Digital Commons Network^™

A Phenomenographic Analysis Of Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of The Geosciences And Geoscience Careers, Leah M. Wiitablake

All Dissertations

The climate crisis is upon us, whether we like it or not, and its undeniable effects are evident. Take, for example, Hurricane Helene, which caused unimaginable devastation to what was once considered a “climate haven,” Asheville, NC (Andreoni, 2024; Medina & Fausset, 2024). Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4, jumping from a Category 1 in less than 24 hours (Andreoni, 2024), and is noted by the National Hurricane Center as a major hurricane (National Hurricane Center & Central Pacific Hurricane Center, 2024). With the Earth now unlikely to remain below 1.5°C of warming (IPCC, 2023b), perhaps we can …

Real-Time Motion Augmentation And Synthesis For Animating The Hands And Eyes Of Virtual Humans And Avatars, Ryan Canales

All Dissertations

Virtual Reality (VR) enables users to interact within virtual worlds via an embodied virtual representation of themselves called an “avatar”. Because avatars are essential for immersive experiences, it is important to consider how altering or augmenting avatar motion affects virtual experiences. This dissertation aims to improve virtual experiences by addressing some of the many challenges in animating avatars and virtual humans.

In our first study, we addressed the lack of tactile feedback during virtual grasping by using visual feedback techniques. We augmented the avatar’s hand motion to remain outside virtual objects (“outer hand”) even when the user’s hand penetrated them. …

Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Exchange And Ecosystem Services In Ecosystems Managed For Nature-Based Solutions Using Eddy Covariance, Remote Sensing, And Models, Lucas Clay

All Dissertations

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, nature-based solutions are increasingly being used to restore nature and to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Nature-based solutions draw on methodologies such as ecological forestry and improved forest management to reduce emissions and maximize resilience. These protocols are still in their infancy and additional measurements and case studies are important to optimizing these protocols. Herein this dissertation we describe multiple measurement methodologies for both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and for ecosystem services. In coastal wetland ecosystems, the need for GHG measurements is paramount to understanding the ability of these ecosystems to reduce …

A Multiple Mixed-Method Analysis On Empathy In First Year Engineering Education, Libby Flanagan

All Dissertations

This multiple mixed method analysis focuses on exploring how teaching empathy to first year engineering students interacts with their engineering identity and their personal definition of the role of an engineer. The participants received a four-lesson series on empathy and engineering in the Fall of 2023. They completed a pre- and post-survey as well as wrote five written reflections over the course of this semester. Analysis of the survey results found that composite empathy and engineering identity scores increased significantly over the course of this semester and that the increase in female composite engineering identity scores was significantly larger than …

Disability, Sense Of Belonging, And Inclusive Classroom Climates In Undergraduate Engineering, Candice W. Bolding

All Dissertations

In higher education, there has been a growing interest in identifying and addressing the systemic factors that impact the educational experiences and outcomes of underrepresented students pursuing degrees in engineering. Students who identify as having one or more disabilities are an underrepresented population in postsecondary engineering, and although this population of students possess numerous strengths that make them well suited for the field, they often face barriers and challenges that hinder their success within engineering programs. There exists a robust collection of literature examining the experiences and factors that impact other underrepresented groups within postsecondary engineering (e.g., students of color …

Sufex-Enabled Stereospecific Deoxygenative Diversification Of Alcohols, Amaechi Odoh

All Dissertations

Alcohols represent an important class of functional group in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry, given that they are structurally diverse and prevalent in many natural products, biomolecules and renewable feedstocks. As such, they are highly attractive precursors for building-block synthesis, late-stage functionalization, and numerous synthetic transformations. However, existing strategies for the deoxygenative diversification of alcohols operate under constrained conditions, often leading to competing pathways (such as elimination), poor stereospecificity, low efficiencies, and limited substrate compatibility. To address these challenges, we have developed a conceptually novel use of sulfonyl fluorides as bifunctional reagents for the one-step deoxygenative diversification of complex alcohol …

Neural Operator And Physics-Informed Deep Learning Approaches For Inverse Design Of Composites And Manufacturing Processes, Minglei Lu

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, artificial intelligence (AI) models are designed and used to accelerate inverse design of composites and manufacturing processes. The critical bottlenecks in machine learning (ML) including data availability, data quality, model generalization and adaptation, interpretability, physical consistency, and the ’black box’ nature of models for the inverse design are addressed. And the proposed AI models are tested under different engineering scenarios. Firstly, a fast deep neural operator (DNO) structure was developed to significantly reduce training time. This model was tested in the context of additive manufacturing, a transformative industrial technology that allows for the creation of materials with …

An Exploration Of The Role Of The Disorienting Dilemma In Professional Learning For Academic Library Instructors, Anne Grant

All Dissertations

This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed method design to understand more about the learning experiences of academic library instructors from 2- and 4-year institutions during a professional development session centered on using Universal Design for Learning. Transformative Learning Theory served as the lens to examine data, and the concept of a disorienting dilemma that serves as a trigger for deep learning in adults. The experiences of the participants are explained using data from a pre- and post-survey as well as semi-structured interviews with participants to learn more about factors that may predict whether or not participants experience a disorienting …

Integrating Social And Ecological Insights In The Management Plan For An Emerging Conservation Landscape: Kanha-Pench Corridor, Hrishita Negi

All Dissertations

Since its inception in 1973, Project Tiger, which laid the groundwork for India's tiger conservation program, has grown from 9 to 53 intensively monitored and managed tiger reserves. With an increase in tigers' permanent occupancy outside of designated tiger reserves, one of the many challenges confronting India's tiger conservation has been managing its success, with a particular emphasis on this spillover population that ranges extensively in human-dominated, multi-use forest landscapes. This research illustrates the application of a participatory modeling approach to integrate human dimensions with ecological knowledge about tigers in a previously identified forest corridor in Central India. Key dimensions …

Optimization Of Polymeric Micelles As A Delivery System For Crispr/Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein, Lucian Williams

All Dissertations

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is an adaptive immune system in bacteria that has been harnessed to perform precise genetic modifications in mammalian cells. Among CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins, Cas9 has emerged as a transformative tool in gene editing due to its simplicity, high specificity, and versatility compared to the other Cas proteins and gene-editing technologies. Despite its potential to cure genetic disorders, the clinical application of Cas9 has been hindered by challenges such as immunogenicity, off-target effects, and low delivery efficiency. To address these issues, this dissertation explores using polymeric nanoparticle systems to encapsulate and protect Cas9 and …

Composites From The Reaction Of Elemental Sulfur With Post-Consumer Plastic/Packaging Materials And Food Waste, Katelyn Derr

All Dissertations

Plastic waste is a growing epidemic. While advancements have been made in the chemical recycling of plastics, most waste plastics are deposited in the environment or landfills where they leech into their surroundings, creating a threat to ecological health. The reaction of these waste materials with elemental sulfur, an underutilized byproduct of the fossil fuel refining industry, to create high-sulfur content materials is a promising route to address the chemical recycling of plastics and proposes alternative building materials to environmentally unfriendly mineral-based materials. Single-use plastics such as food and beverage packaging account for a significant amount of plastic waste. The …

Advancing Visual Geometric Perception: Camera-Based Depth, Reconstruction, And Active Vision, Ziyue Feng

All Dissertations

The advancement of autonomous driving technology and intelligent robotic applications has emerged as a focal point in the realm of autonomy. One of the driving forces behind this trend is the profound understanding of the environment, and at the core of this endeavor lies the three-dimensional geometric perception. This dissertation embarks on a comprehensive exploration of this domain, emphasizing the advances of depth prediction, 3D scene reconstruction, and active vision to enhance geometric perception and scene understanding capabilities in autonomous driving, embodied AI, and robotics. In the domain of depth prediction, this research addresses the challenges of accurately inferring three-dimensional …

Polymersomes As Chemotherapeutic Agents Towards Non-Invasive Treatment Of Glioblastoma, Molli Garifo

All Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GBM) accounts for over 66% of all malignant central nervous system and brain tumors with a 5-year survival rate below 5%, which has remained relatively unchanged over the last four decades. To bypass the most challenging barrier to treatment, the blood-brain barrier (BBB), one intracranial implant is clinically available for GBM treatment. However, this treatment produces severe adverse effects with no significant improvements in patient outcomes. Developing an improved delivery system with a more effective chemotherapy drug will provide more controlled and specific treatment through local delivery. In this dissertation, I evaluate a hyaluronic acid-b-polylactic acid (HA-PLA) polymersome system …

Cross-Interactions Of Amyloid Proteins: Implications For Aggregation Dynamics And Disease Pathology, Zhiyuan Song

All Dissertations

Amyloid aggregation is a pervasive form of protein misfolding implicated in the pathology of several prominent human diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D). These diseases are marked by the accumulation of amyloid fibrils and toxic oligomers, which are highly dynamic and heterogeneous, posing challenges for understanding their roles in disease progression. Despite significant advances in the diagnosis and management of these conditions, no definitive cure is available. We investigate amyloid aggregation and cross-seeding, with a focus on amyloid-beta (Aβ), tau, alpha-synuclein (αS), and human islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) through discrete molecular dynamics (DMD) …

An Efficient Computational Frameworks For Design And Analysis Of Metamaterials, Raj Pradip Khawale

All Dissertations

Advancement in additive manufacturing helps in building artificial lattice structures with unique properties that are not available in naturally occurring materials or in continuum structures. Specifically, beam-based lattices are well known for producing lightweight structures with very high strength, auxetic behavior, and energy absorption capabilities. In recent years, numerous research studies have been conducted on generating algorithms and frameworks to obtain unusual properties based on the variation in the cell geometry and material properties. However, the exploration of the full design space is hampered in practice primarily due to restrictions on cell tiling variation. Additionally, the lattices are very intricate, …

Genetic Testing And Anorexia Nervosa: Knowledge, Attitudes And Awareness, Sarah Ramsay

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three parts, each building on the results of the former, evaluating the treatment and research of anorexia nervosa (AN) from a healthcare genetics perspective. These three parts are bookended by an introduction and a conclusion summarizing key findings and providing suggestions for future work. First, in order to assess how Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa (SE-AN) is defined in the literature, and inclusion of those with SE-AN in genetics research, a comprehensive literature review was performed. The review found a lack of consistent identification and inclusion of the SE-AN subtype in AN genetic study participants. Second, …

Agricultural Water Use In South Carolina - A Series Of Investigations To Support Long-Term Planning, Charles Pellett

All Dissertations

Agricultural water use in South Carolina has been the subject of some public debate. While there are several sources of information available, the accuracy of the relevant data has been called into doubt. Self-reported estimates may be biased; survey sampling and extrapolation methods yield wide ranges of uncertainty; and reporting compliance or response rate can change over time.

Agricultural water users self-report that their estimates of water use volumes are less accurate than the other major sectors of water use. Center pivot irrigation is the largest and fastest growing kind of agricultural water use in SC. Since the year 2000, …

Property Rights Or Obstacles To Progress?: The Fundamental Flaws In Takings Jurisprudence, Liam Higgins

Journal of Law and Policy

New York boasts some of the strongest protections for tenants out of all jurisdictions throughout the country. Chief among these laws is the state Rent Stabilization Law (“RSL”). Among other protections, the RSL has limited excessive rent increases on regulated apartments, granted tenants a right of renewal so that they could remain in their homes, and permitted family members to take over the tenancy of their loved ones upon their passing. The RSL has been amended several times throughout its history, each time providing more or less protections depending on the administration at the time. Recently, in 2019, the New …

A Pan-Cancer Single-Cell Analysis Of Intratumoral Copy Number Diversity And Evolution, Hanghui Ye

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Aneuploidy is a hallmark of human cancers, with many copy number aberrations (CNAs) being associated with disease progression. Previous studies have revealed extensive inter-patient heterogeneity (IPH) in copy number profiles. However, the extent of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH) and its evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood.

To address these gaps, we developed Acoustic Cell Tagmentation (ACT), an advanced single-cell single-molecule DNA sequencing (scDNA-seq) technology, to resolve the copy number substructure of human tumors and investigate the evolution of aneuploidy. Applying ACT to eight triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients to profile 9,765 aneuploid tumor cells, we discovered that following initial punctuated copy number …

Oncolytic Viruses Enhance Long-Term Nk Cell Anti-Tumor Cytotoxicity Through Ap-1 And Irf Pathway Activation, Xin Ru Jiang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Natural killer (NK) cell therapeutics have emerged as a promising strategy in adoptive cellular therapy. While genetic modifications of NK cells can enhance their antitumor activity, modulating the tumor to augment NK cell recognition and function remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated the combination of NK cells with oncolytic viruses to treat solid tumors, specifically pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and glioblastoma. We demonstrated that infecting tumor cells with the oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGD significantly increases their susceptibility to NK cell cytotoxicity, driven by a hyperactivated NK cell phenotype characterized by elevated expression of activating receptors and cytotoxicity markers. In a patient-derived …

Investigating The Rare Aneuploid Cells In Normal Breast And Therapeutic Resistance In Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Single Cell Genomics, Yiyun Lin

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Aneuploid epithelial cells are common in breast cancer, however their presence in normal breast tissues is not well understood. To address this question, we applied single cell DNA sequencing to profile copy number alterations (CNAs) in 83,206 epithelial cells from breast tissues of 49 healthy women and single cell DNA&ATAC co-assays to 19 women. Our data shows that all women harbored rare aneuploid epithelial cells (median 3.19%) that increased with age. Many aneuploid epithelial cells (median 82.22%) in normal breast tissues underwent clonal expansions and harbored CNAs reminiscent of invasive breast cancers (gains of 1q, losses of 10q, 16q and …

Local Or Systemic Antibody-Targeted Sting Activation Drives Pro- Inflammatory Stromal Metabolic Changes And Downregulates C-Myc Oncoprotein, Akash Boda

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The past decade has witnessed remarkable advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has emerged as a cornerstone, achieving long-lasting tumor regression in several types of cancer. However, its effectiveness is often limited, particularly in certain tumor types. Immunologically "cold" tumors, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), remain clinically unresponsive to ICB, presenting a significant challenge in oncology. Amidst these challenges, the stimulation of the STING pathway via small molecule synthetic agonists has surfaced as a promising strategy. Acting as an in-situ vaccine, STING activation has the potential to transform the immune landscape of cold tumors …

The Unconscious At Work: A Psychosocial Study Of Leaders' Unconscious Processes Impacting Participatory Change Leadership, Vanessa Hills

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the varied dynamics impacting how organizational leaders conceptualize and enact their roles in participatory change processes. To that end, a multiple-case study informed by a psycho-social approach and using Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) methods was conducted. Each case was comprised of a single business leader. The findings, presented through individual case analyses and cross-case comparisons, reveal a discrepancy between leaders’ rhetoric and the reality of their change leadership behaviors. While leaders express support for collaborative change, factors such as a desire for control, fear of failure, and bias toward their own capabilities lead them to adopt …

El Leñador, December 2024, El Leñador Staff

El Leñador Newspaper

El Leñador is an English and Spanish newspaper produced by Humboldt State University students. Our staff cover and provide news to Latinx and other diverse communities on campus and in Humboldt County. We are committed to providing relevant news and expanding the representations and stories told about people of color and other marginalized groups. Our work helps create more social, political and cultural diversity in local media.

El Leñador es un periodico en español y inglés producido por estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de Humboldt. Nuestro personal cubre y provee noticias a la comunidad Latinx y otras comunidades diversas en …

Could Renewable Energy Use Boost Goods Export Performance In Asean?, Sherina Rafidah Khairunnisa, Siskarossa Ika Oktora

Economics and Finance in Indonesia

ASEAN economic integration increases trade opportunities and also triggers an increase in carbon emissions, especially from exports of goods. ASEAN needs to switch to renewable energy to improve the performance of goods exports. This study analyzes the influence of renewable energy on goods exports in ASEAN, 2010–2020. The results show that renewable energy positively impacts the performance of goods exports. Based on the results of this research, it is hoped that the government in each ASEAN country can strengthen regulations and policies on the use of renewable energy by providing incentives for producers and exporters who use renewable energy.

Deportation Effects On Children: Rural Latina Single-Parent Families With Children In Lower Grade School Who Suffer From An Adjustment Disorder With Anxiety, Amber Millard

Student Projects

Single-parent families, especially those headed by Latina mothers, face stressors that harm both parents and their children. This is especially true for those who have been negatively affected by deportation. Deportation is a frequently overlooked cause for single-parent households. Roughly 5.7 million children live with parents who do not obtain legal residency documentation, and approximately 500,000 children had at least one parent detained or deported within the last 2 years (Rayburn et al., 2021). Due to the deportation of parents, some of these children develop anxiety-related adjustment disorders. Research into effective methods for aiding these families is limited. However, experiential …

The Life And Discoveries Of Yellapragada Subbarow, Nikhil R, Varuni Pragya, Subramanian Ramaswamy, Shiva Prasad B N, Mahabaleshwar Mamadapur

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Dr. Yellapragada Subbarow was a researcher, teacher, and a wizard of wonder drugs who constantly made efforts in the discoveries/ inventions such as vitamins, anti-vitamins, antibiotics, and many more by disentangling the mysteries of nature for the betterment of the people. He inspired the youngsters to take up the challenges and to stand up above mediocrity. The reward for his achievement was delayed. The article describes a true humanist's journey, discoveries, and his achievements that are largely unknown to date.

Understanding Global Street Food Consumer Behavior And Experience: A Narrative Review Of Literature And Development Of Framework, Samit Chakravorti

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This paper explores global street food consumer behavior and consumption experience. The aim of this paper is to gain a holistic comprehension of street food consumption decision making and experience through exploring nature and sources of perceptions, attitude and expectations surrounding street food, the characteristics of the product offering and the domain within which it is served and consumed. To achieve this aim the author engages in a narrative review of academic research on consumer behavior of street food, provides a holistic picture of consumption experience of street food through consolidating and interpreting research findings, and extends the theoretical understanding …

Measuring Social Influence In Online Social Networks - Focused Literature Review On Human Behaviors, Shyamala N. Chalakudi, Gnana Bharathy, Dildar Hussain, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Measuring an individual's social influence (SI) capability is gaining traction with the rapid growth and expansive reach of online social networks (OSN). However, most existing frameworks and methods are confined to graphical theories or the structural properties of these networks. Even behavioral investigations are often limited to a narrow set of influencing behaviors and confront significant challenges in encompassing the breadth of human psychological characteristics. This study aims to address this gap through an exhaustive and focused literature review, concentrating on the definitions of human behavior characteristics rooted in established sociology and psychology theories. Beyond providing a comprehensive overview, the …

Implementation Of A New Graduate Registered Nurse Mentorship Program: A Quality Improvement Project, Cindy N. Ruisi

Nursing Doctoral

Transitioning from student to a registered nurse is a critical period for new graduates, often marked by challenges affecting confidence and job satisfaction. Mentorship programs have been identified as an effective intervention to support new nurses during this transition. The Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) offers a structured mentoring program that can be leveraged to enhance the confidence level and job satisfaction of new graduate registered nurses.

This quality improvement project aims to implement a new graduate registered nurse mentorship program at a > 400-bed community hospital. This program will incorporate components of the established Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses mentoring program, …