Digital Commons Network^™

Behavioral Biomarkers Of Vulnerability In The Aba Model, Nora Ozer

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder with the highest mortality rate among mental health conditions, yet effective biological treatments remain limited. The activity-based anorexia (ABA) paradigm, which combines food restriction with wheel access to model the hyperactivity and self-starvation cycle characteristic of AN, shows considerable individual variability in vulnerability. Understanding what predisposes certain individuals to develop the full ABA phenotype while others remain resilient could inform early intervention strategies for human AN. This study employed continuous behavioral monitoring technology to identify early predictors of vulnerability to activity-based anorexia in mice, with the goal of discovering behavioral biomarkers that …

Interspecies Responsivity In Early Modern Drama And Animal Performances, Taylor C. Culbert

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation proposes an expansive, interspecies definition of performance that uses behavior rather than cognition as the decisive feature and illustrates how such a definition can reshape our approach to theatre and performance history. Using the concept of responsivity, which refers to the embodied and affective ways that humans and non-human animals acknowledge and react to one another, I trace human–animal interactions across a variety of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century performance genres, from the aristocratic stag hunt and entertainments involving trained animals to the plays of Molière and Shakespeare. Drawing on my experience training animals, I offer a new perspective on …

The Crisis Of Safety, Well-Being, And Belonging Facing Lgbtq Children: Mad/Crip Of Color Critique Towards A Curriculum Of Radical Care, Jameson Goetz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this thesis, I turn toward the study of educational experience, defined broadly to include lived experiences both within and outside of formal schooling institutions. I approach curriculum as an ongoing project of self-understanding in which one becomes mobilized for engaged pedagogical action alongside others in the pursuit social justice. I am guided by the following question, foundational to the field of curriculum studies: for those of us who work alongside LGBTQ children, what knowledge is of most worth? Critically reflecting on ways of working alongside LGBTQ children in the pursuit of social justice, I formulate a mad/crip of color …

Investigation Of Motor Neuronal And Circuit Level Mechanistic Determinants Of Spinal Excitability Following Cst Injury, Thelma Bethea

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The corticospinal tract (CST) is the primary descending motor pathway in mammals, essential for precise, dexterous movements, especially in humans and nonhuman primates. Damage to the CST, such as from spinal cord injury (SCI), impairs skilled motor function and triggers maladaptive changes including aberrant proprioceptive afferent sprouting and increased spinal excitability. These changes are closely linked to both muscle weakness and the development of hyperreflexia, compounding the functional deficits. Animal models of SCI are valuable for investigating mechanisms of injury and recovery, though traditional models often limit the ability to isolate circuit-specific contributions. To address this, I employed selective unilateral …

The Evolution And Reproduction Of Andean Miconia (Melastomataceae), Juan Angulo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Understanding the factors that shape diversification and distribution in tropical plant lineages is central to explaining the origins of Neotropical biodiversity. Assessing evolutionary history with trait evolution and climatic niche dynamics provides key insights into the drivers of diversification and biogeography, while natural history data remains critical for these evolutionary studies. The Tropical Andes, with its exceptional biodiversity and environmental heterogeneity, offers an ideal setting to explore these processes. In this dissertation, I investigate how reproductive systems, climatic niche dynamics, and pollination strategies influence the evolution and biogeography of Miconia III, a large and ecologically diverse clade in the …

Low-Resource Ecoacoustic Audio Classification, Enis Berk Coban

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ecoacoustic monitoring via machine learning enables scalable analysis but is often constrained by labeled data scarcity, particularly in remote regions like the Arctic. This thesis confronts low-resource ecoacoustic audio classification by developing and evaluating complementary machine learning methodologies. We introduce EDANSA, the first publicly available, expert- labeled Arctic dataset of its kind, curated via novel active learning, alongside a baseline CNN. We systematically evaluate transfer learning, showing general audio embeddings effectively bootstrap classifiers for challenging Arctic sounds, significantly outperforming direct label mapping. Optimizing label utility, we investigate standard data augmentation and introduce novel audio data valuation via Shapley values, revealing …

Determining Risk Factors And Rate Of Surgery After Collagenase Injections For Dupuytren Contracture, Ryan C. Cha, Juliet S. Chung, Sina Ramtin, Asif M. Ilyas

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty Papers

Purpose: Collagenase injections are a nonsurgical treatment for Dupuytren contracture, but their long-term effectiveness in preventing surgery remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the rate of surgical intervention following collagenase treatment and identify whether specific risk factors increase the likelihood of future surgical correction. Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized the TriNetX US Collaborative network to identify patients diagnosed with Dupuytren contracture between January 2007 and September 2024. Patients initially treated with collagenase injections were identified using relevant current procedural terminology codes. Procedure-specific current procedural terminology codes were then used to determine which patients underwent a subsequent fasciectomy or …

Retinal Precursor Cell Enriched Multiomic And Pseudo-Time Analysis Of Developing And Reprogrammed Photoreceptors, Brendon M. Patierno

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The vertebrate retina is a complex tissue made up of seven major cell subtypes which during development must differentiate and localize into a highly organized structure. These neuronal cells do not regenerate if damaged or diseased, and the progressive deterioration of cone photoreceptor cells is the leading cause of age related blindness. Currently there are no cures for this disease, but one promising therapeutic avenue is cell transplantation research. If we can further elucidate the gene regulatory networks that define cone cell development, this knowledge could be applied to the generation of healthy cone cells in clinically relevant models.

The …

Exploring The Role Of Ecological Traits In Shaping Spatial Patterns Of Genetic Diversity, Rilquer Mascarenhas Da Silva

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The field of comparative phylogeography aims at uncovering common underlying causes for shared patterns of diversity and diversification at the population level. However, it is now widely accepted that intraspecific genetic diversity patterns can differ considerably across co-occurring taxa due to ecological processes acting at the population level (and influencing individual movement and abundance). To model the processes underlying lineage diversification and demographic shifts in response to environmental changes, phylogeographers and population geneticists are now faced with the challenge of incorporating measurements of species ecological traits into their molecular studies. This dissertation aimed at investigating how different types of ecological …

Repurposing Atractylenolide Iii, A Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound, For Alzheimer’S Disease, Angela M. Steele

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a debilitating neurological condition ranked as the fifth leading cause of death in adults over the age of 65. Despite the severity, 98% of drugs have failed as treatments for AD. Current novel drug development approaches have been unable to produce a disease-modifying treatment as they often have a one-target approach, not accounting for the complex nature of the disease. One of the hallmarks of the disease, inflammation, may provide a better target for treatment because it interacts with multiple facets of the disease. Drug repurposing to identify compounds that mitigate inflammation in AD could provide …

Reduce, Replace, Reframe: How Civil Society Organizations Build Resilience In The Face Of Financial And Political Pressures, Merrill Sovner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In order for civil society organizations (CSOs) to perform essential functions to support democracy and prevent democratic erosion, they must operate sustainably, maintaining resources and legitimacy to carry out their missions. CSOs experience financial and political pressures when resources and legitimacy are withdrawn. CSOs facing both pressures may reduce their activities, replace lost funding, or reframe their work to engage new audiences. How CSOs respond in the face of financial and political pressures has implications for their role in hindering democratic erosion. Yet civil society organizations weather these pressures in ways that are not straightforward; the most targeted organizations may …

Scripted For Surveillance: Parole Revocation Hearings And The Performance Of Procedure In New York, Kelsey G. Greeff

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines parole revocation hearings in New York as complex performances that extend carceral control beyond prison walls. Drawing on a composite vignette from the Bronx parole court, it analyzes the interplay between procedural reform, constitutional due process, and neoliberal governance. Using a dramaturgical framework informed by Michel Foucault’s discourse analysis and Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, the study identifies four interrelated processes: the judge as director, who orchestrates hearings according to institutional priorities; normalization, where repetition embeds structural inequality as routine; type-marking, the classification of parolees into predefined roles through accumulated records and cues; and the extension of …

Dietary Modulation Of Obesity-Specific Gut Microbial Signatures And Their Functional Roles, Anjula Swathi Sagam

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Obesity remains a major global health concern, contributing significantly to chronic diseases. While diet is a well-known driver of obesity, emerging evidence suggests the key role of gut microbiota in mediating diet-related metabolic outcomes. Numerous epidemiological and microbiome studies suggested diet-microbiome-obesity associations. However, consistent microbial markers and mechanistic insights remain limited. To address this gap, this study aimed to identify consistent microbial species associated with obesity and investigate how diet influences their growth and function. A review of over 200 publicly available 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomic studies revealed consistent microbial patterns in obesity, including members of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. …

Comparison Of Plant Characteristics Across Multiple Varieties Of Winter Canola In Tennessee, Sudip Bk

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Canola (Brassica napus L.), a significant oil seed crop, has numerous advantages, including a high seed oil concentration, use as a feedstock for biofuel, pollinator habitat, an excellent cover crop, and importance as a rotational crop with winter wheat. Various high yielding varieties are being released to meet the increasing demand and must be evaluated to determine which ones perform best in a specific ecoregion. Consequently, a study was conducted at the Tennessee State University Agricultural Education and Research Center in Ashland City, Tennessee in the year 2022–2023 (Year I) and 2023–2024 (Year II) using a randomized complete block design …

Genetic Profiling Of Tennessee Johnsongrass And Pigweed Accessions Per Weedicide Resistance And Agronomic Traits, Gouse Mohiddin Shaik

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Herbicide-resistant weeds pose an escalating threat to crop productivity in Tennessee, leading to notable economic losses and complicated conventional weed control strategies. Among the most persistent species, Sorghum halepense (Johnsongrass) and various Amaranthus species (pigweeds) have exhibited remarkable adaptability and increasing resistance to widely used herbicides. Addressing this growing issue necessitates a thorough understanding the genetic and biochemical mechanisms that drive herbicide resistance. This study conducted an extensive genetic analysis of Pigweed and Johnsongrass samples collected from a broad range of counties across Tennessee, ensuring representation from both the northern and southern portions of the state’s Eastern, Central, and Western …

Hardwood Regeneration In Kalmia Latifolia Thickets, Maria Isabel Schutte

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Regeneration of many hardwood species, especially ectomycorrhizal-associated species like oaks, is inhibited under ericaceous thickets, but not much is known about how Kalmia latifolia inhibits seedlings. I explored this phenomenon using spatial analysis of a stem-mapped forested stand and two greenhouse experiments designed to detect plant-soil feedbacks, whether they are biotic, and light dependence. Spatial analyses confirmed that seedling abundance for most species is strongly, negatively correlated with K. latifolia basal area. Oaks that successfully recruit to the sapling stage are found in areas with less K. latifolia than those occupied by arbuscular (AM) or ericoid (ERM) associated saplings. In …

Distribution And Occurrence Of Cyanohabs, Nutrients, And Water-Quality Data In The Tennessee State University Wetland, Kristi Hill

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Toxic algal blooms are an expanding issue for aquatic ecosystems because they are hazardous to human and environmental health. Algal blooms naturally occur from the combination of warm temperatures, sunlight, and abundant nutrients in water, but what triggers them to become harmful algal blooms (HABs) and begin synthesizing toxin is not well understood, and their threat to freshwater sources was not heavily researched until recently. Microcystin (MC), a freshwater algal toxin, is a HABs toxin which targets the liver and causes sickness and death in humans and animals (pets, livestock, and wildlife). Urban freshwater wetlands are among the most HAB …

Epanorama September 2025, Southern Adventist University

Panorama Parent Newsletter

This digital issue of Panorama includes an article about campus collaborations, upcoming events, and a construction timelapse of the Ruth McKee School of Business.

Satellite Cells Choreograph An Immune Cell-Fibrogenic Cell Circuit During Mechanical Loading In Geriatric Skeletal Muscle, Nicholas T. Thomas, Camille R. Brightwell, Allison M. Owen, Alexander R. Keeble, Sabin Khadgi, Yuan Wen, Christopher S. Fry, Kevin A. Murach

Physiology Faculty Publications

Muscle stem cells, or satellite cells (SCs), decline in number throughout the lifespan and may become senescent in very old age. Whether and how remaining SCs contribute to muscle adaptation in the oldest-old is unclear. Using acute mechanical overload in geriatric SC replete and depleted mice (28-month-old) combined with single-cell RNA-sequencing, we show: (i) subsets of geriatric SCs display signs of senescence as well as normal fate progression during overload, (ii) SCs express markers that may contribute to the regulation of innervation, (iii) the presence of SCs during overload enhances global intercellular communication and increases mRNA levels of the cell …

Practicing The Art And Craft Of Screenwriting: Analysis And Opportunity From A Faith-Informed Perspective, Kevin R. Crawford

KAUPA Letters

This paper describes the commitments and standards of practice required by those wishing to write from a faith-informed perspective – particularly, a Christian worldview frame. It highlights elements of Minkyu Lee’s award-winning animation Adam and Dog (2011) by way of illustration and argues a new role for faith-informed storytelling that correctly resists the temptation to preach especially in a world where any project deemed to promote an organized religious agenda, however simple or subtle, is apt to be ridiculed, marginalized, and ignored.

Combining Prose And Poetry: The Aesthetic, History, And Uses Of Haibun And Tanka Prose, John J. Han

KAUPA Letters

This chapter introduces the defining features, formal structure, and literary functions of haibun and tanka prose—two Japanese hybrid poetic forms that artfully merge lyrical narrative with short-form poetry. After tracing their classical origins and modern development in both Eastern and Western contexts, the chapter explores six thematic categories through original examples: travel, nature, memory, spiritual and philosophical reflection, social critique, and humor. These themes showcase the versatility and emotional range of the forms. The chapter concludes with a hands-on writing guide and practical advice on publication, encouraging readers to engage personally and creatively with these genres. Blending scholarship, lived experience, …

Passing Thoughts On “The Trump Tariffs”, Semoon Chang

KAUPA Letters

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Offsets Between The Clumped Isotope Signatures Of Various Species Of Benthic Foraminifera, Ceara Hogan Yourell

Master's Theses and Capstones

For much of the last half century, the primary tool for reconstructing ancient ocean temperatures was the oxygen isotope paleothermometer. However, this method is fundamentally limited by its reliance on assumptions about the δ¹⁸O value of seawater, which introduces uncertainty into paleotemperature estimates. The clumped isotope paleothermometer (Δ47) offers a promising alternative by directly measuring the stochastic "clumping" of heavy isotopes (¹³C and ¹⁸O) within the carbonate lattice—a process governed solely by temperature and independent of seawater isotopic composition (Ghosh et al., 2006; Eiler, 2007). While Δ47 paleothermometry has been applied successfully in diverse contexts, including reconstructing extinct animal body …

Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (Pppp) Virtual Webinar, Coastal Response Research Center

Coastal Response Research Center

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC) organized and facilitated a virtual webinar on “Pre-Production Plastic Pellets (PPPP)”. The webinar was held in collaboration with NOAA’s Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) and a steering committee comprised of representatives from federal agencies and other stakeholders. It was held on June 3 & 4, 2025. This was the second program CRRC and OR&R conducted on PPPP. The first was an in-person workshop in 2023.

Specific Objectives:

1. Improve and enhance collaboration among responders and researchers for PPPP incidents;
2. Evaluate recent (since 2023 workshop) PPPP case studies for challenges and lessons learned;
3. Explore operational …

Collaborative Language Planning Project: Report 12: Summer 2025, Mizuki Miyashita, Sean Chandler

Collaborative Language Planning Project: Reports and Newsletters

Collaborative Language Planning Project report of activities, September 2024 - August 2025.

Rural Business Development Corporation Annual Report 2024-25, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

All other publications

In this report, the Rural Business Development Corporation is referred to as ‘the Corporation’ or ‘the RBDC’. The RBDC is an independent statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia (WA), established under the Rural Business Development Corporation Act 2000 (Act). The Act preserved and continued the body corporate established by the Rural Adjustment and Finance Corporation Act 1993.

What we do

The RBDC administers approved assistance schemes on behalf of the WA Government for the benefit of rural industry and regional communities. Approved schemes may provide financial assistance by way of loans, grants, or other financial incentives. The Act …

2025 Annual Accountability Report, Clemson University

Accountability Reports

No abstract provided.

Graduate And Professional Studies Catalog 2025-2026, Saint Mary's College Of California

Graduate and Professional Studies Catalog

No abstract provided.

Contrariétés, Indocilités, Indisciplines : La Poésie Au Croisement Des Savoirs, Nathalie Dupont

Faculty Journal Articles

The poetic works of Suzanne Doppelt and Véronique Vassiliou take shape from an intriguing combination of technical devices and knowledge usually attributed to extra-literary disciplines, ranging from science and technology to the arts, and from the occult to domestic ecology. With a clear propensity for encyclopedism, their interdisciplinary works—which in fact have everything to do with indiscipline—orchestrate a playful confrontation of divergent domains, bringing to light innovative objects of thought around which to articulate multiple leçons de choses (object lessons) about more or less proven theories, from ancient Greece to the extreme contemporary moment. As a …

Enst 570.01: Ethical Issues In Ecological Restoration, Seamus R. Land

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2021-2025

No abstract provided.