improvement project was conducted in a small rural Veteran’s Hospital, which belongs to an integrated health network in Central California. The facility has four operating rooms and is expanding services provided to their patients.

Intervention: The intervention was the use of analytics and evaluations to improve the operating room efficiency by five percent. The use of 3 separate queries which were combined to generate reports and …

Best Practices Used By Assistant Superintendents Of Curriculum And Instruction: Improving Teacher Instruction In A High Accountability Environment, Julie Madden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multi-case study investigated not only the role of assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction, but the strategies and best practices used by four assistant superintendents of curriculum and instruction and a deputy superintendent of teaching and learning from East Texas in order to improve classroom instruction and support teachers in the high-stakes testing environment. The study sheds light on the role of central office leaders, their views related to the high-stakes testing environment and the impact they have on instruction for teachers and students. The responses given in this qualitative case study were carefully analyzed in order to …

Monitoring Soft-Mast Production In Pine Woodland Restoration Areas On The Ouachita National Forest, Tamara B. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of prescribed fire is integral to the restoration of open woodland habitats in the southeast, including shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains. Mature pine habitats maintained with recurrent disturbances have an open understory with a rich floristic diversity that provides quality habitat for many wildlife species, including the endemic and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis). Fire has many potential benefits for wildlife; however, the effects of fire on several important woody soft-mast producing species are not fully understood. Soft-mast quantity and quality is a key component in determining year-round habitat quality …

"Comrades In Their Own Right": Women's Struggle Against Apartheid In The South African Novel, Ntfonjeni Dlamini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis focuses on women’s struggle against apartheid in the South African novel. By means of textual analysis, the study explores the different ways in which apartheid oppressed women in South Africa and how women responded to the forces of oppression. In fact, at the core of this study is the contention that the anti-apartheid movement was shaped as much by women as it was by men like Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Steve Biko and Albert Luthuli, who often served as the faces of the anti-apartheid movement. Thus, this thesis situates itself within the scholarship that appreciates and recognizes …

Mechanically Tuned 3 Dimensional Hydrogels Support Human Mammary Fibroblast Growth And Viability, Kathryn Woods, Catlyn Thigpen, Jennifer Peyling Wang, Hana Park, Abigail Hielscher

PCOM Scholarly Works

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs or myofibroblasts) are activated fibroblasts which participate in breast tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance. As such, recent efforts have been directed toward understanding the factors responsible for activation of the phenotype. In this study, we have investigated how changes in the mechanical stiffness of a 3D hydrogel alter the behavior and myofibroblast-like properties of human mammary fibroblasts (HMFs).

RESULTS: Here, we utilized microbial transglutaminase (mTG) to mechanically tune the stiffness of gelatin hydrogels and used rheology to show that increasing concentrations mTG resulted in hydrogels with greater elastic moduli (G'). Upon encapsulation …

The Twilight Zone: The Confluence Of Childhood Scenes And Future Anxiety, Jongwon Bae

Theses and Dissertations

Jongwon Bae’s paintings reflect his childhood memories as an archive that is to be repressed until it manifests itself in uncertain ways as it becomes confluent with the anxiety about the future.

On Vinyl: Revival & Survival, Thom Leavy

Capstones

As a record collector and journalist, I take stock of what they mean to me while searching to better understand the “Vinyl Revival” of the past decade. I meet and pick at people who’ve worked with the medium at its height, its demise, and today. We talk about what digitization has done and will do to music, and what vinyl means to them.

https://readymag.com/u29439050/onvinyl/

Is Issa Amro The Palestinian Gandhi?, Micah Danney

Capstones

Issa Amro is a Palestinian activist who practices nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation. His work has risen him to international prominence, and drawn the ire of the authorities he criticizes. He preaches peaceful action but stands accused of incitement and troublemaking.

https://micahcdanney.atavist.com/is-issa-amro-the-palestinian-gandhi

Measuring Responses To Negative Peer Pressure Using Virtual Reality, Kelli Sargent

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent susceptibility to negative peer pressure consistently relates to maladaptive adolescent adjustment. However, measurement of this construct typically involves a mono- method, self-report approach. The current study uses virtual reality to create an observational assessment procedure for measuring adolescent responses to negative peer pressure. Participants (n = 264) completed a lab assessment, including self-reports of susceptibility to peer pressure, antisocial behavior, dating violence perpetration, and depressive symptoms. Participants also engaged in 9 virtual reality simulations (4 involving peer pressure), which were coded for resistance to peer pressure. Control participants repeated the virtual reality simulations at a 2- month follow-up. Resistance …

Rgb Image-Based Pupillary Diameter Tracking With Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Chatchai Wangwiwattana

Computer Science and Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Pupillary diameter monitoring has proven successful at objectively measuring cognitive load. This work presents three robust RGB video based pupillary diameter trackers and compares them for measuring cognitive load using commodity cameras. We investigate the use of modified starburst algorithm from previous work and propose two algorithms: 2-Level Snakuscules and a convolutional neural network which we call PupilNet. Our results show PupilNet outperforms other algorithms in measuring pupil dilation, is robust to various lighting conditions, and robust to different eye colors. In addition, this work explores various deep learning architecture for extracting the pupillary response as well as understand the …

Material State Awareness For Composites Part I: Precursor Damage Analysis Using Ultrasonic Guided Coda Wave Interferometry (Cwi), Subir Patra, Sourav Banerjee

Faculty Publications

Detection of precursor damage followed by the quantification of the degraded material properties could lead to more accurate progressive failure models for composite materials. However, such information is not readily available. In composite materials, the precursor damages—for example matrix cracking, microcracks, voids, interlaminar pre-delamination crack joining matrix cracks, fiber micro-buckling, local fiber breakage, local debonding, etc.—are insensitive to the low-frequency ultrasonic guided-wave-based online nondestructive evaluation (NDE) or Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) (~100–~500 kHz) systems. Overcoming this barrier, in this article, an online ultrasonic technique is proposed using the coda part of the guided wave signal, which is often neglected. Although …

Assessing The Impact Of Simulation Role On Anxiety And Perceived Outcomes In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Teresa A. Bates

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Translational and Clinical Research Projects

Background: Due to large class sizes and limited resources, students participating in high-fidelity simulation experiences may be assigned to an observer role as opposed to an active, nursing role. It is important for educators to determine if anxiety levels and student learning outcomes are comparable regardless of role.

Methods: A quasi-experimental correlational study composed of 132 prelicensure baccalaureate students was conducted.

Results: There were no significant differences between simulation roles for anxiety levels and perceived outcomes for satisfaction, self-confidence in learning, clinical ability, problem solving, confidence in clinical practice, and collaboration.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that either role is an …

2017 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 16.

Commencement Speaker: Herb Byrd III