Digital Commons Network^™

An Investigation Into The Effects Of Temperature On The Rheological Characteristics Of Hybrid Nanofluids, Nanda Kishore Saini

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over the past several decades, nanofluids have exhibited a great potential of enhanced heat transfer performance over conventional heat transfer fluids. These innovative nanofluids are synthesized through the dispersion of a variety of types of nanometer-sized materials throughout the base fluid that consists of either metal, metal-oxides, or non-metals particle suspensions. These nanoparticle suspensions play an important role in altering the intrinsic properties of a base fluid, and this especially true for its shear viscosity. Studies have shown that the rheological response of the base fluid under shear changes from a characteristic Newtonian behavior to non-Newtonian (shear thinning) behavior when …

Investigating Age-Related Macular Degeneration : A Chemistry Plus Biology Approach, Jennifer C. Tournear

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a retinal disease that can cause severe vision loss. It is responsible for the majority of blindness in developed countries in the elderly population. The disease is characteristically multifactorial where oxidative stress, inflammation and retinal lipofuscin (cellular waste product) accumulation have been indicated in disease progression. The retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) attaches to the Bruch's membrane (BM) and the symbiotic relationship between these two layers of the retina is essential for the visual cycle to function normally. Retinal lipofuscin is believed to contribute to drusen (characteristic deposits in the AMD BM) that negatively impact the …

Role Of Colony Integration In Metabolic Scaling Of Colonial Animals, Maram Almegbel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Metabolism, one of the canonical features of life, shows a clear correlation to organismal size. Metabolic scaling is explaining the relationship between organism body mass and metabolic rate. To explain the relationship between the metabolism and body size, several factors have to be examined including resource uptake, usage, and transportation of resources throughout the body. Empirically, metabolism usually scales as approximately mass to the ¾ power. Many theories seek to explain this relationship in terms of surface area to volume. These theories typically model unitary organisms as spheres, with surface area to volume increasing as roughly volume to the 2/3 …

Sexual Desire And Sexual Activity Among Individuals In Romantic Relationships : A Longitudinal Perspective, Ellen Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In understanding the frequency of sexual activity within a relationship and its impact on subsequent health and relationship outcomes, one understudied aspect is the link between sexual desire and activity. As sexual desire is often theorized to be a precursor to sexual activity, the first purpose of the current study was to investigate whether, and the extent to which, sexual desire predicted sexual activity. A bidirectional effect of sexual activity predicting subsequent desire was also explored. This study utilized a longitudinal design to investigate the temporal sequence between desire and sex. A total of 156 participants recruited from undergraduate college …

Reduction Of Ketones To Alcohols And Tertiary Amines Using 1-Hydrosilatrane, Sami E. Varjosaari

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

1-Hydrosilatrane is an easily synthesized, stable, solid silane which can be made into an efficient reducing agent in the presence of a Lewis base, by taking advantage of the properties of hypervalent silicon. Due to the simplicity of use and handling, 1-hydrosilatrane has the potential to be an appealing alternative to other more widely used reducing agents. Aromatic and aliphatic ketones were readily reduced with 1-hydrosilatrane in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide. The discovery of diastereoselectivity in the reduction of menthone, a chiral ketone, led to enantioselective reductions of prochiral ketones using chiral Lewis base activators. Enantiomeric excesses of up …

Examining Cross-Lagged Relations Between Behavioral Inhibition And Inhibitory Control During Early Childhood : Predicting Subsequent Internalizing And Externalizing Problems, Jacob Benjamin Holzman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Prior research has demonstrated that the early childhood developmental period is an important time period to study the emergence and development of temperament characteristics, including behavioral inhibition and inhibitory control, as well as factors that influence such characteristics. In particular, previous research has suggested that behavioral inhibition may facilitate the development of inhibitory control due to behavioral inhibition emerging earlier than inhibitory control and sharing behavioral features (i.e., inhibition). Although previous studies have examined relations between behavioral inhibition and inhibitory control, limited research has examined such relations during the emergence of inhibitory control or by utilizing multiple methodologies (i.e., observation …

Tugging At Time : The Role Of Temporal Processing In The Organization Of String-Pulling, Ashley Blackwell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Time perception is one of the most influential cognitive capacities shared across animal species. Interval timing, occurring in the range of seconds to minutes, dictates actions to events experienced in the environment. Operant conditioning techniques have traditionally been used to assess interval timing which relies heavily on extensive training. There may be alternative techniques to investigate processing of temporal information, including exploring the organization of animal's repertoire of spontaneously occurring behaviors. String-pulling behavior in rats may be an alternative way to provide a novel approach to investigate time perception in rodents. The current set of studies evaluates the effects of …

Detected, Christopher Knaggs

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Navy sub commander plays hide-and-seek with a Soviet sub.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

A Baseline Osteological Analysis Of Prehistoric Human Skeletal Remains Recovered From The Terminal Archaic Morse Site (11-F-220), Fulton County, Illinois, Matthew Shawn Kinzer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the prehistoric human skeletal remains recovered from the Terminal Archaic Morse site that was excavated during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. The project was led by Drs. Dan Morse and Georg Neumann, with assistance provided by Ms. Louise Robbins to oversee the recovery of the skeletal remains, as well as a host of various other workers and volunteers. Since the conclusion of fieldwork over fifty years ago, only a modest number of articles describing the findings from the site have been published.

In light of this circumstance, the focus of this study provides an overview of …

The Rtfa Gene Regulates Plant And Animal Pathogenesis And Secondary Metabolism In Aspergillus Flavus, Jessica Michelle Lohmar

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic fungal plant and human pathogen and producer of mycotoxins including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). As part of our ongoing studies to elucidate biological functions of the A. flavus rtfA gene, we examined its role in pathogenicity of both plant and animal model systems. rtfA encodes a putative RNA-Pol II transcription elongation factor, previously characterized in Saccharomycese cerevisiae, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus fumigatus, where it was shown to regulate several important cellular processes, including morphogenesis, secondary metabolism. In addition, an initial study in A. flavus indicated that rtfA also influences development and production of AFB1, however its effect …

Effects Of Task Goals On Processing Causal Explanations In Science Texts, Kathryn E. Rupp

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has shown that students experience difficulty understanding scientific texts that explain physical systems (e.g., how coral bleaching occurs; how speakers work). Explanatory texts about physical systems depict causally connected components and events that change across time and space. Readers incrementally build a mental representation of the system often called a mental model. The primary goal of the present experiment was to explore the possibility that one reason why explanatory texts are difficult to comprehend is that students adopt reading goals that do not facilitate the construction of a coherent mental model of the explanation. In the present experiment, …

Literacy Coaching For Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: An Exploration Of A Partnership At The Secondary Level, Kathy Jo Smith

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This case study sought to explore how literacy coaching at the secondary level can be used to assist teachers in the implementation of disciplinary literacy instruction, specifically in the high school history classroom. Based on the new Common Core State Standards, all teachers are required to teach reading, writing, and communicating as it pertains to each academic subject. In addition, standardized test scores continue to show little to no progress at the secondary level when it comes to reading and mathematics. Researchers have called for more rigorous disciplinary-literacy instruction at the high school level to address below-average standardized test scores. …

Gender Differences In Perceived Barriers Of Aspiring Superintendents, Maureen Cassidy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There continues to be a discrepancy in the number of females occupying the superintendent position in the United States. In Illinois, 24% of superintendents are female while 75% educators are female. This study examined the perceived barriers of aspiring superintendents in achieving the top position in education as well as the differences between genders regarding these perceptions. Data for this study was collected through a survey of the perceptions of barriers. The 85 participants for this study either completed the survey online or on paper. Based on frequency distribution analysis, twelve barriers were perceived as high impediments to pursuing the …

Improved Approximate Bayesian Computation Methods For Censored And Uncensored Data, Tatiana Dmitrieva

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) is a method of statistical inference that does not require the exact model to be known. It is generally used for complex models, where the likelihood function is intractable or computationally difficult. ABC has lately become very useful in areas such as genetics, biology, ecology, and epidemiology, due to the complex structures arising in these fields. Empirical likelihood is a nonparametric estimation approach in statistics that does not require the choice of a known distribution family for the data. Common ABC methods require the choice of summary statistic, which is very difficult to find, distance metric, …

Evolution Of Panic Grasses (Panicoideae; Poaceae) : A Plastome Phylogenomic Study, Sean Vincent Burke

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Systematics is an important set of tools for the determination of relationships among living organisms. This toolkit is only as good as the information that helps differentiate the taxa in question. Grasses, Poaceae, has always been of great interest due to the important crops in the family. For this reason, the panic grasses (Panicoideae) have been thoroughly researched for their crops; corn, sugarcane and sorghum, but less is understood for their non-crop species. The goals of this dissertation are to 1) better sample within the panicoid grasses to retrieve a more complete phylogeny, 2) determine the divergence phylogeny and divergence …

Carbon Quantum Dots: Bridging The Gap Between Chemical Structure And Material Properties, Timothy J. Pillar-Little Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are the latest generation of carbon nanomaterials in applications where fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene are abundantly used. With several attractive properties such as tunable optical property, edge-functionalization, and defect-rich chemical structure, CQDs have the potential to revolutionize optoelectronics, electro- and photocatalysis, and biomedical applications. Chemical modifications through the addition of heteroatoms, chemical reduction, and surface passivation are found to alter the band gap, spectral position, and emission pathways of CQDs. Despite extensive studies, fundamental understanding of structure-property relationship remains unclear due to the inhomogeneity in chemical structure and a complex emission mechanism for CQDs.

This …

Study Of The Mechanism Of Action For Ru(Ii) Polypyridyl Complexes As Potential Anticancer Agents, Yang Sun

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Application of chemotherapeutic agents in current cancer treatment has been limited by adverse effects as poor selectivity results in systemic toxicity; most chemotherapy approaches also experience inherited or acquired drug resistance which lead to reduced treatment outcome. Research efforts have focused on the discovery of novel chemotherapies that overcome the limitations mentioned above. Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes with anti-cancer properties have been extensively studied as traditional cytotoxic agents and photodynamic therapy agents due to their photophysical and photochemical characteristics.

Most research has focused on the design of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes that have affinities to nucleic acids as inspired by the classic …

Catalytic Conversion Of Monosaccharides Into 5-(Hydroxymethyl)Furfural In Ionic Liquids Using Aluminum Complexes Bearing Bidentate (Aminomethyl)Phenolate Ligands, Daudi Sayialel Saang'onyo

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Currently, the major sources of fuel, energy, and chemicals are nonrenewable fossil resources such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Additionally, petroleum is used for the production of most transportation fuels and for the production of about 95% of organic chemicals. However, the production and use of non-renewable fossil fuels are unsustainable. For economic and environmental sustainability, there is a need to search for new and/or renewable resources and technologies for energy, fuels, and chemicals production that have the potential of effectively substituting fossil resources. In this context, lignocellulosic biomass is one of the candidates that meet these requirements due …

Parent-Adolescent Open Communication, Interpersonal Coping Processes, And Gender : Differential Effects On Daily Hassles And Internalizing Symptoms In Early Adolescence, Micah Ioffe

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adolescents encounter many novel experiences during early adolescence. Over time, early adolescents may feel stressed as they engage in frequent tasks they consider to be hassles, which may increase their risk for poor psychological functioning. Research has established positive links between daily hassles in early adolescence and anxious and depressive symptoms over time. Given the unique developmental changes and important role of parents during early adolescence, it is warranted to consider whether communication influences adolescents' anxious and depressive symptoms in the context of experiencing daily hassles. Accordingly, it is important to further examine how interpersonal coping processes may be communicated …

Physical And Biological Properties Of Cobalt- And Copper-Doped Calcium Phosphates As Bone Substitute Materials, Haley V. Cummings

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Arthritis, osteoporosis, and other bone diseases and defects are common medical issues worldwide. By utilizing ceramic biomaterials as bone substitutes to treat these diseases, bone regeneration can be promoted and toxicity from the substitute material can be limited. Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramics have become popular as bone substitutes due to their biocompatibility and similarity in composition to natural bone. The purpose of this research was to investigate the physical properties and biological responses of CaP-based bone substitutes, doped with metal ions. Some metal ions are present in natural bone in small amounts, and recent studies show they affect the biological …

How Wikipedia Editors Collaborate On Article "Talk" Pages, Victor Magnuson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is a case study of how Wikipedia editors use article "talk" pages to collaborate. A review of related literature provides background on how Wikipedia has rapidly grown into a community of volunteers to make it the largest online collaboration project ever. To perform the analysis, four diverse articles were chosen to examine the discussions and dialogue from their most recent or selected "talk" page. The information resulting from this study has provided both qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. By codifying terms deemed as potential barriers to participation (expertise requirements for Wikipedia policy and subject-matter) Wikipedia's low-barrier-to-entry, which …

Reproductive Promiscuity In The Variegated Fairy-Wren: An Alternative Reproductive Strategy In The Absence Of Helpers?, Allison E. Johnson, Stephen Pruett-Jones

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Cooperative breeding, in which auxiliary group members help rear related, but nondescendent young, is often explained by kin selection. Reproductive monogamy is predicted in cooperatively breeding systems, as monogamy increases intragroup relatedness and maximizes auxiliary inclusive fitness. While monogamy is observed across many systems, including eusocial insects and cooperatively breeding mammals, some cooperatively breeding birds exhibit high rates of extrapair paternity. Here we quantify paternity and examine the role of auxiliaries on extrapair paternity in the highly cooperative variegated fairy-wren, Malurus lamberti, a species with both male and female auxiliaries. Extrapair paternity occurred in 55.4% of nests, and 39.8% …

The Participating Mind In The Quantum Universe, Menas Kafatos, Keun-Hang Susan Yang

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The Orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics, which followed the Copenhagen Interpretation but was enhanced by primarily Werner Heisenberg and John von Neumann into a fully developed theory, brought in, among others, the role of measurement, available choices and response of the quantum system. It is, more consistent and clear than other interpretations of quantum mechanics as it provides account of the interactions of observers with the external world. As such, the Orthodox interpretation does a lot more than just account for physical interactions in the atomic world, which was the original goal of quantum mechanics in the early part of …

Signed, Sealed, Delivered--Not Yours: Why The Fair Labor Standards Act Offers A Framework For Regulating Gestational Surrogacy, Zoe M. Beiner

Vanderbilt Law Review

Over the past several decades, gestational surrogacy has emerged as a rapidly growing industry. Such growth has prompted an enormous amount of debate among scholars, human rights advocates, economists, and the media over a wide array of legal and ethical issues. This debate is perhaps most evident in the divergence of state approaches to the regulation of gestational surrogacy-for example, some states ban the practice entirely, others allow only altruistic arrangements, and many states simply do not address surrogacy at all. The fractured landscape of surrogacy regulation has resulted in artificially high costs and, often, uncertainty for all parties involved. …

Commodified Promises And Contract Theory, Brian H. Bix

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

Agri 115: Biotechnology – Food, Health And Environment, A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Leah Sandall

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Edps 951: Academic And Behavior Assessment--A Peer Review Of Teaching Benchmark Portfolio, Scott A. Napolitano

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Journey To The Center Of The Protein: Allostery From Multitemperature Multiconformer X-Ray Crystallography, Daniel A. Keedy

Advanced Science Research Center

Proteins inherently fluctuate between conformations to perform functions in the cell. For example, they sample product-binding, transition-state-stabilizing and product-release states during catalysis, and they integrate signals from remote regions of the structure for allosteric regulation. However, there is a lack of understanding of how these dynamic processes occur at the basic atomic level. This gap can be at least partially addressed by combining variable-temperature (instead of traditional cryogenic temperature) X-ray crystallography with algorithms for modeling alternative conformations based on electron-density maps, in an approach called multitemperature multiconformer X-ray crystallography (MMX). Here, the use of MMX to reveal alternative conformations at …

Oneself As Another: Hermeneutics And Personality Assessment, Marvin W. Acklin

Archives of Assessment Psychology

The scientific and philosophical background of personality assessment is examined, including review of hermeneutic methods in the human sciences. Following a keyword search and psychological test usage survey, it was concluded that the nomothetic scientific orientation predominates in forensic psychology. A topic debated since the middle 19th century, the triumph of the nomothetic has implications for personality assessment models, interpretive methods, and description of human lives. This paper contextualizes personality assessment in 19th and 20th century hermeneutical philosophy, including the status of the nomothetic/idiographic divide. Hermeneutic philosophy--represented in the work of Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Bultmann, Gadamer, and Ricoeur--offers rich and …

Bigheaded Carp Reproduction In Large River Tributaries With Evaluation Of Sampling Gear Performance, Daniel R. Roth

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.