Digital Commons Network^™

Queering The Metanarrative Of Domesticity: Chosen Families In Late Nineteenth- Century American Women's Literature, Sharla Rosenbaum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My primary purpose in this project is to dispel the notion that the white, bourgeois, patriarchal, nuclear family believed by millions of US citizens to have once monopolized the United States’s cultural landscape through an examination of how women authors in the United States constructed families in literature immediately following the Civil War. Not only do the novels under examination reflect diverse representations of families, but they also reflect those images from diverse perspectives. I will use a Marxist lens to explore class and ideologic interpellation; a renegade global feminist lens to explore failure and differential consciousness; a queer and …

Does Whispering Improve Children’S Memory? Comparing Auditory Vigilance And Salience Hypotheses, Christina M. Barnes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oral communication is one of the primary tools children use to learn new information and speech registers can deliver additional meaning to the words someone uses. Cirillo’s (2004) vigilance hypothesis states “Whispering can affect the psychobiological state of recipients, and in particular raise their auditory vigilance” (Cirillo, 2004, p. 76). Building on this theory, the current study investigates the role of whispering and children’s memory by examining a whispering vigilance, whispering salience which focused on the changes between normal and whisper registers, and combined vigilance and salience hypotheses to determine if whispering contributes to the recall of information. Using video …

International Students In The Campus Carry Debate: A Descriptive Phenomenological Inquiry, Andre Richardo Grant

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study purposefully sampled 15 graduate international students at a Southern University (SU). Semi-structured interviews were used to determine their perceptions and attitudes regarding the implementation of campus carry policies at the institution. The study aimed to answer the following research questions: How has the implementation of the campus carry policy at SU impacted international students’ perceptions of their experiences at the institution? How has the implementation of campus carry policies at SU influenced international students’ perceptions of the social ecology of the institution? and How did SU formally include international students in the on-campus campus carry policy …

Diversifying Woolf’S Room: Private Spaces And Creativity In The Works Of Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, Gayl Jones, And Alice Walker, Ebtesam M. Alawfi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a divergence between Woolf’s vision of private physical spaces necessary for creating art and that of some feminists of color such as Alice Walker, Ortiz Cofer, and Gloria Anzaldua. Both Woolf and these contemporary scholars agree on the importance of physical spaces for female artists. However, they disagree on the nature of these spaces. Woolf’s private physical space is a room with a lock on the door whereas these writers’ room is the kitchen table, the bus, or the welfare line. Walker and like-minded writers challenge the narrowness of Woolf’s room because her locked room is a luxury …

Listening To Voices Of Latinx Immigrants In Rural America, Jacqueline Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to capture and gain an understanding of Latinx immigrants’ lived experiences during their transitions from their native countries to rural Arkansas. Using purposeful criterion-based sampling, the population of interest was five Latinx immigrant students and families who migrated from their native countries to the state of Arkansas. The analytic strategy included a single-case model of each family’s transcription, two-case model, cluster analysis to identify likeness, document portrait, and subtheme development. The structural descriptions that formed the essence of the experience resulted in three themes: education, migration, and emotional experiences. The three overall …

Longitudinal Monitoring Of Tumor Response To Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Using Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy, Joel Isaac Rodriguez Troncoso

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Immune checkpoint drugs have completely changed the way people treat metastatic melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer. While the impacts of these immunological checkpoints and their suppression on T cell function are well characterized, their consequences on the tumor microenvironment are not. In a CT26 mouse colorectal cancer model, we employed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to track in vivo tumor microenvironmental alterations in response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. On three separate days, animals bearing CT26 tumor xenografts were given anti-PD-L1, anti-CTLA-4, a combination of both inhibitors, and isotype control. Within the first 6 days, monotherapy with either anti-PD-L1 or anti-CTLA-4 resulted in …

Incorporation Of Zinc In Pre-Alloyed Cuin[Zn]S2/Zns Quantum Dots, Jean Carlos Morales Orocu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 2000s heavy-metal-free quantum dots (QDs) such as CuInS2/ZnS have attempted to replace CdSe, their heavy-metal-containing counterparts. CuInS2/ZnS is synthesized in a two-step process that involves the fabrication of CuInS2 (CIS) nanocrystals (NCs) followed by the addition of zinc precursors. Instead of the usual core/shell architecture often exhibited by binary QDs, coating CIS QDs results in alloyed and/or partially alloyed cation-exchange (CATEX) QDs. The effect that zinc has on the properties of CIS NCs was studied by incorporating zinc during the first step of the synthesis. Different In:Cu:Zn ratios were employed in this study, maintaining a constant 4:1 …

Evaluation Of Two Neonatal Challenge Models For Broiler Chickens And Their Effects On Early Performance Parameters, Callie Selby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde fumigation in poultry hatch cabinets has been utilized for sanitation of hatching eggs for over a century. Formaldehyde is utilized to minimize pathogenic microbes on the surface of the egg as well as the microbial bloom during the hatching process. While formaldehyde is effective, its use is regulated in the United States and Europe due to its carcinogenic nature. Formaldehyde has been shown to damage the cuticle of the egg, cause embryonic death, and damage the epithelial lining of the respiratory tract of freshly hatched chicks, predisposing them for respiratory infection. Alternatives for formaldehyde fumigation must be identified and …

Development Of Aptamer Rolling Circle Amplification Platform As A Vaccine Adjuvant To Control Salmonella In Broiler Chickens, Abigeal Iyabode Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella has been a major source of concern in public health and food industry. It is the cause of gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis. Severe cases of salmonellosis have resulted in hospitalization and even death around the world. Salmonella can be found in the intestinal tract of animals including chickens and can be transmitted to human through contaminated food. Hence, it is highly important to find ways of reducing the transmission of Salmonella from chickens to humans. This work is focused on the control of Salmonella in broiler chicken through the development of novel vaccine adjuvant. Two different aptamer …

Just Benjamin, Paige R. Murphy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This documentary short film is about a now 30-year-old transgender man telling his story of growing up queer in a small Arkansas town, from being outed as a lesbian in high school, to ultimately being accepted as a trans man by members of his military and biological families. Benjamin “Benji” Davis grew up in the small town of Friendship, Arkansas, enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after high school and served for six years, then came back to Arkansas and primarily lived in Little Rock until he moved to Denver, Colorado this fall. The documentary is structured linearly both with …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Electron Rich Alkenes, Alexa May

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermal homolysis is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic chemistry. Free radical reactions are generally initiated by light or a radical initiator to generate the first radical, which can then propagate or terminate the reaction. Direct thermal homolysis requires no chemical initiators, just an increase in temperature depending on the homolysis energy.There are few studies of direct radical homolysis in complex systems or under mild conditions. The reactions involving C-N homolysis under mild conditions are reported in Chapter 1. Though the authors do not all propose a radical mechanism, we believe they can all be explained by a …

Investigation Of Histomoniasis Prevention In Poultry, Lesleigh Beer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Histomonas meleagridis is the etiological agent of histomoniasis, also commonly known as blackhead disease. This protozoal disease of poultry is detrimental to turkeys with flock mortalities often reaching 80-100%, although other gallinaceous birds are susceptible. Since the voluntary removal of nitarsone in 2015, the poultry industry is suffering with no approved prophylactics, therapeutics, or vaccines for this disease. The objectives of this dissertation were to evaluate multiple methods for prevention or control of histomoniasis, including dietary chemoprophylaxis and vaccination. Specifically, this research evaluated quinine as a chemoprophylactic candidate (Chapter 3) or live-attenuated H. meleagridis as vaccine candidates (Chapter 4) in …

Site-Specific Effects Of Lysine Acetylation On Aminoacyl-Trna Synthetase, Hao Chen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) are an ancient and highly conserved family of enzymes which can catalyze a two-steps aminoacylation reaction to charge tRNAs with their cognate amino acids, thus playing crucial roles in ribosomal protein synthesis. Naturally, the accurate amino acids and tRNA recognition of these synthetases are essential to the fidelity of translation process. To assure the correct recognition, some of these synthetases have evolved with an editing function to help remove the mischarged tRNAs. In addition to these functions, AARSs are also involved in various biological processes ranging from transcription to translation. Currently, a series of proteomic studies have …

Analysis Of Bacteriorhodopsin Suspended In A Bilayer Lipid Membrane, Moath Alhejji

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The bacteriorhodopsin protein’s unique characteristic of proton pumping can convert light energy to electric energy. The aim of this research was to generate photocurrent using bacteriorhodopsin in a bi-layer lipid membrane. Lipid monolayer and bilayer were formed using painting and folding methods, respectively. Capacitance and resistance of the lipid membranes were measured and used to validate the best methodology. My results show that the folding method is more efficient in incorporating Bacteriorhodopsin. The photocurrent was generated by illuminating a green laser (532 nm) on the bilayer lipid membranes. The patch clamp electrophysiology technique was used to apply voltage across the …

Efficacy Of Selected Powdered Floor Treatments And Turmeric Rhizome Powder Against Salmonella, E. Coli, And L. Monocytogenes On Polyurethane-Concrete Flooring Material Carriers, Robert Sidney Fuller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flooring in a food processing environment can become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria in many ways including foot and equipment traffic, incoming materials, and drain backups. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) rhizome powder and seventeen other commercially available powdered floor treatments with a variety of active ingredients including quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), sodium percarbonate and similar perhydrates (SPC), urea, and borax, were investigated for reducing the levels of pathogens on flooring thereby reducing the risk of cross-contamination from the floor to food contact surfaces. Some of the commercially available floor treatments were Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered antimicrobials while others were …

Investigation Of Iron-Nickel Films Based Catalysts: Controlling Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (Her) Through An Electrode-Electrolyte Engineering Approach, Sergio Ivan Perez Bakovic

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical energy conversion technologies need to be economically viable in order to be adopted. Earth-abundant transition metals (i.e., Fe, Co, and Ni) have attracted attention due to their high availability, low cost, and catalytic characteristics that are in many cases found in and exploited by nature. Herein, we synthesize FexNi100-xOy electrocatalyst films and study how the electrocatalyst-electrolyte interactions alter the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).In this work, FexNi100-xOy films were synthesized to study the composition, chemical state, and morphology. Characterization results provided a well-established electrocatalyst film platform to then proceed with electrochemical evaluations. The effects of the electrode composition and electrochemically …

Catalytic Activity Of Molybdenum-Dioxo Complexes, Randy Tran

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation details the development of rationally designed dioxomolybdenum catalyst active for deoxydehydration (DODH), the net reduction of diols and polyols into alkenes and dienes. Catalyst design involved variations on dioxomolybdenum(VI) supported by a dianionic meridional pincer ligand. Rational substrate scope was explored using aliphatic diols, aromatic diols, and biomass derived diols. Various reductants were tested for ability to catalyze the reaction. The substrate specific mechanism of DODH was explored utilizing NMR and in-situ infrared spectroscopy and important rate constants and rate determining steps were found to aid in the optimization of ideal reaction conditions. Catalytic activity was observed to …

Two-Way Load Flow Analysis Using Newton-Raphson And Neural Network Methods, Aya Emad Omar Al Shaltouni

Theses

This research presents a study of the optimal power flow for networked microgrids with multiple renewable energy sources (PV panels and wind turbines), storage systems, generators, and load. The OPF problem is performed using a conventional method and an Artificial Intelligence method. In this research, we investigated the performance of MGs system with renewable energy integration with focus on power flow studies. The calculation of the power flow is based on the well-known Newton-Raphson method and Neural Network method. The power flow calculation aims to evaluate the grid performance parameters such as voltage bus magnitude, angle, real and reactive power …

Flow Of Quantum Genetic Lotka-Volterra Algebras On M2(ℂ), Sondos Muhammed Syam

Theses

In this thesis, a class of flow quantum Lotka-Volterra genetic algebras (FQLVG-A) is investigated and its structure is studied. Moreover, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the associativity and alternatively of FQGLV-A are derived. In addition, idempotent elements in FQGLV-A are found. Also, derivations of a class of FQLVG-A are described. Also, the automorphisms of a class of FQLVG-A and their positivity are examined.

Baseline Studies On Sex-Disaggregated Statistics Of Members And Gender Roles Of Officers Among Recognized Uplb Student Organizations, Jickerson P. Lado, Marcelina C. Miranda, Katrina Joy M. Abriol-Santos, Charlotte H. Hagosojos, Jimby E. Casquete, Marites E. Mojica, Nina M. Cadiz

Journal Article

The sex disaggregated statistics of members of recognized UPLB students organizations for five academic years were determined. Furthermore, the prevailing gender roles in elected key positions were identified. This is the first attempt to create and profile reorganized UPLB student organizations in terms of sex-disaggregated data (SDD) that could translate to effective policies and campaign strategies to enable a harmonized and gender-sensitive culture in UPLB. It sought to identify the assess the SDD of members among recognized UPLB student organization using both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis. In a preliminary study, the data submitted by an average of 170 …

Rediscovering A Legacy Of A Lost Voice: A History Of Radyo Dzlb's School-On-The-Air, Mark Lester M. Chico

Journal Article

The school-on-the-air (SOA) is a pioneering broadcast program developed by Radyo DZLB in the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Its history dates back to 1967 when the first SOA and dairy farming was launched. Over the years, SOAs were redesigned until a formal structure was arrived at. Radyo DZLB faced challenges that compelled SOA continuously find its rightful place in the airwaves. Now that it is off the air, how can Radyo DZLB sustain its advocacy of educating farmers, homemakers, and children, among others, through SOA? As the voice development, how can Radyo DZLB recover its lost …

Cross Evaluation Of Experience Level And Teaching Approaches In College Table Tennis Physical Education Students, Denise Anne M. Maso, Marie Toni A. Salangsang

Journal Article

This study was conducted to determine which approach is more effective between Random and Blocked practice in teaching Physical Education. It also focused on the effect of Random practice in motor-learning and memory capacity of individuals in learning a sport. The two approaches were used to teach the forehand and backhand skills of Table Tennis. Sixty-four students of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) taking the course PE 2 Table Tennis were chosen as subjects and they were classified as Beginners, Intermediate and Advance players. These students were assigned into two training groups; the Blocked Practice and the Random …

Reassessing Associations Between White Matter And Behaviour With Multimodal Microstructural Imaging, Alberto Lazari, Piergiorgio Salvan, Michiel Cottaar, Daniel Papp, Olof Jens Van Der Werf, Ainslie Johnstone, Zeena-Britt Sanders, Cassandra Sampaio-Baptista, Nicole Eichert, Anderson M. Winkler

School of Medicine Publications

Several studies have established specific relationships between White Matter (WM) and behaviour. However, these studies have typically focussed on fractional anisotropy (FA), a neuroimaging metric that is sensitive to multiple tissue properties, making it difficult to identify what biological aspects of WM may drive such relationships. Here, we carry out a pre-registered assessment of WM-behaviour relationships in 50 healthy individuals across multiple behavioural and anatomical domains, and complementing FA with myelin-sensitive quantitative MR modalities (MT, R1, R2∗).

Surprisingly, we only find support for predicted relationships between FA and behaviour in one of three pre-registered tests. For one behavioural domain, …

Neuroimaging Association Scores: Reliability And Validity Of Aggregate Measures Of Brain Structural Features Linked To Mental Disorders In Youth, Luiza Kvitko Axelrud, André Rafael Simioni, Daniel Samuel Pine, Anderson M. Winkler, Pedro Mario Pan, João Ricardo Sato, André Zugman, Nadine Parker, Felipe Picon, Andrea Jackowski

School of Medicine Publications

In genetics, aggregation of many loci with small effect sizes into a single score improved prediction. Nevertheless, studies applying easily replicable weighted scores to neuroimaging data are lacking. Our aim was to assess the reliability and validity of the Neuroimaging Association Score (NAS), which combines information from structural brain features previously linked to mental disorders. Participants were 726 youth (aged 6–14) from two cities in Brazil who underwent MRI and psychopathology assessment at baseline and 387 at 3-year follow-up. Results were replicated in two samples: IMAGEN (n = 1627) and the Healthy Brain Network (n = 843). NAS …

Associations Of High-Sensitivity Troponin And Natriuretic Peptide Levels With Outcomes After Intensive Blood Pressure Lowering: Findings From The Sprint Randomized Clinical Trial, Jarett D Berry, Vijay Nambi, Walter T Ambrosius, Haiying Chen, Anthony A Killeen, Addison Taylor, Robert D Toto, Elsayed Z Soliman, John W Mcevoy, Ambarish Pandey, Parag H Joshi, Stefan Blankenberg, Dalane W Kitzman, Christie M Ballantyne, James A De Lemos

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

IMPORTANCE: Elevated high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hscTnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) levels are associated with risk of heart failure (HF) and mortality among individuals in the general population. However, it is unknown if this risk is modifiable.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that elevated hscTnT and NTproBNP levels would identify individuals with the greatest risk for mortality and HF and the largest benefit associated with intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a nonprespecified post hoc analysis of the multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), conducted from October 20, …

Toward Rehumanization: Creolized Solidarity And Practical Empathy, Michelle India Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This project seeks to engage political theory surrounding processes of creolization and solidarity, as well as their usefulness towards political movements. Current socialization within the United States promotes individualism and, as a result, an inability to see how various sociopolitical issues interact with one another and affect large portions of the population in ways that are not always obvious. Through a commitment to open engagement and practical empathy, creolized solidarity could provide a baseline from which to evaluate prevalent issues as well as our relationships with one another, the natural connection that comes from simply being human.

Latent Tuberculosis Infection In A Patient With A Negative Interferon Gamma Release Assay Prior To Biologic Initiation For Crohn's Disease, Muaaz Masood, Reid Wasserman, Vignesh Nagesh, Humberto Sifuentes

Student Publications

CASE: Biologic therapy has revolutionized the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nevertheless, it is well known that biologics are associated with an increased risk of opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis (TB). Screening tests indicated before biologic initiation, namely interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) or tuberculin skin tests (TST), may be falsely negative. We present the case of a male with uncontrolled Crohn’s disease (CD) with a negative screen for TB and how a high index of suspicion led to the discovery of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and the appropriate deferment of biologic therapy. A 63-year-old South Asian male with …

Sleeping With The Enemy: Examining The Relationship Between Sleep And Pain In Post-9/11 Veterans, John L. Schwartz Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

United States veterans are a diverse group of individuals, yet as a result of their service, they share a unique set of customs, traditions, and values. Post-9/11 veterans are more likely to experience elevated levels of pain and poor sleep quality compared to their civilian counterparts; however, little is known about how beliefs related to veterans’ pain impact their sleep and how levels of pain acceptance influence the sleep-pain association. This study examined relationships between sleep and pain in a sample of 102 post-9/11 veterans. Results support associations between pain and sleep identified in other populations. Positive correlations were found …

Integrated Processing Of Municipal Solid Waste For Maximizing Waste Reduction, Carbon Recovery And Fuel Production, Kameron J. King

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nationally and internationally, waste generation is increasing and along with it negative environmental impacts. Many people think waste ends at disposal; however, environmental impacts have already begun. Unfortunately, 50% of waste ends up in a landfill which is the third largest source of human related methane emissions and a leading cause of global climate change. This study investigated a novel waste management strategy in hopes of mitigating negative environmental effects caused by conventional waste management practices. The novelty of the study lies in the development of an integrated method of hydrothermal carbonization and an anaerobic digestion (HTC + AD) process …

Emotion Regulation Variability And Relationship Functioning In Emerging Adulthood, Laura B. Kenneally

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Emotion regulation is a transdiagnostic factor that functions as a crucial contributor to individual well-being and social functioning. Research seeking to identify adaptive or maladaptive strategies of emotion regulation has often focused on individual strategies, though emerging evidence suggests that what constitutes “adaptive” regulation is often context-dependent. Having a large repertoire of emotion regulation strategies that one is willing to use at different rates has been termed “emotion regulation variability,” and has been linked to positive individual outcomes. While the benefits of emotion regulation variability have been demonstrated on an individual level, the impact on romantic relationships has yet to …