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Growth Convergence Across Countries And Regions In The Long Run: An Empirical Study Using Panel Analysis (1980-2018), Portia Mensah

Masters Theses

With the emergence of new superpowers, the changing landscape of the global economy, and the heterogeneity of growth experiences being discovered in recent times, the concept of growth convergence must be revisited. This study examines whether developing countries are catching up with the advanced countries in terms of their per capita income. The study uses a panel analysis of 69 countries over a period of 39 years spanning from 1980 to 2018 to test for growth convergence (both absolute and conditional) among countries based on the Augmented Solow model. The countries were further divided into three regions namely, Europe, Asia, …

"There Is Nothing Else Like It": The Innovative Personality Of Lowney Turner Handy, Nathan Crews

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Identification And Analysis Of Genes With Differential And Tissue-Specific Expression In Poplars, Bailey Mitchell

Masters Theses

Poplars have become one of the most frequently studied plant species for their applications in biotechnology, commercial benefits, and ecological importance. Microarray analysis is commonly used to analyze differential gene expression in many organisms. Investigations have examined differential gene expression and performed functional analyses on a single tissue or organ within poplar trees or a closely related set of tissues and organs, but usually do not broadly analyze gene expression across a large number of tissues and organs in poplar. This thesis work aims to generate data on the most differentially expressed genes for the major groups of tissues and …

How Thick Is The Stained-Glass Ceiling?: An Exploration Of Heteronormativity In Religious Circles, Hannah Rae Smothers

Masters Theses

The 2012 National Congregations Study found that only 11.4% of the total clergy in the United States were women (ARDA 2012). As the congregation size grows, that number declines further, with data indicating only 3.4% of congregations with 1,000 or more members have a female leader. The number of women religious leaders increased by less than one percent between 1998 and 2012. These statistics work well to outline a phenomenon for female religious leaders, their inability to break the stained-glass ceiling. Many religious groups in the United States allow women to become ordained leaders. However, some of the largest religious …

An Assessment Of Schools' Wellness Policies And Teachers’ Perspectives And Confidence In Teaching Nutrition In Elementary Schools In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Asma Yahya

Masters Theses

Nutrition education in school can provide students with the knowledge and skills to improve their eating behavior and overall health. This study aimed to evaluate the content of school wellness policies and understand teacher perspectives about teaching nutrition education at their schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In 2020, electronic surveys were used to evaluate the wellness policies in 11 elementary all-female government schools and teachers’ perspectives about the nutrition education offered in three elementary all-female government schools. Sixty-one teachers and eleven principals participated in this study. Fisher’s exact tests were used to test the differences between teachers’ perspectives and their …

Relationship Between One’S Motive For Curiosity And Meaning In Life, Charles Reither

Masters Theses

Meaning in life as a psychological construct has many demonstrated benefits for psychological well-being and optimal functioning (Steger, 2013), and the treatment of clinical populations (Thir & Batthyány, 2016). This study investigated in greater detail than is currently available in the psychological literature how meaning in life is related to curiosity. Meaning in life was explored using top-down (the presence of and the search for meaning) and bottom-up (the specific sources of meaning) approaches. Curiosity was examined in its two motivation-based forms: curiosity motivated by the anticipation and enjoyment of discovery (an appetitive interest-type of curiosity) and curiosity motivated by …

The Living Mission: Mission Statements Evidenced In The Student Experience, Darek D. Hollis

Masters Theses

Mission statements are thought to be documents that hold the core purposes of an organization. While several studies have examined the various aspects of higher education mission statements, few have explored how the themes within mission statements are transferred to those the institutions is serves, it’s students. This qualitative studied used semi-structured interviews with graduating senior students at a mid-sized, Midwest institution to examine whether or not the missional themes were evident in and valuable to the students’ experience. The result of the study found that the missional themes were in general present and valuable in the students’ experience. The …

Bigheaded Carp Spatial Reproductive Dynamics And Population Genetics In Large River Tributaries, Samuel J. Schaick

Masters Theses

Fisheries managers are devoting considerable effort, time, and funding towards limiting the spread of invasive Bighead and Silver (bigheaded) Carp. A better understanding of factors that influence spatial patterns of bigheaded carp reproduction can help fisheries managers prevent their spread. To examine factors that influence spatial patterns of reproduction, we sampled ichthyoplankton using drift nets and larval push nets in three tributaries of the Illinois and Wabash Rivers March-September 2016-2018. We compared relative abundances of bigheaded carp eggs and larvae among tributaries using catch per unit effort (CPUE). Abiotic data were analyzed from individual study tributaries and pooled among tributaries …

A Cloning Strategy For Expression Of Fungal Hemicellulases In Plant Systems, Amer Alrudayan

Masters Theses

Lignocellulosic biomass is notoriously difficult to deconstruct into lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose fractions without the use of biochemical, chemical, and/or mechanical pretreatments. These pretreatment strategies add operational cost and in some cases produce hazardous waste that poses health and safety risks. Direct biological pretreatment from biomass-degrading bacteria and fungi may significantly reduce the costs and risks associated with these traditional strategies due to the innate ability of these organisms to modify plant cell walls. An additional measure that could further reduce the expenses associated with lignocellulosic biomass fractionation is genetic modification of the lignocellulosic feedstocks, which can be accomplished by …

The Transcriptome Response Of The White-Rot Fungus Trametes Versicolor To Wild-Type And Lignin-Modified Hybrid Poplar, Anbarah Alzabaidi

Masters Theses

Plant biomass is a renewable and sustainable feedstock for biofuel production that can reduce societal dependence on fossil fuels. However, the production of liquid biofuels from the non-starch (i.e. lignocellulosic) material through fermentation technology is limited due to the complexity of the cell wall structure. This necessitates the use of chemical, thermal, and/or mechanical pretreatment technologies, which adds significant capital, operational, and environmental costs. Biological pretreatment strategies have the potential to mitigate these expenses by harnessing the innate ability of specialized bacteria and fungi to deconstruct lignocellulose. White-rot fungi (e.g. Trametes versicolor) have been shown to be …

A Combined Language: The Application Of Poly-Stylistic Techniques To Concerto Sonata For Alto Saxophone And Piano, James Calderon

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Insect Opportunists On A Four-Level Trophobiotic System Involving Nectar-Producing Galls Of The Cynipid Wasp Disholcaspis Quercusmamma (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Stephanie L. Smith

Masters Theses

The induction of plant galls is considered an adaptive life history trait found in many insect groups. The formation of galls provides several advantages to the gall maker, such as enhanced nutrition, favorable microclimate, and protection from natural enemies, including parasitoids, inquilines, and predators. Order Hymenoptera has many gall-making species, belonging to the gall wasp family Cynipidae. As an extended phenotype of the gall makers, some galls exhibit very sophisticated adaptive mechanisms involving multilevel species interactions. In particular, the oak galls of the Cynipid species Disholcaspis quercusmamma, found in much of Illinois, produce a palatable, sugary nectar-like secretion, attracting …

Construct Validity Of The Teate Depression Inventory: Convergent And Discriminant Validity And Equivalence For Black/African American And White/Caucasian Samples, Dylin Coons

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to replicate the construct validity of a new measure of depression, the Teate Depression Inventory (TDI; Balsamo & Saggino, 2013), with the primary focus on Black/African American participants. Research has purported that Black/African Americans experience inequality in obtaining mental health care for internalizing disorders. This may partially be caused by errors in diagnosing these individuals with symptoms. Correctly diagnosing internalizing disorders is a critical step in obtaining appropriate treatment. More research on depression and anxiety is needed to enhance mental health practices by addressing the need for professionals to be culturally competent and conscious …

Applications Of Drones In Atmospheric Chemistry, Travis J. Schuyler

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) has changed the composition of the atmosphere during the Anthropocene. A major technical and scientific challenge is quantifying the resulting fugitive trace gas fluxes under variable meteorological conditions. Accurately documenting the sources and magnitude of GHGs emission is an important undertaking for discriminating contributions of different processes to radiative forcing. Therefore, the adverse environmental and health effects of undetected gas leaks motivates new methods of detecting, characterizing, and quantifying plumes of fugitive trace gases. Currently, there is no mobile platform able to quantify trace gases at altitudes(UASs), or drones, can be deployed on-site in …

Multiscale Modeling Of Structure-Function Relationships Of Organic Semiconductors, Shi Li

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

While optoelectronic devices built from organic semiconductors (OSC) continue to find their way into the commercial landscape, there remain numerous challenges to overcome to supplant traditional semiconductors in many technologies. Chief among these are low performance metrics relative to devices with conventional semiconductors and device stability. In order to overcome these challenges, a wide range of new OSC and processing technologies have been developed. However, there remains limited fundamental understanding of the relationship between molecular structure, packing in the solid state, and the resulting materials properties. Here, we make use of multiscale molecular models and utilize classical all-atom molecular dynamic …

Flavodoxin, The Hydrogen Atom Of Flavoproteins: A 19f Nmr Study Of Dynamics And Conformational Changes Utilizing Flavodoxin From Rhodopseudomonas Palustris, Taylor Varner

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Flavodoxin is a small, highly stable protein that contain a single FMN cofactor used to transfer single electrons at low potentials. The organism Rhodopseudomonas palustris contains a long-chain flavodoxin. Long-chain flavodoxins are characterized by a 20 amino acid loop that is proposed to allow interactions with partner proteins. We plan to utilize this protein as a model to build our repertoire with protein fluorination and fluorine NMR in flavoproteins. This tool kit will then be applied to the study of a partner protein of interest that is capable of performing electron bifurcation. We have incorporated m-fluoro tyrosine into flavodoxin and …

Synthesis Of Metal Oxide Surface And Interface Arrays By A Combined Solid-Liquid- Vapor/Vapor-Liquid-Solid Approach, Alexandra J. Riddle

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

This project was motivated by an in situ heating experiment in the transmission electron microscope (TEM) in which gold (Au) nanoparticles were observed to dissolve tin dioxide (SnO2) nanowires (NWs) under vacuum. The explanation for this observation was that the high-temperature and low-pressure environment of the TEM caused the reverse reaction of the well-known vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) method commonly used to grow NWs. In the VLS process, a metal catalyst absorbs reactant vapor until it becomes supersaturated. The precipitation of the NW occurs at the liquid-solid interface, which ceases when there is no longer reactant vapor, and the diameter of the …

The Impact Of Scaling Up Cervical Cancer Screening And Treatment Services Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya: A Modelling Study, Pablo Noel Perez-Guzman, Michael Chung, Hugo De Vuyst, Shona Dalal, Kennedy K. Mutai, Karanja Muthoni, Bartilol Kigen, Timothy B. Hallett, Mikaela Smit

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: We aimed to quantify health outcomes and programmatic implications of scaling up cervical cancer (CC) screening and treatment options for women living with HIV in care aged 18–65 in Kenya.

Methods: Mathematical model comparing from 2020 to 2040: (1) visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy (Cryo); (2) VIA and Cryo or loop excision electrical procedure (LEEP), as indicated; (3) human papillomavirus (HPV)-DNA testing and Cryo or LEEP; and (4) enhanced screening technologies (either same-day HPV-DNA testing or digitally enhanced VIA) and Cryo or LEEP. Outcomes measured were annual number of CC cases, deaths, screening and treatment interventions, …

William & Mary Commencement (October 10, 2021), College Of William & Mary

Commencement Exercises

No abstract provided.

Integrating Quality Improvement Concepts Into Nursing Curriculum: Perspectives Of Associate Degree Nurse Faculty, Debbie Krachtus

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the groundbreaking report To Err is Human, there has been an increased focus on outcomes and quality improvement (QI) in healthcare. This focus has resulted in a change in nursing education. Nursing programs and nurse educators have been directed to integrate QI into nursing curriculum using innovative teaching methods. However, the voices of Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) educators are absent from the literature. This qualitative research study used a phenomenological approach to ascertain ADN educators’ perspectives about integrating QI into their curriculum. The central questions of this research were: what are ADN faculty views on the integration of QI …

The Process Of Therapeutic Change In The Attention Training Technique, Benjamin J. Laman-Maharg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: An unacceptably large proportion of individuals remain symptomatic after receiving first-line interventions. The attention training technique (ATT) is a potentially effective treatment augmentation and standalone treatment that may help improve the treatment of psychological disorders. The machanisms of therapuetic change of ATT remain understudied. This study is a randomized controlled trial of ATT compared to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) that examined mindfulness and attentional control as potential mechisms of therapeutic change.

Method: A convenience sample of 64 participants (Mage = 20.13, SD = 3.65; 42.2% Male; 64.1% non-Hispanic White; 23.4% Black; 9.4% Hispanic/Latino; 3.1% Other) were randomly assigned to …

Bent Nose Row, Joe Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young man joins a boxing club and learns some hard lessons about the world.

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.

What Was He Thinking, Jack Frazer

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A law enforcement negotiator tries to make sense of the aftermath of a failed negotiation.

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.

Untwining Threads: Second Wave Hmong Parents’ Conceptualizations Of Ways To Support Their Adolescent Children’S Education, Mao Sea Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research identifies the support systems for adolescents’ education within the second wave Hmong refugee family setting. The study examines the parents’ perspectives on their own support systems for their adolescents’ education. The work focuses on studying both the instrumental support and psychological care these parents provide their teenage children and interprets why these parents choose to provide these resources. Studying these parents’ ways of supporting their adolescents provided a more in-depth understanding of why these recent refugee parents choose to invest of their resources to their adolescents’ education and, subsequently, what education means to them. The research also brought …

Discovery, Kathleen Harrison

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Marine reflects on the cyclic nature of mental health through her experience with depression and recovery.

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.

Going Ashore In Thule, David Schlitz

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Coast Guard member aboard The Westwind recounts his team’s adventures during the summer of 1961 in Thule.

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.

Homecoming, Claes Tholand

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young Navy SK3 experiences his last mission before coming home to a country with very different opinions about his service.

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.

Moaner, David Aldridge

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

Every unit in the military has one of these, it seems, the constant complainer. This one in Vietnam learned a tough lesson.

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.

Peep Show, Joe Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

An Army veteran reaches out to protect the younger generation when a teen wanders into an adult video shop.

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.

When I'M Thirty-One, Joe Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young man faces a choice: continue his musical career or join the Marines.

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.