Digital Commons Network^™

Indigenous Self-Determination In Co-Production Of Knowledge, Margaret Hope Rudolf

Anthropology

Analyzing and comprehending co-production of knowledge (CPK) in the context of working with Arctic Indigenous communities on climate change research is the main goal for this interdisciplinary doctoral dissertation. CPK is shared decision-making on every step of the research process with research partners from communities, agencies, or organizations. CPK with Arctic Indigenous communities requires dedicated consideration of equity, ethics, cultural worldviews, and colonization. Key concepts from Indigenous critical methodologies are used to analyze both the CPK theory and implementation. CPK has the potential to be an ethical space to question the status quo of research processes and support Indigenous self-determination. …

Dynamics Of The Earth's Thermosphere Across A Range Of Spatial And Temporal Scales, Rajan Itani

Physics

This dissertation presents an investigation of aspects of the dynamics of Earth's thermosphere that do not harmonize with the current understanding. Three distinct thermospheric phenomena that correspond to different spatial and temporal scales were examined using Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of wind and temperature to investigate aspects of thermospheric dynamics. Earth's thermosphere has very high kinematic viscosity and is highly convectively stable. Theory and physics-based models suggest that structures in the horizontal wind on small spatial scales (∼500 km or less) are unlikely to occur in the upper thermosphere. By contrast, a large-scale, persistent, strong wind flow that transports air parcels …

Exploring The Robustness Of A Surrogate-Based Ice Flow Model Calibration, Kyle Blum

Physics

When simulating ice sheets using numerical models, model parameters have a great impact on the ice flow, velocity, and response to external forces, making them key factors in accurately predicting ice sheet behavior. In order to have confidence in modeled predictions of ice sheets, we must first have confidence in the physical models we use to simulate them. In order to have confidence in these physical models, we must first have confidence in our calibrations of these ice dynamics parameters. Researchers have been training neural networks to emulate expensive ice sheet models. These surrogate ice sheet models are designed to …

Tiny Machine Learning For Underwater Image Enhancement: Pruning And Quantizaition Approach, Dr Khaled Nagaty, The British University In Egypt, Andreas Pester Dr

Computer Science

Many people have expressed an interest in underwater image processing in a variety of fields, including underwater vehicle control, archaeology, marine biological studies, etc. Underwater exploration is becoming an increasingly important element of our lives, with applications ranging from underwater marine and creature research to pipeline and communication logistics, military use, touristic and entertainment use. Underwater images suffer from poor visibility, distortion, and poor quality for a variety of causes, including light propagation. The major issue arises when these images must be captured at depths greater than 500 feet and artificial lighting needs to be provided. Efficient algorithms and models …

Effects Of Browser Exclusion On The Willow Leafblotch Miner (Micrurapteryx Salicifoliella): Host Plant Availability, Oviposition, And Survival, Martha M. Cummings

Biological Sciences

Herbivores can affect the quality and quantity of their food plants in ways that indirectly influence the food resources and habitat available to other herbivores present. This study examined indirect interactions between a mammalian browser and an insect folivore that feed on shared plant species during different seasons. On a boreal floodplain in interior Alaska, we investigated how a history of winter browsing by moose (Alces alces) affected the behavior and performance of the willow leafblotch miner moth, Micrurapteryx salicifoliella in summer. Excluding moose browsing for 8 years did not change plant density, but strongly increased canopy height, vegetative cover …

Avian Divergence And Speciation Across Beringia Examined Using Comparative Mitogenomics, K. A. Collier

Biological Sciences

Accurate knowledge of divergence and speciation processes is critical for understanding key aspects of biodiversity. As a well-known, speciose group of vertebrates, an increased understanding of how birds diverge and speciate allows us to better manage extant avian diversity and understand how it develops over time. Additionally, birds often exhibit complex and variable patterns of divergence, resulting in complexes of taxonomic uncertainty. Filling gaps in our knowledge of divergence across time and space increases our ability to correctly identify and understand not just avian diversity but clade-level patterns in speciation processes. These higher-order findings give us tools to compare and …

Alnus Viridis Ssp. Fruticosa Modulates Local Conditions To Influence Intra And Interspecies Growth, Jackson W. Drew

Biological Sciences

The Arctic is warming rapidly due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Concurrent with warming, some Arctic plant communities have transformed from short statured evergreen and graminoid shrub tundra to tall deciduous shrubs in recent decades. As warming continues, plant-plant interactions will likely change and influence future community composition. Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa (Siberian alder) is rapidly expanding across Arctic regions and is particularly important because Siberian alder is the Arctic's only large N-fixing shrub, may alter N-cycling to further influence both C-cycling and community composition as it spreads. This dissertation addressed two main questions to better understand how Arctic deciduous …

The Effect Of Cold Exposure And Activity On Skeletal Muscle Physiology: A Study Of Human And Animal Models, Michelle M. Johannsen

Biological Sciences

Environmental factors and physical activity have the potential to modulate skeletal muscle physiology in beneficial ways. Cold exposure and endurance exercise, specifically, may improve aerobic capacity and atrophy resistance. I utilized three models to examine the effect of cold exposure and activity level on skeletal muscle physiology: quantitation of body composition and energy expenditure estimates in humans participating in a transmountain race, comparative proteomic analysis of skeletal muscle in hibernating and summer active American black bears (Ursus americanus), and an experimental study of the combined effects of cold exposure and endurance training on white adipose tissue, and gastrocnemius and soleus …

Avian Divergence And Speciation Across Beringia Examined Using Comparative Mitogenomics, K. A. Collier

Biological Sciences

Accurate knowledge of divergence and speciation processes is critical for understanding key aspects of biodiversity. As a well-known, speciose group of vertebrates, an increased understanding of how birds diverge and speciate allows us to better manage extant avian diversity and understand how it develops over time. Additionally, birds often exhibit complex and variable patterns of divergence, resulting in complexes of taxonomic uncertainty. Filling gaps in our knowledge of divergence across time and space increases our ability to correctly identify and understand not just avian diversity but clade-level patterns in speciation processes. These higher-order findings give us tools to compare and …

Smoke Without Fire: Wildfire Smoke Affects Phenolic Composition Of Wild Blueberry Fruits (Vaccinium Uliginosum), Laura G. Weingartner

Biological Sciences

Wildfire smoke can induce changes in plant growth, phenology, and chemical composition. The frequency and intensity of wildfires have increased over the last thirty years in Alaska, and smoke has the potential to affect important wild fruit plants, such as bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.), a food source for many Alaskans and wild animals. We exposed bog blueberry plants to wood smoke at different stages in fruit development: early-season when the plants were flowering ("early-smoked"), mid-season when fruits were unripe ("mid-smoked"), and late-season when fruits were fully ripe ("late-smoked"). We measured anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and total phenolics in the ripe fruits, …

Effects Of Desformylflustrabromine On Compulsive-Like And Social Behaviors In Mouse Models Of Ocd And Autism, Isaac Van Flein

Biological Sciences

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) share a number of similar deficits, including altered cholinergic activity in the central nervous system (CNS), manifestation of repetitive, restricted, and compulsive-like patterns of behavior, and frequent co-morbid presentation. Desformylflustrabromine is a novel positive allosteric modulator of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which has recently been shown to be able to reduce compulsive-like behavior in a non-induced mouse model of OCD. In this study, I attempted to replicate the compulsive-like behavior-reducing effects of desformylflustrabromine in the mouse model of OCD, as well as expose the model to a novel assessment; social behavior, as …

Movement Ecology, Survival, And Territorial Dynamics In Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) Over A Cyclic Population Decline, Derek Arnold

Biological Sciences

As the quintessential predator-prey cycle, research into Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) have led to many discoveries in population biology; however, much remains unknown about the nuances of their populations. In this dissertation, I examined the ways in which population cycles influence survival, reproduction, territoriality, and connectivity. First, I examined ways in which climate change induced shifts in fire regimes have affected lynx persistence in their current refugia. Lynx mainly sought out areas of higher hare density and lower cover, such as intermediately aged coniferous and deciduous forests. This type of forest was predicted to persist …

Controlling Dust Concentration In A Fan Housing Using Settling Chambers And Water Sprays, Cristian Alonso Quevedo Delgado

Engineering

Dust generation is a consequence of various activities in the mining industry. The industry generates dust in quantities that can present occupational health hazard and equipment damage. A notable instance of equipment deterioration is the corrosion and erosion experienced by fan blades in underground mines. This thesis introduces settling chambers and water spray as feasible techniques commonly used for controlling dust in underground mine operations. The research aims to provide a low capital cost and maintenance-free system to capture the dust particles upwind of the main fan. The research focuses on an underground polymetallic mine in Peru, serving as a …

Volcanic Gas Quantification Under Suboptimal Conditions, D. Skye Kushner

Geosciences

Volcanic gas emissions are challenging to quantify. Achieving high confidence in gas composition, column concentrations, and emission rates acquired using remote sensing techniques is thought to require optimal atmospheric conditions. These conditions are often not met, creating a reluctance to preform measurements under non-ideal atmospheric conditions with inherent uncertainty about how useful those measurements may be. In the case of volcanic eruptions, the hazardous nature of the volcanic plume creates an environment where it is often not safe to collect measurements. This dissertation presents three projects which aim to constrain the quantity of two specific volcanic gases, mercury (Hg) and …

The Effects Of Summer Snowfall On Arctic Sea Ice Radiative Forcing, Hannah Chapman-Dutton

Geosciences

The decline in Arctic sea ice has had major impacts on the climate system, particularly relating to the ice-albedo feedback. Since fresh snow on top of bare or melting sea ice increases the surface albedo on local scales, the impact of summer snow events can have a negative radiative forcing effect, which could inhibit sea ice surface melt. In this study, we compared snow depth and meteorological data from buoys and satellite retrievals of surface and atmospheric conditions to identify and characterize summer snow accumulation case studies across the Arctic from 2003 to 2017. Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System …

Exploring Competing Gold System Models In The Valdez Creek Region, Clearwater Mountains, Alaska, Jane Marguerite Suhey

Geosciences

Gold deposits located within the accretionary and subduction-related tectonic environment of south-central Alaska are interpreted to have formed via devolatilization of hydrous assemblages through regional metamorphism (orogenic model) or by intrusion-related hydrothermal processes (intrusion-related gold system model). The Valdez Creek mining district is located in the southern Clearwater Mountains of south-central Alaska along the intermontane-insular belt suture of the North American Cordillera. The 67-56 Ma south-vergent Valdez Creek shear zone resulted in the thrusting of North American-derived Maclaren schist (intermontane) structurally above lower greenschist-facies rocks of the Clearwater metasediments (Insular). The ~ 5km thick ductile shear zone preserves a complete …

The Relationship Between Student Engagement And Act Aspire Reading Scores Among Ninth-Grade Students In One Northwest Arkansas Junior High School, Dwight Vincent Jr.

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between academic achievement and attendance. Reading proficiency is foundational to overall academic success. In this study, reading proficiency served as the operational definition for the level of student academic success. Out-of-school suspension is a disciplinary consequence as a result of student behavior and correlates to student attendance. This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between student engagement, as defined by student attendance and discipline, and reading proficiency, as measured by the 2021-22 ACT Aspire Reading scores for ninth-grade students in one northwest Arkansas junior high school.

Descriptive data analysis was …

Disaster Preparedness Levels Among Firefighters, Shelby G. Coonts

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

There are numerous studies that focus on household preparedness however, there are few studies that focus on the preparedness levels of first responders. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to (a) establish, analyze, and compare the current level of disaster preparedness among Hinesville City Fire Department and Liberty County Fire Services located within the same region of Southeastern, Georgia and (b) analyze any correlation between demographics of the Firefighters and their level of disaster preparedness. This research sought to benchmark the organizational level of disaster preparedness of two critical departments (city and county fire services) by measuring three …

Gifted And Talented Student Performance On State Achievement Tests, Dondre Harris

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

The exploration of dissecting gifted and talented programs combined with student advancement and academic success is one daunting but doable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the equity of the gifted and talented program while analyzing the achievement scores of these students compared to their peers. This quantitative study includes an evaluation of third through fifth grade students in a central Arkansas school district while merging the relationships of the general education population versus the academically gifted and talented population. Both groups were examined through the independent variables classified as ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. A descriptive data …

Commencement [Program], December 16, 2023, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. This commencement program is not an official graduate list.

Contents:

--- Iowa Board of Regents ... 2
--- Institutional Leadership ... 2
--- The Academic Procession ... 3
--- Academic Honorary Organizations ... 4
--- University Ambassador Organizations ... 5
--- University Honors Program ... 6
--- Legacy Graduates ... 6
--- Order of Events ... 7
--- College of Education ... 10
--- College of Humanities, …

Create Dangerously: An Introduction, Shann Ray Ferch, Jiying Song

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

There is something very communal to the art of servant-leadership. As you attend to a life of servant-leadership and engage with the articles here or the chapters in the anthologies, we encourage you to engage with generosity, grace, patience, and a life-affirming essence. Life is shot through with the art and science of servant-leadership, and once we encounter it we see just how directly servant-leadership informs, deepens, and shapes us here and now. As for our mutual quest for the essence of servant-leadership, let’s show care for each other and our work. Sisterhood. Brotherhood. Good intention and good humor. As …

On The Scanlon Plan And Servant-Leadership, Paul W. Davis, Larry C. Spears

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

For 75 years, Joe Scanlon, the Scanlon Plan, and Scanlon-led companies had a robust run in the world of business, aided by the Scanlon Leadership Network. Over time, the number of Scanlon companies declined, and in 2013 the Scanlon Leadership Network, Foundation, and Consultancy ceased to exist. And for the past 53 years, servant-leadership has been growing in practice and influence around the world. This article in The International Journal of Servant-Leadership is adapted from a book that we created and published in 2008 titled, Scanlon EPIC Leadership, published by the Scanlon Foundation. Sections of the paper include an overview …

Dryland Vegetation Mapping Using High Spatial-Temporal Resolution Satellite Imagery In New Mexico: A Comparison Of Phenological Time-Series Transformation Methods, Pratistha Sharma

Geography ETDs

New Mexico's drylands are undergoing notable vegetation changes due to rising aridity, higher temperatures, and shifts in precipitation with changing climate. Mapping drylands through remote sensing is challenging compared to mesic systems due to the irregular patterns of rainfall-driven phenology and weaker vegetation absorption signals. This study aims to enhance vegetation mapping in New Mexico, utilizing a high-resolution, frequently revisited PlanetScope dataset with multispectral capabilities, specifically chosen for its suitability for time-series analysis. The challenge with high spatial and temporal data lies in the overwhelming volume, leading to issues like the curse of dimensionality, overfitting, data redundancy, collinearity, and visualization …

Regulation Of Mrna And Circrna As A Cause And Consequence Of Aging In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Rebekah Napier-Jameson

Biological Sciences Theses and Dissertations

A role for RNA binding proteins in regulating lifespan has emerged. We identified a pair of neuronal RBPs, exc-7 and mbl-1, which display synthetic lifespan defects. Such a strong synthetic phenotype represented an opportunity to use transcriptomics to search for potential causative targets that are synthetically regulated. We identified a small handful of genes synthetically dysregulated in double mutants and systematically tested each candidate gene for functional contribution to the exc-7; mbl-1 lifespan phenotype. We identified one such gene, the ion transporter nhx-6, which is highly upregulated in double mutants. Overexpression of nhx-6 causes reduced lifespan, and deletion …

2023 Fall - Commencement Program, Office Of The Registrar, East Tennessee State University

ETSU Commencement Ceremonies and Programs

No abstract provided.

Radio Insights Into Gamma-Ray Mysteries, Seth M. Bruzewski

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

In the time since its launch, the \textit{Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope} has provided new and unparalleled views of the $\gamma$-ray sky, dramatically increasing our understanding of sources of high-energy radiation. During that same time, however, its ``unassociated'' sources have provided a consistent mystery: approximately one third of the modern gamma-ray sky remains completely unaccounted for in other electromagnetic regimes. While some of the fainter sources simply pose challenges in achieving the necessary signal-to-noise ratio, others are well constrained and have resisted traditional investigations for years, and in some cases, for over a decade. Radio astronomy has traditionally been the best …

Essays In Robust Optimization With Applications To Finance And Renewable Energy, Hao Jiang

Operations Research and Engineering Management Theses and Dissertations

Real-world optimization problems are often sensitive to uncertainties caused by estimation errors, forecasting inaccuracy, and imprecise data information. These uncertainties bring significant challenges to decision-making in many areas. Robust optimization (RO) is a tool for addressing the challenges of parameter uncertainty. In this dissertation, we focus on the studies of RO on two problems. (1) In the study of finance, we proposed a tractable RO model for a Mean-Variance portfolio selection problem. We consider Markowitz's Mean-Variance Optimization when stock returns are modeled using Sharpe's single-index framework, but the model coefficients Alpha and Beta, are not precisely known. This study assumes …

Bitcoin Price Modeling Using Machine Learning Algorithms, Azadeh Golduzian

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

Forecasting in financial markets with various technologies is critical nowadays. The Bitcoin cryptocurrency has grown in popularity in recent years, and as a result, many people all around the world have attempted to forecast its price. To improve forecast accuracy, we must employ multiple types of data and diverse approaches. This thesis combines textual and financial data and employs statistical methods and machine learning to forecast Bitcoin's price as precisely as possible. We show the performance of each strategy using Bitcoin data at the end of each chapter.

Quantifying The Influences Of Abiotic And Biotic Factors On Post-Fire Vegetation In The Southwestern Us, Joseph Lafayette Crockett

Biology ETDs

The ongoing warming associated with climate change is increasing the flammability of southwestern US dry forests. As larger fractions of the landscape are impacted by high-severity fire, the potential exists for forests to convert to non-forest. Given that the forested area in the southwestern US is an important contributor of ecosystem services, quantifying limitations to vegetation establishment is critical to informing post-fire recovery efforts and understanding how ongoing climate change will limit seedling establishment in the future. To that end, this dissertation focuses on post-fire vegetation recovery of southwestern forests. First, I report on the influence of precipitation and topography …

Interpretable Word-Level Sentiment Analysis With Attention-Based Multiple Instance Classification Models, Chenyu Yang

Statistical Science Theses and Dissertations

In this study, our main objective is to tackle the black-box nature of popular machine learning models in sentiment analysis and enhance model interpretability. We aim to gain more insight into the decision-making process of sentiment analysis models, which is often obscure in those complex models. To achieve this goal, we introduce two word-level sentiment analysis models.

The first model is called the attention-based multiple instance classification (AMIC) model. It combines the transparent model structure of multiple instance classification and the self-attention mechanism in deep learning to incorporate the contextual information from documents. As demonstrated by a wine review dataset …