Digital Commons Network^™

Hydrothermal Activity And Seismicity At Teahitia Seamount: Reactivation Of The Society Islands Hotspot?, Christopher R. German, Joseph A. Resing, Guangyu Xu, Isobel A. Yeo, Sharon L. Walker, Colin W. Devey, James W. Moffett, Gregory A. Cutter, Olivier Hyvernaud, Dominique Reymond

OES Faculty Publications

Along mid-ocean ridges, submarine venting has been found at all spreading rates and in every ocean basin. By contrast, intraplate hydrothermal activity has only been reported from five locations, worldwide. Here we extend the time series at one of those sites, Teahitia Seamount, which was first shown to be hydrothermally active in 1983 but had not been revisited since 1999. Previously, submersible investigations had led to the discovery of low-temperature (≤30°C) venting associated with the summit of Teahitia Seamount at ≤1500 m. In December 2013 we returned to the same site at the culmination of the US GEOTRACES Eastern South …

Microplastic Fragment And Fiber Contamination Of Beach Sediments From Selected Sites In Virginia And North Carolina, Usa, Gabrielle Z. Dodson, A. Katrina Shotorban, Patrick G. Hatcher, Derek Waggoner, Sutapa Ghosal, Nora Noffke

OES Faculty Publications

Microplastic particles (<5 >mm) constitute a growing pollution problem within coastal environments. This study investigated the microplastic presence of estuarine and barrier island beaches in the states of Virginia and North Carolina, USA. Seventeen sediment cores were collected at four study sites and initially tested for microplastic presence by pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. For the extraction, microplastic particles were first separated from the sediment using a high-density cesium chloride solution (1.88 g/mL). In a second step, an oil extraction collected the remaining microplastic particles of higher densities. Under the light microscope, the extracted microplastic particles were classified based on their morphologies …

Understanding Well-Being Among Black Female Student Activists Attending Predominantly White Institutions: A Narrative Inquiry Approach, Stephen Grey

Theses and Dissertations

As engagement in activism continues to increase on campus and nationally, a paucity of research exists on the experiences of Black student activists attending PWI and their well-being. Narrative inquiry was utilized in this study to better understand the lived experiences of two Black student activists. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both participants to gain in-depth narratives of their experiences engaging in activism on PWIs. A narrative thematic approach was used to analyze the results. The findings suggested that the Black student participants experienced benefits (increased sense of belonging and racial cohesion) and consequences (activist burnout and decreased academic performance) …

Interferon-Γ Medaites Lung Damage Through The Hyper-Activation Of Ccr2+ Inflammatory Monocytes During Influenza Virus Infection, Mitchell Anthony Klomp

Theses and Dissertations

Influenza viruses (IV) have caused untold morbidity and mortality throughout the previous centuries. These viruses have caused several pandemics that have witnessed the loss of millions of lives. Today, IVs continue to circulate annually, and the efficacy of influenza virus vaccines are limited. As IV pandemics in 1918, 1957, and 2009 have shown the world, the push for a universal influenza vaccine has never been more relevant. While much research has been devoted to understanding the virology around IVs, the immunopathology of the host-pathogen axis has been less studied. Recently, there has been much attention on the role of the …

Examining College Students’ Emotions And Alcohol Usage On A College Campus: Student Chemical Assessment And Review Program (Scarp), Thomas William Solem

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use and abuse is an important issue amongst college students, and the totality of impacts are still misunderstood. Identification of high-risk alcohol abuse problems leads universities to intervene; however, the emotional, personal, and academic impacts of such mandated intervention programs is unclear. Helping universities understand students’ alcohol abuse challenges can aid appropriate interventions, as well as improve student well-being and academic success.

The purpose of this study is to examine the Student Chemical Assessment Review Program (SCARP), specifically to explore its impacts on student variables (university motivation, readiness/importance of confidence to change, self-esteem, guilt, shame, depression, anxiety, and resiliency) …

The Role Of Candidate Gender And Political Support: An Experimental Approach To Understanding Voter Perceptions And Support For Female Presidential Candidates, Jenna Nichole Laurin

Theses and Dissertations

Female candidates are at a disadvantage in the political sphere, facing underrepresentation and stereotype hurdles at all levels of elected office. While female candidates have overcome some of these obstacles and won elections at the state and local levels, there has never been a female candidate elected President. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether female and male candidates are judged differently on measures of competence, warmth, traits, and willingness to vote. Employing a 2 (candidate gender) x 2 (participant gender) x 2 (candidate party) manipulation, 370 participants read a fictitious article about Presidential candidates and rated …

How Affect Rhetoric And A Changing Digital Landscape Shape Youth Digital Social Movements Of The Twenty-First Century, Amanda Frances Pasierb

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores three youth digital social movements, which have taken place throughout the twenty-first century: the Invisible Children movement of Uganda, the Bring Back Our Girls movement of Nigeria, and the Never Again movement of the United States. Using rhetorical analysis of each movement, I explore the relationship each has with youth, digital, social movement, and activism. Specifically, I seek to answer the following research questions: (1) with youth in the forefront of each movement, how have the movements utilized affective rhetoric to promote and gain support, and (2) how have youth digital social movements evolved throughout the twenty-first …

Uncertainty Quantification And Economic Dispatch Models For The Power Grid, Arun Sukumaran Nair

Theses and Dissertations

The modern power grid is constrained by several challenges, such as increased penetration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER), rising demand for Electric Vehicle (EV) integration, and the need to schedule resources in real-time accurately. To address the above challenges, this dissertation offers solutions through data-driven forecasting models, topology-aware economic dispatch models, and efficient optional power flow calculations for large scale grids. Particularly, in chapter 2, a novel microgrid decomposition scheme is proposed to divide the large scale power grids into smaller microgrids. Here, a two-stage Nearest-Generator Girvan-Newman (NGGN) algorithm, a graphicalclustering-based approach, followed by a distributed economic dispatch model, is …

Montana Coaches' Perceptions On Including Transgender Athletes In High School Interscholastic Sports And Its Effect On Team Chemistry, David L. Woods Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The eligibility of transgender students to participate in high school athletic sports is a polarizing topic in the United States of America. Questions of fairness within each competitive sport, along with precedents set in law and policy, both by the United States and by International Sporting Organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, shape arguments for or against transgender high school students' eligibility. Each state faces the decision of whether to base high school transgender athletes' eligibility in high school sports according to their gender identity, or their sex assigned at birth.

The study aimed to identify Montana high school …

A Classification Of Ice Crystal Habits Using Combined Cpl And Rsp Observations During The Seac4rs Campaign, Natalie Midzak

Theses and Dissertations

Using collocated NASA’s Cloud Physics Lidar (CPL) and Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) data from the SEAC4RS campaign, a new observational-based method was developed which uses a K-means clustering technique to classify ice crystal habit types into seven categories: column, plates, rosettes, spheroids and three different type of irregulars. Inter-compared with the collocated SPEC Inc. Cloud Particle Imager (CPI) data, the frequency of the detected ice crystal habits from the proposed method presented in the study agree within 5% of the CPI reported values for columns, irregulars, rosettes, and spheroids, with more disagreement for plates. This study suggests that a detailed …

Parental Practices And Home Environmental Influences On Children’S Physical Activity In A Controlled Lab Setting: An Observational Study, Tia Klein

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a rise of obesity in children, adolescents, and adults over the past decades. This rise in obesity has led to many health concerns such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, some cancers and depression. Physical activity [PA] has been shown to decrease these risks and aid in positive growth and development for children and adolescents. The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental and child PA in a controlled lab experiment. The secondary aim was to examine parental practices (physical and social home environment) and their influences on children’s PA in a controlled …

Home Range And Habitat Selection Of Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) On Red Lake Indian Reservation And Surrounding Areas, June Levin

Theses and Dissertations

Every animal requires space where they can perform activities to survive and reproduce. For land animals, components of space use include area and habitat. Because most land animals are living on a human dominated landscape, understanding home range area and habitat needs is critical to their conservation. This is particularly relevant for threatened or endangered species such as the gray wolf (Canis lupus). The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimates home ranges and habitat use of wolves in northwestern Minnesota; however, a subset of this population lives within the bounds of Red Lake Indian Reservation, where The Red Lake Band …

Performance Evaluation Of Sustainable Pavement Materials, Robeam Solomon Melaku

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States (US), there are more than 2 million miles of paved roads. About 93 percent of those are surfaced with asphalt mixtures (flexible pavements). Shortage of natural resources, environmental impact of pavement life cycle and pavement distress are the major concerns of the pavement industry. Higher percentage Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) usage, alternative asphalt pavement additives and development of performance related pavement analysis are the major factors to improve sustainability of the pavement. In this dissertation, extensive studies were conducted on the use of sustainable materials and performance analysis. Use of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) and Soy …

Time-Dependent Plastic Deformation Of Mg Nanocomposites: Ambient And Elevated Temperature Assessments, Jiselle Thornby

Theses and Dissertations

Magnesium (Mg) nanocomposites are promising materials for many lightweight engineering applications. By adding a nanoparticle phase, like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to a Mg matrix phase, new strengthening mechanisms are activated and enable the resulting nanocomposite to have better mechanical properties, e.g., strength and ductility, than unreinforced Mg. The viability of using Mg-CNT nanocomposites in lieu of heavier structural metals in industrial dimensions, especially those at high temperatures, cannot be assessed until these materials have been comprehensively characterized.

In the present project, the nanoindentation technique was used to assess the creep and hardness response of pure Mg and Mg reinforced with …

Cellphones, Sexting And Crime: An Examination Of College Student Practices, Melissa Spelchen

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory dissertation research involves assessing the prevalence of sexting (sending, receiving and/or forwarding of sexually explicit images with your smart phone) that is taking place among young adults on a Midwest college campus. Other key findings include: a profile of those who sext whether in a conformist or non-conformist manner, and those who do not sext, profiles of and the toll on self-reported victims of the behavior, sexting motivations, and the possible connection to prevalent smart phone ownership. In addition, North Dakota is one of a few states that has a law prohibiting some forms of sexting; therefore, this …

How Athletic Trainers Use Goal Setting With Injured Athletes, Jenna Wing

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to identify if current Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) understand the importance of consistent use of sport psychology, specifically goal setting, in the athletic training room with injured athletes. Participants (n = 77) were current ATCs who have been certified by the Board of Certification (BOC), who had proper licensure in their designated districts, and were members of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). A questionnaire was created to assess the frequency with which they used goal setting, how important and effective they feel goal setting is, and how prepared they feel to use …

Physician Attitudes Towards-And Adoption Of-Mobile Health, Tracie Kong, Mary Morgan Scott, Yang Li, Cynthia Wichelman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Smartphone apps and mobile devices are an emerging method of healthcare data collection. This study sought to understand how physicians currently view mobile health (mHealth) technologies and use them in patient care.

METHODS: A total of 186 physicians affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, USA completed a survey in 2016 regarding their current implementation of mHealth technologies for patient care and support for further development.

RESULTS: More than half of respondents were willing to discuss health apps and mobile devices with patients. However, most were not currently recommending them to patients. Apps/devices that encouraged …

Aging And Efficacy Of Disease-Modifying Therapies In Multiple Sclerosis: A Meta-Analysis Of Clinical Trials, Yinan Zhang, Natalia Gonzalez Caldito, Afsaneh Shirani, Amber Salter, Gary Cutter, William Culpepper, Mitchell Wallin, Peter Kosa, Bibiana Bielekova, Fred Lublin, Olaf Stuve

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Background: Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) are approved for the treatment of disease activity and are effective in reducing relapses and new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesions. However, disease activity generally subsides with time, and age-dependent changes in DMT efficacy are not well-established. We aimed to investigate whether age impacts the efficacy of DMTs in treating disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Methods: DMT efficacy related to age was assessed through a meta-analysis of clinical trials that evaluated the efficacy of DMTs in RRMS patients as measured by reductions in the annualized relapse rate (ARR), new …

Semi-Automated Segmentation Of The Lateral Periventricular Regions Using Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Albert M Isaacs, Rowland H Han, Christopher D Smyser, David D Limbrick, Joshua S Shimony

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The lateral ventricular perimeter (LVP) of the brain is a critical region because in addition to housing neural stem cells required for brain development, it facilitates cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bulk flow and functions as a blood-CSF barrier to protect periventricular white matter (PVWM) and other adjacent regions from injurious toxins. LVP injury is common, particularly among preterm infants who sustain intraventricular hemorrhage or post hemorrhagic hydrocephalus and has been associated with poor neurological outcomes. Assessment of the LVP with diffusion MRI has been challenging, primarily due to issues with partial volume artifacts since the LVP region is in close proximity …

Impact Of Positive Psychology In Pk-12 Settings, Daniel Paul Butler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Educator burnout is threatening the well-being of society, having a financial impact on the United States, as well as influencing the optimal growth of students and the quality of our educational system. Overexposure to stress while trying to meet countlessdemands can lead to burnout and jeopardizeworkforceretention. Stress, burnout, and teacher attrition have reached alarming levels, threatening quality instructionand subsequent student achievement (Steinhardt et al., 2011). The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding ofthe effect of the Happiness Advantage | Orange Frog positive psychology framework and whether schools that employ these techniques experience a significant difference in their …

Western Media Coverage Of International News: A Content Analysis Of Associated Press Coverage Of Africa, Adukwu Samuel Atadoga

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study examines how the Western media frames its coverage of Africa and this impact on Westerners’ views of Africa. To develop the hypothesis and provide the data needed to answer the research questions, I reviewed the literature on framing, the determinants of international news coverage, as well as international media coverage. Newspapers were my data sources, and using LexisNexis with the key word “Africa,” I searchedthe online news service of the Associated Press(AP). Thissearch yielded 1,000 articles and was reduced by including only those published between January,2015 and January,2016,and then using random sampling. The final number of articles analyzed …

Efficiency Of Low-Tech Augmentative And Alternative Communication (Aac) Access Methods, Brittany Davis

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation and intervention continues to be a critical component of the speech-language pathology scope of practice (ASHA,2020a). As communication has be come increasingly technological, there is a growing need for individuals using AAC to participate remotely using their preferred method of AAC (DeRuyter et al., 2007). Research on use of low-tech AAC systems in telecommunication and the instruction of low-tech communication AAC methods via telepractice is limited. This paper focuses on participants’ experience with learning a modality of communication, low-tech AAC,over Zoom (Zoom Communications Video Communications Inc.,2020). Using a descriptive-comparative design to evaluate efficiency, three …

Opening Books And The National Corpus Of Graduate Research, William A. Ingram, Edward A. Fox, Jian Wu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Virginia Tech University Libraries, in collaboration with Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science and Old Dominion University Department of Computer Science, request $505,214 in grant funding for a 3-year project, the goal of which is to bring computational access to book-length documents, demonstrating that with Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). The project is motivated by the following library and community needs. (1) Despite huge volumes of book-length documents in digital libraries, there is a lack of models offering effective and efficient computational access to these long documents. (2) Nationwide open access services for ETDs generally function at the metadata level. …

Motor Competency's Relationship To Interpersonal Coordination In Stationary Basketball Dribbling, Daniel Bell

Theses and Dissertations

A gold standard for student pairing strategies in a physical education setting has still yet to be discovered and is a widely debated topic in the field. Inclusion and equitable learning environments are areas of emphasis for practitioners while trying to find new ways to elicit these things to benefit students. Interpersonal coordination (IC), a social phenomenon on which this study focused, has direct applications for pairing strategies in physical education. In essence, IC is a state in which two individuals non-consciously mimic each other’s motor patterns. IC was measured between 182 student pairings performing stationary basketball dribbling. Participants included …

Physical Activity And Depression In Mothers Of A Child With A Special Health Care Need: Informing Future Interventions, Brianna Jean Black

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, approximately 20 percent of all children have a special health care need. Additionally, mothers of a child with a special health care need have worse overall well-being, mental and physical health compared to mothers of typically developing children. Physical activity may improve depressive symptoms and overall health in these mothers; however, little is known about the acceptability of physical activity interventions for mothers of a child with a special health care need. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to understand more about mother’s desire to use physical activity to improve depressive symptoms after having …

Tgif1-Twist1 Axis In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Mohammed S. Razzaque, Azeddine Atfi

School of Medicine Publications

TG-interacting factor 1 (TGIF1) exerts inhibitory effects on transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling by suppressing Smad signaling pathway at multiple levels. TGIF1 activity is important for normal embryogenesis and organogenesis, yet its dysregulation can culminate in tumorigenesis. For instance, increased expression of TGIF1 correlates with poor prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer patients, and enforced expression of TGIF1 facilitates Wnt-driven mammary tumorigenesis, suggesting that TGIF1 might function as an oncoprotein. Quite surprisingly, TGIF1 has recently been shown to function as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), possibly owing to its ability to antagonize the pro-malignant transcription factor …

Lower Extremity Stiffness In Collegiate Distance Runners Pre- And Post-Competition, Jake Tavernite, Matthew F. Moran

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

Previous evidence has suggested that there is a relationship between leg stiffness and improved running performance. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how leg stiffness of runners was influenced in the 24 and 48 hour period following a cross country race. Twenty-two collegiate cross-country runners (13 males, 9 females, 19.5 ± 1.4 yr) were recruited and participated in the study. Leg stiffness was assessed 24 hours before and after a race as well as 48 hours post-race. Three jumping protocols were conducted: 1) a static jump, 2) a countermovement jump, and 3) a vertical hopping test. Two embedded …

Emphasizing Task-Specific Hypertrophy To Enhance Sequential Strength And Power Performance, S. Kyle Travis, Ai Ishida, Christopher B. Taber, Andrew C. Fry, Michael Henry Stone

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

While strength is indeed a skill, most discussions have primarily considered structural adaptations rather than ultrastructural augmentation to improve performance. Altering the structural component of the muscle is often the aim of hypertrophic training, yet not all hypertrophy is equal; such alterations are dependent upon how the muscle adapts to the training stimuli and overall training stress. When comparing bodybuilders to strength and power athletes such as powerlifters, weightlifters, and throwers, while muscle size may be similar, the ability to produce force and power is often inequivalent. Thus, performance differences go beyond structural changes and may be due to the …

The Vimentin Rod Domain Blocks P-Selectin-P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 Interactions To Attenuate Leukocyte Adhesion To Inflamed Endothelium, Fong Wilson Lam, Cameron August Brown, Christian Valladolid, Dabel Cynthia Emebo, Timothy Gerald Palzkill, Miguel Angel Cruz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Acute inflammation begins with leukocyte P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) binding to P-selectin on inflamed endothelium and platelets. In pathologic conditions, this process may contribute to secondary organ damage, like sepsis-induced liver injury. Therefore, developing novel therapies to attenuate inflammation may be beneficial. We previously reported that recombinant human vimentin (rhVim) binds P-selectin to block leukocyte adhesion to endothelium and platelets. In this study, we used SPOT-peptide arrays to identify the rod domain as the active region within rhVim that interacts with P-selectin. Indeed, recombinant human rod domain of vimentin (rhRod) binds to P-selectin with high affinity, with in silico modeling …

Debating Yoga And Mindfulness In Public Schools: Reforming Secular Education Or Reestablishing Religion? (Book Review), Kathleen Van Tol

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Debating Yoga and Mindfulness in Public Schools: Reforming Secular Education or Reestablishing Religion? by Candy Gunther Brown. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2019. 441 pp. ISBN: 9781469648477.