Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Gandhian Ideals And The Feminized National Allegory In R.K Narayan's Waiting For The Mahatma, Fatama Zarin Khanam

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the character of Bharati in R.K Narayan’s novel, Waiting for the Mahatma, as a prominent female figure of political agency and representation of the role Indian women took during the revolutionary movement. Yet, also argues that problems arise when the author uses a feminine character as a national allegory and represents her as “Mother India,” because it makes the category of woman homogenous, neglecting to recognize the intersectional identities that make the lives of women diverse and incomparable. Additionally, another aspect of this argument is that Narayan’s depiction of Bharati fits into …

Biomimetic Synthesis Of Hitorins A And B And Discovery Of Porous Metallopolymers, Tianran Zhai

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This work focuses on two research directions: the total synthesis of natural products hitorins A and B and the synthesis of porous metallopolymers/ metallooligomers and study of their properties. Nature has a good understanding and makes good use of cascade reactions to generate complex natural structures. The synthesis of hitorins A and B employed a radical cascade starting from a rare intermolecular alkoxy radical-olefin coupling reaction in our biomimetic synthetic strategy. A radical clock experiment was designed to reveal the mechanism for the key alkoxy radical-olefin coupling cascade. Microporous materials have many applications in diverse areas including gas separation, electronic …

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Step Towards Unfolding The Mystery, Aditi Kamlesh Bhanushali

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

AbstractBackground: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), is a complex disease that includes the dysregulation of the Central Nervous system. There is no exact known etiology or pathophysiology which leads to the development of ME/CFS. To understand the possible causes behind this mysterious disease, I conducted this project under the guidance of Dr. Moslehi to evaluate a range of demographic, lifestyle, and epidemiological factors and their risk in the development of ME/CFS. Methods: My project is part of a case-control study conducted by Dr. Roxana Moslehi. ME/CFS is a rare disease, so a case-control study design was …

“Talking Sweet And Moving Quiet”: Trauma And Resiliency In Gang-Involved Girls In Belize, Kristcha Deguerre

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Currently, the research exploring gangs in Belize is growing, with one exception; current research excludes gang-involved girls and women. Besides a previous pilot study conducted by this author, there is no known research on gangs in Belize that includes girls and women. Given the extent to which gang violence and activity is increasing within Belize, it is crucial to understand the entire gang-involved population in order to combat this growing social issue.

Perceptions Of Organizational Entitativity : Justice As The Basis For Identification And Social Exchange, Jeremiah Joel Kephart Martin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Entitativity is a perception concerning groups that distinguishes between perceiving groups as merely a collection of individuals and viewing them as a unified whole. The extent that groups are perceived to be entitative has been demonstrated to be related to greater attention to the moral conduct of the group as a whole. Drawing on both social identity perspectives and social exchange theory, I proposed a model arguing that organizational justice can result in employees viewing their organization as more entitative. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model, along with two theory-based alternative models (all random-intercepts cross-lagged …

Analysis Of The Introduction Of Green Laboratory Certification Program At The University At Albany, State University Of New York To Increase Sustainability In Laboratories, Samantha Long

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Universities around the world are making changes to become more sustainable including lowering energy and water consumption, reducing waste production, and looking at procurement methods. At the University at Albany, State University of New York, there is an ongoing effort to increase sustainability and climate resiliency to align with state and international goals. One of the key areas needing improvement are scientific laboratories because they have a substantially larger energy consumption than other buildings. An analysis of current practices on campus was conducted and improvements suggested from research of similar programs. This included expanding and testing a campus specific “Green …

Evaluating Spatial Relationships Between Environmental Factors And Contextual Sociodemographic Burden And Associations With Respiratory Morbidity Among Young Children: An Indicator-Based Approach, Neil Anthony Muscatiello

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The body of public health literature related to air pollution epidemiology is extensive. Similarly, the body of literature related to social epidemiology has also expanded greatly in recent years. While studies in these sub-disciplines of epidemiology sometimes seek to control for variables more commonly studied in one or the other, fewer studies report on their combined effects. Studies which do attempt to summarize how the combined air pollution burden and contextual sociodemographic burden differentially effect health outcomes beyond their individual effects could be beneficial in understanding links between the environment and certain health outcomes such as childhood asthma. The proposed …

Gestational Epigenetic Aging : Prenatal Influences And Early Life Associations, Emilia Pawlowski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Development Origins of Health (DOHaD) evidence suggests that prenatal exposures have an important impact on offspring health throughout the life course. Environmental and psychosocial exposures during fetal development are associated with a range of health outcomes for offspring, and effects are often sex specific. One of the mechanisms which may explain differences in health outcomes is epigenetic alterations, which are the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression and can be modified during fetal development. Many studies have shown that psychosocial stress and social adversity can modulate epigenetic mechanisms and affect health. While there are several methods for measuring epigenetic alterations, …

Examining The Association Between Childhood Adversity And Later Life Cardiometabolic Diseases, Shreya Shrinivas

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ACEs stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, which are traumatic or stressful events that occur in childhood before the age of 18 (Wisner, 2022). These experiences can include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; neglect; household dysfunction, such as parental separation, domestic violence, substance abuse, or incarceration; or exposure to community violence, racism, or discrimination. Research has shown that individuals who experience ACEs are at a higher risk for developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health disorders later in life (Felitti, 2002). This is because ACEs can cause toxic stress, which is chronic activation of the stress …

Immune System Dysfunction To Toxicant Exposure: An Examination Of Mismatch Theory With Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) And Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (P,P'-Ddt), Florence Lee

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Exposure to environmental contaminants, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can disrupt normal immune function. As POPs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p’-DDE, a metabolite of p,p’-DDT), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) are synthetic chemicals with long half-lives and can bioaccumulate and biomagnify within organisms throughout the food chain. This dissertation proposes that pollutant exposure can affect the immune system based on a sample of Native American women, thereby influencing human biological variation, and the development of an autoimmune phenotype. Data was collected from a sample of Native American women utilizing anthropometric measurements, medical diagnoses of autoimmune disease, autoimmune dysfunction symptoms, and serum samples. …

Olfaction And Puberty : The Study Of The Development And Migration Of The Gnrh-1ns And Their Migratory Partners The Olfactory Unsheathing Cells, Ed Zandro Moina Taroc

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Sexual development and puberty are two key developmental processes that are crucial for the propagation and evolution of species. The hormone Gonadotropin releasing hormone-1 (GnRH-1) is a key hormone in regulating both processes by controlling the hormonal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal axis in the release of sex hormones (Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone) at the correct developmental time points initiate puberty and progress sexual development. A subset of hypothalamic neurons known as the GnRH-1 neurons (GnRH-1ns) release GnRH-1 in a pulsatile fashion during embryonic and post-natal development to specifically regulate these processes. The GnRH-1ns are an interesting group of neurons because they are formed in …

Novel Nickel-Loaded Activated Carbon Cathodes For Hydrogen Production In Microbial Electrolysis Cells, Daniel Alejandro Moreno Jimenez

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can electrochemically produce green hydrogen from waste streams. Although MECs are excellent options for implementing an energy recovery process while treating wastewater, the cathode side still hinders practical applications. Platinum (Pt) has been the top reference for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in MECs, however, Pt is not practical due to the high capital cost. Inexpensive nickel-loaded activated carbon (Ni/AC) cathodes were recently developed for replacing Pt in MECs and have shown comparable performance to Pt. This dissertation aims to breakthrough the current cathode challenges regarding the catalytic activity, manufacturing, and operational concept toward a cost-competitive scaling-up …

Mindful Control Vs. Mindful Acceptance : An Experimental Evaluation Of The Acute Impact Of Intentions Guiding Mindfulness Practice On Psychological And Emotional Experiences, Eric Daniel Tifft

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mindfulness meditation (MM) has gained attention from the mainstream media and scientific communities due to its benefits in ameliorating psychological suffering, aiding in the treatment of physical conditions, and promoting well-being. However, a growing body of research suggests that MM may also produce unintended, adverse effects. Research in emotion regulation suggests that how people use MM may be critical in understanding both the benefits and iatrogenic effects of such practices. Emotion regulation science suggests that efforts to avoid, suppress, or otherwise control unwanted internal experiences are ineffective long-term strategies and can backfire, thus potentiating psychological distress. Conversely, acceptance of difficult …

Caregiving Automatons: Gender, Care, And Disability In Poland, Michalina Grzelka

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The last few years in Poland have seen the increasing visibility of disabled people and family caregivers who demand the introduction of public policies more responsive to their needs. Such development suggests a shift from deeply rooted gendered ideas about caregiving and the rise of activism of people with disabilities and family caregivers who call for solutions to the neoliberalization of care work. However, despite growing attention to disability and care within anthropology, few studies have focused explicitly on caregiving relations in the context of disability, especially in the formerly socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe. This dissertation attempts …

Endothelial And Stromal Cell Contributions To Salivary Gland Injury And Repair, Amber Altrieth

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Injury and disease can contribute to excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, which if persistent, results in fibrosis, impeding proper organ function. The salivary gland can develop fibrosis following irradiation treatment for cancer therapy, Sjögren’s Disease, and other causes; however, it is unclear which stromal cells and signals participate in injury responses and disease progression and which cells may be important for restoring proper organ function. Two stromal populations that are implicated in injury and repair are the endothelial cells, lining the inner surface of blood vessels, and pericytes, that wrap around the vessels. One stromal pericyte population, expressing the transcription …

Regulatory Mechanisms In The Drosophila Germline, Shane Breznak

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

To launch the next generation, all sexually reproducing animals must undergo the process of producing mature eggs and sperm. This process is known as gametogenesis. During gametogenesis key developmental checkpoints are met to ensure proper egg and sperm production. Model organisms, such as Drosophila melanogaster, have been used to study gametogenesis to gain insight into the conserved mechanisms that can be attributed to human infertility and disease due to the availability of genetic tools, quick life cycle and the conservation of regulatory mechanisms. During Drosophila oogenesis there are many key developmental transitions that must be completed to produce a fully …

Antibody Profiling Of An Elderly Cohort After Sars-Cov-2 Vaccination And Infection Using Dried Blood Spots, Gianna Mirabile

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Three years after the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 remains a major public health emergency throughout the globe. Although major advancements have been made in terms of controlling the virus, such as the use of mRNA vaccines, SARS-CoV-2 infections from variants of concern (VoC) continue to persist and cause significant morbidity and mortality in vulnerable populations, including the elderly. The ability for public health entities to effectively gauge disease susceptibility across large swaths of the population is critical in deciding when to implement new vaccination recommendations. Dried blood spots (DBS) are an upcoming serological sample type being studied …

Acceptability And Feasibility Of Arfid-Ptp : A Brief, Virtual, Parent-Training Intervention For Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder In Children, Courtney Elizabeth Breiner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Introduction. Avoidant/restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively novel feeding and eating disorder diagnosis with limited evidence-based treatment approaches. Current treatment approaches have been adapted from treatments for other restrictive eating disorders, however eating disorder treatment is notoriously inaccessible due to geographic, financial, and/or time constraints. The present study aims to establish the acceptability and feasibility of a two-session, parent-training approach, “ARFID-PTP,” for the treatment of ARFID disseminated via telehealth. ARFID-PTP was adapted into a brief, virtual format from other evidence-based treatment approaches. Methods. Participants (n=27) included children ages five to 12, inclusive who meet criteria for ARFID and …

Refugia From White-Nose Syndrome: Ecology And Behavior Of Northern Myotis Coastal Populations, Samantha Hoff

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Recent increases in anthropogenic environmental change have been directly linked to the global loss of biodiversity and are a primary driver of disease emergence in wildlife populations. Infectious diseases interact with other threats to cause population declines and changes in community composition, potentially resulting in local or global extinctions. Yet, outcomes are variable across the landscape, leading some host populations to persist at low numbers. One of the biggest challenges in conserving species threatened by disease is determining whether persisting populations can remain viable into the future once they have been driven to low abundance. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is one …

Toward A New Approach To Job-Related Distress: A Three-Sample Study Of The Occupational Depression Inventory, Renzo Bianchi, James Sowden, Jay Verkuilen, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

The Occupational Depression Inventory (ODI) was recently developed to assess depressive symptoms that individuals specifically attribute to their work. One purpose of the ODI is to respond to limitations of current assessments of job-related distress, most notably, assessments relying on the burnout construct. In this study, we conducted a thorough examination of the psychometric and structural properties of the ODI using exploratory structural equation modelling bifactor analysis and Mokken scale analysis. The study involved three samples of employed individuals, recruited in France (N = 3454), Switzerland (N = 1971), and Australia (N = 1485). Results were consistent across the three …

Accelerated Master Of Accountacy, 2023-24, Arkansas State University - Jonesboro

Master's Level Degrees

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Role Of Peroxiredoxin Iv In Colorectal Cancer Development, Pratik Thapa

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are oxygen-containing free radicals and/or molecules that are more reactive than O₂. ROS such as hydroxyl radical (•OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) are produced naturally in the body as a result of reactions such as aerobic respiration and oxidative protein folding. ROS undergo reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions and mediate cell signaling. Accumulation of excessive ROS can damage DNA, RNA, protein and lipids. Antioxidants are enzymes and small molecules that react with ROS to modulate redox signaling and to prevent and repair oxidative damage. Examples of antioxidants include glutathione, thioredoxin, superoxide dismutase, …

Understanding And Targeting The Tph1-Serotonin-Htr3a Axis In Small Cell Lung Cancer, Yanning Hao

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which accounts for 10-15% of all lung cancer, is the most malignant type that tends to grow fast and spread in its early stages. The 5-year survival rate remains low at 6% overall. Thus, new therapeutic methods and pharmacological targets for SCLC patients are urgently needed. We present novel data indicating that the synthesis of serotonin is upregulated in SCLC compared to normal bronchial epithelial cells and non-small cell lung cancer. Serotonin signaling plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes. However, its contribution to SCLC development has not been well understood. The …

Targeting Ezh2 To Improve Outcomes Of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Tanner Ducote

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Only 20% of patients diagnosed with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) respond to immunotherapy. Anti-PD1 immunotherapy is most commonly prescribed to these patients; however, most will become refractory. It is important to understand the mechanisms underlying this problem to increase durability and survival. Building upon the work of other groups, our lab has demonstrated that the inhibition of the histone methyltransferase, EZH2, is crucial to maintaining an immunologically responsive microenvironment. Based on our data, we hypothesize that combining EZH2 inhibitors with anti-PD1 therapy will increase response and durability. To study non-small cell lung cancers (NSLC) our lab uses a variety …

Kinesin And Myosin Motors Compete To Drive Rich Multiphase Dynamics In Programmable Cytoskeletal Composites, Ryan Mcgorty Phd, Christopher Currie, Jonathan Michel, Mehrad Sasanpour, Christopher Gunter, K Alice Lindsay, Michael J. Rust, Parag Katira, Moumita Das, Jennifer L. Ross, Rae M. Robertson-Anderson

Physics and Biophysics: Faculty Scholarship

The cellular cytoskeleton relies on diverse populations of motors, filaments, and binding proteins acting in concert to enable nonequilibrium processes ranging from mitosis to chemotaxis. The cytoskeleton's versatile reconfigurability, programmed by interactions between its constituents, makes it a foundational active matter platform. However, current active matter endeavors are limited largely to single force-generating components acting on a single substrate—far from the composite cytoskeleton in cells. Here, we engineer actin–microtubule (MT) composites, driven by kinesin and myosin motors and tuned by crosslinkers, to ballistically restructure and flow with speeds that span three orders of magnitude depending on the composite formulation and …

Cooperative Rheological State-Switching Of Enzymatically-Driven Composites Of Circular Dna And Dextran, Juexin Marfai, Ryan Mcgorty, Rae M. Robertson-Anderson

Physics and Biophysics: Faculty Scholarship

Polymer topology, which plays a principal role in the rheology of polymeric fluids, and non-equilibrium materials, which exhibit time-varying rheological properties, are topics of intense investigation. Here, composites of circular DNA and dextran are pushed out-of-equilibrium via enzymatic digestion of DNA rings to linear fragments. These time-resolved rheology measurements reveal discrete state-switching, with composites undergoing abrupt transitions between dissipative and elastic-like states. The gating time and lifetime of the elastic-like states, and the magnitude and sharpness of the transitions, are surprisingly decorrelated from digestion rates and non-monotonically depend on the DNA fraction. These results are modeled using sigmoidal two-state functions …

Crossing The Borders And Challenging The Boundaries Of White Feminism In Italy: Situated Rearticulations Of Difference And The Impact Of Antiracist Feminisms, Loredana Di Martino

Italian and Italian Studies: Faculty Scholarship

This article investigates how some white Italian feminists have begun to reckon with the colorblindness and ethnocentrism of their theories and are contributing to the development of a critical white feminism. An examination of key feminist texts from the 1970s will be followed by an investigation into more recent iterations of difference feminism that have critically reengaged and redefined both Marxist theories of social reproduction and cultural practices of female intersubjectivity. In addition to addressing the existence of differently situated gender positionalities and their diverging struggles, this critical white Italian feminism is also attempting to meaningfully incorporate and center feminist …

Overzealous: The Harm Caused By Parental And Administrative Censorship Of Books In An Intellectually Free Education, Tyler Engel

Outstanding Gateway Papers

Books and their ideas are such a fundamental part of our learning culture. Despite this fact, many books, some of our best books, have been banned in schools and communities across the world for the controversial, uncomfortable, necessary ideas they contain. Parents, school administration, and state legislatures often go to great lengths to police these ideas within the classroom, limiting what teachers can actually teach within their classrooms and the ideas that students come into contact with. This practice is harmful, and we as a country need to normalize the reading of banned books so that students can engage diverse …

Competition Between Audiovisual Correspondences Aids Understanding Of Interactions Between Auditory And Visual Perception, Laura Getz

Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior: Faculty Scholarship

An audiovisual correspondence (AVC) refers to an observer’s seemingly arbitrary

yet consistent matching of sensory features across the two modalities; for

example, between auditory pitch height and visual height or visual size. Research

on AVCs frequently uses a speeded classification procedure in which participants

are asked to rapidly classify the pitch of a sound accompanied either by a

congruent or an incongruent visual object (e.g., high pitches are congruent with

higher/smaller visual objects and incongruent with lower/larger visual objects).

To investigate the strength of these pitch AVCs (height, size, spatial frequency,

brightness, sharpness), trials where the height AVC competed with …

Metabolic Engineering Of Escherichia Coli For N-Acetyl-Glucosamine Production, Anica Tasnim Protity

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Glucosamine (GlcN) and GlcN-based supplements, such as N-acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc), are commonly used by osteoarthritis patients to relieve pain and maintain the health of bone joints. However, the current production methods for GlcN-based products are not eco-friendly and pose risks to individuals with shrimp allergies. Microbial cell-based systems have been explored to address these issues as an eco-friendly alternative for GlcN and GlcNAc production. This study focused on developing an Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain for GlcNAc fermentation. E. coli has an endogenous pathway for peptidoglycan biosynthesis involving GlcNAc-1-P. However, altering this pathway could affect cell growth and integrity. Therefore, two …