Digital Commons Network^™

Contribution Of The Transcription Factor Red Nac To Low Nitrogen Phenotypes In Poplar, Shane Alexander Spence

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Greenhouse grafting and field trials were conducted to examine the contribution of the RED NAC transcription factor on low nitrogen phenotypes in hybrid poplar (P. tremula x P. alba). Reciprocal grafting trials showed both root and shoot expression contribute to phenotype under low nitrogen conditions, and shoot expression has a leading role in contribution to low-nitrogen phenotype. The impact of RED NAC expression level on auxin polar transport was investigated using a DR5::GUS auxin-responsive reporter gene line as rootstock for RED NAC modified scions. Pilot studies indicate the rate of auxin transport from apex to roots is slower through shoots …

A Multimolecular Perspective On The Success Of Wolf Recovery And Relocation, Samuel D. Hervey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

With global biodiversity in decline and many species isolated in fragmented habitats, conservation efforts increasingly rely on natural recolonization and translocation to restore ecosystems. These strategies face challenges such as genetic erosion and habitat limitations, highlighting the need for effective monitoring practices. This research assesses the success of wolf recovery initiatives by examining long-term genetic and genomic health using both traditional and advanced molecular methods. First, we investigated the genetic health of 19 gray wolves (Canis lupus) relocated to Isle Royale National Park to restore ecosystem balance. Initial genetic assessments with microsatellites found that these wolves had genetic diversity metrics …

A Physicochemical Characterization Of Protein Aggregates: Influence Of Lipid Membranes And Surfaces, Connor J. Hall

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Although there has been a greater emphasis in the past decade or more on the correlation between the physicochemical characteristics of aggregates and their cellular toxicity, it is still unclear what specific features of an aggregate render it toxic. To better understand that, there has been a renewed focus on the characterization of unique biochemical and biophysical properties of protein aggregates. Elucidation of these unique characteristics can help to better understand disease pathogenesis in vivo. Furthermore, the lipid-rich nature of the brain sets it apart from all other organs, and numerous …

Analytical And Machine Learning Modeling Of Direct Carbonation Of Natural Silicate Minerals, William Hanson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The climate-altering effects of atmospheric CO₂ make it necessary to develop innovative technologies that can remove it from the atmosphere. Mineral carbonation is a scalable technology to sequestrate and store CO2 in a stable carbonate mineral form. The efficiency of the mineral carbonation process depends on both feed mineralogy and process parameters. Comprehensive modeling and prediction of mineral carbonation efficiency for different CO₂ – reactive rocks has not been achieved in the past. In this thesis work, analytical and machine learning models are developed to predict the carbonation efficiency of dunite reactions. It is found that random forest …

The Role Of Neighborhood Effects In Maintaining The Hardwood-Hemlock Mosaic, Adam Z. Milenkowic

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Neighborhood effects are processes mediated by canopy trees that influence the ability of a species to replace itself following canopy mortality. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) are the dominant trees in old-growth northern hardwood forests of Upper Michigan and have been observed to form monodominant patches in the region. Few studies have independently evaluated the demographic and ecological mechanisms that lead to the compositional stability of hemlock and sugar maple patch development. Tree demography data from eight long-term 0.5 ha old-growth plots in Upper Michigan indicate neighborhood effects are playing a …

Autonomic Modulation Of Cardiac Function In Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Jenna Rose Disser

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic heart disorder. HCM is characterized by cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and an increased risk of fatal arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Previous studies in humans with HCM have demonstrated increased cardiac norepinephrine spillover and reduced beta-1 receptor (β1R) expression in the left ventricle (LV). We have previously demonstrated that cardiac sympathetic tone is elevated in an alpha-tropomyosin mutant mouse model of HCM. We hypothesized that HCM mice would demonstrate reduced β1R expression in the LV and attenuated heart rate (HR) and dP/dt max responses to ramped infusion of the β1R agonist, dobutamine. …

Implementing Associative Learning Using Neuromorphic Robot, Vinay Kumar Pillalamarri

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Associative learning, a key cognitive process seen across the animal kingdom, enables organisms to form connections between stimuli and adapt their behaviors based on past experiences. A particularly powerful example is fear conditioning, where animals learn to associate a neutral stimulus with an aversive one, allowing them to predict and avoid potential threats. Inspired by this mechanism, this project implements associative learning on an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) to develop adaptive behavior through neuromorphic principles. Utilizing Nengo for neural modeling, the UGV learns to associate visual (red color) and tactile (vibration) stimuli through Hebbian learning, a biologically inspired synaptic adaptation …

Synthesis Of Long Oligodeoxynucleotides, Yipeng Yin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Synthetic long oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) have found wide applications in diverse fields such as chemical biology, synthetic biology, and genes and genomes synthesis. Those applications leading to a significant demand for their production. However, traditional methods for purifying synthetic ODNs present notable drawbacks, particularly their inability to purify long ODNs, rendering long ODN synthesis challenging. To address these issues, chemical synthesis techniques for long ODNs coupled with non-chromatographic purification methods have been developed. This technology makes the purification of long synthetic ODNs feasible and offers a viable pathway for producing genes and genomes with extensive repeats or stable secondary structures, which …

Computational Analysis Of Vascular Aneurysms, Seyedmostafa Rezaeitaleshmahalleh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Vascular aneurysms, such as intracranial aneurysms (IAs) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), pose significant health risks, particularly upon rupture. Disturbed hemodynamics, characterized by swirling flow patterns, can lead to cellular and structural changes that disrupt normal physiological processes and contribute to destructive vascular remodeling. Integrating hemodynamic analysis into clinical assessments of aneurysms has become crucial, especially through patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations based on medical imaging. However, the complexity of CFD tools presents challenges in model creation and post-simulation analysis, limiting their accessibility to clinicians.
This project aimed to advance aneurysm management by exploring the role of intraluminal thrombus …

Orthographic Influences On The Production Of French Nasal Vowels By English-Speaking Learners Of French, Claire Evelyn Tow

Honors Program Theses

The present study investigated acoustic differences (F1F2 vowel space and duration) in French nasal vowel productions by three participants who speak French as a first language (L1-French speakers) and ten participants who speak English as a first language and French as a second language (L2-French speakers). French nasal vowel production by L2-French speakers was acoustically analyzed in two conditions: Auditory-Orthographic (Aud-Ortho) and Auditory-Only (Aud-Only). The results indicated a larger F1F2 vowel space for L2-French speakers in the AudOrtho task compared to the Aud-Only task. French nasal vowel durations were slightly longer for the L2-French speakers. Spectrograms from L2-French speakers revealed …

Using Gis To Evaluate Habitat Connectivity Among The Pollinator Conservation Reserve Program Pollinator Habitat (Cp-42) Restorations In Northeast Iowa, Ethan D. Dickey

Honors Program Theses

The Conservation Reserve Program pollinator habitat conservation practice (CP-42) allows farmers to turn their land, once used for agriculture, into restored prairie to provide floral sources and habitat for wild pollinators. In order for these sites to be fully effective, they must be accessible to native bees and other pollinator species. To understand the movement of native bees and how these corridors are being used to establish new bee communities in these restored sites, we must understand the landscape around them. The vegetation and native bee communities were surveyed at nineteen CP-42 sites in 2018 and 2019. Landscape and land-use …

Efficient And Effective Learning Of Foundational Large Multi-Modal Models, Yiren Jian

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The investigation of large multi-modal models (LMMs) has emerged as a focal point within the Deep Learning community, showcasing its prominence in contemporary research. LMMs exhibit the capacity to take data from diverse modalities, enabling them to execute a myriad of tasks by leveraging complementary information for enhanced predictive capabilities. The learning process of LMMs is bifurcated into two crucial stages: the computationally intensive pre-training stage, aimed at acquiring general representations from web-scale noisy data, and the subsequent fine-tuning stage, focusing on adapting pre-trained models to specific tasks.

Traditionally, the pre-training of foundational LMMs has been considered a privilege limited …

Social Interactions And Spatial Structure Drive Community Assembly Of Bacterial Biofilm, Matthew C. Bond

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Despite the critical nature which microbial communities play in the natural world and human civilization, the breadth of understanding remains shallow. Challenged by scale, high variability between environments, and extensive diversity, microbial ecologists strive to understand connections between a community’s structure and function, as well as the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms underlying observed natural patterning of communities. Biofilms are the predominate mode of growth for microbial communities—characterized by cellular attachment to a surface via a self-produced matrix and heterogeneous structure, often resulting in a primary growth front along the biofilm surface due to differential access to bulk nutrients (cite). This …

Governing Dynamic Watersheds Under Static Institutions – Examining How Local Governments Respond To Floods And Droughts In The United States, Jonathon R. Loos

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The U.S. has seen a shift towards decentralized watershed governance in recent decades that has increased the delegation of management responsibilities to local governments and community organizations. This shift has precipitated the emergence of multilevel watershed governance systems (e.g. national, state, regional, local management levels) that are hypothesized to be more adaptive and responsive to local needs. However, multilevel governance systems risk complicating and overburdening the role of local governments within watershed management, and little is known about how local governments address socio-ecological change within multilevel institutions. Working within several U.S. watershed geographies, this dissertation seeks to interrogate theories of …

The Role Of Flo11 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Colonization Of The Lepidopteran Gastrointestinal Tract, Kayla Jeanette Minor

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

Balancing Progress And Ethics: Exploring The Science And Ethics Of Gene Editing: Literature Review, Jackson Burgess

Honors Program Theses

Two decades ago, the completion of the Human Genome Project marked a pivotal milestone in scientific history, unraveling the blueprint of human DNA and laying the foundation for the Genetic Revolution. This monumental achievement allows researchers to uncover the correlations between DNA sequences and biological functions. Today, this movement has propelled modern geneticists toward the peak of human health sciences: the ability to manipulate the very essence of our being. With the aid of Genetic Engineering, scientists now possess the capability to alter the fundamental framework of our genetic code, offering the potential to cure fatal genetic disorders alongside other …

Framing A Feminist Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Lived Experiences Of Women Entrepreneurs, Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

Purpose – This article aims to explore the potential of feminist phenomenology as a conceptual framework for advancing women’s entrepreneurship research and the suitability of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to the proposed framework.

Design/methodology/approach – The article critically examines the current state of women’s entrepreneurship research regarding the institutional context and highlights the benefits of a shift towards feminist phenomenology.

Findings – The prevailing disembodied and gender-neutral portrayal of entrepreneurship has resulted in an equivocal understanding of women’s entrepreneurship and perpetuated a male-biased discourse within research and practice. By adopting a feminist phenomenological approach, this article argues for the importance …

Framing A Feminist Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Lived Experiences Of Women Entrepreneurs, Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini, Thomas M. Cooney

Articles

Purpose: This article aims to explore the potential of feminist phenomenology as a conceptual framework for advancing women's entrepreneurship research and the suitability of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to the proposed framework. Design/methodology/approach: The article critically examines the current state of women's entrepreneurship research regarding the institutional context and highlights the benefits of a shift towards feminist phenomenology. Findings: The prevailing disembodied and gender-neutral portrayal of entrepreneurship has resulted in an equivocal understanding of women's entrepreneurship and perpetuated a male-biased discourse within research and practice. By adopting a feminist phenomenological approach, this article argues for the importance of considering the …

A Literature Review Of Factors Contributing To Archaeal Diversity, Anna R. Carmen

Honors Program Theses

Archaea, being classified as its own separate domain only within the past fifty years, has earned a reputation of being notoriously difficult to culture in a laboratory setting. Because of this, their functions in ecosystems and potential for use in bioremediation is largely unknown and untapped. In order to further develop methodologies to successfully cultivate these microbes, an analysis of past research is needed to help understand where to lead research. After analyzing past studies on archaea and recalcitrant microbes as a whole, it is found that other factors are often overlooked and a label of recalcitrance is added. This …

Using Fiddler Crab Species To Identify Coastal Biomes Around The Perimeter Of The Atlantic Ocean, Amber Finke

Honors Program Theses

Organisms are distributed differentially across world’s surface based on many environmental characteristics. What part do physical characteristics play in demarcating the distribution of species? Using several international fiddler crab collections and GIS-linked sets of habitat factors, I sought an answer to this question. Geographic distribution data for 23 species from over 1700 collecting sites situated along the coasts of Europe, Africa, North America, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America were used to characterize coastal biogeographic biomes around the perimeter of the North and South Atlantic Ocean. As an initial objective, the exact geographic distribution of each species based …

Using Shapley Additive Explanations And Saliency For Interpretation Of Multiclass Classification Of Pdx Spectral Data With Deep Neural Networks, Mohd Rifqi Rafsanjani, Alison Dooney, Rahul Suresh, Alice C. O'Farrell, Monika A. Jarzabek, Liam Shiels, Annette T. Byrne, Jochen H.M. Prehn, Aidan D. Meade

Conference papers

The identification of spectral markers differentiating disease states when using spectral data is challenging in the context of modelling with deep neural networks, particularly in scenarios where classification models are developed with multiple classes. While a number of approaches do exist which can provide an insight into the features which are learnt by deep learning models, in biophotonics and chemical imaging these have received relatively little attention. In the present work we pilot the use of Fourier Transform chemical imaging with two deep-learning interpretation approaches within the context of a multi-class classification problem. Fully connected neural networks are developed on …

Optimisation Of Polyphenol Extraction For The Valorisation Of Spent Gin Botanicals, Ekene C. Umego, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

An average of 0.21 kg spent gin botanicals (SGB) is generated for every 1 L of gin, making it the major by-product of gin distillation. The present circular economy dynamics and increased awareness on resource use presents an opportunity for valorisation of SGB. SGB was optimised for polyphenol extraction using a three-factor Box-Behnken Design in response surface methodology (RSM). This was used to both optimise and study how the extraction variables affected yields and values of polyphenol and antioxidant activity of SGB. The generated optimum conditions for polyphenol extraction from SGB were 50% (v/v) solvent concentration, 40 mL g−1 solvent: …

Toward Circular Economy: Potentials Of Spent Coffee Grounds In Bioproducts And Chemical Production, Hisham Ahmed, Rasaq S. Abolore, Swarna Jaiswal, Amit K. Jaiswal

Articles

With growing concern over environmental sustainability and dwindling fossil resources, it is crucial to prioritise the development of alternative feedstocks to replace fossil resources. Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) are an environmental burden with an estimated six million tons being generated on a wet basis annually, globally. SCGs are rich in cellulose, lignin, protein, lipids, polyphenols and other bioactive compounds which are important raw materials for use in industries including pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Furthermore, the energy sector has the potential to capitalize on the high calorific value of SCGs for biofuel and biogas production, offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. …

Transforming Lives For Eternity: 2023-2024 Year End Summary, Southern Adventist University

Strategic Plans

Southern Adventist University's Strategic Plan Year End Summary for the year 2023-2024.

Computational Insights Into Graph Data: Representation, Embedding, And Applications, Lili Wang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Graphs are ubiquitous structures that model relationships across domains, from social networks to biological systems. This thesis, titled ``Computational Insights into Graph Data: Representation, Embedding, and Applications,'' investigates advanced methodologies for analyzing graph data through innovative representation learning and embedding techniques.

A key focus is developing hyperbolic node embeddings to efficiently capture hierarchical and structural patterns in complex networks. This work introduces novel gradient computation methods in hyperbolic spaces, extends these embeddings to heterogeneous and dynamic networks, and addresses challenges in maintaining structural role proximity.

In addition, this thesis explores methods for structural role embeddings, enabling the representation of nodes …

An Fpga-Based Eit System For Deep Space Medical Imaging, Kendall R. Farnham

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Dangers associated with high radiation and microgravity exposure in space are critical challenges inhibiting us from exploring deep space and pursuing long-duration missions, as current medical systems are unable to monitor, diagnose, or treat tissue injury within physical spacecraft constraints and communication limits. Ultrasound (US) is the current imaging system used on the International Space Station, but this technology relies on telemedical support (or onboard artificial intelligence/autonomous capabilities) for both operation and diagnosis, posing challenges for crews isolated in deep space. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive, non-ionizing technology that produces images of the electrical properties of tissues and …

A Study Of Inhibition Development In Young Children, Ai Thi Thanh Hoang

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Child inhibition can be learned consciously and unconsciously, and it is highly dependent on the quality of interaction with adults (i.e., parents and teachers). However, little is known about the impact of teachers’ emotional management and sensitivity on the development of inhibition skills among students in early childhood classrooms. This dissertation takes an integrative approach to explore whether teacher-child relationship and teacher self-efficacy have a bidirectional connection and how they work to impact child inhibition, directly and indirectly. The present research utilizes the large nationally represented Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 2010-2011, sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics in …

Challenges And Coping Strategies In Transitioning From Caregiving To Widowhood: A Systematic Review, Abby Baumbach, M. Courtney Hughes, Yujun Liu

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Ninety-one percent of surviving spouses in the U.S. cared for their spouses before they died. This review explores the challenges of the transition from caregiving to widowhood and different coping strategies used by widowed spousal caregivers. A systematic review of literature on the transition from caregiving to widowhood was conducted using four major academic search engines. Overall, 280 articles were identified, with 22 meeting the inclusion criteria. Challenges for widowed caregivers included experiencing care burden, letting go of the caregiver role, grief, and triggers. Widowed caregivers’ coping strategies included social support and services use, filling the time gap, finding spirituality, …

Assessing Life Expectancy Disparities In Chicago With A Deep Dive Into Green Space, Elizabeth J. Folkmann, M. Courtney Hughes, Lei Hua, Mohammad Alarifi, Mahdi Vaezi

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Background

Few studies have examined the association between green space and life expectancy, and only one study has looked at that data for small areas in the United States. These studies have found a positive association between green space and life expectancy. This study investigates the association between green space and small-area life expectancy in Chicago, a city in the United States with distinct environmental and socioeconomic characteristics and the largest U.S. life expectancy gap between neighborhoods.

Methods

We conducted a spatial analysis using the green space metrics of normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI), park access, and tree canopy. Additionally, …

University Biology Classrooms As Spaces For Anti-Racist Work: Instructor Motivations For Incorporating Race, Racism, And Racial Equity Content., Nicole L. Scheuermann, Candice Idlebird, Sayali Kukday, Vance J. Mccracken, Rachel E. Bradley, Heather E. Bergan-Roller

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Science is often portrayed as a meritocratic endeavor, but university biology programs exhibit high rates of student attrition, particularly among students of Color, despite similar interest and aptitude for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as White students. Culturally relevant pedagogy is associated with student persistence in STEM. One way to practice culturally relevant pedagogy in biology courses is to engage students in discussions of race, racism, or racial equity. Guidance exists to help instructors incorporate race-related topics into the biology curriculum, but the reasoning behind the decision of whether to adopt this practice is not well characterized. Understanding instructors’ …