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Psychology, Psychology

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Inferring Phylogenetic Relationships Using The Smith-Waterman Algorithm And Hierarchical Clustering, Rafael Hidalgo, Anthony Devito, Nesreen Salah, Aparna S. Varde, Robert W. Meredith

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

All biological species undergo change over time due to the evolutionary process. These changes can occur rapidly and unpredictably. Due to their high potential to spread quickly, it is critical to be able to monitor changes and detect viral variants. Phylogenetic trees serve as good methods to study evolutionary relationships. Complex big data in biomedicine is plentiful in regards to viral data. In this paper, we analyze phylogenetic trees with reference to viruses and conduct dynamic programming using the Smith-Waterman algorithm, followed by hierarchical clustering. This methodology constitutes an intelligent approach for data mining, paving the way for examining variations …

Development Of Hollow Vaginal Device Using Stereolithography (Sla) 3d Printing For Intravaginal Drug Delivery, Preethi Lakkala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a condition caused by the polymorphic opportunistic fungus Candida albicans, which involves the first-line treatment with antifungal agents comprising azole groups. An intravaginal drug delivery device is an alternate approach to conventional therapy that transcend multiple daily administrations and systemic side effects associated with oral medications and offers effective drug concentrations at the target site for a sustained period. This study reports, for the first time, the development of a novel hollow vaginal device by exploiting stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology to achieve localized and extended delivery of Itraconazole. These devices were fabricated using a shape memory …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Mindfulness-Based Group Interventions On Reducing Externalizing Behaviors In Adolescent Populations, Erica Montgomery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the extent of the impact that mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques, have on externalizing behaviors in adolescents. Specifically, the intended population receiving the intervention will be minority adolescents, ages 9-15, in rural Mississippi who have received disciplinary action from the school or community based on acting out and aggression. The Ohio Youth Rating Scale will be used to collect information from three primary sources: parents, teachers, and participants. Data will be collected at multiple points in the intervention. Based on previous research with similar age groups, outcomes should be favorable for reducing unwanted behaviors.

Do Policies Matter? An Exploratory, Qualitative Study Of The Lived Experiences On Campus Of Transgender And Non-Binary Education Employees, Sarah Clay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The student population of American colleges and universities is becoming increasingly diverse. Though the racial and ethnic makeup of a campus population has been given the most attention in diversity and inclusion efforts, there has been a growing focus on LGBTQ issues in recent decades. As a result, institutions of higher learning have been working to develop responsive policies and programs that aim to promote LGBTQ inclusion amongst faculty, staff, and students.

However, the current socio-political climate in the United States is becoming intensely antagonistic toward gender non-conforming people. With gender identity being such a socially and politically divisive issue, …

Down The Stream: The Evolution Of Queer Stream-Of-Consciousness Novels Through The Works Of Virginia Woolf And Ali Smith, Turner Nat Byrd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to understand the evolution of the stream-of-consciousness genre as it applies to, is written by, or centers queer people. Through generous Marxist-feminist readings of the works of Virginia Woolf and Ali Smith—used in this project as exemplars of the genre—it attempts to understand the differences within both the formal and philosophical/political outlook of the two authors. Specifically looking at Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse and Smith’s Hotel World, The Accidental, and Girl Meets Boy, this project posits that Smith, intentionally or not, has effectively re-written the basic narratives and re-visited the same themes as Woolf, …

The Queer And Trans Ecologies Of Shakespeare's Ocean, Elijah Two Bears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis squarely approaches the overlooked theoretical nexus of early modern blue ecologies and LGBTQIA2S+ studies to argue that Shakespeare's ocean is a deeply queer space that inspires both queer and trans effects in his characters, plays, and audiences across time. I argue you can’t fully process Shakespeare’s aquatic environments, and the broader range of his more watery plays, without accounting for the queer destabilization and trans self-fashioning that is inextricably linked with encountering the ocean, whether it is through shipwreck, ship travel, or near-drownings. This project recreates a lost world using whatever small gems of textual and historical evidence …

The Effect Of Contextual Uncertainty On Confidence Judgements In Perception And Its Relation To Metacognition, Wing Kiu Lam

Bachelor of Social Sciences – Senior Theses

Our brain processes noisy and incomplete information to make adaptive decisions and chooses appropriate responses based on the strength of our subjective evaluation. Such subjective evaluation of our decisions could be referred to our metacognition— the ability to monitor and recognize our own successful cognitive processing. What information does our metacognitive system take in during subjective evaluation? To what extent our metacognitive judgements are influenced by the context? The current study aims to investigate whether there is an effect of contextual uncertainty on confidence judgments when perceptual performance is controlled. In this study, participants were required to perform both type …

To Investigate The Foveal Avascular Zone In A Young Healthy Population Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography, Susan O'Shea

Masters

Introduction/Aims Inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can alter the size and shape of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ). Macular pigment (MP), a powerful antioxidant, located at the macula can protect the eye from oxidative stress damage. This study aims to investigate possible factors affecting the FAZ, such as vessel perfusion and overweight/obesity, in association with MP status in a young, healthy population. Normative values for FAZ size/shape and vascularity will also be proposed.

Methods One hundred and fifty-four subjects aged 18-35 years old were recruited. Superficial FAZ area, diameter, ganglion cell layer, central macular …

To Investigate The Effects Of Low Plus Prescription Lenses On Quality Of Life And Visual Performance In Children., Patricia Maher

Masters

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low plus prescription lenses on Quality of life and visual performance data. As part of the study opinions of optometrists regarding paediatric eye care was also explored. Methods: Each one of the 92 participants, aged between 8 and 12 years, attended for three visits, baseline, at 1 month and 3 months. A quality of life questionnaire was completed at each visit. Optometric probes including dynamic retinoscopy, relative accommodation, fusional reserves and stereopsis as well as reading speed were examined. A survey was sent out electronically to optometrists followed …

Increasing Detection Sensitivity For Rare And Endangered Species In Kansas Through Development Of An Aquatic Environmental Dna Sampling Protocol, Sarah Hallyburton

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Anthropogenic global climate change is forcing the mass extinction of wildlife across the globe. Humans depend on freshwater ecosystems for many aspects of life including agricultural production, sanitation, and recreation. Healthy levels of biodiversity in freshwater environments ensure economically beneficial ecosystem services are maintained. Freshwater ecosystems are hotspots for biodiversity and have higher levels of imperiled organisms compared to terrestrial and marine systems. Within freshwater systems, freshwater mussels (Family: Unionidae) are the most imperiled with over 70% of North American species assigned to a conservation class as judged by state or federal management agencies. The objective of this study was …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of A Platecarpus Tympaniticus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) With Actinocamax Sternbergi (Mollsuca, Belemnoidea) Reveals Possible Endothermic Thermoregulation, Mitchell Lukens

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Mosasaurs, ancient marine reptiles, dominated the late Cretaceous oceans. However, their ecological success is a contentious topic. Were they ectothermic, like their modern relatives the varanid lizards? Or endothermic like extant marine mammals? Stable isotopes can reveal temperature and physiological variances within skeletons, but do not differentiate between body temperature and ambient environmental temperature. A rare mosasaur specimen from the Smoky Hill Chalk of a partial, articulated Platecarpus tympaniticus with stomach contents of belemnites provides a possible direct temperature contrast between predator and prey. The belemnites, related to modern coleoids, are identified as Actinocamax sternbergi. These animals possessed body …

Investigation Of A Misophonia And Fluid Intelligence Relationship: Sound Spectrum Variation Impact On Fluid Intelligence Task Responses, Leslie Watson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

ABSTRACT Studies of misophonia have not assessed the impact of music and sound complexity on intelligence in individuals with misophonia. Edelstein et al. (2013) have provided work which pools trigger sound characteristics including sound repetitiveness yet does not include a substantial music subcategory. Utilizing the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model of intelligence, the current study explores the nature of music and music complexity on fluid intelligence, as described by Sternberg (2012). The hypotheses for this study focused on the relationship that complexity and music might have with misophonia. The rate of misophonia in the Mechanical Turk population was hypothesized to be 20%. The …

Mother Water, Crystal J. Hammerschmidt

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Water is life. That which nurtures, sustains and nourishes. My mother is truly my water. The one who gave me life and has supported and nurtured me though and through. While wading through the challenges and adversity of graduate school, she has been there every step of the way; and while I struggled to find what I was trying to say, I was quietly toiling over thoughts of my own fertility, maternal instincts and desire to nurture something and I began to acknowledge the mortality of my own mother.

The materials and images I combine are deeply connected to my …

"You Wanna Play Rough?": The Unlikely Partnership Of The Italian Mafia And Butch Lesbians In Greenwich Village, 1945-1968, Alison Jean Helget

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

During economic and political upheaval in Europe beginning in the late-1910s and dramatically progressing throughout the 1920s, young Italian men emigrated to the United States to earn decent salaries to bring back to their families across the ocean. However, some single men embraced the opportunities of New York City and its diversified neighborhoods. Since xenophobic sanctions forced disenfranchised minorities into confined spaces and immigrants tended to find comfort settling in neighborhoods with well-established ethnic enclaves, this pushed Italian immigrants into the same space as butch lesbians in a counterculture place referred to as Greenwich Village on the west side of …

Influences Of Grazing On Habitat Characteristics, Avian Community Composition And Nesting Bird Abundance Within Cheyenne Bottoms, Ks, Kirsten Granstrom-Arndt

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Cheyenne Bottoms is a 41,000-acre prairie-marsh ecosystem in central Kansas. Approximately 8,000 acres of mixed grassland are dedicated for the conservation of bird populations, but little is known about the status of bird communities within these areas. This study took place within grassland areas of Cheyenne Bottoms from May – July 2021. I investigated bird community composition, relative abundance of frequently observed bird species, vegetative characteristics, and similarity of sites across different grazing intensities (continuous, rotational, and non-grazed). The four most common bird species observed were dickcissel (Spiza americana), grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), meadowlark species ( …

A 16s & Its Soil Microbiome Analysis Of Native & Old-World Bluestem Invaded Soils Of Kansas Grasslands, Zachary Nelson

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Invasive species are becoming an increasing problem throughout the world. Their effect on local ecosystems is detrimental and widespread, harming productive efforts such as biomass accumulation, forcing native species (plant, animals, microbes) out, and ultimately, reducing biodiversity. Investigations of how invasive plants spread are widely studied; however, there has been little to no examination of how native plants influence the microbiome in the surrounding soil. In this study, I performed a fungal and bacterial metagenomic analysis of the soil and root microbiomes of both native grasslands and grasslands invaded by Old-World Bluestem Grasses to help determine if they influence the …

Using Geochemical Composition To Determine Paleo Environmental Conditions And Source Inputs In Paleozoic Rocks Within The Central Kansas Uplift Usa, Christiana Fumnanya Eziashi

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Paleoenvironmental conditions, sediment characteristics and lateral continuity using chemostratigraphy are not well established for stratigraphic units associated with some small fields within the Central Kansas Uplift (CKU). Samples of drill cuttings recovered from six wells (Hottman #1, and Hottman-Furthmeyer#1, Yocemento #1, Mong Benno #2, Rhian #3 and Worcester #1) at 10 ft intervals between 3150 ft and 3900 ft below ground level, were processed and analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). The XRF technique was used to determine elemental compositions, and XRD was used to determine mineral content. The composition of the rock cuttings was used to …

Most White People Just Don't Trust A Black Business Very Much: How The Walker Family Overcame Economic And Racial Discrimination To Become Successful Professional Business Owners In Memphis In The Twentieth Century, Leslie Pleasants

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

ABSTRACT

Joseph Edison (J.E.) Walker was an African-American man born to an impoverished, sharecropping family in the heart of the Mississippi Delta after the Civil War in 1879. Even from an early age, he was determined to break out of the station his family had been relegated. There were few educational and occupational opportunities for Walker in Tillman, Mississippi, but against all odds, he received his undergraduate degree from Alcorn State College and a medical doctorate from Meharry Medical College. After graduating, Walker opened a medical office to help the people of the town; however, his local community mistreated him. …

Healing Sanctuary, Kammy Downs

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The natural world has hidden wisdom and resources that are disregarded as we misuse our responsibility to care for them. The benefits of being in tune with nature have been traded for a culture that manipulates nature on the altar of expediency, waste, and unquenchable desire. Healing Sanctuary presents a duality. My work speaks about the relationship between the seen and unseen, represented by ten larger-than-life drawings of medicinal herbal plants that have had a profound physical healing effect on me. At the same time, plants, roots, and seeds create visceral metaphors for mental health. Our accomplishments, outlook on life, …

Efficacy Of Non-Lethal Molecular Methods In Elucidating Distribution Of Gray Treefrog Complex (Hyla Chrysoscelis/Versicolor) In Kansas, Nora K. Lazerus

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Globally, amphibians are the most imperiled vertebrate taxa in part because they rely on both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, their permeable skin makes them uniquely susceptible to habitat degradation and alteration. Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) are a diploid-tetraploid, morphologically indistinguishable sister pair of cryptic anurans native to Kansas. Since 1987, the distribution of gray treefrogs in Kanas has extended west but the status of each species in the complex in Kansas is not known beyond its documented combined western expansion. Currently, species identification cannot be determined by nonlethal …

Effects Of Aggressive Reed (Phragmites Australis) On Aquatic Communities In A Kansas Reservoir, Allison Pardis

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Phragmites australis is an Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) in Kansas, a non-native reed that threatens lake and river ecology, displaces desirable species, impedes movement of wildlife and humans, that can have detrimental economic effects on communities. The majority of Phragmites research is in brackish ecosystems and the effects of Phragmites in freshwater systems and especially on fishes is undocumented, even as many states and agencies invest substantial resources in management. As freshwater systems face a biodiversity crisis, prevention and control of invasive species is critical. Effective management therefore requires a thorough understanding of the effects these invaders have on ecosystems …

The N-Terminal Domains Of Voltage Dependent Anion Channels As Novel Members Of The Bcl-2 Family: Their Roles And Interactions With The Bh3 Domain Of The Bcl-2 Family Members, Clement Nana Agyemang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

VDACs are pore-forming proteins found within the mitochondria's outer membrane (MOM) whose function is to allow the exchange of metabolites such as ATP and ADP in and out of the mitochondria. In apoptotic cells, they allow the release of cytochrome c from the MOM into the cytosol to initiate apoptosis. The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulates mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by inhibiting or promoting apoptosis through their BH3 domain. Recent studies have demonstrated that VDACs play essential roles in regulating mitochondrial apoptosis through their interactions with the Bcl-2 family. In this study, we proposed that VDACs are part of the Bcl-2 family …

Development And Characterization Of Different Dosage Forms Utilizing Hot-Melt Extrusion Technique, Abdulmajeed Althobaiti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot melt extrusion (HME) is a promising technique for developing different dosage forms and improving products already on the market. Numerous studies have been published utilizing HME due to its advantages over conventional techniques. It is solvent-free, has few processing steps, continuous processing, and low cost. Furthermore, HME has the flexibility to be coupled with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) to develop complex dosage forms for patient-focused drug delivery. The first objective of this research work was to design and develop different dosage forms (capsule-in-capsule, and three-dimensional-printed tablet) of nifedipine/indomethacin fixed-dose combination (FDC) utilizing hot melt extrusion (HME) with or without …

Sustained Delivery Of Carbon Monoxide (Co) Via Organic Co Prodrugs: Pharmacokinetic Studies, Minjia Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon monoxide (CO) is widely known as poisonous gas. Its role as a signaling molecule (gasotransmitter) with various therapeutic effects is less known. Recent years have seen a surge of interest in CO because of its demonstrated therapeutic effect in treating conditions such as inflammation, drug-induced toxicity, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and kidney injury, among others. In developing CO-based therapeutic agents, one key issue is the availability of pharmaceutically acceptable ways of delivering CO. During the past decade, there has been a large number of experiments in cell culture, animal models, and clinical trials using CO gas incubation/inhalation and heavy metal based …

Impaired Β-Cell Neogenesis In A Mouse Model Of Metabolic Syndrome, Modhi Abdullah Alshammari

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Pancreatic islet β-cell plays an essential role in insulin release and hence glucose homeostasis. The maintenance of glucose homeostasis depends on β-cell ability to cope with enough insulin to fulfill metabolic and physiological demands. Adequate insulin release is the result of highly complex and dynamic interplays between acute changes in β- cell electrical activity, exocytosis and chronic adaptations in cellular function, volume, mass and proliferation. All of this appears modulated, to some extent, by the functional presence of Slc12a2 symporters, also known as Na+K+2Cl– cotransporter-1 (Nkcc1), which accumulates intracellular Cl– above its electrochemical equilibrium. Recent studies from our laboratory showed …

Evaluating Energy-Based Trait Shifts And Population Level Impacts Of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus) With Long-Term Exposure To Pseudogymnoascus Destructans, Molly C. Simonis

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Disturbances in environment can lead to a wide range of host physiological responses. These responses can either allow hosts to adjust to new conditions in their environment or can reduce their survival, and can subsequently cause host traits to shift. Small mammals are particularly vulnerable to stochastic disturbances, like a pathogen introduction, because of their high energy demands. Studies examining host responses to pathogens often focus on species highly susceptible to infection that typically have high mortality rates, leading to a gap in understanding the responses of less susceptible species. My dissertation evaluates the energy balance of Eptesicus fuscus (big …

Evaluation Of A Monosynaptic Spinal Circuit In Multiple Mouse Models Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Maura A. Curran

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease. To date, there are no significant disease-modifying treatments, and one limiting factor in treatment is the amount of time it takes for a patient to receive a diagnosis of ALS. This study examined multiple mouse models before symptom onset to help identify early changes in a reflex circuit of ALS mice. Dorsal root stimulation of the sacral spinal cord in multiple models ALS mouse models showed changes in the resulting ventral root compound action potential amplitude, latency, and ability to maintain synaptic depression. These data also suggest that a mouse model …

Community-Level Effects Of A Widescale Reduction In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Density, Mariah Slaughter

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The prolonged overabundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) throughout the deciduous forests of eastern North America has resulted in widespread changes in the understory community. Studies have demonstrated that the exclusion of deer can allow some aspects of the understory to recover, but there are strong time-lags for deer-preferred species. Additionally, these exclosures only test the presence/absence of deer, which is not a feasible management option or desirable as deer are a part of the community. Here I evaluate how large-scale deer density manipulations within the Kinzua Quality Deer Cooperative of Pennsylvania affected understory vegetation communities. Using data from six …

Use Of Forelimb Asymmetry In The Analysis Of Cns Recovery From A Demyelination Event, Joseph C. Hinkle

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Using forelimb asymmetry analysis along with Montoya Staircase methodology we tested how a fluoxetine simvastatin ascorbic acid drug cocktail would affect recovery from a demyelinating event in a rat model, with the hypothesis that if administered then it would help female recovery but hinder male recovery. It was found that a fluoxetine simvastatin and ascorbic acid drug cocktail did not significantly enhance recovery from a demyelination model injury in female rats, and that the same drug cocktail significantly slowed male rat recovery from the same type of injury. It was also apparent that the more effective methodology for investigating this …