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Introduction Of Polar Functional Groups To Pyridinedipyrrolide Zirconium Photosensitizers Through Post-Synthetic Modifications, Marisa Nicole Tordella

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Photosensitizers are vital components to applications such as photoredox catalysis, photodynamic therapy, and various avenues of solar energy production. The abilities of transition metal photosensitizers containing precious metals have been well studied over the years. However, because of the growing scarcity of these metals, there has been a shift in finding more earth abundant alternatives. To help fill this gap in the literature, the Milsmann group has developed and studied the photophysical properties of Zr(IV) complexes with various ligand systems. Due to the electron deficient metal center, these complexes exhibit ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT), unlike the metal-to-ligand charge transfer commonly …

Three Essays On Environmental Regulation And Economic Revitalization In Energy Rich Regions, Young Gwan Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation consists of three essays that investigate the environmental and regulatory dimensions of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development and place-based policy in the United States. The research examines how energy production activities interact with water resource management, regulatory compliance behavior, and regional economic resilience. By integrating empirical modeling, quasi-experimental methods, and policy evaluation, the dissertation provides new insights into how environmental risks and economic tradeoffs are shaped by regulatory constraints, strategic behavior of regulated entities, and government interventions in extractive regions. Managing produced water from unconventional oil and gas (UOG) production is a growing environmental challenge, particularly as …

Monitoring West Virginia Wastewater For Norovirus: A Test Case For Tracking Foodborne Illness Outbreaks In Rural Communities Using Wastewater, Haley M. Phillippi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Foodborne illnesses are a global public health challenge. Foodborne illnesses, like norovirus, often have a large disease and societal burden. Norovirus is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus, with 10 identified genogroups (GI-GX). Genogroups GI and GII are responsible for nearly all human cases of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. In the United States, HuNoV is not notifiable case-by-case. Instead, outbreaks are reported to national surveillance systems when two or more cases are epidemiologically linked. Most norovirus outbreaks occur during Winter to early Spring, however, certain individuals may still shed and transmit the virus without being detected or reported. Wastewater monitoring is a …

Evaluation And Identification Of Novel Viruses In Wild Fishes Using Varied Molecular Biology Techniques, Clayton Douglas Raines

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Viruses are among the most abundant biological entities on Earth, yet their diversity and ecological roles in aquatic vertebrates, particularly fishes, remain poorly characterized. This dissertation advances fish virology through integrative approaches that combine historical context, molecular diagnostics, and genomic discovery. A novel hepadnavirus (ApHBV) was identified in asymptomatic Alosa pseudoharengus, emphasizing the prevalence of subclinical infections in migratory forage species. In Catostomus commersonii, transcriptomic profiling revealed sexually dimorphic immune responses to hepatitis B and C-like viruses, highlighting complex host-pathogen dynamics. In Micropterus nigricans, next-generation sequencing uncovered a novel nackednavirus and multiple adomaviruses within hyperpigmented lesions, expanding …

The Dna Methylation Capacity Of The Tsetse Fly: Glossina Morsitans, And Its Integration With Symbiont Nutrient Provisioning, Dylan Forrest Richmond

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are the vector of trypanosomes (Trypanosoma spp.), which are responsible for African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness. African trypanosomiasis is a significant health and economic burden yet remains a neglected tropical disease. As an obligate blood feeder, tsetse flies are reliant on B vitamin supplementation from intracellular Gammaproteobacteria, Wigglesworthia glossinidia. Folate (B9) is essential for tsetse development and reproduction, as well as DNA methylation in animals. As a reversible modification, DNA methylation typically occurs in a CpG dinucleotide context and can alter gene expression via the restriction of transcription. Across insects, the …

Deep Target Recognition: Semi-Supervised Annotation, Sensor Fusion And Super-Resolution, Shoaib Meraj Sami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the recent expansion of machine learning algorithms to cover a wide range of disciplines, several areas of automatic target recognition (ATR) remain underexplored. This dissertation presents tools developed to improve performance in three significant aspects of ATR: semi-supervised annotation, sensor fusion, and image super-resolution. The aim of the semi-supervised methods is to automatically annotate targets in scenarios where labeled data are scarce in the target domain but available in the source domain. Secondly, to address the limitations of individual image sensors and enhance robustness under different environmental conditions and man-made constraints, a sensor fusion algorithm was developed to improve …

Ciliary Arl14b In Vision, Alexis Breann Crockett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Primary cilia are highly specialized organelles that regulate signaling, trafficking, and sensory perception across multiple tissues, including the retina. The small GTPase ADP Ribosylation Factor-Like Protein 13B (ARL13B) is an atypical ARF-family protein enriched in cilia. ARL13B acts as a guanine exchange factor (GEF) for another small GTPase ARF-like Protein 3 (ARL3). Mutations in ARL13B cause Joubert syndrome, a ciliopathy characterized by brain malformation, developmental delays, and retinal degeneration. Despite ARL13B’s known ciliary localization and clinical relevance, ARL13B’s precise functions in cilia remain poorly defined. This dissertation investigates the cilia-specific roles and GEF-specific roles of ARL13B in photoreceptors using two …

Feasibility Testing Of A Web-Based Phq-9 Test For Student Depression, Israel Oluwagbenga Odugboye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Feasibility Testing of a Web-Based PHQ-9 Test for Student Depression

Israel Odugboye

Student depression stands as a critical public health issue because it affects numerous young adults who experience academic decline, disability, absenteeism, productivity reduction, and suicidal thoughts. The general population shows a 10% to 15% lifetime risk of developing depression which leads to a twentyfold elevation in suicide risk for depressed individuals [3]. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) serves as a popular tool for detecting depressive symptoms and determining severity levels among students from different cultural backgrounds. The assessment contains 27 possible scores which follow DSM depressive symptom criteria …

Parameter Estimation Of A 100 Seater Simulated Passenger Aircraft, Michael James Winston

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Virtual flight test aircraft provide good opportunities to test new parameter estimation methods. However, good estimates for the parameters in VIRTTAC Castor, a virtual test aircraft, are unavailable. This thesis uses two well-established time domain methods, the Output Error Method and the Filter Error Method, to estimate the parameters of VIRTTAC Castor. Three standard maneuvers were used: Elevator 3-2-1-1, Rudder Doublet, and Aileron Multi-Step. The parameters were estimated across three different flight conditions: weight, altitude and air speed, which resulted in 27 tests for each maneuver. All parameters, and standard deviations estimated are included in the appendix as a table.

Effects Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Gradients On Fish Beta Diversity In Central Appalachian Streams, Alanna Kaylee Lowther Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the environmental and spatial drivers of community composition is essential for conserving freshwater biodiversity. We examined how environmental gradients, land cover, and spatial structure influence fish beta diversity in wadeable streams across West Virginia, USA. We quantified total beta diversity and partitioned it into species replacement and richness difference components and used local contributions to beta diversity (LCBD) to identify compositionally unique sites. Community–environment relationships were evaluated with distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA), and a beta regression GLMM was used to test how elevation, slope, land cover, and stream order (factor) predicted LCBD while accounting for spatial structure (dbMEMs) and …

Watershed-Level Survey Of Antimicrobial Resistance From Onsite Wastewater Systems, Trey Franklin Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has quickly become one of the largest global health and development threats. Research related to environmental modes of transmission of AMR has accelerated in recent years, and the US Environmental Protection Agency is particularly interested in this emerging contaminant. Knowledge of how onsite (decentralized) wastewater treatment systems contribute to this issue is lacking, so this research serves to analyze and quantify the environmental dissemination of AMR and fecal contamination from these sources at a watershed level while using statistical analysis to assess relationships between physiochemical, spatial, and sampling parameters. This research surveyed four watersheds …

Perceptions Of Partnership: How Instructional Designers And Faculty Collaborate To Design Online Courses In Higher Education, Robin Zahrndt

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic study examines the collaboration between faculty members and instructional designers during the development of online courses at a large, research-intensive university. As institutions expand their digital learning initiatives, effective partnerships between faculty and instructional designers have become increasingly important; however, they are often constrained by hierarchical norms, disciplinary differences, and time pressures. Using a framework for interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare settings, this study analyzed recorded meetings and post-participation interviews to examine how collaboration unfolded and how participants perceived its influence on course quality. Findings indicate that faculty maintained clear ownership of instructional decisions, often viewing designers as supportive …

Assessing Stress, Anxiety, And Burnout In Undergraduate Veterinary Technology Students, Dean Ann Daughaday-Provine

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Academic stress, anxiety, and burnout can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of students pursuing degrees in veterinary medicine. This quantitative study was designed to investigate the effects of academic stress, anxiety, and burnout on undergraduate students enrolled in Veterinary Technology programs. This study gained critical insight from current students transitioning through a rigorous curriculum of standards designed by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) has established standards, outlined in policies and procedures, to ensure the quality of assessments and enhancements in veterinary education within accredited Veterinary Technology programs.

Understanding The Influence Of Team Identifications Influence On Perception Of States, Morgan Elizabeth Macke

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Team identification refers to an individual’s psychological connection to a team or athlete (Wann, 2006a), while rival salience involves awareness of a prominent rival team (Wann & James, 2019). This study examined the relationship between sport team identification and perceptions of a state housing a salient rival, specifically whether identification with the University of Kentucky (UK) men’s basketball team influenced perceptions of Tennessee, home to rival team University of Tennessee (UT). It was hypothesized that greater team identification would be associated with more negative evaluations of Tennessee, and that this relationship would be mediated by perceptions of the rival team. …

The Evolution Of Veterinary Technology Education: Growth, Accreditation, And The Role Of Murray State University’S Veterinary Technology Program, Tara Joiner

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the evolution of veterinary technology education, focusing on the growth, accreditation, and role of Murray State University’s (MSU) veterinary technology program. The veterinary profession has experienced significant advancement and expansion in recent years. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredits veterinary technology programs, setting standards and conducting reviews to ensure quality. Murray State University’s veterinary technology program, accredited by the AVMA in 1986, prepares students for the Veterinary Technology National Exam (VTNE) through a comprehensive curriculum and internships (practical experience). Findings from a three-year period (2022–2024) highlight mentor confidence in student readiness at 77.3%, with qualitative feedback …

Analyzing The Impact Of Geographic Location, Owner Knowledge, And Veterinary Guidance On Equine Vaccination Protocols, Colleen Mcanally

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how equine owners decide which diseases their horses are vaccinated for based on their geographic location, the knowledge they have on specific equine diseases, and how much they rely on their veterinarian’s recommendations. A total of 55 horse owners throughout the United States completed an online survey. The results showed that while most owners vaccinate for common core vaccines including West Nile Virus, Tetanus, and Rabies, fewer vaccinated for risk-based vaccines like Leptospirosis. Many owners felt confident in their knowledge of national guidelines for annual core vaccinations, but only a small number of owners were able to …

The Systematic Devaluation Of Legal Scholarship In Criminology And Criminal Justice, Henry F. Fradella

Touro Law Review

Certain bibliometrics have become important indicators of scholarly impact despite their many weaknesses. This Article presents data demonstrating the shortcomings of using citation counts and journal impact factors for law-based scholarship. Moreover, the Article argues that reliance on these flawed metrics is just one example of how scholars in criminology and criminal justice (“CCJ”) systematically devalue legal scholarship.

The Article begins by offering quotations from social scientists that provide insights into the negative ways they view legal scholars and their work. It also quotes from interviews conducted with CCJ scholars who hold a law degree and either earned or are …

Loopholes Of Liberty: The Supreme Court’S Evisceration Of The Fourth Amendment, David J. Looney

Touro Law Review

The Fourth Amendment’s protections against unwarranted government intrusion are currently undermined by the Supreme Court’s third party and open fields doctrines, which permit warrantless access to shared data and private land beyond a home’s curtilage, clashing with the Amendment’s aim to safeguard privacy and property in an era of advanced surveillance. These doctrines enable arbitrary governmental overreach, necessitating urgent review to restore constitutional protections. Rooted in Enlightenment principles, the Fourth Amendment historically protected “papers” and “effects” from physical trespass, as seen in Boyd v. United States. Katz v. United States introduced a “reasonable expectation of privacy” test, but its subjective …

Faith In Small Things: The Rlds Church, The New Left, And The Global 1970s, David J. Howlett

Religion: Faculty Publications

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Rethinking Behavioral Reassignment In School Systems: A Restorative Model For Holistic Intervention, Gabriel M. Velez, Thomas Durkin, Kristin Haglund, John H. Grych, Julie Novak, Sherri Walker, Emily Goldstein Nolan, Amanda Krzykowski, Janessa Doucette, Drew Deluito, Bridget Schock

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Growing evidence over the last few decades has highlighted that punitive approaches in schools perpetuate violence, furthering inequities, deepening issues of safety, and negatively impacting young people’s development. These impacts are particularly felt in under-resourced urban schools situated in contexts of community violence. Partially, in response, an increasing number of schools and school districts are engaging in restorative practices. This trauma-informed, strengths-based framework focuses on relationships, healing, and accountability. This article contributes to the growing literature on the potential of restorative justice to promote equity in urban schools and educational systems by outlining the development and model of a restorative …

Anxiety And Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Comorbidity Rates And Symptom Associations, Kathryn E. Barber, Isabella F. Cram, Elyse C. Smith, Leila K. Capel, Ivar Snorrason, Douglas W. Woods

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) disorders, including hair pulling disorder (trichotillomania [TTM]) and skin picking disorder (SPD), frequently co-occur with anxiety disorders, but reported comorbidity rates vary widely. Additionally, research on the relationship between anxiety and BFRB symptoms has yielded inconsistent findings. This meta-analysis and systematic review examined (1) the prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders in individuals with BFRB disorders and (2) correlations between anxiety and BFRB symptom measures. The study protocol was pre-registered on PROSPERO. A systematic search of PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science identified 119 studies (N=15,902) reporting anxiety prevalence rates in BFRB disorders and/or correlations between anxiety …

Preliminary Evaluation Of A Brief Intervention To Enhance Trauma-Informed Attitudes Among Educators And School Mental Health Counselors, Cheri Shapiro, Kara Lee, Courtnie Collins, Tristan Collier, Carl Sorensen

Publications

Professional development training designed to advance knowledge of the impacts of trauma and trauma-responsive practices for educators and counselors in schools and mental health settings have become common. Given the popularity of these training approaches, it is important to understand the potential impact on trauma-informed attitudes and beliefs. This descriptive, exploratory study examined changes in traumainformed care attitudes as a function of participating in a novel intervention designed to support trauma-informed practices in a sample of elementary school educators, administrators, and school mental health counselors (n=194) from one state in the Southeastern US. Positive changes in trauma-informed attitudes from pre …

Teaching Cuba In Georgia Today, Eric Kartchner

The Coastal Review

This essay details a college professor's approach to teaching a course on Cuban history and culture. The professor's pedagogical choices were influenced by Ada Ferrer's book, Cuba: An American History, and José Antonio Bowen's work on fostering independent thinking. The syllabus covered pre-Columbian Cuba, Spanish rule, the wars of independence, the Castro era, and significant cultural aspects like music and religion. The course emphasized multiple perspectives and encouraged student-led research, challenging preconceived notions about Cuba's complex relationship with the United States. The professor aimed to promote critical thinking and understanding through student-driven inquiry.

Luis Cernuda En El Exilio Y Análisis De Dos Poemas Cernudianos Tardíos, Mary S. Vásquez

The Coastal Review

The Spanish poet Luis Cernuda was viewed by most of his contemporaries in the brilliant generation of poets of 1927 as closed, cold, removed from them and from the explosive issues of that period. Once the tragic Spanish Civil War began in 1936, however, Cernuda was of very few Spanish intellectuals to to fight in the trenches in defense of the Republic. He also worked alongside Lorca and others in the Misiones Pedagógicas, which brought culture to the humble people to whom it belonged. María Teresa León wrote a passionate defense of the solidarity of Cernuda. The poet left Spain …

Leer La Pintura Las Meninas: Niveles B Y C De Español L2, Nydia Jeffers

The Coastal Review

La pintura española Las meninas (1656) de Diego Velázquez ha sido examinada por especialistas de las artes y las ciencias. Esta propuesta didáctica invita a los estudiantes de español de los niveles B y C a practicar la lectura mediante las conexiones curriculares de la obra. Para ilustrar su potencial educativo, se conecta la pintura con más de veinte investigadores de distintas disciplinas. El diseño de las actividades se apoya en teóricos de la adquisición de segundas lenguas y en referentes de artes plásticas del Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (2007) y abarca las competencias lingüísticas del Marco Común Europeo …

Implementation Of A Providence Early Assessment Team (Peat), Barbara Nguyen, Crystalyn Beier, Brittny Ross, Patrick Murphy Ccrn

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

No abstract provided.

Ski Jumpers From Kongsberg, Norway, Dominated Competition 1938 - Ruud Brothers Tour The Country Demonstrating Their Ski Jumping Skills, John W. Lundin

Works by Local Authors

This essay was written for the Norsk Bergverksmuseum (Norwegian Mining Museum) in

Kongsberg, Norway to provide a brief history of some of the ski jumpers from that small town

who competed in the U.S. and dominated the sport from the 1920s through the 1940s. This was

known as the Kongsberg Era, and the Kongsberg technique of ski jumping, developed by the

Ruud brothers, was the style used by most competitors.

In summer 2025, Mining museum staff contacted the Washington State Ski and

Snowboard Museum seeking information about ski jumping trophies in their collections that

were won by Kongsbergers in tournaments …

6-Week Student Wellness Program Improves Psychological Wellbeing Of Students, Alyson C. Gerdes, Nakia S. Gordon

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: Employing a waitlist control design, the current study examined the effectiveness of a shortened version of a newly developed wellness program.

Participants/Methods: Twenty-four students were randomly assigned to an experimental wellness (EW) group or a waitlist control (WLC) group. The 6-week wellness program focused on specific wellness topics (i.e., relaxation and mindfulness, yoga, gratitude and self-compassion, emotion regulation, goal setting and time management, and nutrition and movement). Both mental health and wellbeing outcomes were examined pre-post group.

Results/Conclusions: Findings revealed that the EW group reported significantly improved overall psychological wellbeing, optimism, self-compassion, and satisfaction with life following the program …

Breastfeeding Education In Peripartum Women, Kristen Chassner

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Breastfeeding is nature’s medicine. Though it is considered a natural experience between a mother and a child, it does not always come easy. Education is imperative for peripartum women to learn more about breastfeeding in general, its benefits to the mother and the child, identifying improper latching, and resources to seek help. The purpose of this project was to provide introductory breastfeeding education to peripartum women at a government-funded public health facility in Cleveland County, North Carolina, to increase breastfeeding knowledge, self-efficacy, and the intention to breastfeed for the baby’s first 6-months of life in 100% of the participants. Though …

On The Frontline: Stop The Bleed© Training For School Staff, Mary Michaela Hinson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The American College of Surgeons’ Stop the Bleed© course was introduced in 2015 following an outcry from the community surrounding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The Stop the Bleed© course was developed as a tool for training that any person could participate in, despite their medical background or knowledge. The course is comprised of a 30-minute didactic portion followed by a 30-minute hands-on portion where participants can practice applying tourniquets, packing a wound, and applying manual pressure. This DNP project aimed to educate school staff in a high school located in North Carolina on Stop the Bleed© in an …