Digital Commons Network^™

Dd 263-005: Digital Design Studio I, Six Lauture

School of Art and Design Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Dd 334-105: Simulated Environments, Miguel Rodrigues

School of Art and Design Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Dd 303-001: Foundations Of Sound And Music, Alexander Liebermann

School of Art and Design Syllabi

No abstract provided.

The Critical Role Of Nac1 In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Stemness And Immunosuppression, Chrispus Ngule

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly heterogeneous and the most lethal breast cancer (BC) subtype. We report here a new role of nucleus accumbens associated protein 1 (NAC1) in maintaining stemness signature and features of TNBC and controlling the status of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which accounts for its role in tumor progression and metastasis. This report demonstrates increased NAC1 amplification in TNBC metastatic samples compared to nonmetastatic tissues. In vitro, NAC1 depletion in TNBC cells suppressed their proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. In vivo, NAC1 knockdown in TNBC cells reduced tumorigenic ability, diminished tumor growth rate, and abolished …

Dd 363-003: Digital Design Studio Iii, Gaberiel Shaferman

School of Art and Design Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Dd 363-001: Digital Design Studio Iii, Richard Thompson

School of Art and Design Syllabi

No abstract provided.

The Mandatory Victims Restitution Act: The Court’S Authority To Redirect Disclaimed Payments, Kaeli M. Whalley

Western New England Law Review

Consider a situation where a defendant has committed a crime that in some way harmed a victim. The court then decided to enter a judgment ordering the defendant to pay restitution to the victim as part of their criminal sentence. Typically, the victim participates in the restitution order and receives the funds they are owed. But what happens in those rare circumstances where the victim does not want to accept these payments? Where do those unclaimed funds go?

These situations are governed by the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act of 1996 (MVRA), 18 U.S.C. §§ 3663A–3664. The MVRA requires restitution and …

Valuing Social Data, Amanda Parsons, Salome Viljoen

Publications

Social data production—accumulating, processing, and using large volumes of data about people—is a unique form of value creation that characterizes the digital economy. Social data production also presents critical challenges for the legal regimes that encounter it. This Article provides scholars and policymakers with the tools to comprehend this new form of value creation through two descriptive contributions. First, it presents a theoretical account of social data, a mode of production that is cultivated and exploited for two distinct (albeit related) forms of value: prediction value and exchange value. Second, it creates and defends a taxonomy of three “scripts” that …

Saudi Arabia's Nuclear Decision-Making In The Era Of Mohammad Bin Salman, Andrew Brown

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Strategic culture plays a crucial role in shaping countries’ decision-making in regard to security and foreign policy. In the context of nuclear proliferation, strategic culture can significantly impact a country’s willingness to pursue nuclear weapons and how it calculates the risks and benefits of such a decision. This thesis examines Saudi Arabia’s decision-making under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who has brought about significant changes in the country's strategic culture through aggressive top-down reform. While much of Saudi Arabia's traditional strategic culture has remained intact under MBS and his father, King Salman, some elements have shifted …

Assessing Interatomic Potentials For Molecular Dynamics Simulation Of Soybean Oil Pyrolysis, Tanner Garrett Rust

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The world today relies on hydrocarbon combustion for many reasons, including its high energy density that provides ease of transportation. However, hydrocarbons sourced from fossil fuels are not expected to last forever. Biodiesel, a renewable alternative, has many attractive benefits but comes with other downsides. Biodiesel can gel in cold environments and may leave residue in an engine. Pyrolysis of biodiesel has shown promise in addressing these common detriments. Inducing pyrolysis on biodiesel feedstock (commonly soybean oil in the USA) would be an attractive option presuming it continues to produce fossil fuel analogs similar to biodiesel pyrolysis. Herein, Langevin molecular …

Venezuela Claims To Guyana Territory And Its Regional Destabilization Threats, Anissa L. Rodriguez

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

As global tensions escalate over territorial disputes, Venezuela's assertion of claims over the Essequibo territory in Guyana threaten to destabilize a pivotal region in South America known for its abundant natural resources and prospering economy. This thesis will highlight the key distinctions between different European explorers and how they diversified the legacy of colonialism, changed historical and political trajectory, and shaped modern-day Guyana and Venezuela. It will highlight the critical roles that natural resources and international law play in territorial contention and sculpting of the geopolitical landscape within this crucial region. This thesis will scrutinize the potential fallout of the …

Aromatherapies And Stress: An Examination Of Saliva Sclarea In Acute Stress Conditions, Emily J. Van Gundy

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The use of essential oils as an alternative medicine in the United States is becoming increasingly popular as more accreditation is given to its therapeutic values. With this increase in use, we must continue to examine the uses of essential oils, including associated risks. One unavoidable aspect of life is stress, both acute and chronic. This study aims to better our understanding of the stress-reducing properties of the essential oil clary sage (salvia sclarea) after an experimentally induced acute stress experience. The Trier Social Stress Test was used to elicit an acute stress response. Participants were given the scent of …

Carbaryl-Induced Leaf Necrosis In Vitis Rupestris B-38, Courtney Nicole Duncan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Agricultural insecticides are formulated to target insects while minimizing harm to the intended crop. In rare instances, however, insecticides induce harmful physiological reactions in certain plant genomes, inflicting severe tissue damage. This project investigated the genetic basis of such a reaction observed in the grape genotype Vitis rupestris B38 following exposure to the insecticide carbaryl, which manifests as interveinal leaf necrosis. Through analysis of an F1 hybrid progeny of this grapevine, I mapped this phenotype to a QTL on chromosome 16. The carbaryl-sensitive trait was repeatedly mapped to the same locus using phenotype data from two different field locations and …

Determining Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Adsorption On Nanoparticles Using Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry, Iqra Shakoor

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The contamination of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS, C₈F₁₇SO₃H) in water is considered a threat to humans and the environment. The strength of carbon and fluorine bond is responsible for its high stability in the environment. Therefore, it can be transferred from the environment to food sources and eventually humans. This study assessed the ability of nanoparticles to adsorb PFOS from water. The experiment was performed by preparing suspensions of PFOS (10 ppm) and different concentrations (1000 ppm, 500 ppm, 250 ppm) of cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO₂-NPs) or magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO-NPs). The suspensions …

Exploring The Impact Of P2y2 Receptor Activation And Inflammation On Glucose Homeostasis In Mice, Jamila Makhloufi

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Insulin resistance is the body's impaired ability to utilize endogenous and exogenous insulin to take up blood glucose and is associated with many clinical conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The cause of insulin resistance is still unknown; however, it is linked to inflammation. The activation of the purinergic P2Y₂ receptor potentiates an inflammatory response under the pathogenesis of obesity and has adverse effects on glucose metabolism by regulating insulin resistance. The goal of this research is to investigate the effects of P2Y₂ receptor activation on the downstream signaling pathways of the insulin receptor …

Empowered Womanhood In Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’S “Sultana’S Dream” And Greta Gerwig’S Barbie: Keys To The Ideal World, Tasnuva Tabassum

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s “Sultana’s Dream” (1905) and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) present feminist utopias separated by more than a century. Despite the temporal gap, both works introduce worlds where traditional gender roles are reversed. This thesis explores Hossain’s and Gerwig’s suggestions to create ideal worlds through empowerment of women. Considering evolution of feminist utopian thought from the beginning of the twentieth century to the beginning of the twenty-first, and the differences in feminisms from East to West, this thesis analyzes the narrative structures, thematic elements, and cultural contexts of these works. Despite differences, both authors seek not just female but …

Disturbance-Prone Ozark Streams: Interactions Between Plants And The Stream Environment, Alexis Renea Reifsteck

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Ozark streams are extremely diverse ecosystems, despite frequent flood disturbance. Plant communities are frequently altered by bed-moving floods but are extremely resilient. We know that land-use, sediments, and nutrients can impact plant communities, but more can be divulged about how plants alter communities and how environmental variables influence plant community composition in disturbance-prone Ozark streams. To address this, I examined two key aspects of Ozark stream ecosystems: the role of American Water Willow, Justicia americana, in structuring aquatic habitats and the factors influencing gravel bar plant community composition. In the first chapter, I investigated how J. americana, a …

Comparing In Vivo Dry Matter Digestibility Vs In Vitro Dry Matter Digestibility, Katherine Kemper Sanders

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Three yearling steers were used in a 2 X 3 incomplete Latin square design to determine In Vivo Dry Matter Digestibility of two forages, alfalfa (ALF) and mixed grass hay (GH) to determine the accuracy of In Vitro Dry Matter Digestibility (IVDMD) methods for determining the true dry matter digestibility (DMD). Forage samples were collected and digested In Vitro using the ANKOM Daisy^II Incubator. Forage Fiber Analysis of the residue was used to determine true dry matter digestibility. There was significant interaction between treatment and period (P < 0.05) for both In Vitro and In Vivo methods. When comparing the two methods there …

Temporal Distribution Of Potential Waterborne Pathogens In Sequiota Spring, William J. Durstock

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Waterborne pathogens from human fecal matter pose a significant health risk in karst environments, where domestic wastewater can easily be transferred to the shallow groundwater system via old, leaky septic tanks and damaged sewer lines. This study monitored fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and potential pathogens in Sequiota Spring located in the karst region of southwest Missouri, using Microbial Source Tracking (MST) and Illumina DNA sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. MST identified high levels of human fecal indicator bacteria (HFIB) (up to 110,000 cells/L) in July 2020. By June 2022, HFIB levels had dropped significantly (55-fold reduction) after the City …

Effects Of Subchronic Oral Pfos Exposure Via Drinking Water On Gut Microbiota Composition, Emma Ann Loder

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) has been phased out of production in the United States, but because of its resistance to degradation and its persistence in the environment, PFOS can be found in drinking water across America. Oral exposure to PFOS has been linked to adverse developmental, immunological, hepatic, and endocrine health. Oral PFOS exposure may alter the gut microbiota and cause dysbiosis, which is implicated in the pathology of inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s disease, diabetes, and ulcerative colitis. The goal of the study was to investigate the effects of subchronic oral PFOS exposure on the composition of the gut microbiota. Adult …

Microvascular Endothelial Permeability Coefficient Regulated By Purinergic P2y2 Receptor, Dana S. James

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Inflammatory mediators profoundly affect endothelial permeability by disrupting its barrier function, resulting in increased permeability (hyperpermeability). Interestingly, hyperpermeability is involved in a wide range of disorders and diseases, and can pose significant risks to life in diseases, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and systemic capillary leak syndrome. Though vascular leakage, a hallmark of inflammation, profoundly exacerbates the pathogenesis of diseases, the direct mechanism is not fully understood. In vivo study has shown that activation of nucleotide P2Y₂ receptor (P2Y₂R) increases permeability in murine venule. The goal of this study was to determine the molecular mechanism of …

Patterns Of Epiphytic Bacterial Growth On Flower Surfaces: Relationships With Flower Longevity And Environmental Factors, Rita Nkem Afagwu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Flowers host diverse communities of epiphytic bacteria, which can impact floral functions, pollinator interactions, and overall plant fitness. However, little is known about how the abundance of these bacteria change as flowers age, and how these shifts may correlate with floral longevity. In this study I investigate the change in bacterial abundance across the lifespan of a flower from anthesis (opening of bud to flower) to senescence (wilting of flower) and to explore the potential implications for floral longevity. We tracked the age of the flowers by determining the average age to senescence in flowers of 8 plant species over …

Sptbn1 Involvement In Reverse Transcription Of Hiv-1 Infection In Chme3 Cells, Jeanette Drecker

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) is a lentivirus that infects CD4+ cells, causing a

weakened immune system that leads to the development of Acquired Immunodeficiency

Syndrome (AIDS). HIV utilizes host proteins to replicate. A genome wide screen by Brass has

shown that the molecular scaffolding protein, SPTBN1, is essential for HIV-1 infection.

However, the viral replication steps that SPTBN1 impacts are not known. Previous work in the

Hulme Lab has shown that SPTBN1 knockdown delays HIV capsid uncoating but does not

impact viral fusion kinetics. Uncoating and reverse transcription of HIV-1 occur simultaneously.

Therefore, the goal for this study was …

Water Quality Of A Karstic Shallow Aquifer In Greene And Lawrence Counties, Missouri, Claudia Patricia Colmenero Chacon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

A water quality investigation in the Springfield Plateau aquifer of Greene and Lawrence counties, Missouri, was conducted. Water samples from eleven springs were collected at regular intervals during 2023 to determine major water quality parameters: total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), sulfate (SO₄), chloride (Cl) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N), along with per- and poly-fluorinated alkali substances (PFAS) from spring sediments. Nitrate-nitrogen was analyzed because of the importance for environmental health (e.g. to avoid eutrophication). Springs samples were separated by land use into urban and rural samples. In addition, Springfield Plateau water quality …

Demographics And Recruitment Patterns In A Reintroduced Population Of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii), Melisa P. Blasky

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Reintroductions have increasingly become a useful tool for managing wildlife populations, but post-reintroduction studies to evaluate the success of these efforts are often lacking. In 2007, 265 Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) were released into several semi-impounded wetlands in the Washita River drainage basin in southeastern Oklahoma, where surveys in the late 1990s suggested that the species was functionally extirpated. I conducted turtle trapping surveys using baited hoop nets to assess demographics and recruitment patterns in the population 11–12 years after the initial reintroduction. I estimated the age of juveniles by counting scute annuli and compared the data …

How Environmental Variation Affects Bumblebee Cognition And The Gut Microbiome, Parker Madison Campbell

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This master's thesis examines the influence of environmental variables on cognitive processes in Bombus impatiens, focusing on the effects of ingested microbial communities on gut microbiota and their subsequent impact on associative color learning. The study implemented controlled feeding trials with isolated microbe species (Candida bombi, Metschnikowia reukaufii, Lactobacillus micheneri and a control with no microbes) to analyze shifts in gut microbial composition in foraging bees. Results indicated minor alterations in the microbial profiles of bees, yet no statistically significant correlation was found between these modifications and variations in learning or memory performance. Furthermore, the study assessed the impact of …

33. Chatgpt Assistance In Creating Chemistry Practice Problems: Pitfalls, Positives, And Possibilities, Michael A. Christiansen

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

ChatGPT, a relatively new Large Language Model (LLM) artificial intelligence (Al) chatbot, has gained significant attention as the most downloaded software app, accruing over 100 million users within two months of its release. This software can generate quick, articulate responses to virtually any textual query. Many educators are concerned about its potential for enabling student cheating. However, it currently suffers significant limitations in solving chemistry problems-documented through peer-reviewed articles and from the author's experience suggesting that chemistry students will perform far better, on average, by studying than by relying on ChatGPT. This is particularly true of math-centric problems, which the …

The Role Of Prejudice In Political Campaigns, Sara Steffens

A with Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

The Protective And Pathological Role Of The Spleen In Malaria, Julie Hwang, Md, Amy Dechet

Books, Presentations, Posters, Etc.

Case Presentation: • Background: There were 241 million cases of malaria globally. Compared to 2,000 cases in the U.S. Splenomegaly has previously been used to determine the severity of malaria. This is a rare case of hyper reactive malarial splenomegaly (HMS) due to chronic plasmodium ovale • 23 year-old female with gradually worsening left upper quadrant abdominal pain of 1 month. Pain sharp and stabbing in quality, no alleviating or aggravating factors. Associated with subjective early satiety and 10 Ibs weight loss, generalized weakness, shortness of breath • PMH: Schistosomiasis 2008,unclear if treated • Soc: Born in Congo and immigrated …

Impulsive Behavior In The Context Of A Substance Use Treatment Seeking Sample: A Conditional Process Analysis Of Childhood Maltreatment, Experiential Avoidance, And Cognitive Fusion, Emily Kalantar

Dissertations and Theses

Substance misuse is associated with high impulsive behavior and may represent one behavioral manifestation of impulsive behavior. One predictor of substance misuse is childhood maltreatment, which is, in turn, associated with difficulty regulating unwanted emotion. Accordingly, impulsive behavior is high among individuals exposed to maltreatment and likely functions as one behavioral strategy for coping with unwanted internal experiences. Consequently, identification of behavioral processes that may account for the childhood maltreatment and impulsive behavior relation in substance misusers appears warranted. One process-based behavioral model that may be useful in this endeavor is psychological flexibility, which includes the inflexible processes of experiential …