Digital Commons Network^™

(Featured Artist) The Aromatic Herb Garden, Sophia Samra

The Synapse: Intercollegiate science magazine

No abstract provided.

Developing Mathematics Teacher Confidence Through Increasing Understanding Of Mathematics, Jennifer Holm

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Phytoplankton Responses To Changing Irradiance And Carbon Fertilization, Alison Siersma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Phytoplankton play a crucial role in marine ecosystems due to their innate ability to fix carbon. As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise from fossil fuel combustion, the resulting increase in dissolved CO2 and the concurrent decrease in ocean pH are likely to impact the phytoplankton community. The response of phytoplankton to elevated CO2 can vary significantly among species and environmental conditions (e.g. light, temperature, nutrient availability). To address these variations, an experiment was conducted using a controlled photobioreactor system, maintaining high and low light, constant temperature, nutrient levels, and two pCO2 concentrations. This study focused on two regionally relevant …

Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions Of Changes In Student Executive Function Skills And Challenging Behaviors Post-Covid-19, Sofia Cicero

Honors College Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted children’s lives in a number of ways, including their educational and social lives. Many children had to switch to online learning platforms or follow social distancing rules. There is a lack of research exploring the lasting impact that the isolation period left on young children, specifically those in early childhood (3-7 years old). The purpose of this study was to explore if teachers perceived changes in student executive function skills and challenging behaviors after the pandemic. In addition, play-based learning has been shown to improve executive function and behavioral outcomes, and this study also attempted …

Advisor Impacts On Student Learning In Undergraduate Engineering Sae Competition Projects, Sam Ertl

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the effects of advisor characteristics on student learning in large scale undergraduate engineering project competitions. A survey was conducted to measure statistical significance between student ratings of their advisors and student ratings of their learning in key skill areas. Additional items measured include demographics and project characteristics which allowed for additional analyses. The purpose of this study was to identify areas of improvement for project advisors to advance the learning potential for student participants. The survey was distributed in an online format to students participating in five SAE University Program projects. Collected data was analyzed using Kendall’s …

Integration Of Blockchain Technology In Industrial Applications, Sanjana Sakinala

Theses

This research explores the integration of Hyperledger Fabric., a framework of blockchain in industrial applications, particularly focusing on supply chain management. By addressing the limitations of traditional blockchains - such as high transaction latency, scalability challenges, and privacy concerns - this research demonstrates how Hyperledger fabrics overcomes them. Through simulation, we show significant enhancements in transaction speed, data privacy and scalability, making the Fabric a viable solution for industrial systems.

Investigating The Effect Of Metal Site Of The Leaf And Branch Compost Cutinase Through Molecular Dynamics Simulations, Ryan James Molitor

Theses

The petroleum-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a versatile and synthetic polymer that plays a pivotal role in the economy, including packaging, textiles, 3D printers, and even medical-related applications. There is a need for plastic waste management. Biological up-cycling of PET is a promising method for a clean and sustainable future. In 2012, a group of researchers, Tournier et. al., performed experiments and molecular dynamics simulations on the Leaf-branch Compost Cutinase, LCC (PDB Code: 4EB0), which outperformed the PET hydrolysis activity compared to three other PET hydrolyzing enzymes. The LCC and PET depolymerization rate of wildtype LCC was reported to be …

Tikking The Tok And Leading The Way: Teacherpreneurs Leading On Tiktok, Jori S. Beck, Derrick Riddle

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher shortages in the United States have increased the need for resources for teachers just learning to teach. The purpose of this study was to explore how teacherpreneurs, a type of teacher leader, are leading on TikTok. We grounded this study in the research on teacher leadership, including the five waves of teacher leadership and the most recent development of teacherpreneurship, as well as social media influencers. We qualitatively analyzed 300 videos from 30 different teacherpreneuers to determine the following themes: diverse narratives, entertainment, instructional resources, and advocacy. We describe implications for practice, including teacher preparation, as well as future …

Redistribution With Political Constraints: Legal Rules Compared To Taxes And Transfers, David Weisbach

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

No abstract provided.

In The Mix: Hip Hop's Impact On Genre Development And Cultural Influence In African And Jamaican Music, Kinzi Kabadeh

Postgraduate

In this exegesis, I contend that certain compositional elements and production methods of dancehall, amapiano, and afrobeats demonstrate hip hop’s influence on contemporary Jamaican and African electronic music. In particular, the drum programming, track mixing, and use of sampling demonstrate a cross-pollination and cultural transfer between the two forms of music (on one hand, the African and Jamaican genres of dancehall, amapiano, and afrobeats, and on the other, the African American music of hip hop). These genres are fundamental to contemporary Black culture and share origins as vehicles for resistance to oppressive forces.

Sex Differences In Interacting Genetic And Functional Connectivity Biomarkers In Alzheimer’S Disease, Jordan N. Williamson, Shirley A. James, Sean P. Mullen, Bradley P. Sutton, Tracey Wszalek, Beni Mulyana, Peter Mukli, Andriy Yabluchanskiy, Balebail Ashok Raj, Kristin Fargher, Amanda Smith, Lisa Raudin, Gloria Chaing, Norman Relkin, Karen Elizabeth Smith, Hyungsub Shim, Laura L.Boles Ponto, Susan K. Schultz, Antero Sarrael, Raymundo Hernando, Nunzio Pomara, Dick Drost, Andrew Kertesz, John Rogers, Irina Rachinsky, Stephen Pasternak, Elizabether Finger, David Bachman, Kenneth Spicer, Jacobo Mintzer, Bruce L. Miller, Howard J. Rosen, Stephen Correia, Paul Malloy

Clinical Research Faculty Publications

As of 2023, it is estimated that 6.7 million individuals in the United States live with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior research indicates that AD disproportionality affects females; females have a greater incidence rate, perform worse on a variety of neuropsychological tasks, and have greater total brain atrophy. Recent research shows that hippocampal functional connectivity differs by sex and may be related to the observed sex differences in AD, and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 carriers have reduced hippocampal functional connectivity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the ApoE genotype plays a role in the observed sex differences in …

Periodic Gamma-Ray Modulation Of The Blazar Pg 1553+113 Confirmed By Fermi-Lat And Multiwavelength Observations, S. Abdollahi, L. Baldini, G. Barbiellini, R. Bellazzini, B. Berenji, E. Bissaldi, R. D. Blandford, R. Bonino, P. Bruel, S. Buson, R. A. Cameron, P. A. Caraveo, F. Casaburo, E. Cavazzuti, C. C. Cheung, G. Chiaro, S. Ciprini, G. Cozzolongo, P. Cristarella Orestano, S. Cutini, F. D’Ammando, N. Di Lalla, F. Dirirsa, L. Di Venere, A. Domínguez, S. J. Fegan, E. C. Ferrara, A. Fiori, Y. Fukazawa, S. Funk, P. Fusco, F. Gargano, S. Garrappa

Faculty Publications

A 2.1 yr periodic oscillation of the gamma-ray flux from the blazar PG 1553+113 has previously been tentatively identified in ∼7 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. After 15 yr of Fermi sky-survey observations, doubling the total time range, we report >7 cycle gamma-ray modulation with an estimated significance of 4σ against stochastic red noise. Independent determinations of oscillation period and phase in the earlier and the new data are in close agreement (chance probability < 0.01). Pulse timing over the full light curve is also consistent with a coherent periodicity. Multiwavelength new data from Swift X-Ray Telescope, Burst Alert Telescope, and UVOT, and from KAIT, Catalina Sky Survey, All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, and Owens Valley Radio Observatory ground-based observatories as well as archival Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite-All Sky Monitor data, published optical data of Tuorla, and optical historical Harvard plates data are included in our work. Optical and radio light curves show clear correlations with the gamma-ray modulation, possibly with a nonconstant time lag for the radio flux. We interpret the gamma-ray periodicity as possibly arising from a pulsational accretion flow in a sub-parsec binary supermassive black hole system of elevated mass ratio, with orbital modulation of the supplied material and energy in the jet. Other astrophysical scenarios introduced include instabilities, disk and jet precession, rotation or nutation, and perturbations by massive stars or intermediate-mass black holes in polar orbit.

Global Well-Posedness For Supercritical Sqg With Perturbations Of Radially Symmetric Data, Aynur Bulut, Hongjie Dong

Faculty Publications

We study the global well-posedness of the supercritical dissipative surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) equation, a key model in geophysical fluid dynamics. While local well-posedness is known, achieving global well-posedness for large initial data remains open. Motivated by enhanced decay in radial solutions, we aim to establish global well-posedness for small perturbations of potentially large radial data. Our main result shows that for small perturbations of radial data, the SQG equation admits a unique global solution.

Rare Variants Of Dna Ligase 1 Show Distinct Mechanisms Of Deficiency, Jenna H. Veenstra, Alexandria Chabez, Terrance J. Haanen Iii, Austin Keranen, Charlotte Cunningham-Rundles, Patrick J. O'Brien

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Human DNA ligase 1 (LIG1) performs the final step in DNA repair and recombination pathways by sealing DNA breaks, and it functions as the main replicative ligase. Hypomorphic LIG1 variants R771W and R641L cause immune deficiencies in LIG1 Syndrome patients. In vitro these LIG1 variants have decreased catalytic efficiency and increased abortive ligation and it is not known if either biochemical defect is sufficient on its own to cause immune deficiency. We investigated the enzymatic activity of several new candidate LIG1 Syndrome variants chosen based on their structural proximity to known clinical variants, low minor allele frequency (MAF), high level …

An Examination Of Hilbert Spaces, Fnu Sumaiya

Theses and Dissertations

This independent study focuses on the exploration of Hilbert spaces, a cornerstone of modern analysis and a fundamental construct in mathematics. It starts by introducing vector space, metric and metric spaces and then Hilbert spaces and its properties.

This study includes good amount of mathematical proofs, theorems and examples. Through extensive research and analysis, this independent study aims to offer a comprehensive examination of Hilbert spaces, detailing their properties and their pivotal role in modern analysis.

Radial, Vortex, And Spiral Solutions To The Nonlinear Schrödinger Equation And Other Reaction--Diffusion Systems, James Redmon Cummins

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores various solutions to nonlinear reaction-diffusion systems, focusing primarily on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Three types of solutions are investigated: radial solutions (with no angular dependence), vortex solutions (with angular dependence but no radial phase dependence), and spiral solutions (which have radial phase dependence). The study considers free particles without potential and trapped particles inside the cylindrical potential with an impenetrable barrier. We show that spiral solutions to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation only exist for a radially constant phase by considering a related system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. This system is shown to be a special case …

Synthesis Of Novel Chromenone Esters For Biochemical Assays, Andrew Dean Helmerich

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This project details the synthesis of a variety of novel chromenone esters to be used as enzymatic probes. A robust, initial library of 22 chromenone esters was successfully synthesized with differences in chain length, branching, and the incorporation of cyclic and heteroatomic moieties. These new chromenones were fully characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, DEPT HRMS, 19FNMR, and HSQC. The utility of these compounds comes from the fact that they will fluoresce upon cleavage of the ester; thus, this property makes them ideal candidates to be used in the monitoring of enzymatic activity of esterases. Elucidating the enzyme-substrate structure activity relationship (SAR) …

From Crisis To Prevention: Mining Big Data For Public Health Insights During The Flint Water Crisis, Charles Knoble, Gift Fabolude, Anvy Vu, Danlin Yu

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study investigates the utility of Google Trends and Google Search data in retrospectively analyzing the Flint Water Crisis, a significant public health event. By examining keywords relevant to the crisis, such as “lead,” “bottled water,” “water filters,” “pneumonia,” and “Legionnaires’ Disease,” we aimed to uncover patterns in public awareness and response during a public crisis and explore how such awareness and responses could potentially aid in reducing the risk of similar crises in the future. Our analysis reveals a clear correlation between search frequencies and the crisis timeline, with spikes in search terms corresponding to key events. This suggests …

Wings & Horns: Visualizing The Drought In Lakes, Wetlands, And Bogs, Somayeh Faal

Graduate Theses in Studio Art

No abstract provided.

Informing Management Of American Shad (Alosa Sapidissima) In The Carolinas: Evaluating Novel Fish Passage Approaches And Acoustic Tracking Methods, Margaret Gaither

All Theses

Acoustic telemetry is a valuable tool for fisheries scientists to study the movements and migratory behaviors of aquatic organisms. A critical assumption of this method is that tagged fish exhibit similar behaviors and survival rates as their untagged counterparts. To investigate this, we conducted a 12-week laboratory study on adult American Shad (Alosa sapidissima) using gastroesophageal insertion of acoustic transmitters. We implanted 80 fish with dummy transmitters and monitored tag retention and survival. Our analysis, employing a mixed effects Cox’s proportional hazards model, revealed no significant differences in survival between tagged and control fish, regardless of sex. Additionally, …

An Analysis Of The Properties Of Polar Codes, Luke Szramowski

All Theses

Polar Codes have risen to the forefront of practical coding theory, due to their incredible efficiency and ease of construction. Originally introduced by Arikan in his 2009 paper, they are the first code defined with an explicit construction that achieved channel capacity. Moreover, polar codes possess some physically practical properties that make their implementation alluring. In the same paper as mentioned above, Arikan elaborated on his construction and noted that the construction given was one specific instance of a polar code and that there is a family of polar codes that can be produced by the same method. Since this …

Rehydration Kinetics Of Green Pea Grains Dried At Different Microwave Powers, Serap Kayisoglu

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

In this study, both untreated and pre-treated green pea grain samples dried at different microwave output powers (90, 180, and 360 W) were rehydrated at three different temperatures (30ºC, 50ºC, and 70ºC). The rehydration kinetics of dried peas were analyzed using both the Peleg and the first-order kinetic models. Observations revealed that the Peleg model exhibited better agreement with the experimental data. As both microwave power and rehydration temperature increased, the rehydration capacity also increased in both pre-treated and untreated peas. The highest moisture content was observed after rehydration in pre-treated peas dried at 360 W microwave power (2.80 g …

Thermal Anharmonicity Of Transition Metals: A Case Study Of Tantalum, Bimal K C

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density functional theory (DFT) is commonly used for evaluating the thermal propertiesand equation of state of solids, usually within the quasi-harmonic approximation (QHA). In transition metals, thermodynamic quantities such as the thermal pressure and Gruneisen parameter are poorly reproduced compared with experimental values or with direct computational methods like quantum-molecular dynamics (QMD) simulations. Surprisingly, there has not been to date, a systematic study aimed at understanding the reasons for these discrepancies. Using Tantalum as a case study, we have evaluated the temperature dependence of the phonon frequencies employing Harmonic Ensemble Lattice Dynamics (HELD) combined with classical and quantum molecular dynamics. …

A Novel Interpretation Of Average Run Length For Assessing The Performance Of Control Charts, Gonçalo Sousa

Masters Theses

The Average Run Length (ARL) is a performance measure of Control Charts widely used within Statistical Process Control. In this study we propose a new approach for the computation of the ARL that is based on a novel interpretation of out-of-control signals produced by a Control Chart. Specifically, out-of-control signals used to calculate traditional ARLs may correspond to Type I errors and may not reflect a Control Chart’s true performance. To compensate for this issue, for Shewhart and EWMA charts, constraints are applied to the calculation of ARLs so that only out-of-control signals that occur when the corresponding statistic is …

Introducing The Second-Order Features Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology For Neural Ordinary Differential Equations—I: Mathematical Framework, Dan Gabriel Cacuci

Faculty Publications

This work introduces the mathematical framework of the novel “First-Order Features Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology for Neural Ordinary Differential Equations” (1st-FASAM-NODE). The 1st-FASAM-NODE methodology produces and computes most efficiently the exact expressions of all of the first-order sensitivities of NODE-decoder responses with respect to the parameters underlying the NODE’s decoder, hidden layers, and encoder, after having optimized the NODE-net to represent the physical system under consideration. Building on the 1st-FASAM-NODE, this work subsequently introduces the mathematical framework of the novel “Second-Order Features Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology for Neural Ordinary Differential Equations (2nd-FASAM-NODE)”. The 2nd-FASAM-NODE methodology efficiently computes the exact expressions …

Effect Of Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems On Soil Properties And Microbial Diversity In Soybean Production, Namita Sinha, Brett R. Rushing, Aniruddha Acharya, Shankar Gaapathi Shanmugam

Faculty Publications - Biological Sciences

Integrated crop and livestock systems (ICLSs) have been considered an important management-based decision to improve soil health by carbon sequestration. A two-year study (2019–2021) at CPBES in Newton, MS, was conducted to evaluate the effect of an ICLS on soil microbial diversity in the southeastern region of the USA, representing agroclimatic conditions that are warm and humid. Amplicons targeting bacterial 16S rRNA genes and fungal ITS2 regions were sequenced. Taxonomic assignment and characterization of microbial diversity were performed using QIIME2®. Soil fungal diversity pattern showed significant difference (alpha diversity, p = 0.031 in 2020 and beta diversity, p = 0.037 …

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Citizens’ Perceptions Of Wetlands Before And During The Restoration Of A Local Wetland, Delaney Ringgold

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact of a wetland restoration project on homeowners' perceptions and knowledge of wetlands in a residential area in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The research employs a pre- and during-restoration survey methodology to assess shifts in public perception and awareness of wetland environments. As part of the restoration project, native vegetation was reintroduced, and non-native species were removed, with the goals of ecological enhancement and improving the visual appeal of the wetland area. Surveys, consisting of Likert-scale questions and open-ended responses, were administered to homeowners before and during the restoration process to capture changes in demographic factors, wetland knowledge, …

Analyzing Food Sources And Food Insecurity Of Kichwa Farming Families In The Ecuadorian Amazon, Reina Watanabe

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

While the right to food is internationally recognized and the United Nations established the sustainable development goal to end hunger and achieve food security by 2030, many households remain without consistent access to food in 2024. In Latin America, approximately 4 in 10 households were reported as food insecure in 2020 with higher rates in rural and indigenous communities. Rural areas, which have great overlap with indigenous communities in Ecuador, experience disproportionately high levels of poverty and food insecurity compared to urban areas. The most populous indigenous nationality in the Ecuadorian Amazon and the participants of this study are the …

The Tenth Circuit's Blueprint For Minimizing En Banc Rehearings, Steven M. Foster Jr., Anthony R. Guttman

Denver Law Review

The Tenth Circuit is known for two things: its collegiality and its downward trend of en banc rehearings. Recognizing this trend, two Tenth Circuit judges recently outlined in the Denver Law Review “best practices” for submitting en banc petitions. In response, some scholars propose that this practitioner’s guide is not worth the read because of the larger problem at hand. Namely, they predict that even with better petitions, the Tenth Circuit will remain unwilling to rehear cases en banc, thereby decreasing intracircuit uniformity. But this prediction overlooks key factors driving the trend. This Response accounts for one contributing factor—collegiality—causing the …