Digital Commons Network^™

A Biochemical Nickel(I) State Supports Nucleophilic Alkyl Addition: A Roadmap For Methyl Reactivity In Acetyl Coenzyme A Synthase, A. C. Manesis, B. W. Musselman, Breena C. Keegan, Jason M. Shearer, N. Lehnert, H. S. Shafaat

Chemistry Faculty Research

Nickel-containing enzymes such as methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR) and carbon monoxide dehydrogenase/acetyl coenzyme A synthase (CODH/ACS) play a critical role in global energy conversion reactions, with significant contributions to carbon-centered processes. These enzymes are implied to cycle through a series of nickel-based organometallic intermediates during catalysis, though identification of these intermediates remains challenging. In this work, we have developed and characterized a nickel-containing metalloprotein that models the methyl-bound organometallic intermediates proposed in the native enzymes. Using a nickel(I)-substituted azurin mutant, we demonstrate that alkyl binding occurs via nucleophilic addition of methyl iodide as a methyl donor. The paramagnetic Ni …

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

How Dead Cats, Your Siblings, Eighteenth-Century English Clergy, Making Lists, Ted Talks, Evolutionary Biology, Susa Young Gates, And My Mom Can Save The World From Being Utterly Wasted, Amy Harris

BYU Studies

I’m going to tell you two stories today; a short one about dead cats and a long one about dead people.

The Role Of Auditory Fluency In Judgments Of Learning And Memory Performance, Linda J. Myers

Theses

Empirical research has shown that processing fluency affects peoples’ judgments of learning (JOLs). This study investigated the role of auditory fluency on participants’ JOLs, Workload and Effort ratings, and Recognition Performance. Two simultaneous science lectures were monaurally presented to participants. Auditory fluency was manipulated by varying the signal-to-noise level (SNR Level: 0 dB SNR, -3 dB SNR, -6 dB SNR) between the Target and the Masker and by varying the sex of the Target and Masker (Condition). Participants provided JOLs and other ratings and completed a recognition test after each 3 min lecture segment. There was no main effect of …

Computational Gene Association Based On Relative Species Displacement In Gene And Morphology Trees, Martin D. Hellwig

Open Access Dissertations

While a number of methods exist for gene based fin prediction, these studies are mostly limited to single sites and to binary morphological characters and they are very susceptible to missing data. Here we present GATRS (Gene Association in TRee Space), a novel algorithm than can operate on continuous morphological observations such as fin size and is robust to missing data by operating in gene tree space, analyzing linkages between entire genes and morphological traits. GATRS performs a large number of comparisons between closely related trees which requires a tree distance method that is particularly apt at distinguishing closely related …

An Analysis On Utilizing The Cdr3 Transcriptome In The Detection Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Jake Brouwer

Theses

No abstract provided.

Eagle Executive Magazine, Georgia Southern University

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Effects Of Personal Styling On Constituents’ Perceptions Of Candidates, Cassidy D. Ktsanes

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study aims to measure the extent to which personal styling and gender presentation has on public perceptions of candidates. The hypotheses in this study were that masculine styling leads to more positive trait evaluations which in turn leads to a higher number of votes and more conservative rankings—this all, however, was assumed to be conditional on the sex of candidate. This is due to gendered expectations that derive from the gender binary. The overall findings of this study cannot reject the null hypothesis. This study found that: as masculine styling increases perceptions of competence and compassion significantly decrease, as …

Fractional Authorship & Publication Productivity, Kate Gasson, Rachel Herbert, Alex Ponsford

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Authors divide their research output across publications, contributing via research collaborations

The trend is for authors to produce more publications per year (increased fractionalization) but for the overall number of publications per author to decrease

We suggest that the effort required to participate in research collaborations is a factor in the decrease in publications per author

Are authors collaborating more in response to the pressure to publish?

Growth in the number of scholarly publications each year has been well documented (e.g., Bornmann & Mutz, 2015, Figure 1). But how has that growth been achieved? Is it purely due to increasing …

From Coalition To Commons: Plan S And The Future Of Scholarly Communication, Rob Johnson

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Abstract

The announcement of Plan S in September 2018 triggered a wide-ranging debate over how best to accelerate the shift to open access. The Plan’s ten principles represent a call for the creation of an intellectual commons, to be brought into being through collective action by funders and managed through regulated market mechanisms. As it gathers both momentum and critics, the coalition must grapple with questions of equity, efficiency and sustainability. The work of Elinor Ostrom has shown that successful management of the commons frequently relies on polycentricity and adaptive governance. The Plan S principles must therefore function as …

Reporting Quantitative Methods And Findings: Best Practices Fidelity In The Leisure Science Literature, Mat D. Duerden, Eric Keith Layland, Andrew Lacanienta, Camilla Hodge, Michael Goates, Michael B. Edwards

Faculty Publications

This article identified best practices for quantitative methods and results reporting and then evaluated leisure science articles’ adherence to them. A two-stage stratified sampling method identified 112 articles. A codebook was developed, and 26 universal codes addressing abstract, methods, and results were applied to each article to generate best practices scores (BPS). BPS ranged from 6 to 21 (M¼14.89, SD¼2.95). Articles were more likely to use best practices for abstract, sample selection, recruitment, statistics, and data analysis, and less likely for participant characteristics, instrumentation, and data collection procedures. Comparisons of BPS across journals identified significant differences.

Hardly Habitual: Chimpanzees And Gorillas Show Flexibility In Their Motor Responses When Presented With A Causally-Clear Task, Sarah L. Jacobson, Lydia M. Hopper

Publications and Research

In contrast to reports of wild primates, studies of captive primates' flexibility often reveal conservatism: individuals are unable to switch to new and more efficient strategies when task demands change. We propose that such conservatism might be a result of task design and hypothesize that conservatism might be linked to primates' lack of causal understanding in relation to experimental apparatuses. We investigated if chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) would show greater flexibility when presented with a causally-clear task. We presented six chimpanzees and seven gorillas with a clear tube from which …

Increasing English Learners’ Positive Emotional Response To Learning Through Dance, Grant Eckstein, Elizabeth Hanks

Faculty Publications

This study investigates dance as an English Second Language (ESL) curriculum enhancement. The curriculum utilizes kinesthetic learning, which is a method seldom incorporated in formal academic classrooms (Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2011) despite evidence suggesting that it benefits all students, including those without kinesthetic learning preferences (Schumann, 1997). Supporters believe that the benefits of incorporating movement in the classroom include increased student enjoyment, motivation, and confidence in learning. However, these beliefs are merely anecdotal at present. This study analyzes quantitative questionnaires and qualitative feedback from 26 students who participated in a 4-week long Dance ESL curriculum to determine whether dance-based learning can …

Threading Competencies In Writing Courses For More Effective Transfer, Amy D. Williams, Jonathan Balzotti

Faculty Publications

This article contributes to current conversations about transfer, specifically how WAC courses can encourage vertical transfer (Melzer). The authors draw on research in learner development that demonstrates how a threaded curriculum approach helps students learn concepts and skills and apply that knowledge in multiple contexts. Additionally, a threaded curriculum can incorporate pedagogical elements that have been linked to effective transfer, such as abstract conceptualization and metacognition. The authors present an instructional model for sequenced writing courses that leverages this research and moves away from disconnected writing courses. The threaded curriculum explored here promotes vertical transfer between an introductory professional writing …

7th International Symposium On Galliformes (September 22–24, 2019: Quang Binh, Vietnam): Abstracts, World Pheasant Association, Việt Nature Conservation Centre

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Abstracts

How much recent research help with plans to reintroduce Vietnam pheasant Lophura edwardsi to the world? Nigel Collar

Status and range decline of Germain’s peacock pheasant, Vy Nguyen Tran, Dusit Ngoprasert, Stephen Browne, and Tommaso Savini

Landscape-scale camera-trapping surveys fill the information gap about the distribution of galliforms in the Annamites, An Nguyen, Andrew Tilker, Jesse F. Abrams, Thanh V. Nguyen, Nguyen Quang Hoa Anh, Benjamin Rawson, Francois Guegan, Camille N. Z. Coudrat, Cao Tien Trung, Minh Le, Daniel Wilcox, and Andreas Wilting

Increasing the breeding success of two vulnerable peacock-pheasant species through antiparasitic interventions and hand-rearing Grace Tang …

A Substruction Approach To Assessing The Theoretical Validity Of Measures, Polly Ryan, Marianne E. Weiss, Paula E. Papanek

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Validity is about the logic, meaningfulness, and evidence used to defend inferences made when interpreting results. Substruction is a heuristic or process that visually represent the hierarchical structure between theory and measures.

Purpose

To describe substruction as a method for assessing the toretical validity of research measures.

Methods

Using Fawcett's Conceptual-Theoretical-Empirical Structure. an exemplar is presented of substruction from the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory to the Striving to be strong study concepts and empirical measures.

Results

Substruction tables display evidence supporting theoretical validity of the instruments used in the study.

Conclusion

A high degree of congruence between theory …

Risk Taking And Rights Balancing In Intellectual Property Law, Clark Asay

Faculty Scholarship

Scholars have long worried that risk aversion can have significant negative effects in the marketplace. In the intellectual property law domain, some have worried that risk-averse actors can negatively influence the development of important intellectual property law doctrines, which can ultimately hamper innovation. For instance, risk-averse actors may frequently choose to obtain licenses for rights that the relevant laws do not actually require of them. When they do so, they inadvertently increase the scope of intellectual property rights because their risk-averse activities inform courts’ development of key intellectual property law doctrines. In this Article, prepared as part of the IP …

Global Dynamics Of Some Discrete Dynamical Systems In Mathematical Biology, Sarah Van Beaver

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis will be presented in manuscript format. The first chapter will introduce preliminary definitions and theorems of difference equations that will be utilized in chapters 2, 3, and 4.

The second chapter will investigate the global behavior of two difference equations with exponential nonlinearities

x_n+1 = be^-cx_n + px_n-1, n = 0, 1,...

where the parameters b; c are positive real numbers and p 2 (0; 1) and

x_n+1 = a + bx_n-1e^-x_n, n = 0, 1,...

where the parameters a; b are positive numbers. …

Identifying Factors Of Success For Renewable Energy Growth In The United States Of America, Alaa Masrahi

Open Access Dissertations

Energy consumption has a complex relationship with its physical, demographic, and behavioral characteristics. The literature review showed that renewable energy is an increasingly important issue in energy security and sustainability. The research on renewable energy consumption identifies the driving and obstructing factors. Renewable energy growth is associated with complex, interacting variables and requires concerted, multidisciplinary efforts for effective research and development. Thus, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the importance of findings that influence renewable energy consumption among 22 states. Our study seeks to understand and assert the complex energy perspective via the relationship between factors and nature …

The Home And Child-Care: Are Preschoolaged Children Getting Mixed Food-Related Messages?, Noereem Zenaida Mena

Open Access Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: In the United States, nearly 14% of preschool-aged children (ages 2 to 5) are obese. Additionally, disparities persist, with the highest prevalence of obesity among Hispanic preschool-aged children (17% vs. 11% non-Hispanic Black and 3.5% non- Hispanic White preschool-aged children). Establishing healthy eating habits in early childhood is critical and providing children with similar opportunities to practice healthy eating habits independently at home and in child care is thought to reinforce the development of healthy eating habits early in life. However, there is limited information regarding how parents and childcare providers communicate about child-nutrition, including …

Relating Marine Mammal Distribution To Prey Abundance, Christopher D. Orphanides

Open Access Dissertations

Marine mammal foraging and diet in southern New England is not well known and has therefore been largely ignored as a component of habitat, distribution, and bycatch. Incorporating prey components into marine mammal management is key to improving management of these species, especially as fisheries management progresses towards ecosystem-based management, climate change results in shifting distributions of marine mammals, and we are faced with new management challenges stemming from offshore wind development. This dissertation aims to address data gaps for species highly impacted by human activities, specifically the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and the harbor porpoise …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Being Pregnant While A College Student, Kristina M. Perrelli

Open Access Dissertations

Almost five million college students in the United States have child dependents (U.S. Department of Education, 2015), but little is known about the experience of pregnancy in college. This qualitative study addressed this gap in scholarship. A feminist intersectional theoretical framework and a feminist interpretive phenomenology methodology were used to explore the experiences of ten women from three institutions of higher education who were currently pregnant or recently pregnant. Most participants identified as low-income or working-class women of color. The phenomenological goal of this study was to learn about each woman’s lived experience of pregnancy in college toward identifying commonalities …

Compassion And Well-Being: The Effects Of An Online Filmmediated Compassion Education On Undergraduate Students, Thupten Tendhar

Open Access Dissertations

An increasing number of college students in the US are reportedly experiencing significant levels of emotional distress and mental health challenges. College students who practice compassion have been found to have significantly lower negative emotions when compared to students who do not practice compassionate thinking. This underscores the need for compassion education programs. However, only a limited number of college students benefit from existing compassion programs because many are too busy to commit to eight or more weeks of such face to face training along with their regular course load and work schedule. This study used a quantitative method with …

What To Eat And When: The Consequences Of Polyunsaturated Fat Consumption And Pace Of Changes To Body Lipid Composition In Songbirds, Wales Aran Carter

Open Access Dissertations

Diet mediates environmental influence on organismal performance, but diets must be broken down into their constituent compounds and integrated into organismal tissues before they can exert such influence. Thus, a full account of the relationship between diet and organismal performance requires descriptions of intermediate effects on body composition and tissue function, as well as the dynamics of composition and function over time. The work described in this dissertation investigates a case study of diet and organismal performance in songbirds: dietary polyunsaturated fats have been demonstrated to influence the metabolic performance of songbirds, but the influence of individual fatty acid compounds, …

Fatigue Identification And Management In Flight Training: An Investigation Of Collegiate Aviation Pilots, Flavio A. C. Mendonca Ph.D.

Publications

Pilot fatigue is a significant hazard affecting flight operations;

• Generally the product of one or more factors: Disrupted or lack of sleep;
• Inadequate food and or fluid intake;
• Mental;
• and Physical fatigue.

Previous studies have focused on military and commercial flight operations;

• Little to nothing has been done to investigate fatigue identification & management by general aviation pilots!

Impact On Bacterial Micro-Leakage In Exposed Root Canal Obturation Material In Teeth Irrigated With Different Solutions, Khalifa W. Alhaddad

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Determine the timeframe of bacterial penetration that occurs to the apex when obturation material (gutta percha) is exposed to bacteria for a set period of time (45 days) and to determine if bacterial penetration of the obturated root is influenced by the type of irrigant used during the final rinse (17% EDTA vs 2% Chlorhexidine vs full strength 5.25% NaOCl). Methods: Thirty-six extracted teeth, including six controls, were instrumented and irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl followed by a final rinse of either: 17% EDTA, 2% Chlorhexidine, or 5.25% NaOCl, and then obturated. Each root was suspended between two chambers: the …

Evaluation And Comparison Of Periapical Healing Using Periapical Films And Cone Beam Computed Tomography: Post-Treatment Follow Up, Adam S. Polinsky

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the radiographic changes in periapical status and analysis of healing determined using periapical radiographs (PA) versus cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) pre-operatively and at 3-64 months following endodontic treatment.

Methods: Pre/post treatment radiograph and CBCT scans of patients who had NSRCT, NSReTx, or SRCT from July 2011-December 2018 at VCU Graduate Endodontic clinic were included in this study. Volumetric and linear measurements of periapical lesions on initial and recall PA and CBCT images were performed using three calibrated examiners. Changes and differences in the estimated area from PA to CBCT were …

Frictional Properties Of Novel Bracket Systems: An In-Vitro Study, Stephen M. Haverkos

Theses and Dissertations

Orthodontic brackets undergo resistance during sliding that includes classical friction, binding, and notching. Current bracket systems are hampered by these challenging forces. As a result, the clinician usually needs to apply additional forces to overcome the resistance which increases the risk of root resorption and discomfort for the patient. This study evaluated frictional properties of a novel bracket that had polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon™) coated rollers in its design. Five types of brackets (n = 10, each), including a passive self-ligating bracket, a traditional ligated bracket, a three-dimensionally printed direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) bracket with and without Teflon™ rollers, and computer …

Transit Access Equity In Richmond, Va, Rachel Jordan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the extent of public transit access equity issues in Richmond, VA. The City of Richmond has an established public transportation network system, and the thesis explores the level of access for urban residents to use existing public transportation services. Technologies and programs have begun to emerge across the United States to help solve transit accessibility challenges. The thesis assesses the level of transit access equity that exists in Richmond and introduces technologies and services that could help improve accessibility and equity. The thesis uses a mixed methods approach that will consist of …

Adaptive Acts: Queer Voices And Radical Adaptation In Multi-Ethnic American Literary And Visual Culture, Michael M. Means

Theses and Dissertations

Adaptation Studies suffers from a deficiency in the study of black, brown, yellow, and red adaptive texts, adaptive actors, and their practices. Adaptive Acts intervenes in this Eurocentric discourse as a study of adaptation with a (queer) POC perspective. My dissertation reveals that artists of color (re)create texts via dynamic modes of adaptation such as hyper-literary allusion, the use of meta-narratives as framing devices, and on-site collaborative re-writes that speak to/from specific cultural discourses that Eurocentric models alone cannot account for. I examine multi-ethnic American adaptations to delineate the role of adaptation in the continuance of stories that contest dominant …