Digital Commons Network^™

A Coherence-Colored Look Inside Reverse Micelles: Advancing Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry To Characterize Internal Water Pool Dynamics, Alec Beaton

Dissertations - ALL

Traditional data acquisition methods in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) collect a subset of the total amount of generated data and discard the rest. In this work, a modified approach toward NMR data acquisition and analysis is formalized and applied in a series of different contexts, ultimately illustrating the utility of collecting and considering this traditionally discarded data. In particular, it is shown that this approach both facilitates and improves NMR data acquisition capabilities at low field (15 MHz), enabling one to overcome challenges arising from, for example, fluctuations in the static magnetic field.With these developments in hand, the dual resonance …

Arginine Methylation Of The Pgc-1Α C‑Terminus Is Temperature- Dependent, Meryl Mendoz, Mariel Mendoza, Tiffany Lubrino, Sidney Briski, Immaculeta Osuji, Janielle Cuala, Brendan Ly, Ivan Ocegueda, Harvey Peralta, Benjamin A. Garcia, Cecilia Zurita-Lopez

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

We set out to determine whether the C-terminus (amino acids 481–798) of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α, UniProt Q9UBK2), a regulatory metabolic protein involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, and respiration, is an arginine methyltransferase substrate. Arginine methylation by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) alters protein function and thus contributes to various cellular processes. In addition to confirming methylation of the C-terminus by PRMT1 as described in the literature, we have identified methylation by another member of the PRMT family, PRMT7. We performed in vitro methylation reactions using recombinant mammalian PRMT7 and PRMT1 at 37, 30, 21, 18, and 4 °C. …

Metallacycle-Mediated Cross-Coupling As An Enabling Tool For Studies In Carbocycle Synthesis And Functionalization, Adam Barry Millham

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Natural products, specifically complex, carbocyclic natural products, have served as the inspiration for novel methods development for decades. Over that time, metallacycle-mediated cross-coupling has arisen as a powerful means for the synthesis of fused carbocycles. This work details three methods for the synthesis and functionalization of carbocyclic motifs that have been enabled by Ti-mediated cross-coupling reactions. The first of these studies include a complementary method to the Pauson–Khand reaction for the synthesis of highly substituted cyclopentenones via Ti-mediated alkyne–β-ketoester coupling. The second project, a modern approach to steroidal tetracycles, will be discussed that features: (1) an alkoxide-directed metallacycle-mediated [2+2+2] annulation …

Hamilton Cycles In Bidirected Complete Graphs, Arthur Busch, Mohammed A. Mutar, Daniel Slilaty

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Zaslavsky observed that the topics of directed cycles in directed graphs and alternating cycles in edge 2-colored graphs have a common generalization in the study of coherent cycles in bidirected graphs. There are classical theorems by Camion, Harary and Moser, Häggkvist and Manoussakis, and Saad which relate strong connectivity and Hamiltonicity in directed "complete" graphs and edge 2-colored "complete" graphs. We prove two analogues to these theorems for bidirected "complete" signed graphs.

The Unexpected Effectiveness Of Strategically Sparse Cooperation, Neal D. Munson

Theses and Dissertations

In this work, we will show a result derived from a class of economically inspired multi-agent differential games. The result shows that in the class of games we present, only a sparse cooperation structure is needed by the agents to achieve an outcome that is in a particular sense "optimal". One may expect that to achieve such an outcome, a centralized control or full cooperation would be necessary; it is not. Not only is it not necessary - it is never necessary. We precisely characterize what kind of cooperation IS necessary to attain that kind of optimality. Only the sparsest …

The Musical Water Fountain, Amy Nielsen

Honors Theses

An affordable musical water fountain was designed over the course of one year. The target consumers for this fountain are middle to upper class homeowners. Based on the design parameters and research found on the topic, the fountain presents an aesthetically pleasing light and water show for residential neighborhoods. The design was sought to be competitive on the market with preexisting fountains. Since it must play music and perform a water and light show all in synchronous, there was confidence in the unique features to sell with today’s consumers. SolidWorks was used extensively to design and model the fountain and …

Golay Codes And Quantum Contextuality, Mordecai Waegell, P. K. Aravind

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

It is shown that the codewords of the binary and ternary Golay codes can be converted into rays in RP²³ and RP¹¹ that provide proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem in real state spaces of dimensions 24 and 12, respectively. Some implications of these results are discussed.

Short-Range Magnetic Correlations, Spontaneous Magnetovolume Effect, And Local Distortion In Magnetic Semiconductor Mnte, Raju Baral

Theses and Dissertations

The antiferromagnetic semiconductor MnTe has recently attracted significant interest as a potential high-performance thermoelectric material. Its promising thermoelectric properties are due in large part to short-range magnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state, which enhance the thermopower through the paramagnon drag effect. Using magnetic pair distribution function (mPDF) analysis of neutron total scattering data, we present a detailed, real-space picture of the short-range magnetic correlation in MnTe, offering a deeper view into the paramagnon drag effect and the nature of the correlated paramagnetic state. We confirm the presence of nanometer-scale antiferromagnetic correlations far into the paramagnetic state, show the evolution of …

Association Of Chlorhexidine Use And Scaling And Root Planing With Birth Outcomes In Pregnant Individuals With Periodontitis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Maxwell Akonde, Rajat Das Gupta, Maxwell Akonde, Mark Reynolds, Stephanie Smith-Warner, Jihong Liu Sc.D., Fouzia Tarannum, James Beck, Donald Mattison

Faculty Publications

Importance Chlorhexidine mouthwash enhances treatment effects of conventional periodontal treatment, but data on chlorhexidine as a source of heterogeneity in meta-analyses assessing the treatment of maternal periodontitis in association with birth outcomes are lacking.

Objective To assess possible heterogeneity by chlorhexidine use in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of periodontal treatment (ie, scaling and root planing [SRP]) vs no treatment on birth outcomes.

Data Sources Cochrane Oral Health’s Trials Register, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth’s Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, LILACS BIREME Virtual Health Library (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science …

Association Of Chlorhexidine Use And Scaling And Root Planing With Birth Outcomes In Pregnant Individuals With Periodontitis: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Anwar T. Nerchant, Rajat Das Gupta, Maxwell Akonde, Mark Reynolds, Stephanie Smith-Warner, Jihong Liu, Fouzia Tarannum, James Beck, Donald Mattison

Faculty Publications

Importance Chlorhexidine mouthwash enhances treatment effects of conventional periodontal treatment, but data on chlorhexidine as a source of heterogeneity in meta-analyses assessing the treatment of maternal periodontitis in association with birth outcomes are lacking.

Objective To assess possible heterogeneity by chlorhexidine use in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of periodontal treatment (ie, scaling and root planing [SRP]) vs no treatment on birth outcomes.

Data Sources Cochrane Oral Health’s Trials Register, Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth’s Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE Ovid, Embase Ovid, LILACS BIREME Virtual Health Library (Latin American and Caribbean Health Science …

Why Do Competition Authorities Need Artificial Intelligence?, Isabella Lorenzoni

Yearbook of Antitrust and Regulatory Studies

Recent technological developments are transforming the way antitrust is enforced as well as the way market players are infringing competition law. As a result, enforcers are starting to equip themselves with sophisticated digital investigation tools. This paper explores this interest in building an Artificial Intelligence (AI) arsenal for the fight against algorithmic infringements. What are the key factors motivating regulators to develop their own technological tools to enforce competition law? Building on interviews with a number of competition authorities, this paper finds that changes in digital markets, the need for enforcers to reverseengineer companies’ algorithms in order to better understand …

Defining Traffic Scenarios For The Visually Impaired, Judith Jakob, Kordula Kugele, József Tick

The Qualitative Report

For the development of a transfer concept of camera-based object detections from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to the assistance of the visually impaired, we define relevant traffic scenarios and vision use cases by means of problem-centered interviews with four experts and ten members of the target group. We identify the six traffic scenarios: general orientation, navigating to an address, crossing a road, obstacle avoidance, boarding a bus, and at the train station clustered into the three categories: Orientation, Pedestrian, and Public Transport. Based on the data, we describe each traffic scenario and derive a summarizing table adapted from software engineering …

Engineering Order-Disorder Transitions For High-Performance Thermoelectric Fe2val Heusler Alloys, Cory T. Cline

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Fe₂VAl shows great promise as an eco-friendly and low-cost replacement to conventional low-temperature (250-500 K) thermoelectric materials. Current thermoelectric materials use toxic and expensive elements like Te and Sb, whereas Fe₂VAl offers a larger power factor at a lower cost and a reduced risk of environmental pollution. The key issue with Fe₂VAl is the alloy’s relatively large thermal conductivity compared to its semiconductor competitors. This thesis aims to investigate a hierarchical approach to reduce lattice thermal conductivity through a preliminary exploration of heavy element substitutions and mechanical deformation, then through probing order-disorder transitions for …

James Monroe’S White House: The Genius Of Politics And Place, Susan Glen Amos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research endeavor has discerned the origins of an enduring American nationalistic distinctiveness perpetuated by President James Monroe’s White House. A careful scholarly examination of Monroe’s White House as a cultural landscape enquires into the genesis of interdependence between place and politics. It also studies the depth of the American people’s ability to embrace, as their own, the symbolism and national vision fashioned in these spaces. The juxtaposition of James Monroe’s election as the first United States president after the War of 1812 with the resurrection of the White House manifested for him an exclusive opportunity, still fraught with perils, …

The Effect Of Language Used In The Home On Academic Achievement In English Language Learners With Special Needs, Rebecca Dawn Bramblett

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The number of students classified as English language learners enrolled in schools in the United States continues to multiply yearly. An increasing number of these students also qualify for special education services. Students in either group have underperformed compared with their general education peers for years, and the basic academic proficiency levels of these students are concerning when either language proficiency or disability is considered separately. However, when a lack of language of proficiency is compounded with a disability, academic proficiency levels become even more concerning. While student language proficiency and disability are well-researched in terms of academic performance, the …

Employed Algorithms: A Labor Model Of Corporate Liability For Ai, Mihailis E. Diamantis

Duke Law Journal

The workforce is digitizing. Leading consultancies estimate that algorithmic systems will replace 45 percent of human-held jobs by 2030. One feature that algorithms share with the human employees they are replacing is their capacity to cause harm. Even today, corporate algorithms discriminate against loan applicants, manipulate stock markets, collude over prices, and cause traffic deaths. Ordinarily, corporate employers would be responsible for these injuries, but the rules for assessing corporate liability arose at a time when only humans could act on behalf of corporations. Those rules apply awkwardly, if at all, to silicon. Some corporations have already discovered this legal …

Hybrid Life Cycles In Software Development, Eric Vincent Schoenborn

Masters Projects

This project applied software specification gathering, architecture, work planning, and development to a real-world development effort for a local business. This project began with a feasibility meeting with the owner of Zeal Aerial Fitness. After feasibility was assessed the intended users, needed functionality, and expected user restrictions were identified with the stakeholders. A hybrid software lifecycle was selected to allow a focus on base functionality up front followed by an iterative development of expectations of the stakeholders. I was able to create various specification diagrams that express the end projects goals to both developers and non-tech individuals using a standard …

Addressing The Problem Of Student Engagement In The Classroom, Levi R. Urias

Masters Projects

The problem of student engagement is one that is faced by teachers everywhere. While multiple strategies exist for combating this issue, project-based learning and inquiry-based learning are two that stand out in the multitude of research. Additionally, these strategies are ideal in the science classroom as they align very well with the Next Generation Science Standards that are used in Michigan, including rural Southwest Michigan school, Eau Claire High School. This project explores these instructional strategies and their various benefits which include improved critical thinking, improved social skills, and improved questioning skills.

Using Popular Music To Engage The Multiculturally Diverse Secondary School Band, Todd Waldon Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite the increasing acceptance and enthusiasm for multicultural popular music in some high schools in the United States, traditional music teachers are often hesitant to embrace this trend. Even though the United States is responsible for creating many popular music styles, European music education philosophy is ahead with popular music education. Because of the United States' changing demographics, a new strategy must be developed to address this issue and implement it to the band director's advantage. Ethnic diversity and multiculturism have been creative factors in the United States, which explains why American culture has produced a wide variety of musical …

Teaching In Alaska: A Phenomenological Study, Tabitha L. Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of teachers who relocated to urban fringe areas of Alaska from the lower 48 states. The theories guiding this study are situated learning theory and experiential learning theory. These theories provide the theoretical framework for this study to answer the central research question and sub-questions: (1) How do teachers who moved to Alaska describe their experiences compared to their teaching experience in the lower 48 states? (2) How do teachers describe the challenges they face during their first-year teaching in Alaska? (3) How do teachers describe information …

Let Them Be Little: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Kindergarten Teachers During An Era Of Educational Reform, Rachel Denise Whites

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences and perceptions of kindergarten teachers who taught through an era of federally mandated, standards-based educational reforms. This study was guided by two theories as each contributes to an explanation as to how educational reform has strayed far from the central purpose for kindergartens. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development sought to explain how a child constructs a mental model of the world and postulated that there are four distinct stages of human development from birth to adulthood. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory stated that children learn through play and the …

Utilizing Resilience And Persistence Strategies To Reduce African American Doctoral Attrition, Dudley Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the attrition rate of African American doctoral students and how to improve their retention and graduation using resilience and persistence. Across all disciplines, 40–60% of students who began doctoral programs did not persist to graduation (Falconer & Djokic, 2019; Mirick & Wladkowski, 2020). A semi-structured interview format was used to collect the data from 27 African American participants, 20 females and 7 males, who had already obtained their doctoral degrees. The study sought to explain the phenomenon of African American doctoral students who persevered to finish their degree, in spite …

Enabling Autonomous Driving Using 5g And Beyond, Mahmoud Wadi

Theses

The number of road accidents reported last year in UAE was 3488 accidents resulted in the death of 381 people. The shift towards the need for an intelligent transport system (ITS) supported by the use of autonomous vehicles (AV) is needed. This paper discusses the evolution of autonomous driving supported with a 5G network mainly focusing on key enabler technologies such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Autonomous driving (AD) is involved in safety applications so the communication system has to be reliable while exchanging communication in real-time with low …

An Isochroman Analog Of Cd3254 And Allyl-, Isochroman-Analogs Of Net-Tmn Prove To Be More Potent Retinoid-X-Receptor (Rxr) Selective Agonists Than Bexarotene, Peter W Jurutka, Orsola Di Martino, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Bexarotene is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL); however, its use provokes or disrupts other retinoid-X-receptor (RXR)-dependent nuclear receptor pathways and thereby incites side effects including hypothyroidism and raised triglycerides. Two novel bexarotene analogs, as well as three unique CD3254 analogs and thirteen novel NEt-TMN analogs, were synthesized and characterized for their ability to induce RXR agonism in comparison to bexarotene (

Application Of Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing For Pressure Predictions And Multiphase Flow Characterization, Gerald Kelechi Ekechukwu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the oil and gas industry, distributed fiber optics sensing (DFOS) has the potential to revolutionize well and reservoir surveillance applications. Using fiber optic sensors is becoming increasingly common because of its chemically passive and non-magnetic interference properties, the possibility of flexible installations that could be behind the casing, on the tubing, or run on wireline, as well as the potential for densely distributed measurements along the entire length of the fiber. The main objectives of my research are to develop and demonstrate novel signal processing and machine learning computational techniques and workflows on DFOS data for a variety of …

Exploring Public Speaking Self-Efficacy In The 4-H Presentation Program, Nicole Marshall-Wheeler, Yu Meng, Steven Worker

Journal of Extension

Strong communication skills are important in an individual’s personal and professional life; however, research regarding what influences youth’s public speaking self-efficacy is limited. To address this gap, we surveyed youth who participated in a statewide presentation event about their self-efficacy and sources of that self-efficacy. Results show mastery experiences have the greatest relationship to youth’s public speaking confidence. Extension can strengthen youth’s public speaking self-efficacy by increasing the number of presentation opportunities and by removing barriers from participating in existing presentation opportunities.

Effect Of Temperature And Sodium Chloride Addition On The Conductivity Of Sodium (Polystyrene Sulfonate) Aqueous Solutions, Saida Asfour, Ahmed Ayyad, Fahed Takrori

Hebron University Research Journal-A (Natural Sciences) - (مجلة جامعة الخليل للبحوث- أ (العلوم الطبيعيه

The conductivity of sodium (polystyrene sulfonate) (NaPSS) aqueous solutions as a function of NaPSS concentration 0.15 g – 2.0 g NaPSS in 100 mL of distilled water, sodium chloride concentration (NaCl) in the range of 0.1 M - 0.4 M and in temperature range of 278 K – 328 K have been studied. The study found that conductivity increases with increasing NaPSS concentration both in pure water and in salt solution. It is also found that conductivity increases with increasing either NaCl concentration or temperature. The interesting finding here is that additivity rule, that the conductivity of the polyelectrolyte kps …

Assessing Mothers’ Perception Of Maternal Health Services In Rural Areas Of Yatta, Hebron: A Pilot Study From Palestine, Hussien Jabbarien Jabbarien, Inad Nawajah, Mohannad Jazzar

Hebron University Research Journal-A (Natural Sciences) - (مجلة جامعة الخليل للبحوث- أ (العلوم الطبيعيه

Access to high-quality care during pregnancy and childbirth is a challenge for women living in Al-Masafer of Yatta and Bedouin areas, considered C areas under Israeli administrative & security supremacy. Realizing clients' perception and satisfaction with the quality of maternal healthcare services will enable maternal health decision-makers & providers to assess the impact of their services on the clients' demands and perceptions. This study aims to measure women's perception of maternal health services provided in Al- Masafer of Yatta and Bedouin areas. A cross-sectional descriptive quantitative study of 59 women, selected purposefully from Al-Masafer of Yatta and the Bedouin areas, …

Post-Translational Modifications Of Cyclophilin D Fine-Tune Its Conformational Dynamics And Activity: Implications For Its Mitochondrial Function, Jacques Kumutima, Xin-Qiu Joe Yao, Donald Hamelberg

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of a cell, whose disruption due to mitochondrial pore opening can cause cell death, leading to necrosis and many other diseases. The peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerase cyclophilin D (CypD) is a key player in the regulation of the mitochondrial pore. The activity of CypD can be modulated by the post-translational modification (PTM). However, the detailed mechanism of this functional modulation is not well understood. Here, we investigate the catalytic mechanism of unmodified and modified CypD by calculating the reaction free energy profiles and characterizing the function-related conformational dynamics using molecular dynamics simulations and associated analyses. Our results …

Navigating Beyond The Lodestar: Borrowing The Federal Sentencing Guidelines To Provide Fee-Shifting Predictability, Matthew Ahn

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The lodestar has been the dominant calculation method for fee-shifting awards for nearly 40 years. But the lodestar has numerous persistent issues: it leads to extra litigation and judicial effort, it results in highly variable fee awards, and it incentivizes plaintiffs’ attorneys to bill extravagantly and reject settlement. This Article argues that these issues with the lodestar, along with many others, result from a mismatch between the lodestar and the purpose of the underlying fee-shifting statutes, which is to encourage attorneys to bring suits that would not normally be economically viable. Encouraging attorneys to do so requires the fee awards …