Digital Commons Network^™

Aerosol Synthesis Of Tungsten Bronze Particles For Nir Shielding, Hao Tu

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation emphasizes the need for efficient energy use in buildings and transportation due to global warming and the energy crisis. It suggests that improving energy efficiency can help reduce energy consumption and emissions and support sustainability. The dissertation introduces various transparent materials that can block near-infrared (NIR) radiation from solar radiation to save energy and money, and it highlights the growing market value of such products. The dissertation compares tungsten bronze with other NIR shielding materials and shows its advantages. The dissertation introduces a cheap and environmentally friendly method for continuously producing tungsten bronze particles via aerosol synthesis. Particle …

Biting Range, Effie Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

Biting Range is an essayic text about dogs, process, order, and memory. Structured as a conceptual material list, the writing addresses experiential textures and tensions gleaned from observation. Writing within and against the margins, I address the performativity of the page as its own form to be agitated.

A Constructed Memoir: The History And Heritage Of The Baloch Community In Qatar, Somaia Nahang Dorzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

In the 1960s, when my father was only thirteen years old, he took a perilous journey on a boat alone from Sistan va Baluchestan, Iran, to Qatar, in the hopes of a better life. Like many long-term residents from Balochistan, my father has lived in Qatar for decades, predating the establishment of the modern state of Qatar itself in 1971. His legal position in the country today remains subject to the Kafala system, and his residency is subject to his employment status, which must be renewed each year. In other words, permanency is never guaranteed, nor is future planning.

In …

How Stromal Interactions Play A Role In The Quest For Human Papillomavirus Specific Cancer Therapeutics, Alexis-Leigh A. Fakunmoju

Theses and Dissertations

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), like HPV16 and HPV18, are associated with malignant cancer growth within the oropharynx and cervix. Globally, HPV-induced cancers, including oropharyngeal and cervical cancers, contribute 5% to the overwhelming burden of all cancers. HPV is highly transmissible by sexual contact via micro abrasions to the mucosa. Once exposure occurs, the virus begins replication and creates an intimate relationship with the host’s cellular proteins. While most HPV is cleared quickly by our immune system, persistent infections, or infections in immune compromised individuals, are susceptible to transformation and tumor progression. Early detection measures like PAP smears and preventable measures …

Trans* Streamers On Twitch.Tv: The Intersections Of Gender And Digital Labor, R. Lawson

Theses and Dissertations

Twitch.tv is a live entertainment platform where individuals live stream events, including playing video games, playing board and tabletop games, creating art, and more. Twitch has a diverse base of streamers, but Twitch has just begun. The most common approach has focused on cisgender, heterosexual white men in the cases where it has been studied. Though these streamers should be studied in sociology, this focus leaves out the experiences of both cis women and Trans* streamers. This research proposal tries to situate the relationship of Trans* streamers with both the platform and their audience, seeing if these relationships affect their …

I'M Not Sure It Was A Hoopoe Or A Decanter, Ali Kaeini

Theses and Dissertations

“I’m not sure it was a Hoopoe or a Decanter” explores the experience of cultural displacement through the lens of an Iranian artist and immigrant. Drawing on ancient Iranian stories, Persian poetry, and cultural artifacts, my paintings and drawings reflect the uncertainty of the contemporary political and religious conditions in Iran, as well as the challenges faced by individuals forced to flee their homeland due to war, political instability, and social conditions. My work weaves references to ancient Iranian objects, Persian miniatures' structural forms and patterns, and Islamic architecture, using traditional and contemporary materials to create large, unconventional paintings. Through …

Half Of Two Hungers, Aida A. Lizalde Rios

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

half of two hungers is an extension of my sculptural practice; a weaving of the ambiguous borders of memory, trauma, disease, identity, assimilation, survival, spirituality, love, erotics, and desire. It is a psychological and sensorial landscape, where I travel consciously and subconsciously to pull shapes and material experiences out into the world of bodies and objects.

To, From: Of Time, Of Distance, Of Body And Mind, Fanxi Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This paper introduces the concepts, theories, and techniques associated with my thesis project “To, From.” The paper consists of three parts: Time as Structure, Distance as Premise, and Body and Mind. Each chapter is written in a mixture of personal narration and a general introduction to materials that are directly or implicatively relevant and important to the creation of my project. In this experimental narrative comprises film screening and live performance with multi-channel sound, I tell a story of non-story. Words and the exchange of words, movements and non- movements, objects that are being handled and subjects that are handling... …

From Silence To Forte: Developing An Inclusive Space For Persian Musicians To Flourish, Sholeh Salimi

Theses and Dissertations

Music serves as a reflection of culture and conveys various emotional and intellectual states, such as a nation's perspective, social attitudes, and historical background. However, the Iranian revolution in 1979 led to the ban of music by the new regime, limiting the output and audience for Iranian music. In addition, the emergence of Western music accessibility through technology posed challenges for traditional Persian music, and the government's restrictions on music further compounded the problem. To support and advance the preservation and dissemination of Iranian music, this study aims to explore how an interior designer can create a space that enables …

“Trans Broken Arm Syndrome”: Examining Causal Antecedents Of Gender-Related Medical Misattribution And Invasive Questioning In An Analogous Healthcare Setting Through The Lens Of Person Perception, Catherine Wall

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals face particular challenges when interacting with a cisgender focused medical system. Gender-related medical misattribution and invasive questioning (GRMMIQ), colloquially known by the tongue-in-cheek named “trans broken arm syndrome,” is a form of medical discrimination wherein a healthcare provider assumes that a transgender patient’s medical complaints, regardless of origin, result from their gender identity or medical transition. Previous research has suggested that this, and other forms of identity-related discrimination both in and outside of healthcare, might be understood either using a top-down approach focused on stereotypes founded in schema, or a bottom-up approach examining perceived typicality. One additional theory, …

Evaluating The Acute Effect Of Vaping On Food Intake, Gabrielle Maldonado

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Weight control is a common motive for continued cigarette smoking, and weight concerns pose a barrier to quitting. These effects are driven in part by nicotine’s ability to reduce overall appetite and ultimately body weight. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been marketed and used for weight control, suggesting that the use of these products potentially may share similar effects as well as barriers to quitting as observed for cigarette smoking. However, little to no controlled clinical lab evidence exists supporting ENDS use for weight control. The present study tested the influence of an ENDS on acute eating behavior …

Exploring Polyamorous Relationship Experiences Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Pansexual Individuals, Jiale Man

Theses and Dissertations

Polyamory is a type of relationship under the consensual non-monogamy relationship umbrella that assumes the possibility, validity, and worthwhileness of maintaining romantic, sexual, and intimate relationships with multiple people simultaneously. In Western society, the prevalence and domination of mononormativity have led to the marginalization of relationships alternative to monogamy (i.e., polyamory). As a result, individuals in polyamorous relationships continue to experience bias, stigma, and discrimination at varying levels. With a rise in public interest in CNM in the past two decades, scientists and researchers have slowly started to examine various topics related to CNM, including its prevalence, public attitudes toward …

Exploring The Relationship Between The Epigenome And Metabolism In Mycn-Amplified Neuroblastoma, Krista M. Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

High risk neuroblastoma (NB) is responsible for nearly 15% of all cancer related deaths in the pediatric population. The transcription factor MYCN is the most studied oncogene in NB, automatically conferring high-risk and has been found to be difficult to target. One way that MYCN amplification in NB functions to support tumorigenicity is through altered metabolism, satisfying the demand for rapid proliferation by increasing the nutrient flux through biosynthetic pathways. We performed an unbiased screen on select metabolic targeted therapy combinations and correlated sensitivity with over 20 subsets of cancer. We found that MYCN-amplified NB is hypersensitive to the …

The Living Legends Of Sholoukh – شلوخ الأساطير Facial Scarification In Sudan, Ayah S. Elnour

Theses and Dissertations

Sholoukh — ritual face scarring—is a dying art form in Sudan.

Used to distinguish members of one tribe from another,

Sholoukh reflects the tribal pride of an individual. In the past,

sholoukh was seen as important as having a passport for a tribe

member, however, it was not always applied by choice. Using

just a razor blade, the wisest, most senior tribal elder would scar

the face of a child, initiating them into the tribe for life.

As this tribal art form fades away, the dwindling Sholoukh-bearers

have become living legends in Sudan. To honor them, I create

a collage …

“It's Just Not Enough”: Examining The Experiences Of School-Based Sexual Health Education And Conversation Engagement With Trusted Adults Among Black Boys In Richmond, Va, Sharyn A. Dougherty

Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that youth make up a quarter of the sexually active population, yet account for half of the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the United States.In 2021, youth age 15-19 living in Virginia’s central region, which includes the Richmond Metropolitan area, had the second highest number of chlamydia cases and fourth highest number of gonorrhea cases among all age groups, with the highest rates among Black youth. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of Black youth in Richmond, VA with school-based sexual health education (SHE) and their …

Coming Out To Treatment: Identifying Facilitators & Characterizing Experiences Of Sexual And Gender Minoritized Individuals In Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jaclyn S. Sadicario

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) individuals are disproportionately impacted by substance use disorders vs. their non-SGM counterparts. Additionally, SGM folks face more barriers to access for treatment than others due to minority stressors including discrimination, internalized stigma, and marginalization related to their sex and gender minority statuses. It is important for researchers and treating providers alike to understand how these different factors are impacting the treatment of substance use disorders in SGM populations. With this in mind, this two phase study employed a mixed-methods approach to (1) describe the population of SGM folks enrolled in a MOUD treatment program with …

Studying Gene Function In Streptococcus Sanguinis Using Rna-Sequencing Analysis, Ahmed Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

The oral cavity hosts hundreds of bacterial species, amongst them are the Streptococci family. More specifically, S. sanguinis is a benign bacteria in the oral cavity to protect the tooth surface from S. mutans. which is a pathogen causing dental caries. While S. sanguinis is harmless in the oral cavity, it becomes pathogenic once entering the bloodstream and causing Infective Endocarditis (IE). To further study S. sanguinis and eventually develop an effective drug to treat IE caused by S. sanguinis, a gene expression study was conducted. In order to study gene expression, RNA-sequencing was conducted, and appropriate methods to remove …

Improving The Use Of Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy As A Multiphase Process Analytical Technology, Robert Emerson Mcmillin Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The study of multiphase formulations is a difficult task due to inhomogene- ity. Typical methods of study, such as microscopy, suffer from sampling drawbacks and are ill-equipped at probing the system in its native state. Additionally, more concentrated sys- tems, including optically-dense emulsions and suspensions, render common light-scattering techniques, such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), useless. Lastly, macroscopic phase track- ing or transmission intensity techniques can only obtain partial information about a system. Herein, the use of diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS), a multiple scattering adjunct to DLS, to study optically dense multiphase systems is explored. Three different systems are exam- …

Fascism In Sci-Fi: "Mobilizing Passions" In Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Alton C. Ayers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis responds to criticism of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers (1959) as a “fascist” novel by further investigating the claim through a close reading of the novel that applies political theory scholarship on fascism. Chapters I and II introduce the novel along with its general reception and controversy. These chapters consider the accusations of “fascism” given to the novel while at the same time understanding that a clear, exact definition of “fascism” has long been grappled with by scholars since the rise of the regimes in Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Chapters III and IV apply political theory to …

Supporting Students Who Are Deafblind To Increase Their Access To The General Education Curriculum Through Trained Interveners: A Mixed Methods Study, Ira Padhye

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods research study was to identify the educational trends of children and young adults who are deafblind and identify strategies to improve the outcomes through interviews of nationally qualified interveners who have received training in deafblind specific strategies. Secondary data from the 2017-2021 National Center on Deafblindness and interview transcripts were used for data analysis and then integrated to identify the supports students who are deafblind should access. Trends in age of identification, primary eligibility category, school settings and access to state standardized assessments showed a plateau and displayed no significant improvement in educational outcomes. Nationally …

The Cultural Diplomacy Of U.S. Peace Corps: Understanding The Role Of Peace Corps Volunteers As Strategic Geopolitical Assets, Corey B. Miles

Theses and Dissertations

Beginning in the Summer of 1961, the United States government has deployed volunteer humanitarians around the world to serve the mission of U.S. Peace Corps and has since contributed to communities in 143 partner countries while enjoying widespread popularity. Its mission of promoting world peace and friendship is pursued through three operational goals: technical training, cultural exportation, and cultural importation. Since 2016, with the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and continuing through the Covid-19 pandemic, which produced the first global service interruption in agency history, the value of the Peace Corps service model has been fundamentally challenged. As a …

Anti-Immigration-Related Stressors And Latine Immigrant Well-Being: The Role Of Family & Community Resilience, Lisa S. Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies have continued to adversely impact Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protection Status (TPS) beneficiaries (Arevalo et al., 2015; Cleary, 2017; Li, 2015; Sangalang et al., 2018). There have been numerous attempts to revoke DACA, TPS, and other policies that temporarily protect immigrant families. Although the number of resilience literature has grown, more strength-based approaches are still needed. Additionally, given that familismo (familism) and collectivism are key cultural values for Latine families (Campos et al., 2019; Corona et al., 2017), it is imperative to explore family and community resilience among Latine immigrants to gain …

Effects Of Perpetrator And Victim Gender, Rape Myths, And Report Timing On Blame Attributions Following Sexual Assault, Katherine E. Kennon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Previous research examined the effects of victim gender, perpetrator gender, and rape myth acceptance on victim blaming attribution; however, fewer studies explore victim and perpetrator gender at the same time, and even fewer studies examined the relevance of factors like timing of reporting (immediate or delayed) or rurality. The primary purpose of the study, therefore, was to explore the effect of victim gender, perpetrator gender, and report timing (same day vs. six months later) on victim blaming attributions. The study also examined the role of rape myth acceptance on victim blame and compared levels of rape myth acceptance across participant …

Investigation Of Sneathia Vaginalis And The Host Antibody Response To S. Vaginalis Pore-Forming Toxin, Cpta, In Vivo, Zion T. Mccoy

Theses and Dissertations

Sneathia vaginalis, formerly Sneathia amnii, is a gram-negative vaginal species that is associated with pregnancy complications including preterm birth. The only virulence factor of S. vaginalis that has been characterized is the cytopathogenic toxin, component A (CptA), a pore-forming toxin that lyses human red blood cells and human epithelial cells and plays a role in traversal of the bacteria through fetal membranes. The overarching goal of this work was to examine the host immune response to CptA. To investigate the immune response to CptA, levels of anti-CptA IgM, IgA, and IgG in human mid-vaginal swab samples obtained during …

Totem Impulse, Tendai T. Mupita

Theses and Dissertations

In this reading, I explore the performative and complexities of indigenous mythologies, cosmologies, and epistemologies, through totems, folklore, architecture, and games. This paper extracts references from indigenous philosophies in thinking about form and image. These forms and images are my sculptures, my installations, and my lines.

Treponema Denticola Synthesizes C-Di-Amp And Encodes The Cdaa-Type Diadenylate Cyclase Cdaa, Claire R. O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a form of oral disease characterized by dysbiosis of the oral microbiome, leading to inflammation, bone resorption, and in severe cases, entire tooth loss, affecting 42% of adults in the US. One of the bacteria most associated with periodontal disease progression is Treponema denticola (Td), an oral spirochete which inhabits the mouth in small quantities during health but which can dominate the biofilms that form during periodontal disease. The ability of Td to survive in a disease environment and contribute to the progression of disease requires the use of robust signaling networks. Analysis of Td cultures …

Characterization And Investigation Of Cold Atmospheric Plasma And Its Effects On Cancer Cell Biology, Thomas M. Ritrosky

Theses and Dissertations

Modern cancer treatment uses radiation therapy in over 50% of patient cases. It is an e↵ective way of treating tumors because the mechanisms of cell killing are well known through the damage that ionizing radiation does to DNA. The amount of radiation can be tracked through measuring the dose of the clinical photon or electron beam used. However, there are limitations in the usage of radiation therapy, for example, a tumor can create hypoxic areas that become radioresistant leading to complete ine↵ectiveness of further radiation treatment. This project looks into the application of cold atmospheric plasma as an adjuvant therapy …

Sense Of Belonging As Behaviorist Construct: “Doing Belonging” And Its Application For College Students With Disabilities, Chris Parthemos Phd

Theses and Dissertations

Sense of Belonging has been widely linked to academic performance, retention and persistence for college students. Students with disabilities are less likely to enroll than peers, and are more likely to drop out. Similar to other historically-marginalized groups, these students report lower sense of belonging than peers. Research with this population suggests that they may be seeking ways of building community and belonging at their universities which are self-driven. This notion of “doing belonging”, as it is described in the sociological literature, appears at first glance to be compatible with behaviorist approaches to student support. Although not without controversy, behavior …

Buckets In A Deep Well: Essays About Shakespeare’S History Play Characters And An Original Drama, Brian C. Bassett

Theses and Dissertations

Buckets in a Deep Well is a set of essays that examines various characters portrayed in Shakespeare’s history plays, as well as parallel figures in 20th and 21st century works. Each essay primarily focuses on a single character’s response to a power structure: Richard Gloucester to the Tudor England of his audience in Richard III; Richard Nixon’s campaign-produced version of himself to 20th century American democracy in “Checkers;” Falstaff to organized society in Henry IV, Part 1; Marlo Stanfield to the drug economy of early 2000’s Baltimore in The Wire; the Duke of York to the disrupted monarchy of The …

Formation Of Vasculogenic Mimicry: Role Of Melanoma Differentiation Associated Gene-9 In Human Melanoma, Jinkal Shah

Theses and Dissertations

Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most aggressive skin cancer and the most frequent skin disorder in Caucasians. MM is associated with aggressive and progressive disease states, leading to major cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Recent investigations identify an alternative pathway -vasculogenic mimicry (VM), which is considered a cancer hallmark that can independently facilitate tumor neovascularization by the formation of fluid-conducting and vascular endothelial cells. MM cells undergoing VM can dedifferentiate into numerous cellular phenotypes and acquire endothelial-like features, resulting in the formation of the de novo matrix-rich vascular-like networks, such as plasma and red blood cells. The co-generation of endothelial cells, …