Digital Commons Network^™

Rise Above!! Second-Wave Post Punk/ Hardcore In Orange County, 1977-1983, Jessie Zepeda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Post-punk and Hardcore played a pivotal role in creating a youth identity in Orange County that created a stark contrast to the more recognized Republican image of O.C. during the late 1970s and early 1980s. While historians view this era of California for its Republican ties with former presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, we overlook the much more underground, yet important, identity created by many of the adolescents and young adults during this time. Though it is essential to recognize these Republican ties as they play a key role in understanding political dynamics and cultural studies that …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy As A Transdiagnostic Approach To Improve Quality Of Life Among Adults Living With A Physical Chronic Health Condition, Marissa L. Donahue

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The research contained in this dissertation presents rationale and empirical support for the application of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as a transdiagnostic approach in improving quality of life for adults living with chronic health conditions (CHCs). The first study consists of a systematic review that aims to examine (1) the current state of evidence of ACT for adults living with a CHC, (2) how outcomes are being characterized within this population, (3) the methodological quality of the included trials, as well as (4) summarizing the health conditions in which ACT has been evaluated for. The second study examines the …

Fast Computation Of The Friction Stir Welding Process With Model Order Reduction, Joshua Kay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a manufacturing process used to join materials through intense heat and pressure. To better understand and optimize this FSW process, mathematical models incorporating non-Newtonian Navier-stokes equations for large plastic deformation and heat equation for the heat transfer are used to simulate the FSW process. However, solving these coupled and nonlinear equations with high accuracy requires significant computational power and time. This thesis has applied model order reduction, more precisely the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Discrete Empirical Interpolation Method (DEIM), to efficiently solve the FSW system in low-dimensional space. Slight modifications are made regarding the …

The Effects Of Secondary Students Using Metacognitive Strategies On Reading Comprehension Scores, Georgia Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study focuses on researching the use of metacognitive strategies on secondary students reading comprehension scores. Metacognitive strategies are strategies that help students become more aware of their own thought process and learning. The metacognitive strategies used for this study were self-monitoring, self-regulation, self-questioning as well as the use of vocabulary knowledge. The study takes place in an intermountain west charter high school Reading for Pleasure course for students ninth through twelfth grade. All students within the Reading for Pleasure course received specialized reading instruction over a six-week term from the researcher. All students received approximately 360 minuets of specialized …

“Are There Any British Soldiers In Tobruk?” National Identity During The Siege Of Tobruk, May To November 1941, Stewart Golightly Weight

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Throughout this thesis, I examine what it meant to be British during the 1941 Siege of Tobruk. This is important as it reveals previous assumptions about the Second World War’s British Army, including its religious practices and regional distinctions, were more diverse and influential than previously assumed. To do this, I analyze previously overlooked sources concerning religion, morality, and regional identities to demonstrate that Second World War Britishness was not monolithic.

Feasibility And Potential Of Electric Air Taxis For Long Distance Airport Access/Egress Trips, Atul Subedi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Getting to the airport is often one of the most stressful parts of a trip, especially for people who live far from the airport. In the United States, many travelers live more than an hour’s drive from a major airport, and their choices such as driving, using public transit, or paying for ride-hailing can be time-consuming, expensive, and inconvenient. A new technology, Electric Air Taxis (EATs), is being developed as a potential solution. These small, battery-powered aircraft could offer faster, cleaner, and more direct connections to airports. However, the success of EATs depends not only on the technology itself but …

Implications Of The Attenuated Allee Effect On Population Dynamics, Dana Strong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Allee effect is an ecological phenomenon characterized by a per capita growth rate that increases as the population size increases in the context of low population density. The Allee effect can lead to rapid extinction events. Consequently, ecologists can attempt to control the strength of the Allee effect to help increase the population (in the case of endangered species) or decrease the population (in the case of parasites or pests).

This research aimed to study not the strength of the Allee effect, but the intensity of the Allee effect, or how rapidly cooperation between individuals causes the per capita …

Integrating Manager Perspectives Into The Evaluation Of Wetland Revegetation Strategies, Loren F. Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded and is dependent on complex and context-specific decisions. The decision-making process influencing restoration is rarely examined alongside ecological processes. There is a need for research that incorporates the social, economic, institutional, and logistical considerations that shape real-world practices, as well as ecological processes. Decisions made by restoration practitioners and land managers (hereon “manager”) are challenged by the lack of information shared regarding the practical constraints (e.g., cost, labor, specialized equipment) they face. Revegetation, particularly in wetlands, poses challenges due to site conditions and degradation …

The Impact Of Transmission Thresholds Across Multiple Scales On The Spread Of Chronic Wasting Disease In Wisconsin, Jen Mcclure

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildlife diseases can be difficult to control once they are established. This is especially true when they spread through contact with infectious material left in the environment. One such disease is chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal illness affecting deer and related species in North America and other regions. CWD is caused by prions, misfolded proteins that can remain infectious for years after shedding by infected hosts.

Recent research shows that CWD infection does not always follow from the gradual accumulation of prions through small contact events. Rather, an individual may need to encounter a certain prion dose all at …

Social Media Mining For Extracting The Experience Of Neurodivergent Individuals On Twitter (X) And Reddit, Kartik Thakkar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Neurodiversity refers to the natural neurological variations in the human brain such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome and other neurological disorders. it’s estimated that around 15% to 20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent. This means a significant portion of people experience neurological differences in how they think, learn, and interact with the world.

Social Media has become an important space for neurodivergent individuals to share their experiences, build communities, and seek support. This thesis explores how the online venues like X (Twitter) and Reddit offer themselves as digital spaces where …

Enhancing Grid Integration Of High-Power Loads Through Modular Unfolding-Based Power Conversion With Decentralized Control, Sanat R. Poddar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is a critical step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a cleaner, more sustainable transportation sector. However, many drivers — particularly those operating larger vehicles such as trucks and buses — face significant challenges, including limited driving range and lengthy charging times. High-power, fast-charging stations, which can rapidly replenish EV batteries, are therefore essential for mitigating these barriers and making electric transportation practical across all vehicle classes.

Despite the promise of electric vehicles, deploying high-power fast-charging stations presents significant challenges. They require large amounts of electricity, making them expensive to install, operate, and …

Lagomorphs, Ungulates, And Predation: Exploring Interactions And Quantifying The Effect Of Lagomorph Herbivory In Rangelands, Shantell Marie Garrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Rangelands are expansive ecosystems that make up more than 30% of the total surface land area in the contiguous United States. In the west, they are typically categorized as shrublands, grasslands or deserts with low precipitation. The vegetation communities consist largely of grasses and forbs and are thus widely used for livestock grazing. Despite their barren appearance, rangelands are diverse ecosystems that are home to a wide breadth of species.

The Henry Mountains, located in south central Utah, is one example of this system type. With their inspiring red-rock mesas and towering plateaus, this public land, managed by the Bureau …

A Software Framework For Translating Onnx Models Onto The Lace-C3a Hardware, Shawn Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Modern computers are powerful, but they are not always efficient enough for small, low power systems like those used on satellites and scientific instruments. To solve this problem, engineers often turn to FPGAs—reconfigurable computer chips that can be customized to run specific tasks much faster and with far less energy than ordinary processors. However, finding the best possible design for an FPGA program is extremely difficult because there are millions of ways a design could be built, and only a small fraction of them actually perform well.

This thesis presents SNOW, a new framework that helps automate the search for …

Experimental And Numerical Study On The Influence Of Carbon Fiber Reinforcement On The In-Plane Compressive Properties Of 3d Printed Hexagonal Honeycomb Core Structures, Deon Wallace

All Theses

There is difficulty with numerically replicating the behavior of composite honeycomb core structures numerically due to the trouble of gathering material properties from a hollow structure. Also, complex part geometries and carbon fiber reinforcement strategies can lead to unwanted structural weaknesses and variance in material properties that may not be reflected in numerical analysis when the part is additively manufactured. In this study, edgewise compressive testing is used to characterize the mechanical behavior and performance characteristics of these structures. The experimental results indicate an increase in the Young’s moduli of the honeycomb core structures as carbon fiber concentration increases. However, …

Investigating The Impacts Of Azole Antifungals On Growth Of Cryptococcus Neoformans, Gnanambika Sindhe

All Theses

Cryptococcus neoformans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen is responsible for cryptococcosis, leading to approximately 181,000 deaths annually, predominantly in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa. Fluconazole, a widely used fungistatic azole, is often administered due to its relative affordability and lower toxicity. However, resistance to fluconazole in C. neoformans can arise through aneuploidy, complicating treatment efforts. This study aims to deepen our understanding of resistance mechanisms to azole drugs by comparing fluconazole with other azoles, including both clinical and agricultural azole antifungals. Disk diffusion assays were performed to evaluate the ability of C. neoformans to develop resistance to these compounds, focusing …

Generative Ai In South Carolina Government Agencies: Assessing Literacy, Usage, And Adoption Support, Dundy Vishnu Vardhan Kodela

All Theses

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming public-sector operations by improving efficiency, enhancing decision-making, and expanding the quality of citizen services. In South Carolina, state agencies are beginning to explore AI adoption under the South Carolina State Agencies Artificial Intelligence Strategy (2024), which prioritizes protecting citizen privacy, promoting responsible AI integration, and strengthening workforce AI literacy. However, successful implementation depends on the readiness, knowledge, and support available to government employees who interact with these technologies. This study evaluates the current level of AI literacy, usage patterns, institutional support, and employee attitudes toward generative AI across South Carolina government agencies.

Data …

Editable 4d Gaussian Splatting: Scalable And Consistent Video Editing Via Uv-Texture Decomposition, Shuai Lyu

All Theses

Dynamic 3D videos are now widely used in VR, AR, and telepresence, where users often want to change the style or appearance of objects such as clothing over a whole sequence. However, editing such dynamic 3D content is still hard, because appearance, geometry, and motion are tightly coupled, so even a simple color change must stay consistent in all views and at all time steps. Existing editing methods based on 4D Gaussian Splatting often work in a frame-by-frame way, which is slow and makes it difficult to keep temporal and multi-view consistency.

This thesis proposes Editable-4DGS, a representation-centric framework that …

Branding The Divide: Political Ideology And The Strategic Challenges Of Higher Education Marketing, Oscar J. Early Mr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how first-year students experience and interpret institutional branding within the context of their personal and social identities, with particular attention to the role of political ideology. While previous research had examined general branding strategies and declining public trust in higher education, scholars have given little attention to the ways in which prospective students make meaning from institutional messaging during one of the most significant transitions of their lives.

I conducted interviews with 12 first-year students from four-year colleges and universities across South-Central Appalachia. The phenomenological analysis revealed that students’ interpretation of …

A Comparative-Correlational Study On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of First-Generation Students At A Historically Black College And University, Shedred Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health and well-being of first-generation college students (FGCS) in comparison to non-first-generation college students (NFGCS) at a private Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Southeast. This study was undertaken to investigate students' mental health and well-being, as well as their use of, access to, and the availability of mental health services. A comparative-correlational research design was employed to collect and analyze the data. The study used a sample size of 388 responses from undergraduate college students enrolled at the private HBCU. Of the 388 students in the sample, …

Bud On The Ballot: A County-Level Analysis Of Citizen Support For Cannabis Legalization, Amelia G. Jennings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabis research has often emphasized usage rates among certain groups of citizens, focusing mostly on demographic factors. A less studied topic within the cannabis literature pertains to the predictors of voting patterns of legalization referendums. Past research on this topic has examined states with similar characteristics, which calls into question the generalizability of results. The current study attempts to broaden the scope of knowledge in this area by partially replicating a previous study that explored county-level voting patterns, while also exploring the potential influence of the declining agricultural industry in predicting support for cannabis legalization. This was accomplished by analyzing …

A Leslie System For A Demographic Simulation: From An Actuarial Point Of View, David Kings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis develops a discrete stochastic linear systems interpretation of age–stage demographic evolution grounded in Leslie operators and realized in a discrete-event simulation implemented with salabim. The central claim is that one annual cycle of the simulation constitutes a cone-preserving, stochastic affine transformation on a high- dimensional population state vector indexed by age, sex, marital status, household type, employment, and education, and that the composition of yearly operators yields a random matrix product whose top Lyapunov exponent is the stochastic counterpart of the Perron–Frobenius growth rate (Caswell, 2001; Tuljapurkar, 1997)[1, 2]. The actuarial bridge is constructed by mapping simulated survival …

Perceptions Of Choral Teachers On The Characteristics Of A Secondary Choral Program, Nathan Dale Rhea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of choral teachers on the characteristics of a successful secondary choral program. The study focused on the main characteristics of excellence, success, and sustainability. The literature showed that there was a significant amount of research on the music curriculum, standards, and various assessment strategies but minimal research on perceptions on the characteristics of excellence, success, and sustainability of a choral music program at the secondary level.

Data collection strategies included individual interviews of eight participants who were choral music educators. The analysis of data occurred through the lens of the …

Isolation, Chemical Characterization, And In-Vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation Of Novel Polar Flavonoids From Chromolaena Leivensis, Matthew Tohatsu Tetteh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on isolation, chemical characterization, and in-vitro cytotoxic evaluation of novel polar flavonoids from chromolaena leivensis. A 95% ethanolic extract of c. leivensis shipped by Prof. Ruben Torrenegra from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences, Bogota, Colombia, was dissolved in 1:1 methanol/chloroform mixture and its purity analyzed by TLC. The sample was eluted with toluene/methanol in an increasing order of polarity on silica gel, resulting in 49 fractions labelled CLA1 to CLA49. Among these fractions, CLA10 (1) and CLA19 (2) obtained yellow and white crystals. They were analyzed by GCMS, IR, and …

Rbm8a Deficiency Causes Hematopoietic Defects By Modulating Wnt/Pcp Signaling, Agnese Kocere, Elena Chiavacci, Charlotte Soneson, Seth T Jacobson, Emma N Harrison, Kevin Manuel Méndez-Acevedo, Jacalyn S Macgowan, Harrison H Wells, Max S Hiltabidle, Azhwar Raghunath, Jordan A Shavit, Daniela Panáková, Margot L K Williams, Mark D Robinson, Christian Mosimann, Alexa Burger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Thrombocytopenia-Absent Radius (TAR) syndrome is a rare congenital condition with reduced platelets, forelimb anomalies, and variable heart and kidney defects. TAR syndrome is caused by mutations in RBM8A/Y14, a component of the exon junction complex. How perturbing a general mRNA-processing factor causes the selective TAR Syndrome phenotypes remains unknown. Here, we connect zebrafish rbm8a perturbation to early hematopoietic defects via attenuated non-canonical Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signaling. In hypomorphic rbm8a zebrafish, we observe a reduction of cd41-positive thrombocytes. rbm8a-mutant zebrafish accumulate mRNAs with retained introns, including non-canonical Wnt/PCP pathway components resulting in convergent extension defects. We found that reduced rbm8a …

Gene Therapy Cm-Yapon Protects The Mouse Heart From Myocardial Infarction, Fansen Meng, Jeffrey D Steimle, Elizabeth Straight, Rich G Li, Yuka Morikawa, Zohaib Iqbal, Bing Xie, Jun Wang, Wyatt G Paltzer, Yi Zhao, Chang-Ru Tsai, Lin Liu, Maggie Lim, Rita A Schack, Daniel Ramirez, Katherine Carlson, Vaibhav Deshmukh, Jason M Karch, Robia G Pautler, Xiao Li, James F Martin

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Myocardial infarction (MI) affects millions of people worldwide, causing irreversible injury to the heart and impairing cardiac function1. In both mouse and pig MI models, activating YAP in cardiomyocytes (CMs) stimulates regenerative repair2,3. Here we developed an adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9)-based therapy, termed CM-YAPon, which enables transient expression of an active YAP variant (YAP5SA) in CMs following exposure to the small molecule LMI070. A single LMI070 dose in mice triggers YAP5SA expression, CM cell cycle re-entry, and reprogramming of the cardiac microenvironment. YAP5SA induction after MI rapidly improves cardiac function while pre-MI induction confers …

Alternative Splicing Of The Snap23 Microexon Is Regulated By Mbnl, Qki, And Rbfox2 In A Tissue-Specific Manner And Is Altered In Striated Muscle Diseases, Gabrielle M Gentile, R Eric Blue, Grant A Goda, Bryan B Guzman, Rachel A Szymanski, Eunice Y Lee, Nichlas M Engels, Emma R Hinkle, Hannah J Wiedner, Aubriana N Bishop, Jonathan T Harrison, Hua Zhang, Xander H T Wehrens, Daniel Dominguez, Jimena Giudice

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The reprogramming of alternative splicing networks during development is a hallmark of tissue maturation and identity. Alternative splicing of microexons (small, genomic regions ≤ 51 nucleotides) functionally regulate protein-protein interactions in the brain and is altered in several neuronal diseases. However, little is known about the regulation and function of alternatively spliced microexons in striated muscle. Here, we investigated alternative splicing of a microexon in the synaptosome-associated protein 23 (Snap23) encoded gene. We found that inclusion of this microexon is developmentally regulated and tissue-specific, as it occurs exclusively in adult heart and skeletal muscle. The alternative region is …

Transcriptional Coregulator Zmiz1 Modulates Estrogen Responses That Are Essential For Healthy Endometrial Function, Sylvia C Hewitt, Frank Orellana, Ryan M Marquardt, Myeongjin Yi, Cynthia J Willson, Mark Y Chiang, Yong Song, Goutham Venkata Naga Davuluri, Christopher Day, Ramakrishna Kommagani, Joseph Rodriguez, Asgerally T Fazleabas, John P Lydon, Francesco J Demayo

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Estrogen is a critical regulator of endometrial health. Aberrant estrogen stimulation can result in infertility, endometrial cancer, and endometriosis. Here, we identified Zinc Finger MIZ-Type Containing 1 (Zmiz1) as a coregulator of uterine estrogen signaling. ZMIZ1 is colocalized with an estrogen receptor α–binding (ESR1-binding) super enhancer. ZMIZ1 mutations are found in endometrial cancer and its RNA levels trend toward reduction in endometrium of patients with endometriosis. ZMIZ1 is dynamically expressed in human endometrial tissues during the menstrual cycle. Disrupting ZMIZ1 in cultured human endometrial stromal cells resulted in impaired cell proliferation and decidual differentiation. Ablation of Zmiz1 using …

Decorin Deficiency Promotes D-Galactose-Induced Skeletal Muscle Atrophy And Fibrosis By Regulating Itgb1/Akt/Mtor Signalling Pathway, Xiaoqin Luo, Mengxue Zhang, Lili Chen, Ruichang Wang, Jiabing Lian, Zhe Yang, Renato V. Iozzo, Jin Wang, Yan Zhang, Xiuli Bi

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Primary sarcopenia is an age-associated disorder with progressive and generalised loss of skeletal muscle strength and mass. Skeletal muscle fibrosis is one of the significant pathological manifestations of age-associated sarcopenia. Decorin, a small dermatan-sulfate proteoglycan, participates in extracellular matrix assembly. In numerous studies, the involvement of decorin is not restricted to matrix structural proteins, and it also affects a diverse variety of biological functions like cell growth, adhesion, migration, proliferation and differentiation. Additionally, it modulates the process of inflammation and fibrillogenesis. Based on these preclinical evidences, we hypothesised that decorin may potentially play an important role in skeletal muscles …

The Supreme Court Of India's Use Of Inherent Power Under Article 142 Of The Constitution: An Empirical Study, M. P. Ram Mohan, Sriram Prasad, Vijay V. Venkitesh, Sai Muralidhar, Jacob P Alex

National Law School of India Review

The Constitution of India under Article 142 grants the Supreme Court of India broad inherent powers to do complete justice. The contours of these inherent powers and what it means to achieve complete justice were left to the Supreme Court to determine on its own. In this paper, we empirically examine all the Supreme Court cases from its inception in 1950 till 2023 which use the term “Article 142” or “complete justice.” We found 1579 cases, which were then hand-coded for many variables such as the nature of the case, where the case was appealed from, the temporal distribution, the …

A Qualitative Study On Black Women Leaders And Their Career Paths In Higher Education, Beatrice Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership roles within higher education, especially in the presidency at historically Black colleges and universities. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the career paths and challenges Black women faced through their lived experiences in leadership roles across higher education institutions within predominantly White institutions and HBCUs. Guided by Black Feminist Thought as the theoretical lens, the study examined the intersecting barriers of race and gender that shaped the participants’ leadership trajectories in higher education. Data were collected through open-ended questionnaires, allowing participants to reflect on systemic inequities, mentorship experiences, and leadership development. Findings revealed …