Digital Commons Network^™

Subduction Initiation Recorded In The Dadeville Complex Of Alabama And Georgia, Southeastern United States, Naomi A. Becker, Freya R. George, George L. Guice, James L. Crowley, Wendy R. Nelson, Joseph F. Browning-Hanson, Supratik Roy, Daniel R. Viete

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Dadeville Complex of Alabama and Georgia (southeastern United States) represents the largest suite of exposed mafic-ultramafic rocks in the southern Appalachians. Due to poor preservation, chemical alteration, and tectonic reworking, a specific tectonic origin for the Dadeville Complex has been difficult to deduce. We obtained new whole-rock and mineral geochemistry coupled with zircon U-Pb geochronology to investigate the magmatic and metamorphic processes recorded by the Dadeville Complex, as well as the timing of these processes. Our data reveal an up-stratigraphic evolution in the geochemistry of the volcanic rocks, from forearc basalts to boninites. Our new U-Pb zircon crystallization data—obtained …

Geophysics-Informed Hydrologic Modeling Of A Mountain Headwater Catchment For Studying Hydrological Partitioning In The Critical Zone, Hang Chen, Qifei Niu, Aida Mendieta, John Bradford, James Mcnamara

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hydrologic modeling has been a useful approach for analyzing water partitioning in catchment systems. It will play an essential role in studying the responses of watersheds under projected climate changes. Numerous studies have shown it is critical to include subsurface heterogeneity in the hydrologic modeling to correctly simulate various water fluxes and processes in the hydrologic system. In this study, we test the idea of incorporating geophysics-obtained subsurface critical zone (CZ) structures in the hydrologic modeling of a mountainous headwater catchment. The CZ structure is extracted from a three-dimensional seismic velocity model developed from a series of two-dimensional velocity sections …

Lighting The Fuses: The Third Circuit Loads A Volley Against Interface Copyright Ability In Pyrotechnics V. Xfx, Ryan Graham

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Holding The Big House Accountable: The Sixth Circuit Concludes A Pretrial Detainee's Fourteenth Amendment Deliberate Indifference Claim Is A Wholly Objective Determination, Noah Speitel

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Dietary Rumen-Protected Choline Supplementation To Periparturient Dairy Cattle On Inflammation, Metabolism, And Performance During An Intramammary Lipopolysaccharide Challenge, Turner H. Swartz, Barry Bradford, Laman Mamedova, Kari Estes

Dairy Science and Food Science Faculty Publications: 2022 to Present

Recent studies have suggested that dietary rumen-protected choline (RPC) supplementation can modulate immune function, attenuate inflammation, and improve performance in periparturient dairy cattle; however, this has yet to be evaluated during a mastitis challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effects of supplementation and dose of RPC on metabolism, inflammation, and performance during an intramammary lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Parous Holstein cows (parity, mean ± SD, 1.9 ± 1.1 at enrollment) were blocked by calving month and randomly assigned within block to receive either 45 g/d of RPC (20.4 g/d of choline ions; CHOL45, n = 18), …

Behavior Training For Educators: What Training Do Educators Need To Support Students With Challenging Behaviors?, Michelle R. Milburn

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral training programs/frameworks and Professional Development (PD) delivery methods that certified staff - including teachers, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, occupational therapists, and teachers on special assignment - as well as administrators, believe to be necessary to address the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students exhibiting challenging behaviors. This national study used survey methods to explore the views of US K-12 public school educators on the PD needed to support student behavior effectively. Using social media recruitment, primarily through Reddit and Facebook, allowed the survey to reach a substantially larger …

Avian Functional Diversity Response To Changes In Forest Structure And Degradation In Northern New England, Michael Christopher Thompson

Master's Theses and Capstones

Exploitative forest harvesting has led to widespread economic degradation of forests across the northeastern United States. Tree species composition and structure vary across degradation categories, which may lead to differences in wildlife communities and the ecosystem functions wildlife provide. Avian communities in particular respond quickly to changes in habitat, are easy to survey, and contribute to a variety of important ecosystem functions. Here, we investigated the relationship between economic degradation and avian functional diversity focusing on the ecosystem functions of seed dispersal, nutrient cycling, and pest control. We found that avian functional diversity responded to degradation in a unimodal manner …

Effect Of Self-Interaction Correction On Molecular Polarizabilities And Core Ionization Energies, Sharmin Akter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is one of the most successful and popular computational Quantum Mechanical approaches to understanding materials. DFT allows the prediction of material properties from the electron density. Although in principle, density functional theory is exact, it, however, relies on approximate functional for exchange-correlation energy. Due to the approximate nature of the exchange-correlation functional, the self-Coulomb energy of the electrons is not exactly canceled out by the self-exchange, leading to the spurious self-interaction error (SIE). Due to this error, the potential shows incorrect behavior which leads to errors in calculated properties such as ionization energies, electron affinities, polarizabilities, …

Examining Discourses In A College Readiness Program: A Qualitative Study, Kendra Marie Farr

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the past ten years, there has been an increase in the Hispanic student population incollege across the United States (Krogstad et al. 2022). However, U.S. Census Bureau statistics (2021; 2022) have shown that they are still less likely to attain a four-year degree compared to their White counterparts. To begin understanding why this occurs, researchers look to curriculum at the high school level to see how students are becoming college ready. High schools utilize college readiness programs to help students prepare for the rigor of college courses. One program is an elective course offered at primary and secondary levels …

Investigating Seismicity And Structure Of The Pecos, Texas Region Of The Delaware Basin Using A Temporary Nodal Network, Jenna Lynn Faith

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With increasing earthquakes in the Delaware Basin since 2009, earthquake studies, including accurate hypocenters, are critically needed in the Delaware Basin to identify the structures producing earthquakes, and to determine if they are related to unconventional petroleum development and production. In 2018, with funding from the Texas Seismological Network (TexNet), the University of Texas at El Paso deployed and maintained a nodal network of 25 Magseis Fairfield Z-Land Generation 2 5-Hz seismic nodes in the Pecos, Texas region of the Delaware Basin, known as The Pecos Array. The network was deployed from November 2018 until the beginning of January 2020, …

Computation-Assisted Molecular Discovery For Biomedical Applications: Seeking Small Molecules And Dna Sequences With High Affinity Target Binding, Payam Kelich

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Binding affinity between two molecules is an essential property in drug and sensor discovery. Several computational and experimental methods exist to find molecules with high binding affinities to desired target molecules. These methods are often complementary, where fast computational methods can be used for the initial screening of molecules, and experimental methods can then screen and determine the molecules of interest and sometimes define the structures of bound complexes. After these steps, computational methods, like molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, can provide detailed insights into atomic interactions and binding, and machine learning approaches can analyze experiment-derived data to discern patterns and …

Niobate Nanosheet Catalysts For Cationic Dye Intercalation And Solar-Driven Water Photolysis, Cassandra Idona Monárrez-Grendahl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the goal of creating efficient visible light photocatalysts for water photolysis, in this work we are exploring the synthesis of new porous oxide materials derived from potassium triniobate (KNb3O8) and titanium niobium oxide (KTiNbO5), which are layered wide band gap semiconductors. Generating hydrogen via direct water photolysis holds promise as a way to lower the cost of hydrogen gas production so it can be used as a renewable and clean alternative fuel. My group has demonstrated that layered semiconductor materials have the potential to enable the synthesis of new types of photocatalyst composites with customizable characteristics. In this work, …

Covid-19 Prevention, Testing, And Treatment Seeking Among People Who Inject Drugs (Pwid) On The Us Mexico Border, Jorge Raul Puentes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the negative social determinants of health that affect medically underserved people who inject drugs (PWID) inhibiting their access to services, promoting infectious disease acquisition such as HIV and HCV, and overdose rates. The effects of the pandemic were more pronounced among Latino PWID communities. Participants of this study are 194 PWID residing in El Paso, Texas, and Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua along the US-Mexico border. Cross-sectional surveys were administered assessing environmental risk factors that impact COVID-19 acquisition and engagement in preventive behaviors. The purpose of this secondary data analysis study was to describe the …

Metrics For Comparison Of Complex Networks, Clarissa Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Heuristic network statistics are used as a preliminary approach to identify change across networks. In networks where there is known node correspondence (KNC), conventional network comparison methods include taking a norm of the difference matrix, or calculating dissimilarity measures like DeltaCon and cut distance. Since different KNC measures provide varying insight to the network comparison problem, we propose employing Rank Score Characteristic Functions (RSCFs) and the rank-score process as a method for reaching a consensus when ranking quantified change across multiple pairs of networks â?? which is particularly useful for ranking change across subpopulations or subgraphs. Additionally, we propose a …

Development Of Load Measurement Technique For Arbitrary Shapes, Quintin J. Cockrell

Master's Theses

Obtaining aerodynamic forces and moments about all three orthogonal axes for arbitrary shapes at arbitrary orientations in a fast manner via a measurement technique specific to Cal Poly’s low-speed wind tunnel to continually obtain the forces and moments under quasi-steady conditions is explored. A Continuous Rotation Technique (CR) uses a 6-DOF load cell and stepper motor to rotate an object about an axis for a complete rotation. The forces and moments acting upon the object pass through the stepper motor and interface plates and recorded by the load cell as the object is rotated continuously a finite number of rotations. …

Random Variable Spaces: Mathematical Properties And An Extension To Programming Computable Functions, Mohammed Kurd-Misto

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

This dissertation aims to extend the boundaries of Programming Computable Functions (PCF) by introducing a novel collection of categories referred to as Random Variable Spaces. Originating as a generalization of Quasi-Borel Spaces, Random Variable Spaces are rigorously defined as categories where objects are sets paired with a collection of random variables from an underlying measurable space. These spaces offer a theoretical foundation for extending PCF to natively handle stochastic elements.

The dissertation is structured into seven chapters that provide a multi-disciplinary background, from PCF and Measure Theory to Category Theory with special attention to Monads and the Giry Monad. The …

Classification Of Thorax Diseases From Chest X-Ray Images, Sharad Jayusukhbhai Dobariya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Chest X-ray images are crucial for medical decisions and patient care. However, their manual interpretation is time-consuming and prone to human error. This project aims to create an automated system that uses deep learning techniques to classify thorax disease from chest X-ray images. We are using the NIH Chest X-Ray Dataset, which contains many annotated images, as input data for this project. This approach uses UNet architecture as its classification layer. UNet architecture is well-known for its efficiency in image segmentation. Adding residual blocks enhances this approach's ability to classify images. The goal of this project is to create a …

Chemistry Instructors’ Perspectives On Incorporating Climate Change Instruction In Undergraduate Chemistry Courses, Patrick Wilson

Dissertations

Education plays an important role in preparing current and future generations for the challenges ahead caused by climate change. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the educational influence textbooks and undergraduate instructors have on their students. Three studies were carried out to explore these influences on climate change instruction. The first study looked at the extent, type, and location of climate change topics across 24 undergraduate general chemistry textbooks. Gas chemistry concepts were the most prevalent topic connected to climate change. However, the distribution of climate change related material varied considerably across books. The majority of climate change …

“Just Go For The Lie”: A Critical Autoethenographic Study Of A White Female Elementary School Principal, Christie Michelle Toliver

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze my own leadership experiences as a White cisgender female elementary school principal and how my white privilege contributed to maintaining white supremacy and systemic racism. The purpose was also to explore the impact of the evolution of my white racial frame and intentionally break my silence about white supremacy and systemic racism over the 2018–2019 school year. Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical White Studies (CWS) provided the framework of analysis using a narrative structure to develop four critical vignettes at the micro level of education. Qualitative data were drawn from personal …

Resiliency In Families Of Children With Low Vision, Deborah Lynn Mendoza

Dissertations

Resiliency is comprised of a complex interplay of risk and protective factors that change and develop over time. In the past, research focused on characteristics that allowed individuals to remain untouched by negative events around them; however, over time, this has morphed into investigating not only the characteristics individuals possess but those present within families as well. Families of children who have either a congenital or an acquired disability could face a unique set of risk factors over time that might require different protective factors to ensure they emerged from their adversity positively changed. As professionals, we have a responsibility …

Enter The Sphinx's Lair, Pamina Falk, Special Collections, Fleet Library

10th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2024

Entry for the 10th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening Reception Thursday, February 29th, 2024 Fleet Library, Main Reading Room. Juror: Ian Cozzens BArch 05.

Reflections Of Elementary Principals Leading Through Disruption And Crisis: An Exploration Of Pandemic Leadership, Nicole Renee Peterson

Dissertations

COVID-19 had a tremendous impact on schools across the globe. Educational leaders had to respond to executive orders quickly. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines focused on mandates regarding students’ and staff’s educational, health, and social-emotional needs. This study explored and described the experience and reflections of elementary principals and their staff members during this disruptive time in history.

This qualitative multiple case study involved the interviews of five elementary principals and staff focus groups from each of their buildings. The overarching research questions were: (a) How do principals describe, metacognitively process, and make meaning of their response …

Evaluation Of A Balloon Implant For Simultaneous Magnetic Nanoparticle Hyperthermia And High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Of Brain Tumor Resection Cavities, Shuying Wan, Dario Rodrigues, Janet Kwiatkowski, Omaditya Khanna, Kevin Judy, Robert Goldstein, Marty Overbeek Bloem, Yan Yu, Sophia Rooks, Wenyin Shi, Mark Hurwitz, Paul Stauffer

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Previous work has reported the design of a novel thermobrachytherapy (TBT) balloon implant to deliver magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) hyperthermia and high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy simultaneously after brain tumor resection, thereby maximizing their synergistic effect. This paper presents an evaluation of the robustness of the balloon device, compatibility of its heat and radiation delivery components, as well as thermal and radiation dosimetry of the TBT balloon. TBT balloon devices with 1 and 3 cm diameter were evaluated when placed in an external magnetic field with a maximal strength of 8.1 kA/m at 133 kHz. The MNP solution (nanofluid) in the balloon absorbs …

The Power Of An Effective Safety Culture, Justin B. Negley

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Workplace injuries and illnesses have continued to decrease significantly through increased regulations, awareness, and technological advances. These enhancements are not enough to continue to drive these rates lower. A robust safety culture within an organization is required to truly affect change that will continue to diminish the occurrence of injuries and illnesses within the workplace. This project seeks to define the key aspects and elements that are fundamental to a culture of safety as a top priority amongst competing demands. The foundations of a robust safety culture were identified through a systematic literature review, a site comparison example of safety …

Exploring The Mental Health Experience Of Perinatal Military Spouses Based In Sigonella, Italy, Lyndsey Dannenberg

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

The perinatal period can have a profound impact on the mental health of women, their infants, and their families, especially when it comes to depression and anxiety disorders. This study aims to delve into the experiences of perinatal mental health among military spouses stationed overseas, on Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy, and contribute to the limited research on active-duty military spouses and their perinatal mental health while stationed overseas. The research uses a qualitative phenomenological approach, seeking to provide valuable insights into the lived experiences of military spouses and their perinatal mental health. Risk factors associated with perinatal mental illness …

Nurse Initiated Standing Orders: A Process Improvement At An Emergency Department In Interior Alaska, Justin D. Melberg

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Emergency Departments (EDs) are a valuable and limited public health resource. In addition to treating acute medical emergencies, EDs bridge the gaps in urgent care and primary care accessibility, operating twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, providing care regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. EDs across the country operate at or above capacity regularly, and overcrowding is projected to increase due to decreased facilities and available inpatient beds. Innovative measures are necessary to increase patient throughput and decrease length of stay while maintaining quality care. Nurse initiated standing orders, also known as nurse driven protocols, standing orders, …

Geospatial Distribution Of Pharmacist Diabetes Management Within A Patient Centered Medical Home Model In Omaha, Nebraska, Anthony Donovan

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Patients with uncontrolled diabetes, defined as a hemoglobin A1c value greater than 9%, are at an increased risk of diabetes progression. Primary care is often the first point of contact where patients with uncontrolled diabetes are identified and treated. Pharmacists are utilized in diabetes medication management of patients with uncontrolled diabetes as one component of primary care multidisciplinary models of care. This descriptive project describes the geospatial distribution of patients with uncontrolled diabetes from a single institution in the Omaha, Nebraska area who were exposed to pharmacists within a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of care compared to those …

A Policy Evaluation For California’S Care Act And The Application Of The Social Determinants Of Health, Adelina Mercedes Lang

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

In 2022, California passed a legislative bill, SB 1338: the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, which created a new statewide procedure for treating mentally ill homeless adults diagnosed with psychotic disorders through a court-ordered CARE plan. SB 1338 intends to alleviate the mental health and homeless crisis. This capstone project provides an early assessment of SB 1338 using a modified formative policy evaluation methodology, including a scoping literature review and applying a policy assessment using the CDC's Policy Evaluation Framework. A stakeholder survey was also applied to gather stakeholders' perspectives on SB 1338. The literature review supported the …

Point Of Care Ultrasound For The Diagnosis Of A Pneumothorax: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Shelby Dye, Hannah Fortenberry

Doctoral Projects

A pneumothorax is a complication that can result from skills performed by anesthesia providers. Prompt recognition can be achieved by the use of an ultrasound and can potentially improve patient outcomes. At The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) Nurse Anesthesia Program (NAP), no current objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for detecting a pneumothorax by point of care ultrasound (POCUS) exists. USM’s NAP recognized the need for an evidence-based OSCE for the detection of pneumothorax with POCUS. The gap in knowledge prompted the development of the demonstrational video and OSCE template to potentially increase student confidence in the clinical setting.

The …

The Administrative State's Jury Problem, Richard Lorren Jolly

Washington Law Review

This Article argues that the administrative state’s most acute constitutional fault is its routine failure to comply with the Seventh Amendment. Properly understood, that Amendment establishes an independent limitation on congressional authority to designate jurisdiction to juryless tribunals, and its dictate as to “Suits at common law” refers to all federal legal rights regardless of forum. Agencies’ use of binding, juryless adjudication fails these requirements and must be reformed. But this does not mean dismantling the administrative state; it is possible (indeed, necessary) to solve the jury problem while maintaining modern government. To that end, this Article advances a structural …