Digital Commons Network^™

Bias And The Writing Process In Adaptations And Retellings Of Mythology, Haley Sanderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is an examination of how adaptations and retellings of mythology are written and affected by readership and reception of mythology. I compare American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and how they are written as adaptations and retellings of mythology. As seen in both novels, the presence of the mythological source material in adaptations and retellings of mythology is equally influenced by authors’ perception and the influence of readership. Approaching the ideological positions of Atwood and Gaiman through the similarities and differences of The Penelopiad and American Gods provides a deeper insight on the …

Isolation, Chemical Characterization, And In-Vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation Of Novel Polar Flavonoids From Chromolaena Leivensis, Matthew Tohatsu Tetteh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on isolation, chemical characterization, and in-vitro cytotoxic evaluation of novel polar flavonoids from chromolaena leivensis. A 95% ethanolic extract of c. leivensis shipped by Prof. Ruben Torrenegra from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences, Bogota, Colombia, was dissolved in 1:1 methanol/chloroform mixture and its purity analyzed by TLC. The sample was eluted with toluene/methanol in an increasing order of polarity on silica gel, resulting in 49 fractions labelled CLA1 to CLA49. Among these fractions, CLA10 (1) and CLA19 (2) obtained yellow and white crystals. They were analyzed by GCMS, IR, and …

Interventional Study Of The Iselfie Heart Health Tool For Assessment Of Vital Signs (Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, And Oxygen Saturation) In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz S. Alhomod, Demah Abdulaziz Almowanes, Robert Scooter Plowman, Azhar Quddus, Hassan Mohamed, Mahmut Karakaya, Ahmed Elgebaly, Jamilah Alrahimi, Raed Alkutshan, Adel Tash

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To validate the diagnostic performance of the iSelfie Heart Health tool compared to standard-of-care devices, focusing on accuracy, reliability, and classification capabilities. Methods: Vital sign measurements from 579 participants were analyzed using the iSelfie tool in calibrated and non-calibrated modes. Further analyses applied the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards and criteria for cuff-based blood pressure (BP) devices. Primary endpoints included mean absolute error (MAE) and cumulative error percentages for all vital parameters. Binary and multi-class classification analyses evaluated the device’s performance to categorize hypertension grades. Results: In calibrated mode, the iSelfie tool demonstrated high …

Pet Ownership And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Middle-Aged Adults, Kristi Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pet ownership continues to be part of modern society in the United States. Researchers have explored pet ownership’s impact on chronic diseases and aging populations, but research on health-related quality of life is limited. Grounded in the socioecological model, this quantitative study analyzed data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 10,348) to investigate the impact of pet ownership on health-related quality of life among low-income adults aged 30-50 years. Chi-square tests were performed to analyze the associations between age, income, gender, and race with three health-related quality of life metrics. Results showed no statistically significant …

Research On The Impact Mechanism Of The Development Level Of Smart Agriculture On Farmers' Income, Baoping Liu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Agriculture is a fundamental and strategic industry essential to national food security and farmers’ well-being. Faced with global population growth, climate change, and resource constraints, the traditional high-input agricultural model is unsustainable. Smart agriculture, empowered by IoT, big data, and AI, has become critical for agricultural transformation and sustainable development. However, existing research overemphasizes technical efficiency and neglects how smart agriculture systematically affects farmers’ income, especially its transmission mechanism and regional heterogeneity.

Against China’s rural revitalization and digital village strategy, this study investigates how smart agriculture development influences farmers’ income, using a hybrid framework of macro empirics and micro analysis. …

Investigating The Role Of Motivation On The Effectiveness Of Computerized Cognitive Training Among At-Risk Youth, Emely N. Lugo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Student motivation plays a central role in academic success, influencing persistence, engagement, and performance across grade levels. Within situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), motivation is shaped by students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed (expectancy), the importance or usefulness they assign to a task (value), the perceived effort or trade-offs involved (cost), and the situational context in which learning occurs. Although the link between motivation and academic performance is well known, there is limited research on how motivational factors, like those proposed by SEVT, influence the extent of cognitive gains from school-based cognitive interventions designed to improve abilities related to academic …

Neutrosophic Modeling And Redesign Effects Analysis Of Abandoned Buildings In The Context Of Urban Renewal: A Spatial Probabilistic Framework For Urban Hazard Risk, Zhiyong Tian

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

"Partly Cloudy", Jesse Curran

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Pan-Cancer Single Cell Transcriptomic Clustering Reveals Heterogeneous Cd8+ Exhausted T Cell Populations With Different Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Responses, Rui Mu, Rasha Barakat, David H Gutmann

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In most cancers, T lymphocytes comprise an essential cellular component of the non-neoplastic microenvironment, where they have the capacity to both suppress and support tumor growth. One specialized T lymphocyte population is the CD8

Lymphoid Gene Expression Supports Neuroprotective Microglia Function, Pinar Ayata, Maud Gratuze, Jason D Ulrich, David M Holtzman, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, play a defining role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD)

Age-Dependent Zap70 Expression In Thymocytes Regulates Selection Of The Neonatal Regulatory T Cell Repertoire, Brian D Stadinski, Robert A Campbell, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The Foxp3⁺ regulatory T (T

Semi-Annual And Annual Mass Drug Administration Of Diethylcarbamazine And Albendazole Are Equally Effective Regimens For Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis In Papua New Guinea, Michael C. Payne, Nelly Sanuku, Brooke E. Mancuso, Yao-Chieh Cheng, Gary J. Weil, Peter U. Fischer, Moses Laman, Leanne J. Robinson, Daniel J. Tisch, Christopher L King

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Annual mass drug administration (MDA) is currently recommended for the local elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Modeling studies of LF transmission suggest that conducting MDA twice a year could accelerate LF elimination. To test this idea, we compared the effects of 3 rounds of yearly MDA and 5 rounds of semiannual MDA using diethylcarbamazine with albendazole on LF infection measures in Papua New Guinea (PNG) across 2 treatment areas with high LF prevalence. From 2013 to 2018, we conducted 4 annual community surveys at 4 sentinel sites in each treatment area. We sampled 2,854 people at the start and 2,746, …

Instance-Level Video Depth In Groups Beyond Occlusions, Yuan Liang, Yang Zhou, Ziming Sun, Tianyi Xiang, Guiqing Li, Shengfeng He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Depth estimation in dynamic, multi-object scenes remains a major challenge, especially under severe occlusions. Existing monocular models, including foundation models, struggle with instance-wise depth consistency due to their reliance on global regression. We tackle this problem from two key aspects: data and methodology. First, we introduce the Group Instance Depth (GID) dataset, the first large-scale video depth dataset with instance-level annotations, featuring 101,500 frames from real-world activity scenes. GID bridges the gap between synthetic and real-world depth data by providing high-fidelity depth supervision for multi-object interactions. Second, we propose InstanceDepth, the first occlusion-aware depth estimation framework for multi-object environments. Our …

Life History And Distribution Of Two Species Of Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus And Rhinoptera Brasiliensis, In Mississippi Coastal Waters, Anna Millender

Master's Theses

Historically, the American Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) was considered the only rhinopterid residing in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM); however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of the Brazilian Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera brasiliensis) throughout this region. The current study investigated the life history and distribution of both species within Mississippi waters, an area that previously represented a data gap for both species. From April 2016 – July 2025, 193 R. bonasus and 94 R. brasiliensis were analyzed to describe the reproductive biology. Reproductive timing, mating, gestation length, and parturition were similar among species. Although more …

Performance Study Of A Woody Downdraft Gasifier: Numerical Investigation And Experimental Validation, Md Sanowar Hossain, Showmitro Bhowmik, Mujahidul Islam Riad, Md Golam Kibria, Barun K. Das, Sanjay Paul

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Biomass gasification is an established and widely utilized renewable energy system. The research work aims to develop and construct a downdraft gasifier to investigate gasifier performance. The gasifier’s performance and cold gas efficiency were calculated for three volumetric airflow rates: 7.16 m3/h, 5.97 m3/h, and 4.78 m3/h. The efficiency was found maximum of 69.6% for an airflow rate of 7.16 m3/h. The oxidation zone and neck region of the gasifier reactor had the maximum recorded temperatures of 845 °C and 823 °C for Swietenia macrophylla (SM) and Mangifera indica (MI), respectively. A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for a …

Postinactivity Exercise Training Improves Sarcopenia Traits In 40–60-Year-Old Women Regardless Of Fortified Milk Supplementation, Joanne Trezise, Ricardo M. Lima, Sally D. Poppitt, Aaron C. Fanning, Amanda Devine, Anthony J. Blazevich

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: The term sarcopenia was introduced to describe the age-related decline in muscle mass, but current definitions also include measures of muscle strength and function. Menopause increases sarcopenia risk and may exacerbate the adverse effects of physical inactivity. Exercise training is a potent stimulus to restore muscle health, and nutritional supplementation can further improve the outcomes. The purposes of this study were to examine the changes in a set of sarcopenia-related phenotypes induced by a 14-day step-reduction period followed by a 12-week exercise training programme, with or without fortified milk supplementation in healthy 40–60-year-old females, and to determine whether menopausal …

Triggering Sarcomerogenesis: Examining Key Stimuli And The Role Attributed To Eccentric Training—Historical, Systematic, And Meta-Analytic Review, Anthony J. Blazevich, Walter Herzog, João Pedro Nunes

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Serial sarcomere number (SSN) critically influences muscle function and is hypothesized to protect against injury. While most evidence for SSN addition comes from non-human animal studies, eccentric exercise is often proposed as a key stimulus due to its association with increased fascicle length in humans. However, the most efficient exercise stimuli and the effectiveness of eccentric training in increasing SSN remain unclear. The objective of this study was to provide a detailed historical overview of research exploring the mechanical factors regulating muscle/fiber length and its relationship with function, and to explore more recent evidence that eccentric muscle contractions might …

Acute Dislocations Of The Sternoclavicular Joint: Treatment And Outcomes, Elsa B. Rodriguez-Baron, Fidel Moreno-Diaz, Daniel E. Pereira, Kathy Mcgurk, Langdon Hartsock, Lucy Bowers, Paul Matuszewski, Kevin Murr, John Sharpe, Michael Tucker, Nathan Redlich, Peter Krause, Clay Spitler, Bradley Foulke, Grant Quilling, Abbey Debruin, Richard Behlmer, Paul Whiting, Stephanie Tanner, Kyle Jeray, Joseph Brock Walker, Sarah Obudzinski, Julie Titter, Andrew Chen, Aseel Dib, Christine Churchill, Benjamin Averkamp, Joseph Hsu, Kimberly Tann, Et Al

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Identify treatment and describe outcomes and complications of acute anterior and posterior sternoclavicular joint dislocation. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Twelve level-one trauma centers. PATIENT/PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-five patients with acute sternoclavicular joint dislocation, most were male (67%), White (61%), 18-29 years old (57%), involved in a motorized collision (60%), with anterior (35%) or posterior (65%) sternoclavicular joint dislocation treated by operative or nonoperative technique. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes and complications of joint instability, post-traumatic arthritis, neurovascular injury, chronic pain, and cosmetic deformities after operative and nonoperative treatment of anterior and posterior acute sternoclavicular joint dislocation are reported. RESULTS: …

December 2025 News Releases, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of University Relations

University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present

No abstract provided.

Hamstring Strength And Architectural Properties Are Associated With Running Biomechanics, Nicholas Ripley, Christopher Bramah, Paul Comfort, John Mcmahon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Applied muscular strain and hamstring strain capacity have a joint interaction on hamstring strain injury (HSI) with modifiable risk factors frequently assessed. However, to date there is limited observations on the interaction between these factors. The purpose of the present study was to observe if spatiotemporal characteristics, running kinematics and muscle activation were related to modifiable risk factors of HSI. Twenty-two competitive team sport athletes (24.7 ± 4.3 years, 1.82 ± 0.07 m, 84.9 ± 8.5 kg) participated whereby the Bicep femoris long head (BFLH) fascicle length assessed via ultrasound and isokinetic eccentric hamstring strength was assessed. With running assessment …

The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Exercise On Lipocalin-2 In Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Randomized Control Trial, Carlie Bauer, Marc Sim, Cassandra Smith, Rhiannon Healy, Andrew Garnham, Navabeh Zare-Kookandeh, Elizabeth Byrnes, Mary N. Woessner, Joshua R. Lewis, Itamar Levinger

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective Chronically elevated circulating lipocalin-2 (LCN2) levels are implicated in poor energy regulation, increased cardio-metabolic disease risk, and poor physical function. Exercise is known to improve these factors, but whether LCN2 is modifiable by exercise is not clear. We examined the effect of acute and chronic exercise on LCN2 levels and whether this relates to glucose regulation, body composition, and physical function. Design and methods Thirty-three middle-aged and older adults (45–84 years, median body mass index 26.21 kg/m²) completed an acute high-intensity interval exercise session (HIIE). Participants were randomized to 4 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or …

Effects Of Exercise Or Diet Or Combined Interventions On Treatment Efficacy Of Chemotherapy For Cancer: A Systematic Review, Cristina Crespo-Garcia, Francesco Bettariga, Dennis R. Taaffe, Carolyn J. Peddle-Mcintyre, John P. Campbell, Emily Jeffery, Anna Maria Markarian, Anita Borsati, Alice Avancini, Sara Pilotto, Daniel A. Galvao, Robert U. Newton

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose of Review: While exercise and dietary interventions in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy have been demonstrated to be safe and feasible and improve patient-reported outcomes, the effects on treatment efficacy have not been widely examined and remain unclear. This review aimed to examine the effects of exercise, dietary, and combined interventions on tumour response and time-to-event outcomes in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Recent Findings: A systematic review of intervention studies was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines Databases searched were PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the RoB2 …

An Evaluation Of Noncontingent Reinforcement And Additional Treatment Components In The Treatment Of Stereotypic Behavior, Stephanie Nicole Brand

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism often engage in stereotypic behavior that competes with learning and social skills. Behavior analytic treatment may be implemented to reduce stereotypy. Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is one treatment that is often effective to reduce stereotypy. However, literature suggests that the use of NCR is contraindicated in some circumstances, as it may compete with the acquisition of new skills or may increase subsequent persistence of stereotypy. This research was designed to expand our knowledge of potential limitations of NCR when combined with other treatments. Study one examined persistence of stereotypy following treatment with NCR with and without response blocking. …

Benthic Infaunal Responses To Shoreline Restoration, Jessica Lauren Cline

Theses and Dissertations

In the age of increasing urban coastal sprawl, natural shorelines are being replaced by hard armoring structures, which result in the loss of valuable ecosystem services. Hybrid living shorelines, areas that include limited and less intensive armoring strategies paired with the integration of plants and other natural materials, present an opportunity to marry the need for more aggressive stabilization with the continued preservation of ecosystem functions and biological communities. This project uses benthic infauna to evaluate the success of a living shoreline installation in Palm Bay, Florida. The deployment features experimental treatments of breakwaters and red mangroves to explore how …

Comparative Assessment Of Lower Limb Neuromusculoskeletal Activation And Joint Kinematics In Normal And Impaired Gait, Jack Ryan Schule

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates whether accessible and affordable technologies can provide clinically significant, quantifiable gait analysis comparable to traditional marker-based motion capture systems. Modern high-end systems offer excellent accuracy but remain financially and logistically inaccessible to many clinicians and researchers. To address this gap, a framework was developed using markerless pose estimation using the model, MediaPipe, inertial measurement units (IMUs) processed through an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), and surface electromyography (sEMG) to measure joint kinematics and neuromuscular activity during gait. An experiment was performed where data was collected from participants with both normal gait and pathologies including: Osgood–Schlatter disease, Plica Band …

Conflict Management: Values-Based Training Effects On Shifts In Strategy Preference Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Candace Renae Fay

Theses and Dissertations

Problem-solving refers to a behavior evoked by a problem in which the behaver manipulates, supplements, and consequently, generates discriminative stimuli (SD) that they subsequently respond to (Donahoe & Palmer, 2004; Skinner, 1957, 1968). The use of problem-solving when faced with interpersonal conflict reflects pro-social behavior patterns, while providing a learning opportunity for identifying relevant variables and contingencies, and possible reductions of extended conflict or escalation in anti-social behavior patterns. Patterns of preference can be identified following multiple opportunities, given an array of options, resulting in consistency of choice responses (Martin, 2006). When less prosocial (avoiding, yielding), or antisocial (forcing) conflict …

The Role Of C-X-C Chemokine Receptor Type 5 (Cxcr5) On Sex-Dependent Neurobehavioral Changes In The Sub Clinically Sensitized Individuals With Repeated Allergen Exposure, Dilini Vimarshani Ekanayake Ekanayake Mudiyanselage

Theses and Dissertations

Food allergen consumption has been suspected to influence mood and behavior in individuals who are sensitized but tolerant to the food. Using a mouse model of subclinical cow’s milk allergy (CMA), we previously showed that C57BL/6J mice sensitized to β-lactoglobulin (BLG, Bos d 5) exhibited elevated BLG-specific IgE levels even without observable allergic reactions, suggest developing immune responses towards the allergen. We also observed elevated cytokine and chemokine levels, astrogliosis and cortical demyelination along with behavioral changes such as anxiety-like and depression-like behavior after consuming a whey-containing diet for two weeks. Furthermore, we demonstrated the possible immune cell infiltration and …

An Investigation Of The Characteristics And Uses Of School Farms In California Ffa’S Superior Region, Emily R. Fuller, Jessica M. Toombs

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This study investigates the characteristics and uses of school farms within Northern California, focusing on their role in school-based agricultural education (SBAE). The research aims to determine the structural and operational attributes of these facilities and to identify their primary uses as experiential learning tools. Utilizing a descriptive survey design, data were collected from 74 agricultural educators. Findings reveal that school farms, averaging 21.27 acres, are predominantly managed by agriculture teachers and are primarily used for housing market animals, supporting Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) projects. The study highlights the need for diversified school farm facilities to enhance experiential learning across …

Extraction Of Cellulose From Paper Towels For Sustainable Bio-Based Polyurethane Adhesives, Yashkumar J. Patel

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The increasing consumption of paper towels generates significant waste, necessitating sustainable recycling solutions. This study investigates the extraction of cellulose from waste paper towels and its application in bio-based polyurethane (PU) adhesives. The extraction process includes alkali treatment, bleaching, and acid hydrolysis to obtain recycled cellulose (rCL). The extracted cellulose is then used in PU synthesis alongside castor oil polyol (COP) and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), with performance compared to industrial cellulose-based PU. The obtained rCL and synthesized PU adhesives have been characterized with FT-IR spectra for structural confirmation. In addition, the synthesized PU adhesives demonstrated improved mechanical and thermal …

Naam, Amna Haider

Graduate Thesis Collection

This thesis is a collection of short stories that blends realism, speculative fiction, and South Asian folklore to examine how identity is negotiated through belief, culture, and survival across borders. The stories center characters who must continually interpret the worlds they inhabit in order to sustain self identity. Names in this collection function as sites of power and vulnerability: they are inherited, altered and concealed, shaping how characters are seen and how they see themselves. Alongside names, the supernatural and myth emerges not only as metaphors, but as lived forces, drawing from Islamic folklore and mythic traditions to articulate experiences …