Digital Commons Network^™

Braiding Culture Through Ceramics & Mixed Media Sculpture, Joy M. Okokon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Stories are embedded in each strand of Nigerian hair, serving as a bridge across generations and embodying the legacy of cultural expression. Hair-making, a skill passed down through generations in my family, began as a personal practice and has evolved into a powerful means of exploring and showcasing the cultural significance of hair braiding through creative works. The sculptures included in this thesis, Braiding Culture Through Ceramics & Mixed Media Sculpture, feature hair sculpture, afro combs, stools, adire batik made from materials such as clay, wood, glaze and cotton fabric. These materials are carefully selected for their cultural relevance and …

Cyber Warfare And The Future Of Conflict, Victor A. Mercado

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis examines whether cyber warfare now poses a more immediate threat to U.S. national security than weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Cyber operations have become a dominant instrument of contemporary conflict, with malicious actors operating in a persistent “grey zone” that blurs traditional boundaries between war and peace. These operations target military and civilian entities, both directly and often as collateral damage due to the uncontrollable nature of cyber threats. WMDs, despite their catastrophic destructive potential, remain largely constrained by established deterrence frameworks.

The evolving nature of cyber warfare warrants comparison to WMD effects and impact, as cyber capabilities …

Critical Mineral Exploration In The Superior Province Of Northwestern Minnesota - A Geophysical Data Analysis, Michell L. Waterman

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Archean basement geology of northwest Minnesota, a region covered by glacial deposits and historically underexplored for minerals, was analyzed using gravity, magnetic, radiometric, and geochemical data. These datasets were integrated to aid in identifying subsurface structures and evaluating the area's potential for economic mineralization within the Wabigoon, Quetico, and Wawa Subprovinces of the Superior Province. Gravity and magnetic datasets, analyzed through upward continuation, derivative maps, and two-dimensional modeling, revealed distinct northeast-to-southwest-trending maxima corresponding to fault-bounded, high-density, and magnetically susceptible bodies. These features were interpreted as mafic to ultramafic intrusions and dikes, several of which align with known Proterozoic fault …

Effects Of Liraglutide On The Gut Bacterial Community, Jami Anne Bull

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Overweight and obesity are major health concerns associated with metabolic disorders and gut dysbiosis. Treatment options such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, like liraglutide, promote weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity; however, their impact on the gut bacterial community remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of liraglutide on the gut bacterial community of diet-induced obese (DIO) mice using Illumina DNA sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. My study used twelve-week-old male C57BL/6J DIO mice. They were placed on a high-fat diet and treated with liraglutide (0.2 mg/kg) via daily subcutaneous injection for 14 Days. High-fat and low-fat diets control …

Responses Of Native And Invasive Aquatic Vegetation To Changes In Water Depth In An Ozark Spring-Fed Pond, Daphne Miles

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Spring-fed aquatic ecosystems in the Ozark Highlands are characterized by stable water depths, clear water, and diverse aquatic vegetation (filamentous algae, submerged, floating, and emergent plants). Sudden changes in water depth can impact aquatic vegetation dynamics but the impacts of prolonged changes are poorly understood. I investigated seasonal and annual changes to aquatic vegetation abundance in a spring impoundment during and after a two-year period of low water depth that was caused by a broken outlet below an artificial dam. Water depth was significantly lower in 2020 and 2021 (low water years), compared to 2022 and 2023 (high water years). …

The Role Of Host Factor Sptbn1 In Hiv-1 Capsid Uncoating In Human Microglial Cells, Callie Marie Fry

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

HIV-1 is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and currently, there is no cure once an individual is infected. The development of new drugs targeting HIV-1 replication steps is essential for keeping viral loads low or undetectable to prevent further transmission. An attractive replication step for new drug targets is viral capsid uncoating, where the virus loses the protein structure encapsulating the genome. The exact mechanism of capsid uncoating is unknown; however, several host-factors may be involved including protein SPTBN1. Recent studies have shown a significant decrease in viral infectivity when SPTBN1 is knocked down, yet its role …

Inoculating Soybean Plants At Different Growth Stages: Selecting Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Or Both, Matthew R. Knoll

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Soybean plants rely on nitrogen for growth, however atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is not a usable form and needs to be converted into different forms that are available to the plant. Nitrogen fixing bacteria such as rhizobia form symbiotic relationships with Soybeans in exchange for shelter and excess plant sugars. As a result, the plant can get the nitrogen it needs. There are four main genera of rhizobia that can form root nodules on Soybean including Bradyrhizobium, Sinorhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and Rhizobium. At this point, the effect that age of the host plant has on the selection of …

Learned Helplessness: An Online Replication And Validation, Arshpreet (Sunny) Kandola

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The current study entails the partial replication of a classic learned helplessness two-phase triadic design experiment within an online learning context and aimed to validate a new attributional style self-report measure designed to identify individual differences in tendencies to develop learned helplessness consistent with the original reformulation of the hypothesis. Further, recent innovations in neuroscientific technology have allowed for a deeper examination of the mechanisms at play, finding support for a major re-interpretation of the theory of learned helplessness - suggesting that helplessness is more so the default passive response, while the active ingredient that is detected or expected (i.e., …

Building Rhythmic Independence In Beginning Band Students, Caroline Williams

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to design and implement a unit of instruction based upon three common approaches to teaching rhythm in the beginning band setting and to examine their effect on the rhythmic understanding, confidence, and independence of students in my sixth grade beginning band class. Students received instruction that was traditionally-based, aurally-based, and movement-based for one week each, respectively. An analysis of my teaching was provided by the notes I took that detailed what my students and I did throughout the study. Through my instruction, my students were able to increase their interactions with rhythm. Students were …

Restoration Of Giant River Cane (Arundinaria Gigantea) In Southwest Missouri, Lyndsey D. Rightnowar

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Giant river cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a native bamboo species, once dominated riparian landscapes across the southeastern United States but has declined to approximately 2% of its historic range. This study evaluated restoration techniques for giant cane in southwest Missouri by examining the influence of rhizome source (putative genotype), planting type, and restoration site on restoration success. I compared two planting types: greenhouse-to-field (G2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were first propagated in the greenhouse before planting, and field-to-field (F2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were directly transplanted from source canebrakes to restoration sites. Rhizomes were collected from four existing canebrakes in Taney …

Dystopian Politics In The Hunger Games Series, Tristan Hogan

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series takes readers to a fictional country known as Panem that hosts an annual nationwide celebration in which adolescents compete in a battle to the death. In this analysis, I approach this book series with a Marxist lens to argue that the capitalistic system in Panem satirizes American culture in the early 21st century. Every novel in the series, through this theory, can be read as what scholars identify as a “critical dystopia,” a defamiliarized version of our culture, upheld through institutions and social participation in a way that satirizes ours. I argue that the …

Modeling The Impact Of Climate Change On Plant Hardiness Zones Across The Contiguous United States Using Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction, Daniel Donkor

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Mapping plant hardiness zones is crucial to understanding and predicting the spatial distribution of plants in response to climatic conditions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the plant hardiness zones based on the average of annual extreme minimum temperatures using the Parameter elevation Regression on Independent Slope Model (PRISM). While the USDA’s 2012 and 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone maps remain standard references, they offer limited geostatistical transparency that causes more complications in replicating. This study applies Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction (EBKRP) method to generate Plant Hardiness Zone maps, analyze spatial and temporal shifts in the plant hardiness …

Cgrp Modulation Of Intracellular Calcium Levels In Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons And Glia, Nicole M. Nalley

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Elevated levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are implicated in migraine and TMD pathology, but its effects on the excitability state of Aδ and C-fiber neurons and glia have not been investigated. The goal of this study was to determine changes mediated by CGRP on intracellular calcium levels in trigeminal ganglion neurons and glia in response to depolarizing stimulation. Intracellular calcium levels were determined in Aδ and C-fiber neurons of primary trigeminal ganglion cultures obtained from neonatal Sprague Dawley rats using Fura-2 and fluorescent microscopy. Cells were left untreated or preincubated for 2 hours with CGRP, then incubated with the …

The Influence Of Flower-Microbe Interactions On Bumble Bee Behavior And Gut Microbiome Composition, Success Chiamaka Ekemezie

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis examines how microbial interactions in floral nectar and environmental variation influence bumble bee (Bombus spp.) foraging behavior and gut microbiome composition. Pollen germination experiments and behavioral assays in the lab tested whether Metschnikowia reukaufii (yeast) and Acinetobacter nectaris (bacteria) induce pollen germination and bursting in nectar and affect bee behavior subsequently. Both microbes reduced intact pollen, but bees did not alter flower preference. Furthermore, the study also assessed how floral and bee community composition shaped gut microbiome composition across six Missouri prairies. Using amplicon-sequenced fungal ITS and bacterial 16S rRNA genes, I found that fungal microbiome composition varied …

Victim-Offender Relationships And Their Influence On Crime Brutality And Sentencing Outcomes In Capital Homicide Cases, Samantha Jane Trowbridge

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study examines capital murder cases in Missouri from 1976 to 2022 to explore how victim-offender relationships relate to both the brutality of homicides and sentencing outcomes. It addresses three main questions: What are the different types of victim-offender relationships in these cases, and how frequently does each type occur? How do these relationships influence sentencing outcomes, particularly the likelihood of receiving the death penalty versus life without parole? And which types of relationships are associated with the highest and lowest levels of brutality? The study uses official court records and applies a coding process to analyze relationship type, sentencing …

Constructing Hamiltonians Using A Wannier Basis Set To Study Localized Electronic Interactions Using A Variational Quantum Eigensolver, Matthew D. Bruenning

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this study, I demonstrate how Wannier basis sets can be used to construct a tight binding Hamiltonian that is localized in real space. This Hamiltonian can then be studied using the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE), which is able to extract the minimized energy of the system. Unlike Bloch functions, Wannier functions are localized in real space, allowing each Hamiltonian element to represent orbital overlaps between neighboring atomic orbitals. This locality enables a substantial reduction in the Hamiltonian’s size by including only the orbital projections that contribute meaningfully to localized interaction energies, such as those involved in adsorption. As a …

The Mythic Seeds Of Human Rights, Joshua Mackenzie Luna

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this thesis, I propose a causal relationship between ancient societies’ mythic corpuses and their law codes. I begin by presenting the histories and historiographies of ancient Israel and Mesopotamia to highlight important themes in their development. Then, I place their creation and flood myths side-by-side for comparison, yielding key differences in the way each group conceptualizes human form, value, and purpose. Once these key differences have been established, I compare each group’s set of slave laws to demonstrate how each law code remains philosophically consistent with its respective set of myths and diametrically opposed to the set from the …

Generational Exposures To Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Affect The Performance Of Daughter Plants, Preston Clubb

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The effects of parental stress on the performance of next generation exposed to another contaminant were investigated. Wheat was exposed to cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) in first and second generations and exposed to perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in the third generation. Phenotypic or metabolic responses were assessed at 21-day (short-term exposure) or 90-day (long-term exposure) exposure periods. Biomass production, chlorophyll content, enzyme activity, and membrane damage were measured at short-term exposure, while elemental and PFOS concentrations, and grain metabolites were analyzed in long-term exposure. Results showed that continued exposures to CeO2-NPs and PFOS enhanced chlorophyll content but reduced concentrations of important …

Civilian Manufacturing And National Defense: Strategic Planning For Globalization's Challenges, Izeck Kohler

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis examines the interconnection between civilian manufacturing and national defense within the context of globalization. The study aims to identify the challenges faced by the United States in maintaining its manufacturing capabilities and to propose strategic solutions to address these challenges. Through a comprehensive analysis of historical data, case studies, and policy recommendations, the research highlights the critical role of specialized and process manufacturing sectors towards national defense. The findings suggest that the creation of a federal executive department, strategic investment, diversification, policy re-evaluation, and collaborating with allies are essential for sustaining national defense capabilities. The study concludes with …

A Novel Deterrence Strategy: Denial Through Space And Cyberspace, Nathan A. Heard

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The United States faces numerous security threats now and in the coming decades. Authoritarian and revisionist powers such as China and Russia, along with regional proxies, are destabilizing the international order. The ability of the United States to adequately address these present and future threats is constrained by conventional and nuclear forces in need of recapitalization, a rising national deficit, disagreements over the direction of U.S. foreign policy, and a defense industrial enterprise that has its roots in the Cold War. In a multi-peer threat environment, this situation erodes U.S. credibility and is an invitation for aggression. Coercion, coordinated multi-theater …

Preventing Chemical And Biological Attacks: Enhanced Threats Requiring Enhanced Solutions, Alex Elliot Ottoni-Belval

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Chemical weapons (CW) and biological weapons (BW) are becoming more dangerous for experts to employ and more accessible to amateurs. Despite CW and BW attacks throughout history that killed and maimed millions of people, the international community has failed to establish meaningful consequences to prevent them. Agreements such as the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention vow to eliminate and reduce the effects of CWs and BWs but lack respected response precedents and capabilities. The limited and inconsistent enforcement has inadvertently allowed CWs and BWs to become plausible weapons, especially to gain asymmetric advantages, while modern developments exasperate …

Empowering U.S. Allies In The Indo-Pacific: An "America First" Approach To Great Power Competition, Nathaniel Benjamin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Indo-Pacific is the primary area for Great Power Competition between the United States and China. China’s rapid but cautious rise has allowed it to achieve a position that threatens to upset the norms and rules of the U.S.-led system in the region. The second Trump Administration has pursued an “America First” policy since taking office in January 2025, but pushing U.S. allies to take on more responsibility for their own defense will not be enough. U.S. allies are major regional players and should be trusted to uphold the principles of the current international system; therefore the U.S. must limit …

Advancing Natural Resource Management Through Artificial Intelligence, Jonathan Fisk

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Natural aquatic systems are characterized by complex ecological processes and interactions occurring across multiple scales, and quantifying them is essential for proper management. However, managers often face decreasing budgets, increasing responsibilities, and limited staffing, resulting in challenges related to data prioritization, digitization, and management. While modern analytical technologies offer powerful tools, their effectiveness relies heavily on timely and accurate data input from diverse sources, including written, audio, and visual formats. Traditional data management practices are time-consuming, particularly due to the need for manual data verification. To address these challenges, innovative technologies leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)—including deep learning, machine learning, and …

Sparse Transformer For Anomaly Detection In Mobile Crowdsensing, Sanjeev Shrestha

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Mobile Crowdsensing (MCS) is a sensing paradigm that leverages mobile devices to conduct a large-scale data collection. However, due to its openness and mobility nature, it is highly vulnerable to security issues such as injection attacks of malicious workers and fake tasks that can severely affect the platform’s normal functioning. To address this problem, the arrival of workers and task submission process is represented as a multivariate time series, and a two-stage framework is proposed. In the first step, we propose a novel transformer-based model, DozerAnomaly, that can efficiently detect anomalies in multivariate time series. We integrated a sparse attention …

Giant Cane (Arundinaria Gigantea) And The Swainson’S Warbler (Limnothlypis Swainsonii): Implementing Innovative Monitoring Techniques For Species Of Conservation Concern, Gabriela Carroll

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In the U.S., following colonization and agricultural expansion, giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) has been reduced to approximately 2% of its original extent, potentially causing shifts in the abundance and distribution of over 70 associated animal species. Among those species is the Swainson’s Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii), which has been known to occupy canebrakes during the breeding season. Though there is little known about the historical range of the Swainson’s Warbler and its current population status, some have hypothesized that its population may have declined due to the reduction of its suitable breeding habitat. As this species is …

Efficient Task Scheduling In Cloud Infrastructures Using Dynamic Score-Based Allocation And Deep Q-Learning, Shadman Sakib

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Cloud computing has grown rapidly in recent years, mainly due to the sharp increase in data transferred over the internet. This growth makes task scheduling a key and challenging part of cloud systems, as it helps distribute user requests across servers to minimize response time, prevent overloading, and ensure smooth user experience. This thesis proposes two novel approaches for dynamic task scheduling in cloud environments. First, a novel Score-Based Dynamic Load Balancing (SBDLB) strategy is developed, which leverages system parameters to allocate tasks efficiently across virtual machines (VMs) in data centers. SBDLB ensures balanced workload distribution by continuously evaluating VM …

Best Management Practices: Sambucus Canadensis Propagation Techniques, Hannah Berendzen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

American elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) is a fruit-bearing shrub native to North America, traditionally utilized for medicinal and culinary purposes. In recent years, its popularity has surged due to emerging research supporting its immune-boosting properties. Despite its growing demand, standardized best management practices for elderberry cultivation, particularly propagation techniques, remain lacking. This study aims to clarify propagation recommendations by examining the influence cutting size and stem diameter on rooting success. A field study was conducted from February to May 2024, in which one-node and two-node dormant hardwood elderberry cuttings of varying stem diameters were planted in small …

Investigating Social Attenuation Of The Stress Response In Juvenile Northern Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon Piscivorus), Alyssa Owens

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

When social organisms encounter a stress-inducing event, the presence of a conspecific can dampen the physiological and/or behavioral response elicited by the stressor. This concept, termed ‘social buffering’, has been well documented in mammals, but there are few studies investigating this phenomenon in organisms traditionally perceived as asocial, including reptiles. However, the paradigm is shifting, and social behavior is now more widely recognized in reptiles, including snakes. In this study I tested whether juvenile Northern Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorous) experience social buffering by measuring changes in heart rate in snakes following an acute stressor with and without the presence …

A Witch's Tale: Shadow Of Her Past, Parker Finley

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The following thesis includes a critical introduction and an excerpt from the authors own novel. The introduction analyzes and explored the correlation between characterization and world building in fantasy or supernatural fiction, arguing that character driven narratives are essential for writing stories that balance the fantastical with the real human experience to engage readers at an emotional level. The author accomplishes this by utlizing theorists such as E M Forster, Lubomir Dolezel, Milan Kundera, James Wood, David Corebett, and Stephen King to examine how elaborate settings should not overshadow character complexity. Through understanding their theories, the authors own writing process, …

Values In Academe: Examining Productivity For Faculty Of Color, Emi Kamei, Young K. Kim, David Edens

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Using a quantitative research design, this study examined two productivity-related outcomes, scholarly productivity and community-minded engagement practices, and how these vary for faculty of color in U.S. higher education institutions among different racial/ethnic subgroups. This study utilized data collected from the 2016-2017 Faculty Survey administered by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a sample of 26,410 faculty members nationwide. The findings suggest that scholarly productivity tends to increase when faculty have spent time writing research grants or have protected time available for research scholarship, and tends to decrease when higher teaching loads are …