Digital Commons Network^™

Origin Of The Mega-Streamlined Morphology In Ne Africa And Arabia: Remote Sensing And Field-Based Investigations, Mohamed Samy Mohamed Elhebery

Dissertations

Mega-streamlined landforms on Earth and Mars have been attributed to aeolian, glaciogenic, fluvial, and tectonic processes. Identifying the forces that shaped these landforms is paramount for understanding landscape evolution and constraining paleo-climate models and ice sheet reconstructions. Exhumed Late Ordovician glacial deposits and landscape of the North Gondwana are reported here for the first time from SE Egypt. Using field and remote sensing (Advanced Land Observing Satellite [ALOS], Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) radar, multispectral Landsat TM datasets, and digital elevation models (DEMs) I mapped the distribution of the Late Ordovician glacial features (i.e. deposits and landforms) in …

Examining Attitudes Toward And Utilization Of Mental Health App(Lication)S For Mental Health Service Delivery Among Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color (Bipoc), Kalani A. Gates

Dissertations

The prevalence of mental health conditions among Americans has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has been found to disproportionately affect communities of color and has contributed to elevated rates of mortality, morbidity, and mental illness. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are less likely to utilize or have access to conventional mental health services due to several access-related barriers including inadequate resources, cultural factors, lack of awareness and knowledge about mental health, mistrust of the health and mental health field and providers, and provider biases. Mental health applications (MHAs; software apps that delivery mental health …

Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment: Examining The Perspectives Of Survivors And Speech-Language Pathologists, Patricia Lynn Geels

Dissertations

Scientific advancements have led to significant improvements in cancer treatment and increased survival rates. However, cancer survivors often experience long-term effects, including cognitive impairments known as cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). CRCI is a common and distressing side effect that affects affected individuals’ quality of life. The discipline of speech-language pathology (SLP) is well-positioned to assess and treat CRCI. Still, there is a gap in determining the most effective support for cancer survivors with CRCI. This mixed methods, three-paper dissertation implements exploratory, cross-sectional survey design to examine how speech-language pathologists and survivors view CRCI symptoms, its impact on daily functioning, and …

Visual Circuitry In Adaptive Behavior: Extraction Of Complex Visual Image Information By Arrays Of Non-Image Forming Eyes, Thomas Kipp Halladay Groves

Dissertations

A complete understanding of how neural circuitry underlies the detection and integration of visual cues continues to elude researchers in the 21st century. Since the dawn of life on earth, light has exerted enormous selective pressure on all living organisms. Visual systems represent one of the most common sensory systems in existence, with significant homologies among elements of these systems, such as photopigments and developmental genes. Offering nearly unmatched single cell access at all levels of its nervous system, the European medicinal leech (Hirudo spp.) is an excellent system in which to identify behaviorally relevant neuronal circuits. Hirudo evolved discrete …

Association Of Lockdown Policies With Covid-19 Early Case Growth Rates In The United States, Anna Barefield

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted essentially the entire globe, infecting over 755 million people worldwide and resulting in over 6.8 million deaths to date. Different countries have had varying levels of success in managing the spread of the pandemic, and the success or lack thereof could be explained by the impact of government intervention, such as lockdown policies, mask mandates, and social distancing advisories. The United States responded particularly poorly to the early pandemic outbreak as compared to other similar countries, due to its lack of coordinated planning to implement effective policies, with large variations in action taken by each …

Conflict: An Autoethnography On Anthropology And Conflict Management, Rachel Koch

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Anthropology has many goals, such as understanding our evolutionary origins, distinctiveness as a species, and vast diversity of social existence worldwide and through time. The current study looks at the feasibility of combining the theoretical and applied methods of anthropology and conflict resolution to help future anthropologists do better anthropology. I created an interdisciplinary mixed methods study to gauge the compatibility and possibility of integration. Recruiting participants from a conflict management course on having difficult conversations, pre- and post-discussion surveys were given to measure how well narrative inquiry can help those on differing sides of a difficult conversation understand one …

Robust Control Of Contact-Rich Robots Via Neural Bayesian Inference, Nardos Ayele Ashenafi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

We provide several data-driven control design frameworks for contact-rich robotic systems. These systems exhibit continuous state flows and discrete state transitions, which are governed by distinct equations of motion. Hence, it is difficult to design a single policy that can control the system in all modes. Typically, hybrid systems are controlled by multi-modal policies, each manually triggered based on observed states. However, as the number of potential contacts increase, the number of policies can grow exponentially and the control-switching scheme becomes too complicated to parameterize. To address this issue, we design contact-aware data-driven controllers given by deep-net mixture of experts. …

Photophysical Studies Of Electronic Structure And Excited-State Dynamics Of Dna-Templated Cyanine Dye Aggregates, Jonathan Samuel Huff

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The invention and widespread adoption of the digital computer in the last century has led to an era of rapid technological advancement that has continued to the present day. This advancement has been sustained to a large degree by continued miniaturization of the electronic components in microprocessors, which results in increased computing power and energy efficiency. In recent years, this strategy has produced diminishing returns because the cost for each incremental size reduction increases as engineers approach the fundamental scaling limits of silicon-based semiconductor devices. Meanwhile, breakthroughs in DNA nanotechnology hold great promise for a new generation of self-assembled nanodevices …

Investigating The Causes Of A Landslide In Terra Nativa Subdivision And Designing Slope Stabilization Using Recycled Plastic Pins, Clara Klamm

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In early 2016, five homes along Alto Via Court in the Terra Nativa Subdivision of the Boise Foothills began to move. By May of 2016, the street was closed due to safety concerns, and a few years later, the homes were demolished. Despite the heartbreak and legal action that followed the event, a definitive cause of the landslide was never identified. To date, the site remains vacant. This research aims to investigate the potential causes of the slide to help identify the contributing factors that resulted in the mishap. In addition, the research seeks to design a way to stabilize …

Risk Assessment And Solutions For Two Domains: Election Procedures And Privacy Disclosure Prevention For Users, Kamryn Deann Parker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Risk is something that surrounds us each and every day, and learning how to manage risk in different areas is necessary to limit its impact. Two different areas of risk have been identified for this thesis: election day incident infrastructure and user privacy disclosure prevention. We ask if it is possible to leverage information related to risk to create procedures that handle it as an overall issue in order to apply procedures to similar areas of research. Understanding how to identify and prevent these potential areas of risk is important to secure information not just for a single person, but …

Transformation Pathways Of Lanthanide-Free Mn-Al-Ga-X Alloys Where X = Co, Fe, And Ni, Shane L. Palmer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Ubiquitous rare-earth, (i.e. lanthanide) permanent magnets (PMs) composed of Nd-Fe-B are the strongest PMs on the market. However, limited mineral sources, complex elemental separation, and supply chain volatility have shifted the lanthanides to critical material status. Inexpensive, readily available materials are sought to fill an energy product performance gap to reduce dependency on lanthanide PMs. Frequently, lanthanide PMs are used in applications where their energy products are excessively high. Mn-Al based permanent magnets offer a potential substitute for PM applications which do not require the high energy product of a lanthanide PM. MnAl alloys form a metastable ferromagnetic tetragonal …

An Accelerated Corrosion Test Method For Pre-Cracked Reinforced Concrete, Shahriar Abed

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Reinforced concrete (RC), a composite material combining the strength of concrete and the tensile strength of steel reinforcement, has significantly transformed the field of civil engineering and contributed to the advancement of modern infrastructure. Reinforced concrete structures are susceptible to deterioration over time despite their numerous advantages. One of the primary factors leading to the degradation of RC is the corrosion of steel reinforcement, primarily caused by exposure to aggressive environmental elements such as chloride ions, carbonation, and moisture. This dissertation aims to provide valuable insights into the accelerated corrosion behavior of steel bars embedded in concrete, considering factors such …

Exploring Spatial Associations And Complex Interactions Between Geotechnical Properties And Electrical Resistivity Values In Clayey Soils, Mina Zamanian

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: A successful design and construction of infrastructure systems such as highways and bridges highly depend on accurate estimation of geotechnical properties and understanding their spatial distributions, especially in reliability-based designs such as the load and resistance factor design (LRFD) method. Insufficient and inaccurate subsurface information has a major contribution to cost overruns and delays in up to 50% of all infrastructure projects. Insufficient site investigation may also contribute to inadequate or conservative designs, leading to costly failures or increased project costs. Hence, geophysical methods, such as electrical resistivity imaging, that can potentially transform the existing subsurface investigations are used …

The Bridal Industry: Body Image And Sizing Charts, Natalie Knapp

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

The apparel industry in the United States of America lacks a unified size chart. This inconsistency allows vanity sizing and individual retailers to preside over the systematic regulations of sizing. The bridal industry is the singular industry that is not affected by vanity sizing in the United States, which causes a plethora of issues when coupled with the media’s thin ideal and push of certain body standards.

The project utilized four sections of literature review: regarding sizing inconsistency, mass media and size dysphoria, United States standard of sizing, and brides and weight loss. Additionally, four different size charts from four …

An Analysis Of Sex Trafficking Support Services In Mental Health Care For Survivors, Darian Marie Alexandria Auge

Graduate Research Papers

This study is an examination of the current mental health care services for sex trafficking survivors. Sex trafficking is a growing epidemic in the United States and the need for mental health care for survivors is growing. This study examines the mental health disorders and consequences survivors face due to prolonged trauma. This study also examines current shortterm and long-term interventions that are suggested in the literature for care for sex trafficking survivors. Additionally, this study explores any current mental health treatments and programs and looks at any current resources available to sex trafficking survivors. This study examines options for …

Motivations And Execution Of Corporate Charitable Giving, Matthew Richard Johnson

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper is a literature review with a synthesis on the topic of corporate charitable giving. The author, a nonprofit fundraising professional, completed this work as a graduate student in the Philanthropy and Nonprofit Development program at the University of Northern Iowa. This paper explores charitable giving trends, motivations, and strategies of for-profit corporations in a way that gives nonprofit fundraiser insights and recommendations for engagement. Corporate giving is a sizable pool for nonprofits to tap into, and the practices and nuances of the topic are evolving. The research was conducted keeping nonprofit organizations in mind and how they …

The Impact Of Philanthropic Stewardship On Distributions From Donor Advised Funds, Elizabeth Messerli

Graduate Research Papers

Significant attention to and criticism of donor advised funds (DAFs) has created much curiosity and scrutiny of this increasingly utilized charitable giving tool. Concerns seem to be focused on two issues: grant distribution payout rate and timeline of grant distribution. Community foundations are the largest sponsor of DAFs in the United States. In the pursuit of discovering what impact philanthropic stewardship has on the distributions from donor advised funds, this study reviews the literature to understand influences of donor-determined engagement with a nonprofit on donor giving, nonprofit stewardship methods of donors, and the criticisms and challenges of donor advised funds. …

Psychological Distress And Problematic Video Gaming: The Role Of Psychological Inflexibility And Emotion Dysregulation, Frank Nieblas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Our increasingly technology-driven society has seen a dramatic increase in reports of problematic video gaming. Emerging evidence suggests that psychological distress and avoidance lead to problematic internet use in psychologically vulnerable individuals (Burleigh et al., 2017; Rapinda et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2021). There is also evidence that this process is associated with psychological inflexibility and emotion dysregulation, which are two psychological mechanisms thought to be predictive of maladaptive coping. (Chou et al., 2017; Blasi et al., 2019). Although existing evidence points to a role of uncontrolled processes in maladaptive behavior, psychological mechanisms in which distressed individuals specifically develop …

Dna Self-Assembly Of Trapezohedral Graphs, Hytham Abdelkarim

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Self-assembly is the process of a collection of components combining to form an organized structure without external direction. DNA self-assembly uses multi-armed DNA molecules as the component building blocks. It is desirable to minimize the material used and to minimize genetic waste in the assembly process. We will be using graph theory as a tool to find optimal solutions to problems in DNA self-assembly. The goal of this research is to develop a method or algorithm that will produce optimal tile sets which will self-assemble into a target DNA complex. We will minimize the number of tile and bond-edge types …

Solar-Powered Mobility: Charting The Course For A Brighter Future With Solar Vehicles, Ravi Nayak

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Solar-powered vehicles utilize photovoltaic panels to harness solar energy, offering a promising solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable transportation. This research project focused on the challenges and limitations of solar-powered vehicles and aims to provide solutions for their widespread adoption. The research questions explored in this study are: (Q1) How do different geographical locations and climate regions affect the feasibility and practicality of solar-powered vehicles due to variations in sunlight availability? (Q2) How has the adoption of solar-powered vehicles contributed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions? (Q3) What policies and incentives can promote the adoption of …

Utilizing Crispr Cas9 To Visualize Dopamine Receptors In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Lauren Michelle Velasquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter with imperative implications in many functions including movement, reward, and cognition. Studying the pathways of dopaminergic neurons at multiple levels allows us to understand the ways in which these systems can go wrong. We study dopamine in a model system such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans because of its relatively simple and well-characterized nervous system. DA is involved in regulating chemosensory behaviors in worms. The purpose of this research project is to definitively answer the following question: Are the dopamine receptors DOP-1 and DOP-4 expressed in chemosensory neurons? Previous reporter assays show that neither of …

Impact Of Subjective Cognitive Complaints On Mci Diagnostic Criteria In Alzheimer’S Disease, Rhiannon Rivas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most commonly occurring neurodegenerative disease characterized by deficits in patient cognition. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as an intermediate stage between cognitively normal (CN) and dementia in which the individual experiences some impairment but can function independently. Gold standard MCI criteria requires a subjective cognitive complaint (SCC) in which a patient acknowledges a decline in cognitive ability, however past findings on its validity as a measure of objective impairment have been inconsistent. Biomarkers found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and indicative of neurodegeneration are also used to examine AD progression. Our study investigates if inclusion …

Interpreting The Taiping Rebellion, Thomas Donovan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper offers an evaluation of the Chinese Nationalist and Communist interpretations of the Taiping Rebellion (December 1851- August 1864). As the largest uprising of the time, whose importance was central to the course of modern Chinese history, prominent members of both the CCP and the KMT perceived the seeds of their political movements in the Taiping Rebellion. What evidence supports their claims, to what extent they are rational, and how their narrations illuminate aspects of the rebellion is our primary task. In addition, the particular Taiping creed, and the many interpretations of it, will be analyzed and a cross-cultural …

Perceptions Of Interpersonal And Intrapersonal Gains Following A Therapeutically Applied Tabletop Role Play Game Group, Tyler Giatroudakis

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are group-based games which involve character creation and collaborative storytelling in an imagined setting, allowing participants to engage in problem-solving, creativity, and social interaction. While TTRPGs have recently been gaining traction, few have assessed the tandem of benefits that participants may gain simultaneously. This study examined the range of benefits for youth involved in therapeutically applied role-playing games (TARPGs), a novel intervention combining therapeutic concepts with TTRPGs. Participants were recruited from a nonprofit organization offering TARPG skill groups. A Qualtrics survey was used to assess participants' perceived gains from involvement. It was hypothesized that youth and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Effects On Hot And Cool Executive Functioning, Miriam Gabrielle Fenton

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to executive functioning (EF). However, researchers have yet to explore the differences in hot and cool EF in participants who have experienced ACEs. This current study aims to measure ACEs' effects on EF while distinguishing between hot and cool EF. We did this by administering the WCST, Stroop task, and the Visual Digit Span (backward) to capture cool EF from an undergraduate sample. Additionally, we used the IGT, the emotional Stroop, and Go/No Go (EGNG) tasks to measure hot EF in the same participants. We predicted that participants who …

Statistical Analysis And Machine Learning To Improve League Championship Series Teams, Alexander Gilles

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

One area for further study in Esports is the use of advanced analytics from a performance standpoint. This culminating experience project sought to find and implement effective performance analytics techniques, using the most popular Esport (League of Legends) as its subject. The research questions asked are (Q1) How do champions, players, and their associated in-game variables impact the results of League of Legends matches? (Q2) How can machine learning algorithms be implemented to utilize descriptive and predictive analytics for League of Legends most effectively? Additionally, while not an element of the analysis and machine learning model, it is important …

Surface-Functionalized Silica Nanocarriers For Mitigating Water Stress In Wheat And Benefiting The Root Microbiome, Anthony Cartwright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in climate and shifting patterns of drought threaten the growth of important cash crops like wheat. The element silicon serves as a plant nutrient and shows promise for strengthening wheat against drought while remaining safe to both the crop and the positive bacteria that grow on its roots. Silicon can be added to wheat in the form of silicon-dioxide nanoparticles featuring protective coatings made from plant-beneficial nutrients. These nanoparticles can be engineered with high surface area or porous structures allowing them to be loaded with additional nutrients that can be delivered to crops. In a laboratory setting, such nanoparticles …

#Bodypositivity Or #Bodypolitics?: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Body Positivity Myth Formed By Narratives Of Political Myth, Sydney Berenyi Lasike

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Body Positivity movement is well-known for advocating for the acceptance of all body types—including size, shape, color, and ability. Images online in support of the movement often showcase stretch marks, cellulite, and other “unattractive” bodily features to protest against the thin-ideal and strict standards of beauty placed upon women. Despite the goal to inspire self-love and celebration of all bodies, the hashtag #BodyPositivity has been taken-over by white, female influencers who have the idolized, female body. They contradict the original message of the movement through their posts on Instagram that centralize white feminine features and thin, Eurocentric bodies. This …

Investigating Mitochondrial Influence On The Rate Of Anaerobic Glycolysis In An In Vitro Model, Mackenzie Jenna' Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The rate at which the muscle acidifies after an animal is harvested has a profound effect on the quality of the resulting pork. When acidification increases gradually, desirable pork quality characteristics are developed. In contrast, rapid acidification deteriorates pork quality, exemplified by the pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork defect. The rate of acidification is determined by the rate of anaerobic metabolism in postmortem muscle. Yet the processes controlling postmortem anaerobic metabolism are not well understood. Recent research suggests that mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, may influence this process by competing for substrate (pyruvate) with anaerobic metabolism, thereby reducing …

Designing A Rubric For Evaluating Curricular Resources In Montana's Indian Education For All Repository: A Design-Based Research Approach, Megan M. Hamilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research study was to create an initial rubric to evaluate social studies lesson plans prior to their addition to Montana Office of Public Instruction’s online repository for Indian Education for All (IEFA) curriculum. In the first phase of this study, I examined Montana’s IEFA curriculum thematically to gain a better understanding of how Indigenous histories and perspectives are being represented using combined theoretical lenses of Tribal Critical Race Theory and culturally sustaining/ revitalizing pedagogy. In the second phase of this study, I used my thematic findings to inform the design of a theory-informed evaluative rubric. The …