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An Exploratory Case Study On The Impacts Of Functional Fitness On Physical Functioning, Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living And Quality Of Life For Adults With Physical Disabilities, Brooke Beidler

All Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the specific case of participating in a functional fitness program for adults with physical disabilities. Although there is a growing body of literature concerning the importance of physical exercise for individuals with disabilities, little to no research has been completed specifically concerning the utilization of functional fitness. This study defines functional fitness as a physical exercise program, and explores the phenomenon of impacts to functioning for the participants who were involved. Through the means of case study methodology, this study assessed the impacts of functional fitness participation on physical functioning, instrumental activities …

Intermittent Estimation Of Volumetric Mass Transfer Coefficient Using Offgas Sensor Data For Continuous Our Estimation For Cho Cell Culture, Swadeel Deepak Gaad

All Theses

For the last several years drugs based on monoclonal antibodies have been manufactured using Chinese Hamster Ovaries (CHO) cells by the bio-pharmaceutical industries to treat cancer and other autoimmune diseases. Several control strategies are used to increase the productivity and efficiency in bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing. Cell growth can be controlled by adjusting the feed rate based on oxygen uptake rate of the cells in the bioreactor. Determining the volumetric mass transfer coefficient and oxygen saturation concentration is vital in correctly estimating oxygen uptake rate. Thus, a robust and efficient method to determine volumetric mass transfer coefficient and oxygen saturation concentration, which …

The Impact Of Surfactant On The Transport Of Toxoplasma Gondii Oocysts Through Unsaturated Soil, Erin N. Kinsey

All Theses

Toxoplasma gondii is among the most prevalent parasites affecting warm-blooded animals, including humans. In humans, it poses health risks for immunocompromised populations and for fetuses including damage to the eyes brain and other organs. Humans may come in contact with T. gondii through the consumption of infected animal flesh or accidental contact with cat feces. Its life cycle includes numerous intermediate hosts and felids as the definitive host, which has allowed for its spread through nearly the entire world. T. gondii has been detected in open water, soil and animal feeds. Its transport has not been well studied to this …

A Change Plan For District Professional Learning And Teacher Collaboration In The Area Of Elementary English Language Arts Instruction, Scott Carlson

Dissertations

This change plan used Wagner et al.’s (2006) framework to assess the arenas of culture, context, conditions, and competencies of a small suburban school district to create a plan for professional learning and teacher collaboration in the area of English Language Arts instruction. However, a backmapping approach could be used to plan professional learning in any subject area. Building on the judgments and recommendations from my program evaluation, I hope to move the school district toward a more comprehensive model of transformational learning. A secondary goal of this change plan is to build the capacity of the district’s staff development …

Implementation Of Music In A Simulated Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas) Monitoring Task To Alleviate The Vigilance Decrement, Maria Chaparro

Theses and Dissertations

The vigilance decrement is a thoroughly researched phenomenon in psychological literature and has been identified in many monotonous tasks. Although the phenomenon has been recorded for approximately 80 years, no universal repair, or theory to account for its onset, has been identified. Jobs requiring monotonous task performance have been increasing as time has elapsed, in part due to the rise in automation. Furthermore, much of the vigilance literature does not address modern, more complex tasks, such as the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) monitoring task. A potential method that has been proposed to combat the vigilance decrement is the inclusion of …

Barriers To Mentoring Women Of Color For Corporate Leadership: Implications For Organizations, Donna Marie Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring as a human capital development initiative is critical to leadership development for organizational sustainment. Previous research has identified that barriers to mentoring relationships for women of color in organizations exist, confirmed by the finding that a factor in barriers to corporate promotion for women is a lack of mentoring. This dissertation explores the implications that barriers to workplace mentoring relationships may have for organizations from the perspective of women of color. Findings suggest that barriers to mentoring relationships experienced and perceived by women of color have evolved in presentation or diminished since those found by previous research. This research …

Norms For Baseline Concussion Tests, Kaci Lee Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The present study was designed to establish Baseline concussion normative data for non-athlete students using the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT-5), Rey Word Recognition Test (RWRT), The A Random Letter Test of Auditory Vigilance (A-Test) and the Rey Dot Counting Test (DCT). The study considers the comparative differences when the non-athletes are told to complete the task to the best of their ability, to those who are told to perform poorly on purpose, and those who are instructed how to perform badly. Method: Sixty non-athlete students at Florida Institute of Technology volunteered in the study using the university’s online …

An Examination Of The Degree Of Self-Knowledge Across Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, And Millennials, Jenna Marie Manelli

Theses and Dissertations

Generations and their differences, as well as the construct of self-knowledge, have been studied at length due to their potential predictive power over an individual’s behaviors. This research proposes to build upon these constructs by blending them together in order to see the differences that exist on various personality dimensions, as well as on self-knowledge, between the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial generations. In order to test these hypotheses, archival data were used. Participants in the archival data set were grouped based on their generation depending on the year of their birth. The federal government, specifically the U.S. Census …

Quantitative Measurement Techniques For Vibration And Buffet, Edward Thomas Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

This paper outlines a proposed parameter for measurement of vibration and buffet in vehicles. It is intended to be used where applicable in lieu of raw accelerometer data or qualitative comments to measure ride quality, quantify vibration levels, and aid in certification matters. In flight vehicle applications which employ fly-by wire flight control systems with closed loop and variable gain control laws, the phenomenon of buffet in its various forms is becoming somewhat specious as an aircrew cue in relation to the stability and control of flight vehicles. In these applications, stability and control throughout the operating envelope is designed …

Development Of Adaptable Human-Machine Interface For Teleoperation Over Time Delay, May Nyein Chan

Theses and Dissertations

The Adaptable Human-Machine Interface (AHMI) was developed for the Orbital Robotic Interaction, On-orbit servicing, and Navigation (ORION) Laboratory of the Florida Institute of Technology. The primary project objective was to develop and test a predictive display for mitigating the effects of time delay in teleoperation of space robots and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) using quadcopters as a test case. Regardless of the increasing popularity of various autonomous systems, research and development of teleoperating system should not be neglected since it is often utilized as a back-up in most autonomous systems especially in systems for human spaceflight and UAV operations in …

What Influences Whether Family Forest Owners Participate In Outreach Campaigns?, Brett J. Butler, Sarah M. Butler, Kelley Dennings, Tricia Gorby Knoot

Journal of Extension

We used an experimental design to analyze factors affecting participation rates for family forest owner outreach campaigns. Through logistic regression, we assessed the participation rates as a function of campaign and landowner attributes. Participation rates ranged from 3% to 14%. Owners offered a publication were on average 4.3 times more likely to participate than those offered a forester visit. Owners with a college degree were on average 1.5 times more likely to participate than those with lower levels of formal education. Extension and other outreach professionals can use knowledge of these factors to design more effective outreach campaigns.

Small Science: A Tool And Tips For Converting Food Science Demonstrations Into Public Inquiry Experiences, Catherine E. Vrentas, Thomas M. Zinnen

Journal of Extension

Small-scale science activities provide an opportunity for engagement of diverse, large audiences at settings such as 4-H fairs. We present practical information for implementation of small-scale food science experiences in the Extension education context. Our focus is description of a tool for adaptation of activities for inquiry-based learning and tips for miniaturization of activities to save on costs and resources.

Model Integrated Pest Management Program Delivery For Community Gardeners, Eric Barrett, Jacqueline Kowalski

Journal of Extension

The growth of community gardens has created new opportunities for urban Extension personnel at a time when staffing resources continue to decline. To serve the integrated pest management (IPM) needs of community gardening populations, Extension educators in two urban counties developed an on-site program involving a demonstration kit and planning protocol that Extension educators, program staff, and master gardener volunteers can use to teach IPM. The program provides practical, research-based information to community gardeners, allows Extension to maintain a presence in urban centers, and provides outreach to audiences who may not have used Extension resources historically.

Pest: A Method For Quickly Detecting Invasive Insects Introduced Into An Area, Don Mcmoran, Ben Diehl

Journal of Extension

Agricultural regions are under constant threat of attack from invasive species. Washington State University Skagit County Extension encourages agents to use the pest methodology as a guide for ensuring that nonnative insects are quickly detected once introduced into their counties. The key components of this approach include working together with the public, ensuring education of Extension agents and other interested parties, obtaining support through funding and collaborations, and implementing a rigorous trapping protocol. The pest approach was used in capturing the first specimens of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), in Skagit County.

Ensuring Food Safety As Demand For Improved Food System Efficiency Increases, Abigail Snyder, Kate Shumaker, Nicole Nelsen

Journal of Extension

Food security and safety issues have been central to Extension programming since its inception, but emerging concerns over the issues of food waste and system inefficiency have brought new challenges to the forefront. Social change ideas related to reducing food waste include use of secondary quality produce, date label elimination, repurposing of food scraps, and donation and gleaning of food. Implementation of these ideas often intersects with issues of food safety. Therefore, it is incumbent on Extension professionals nationwide to consider how best to use content and expertise to address modern food security, food waste, and food safety challenges.

Exploring The Role Of Social Media In The Identity Development Of Trans Individuals, B. Doss

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study explores the role of social media in the identity development of trans individuals and whether it can be viewed as a means to gain social support and thus enhance positive identity development. Traditional models of identity development, as well as those for trans individuals, count social support as a key factor in psychosocial well-being, and adaptive coping. However, many trans people may face difficulty in finding or accessing direct social support. This study consisted of five semi-structured interviews with trans individuals exploring their experiences using social media and their perceptions of its influence on their identity development. Using, …

The Impact Of Black Lives Matter Movement Publicity On Juror Decision Making, Emily R. Nerness

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Others have investigated separately whether general pretrial publicity (PTP) or racial salience have an impact on juror decision making, but no one has explored a potential connection between the two. With information about the Black lives matter (BLM) movement recurring in the media, the question arises of whether news about the BLM movement can increase racial salience, thereby influencing juror decision making. The present research addressed whether 1) exposing participants to pro-BLM or negative-BLM news articles would influence verdicts and guilt ratings when compared to a control group, 2) whether this PTP effect would be different for Black versus White …

Infrastructure-Based Access Policy Enforcement Using Software-Defined Networks, Tyler Carden Culp

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a method to enhance network security using software defined networks. Standard networks use perimeter-based defenses to block attackers from gaining access to internal systems. A key problem with standard networks is that once a malicious entity has gained access to the network, they are often able to freely move throughout the network and to attack internal systems with impunity. This problem can be mitigated by placing defenses such as firewalls between machines on the network, but this approach requires significant resources and constant maintenance. If the network infrastructure itself is leveraged as a defense by individualizing the …

Phonon Polariton Enhanced Infrared Waveguides, Yuchen Yang

Theses and Dissertations

The need for robust, reliable and sensitive terahertz (THz) sources and detectors has motivated the research into waveguiding structures. The increasing adoption of micro- and nanofabricated optical components addresses the critical challenge of guiding light with subwavelength confinement. Surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguides are among the most promising candidates for manipulating light on subwavelength scales and harbor many potential applications at visible and nearinfrared (NIR) wavelengths. However, the metal in the waveguide yields very weak or nonexistent response in the mid and long wave infrared range, since metal in this region is very lossy and has large magnitude real and …

Antibacterial Activity Of Essential Oil Extracts From Curcuma Xanthorrhiza Roxb. Rhizomes Against Bacteria Causing Pulp Necrosis, Dwi Prijatmoko, Nakhita L. Syafira, Pujiana E. Lestari

Journal of Dentomaxillofacial Science

Objective: To analyze antibacterial activity of essential oil extracted from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. rhizomes against bacteria causing pulp necrosis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Material and Methods: The method used in this research was disc-diffusion on MH-A media, based on the standard protocol of National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). This method used 4 replications in each of the study group. The study group consists of 4 different concentration groups (25%, 50%, 75% and 100% ) of Temulawak rhizomes essential oil extracts, ChKM and Cresophene were used as the positive control group and DMSO (10%) and Tween …

How Holocaust Memories Continue To Divide The Serbs And The Croats, Matthew James Hone

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In Holocaust and genocide education, we frequently and rightly stress remembrance in order to honor the victims of the past as well as to safeguard our future from repeated transgressions. However, there are parts of the world where remembering or “misremembering” atrocities accentuates the fracturing of communities. In the Balkans, the festering wounds that have been inflicted throughout history never seem to truly heal, as the past, both real and fictionalized, drives contemporary and competing realities. This is noticeably evident with the modern-day rifts separating ethnic Croats and ethnic Serbs, which despite recent political inroads and relative stability, persist in …

Present Condition And Role Of The Catholic Church In Poland, Alfred Marek Wierzbicki

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

My remarks about the present condition and role of the Catholic Church in Poland are not based on formal sociological research, for I am not a sociologist. I would like just to share some observations and concerns about the situation in which I live as Christian and priest. My report is mostly based on the personal experience, but in spite of the subjective perspective I seek to objectivize my views as much as possible by taking into account a broader context.

Estudio Contrastivo Intercultural De Las Funciones Retóricas De Las Citas: La Producción De Textos Académicos En El Nivel De Posgrado Escritos En Español E Inglés, David Sánchez-Jiménez

Publications and Research

The main objective of this research is to discover which rhetorical functions were used in the Master´s thesis writing written by eight (8) American and eight (8) Spanish postgraduates in their na-tive language. A computerized tex-tual analysis of the rhetorical func-tion of citation was used to study this phenomenon (Petrić, 2007). The results obtained from the re-search showed that the different cultural conventions in the thesis writing indicate that when com-pared with native Spanish writers, the American writers of English use the highest number of cita-tions, and write a relatively longer Introduction and Conclusion parts. On the other hand, the …

Irisin Protects Heart Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through A Sod2-Dependent Mitochondria Mechanism, Zhen Wang, Ken Chen, Yu Han, Hua Zhu, Xinyu Zhou, Tao Tan, Jing Zeng, Jun Zhang, Yukai Liu, Yu Li, Yonggang Yao, Jianxun Yi, Duofen He, Jingsong Zhou, Jianjie Ma, Chunyu Zeng

Faculty and Staff Publications

Irisin, a muscle-origin protein derived from the extracellular domain of the fibronectin domain-containing 5 protein (FNDC5), has been shown to modulate mitochondria welfare through paracrine action. Here, we test the hypothesis that irisin contributes to cardioprotection after myocardial infarction by preserving mitochondrial function in cardiomyocytes. Animal model studies show that intravenous administration of exogenous irisin produces dose-dependent protection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury to the heart as reflected by the improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction and the reduction in serum level of cTnI (n = 15, P < 0.05). I/R-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes is reduced after irisin treatment. The irisin-mediated protection has, at least in part, an effect on mitochondrial function because administration of irisin increases irisin staining in the mitochondria of the infarct area. Irisin also reduces I/R-induced oxidative stress as determined by mitochondrial membrane potential evaluation and superoxide FLASH event recording (n = 4, P < 0.05). The interaction between irisin and superoxide dismutase2 (SOD2) plays a key role in the protective process because irisin treatment increases SOD activity (n = 10, P < 0.05) and restores the mitochondria localization of SOD2 in cardiomyocytes (n = 5, P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that irisin plays a protective role against I/R injury to the heart. Targeting the action of irisin in mitochondria presents a novel therapeutic intervention for myocardial infarction.

The Cytotoxic Effects Of Essential Oils On Estrogen Receptor Positive Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line, Desalyn Louise Johnson

Perpetua: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at UAH

The estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was exposed to 11 essential oils that were extracted from various plants. MTT assays were executed to determine the percentage of killed cells after essential oil exposure. Three oils possessed cytotoxic activity; they originated from the species Helichrysum italicum (HEITEO), Juniperus communis (JUCOEO), and Picea mariana (PIMAEO). The acronyms are derived from the first two letters of the genus and species name, followed by "EO". HEITEO, JUCOEO, and PIMAEO produced percent kill values of 99.1%, 99.4% and 98.9% respectively at concentrations of 0.01 micrograms/microliter. An LC50 value was obtained for Picea …

An Art Corrupted: Classical Music And Musicians In The Third Reich, John South

Perpetua: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at UAH

This article examines the importance of classical music to the nationalism of the Third Reich, the policies and attitudes the regime adopted regarding classical music, and the subsequent effect on the lives of musicians living in the Reich. To this end, the experiences of several individual musicians are detailed, including those who were oppressed by the regime, used it to their advantage, and, in rare cases, openly opposed it. The enduring climate of anti-Semitism in both German and global society as a result of Nazi Germany's legacy is also discussed, including the unresolved issue of harassment and bigotry that musicians …

Perpetua, Volume 3, Issue 1, Fall 2018

Perpetua: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at UAH

No abstract provided.

A Look Into Electronic Word-Of-Mouth: The Willingness Of Consumers To Write Online Reviews, Michelle Le

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the willingness of a consumer to write an online review in relation to their love for a brand, their attachment to a brand and their satisfaction with shopping online for that brand. There are limited empirical studies that investigate the impact of Brand Love, Brand Attachment, and Electronic Shopping Experience Satisfaction on online reviews. Brand Love is the extent of emotional attachment that a content consumer feels for a certain brand or trade name whereas Brand Attachment measures the degree or strength to which consumers connects themselves with a brand. Lastly, a …

On Pediatric Vaccines And Catholic Social Teaching, Conor M. Kelly

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

Determining whether, and when, to get one's children vaccinated has become an increasingly controversial decision, often leaving parents fearful of making the “wrong” choice. Part of the challenge stems from the fact that what is rationally optimal for an individual is inherently at odds with the best outcome for the community, meaning that if everyone acted out of self-interest with respect to pediatric vaccines, communal health would suffer significantly. Given these tensions, the issue of pediatric vaccines benefits greatly from the nuanced assessment of Catholic social teaching. Specifically, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace's “four permanent principles” of human …

Identification Of Receptor Ligands In Apo B100 Reveals Potential Functional Domains, Juan Guevara Jr., Jamie Romo Jr., Ernesto Hernandez, Natalia Valentinova Guevara

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

LDL, VLDL and other members of the low-density lipoparticles (LLPs) enter cells through a large family of receptors. The actual receptor ligand(s) in apolipoprotein B100, one of the main proteins of LLP, remain(s) unknown. The objective of this study was to identify true receptor ligand(s) in apo B100, a molecule of 4,563 residues. Apo B100 contains 33 analogues of Cardin-Weintraub Arginine/Lysine-based receptor ligand motifs and shares key Lysine motifs and sequence similarity with the LDL receptor-associated protein, RAP, MESD, and heat shock proteins. Eleven FITC-labeled synthetic peptides of 21 – 42 residues, with at least one ligand, were tested for …