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Mindset, Stereotype Threat, And The Fear Of Failure: Why Female Students Leave A Secondary High Honors Mathematics Pathway, Annabelle Merg

Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate attrition of female students in STEM is well documented in higher education but less well understood at the secondary level. In a large, public high school in an affluent, highly educated city, the high honors mathematics pathway is the only math pathway that has not yet achieved gender parity, an implication for future educational and economic equity. Female students leave this pathway at significantly higher rates than male students, especially during and immediately after the first course. Through an explanatory, mixed methods approach, this study found that these female students are not less well prepared than their male …

Understanding The Genomic Influence And Virulence Capabilities Of Environmentally Isolated Vibrios, Shannon Elizabeth Pipes

Theses and Dissertations

The genus Vibrio consists of Gram-negative bacteria that possess a curved rod shape and are routinely isolated from estuarine and coastal salt water. Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus are the major three species that contribute to human disease worldwide, and a variety of other Vibrio species contribute to persistent problems in the aquaculture and fishing industries. The CDC estimates that vibrios cause 80,000 cases of disease each year in the United States alone, however, this number is thought to be underestimated, since some disease is only self-limiting, meaning patients may not seek medical treatment and have …

Tangled Up In Tanglegrams, Drew Joseph Scalzo

Theses and Dissertations

Tanglegrams are graphs consisting of two rooted binary plane trees with the same number of leaves and a perfect matching between the two leaf sets. A Tanglegram drawing is a special way of drawing a Tanglegram; and a Tanglegram is called planar if it has a drawing such that the matching edges do not cross. In this thesis, we will discuss various results related to the construction and planarity of Tanglegrams, as well as demonstrate how to construct all the Tanglegrams of size 4 by looking at two types of rooted binary trees - Caterpillar and Complete Binary Trees. After …

From Gene Expression To Physiology: A Study Of Chronic Thermal Tolerance In The Mytilus Edulis Species Complex, Lindsey Cate Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Rising ocean temperatures are a severe and ever-present threat to marine life. With environmental temperature having such a large impact on organismal performance, understanding the mechanisms which contribute to the ability to survive at higher temperatures is a crucial research focus. Significant progress has been made in discovering these mechanisms on the cellular, biochemical, and physiological levels, but is it much less common for those to be examined together. Using the Mytilus edulisspecies complex as a model system, this dissertation takes a closer look at how prolonged exposure to sub-lethal high temperatures impacts marine organisms on multiple levels of …

“Describing Without Identifying”: The Phenomenological Role Of Gender In Cataloging Practices, Travis L. Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores gendering practices of visual information catalogers. The work aims to understand how catalogers perceive gender when describing persons within visual information. The qualitative study deployed queer interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how catalogers think broadly about describing identity. The infused queer theoretical tenets helped to understand that while participants may not directly name gender as challenging, the conflation of gender into cisnormative monoliths (assuming every person's gender matches their sex-assigned-at birth) or silence around gender produce telling opinions concerning nonbinary gender. The research also utilized a Think Aloud exercise wherein participants undertook in-the-moment cataloging three moving images. …

S-Equol: A Novel Therapeutic For Hiv-1 Induced Gut Dysbiosis, Mason T. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-1 infection affects approximately 38 million people around the world. The advent of cART has greatly improved the quality of life of infected individuals; however, roughly 50% of these individuals will still experience HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Additionally, the gut microbiome has been reported to be dysbiotic in HIV-1 infected individuals, regardless of adherence to cART. Current research has pointed to the gut-brain-microbiota axis as a potential target to treat both cognitive deficits and microbial changes. The present study investigated S-equol (SE) as a potential therapeutic for HAND by modulating the gut microbiome. The study included 21 HIV-1 Tg …

The Impact Of Cannabis And Alcohol Use On The Management Of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Joshua Eric Sellner

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sought to contribute to the evidence-base of diabetes management and acute complications associated with alcohol and cannabis use among individuals with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM). Three interconnected studies were initiated to complete this goal. First, existing literature surrounding the potential consequences of cannabis consumption among individuals with T1DM were summarized within a systematic review. Study results were combined to provide a single measure of association through a meta-analysis. Second, identified associations were further investigated through a cross-sectional study using the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth data on alcohol and cannabis use on diabetes management and acute complications including …

Associations Of The Fto Gene And Risk Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Avery Ulrich

Theses and Dissertations

Background Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer that affects ~70,000 people each year in the US. The Fat Mass and Obesity (FTO) gene on chromosome 16 has been reported to be associated with obesity, solid tumor cancers (lung, renal, breast, prostate, pancreatic, endometrial), and more recently with hematologic malignancies, like AML. In this thesis, we test the hypothesis that inherited variants within the FTO gene are associated with an increased risk of AML. Methods Using the DISCOVeRY-BMT (Determining the Influence of Susceptibility COnveying Variants Related to one-Year mortality after Blood and Marrow Transplantation), a well-powered genome-wide association study …

Emotional And Rational Decision-Making In Strategic Studies: Moving Beyond The False Dichotomy, Samuel Zilincik

Journal of Strategic Security

It is common, though erroneous, to think of rational and emotional decision-making as being opposed to each other. The binary distinction originated in Western philosophy and subsequently spread to other fields, including strategic studies. Strategic studies scholarship has nurtured this binary in two mainstream traditions, classical strategic theory and the coercion school. The distinction is fallacious because all strategically relevant decisions are emotional, and many of these decisions can be rational. Abandoning the false dichotomy is necessary for the field to remain relevant and for strategists to better understand their choices and the decisions made by their adversaries. Accordingly, this …

Revisiting Domestic Intelligence, John P. Sullivan, Genevieve Lester

Journal of Strategic Security

This article looks at the evolution of US domestic intelligence prior to and since 9/11 in light of the Capitol attacks. It also reviews the literature and practice of intelligence reform in the context of foreign comparative experience (France, UK, Canada, Australia). It looks at the promise of fusion centers, cocontemporay domestic intelligence models, and the continuing need for domestic intelligence reform.

Additional Keywords: Domestic Intelligence, Intelligence Reform, Intelligence Fusion

Functional Analysis Of Stn1 Winged-Helix (Wh) Domains, Anna Bazell

Senior Theses

CST (CTC1-STN1-TEN1) is a heterotrimeric RPA-like protein complex that preferentially binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). CST is conserved from yeast to humans and has been found to play a role in telomere maintenance, DNA replication, and DNA repair. Mutations in CST, specifically in the subunits of CTC1 and STN1, have been implicated in the development of the genetic diseases Coats plus and dyskeratosis congenita. Despite the known functions of CST, the mechanistic relationship between its structure and function has yet to be characterized, particularly with respect to its protein-protein interactions and DNA binding. An X-ray crystallography structure of CST revealed …

Debunking Misconceptions, Rebecca Kling, Jorge Gonzalez, Valerie Lo

Assignment Prompts

Students will have spent much of the semester learning about the history of race in American culture from its beginnings up until 1877. This not only includes the history of slavery, but also the racialization of indigenous peoples and various groups of immigrants (including those today deemed “white”). Students will also have studied key concepts and theories central to racial studies, such as proto-racism, racial formation, racial justice, biological racism, etc. We encourage them to interrogate the concept of race as natural and to consider how race is ideological and how it evolves over time. We also explore how we …

Annotating Gene Expression And Regulatory Elements In Tissues From Healthy Thoroughbred Horses And Identifying Candidate Mutations Associated With Perosomus Elumbis In An Angus Calf, Alexa Mckenna Barber

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Genome annotation has a direct impact on the success of genomic studies. Transcriptome analyses and chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing (ChIP-seq) have been used to functionally annotate genomes. These methods can identify protein-coding genes, non-coding transcripts, and cis-regulatory elements across the genome. The primary objective of the first study was to functionally annotate the equine genome through the assessment of nine tissues: adipose, brain, heart, lamina, liver, lung, skeletal, muscle, testis, and ovary. In the first project, 150 bp, paired-end RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) libraries were generated in stallion tissues and compared to previously generated mare RNA-seq libraries to quantify variation in …

Accelerating Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Using Electrical Stimulation Of Selected Power Spectral Densities, Wei-Ming Yu, Madelyn Mccullen, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Peripheral nerve injuries are common consequences of extremity trauma or chronic compression with a prevalence of 43.8 per 1 million people (on average) reported in the United States annually, accompanied by a yearly increase in cost of care. Patients suffering from these injuries require surgical procedures and rehabilitative strategies to reinforce their extensive recovery. Several studies have found that the application of electrical stimulation can accelerate peripheral nerve regeneration, thus shortening the time of peripheral nerve growth and reducing the cost of care (Willand et al., 2016). The electrical stimulation paradigms that effectively enhanced functional recovery in most studies employed …

Sex Addiction: A Literary And Yogic Perspective, Adrienne Hope Hite

LMU Theses and Dissertations

First offering insight into the disease of sexual addiction overall and what, in fact, does delineate it from sexual promiscuity, this paper will go on to seek ways to mitigate such behavior by exploring not only symptoms, but the existing underlying issues as well through a yogic whole-body perspective. Furthermore, diving deeper into such an application, specifically under the context of the yamas and niyamas and investigating how both might, not only serve as therapeutic tools for sex addicts, but perhaps allow for a healthier approach overall to sex in the modern world.

First offering insight into the disease of …

Effects Of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor P75 On Tumor Burden In A Mouse Model Of Colorectal Cancer, Yvone Shametaj

Senior Theses

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, an immune cytokine, has demonstrated a significant role in inflammation, which causes cancer over time. However, the effects of TNF-alpha on tumor growth are relatively unknown. Its effects are mediated via TNF receptors p55 and p75, which are expressed in different cells in the body and have slight structural differences. Studies have shown that TNFR-p55 has pro-apoptotic effects, whereas TNFR-p75 transmits survival signals. However, there is limited research available on TNF receptors and colorectal cancer.

This project focuses specifically on TNFR2, or TNFR-p75, and attempts to establish whether TNFR2 inhibition in mice with colitis-induced colorectal cancer promotes …

Secret To Success: A Survey Of The University Of South Carolina Student Success Center, Lilian Mitchell

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to survey the practices of the Student Success Center (SSC) at the University of South Carolina (USC) and show the effectiveness of those practices. Through the analysis of the history of student success in higher education, current literature on student success, and the 2020- 2021 Blueprint for the SSC at USC, it is clear that the SSC has developed a successful and effective method of guaranteeing student success on USC’s campus. At USC, the main focus is on Supplemental Instruction, Peer Tutoring, and Academic Coaching (a.k.a. Success Consultations). By setting goals and measuring the outcome of those …

Synthesis Of A Streptavidin-Conjugated Agarose Resin For Purification Of Biotin-Tagged Biomolecules, Sydney Thomas

Senior Theses

Streptavidin, a bacteria-derived protein, and the small molecule biotin display extremely high-affinity binding. Researchers have taken advantage of this uniquely strong interaction in a myriad of detection, labeling, and purification techniques, one of which is affinity chromatography. Streptavidin can be immobilized onto a solid support, and this streptavidin-conjugated material can be used to capture biotin-tagged molecules with exceedingly high strength and specificity. In this project, a protocol was developed for synthesizing an agarose-based streptavidin resin for use as an affinity chromatography medium. Additionally, two fluorescence-based assays were developed for quantifying the amount of streptavidin conjugated to each resin and for …

Which Motivations Impact The Relation Between Adhd Symptoms And Simultaneous Use Of Alcohol And Marijuana?, Caroline Hough

Senior Theses

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with greater risk for substance use and abuse. About one in four adults with ADHD has a comorbid substance use disorder. Polysubstance use, or mixing multiple drugs, is becoming increasingly prevalent on college campuses. The simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana (SAM) is a particular polysubstance use pattern that is significantly correlated with more risky behaviors (e.g., reckless driving, unprotected sex) and adverse consequences (e.g., blackouts, physical injury) than using one substance alone. An estimated 15% of 18- to 29-year-olds engage in SAM each year, while recorded rates of SAM in college students are …

Growing Up Water, Dominique Barbee

Theses and Dissertations

“Growing Up Water” is a full-length manuscript consisting of one long poem in two parts. Louisiana is one of the most verdant naturally fertile states in the U.S. The state loses a football field of land almost every one-hundred minutes. This is largely due to climate change, oil drilling in the gulf, the cutting of canals, the waste poured in to the Mississippi river by the chemical plants that line this area (known as “Cancer Alley”), the onslaught of invasive species, the list goes on. Furthermore, due to global warming, “big” hurricanes are only becoming stronger and more frequent. Any …

The Effect Of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction On Elementary Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge And Reading Comprehension: An Action Research Study, Tonia Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension seems to be a significant challenge for rising fifth graders with limited vocabulary knowledge. A possible solution is to provide them with explicit vocabulary instruction which may positively impact their reading comprehension. This action research aimed to evaluate the effect of implementing explicit vocabulary instruction delivered through Schoology on fifth graders’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension at an urban elementary school in the southeastern United States. This study also sought to analyze students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the online vocabulary learning modules. A convergent mixed-method approach was applied to answer the research questions. The quantitative data (e.g., …

Deep Learning Based Generative Materials Design, Yong Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

Discovery of novel functional materials is playing an increasingly important role in many key industries such as lithium batteries for electric vehicles and cell phones. However experimental tinkering of existing materials or Density Functional Theory (DFT) based screening of known crystal structures, two of the major current materials design approaches, are both severely constrained by the limited scale (around 250,000 in ICSD database) and diversity of existing materials and the lack of a sufficient number of materials with annotated properties. How to generate a large number of physically feasible, stable, and synthesizable crystal materials and build accurate property prediction models …

Exploring The Strength Of Relationships Between Group Exercise Instructors And Participants Through Social Media Outreach, Angela Rossi

Senior Honors Projects

Here at the University of Rhode Island, the department of Campus Recreation is a major component of student life on campus, offering substantial activities and employment opportunities that encourage students to get involved, in addition to increasing their overall physical and mental well-being. Campus Recreation hosts a wide variety of group exercise classes taught by students from within our facilities each week, including popular formats such as yoga and cycle. This project aims to strengthen the relationship between group exercise instructors and their participants by increasing opportunities for engagement both inside and outside the exercise studio. Campus Recreation social media …

Biomechanical Analysis Of Athletes Sprinting With Varying Degrees Of Resistance, Michaela Ott

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Utilizing resistance methods for sprinters is a common approach to their training. In this study, six athletes from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Women’s Track and Field Team ran a series of sprints using a resistance machine to collect data regarding the change in power output, stride length, level of trunk tilt with respect to the ground, and acceleration throughout a distance of ten meters when different amounts of resistant forces were applied to the athlete. It was hypothesized that as resistance increased, power output would increase, stride length would decrease, the runners would become more horizontal resulting in a larger …

Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Consumer Behavior And Attitudes Towards A Brand’S Image, Abbey Haymond

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This research seeks to understand more about the effects of socioeconomic background on consumer behavior and its impact on the perception of brand images. Data from people of different SES were compared to understand how they view advertisements intended for different audiences and their corresponding effects. It was conducted by sending out a confidential, voluntary survey to a convenience sample targeting 100 consumers. Consumers were asked to rate statements, on a scale of one to five, for each of the research questions to assess specific aspects of their consumer attitudes and behaviors. The high SES group has a higher average …

Notch-Induced Mdsc Recruitment After Ohsv Virotherapy In Cns Cancer Models Modulates Antitumor Immunotherapy, Yoshihiro Otani, Ji Young Yoo, Cole T Lewis, Samantha Chao, Jessica Swanner, Toshihiko Shimizu, Jin Muk Kang, Sara A Murphy, Kimberly Rivera-Caraballo, Bangxing Hong, Joseph C Glorioso, Hiroshi Nakashima, Sean E Lawler, Yeshavanth Banasavadi-Siddegowda, John D Heiss, Yuanqing Yan, Guangsheng Pei, Michael A Caligiuri, Zhongming Zhao, E Antonio Chiocca, Jianhua Yu, Balveen Kaur

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: Oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV) infection of brain tumors activates NOTCH, however the consequences of NOTCH on oHSV-induced immunotherapy is largely unknown. Here we evaluated the impact of NOTCH blockade on virus-induced immunotherapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), TCGA data analysis, flow cytometry, Luminex- and ELISA-based assays, brain tumor animal models, and serum analysis of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) treated with oHSV was used to evaluate the effect of NOTCH signaling on virus-induced immunotherapy.

RESULTS: TCGA data analysis of patients with grade IV glioma and oHSV treatment of experimental brain tumors in mice showed that NOTCH signaling significantly …

Mms Observations Of The Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability And Associated Ion Scale Waves, Rachel C. Rice

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The detailed mechanisms coupling the solar wind to Earth's magnetosphere are not yet fully understood. Solar wind plasma is heated non-adiabatically as it penetrates the magnetosphere, and this process must span scale sizes. Reconnection alone is not able to account for the observed heating; other mechanisms must be at work. One potential process is the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI). The KHI is a convective instability which operates at the fluid scale in plasmas, but is capable of driving secondary process at smaller scales. Previous work has shown evidence of magnetic reconnection, various ion scale wave modes, mode conversion, and turbulence associated …

Pharmacological Extension Of Lifespan Via Mitochondrial Uncoupling In Drosophila Melanogaster, Analisa Taylor

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Identifying Complex Adaptive Systems Using Quantitative Approaches At A Midsized Biotechnology Firm, Sean M. Sullivan

All Theses And Dissertations

Rapid technological progress is becoming more challenging for organizations to implement and manage. The traditional, hierarchical leadership models are often inadequate to cope with continuous change, and the inability to keep up with the latest advances can quickly imperil a company. In particular, the field of biotechnology is currently experiencing revolutionary advances. Where hierarchical leadership models lapse, complexity theory and complexity leadership theory may provide an alternative leadership model for successful organizational adaptation. However, much of the research surrounding complexity theory remains academic. Historical data from a biotechnology company was analyzed during a computer hardware and software upgrade to detect …

Polyaniline/Cobalt Nanoparticle Composite Films, Rifat Mahbub

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polymer nanocomposites have been gaining attention because of the enhanced properties of the element materials it can offer. These composites have been used in biological sector as well as quantum computing and memory devices. These are also used as different kind of sensors. Polymer composites incorporated with magnetic nanoparticles can modify the magnetic property of the nanoparticles and that has huge potential to be used in different sort of applications.

This work aims to develop a polymeric nanocomposite incorporating a conducting polymer and magnetic nanoparticles. The influence of the conducting polymer on the magnetic property of the nanoparticles was investigated. …