Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of District Policy On The Efficacious Implementation Of Texas House Bill 5, Marlene Studivant- Moore

All Dissertations

Preparing students to contribute to society is essential for every high school in the nation. Texas House Bill 5 (House Bill 5, 2013) sought to create a framework for achieving college and career readiness for Texas public schools. Counselors were the frontline mentors who had essential roles in implementing House Bill 5. However, the performance of graduation and curricular changes mandated by House Bill 5 increased the responsibilities of counselors and challenged how the policy implementation affected students' college and career readiness. Numerous challenges and issues emerged within the school districts executing House Bill 5.

The success of House Bill …

Sustainable Energy-Generating Pads As Future Alternative Energy Source For Road Infrastructure, Kazi Meharajul Kabir

All Dissertations

The world is experiencing a significant environmental crisis due to its dependence on fossil fuels for energy and transportation, which is leading to global warming and climate change. The global climate crisis demonstrates the urgent need to transition to renewable energy sources, making research on sustainable energy-generating systems increasingly important. PZT cells present an alternative energy-generating source but face challenges such as brittleness, low-frequency operation, and high-temperature sensitivity, which cause performance degradation. Additionally, issues like impedance matching and fluctuations in PZT-based energy systems contribute to significant energy generation losses. Research into composite materials, design optimizations, temperature-stabilized materials, fabrication techniques, and …

Bowling With Bumper Rails: How Firearms Examiners Have Duped The Courts And Generated Low Error Rates Only By Avoiding Challenging Comparisons, Richard E. Gutierrez

UC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Application Of Criminology In Urban Ecology And Evolution: Routine Activity Theory And Field Equipment Disappearance Dynamics, Ignacy Stadnicki, Michela Corsini, Marta Szulkin

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research in urban ecology and evolution relies on the use of deployable scientific equipment. If left unattended in the field, scientific equipment may be prone to vandalism and theft, especially in the urban space. Here, we empirically applied a theory derived from the field of criminology, specifically the Routine Activity Theory (RAT) framework, to predict disappearance rates of scientific equipment in an ongoing urban ecology research project. First, we tested a routinely applied method of equipment protection – labelling – and investigated whether equipment disappearance varied with label information content and message tone. Second, we examined whether equipment attributes (price, …

Acute Pancreatitis In Individuals With Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review, Chinenye R. Dike, Adefunke Dadematthews, Oluwagbemiga Dadematthews, Maisam Abu-El-Haija, Jeffrey Lebensburger, Abigail Smith, Aamer Imdad

Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) impacts about 100,000 people in the US. SCD increases the risk of cholelithiasis and microvascular ischemia, which could increase the risk of acute pancreatitis (AP). Abdominal pain is a common presenting symptom of AP and sickle cell vaso-occlusive crisis. The purpose of our systematic review is to estimate the prevalence and determine the severity of AP in individuals with SCD compared to the general population. Methods: Multiple electronic databases were searched. We included studies that included children and adults (population) and addressed the association of SCD (exposure) with AP (outcome) compared to the same population …

Nano Curcumin As A Photosensitizer For Photodynamic Therapy Treatment Of Oral Lesions, Sudip Pokhrel

Graduate Masters Theses

The capability of curcumin and its analogs to inhibit various processes involved in cancer development and progression has been extensively studied. Curcumin is also a photoactive compound, which can be activated with blue light to initiate photochemistry. Motivated by this and its inherent anti-cancer properties, we examined the practicality of using a commercially available nano-cumin formulation as a photosensitizer for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of oral cancers. Despite the significant limitation of curcumin in only absorbing blue light, which lies outside the optical window and suffers from poor penetration depths, we meticulously investigated its potential. Our systematic examination using …

Techno-Economic And Environmental Assessments Of Produced Water Treatment Technologies For Beneficial Reuse, Elora Afrin

Water Resources Science and Technology Theses and Graduate Research Reports (Archived)

Produced water (PW) is a bulk portion of byproduct generated during oil and gas extraction operations and can be potentially reused for various purposes. However, the treatment costs and associated environmental issues call for a multitude of factors for proper management. This research aims to evaluate the viability of technologies for treating PW in terms of their technical performance, cost-effectiveness, and environmental considerations. Technologies evaluated include well-established processes such as electrodialysis (ED), electrodialysis reversal (EDR), ion exchange, chemical oxidation, electrocoagulation (EC), chemical coagulation (CC), nanofiltration (NF) etc. Associated case studies have been studied. However, except EC and CC, other technologies …

Perspectives Of Speech-Language Pathologists On Strategies And Skills To Support Parental Involvement In Language Stimulation And Co-Viewing, Jeanelle Canelo

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to guide the role of parents in language stimulation and parental co-viewing as it relates to linguistic development and adult-child facilitated screen use in toddlers. The study explored New York State licensed and certified speech language pathologist’s (SLPs) perceptions of a healthy balance of screen time (ST), playtime, and parent-child interaction. Objectives included understanding the impact of ST on communication skills and exploring how adult–child engagement influences language development outcomes in children under age 5. The methodology involved one-on-one interviews via Zoom with the SLPs, using semi-structured questions. Data was collected, transcribed, …

Gray Seal (Halichoerus Grypus) Diet And Microplastic Ingestion On Great Point, Nantucket, Shannon R. Brown

Graduate Masters Theses

Due to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, pinnipeds are an ideal sentinel group used to study anthropogenic threats to the marine environment. Microplastics, primarily transported to the ocean through river discharge or weathering of larger plastics, are a threat to both pinnipeds and humans. Bioaccumulation of microplastics within the marine food web has been observed, with pinnipeds indirectly ingesting microplastics through their prey. As generalists, gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a pinniped species that can provide information on microplastic exposure to many lower trophic level organisms. This thesis explores the relationship between the diet and microplastic ingestion of gray seals on Great …

Constructive Memory And Conscious Experience, Daniel L. Schacter, Preston P. Thakral

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Episodic memory relies on constructive processes that support simulating novel future events by flexibly recombining elements of past experiences, and that can also give rise to memory errors. In recent studies, we have developed methods to characterize the cognitive and neural processes that support conscious experiences linked to this process of episodic recombination, both when people simulate novel future events and commit recombination-related memory errors. In this Per-spective, we summarize recent studies that illustrate these phe-nomena, and discuss broader implications for characterizing the basis of conscious experiences associated with constructive memory from a cognitive neuroscience perspective.

A Constructivist Grounded Theory Exploration Of Intergenerational Trauma Among Lgbtq+ Bipoc Individuals, Satveer Kler

Dissertations

Many scholars have argued that existing conceptualizations of trauma such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Ed.; DSM-5) conceptualization are inapplicable for individuals of marginalized communities. Individuals of marginalized communities may experience historical trauma, racial trauma, identity-related trauma, or collective trauma. Moreover, the effects of these forms of trauma may persist throughout different generations via biological transmission (e.g., epigenetics) or via interpersonal transmission (e.g., emotion socialization, cultural socialization, attachment, communication styles, behavioral socialization). The generational effects of these forms of trauma are referred to as intergenerational trauma. There has been a paucity of empirical explorations of …

Biological Sex Influences Daily Locomotor Rhythms In Mice Held Under Different Housing Conditions, Amanda Pastrick, Matthew Diaz, Griffin Adaya, Victoria Montinola, Madeline Arzbecker, Deborah A. M. Joye, Jennifer A. Evans

Biomedical Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Daily rhythms are programmed by a central circadian clock that is modulated by photoperiod. Here, we recorded locomotor activity rhythms in C57Bl/6 or mPer2^Luc mice of both sexes held under different housing conditions. First, we confirm that the structure of locomotor activity rhythms differs between male and female mice in both genetic backgrounds. Male mice exhibit a nightly “siesta,” whereas female mice fluctuate between nights with and without a nightly siesta, which corresponds with changes in locomotor activity levels, circadian period, and vaginal cytology. The nightly siesta is modulated by the presence of a running wheel in both sexes …

Penetration Thresholds Of Porcine Limbs For Low Sectional Density Projectiles In High-Rate Impact, Joseph Lesueur, Jared Michael Koser, Carolyn E. Hampton, Michael Kleinberger, Frank A. Pintar

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Introduction

With similar prevalence to injuries from fires, stings, and natural disasters, soft tissue injuries may occur from fireworks, industrial accidents, or other explosives. Surgeons are less familiar with treating high-velocity penetration from small debris, which may increase the chance of infection and subsequent fatality. Penetration risk curves have been developed to predict V₅₀, the velocity with 50% probability of penetration, for various sized projectiles. However, there has been limited research using nonmetallic materials to achieve lower density projectiles less than 1 g cm−2, such as sand or rocks.

Material and Methods

To emulate the size and density …

Investigating Genetic Overlap Between Alzheimer’S Disease, Lipids, And Coronary Artery Disease: A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Cross Trait Analysis, Artika Kirby, Tenielle Porter, Emmanuel O. Adewuyi, Simon M. Laws

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is evidence to support a link between abnormal lipid metabolism and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk. Similarly, observational studies suggest a comorbid relationship between AD and coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the intricate biological mechanisms of AD are poorly understood, and its relationship with lipids and CAD traits remains unresolved. Conflicting evidence further underscores the ongoing investigation into this research area. Here, we systematically assess the cross-trait genetic overlap of AD with 13 representative lipids (from eight classes) and seven CAD traits, leveraging robust analytical methods, well-powered large-scale genetic data, and rigorous replication testing. Our main analysis demonstrates a significant …

I’M A Forest, Not A Saltmarsh, Captain: Carbon And Sap Flow Dynamics In Coastal Forested Wetlands Of The Southeastern United States, Chris Shipway

All Theses

Coastal forested wetlands are identified as some of the highest-priority ecosystems for climate change mitigation. Here, we present two studies conducted in these unique ecosystems.

The first assessed changes in aboveground vegetative C stocks along the estuarine-riverine gradients of the Winyah Bay in South Carolina and the Savannah River in Georgia, using a space-for-time substitution to increase understanding of the impacts to upper estuarine forested wetlands from relative sea level rise. Standing C stocks on the Savannah River averaged 183.6 Mg C ha^-1, while sites on the Winyah system averaged 162.3 Mg C ha^-1. The largest …

Unraveling Wetland Ecology: The Effect Of Abiotic Heterogeneity And Habitat Size On Wetland Plant Diversity In The Piedmont, Gregory T. Gilmore

All Theses

Ecosystems around the world are seeing an unprecedented decline in biodiversity. However, to better prevent this decline we cannot only understand the drivers of biodiversity loss, but also the factors that support diversity. Traditional ecological hypotheses such as the Habitat Heterogeneity Hypothesis (HHH) and the Theory of Island Biogeography (TIB) have provided frameworks for understanding biodiversity drivers. However, recent research suggests a more nuanced relationship between heterogeneity, habitat size, and diversity than previously thought. This study looks to bridge existing research gaps by examining the ecologically and conservational important habitat of wetlands. Specifically, the study focuses on the plant diversity …

Silence In Stem? The Impact Of Experienced Social Identity Threats On Women, Madison Brumbaugh

All Theses

Despite making up a similar proportion of the workforce, women are grossly underrepresented in STEM occupations compared to men (65% vs. 35%). Prior research suggests that women’s underrepresentation in STEM results in negative consequences, such as increased psychological burnout and decreased work engagement (Hall et al., 2015; Hall et al., 2018), through the mechanism of social identity threat. Academics have yet to explore how experiencing social identity threat impacts silence behaviors for underrepresented women in STEM. Building off social identity theory and prior research on social identity threat, the current study sought to compare women working in STEM occupations who …

Venom Complexity Within Garter Snakes And The Role Of Diet In Toxin Diversification, Tucker Heptinstall

All Theses

Complex traits, such as body size and venom, are often under strong selection by

dietary ecology and can increase efficiency of prey capture and processing. To investigate relationships between ecology and trait evolution in Thamnophis, we amassed nearly 10,000 diet records for 32/35 Thamnophis species and classified each species’ dietary repertoire. We categorized 15/32 species as generalist predators and 17/32 species as specialist predators of varying prey groups and investigated the hypothesis that generalist predators have larger body size. However, we found no significant relationship between body size and dietary specialization. Venom has evolved over 100 times across the Tree …

Local Charge Distortion Due To Cr In Ni-Based Concentrated Alloys, Jacob Fischer

All Theses

Due to the presence of multiple elements consisting of a range of atomic radii, local lattice distortion (LLD) is commonly observed in concentrated (and high entropy) alloys. However, since these elements also have diverse electronegativities, recent works show that atoms can have a range of atomic charges. In this work, using density functional theory (DFT), we investigate electronic charge distribution in face centered cubic (FCC) Ni-based alloys and find significant charge-density distortion in HEAs. Specifically, Cr atoms have large charge density distortion that results in a wide range of bond lengths, atomic charges, and electronic density of states in Cr-containing …

Evaluation Of Future Sea-Level Impacts Using A Sharp Interface Saltwater Intrusion Model, Caroline Hiott

All Theses

Saltwater intrusion is a growing problem that is being exacerbated by climate change. Saltwater intrusion is the process by which saltwater moves towards freshwater supplies driven by saltwater’s greater density compared to freshwater. Saltwater intrusion can contribute to the salinization of freshwater resources, degradation of underground storage tanks, communication systems, and pipelines, as well as lead to groundwater flooding (Ketabchi et al., 2016). Numerical modeling can be used to simulate saltwater intrusion along coastal areas. One of the more computationally efficient modeling tools is the sharp interface approach, SWI2, that is a part of the MODFLOW 2005 suite (Werner et …

Disease Ecology Of The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus: The Effect Of A Nemertean Egg Predator, Carcinonemertes Conanobrieni, On The Host's Reproductive Performance And Active Parental Care, Natalie C. Stephens

All Theses

Anthropogenic stressors and climate change are contributing to the rapid deterioration of marine ecosystems and the important ecological services they provide to coastal communities; concomitantly, this allows infectious agents that cause disease to proliferate in marine environments. At the forefront of marine disease ecology are the impacts of pathogens and parasites on commercially and recreationally exploited decapod crustaceans, including the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. While there are few pathogens and parasites known to infect P. argus, emerging threats such as the nemertean micro-egg predator Carcinonemertes conanobrieni pose new, unexposed problems across its Greater Caribbean distribution. Beyond its …

Expandable Tissue-Engineered Living Surgical Pulmonary Heart Valve For Pediatric Patients, Jacob M. Lautenschlager

All Theses

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of mortality in developed countries, with 607.74 million cases globally in 2020.^1,2 Advances in medicine have changed the current demographic suffering from heart valve disease into an aging population suffering from degenerative heart valve disease, creating a growing population treated by surgical or transcatheter intervention.^3-6 Current treatments of valvular heart disease are therefore directed toward valve replacements for the adult population, leaving a treatment gap for pediatric patients suffering from heart valve disease.^7-10

Congenital heart defects are defined as structural abnormalities of the heart or intrathoracic great vessels and are …

Regulation Of Serpina1 Mrna Expression By Environmental Conditions In Hepatocyte Cells, Fnu Jiamutai

All Theses

The SERPINA1 gene encodes the critical protease inhibitor α-1-antitrypsin (A1AT). A1AT represses neutrophil elastase activity to protect lung tissue from inflammatory damage. A deficiency in α-1-antitrypsin can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pathogenic genetic variants in SERPINA1 are also associated with A1AT protein misfolding and liver cirrhosis. The regulatory mechanisms of SERPINA1 expression are not well understood, but previous studies suggest that alternative polyadenylation in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) affects A1AT protein expression. In this study, we used the liver cancer cell line HepG2 to determine how environmental conditions influence SERPINA1 mRNA expression and post-transcriptional regulation. We …

Effects Of Interrupting The Scotophase Period On Bone Health And Performance Of Laying Hens, Alexis J. Clark

All Theses

This thesis aimed to evaluate the effects of interrupting the daily scotophase period on bone health and production in laying hens. Modern commercial laying hens are prone to high rates of bone demineralization due to the constant mobilization of calcium to withstand daily eggshell calcification mechanisms. The industry light standard for laying hens is 16 hours of continuous light (photophase) and 8 hours of continuous darkness (scotophase) daily. During scotophase, physical activity is reduced due to instinctive perching behaviors, and thus, feeding behaviors are halted. However, physiological processes, including digestion, excretion, and reproduction, remain active during scotophase.

Most eggshell formation …

High-Resolution Ion Mobility Analysis Of Isomeric Bile Acids Using Structures For Lossless Ion Manipulations (Slim) Im-Ms, Emmaleigh D. Efird

All Theses

Bile acids are an essential part of the human digestion system and play an important role in lipid absorption, bacteria movement in the small intestine, and regulation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and G protein-coupled bile acid receptors (GPBAR) responsible for homeostasis. They are synthesized in the liver, stored in the gallbladder and the excess is carried on to the small intestine. Many liver and intestinal diseases are diagnosed based on bile acid metabolism pathways and the structures of those bile acids. Therefore, the bile acid structure determines the function of the molecule. Many bile acids are similar in …

A Southern War On Predators: How Bounty Laws, Environment, European Thought, And Wolves And Other Predators Influenced Colonial South Carolina, Andrew J. Hubbard

All Theses

During the colonization of South Carolina, the natural landscape was altered significantly by European colonists. Bounty laws targeting the native predatory species were one-way humans facilitated this change. These bounty laws were created and enforced throughout much of the colonial period in South Carolina and permanently removed most of the region’s natural large predators. This thesis contends that South Carolina’s laws tell a story unique among colonial bounty laws provide a unique perspective on Euro-American attitudes toward predators, creating precedents later used in the United States’ westward expansion and war on predators. European bias and stereotypes permeate South Carolina’s culture …

A Retrospective Of “Comfort Culture:” A Paradigmatic Study On The Creation Of The “Comfort Women” System Constructed By The Imperial Japanese Military From 1932 To 1945, Emma Nicolini

All Theses

From 1932 to 1945, the Imperial Japanese military sexually enslaved approximately two hundred thousand Asian women from Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. This institution was known as the comfort women system, which the Imperial Japanese government created to ensure the sexual and mental health of Imperial Japanese military personnel. This provision of comfort for Imperial Japanese military personnel was enabled by cultural influences introduced in the Early Modern period of Japan, which normalized a contemptuous attitude toward sexual labor. This blend of Early Modern Japan, as well as the beliefs that facilitated the need for comfort women, …

Effects Of The Sea Level Rise And Hurricanes In The Coastal Forest Of South Carolina, Siddhartha Regmi

All Theses

Accessing the mortality of the trees following any disturbances is of great interest to researchers in forestry science. This thesis project assessed topographic factors to explain the patterns of tree mortality after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and investigated continuous tree mortality in relationship to important covariates using long-term data. Aerial photographs were taken one year after Hurricane Hugo, and long-term monitoring plots were set up five years after the hurricane to collect multi-year data. Analysis and visualization showed higher mortality in concave areas near the marsh at approximately 1-2m elevation and 120-180m far from streams after Hurricane Hugo. A model …

Towards A Privacy-Preserving Healthcare Analytics For Neurological Diseases Management, Gabriel Owusu, Qinyu Liao, Bright Frimpong

Information Systems Faculty Publications

This study explores the integration of Differential Privacy (DP) in healthcare analytics, particularly focusing on enhancing data privacy in Machine Learning (ML) applications. We examine the effectiveness of differential private ML in managing sensitive medical data and the trade-offs between privacy and model performance. We use data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to develop a predictive ML model that classify patients into different stages in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease whilst maintaining privacy in patient data. We contribute to growing literature of healthcare analytics and privacy by demonstrating the feasibility of implementing privacy preserving models on healthcare data …

Aging Antiviral Immunity In The Central Nervous System: Mechanisms And Implications, Artem D. Arutyunov

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The complex interplay between aging, neuroinflammation, and neuroimmune responses has become increasingly evident in recent years. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), play a pivotal role in maintaining neural homeostasis and responding to neuroinflammatory triggers. This dissertation focuses on the role that aging plays in microglial activation and neuroinflammation, specifically in the context of West Nile Virus (WNV) encephalitis. While the incidence of WNV is consistent across age groups, the risk of West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease (WNND), a serious complication of WNV infection, increases with advanced age. Using mouse models of WNV infection, our group …