Digital Commons Network^™

The Administrators’ Role In Teacher Retention And Their Role On Teachers’ Perceptions Of School Climate At An Exemplar Title I School: A Qualitative Study, Stephen W. Brown Iii

All Dissertations

This study looks at how principals affect teacher perception of school climate and teacher retention at Title I schools. While teacher retention and school climate have historically been issues at Title I schools, the issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study explored an elementary school in South Carolina through the lens of Critical Systems Theory. According to publicly available data, this school was an anomaly among Title I schools regarding the climate and teacher retention, with both measures being extremely high. To explore these phenomena, semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the teachers and administrators at …

A Systemic Approach To Maximize Heterogeneous System Performance, Thomas L. Randall

All Dissertations

Continuous increases in high performance computing (HPC) throughput have served as catalysts for industry and scientific advancement in countless manners that have fundamentally shaped our modern world. Our demands on compute resources continue to scale, but the limitations of Ahmdal’s law and Dennard scaling have proven increasingly difficult to overcome when approached solely through hardware or software design. Furthermore, many HPC applications fail to utilize the collective system’s performance, even on the most advanced supercomputers.

However, the resurgence of AI in the industry has promoted an explosion of hardware and software codesign that have fueled massive improvements in GPU design …

Effect Of Calculator Use On Algebra Progress Monitoring Slopes Among Students In Secondary Foundational Algebra Classes, Karon A. Burke

All Dissertations

Calculator usage has become commonplace in the secondary mathematics classroom, yet most progress monitoring studies using curriculum-based measurement tools have been completed without using calculators. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether using a calculator made a statistically significant difference in the depiction of students’ growth rates among student participants who were low performing in mathematics and were enrolled in a foundational algebra course. This study spanned the Fall semester and included 46 ninth-grade participants from five classes who were all considered at risk, including students diagnosed with a disability and/or as multilingual learners. To validate the …

An Examination Of The Role Of Recreational Therapy In Forensic And Correctional Settings, Sarah R. Fischer

All Dissertations

The estimated prevalence of adults, age 18 and older, with serious mental illness (SMI) in the United States is approximately 6% (NIMH, 2022a). Having a mental illness places individuals at higher risk for arrest and incarceration (NAMI, n.d.b) where they receive treatment, including recreational therapy (RT) in state hospitals, jails or prisons. The purpose of this multi-method study was to gain a better understanding of the role of RT in treating adults with SMI in forensic and correctional settings. A non-standardized 122-item cross-sectional survey (n=49) was used to identify what interventions recreational therapists are using, for what intended outcomes; and …

Identification And Characterization Of Intermediate Phenotypes To Decipher Genetic Architecture Of Stalk Lodging Resistance In Maize (Zea Mays L.), Bharath Kunduru

All Dissertations

Maize is a key contributor to global food security and incurs severe yield losses due to stalk lodging, the permanent displacement of plants from an upright growth habit due to mechanical damage to the stem (stalk). Stalk lodging resistance, an indicator of the stalk ability to resist lodging, is a complex trait and determined by several structural, geometric, and material properties of stalks, collectively referred to as intermediate phenotypes, whose identity and genetic framework are poorly understood. Therefore, progress in resolving the genetic architecture of stalk lodging resistance was impeded by a lack of standardized phenotyping methodologies and a poor …

Domain Decomposition For Coupled Systems Of Fluid-Structure Interaction And Numerical Modeling For Thin Film Polymers, Amy De Castro

All Dissertations

We consider two primary areas of physical application in this work: fluid interaction systems with either linear elastic structures or with poroelastic structures, and thin film polymers, where the majority of the work focuses on the fluid-structure interaction systems.

In the first chapter, we present a strongly coupled partitioned method for fluid structure interaction (FSI) problems based on a monolithic formulation of the system which employs a Lagrange multiplier (LM). We prove that both the semi-discrete and fully discrete formulations are well-posed. To derive the partitioned scheme, a Schur complement equation, which implicitly expresses the Lagrange multiplier and the fluid …

Leadership Matters: The Impact Of Transformational Leadership And Mattering On Job Attitudes And Perceived Performance, Chelsea E. Robbins

All Dissertations

Mattering refers to the sense that one is significant and valued by others, which has been linked by a small but growing body of research to key work-related outcomes, including job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance. This study examines mattering among Basic Science Medical Educators (BSME), a group potentially vulnerable to low workplace mattering due to limited leadership support and isolation from communities of practice. Consideration for follower well-being is important across many leadership theories, and transformational leadership behaviors overlap highly with behaviors thought to increase mattering. Survey responses from BSME and a general workforce sample were analyzed to …

Understanding The Genetic And Metabolic Underpinnings Of Complex Traits In C4 Grasses, Manwinder Singh Brar

All Dissertations

Maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) are two important cereal crops cultivated worldwide for food, animal feed, and industrial products. Productivity of these crops is significantly impacted by various biotic and abiotic stresses, such as diseases, insect pests, drought, salinity, and heat. Among factors influencing crop performance under stress, the regulation of leaf longevity plays a critical role in determining yield. Leaf senescence is a highly regulated process essential for nutrient remobilization through the degradation of cellular components in aging leaves, but premature or accelerated senescence reduces photosynthetic efficiency and yield. Staygreen, a phenotype …

Spatial Variaiton In Host-Associated Microbiota, Daniel Malagon

All Dissertations

Many organisms rely upon the internal and/or external microbial communities they harbor. Microbial communities which depend upon other organisms for survival are known as host-associated (HA) microbial communities. HA microbial communities differ in diversity and composition from surrounding environmental microbiota and are generally less diverse than surrounding soil microbiomes. Although distinct bacterial profiles exist between host and environment, microbial scale dispersal often links the two. For this reason, host and environmental microbial communities can be correlated (e.g., dominant taxa in HA microbiota are dominant in the host microenvironment or vice versa). Eukaryotic hosts act as islands for HA microbiota. Unlike …

Investigate The Use Of Nucleic Acids As Pesticides To Manage Major Pests And Pathogens Of Crops In South Carolina, Prasanna Valavanur Shekar

All Dissertations

The sugarcane aphid (SCA, Melanaphis sorghi), first discovered on grain sorghum in late 2013, has gradually become a major insect pest of sorghum. It inflicts significant damage to the crop year after year, causing millions of dollars in losses throughout the sorghum-producing regions of the United States. Similarly, Armillaria root rot—also referred to as oak root rot—is a major cause of decline in peach (Prunus persica) production in the southeastern United States. This disease is caused by Armillaria mellea and Armillaria tabescens. Current management practices for controlling M. sorghi include the use of synthetic pesticides, resistant varieties, and regular scouting. …

Enhancing Photovoltaic Inverter Reliability Through Advanced Hardware Protection And Simulation Techniques, Buck Brown

All Dissertations

Power electronics converter reliability is an issue in today’s grid, and it is an issue that will only become more prevalent as the nation and world move toward greater renewable energy penetration. While a significant amount of research has been conducted pertaining to power electronics converter reliability, (1) there lacks a universal way to protect the most critical component in a power electronics converter—the power device—from the two most common failure modes—short- and open-circuit faults; and (2) there does not exist a tool that considers both the component- and system-levels of a photovoltaic (PV) inverter for the purposes of lifetime …

Borders And Burdens: Three Essays On Inter-Jurisdictional Tax Policy In America, Benjamin Jaros

All Dissertations

Individuals, firms, and governments make decisions about the tradeoffs of different tax policies at jurisdictional borders, such as those between states, nations, or local governments; those choices shape the burden of taxation. This dissertation examines the effects of three distinct changes in tax policy: for state corporate income tax apportionment, colonial tobacco tariffs, and tax abatements for data centers. Chapter 1 examines how changes to the corporate income tax base formula affect state tax revenues. Chapter 2 analyzes how colonial era export and import tariffs on tobacco impacted trade volumes, raised revenue, and the distribution of the tax burden between …

Design And Characterization Of Lignin-Based, Thermoresponsive Soft Composites With Improved Mechanical And Transport Properties, Missoury D. Wolff

All Dissertations

In an attempt to reduce reliance on petroleum-based polymers, lignin – an abundant biopolymer – has gained popularity as a sustainable alternative. However, research on lignin-containing soft composites – i.e., hydrogel (bio)composites – has largely been heuristic, providing limited insight into the fundamental structure-processing-property relationships that govern performance improvements in this emerging class of ‘green’ soft composites. As such, this dissertation presents a systematic investigation of how lignin molecular weight (MW), composite composition, and the concentrations of crosslinker and accelerator impact the mechanical and transport characteristics of soft composites composed of lignin, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm), and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA).

In the …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence For Transportation Cyber-Physical Systems: From Detection To Cyber Resilience, Reek Majumder

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigates different methods for methane detection using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The author addresses the fundamental problem of methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. The first part of the dissertation aims to create a cost-effective system for real-time methane detection and intensity prediction using ensemble learning models trained on meteorological parameters. The ensemble learning-based classification models show a high accuracy for methane detection.

The second part of the dissertation investigates cyberattack detection for UAVs using a graph-based intrusion detection system (IDS) for controller area networks (CAN). This lightweight, protocol-independent IDS uses graph-based machine learning …

Essays On Worker Skills And The Black-White Male Unemployment Gap In The United States, Srijan Banerjee

All Dissertations

This dissertation is composed of two chapters examining how differences in experience and skill development, over the life-cycle of workers, shape the unemployment gap between black and white male workers in the United States. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial since the black-white unemployment gap remains a persistent feature of the US labor market across the past several decades.

In the first chapter, I study the impact of differences in life-cycle skill development on the black-white unemployment gap for high-school-educated male workers. Using a shift-share framework, I document the inability of differences in labor composition across observable characteristics such as education, …

Understanding Conversion Of Long Chain Fatty Acids In Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Julia Ann Funk

All Dissertations

Anaerobic co-digestion with fats, oils, and grease (FOG) waste can increase energy production due to the high methane potential of lipids. However, adding FOG can lead to operational issues caused by accumulating saturated long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). My research explored why saturated LCFAs are often the primary intermediate that accumulates and the microbial sensitives of the populations responsible for their degradation. In each batch or semi-continuous experiment, all intermediates of FOG degradation, including LCFAs, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), Hydrogen gas (H₂), and endpoint methane production, were paired with temporal quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of the Syntrophomonas genus …

Amyloid Aggregation And Mitigation, Zhenzhen Zhang

All Dissertations

The buildup of protein in tissues and organs plays a major role in unfunctional several serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Type 2 diabetes, each tied to specific proteins that form harmful amyloid deposits. Amyloid aggregation typically follows a sigmoidal kinetic curve, beginning with a slow lag phase, followed by rapid fibril growth, and eventually reaching a plateau where mature, stable fibrils are formed. However, the early stage of aggregation remains particularly difficult to capture experimentally due to the highly dynamic nature and low abundance of small oligomeric species. In this dissertation, we employed discrete molecular dynamics (DMD) …

An Investigation Of Design Processes And Their Effects On Accessibility In Narrative Themed Environments, Arielle Spencer

All Dissertations

Accessibility matters, and not merely in meeting minimum codes or limited to basic necessities. Access and inclusion matter still more in places of recreation and leisure which have too often been overlooked or considered low priority, however it is precisely these places that merit special attention. Narrative Themed Environments occupy a unique position relative to the general built environment, often acting as utopic ‘other-spaces’ for enjoyment, freedom, and escape. However, for guests with disabilities, current themed experiences can often lack true inclusivity and instead create inequality, segregation, diminished experiences, and feelings of isolation and exclusion. The peculiar idiosyncratic design process …

The Role Of The Neutral Wind In Observations Of High-Latitude Ionospheric Energy Transfer, Andrew M. Pepper

All Dissertations

Joule heating results from the collisional interaction between ions and neutrals and serves as a crucial mechanism for energy transfer between Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere-thermosphere system, particularly at high latitudes. This dissertation investigates the modulation of Joule heating by altitude-resolved neutral winds, electric fields, and conductivity variations through multi-instrument observational analysis and modeling that incorporates both in-situ and ground-based sources to measure the main drivers of ion-neutral coupling. The observations presented consistently demonstrate a dual regulatory effect of the neutral wind on energy deposition that varies systematically with both geomagnetic activity level and proximity to auroral boundaries. In regions characterized …

User Acceptance Of Shared Autonomous Vehicles, Haotian Su

All Dissertations

A dissertation is proposed to explore user acceptance of shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). SAVs are facing limited user acceptance. To systematically tackle the user acceptance barriers of SAVs, the main problem can be disintegrated into two sub-problems of user acceptance of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and ridesharing. The comfort of the ride experience in AVs is a determinant of user acceptance. Understanding the influential factors and developing methodologies to quantify human comfort in AVs are essential to facilitating future research to improve human comfort in AVs. The current pooled rideshare (PR) service closely resembles the anticipated future of SAVs. Understanding why …

Writing Feedback For Middle Grades Students: Commentary That Is Timely And Impactful For Creating Self-Sufficient Writers, Kaitlin P. Lambert

Dissertations

This qualitative case study determined which pre-existing writing feedback models are most impactful and timely for creating self-sufficient student writers at the secondary level of schooling. The context is in an inner-city, Title 1 middle school, and the research focuses on honors English Language Arts students in seventh grade. The study follows nine participants during a consecutive 12-week time period while engaging in various writing tasks and practicing types of teacher feedback, peer feedback, and self-feedback. With teacher, peer, and self-feedback, students participated in written, spoken, and automated feedback strategies. The data types included an informal researcher journal, three semi-structured …

Perceiving School Success: A Phenomenological Study Of Asian Indian Parents, Scott Nozik

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to explore how Asian Indian parents at East Ridge Elementary School perceived student success. The research sought to understand their experiences, their views on student success, and the factors they perceived as supports or barriers to achieving that success. Interviews with 14 Asian Indian families revealed four major themes: Positive School Experiences, Academic Programming, Holistic View of Education, and Parental Engagement. While communication emerged as a central element, it was not categorized as a theme but rather as a supporting factor. The study found that parents expressed satisfaction with the school’s cultural inclusivity and sense …

Real Time Adaptive Control Of A Pid Via Genetic Algorithm Machine Learning Systems, Cemre Tas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The most common control method that is utilized by all industries across the world is the proportional-integrative-derivative controller (PID) due the relatively low cost and complexity of the system. However, there are draw-backs with PIDs, it is not adaptative to a changing system, so it works on nominal systems, and it starts breaking down when a system begins to have a non-linear response. The method chosen to overcome both is the utilization of machine learning with the use of genetic algorithms.

This method allows any PID system to be capable of adapting in real-time, while not adding significant additional cost …

Quantifying The Effects Of Urbanization On Stream Nutrient Loads And Decomposition, Caroline Anscombe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban stream syndrome (USS) refers to the common symptoms of degradation in urban streams globally. Two symptoms of USS are increased nutrient and salt concentrations in streams, affecting ecosystem structure and function. Excess nutrients negatively impact freshwater ecosystems, placing downstream habitats at risk of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms. Excess salt runoff, derived from road salt application, is toxic to freshwater organisms and affects leaf litter decomposition, the base of aquatic food webs. Here, I aimed to quantify the effects of nutrient pollution and salinization on urban water quality and ecosystem function. Despite the widespread consequences of nutrient pollution, most …

Language, Equity, And Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Student Conduct Policies At Unl, Mandi Laib

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of student conduct policies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1977 to 2003 to examine how language reflects and reinforces institutional power structures. Utilizing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, this research investigates how conduct policies have historically marginalized Students of Color, LGBTQ+ students, and those facing economic hardship. Through a deductive coding process, themes such as institutional control, surveillance, and punitive framing were identified across four decades of student handbooks. While there are moments where student rights and restorative justice are acknowledged, these are often overshadowed by dominant discourse that prioritizes compliance …

Step To Freedom : A Lament And Grieving Redemption Experience, Anitta K. Tilly

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Rising Sun And Morning Calm : A Comparative Historical Study On The Response To Christianity In Korea And Japan, Gregory S. Whyte

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Navigating Transition To Adulthood In Epilepsy Patients: A Multidisciplinary Approach., Yinchen Song, L David Klemens, Hallie Orton, Audrey R. Kennedy, Jana E. Jones, Sucheta Joshi, Meghann Kelly

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

The transition from pediatric to adult healthcare systems is a critical yet complex process for individuals with epilepsy, requiring careful attention to both medical and psychosocial aspects. This review highlights best practices and strategies to facilitate effective transitions, focusing on the roles of multidisciplinary teams, communication strategies, shared decision-making, and transition readiness assessment. Key topics include early and ongoing communication, promoting patient autonomy, addressing mental health comorbidities, and implementing transition readiness assessments such as the Epilepsy Transition Readiness Assessment Questionnaire (EpiTRAQ). Additionally, the review evaluates models for transition clinics, emphasizing the importance of sustainability, collaboration, and tailored interventions. By leveraging …

Emapalumab Treatment In Rheumatologic Disease-Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Plain Language Summary., Shanmuganathan Chandrakasan, Carl E. Allen, Deepika Bhatla, John Carter, May Chien, Robert Cooper, Lauren Draper, Olive S. Eckstein, Rabi Hanna, J Allyson Hays, Michelle L. Hermiston, Ashley P. Hinson, Patricia M. Hobday, Michael S. Isakoff, Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer W. Leiding, Renee Modica, Taizo A. Nakano, Abiola Oladapo, Sachit A. Patel, Priti Pednekar, Mona Riskalla, Susmita N. Sarangi, Prakash Satwani, Anand Tandra, Kelly J. Walkovich, John D. Yee, Adi Zoref-Lorenz, Edward M. Behrens, Real-Hlh Investigators

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Plain language summary

What is this summary about?Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare disease caused by overactivation of the body’s natural defense mechanism (the immune system) against infection. In untreated HLH, uncontrolled inflammation (hyperinflammation) can cause significant damage to the body’s organs and death. HLH can occur due to genetic defects (primary HLH) or as a complication or worsening of an underlying disease such as rheumatologic disease, cancer, or infection (secondary HLH).Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) is a type of protein that is overproduced in HLH and causes hyperinflammation. Emapalumab is a medicine that blocks IFNγ activity. The REAL-HLH study described the …

Trajectories Of Attention Problems In Preschoolers Born Very Preterm., Marie Camerota, Francisco Xavier Castellanos, Brian S. Carter, Jennifer Check, Jennifer Helderman, Julie A. Hofheimer, Elisabeth C. Mcgowan, Charles R. Neal, Steven L. Pastyrnak, Lynne M. Smith, Thomas Michael O'Shea, Carmen J. Marsit, Barry M. Lester

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Children born preterm are at heightened risk for neurodevelopmental impairment, including specific deficits in attention. Few studies have investigated change over time in attention problems prior to school entry. The current study aims to describe trajectories of attention problems from age 2 through 5 years in a cohort of children born(GA), identify sociodemographic, medical, and neurobehavioral characteristics associated with attention trajectories, and test whether attention problem trajectories predict the risk of a reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis.

METHODS: We studied 608 infants from the Neonatal Neurobehavior and Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants (NOVI) Study, a prospective, multisite study of …