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University Policy Committee Recommendation, University Senate

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Recommendation for University-wide Policy Process and Formation of University Policy Committee (2021)

Piezoelectricity In Hafnia, Sangita Dutta, Pratyush Buragohain, Sebastjan Glinsek, Claudia Richter, Hugo Aramberri, Haidong Lu, Uwe Schroeder, Emmanuel Defay, Alexei Gruverman, Jorge Íñiguez

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Because of its compatibility with semiconductor-based technologies, hafnia (HfO₂) is today’s most promising ferroelectric material for applications in electronics. Yet, knowledge on the ferroic and electromechanical response properties of this all-important compound is still lacking. Interestingly, HfO₂ has recently been predicted to display a negative longitudinal piezoelectric effect, which sets it apart from classic ferroelectrics (e.g., perovskite oxides like PbTiO₃) and is reminiscent of the behavior of some organic compounds. The present work corroborates this behavior, by first-principles calculations and an experimental investigation of HfO₂ thin films using piezoresponse force microscopy. Further, the simulations …

“A Different Type Of Time”: Hip Hop, Fugitivity, And Fractured Temporality, Pedro Lebrón Ortiz

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

In this article, I seek to explore Hip Hop as an expression of marronage. I identify marronage as an existential mode of being which restitutes human temporality. Slavery and flight from slavery constituted two inextricable historical processes, therefore logics of marronage must also constitute contemporary human experience. I argue that Hip Hop offers a distinct way of affirming and expressing one’s existence through what has been called a “maroon consciousness.” In the same way that maroons created new worlds free from the tyranny of slavery, Hip Hop offers the Hip Hoppa a space free from colonial logics.

Rethinking The Rhetorical Dimensions Of Public Refusals, Tyler Stafford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In this dissertation on rethinking the rhetorical dimensions of public refusals, I attempt to enhance the heuristic value of compositionist John Schilb’s neglected but promising concept of rhetorical refusal with (1) an amplification of his higher principle criterion using rhetorical studies of decorum and (2) the scholarly deployment of strategic silence, journalism ethics, controversy and melodrama, irony, and prophetic rhetoric. In so doing, I (1) endeavor to inspire cross-disciplinary dialogue between those who study rhetoric in communication departments and those who study rhetoric in English departments; (2) demonstrate analyses of rhetorical refusals that take us beyond the cases explored in …

Esports: The Billion Dollar Industry Worth Gambling On, Frank A. Digiacomo, Joseph F. Caputi

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

Interfacial Engineering And Photoelectrochemistry Of Patterned Metal/Semiconductor Heterostructures, Che Tan

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells enable the conversion of solar energy into storable fuels, which is critical in overcoming the intermittent nature of this largest renewable source. However, the majority of semiconductors used as photoelectrodes in these cells have low conversion efficiencies and/or stabilities. Silicon (Si) is an attractive semiconductor material for photoelectrodes, but the development of efficient Si-based photoanodes is challenging due to their instability in alkaline solutions. Thus, one focus of this dissertation is the design and fabrication of highly stable nickel (Ni)-patterned Si photoanodes through interfacial engineering of the barrier heights. Recently, hot carriers in plasmonic metal nanostructures have …

Steps Beyond Risk Assessment In Qrm: Rbdm, The Next Horizon, Valerie Mulholland, Anne Greene, Martin J. Lipa

Level 3

The topic of Risk-based Decision Making (RBDM) was highlighted as one of these areas requiring clarification in the International Committee on Harmonisation (ICH) concept paper for the revision of Q9. This paper examines 5 key areas on RBDM identified in the concept paper, focusing on: What good risk-based decision making actually means, How QRM may improve decision-making and How risk-based decisions might be achieved. This was executed by reviewing peer-reviewed published research literature and examining best practices in other industries, with a view to initiating a dialogue which could help advance the questions posed. Based on this analysis, a list …

A Cross-Sectional Study On Perinatal Mortality In Jasin District, Malaysia, Yadneshwar Khobragade

Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences

Background: Since 2003 perinatal mortality rate of Malaysia is in range of 7.5 -8.5/1000. But higher deaths rates were observed in Jasin District from 2014-2017, hence this study was conducted to find out the prevalence and causes of perinatal mortality and suggest the steps to prevent it. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted in Jasin district health office. Registered cases for delivery and birth records covering the period of 2014-2017 were checked. Total births (including stillbirths) were 8092. The files of stillbirths and early neonatal deaths were segregated, and data entered in excel sheet. Statistical Analysis: Processing and analysis …

The Pragmatic Mistake: A View In The Concept And Reasons Of Formation, Kareem Abeed

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

This research studies the pragmatic mistakes by examining the structurally straight grammatical composition which were considered by the grammarians as an un useful lingual. The research followed an analytical descriptive approach in dealing with these grammatical compositions, in addition to a comparison held between the Arabic morphological theories to the contemporary Linguistic discourse. The research aims at crystallizing the concept of pragmatic mistake in order to reveal its roots in the inherited morphological theory and how such a mistake has been formed. The research is constituted of an introduction, then a pavement to the modern Arabic studies that describes the …

An Investigation Of Sensory Percepts Elicited By Macro-Sieve Electrode Stimulation Of The Rat Sciatic Nerve, Nikhil Shiva Chandra

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Intuitive control of conventional prostheses is hampered by their inability to replicate the rich tactile and proprioceptive feedback afforded by natural sensory pathways. Electrical stimulation of residual nerve tissue is a promising means of reintroducing sensory feedback to the central nervous system. The macro-sieve electrode (MSE) is a candidate interface to amputees’ truncated peripheral nerves whose unique geometry enables selective control of the complete nerve cross-section. Unlike previously studied interfaces, the MSE’s implantation entails transection and subsequent regeneration of the target nerve. Therefore, a key determinant of the MSE’s suitability for this task is whether it can elicit sensations at …

On The Study Of Age-Related Physiological Decline In C. Elegans, Drew Benjamin Sinha

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Aging decline is a universal and unescapable phenomenon; as organisms reach maturity and continue living, physiological function inevitably declines, resulting in mortality. While the study of mortality has been long studied, technical and practical challenges have limited the equally important study of how/when individuals deteriorate and what types of factors affect that deterioration. This gap in knowledge is not only evident in a relative lack of empirical data on physiological decline, but considerable debate around the analysis and conceptual interpretations of the little data that is available.

In this dissertation, I use quantitative reasoning and analysis of longitudinal data to …

Short-Term Memory And Olfactory Signal Processing, Lijun Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Modern neural recording methodologies, including multi-electrode and optical recordings, allow us to monitor the large population of neurons with high temporal resolution. Such recordings provide rich datasets that are expected to understand better how information about the external world is internally represented and how these representations are altered over time. Achieving this goal requires the development of novel pattern recognition methods and/or the application of existing statistical methods in novel ways to gain insights into basic neural computational principles. In this dissertation, I will take this data-driven approach to dissect the role of short-term memory in olfactory signal processing in …

Numerical Investigations Of Logic Gates And Transistors In Quantum And Classical Information Processing, Anthony Corbin

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The development of numerical analysis techniques for electromagnetics and quantum mechanics problems has dramatically increased the rate of new discoveries. Propelled by the exponential growth of computers over the past decades, numerical software has brought the ability to reliably experiment with new ideas and predict new phenomena, even before the physical realizations of these ideas in the labs. This work will demonstrate the application of this capability by applying numerical analysis techniques to design and analyze new devices. First, a system of optical logic gates using a nonlinear metallodielectric grating is completely designed and simulated using numerical analysis. Second, the …

“Africa Of The Heart”: The African Experience In Derek Walcott's Omeros, Hussein Kadhum Challab

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

Derek Walcott's book-length poem Omeros won critical acclaim soon after its publication in 1990. In this poem, the world of the Caribbean is linked with that of Homer by recalling the dramas of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in a Caribbean setting. Africa is heavily featured in Omeros as most of the major characters of the poem who in one way or another go through the African experience. 'Return to Africa' is a recurrent theme in Derek Walcott's works. However, this kind of return is not for the sole purpose of finding their old lost homeland, but rather for establishing roots …

Satirizing Empire: Comparing Ancient China And Rome, Di Wang

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Comparative scholars of the ancient Mediterranean and East Asian worlds have recently taken a serious interest in the unprecedented and simultaneous emergence of two classical empires: Rome and China. The trend, invigorated by the contemporary geopolitical development of China’s rise as a world empire challenging the post-World War II Western hegemony, has yielded new insights into the many divergences and convergences of the world’s two most enduring political and cultural systems. However, preoccupied with describing the political, cultural institutions and grand narratives of empire, scholarship has largely ignored the detractors of empire, whose ingenious expressions are as enduring as these …

Probing New Physics Beyond The Standard Model Via New Neutrino Interactions, Garv Chauhan

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The Standard Model (SM) of Particle Physics provides a self-consistent quantum field theoretic framework to explain three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetic, weak, strong) along with classifying all known elementary particles. Since its conception in the 1960s, the SM has been one of the most tested theories of physics and has withstood all experimental batterings. In spite of these successes, there are compelling indications, both experimental and theoretical, that require us to expand our understanding of the nature beyond the SM (BSM). Arguably the most glaring indication of BSM physics is the observation of neutrino oscillations, which implies …

Quantifying Components Of Protein Translation And Metabolite Heterogeneity In Isogenic Microbial Populations, Alexander Schmitz

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cell-to-cell variation in gene expression and metabolite levels have a significant impact on ensemble productivity of microbial bioproduction. New metabolic engineering tools and approaches are needed that consider cell cultures as an amalgam of uniquely behaving individuals to improve the slow commercialization of metabolically engineered systems. Stochastic cellular process including gene expression, metabolism, and growth lead to phenotypic variation between genetically identical cells. Understanding and the ability to control microbial phenotypic variation is key to improving microbial bioproduction metrics. During protein translation, codon usage strongly influences ensemble gene expression but the effect on the variation of gene expression was not …

A Study On The Hormonal Regulation And Novel Role Of Na+ Leak Channel, Non-Selective (Nalcn) In Human Myometrial Smooth Muscle Cells, Chinwendu Amazu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

During pregnancy, the uterus transitions from a quiescent state to an excitable, highly contractile state to deliver the fetus. Two important contributors essential for this transition are progesterone (P4) and estrogen (E2), which promote quiescence or contraction, respectively, by acting on the myometrial smooth muscle cells (MSMCs). While these hormones regulate uterine contractions, it is unclear how they affect electrical activity of MSMCs, which underlies uterine contractile activity. Our lab recently identified Na+ leak channel, non-selective (NALCN) as a component of the leak current in human MSMCs and showed that mice lacking NALCN in the uterus have dysfunctional labor. In …

Depression As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Perceived Injustice And Neuropsychological Performance Validity Among Individuals Previously Diagnosed With A Concussion, Jeremiah Lum

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Concussion is one of the most common conditions seen within rehabilitation and neuropsychology. Given that many concussions are diagnosed following litigation-associated injuries, it is unsurprising that malingered neurocognitive deficit (i.e., deliberate underperformance on cognitive instruments in the interest of secondary gain) has dominated the concussion literature. Although the identification of malingering is essential to ethical assessment, its presence or absence is not the sole determinant of performance validity as a whole. Rather, performance validity is a broad construct involving effort, which refers to examinees’ investment in performing at capacity levels; emerging research suggests this can be affected by psychological factors …

Adonis And Religious Thought, Poetically, Mohammed Taha

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The religious influence constituted an important tributary that Adonis took from it, and to strengthen his poetry and to arrive his voice when he addressing the minds and consciences, which departed greatly from humanity, and tried to harm man by contradiction and difference, and Adonis was clearly affected in his poetry, by employing the greatness of God (Exalted be He), and to demonstrate his ability to deter people, with the miracles that have been achieved through the ages, and also some of the prophets had the prominent role in guiding people, and too the leadership effect that Adonis represented in …

A Translation Assessment Of Metaphors In Elif Shafak's Black Milk, Farah A. Abo Al-Timen

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

This study attempts to assess the translation of metaphors in Elif Shafak's Black Milk using a framework proposed by Peter Newmark (1981). Both the original and the translated texts are evaluated according to Newmark's strategies of rendering metaphors in order to determine whether the metaphorical image occurs at the same level or differently and to assess the strategies and translations made by the translator and their appropriateness. Based on the findings, the results show that the most dominant strategy is the literal strategy by (55%), followed by the sense strategy by (15.8%), then there is the mix strategy by (7.5%), …

Psychological Assessment And Testing, Leslie A. Miller, Ruby Daniels

Marketing Faculty Publications (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Leadership Conversion: From Command-And-Control To People-Centered Approach, Elli Unt

Student Theses and Dissertations

Leadership style is often recognized as the most important factor in determining workforce productivity and in establishing an organizational environment. In the last century, researchers have observed a significant shift in the approach organizational leaders take to communicate with their teams. This paper explores the gap between the leadership models of the last century (top-down approach) and more modern leadership practices (collaborative approach) in respect to economic and technological changes faced by organizations today. Through the analysis of knowledge and understanding about the subject shared by professionals from different fields, this paper proposes new ideas on how to better adapt …

Regional Reprogramming And The Small Intestine: Analysis And Modeling Of Adaptive Regeneration Of The Epithelium, Sarah Elizabeth Waye

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The small intestine in homeostasis is capable of regular regeneration, but in cases of massive injury like Short Bowel Syndrome, the innate human response often fails to fully compensate for the loss of nutrient absorptive surface area that accompanies bowel resection. Murine models display an active compensatory reaction deemed “adaptation” in which the surface area of the bowel is increased to accommodate nutrient absorptive needs. This observation has highlighted several gaps in knowledge regarding bowel adaptation. Firstly, what occurs on a molecular level in murine models during adaptation? Secondly, how can the findings in mice be applied to humans in …

The Role Of Neuronal Atp-Sensitive Potassium Channels In Learning And Memory, Shaul Vladimir Yahil

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels link cellular metabolism and membrane excitability in many tissues, including brain and pancreas. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations to KATP channels cause neonatal diabetes, with some patients exhibiting developmental delay, epilepsy, and neonatal diabetes (DEND) syndrome. Diabetic symptoms have been attributed to loss of membrane excitability and insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells, though the origin of neurological deficits and the effects of neuronal KATP-GOF mutations more generally remain elusive. In this dissertation, I will present evidence that mice expressing KATP-GOF mutations pan-neuronally (nKATP-GOF) demonstrated sensorimotor and cognitive deficits, whereas hippocampus-specific hKATP-GOF mice exhibited predominantly learning and memory deficits. …

Weedy Rice As A Model System For The Study Of Microevolutionary Interactions In Agricultural Contexts, Marshall Jon Wedger

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Just under one-half of the global population relies on cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) astheir primary source of calories, making the optimization of rice agriculture immensely important. One of the primary constraints to rice agriculture is the de-domesticated (feral) form of rice known as ‘weedy rice’ that aggressively competes for space, soil nutrients, and light. Heavy infestation can reduce crop yields by as much as 80%. As a closely-related weedy descendant of cultivated rice, chemical control is difficult in rice fields, and physical weeding is labor intensive, time consuming, and largely ineffective due to early life-stage mimicry of the crop. Weedy …

Human Plcg2 Haploinsufficiency Results In A Novel Immunodeficiency, Joshua Brandon Alinger

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

NK cells are critical for the recognition and lysis of herpesvirus-infected cells. Patients with NK cell immunodeficiency may suffer from unusually severe and/or recurrent herpesvirus infections; however, the genetic cause is frequently unknown. PLCG2 encodes a signaling protein in NK cell and B cell receptor signaling, in which dominant-negative or gain-of-function mutations may cause cold urticaria, antibody deficiency, or autoinflammation. However, loss-of-function mutations and PLCG2 haploinsufficiency have never been reported in human disease. We examined 2 families with autosomal dominant NK cell immunodeficiency with dual high-dimensional techniques, mass cytometry and whole-exome sequencing, to identify the cause of disease. We identified …

Cyclodextrin-Based Supramolecular Drug-Delivery Nanomaterials And Shear-Thinning Hydrogels Using Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization, Ruihan Li

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Cyclodextrins (CD) are a family of oligosaccharides that can non-covalently and precisely bind small hydrophobic drug molecules, such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs, through well-defined host-guest interactions inside the inner cavity of the macrocycle. Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a versatile, functional group tolerant method of polymerization that is underexplored in biomedical applications relative to the more common controlled chain-growth polymerizations. In this dissertation, I describe my efforts to combine the supramolecular chemistry of CDs with that of ROMP using specialized functional monomers to synthesize several CD-based polymeric drug delivery nanomaterials. For example, in Chapter 2, a new type of …

Material Difficulty And Individual Difference Factors Moderate The Eyewitness Confidence-Accuracy Relationship, Wenbo Lin

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have shown that eyewitness confidence is positively associated with high identification (ID) accuracy, but some eyewitness researchers have expressed concerns regarding the reliability of this confidence-accuracy relationship in applied settings (e.g., are there circumstances or moderator variables that make this relationship less reliable?). For the present study, we considered two types of moderator variables: material difficulty (i.e., the difficulty level associated with different sets of eyewitness stimuli) and individual difference factors such as face recognition ability. Experiment 1 examined whether these moderator variables significantly impair the confidence-accuracy relationship and Experiment 2 examined whether these same moderator variables equally …

Role Of Interferon Receptors In Sting-Associated Autoinflammatory Disease In Mice, William Alexander Stinson

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, the cGAS-STING pathway has emerged as a principal component of innate DNA sensing. Its activation of type I interferon (IFN) elicits host immune activation and in the absence of cGAS or STING, mice are rendered critically susceptible to infection by viruses and bacteria. Breakdowns in the molecules that regulate this pathway can promote unrestrained cGAS-STING activation and the development of various forms of autoimmune disease. For instance, gain-of-function mutations in STING cause autoinflammatory lung disease in mice and STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) in humans. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie STING-dependent …