Digital Commons Network^™

Detecting Gene-Gene Or Gene Environment Interactions In Association With Complex Disease Outcomes, Taiwo Adetunji Famuyiwa

Theses and Dissertations

Identifying gene–gene and gene–environment interaction is complicated and gainsaying most especially because of high multifactor dimensions involve in the analysis of such combination discrediting the functionality of parametric statistical method like Logistic Regression. [22] developed a multi-factor-dimensionality reduction (MDR) method for detecting and characterizing high-order gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in case-control and discordant-sib-pair studies with relatively small samples, which is inspired by the combinatorial partitioning method of [18]. [16] proposed Generalized MDR (GMDR) framework based on the score of a generalized linear model which allows adjustment of covariates, provides a unified framework for handling both dichotomous and quantitative phenotypes. However, …

Nature-Based Group Therapy For Women Living With Depression Through A Narrative Lens, Cora Anderson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The field of nature-based therapy treatment is rapidly expanding. With an emphasis on healing the disconnectedness of the modern world through experiencing interconnectedness with the natural world, this modality is particularly useful in treating symptoms of social isolation and hopelessness within populations living with major depressive disorder. The literature highlights emotional and biological benefits of mental health counseling in a natural setting with key therapeutic factors. Researchers highlighted these factors as the natural environment itself, the element of challenge, nature as a third-party influence on therapeutic relationship, and expansiveness and interconnectedness of the natural world (Naor & Mayseless, 2021). Within …

Rural Voices: A Photographic Journey Of The Intersection Of Place And Reading Identity In Rural Adolescents, Gena Brown

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Researchers have long been documenting the decline in reading habits of Americans, particularly adolescents and young adults. Reading for pleasure has been declining for the last three decades. Young people claim that reading is boring and irrelevant to their fast-paced, largely digital lives. In the past two decades, the decline of reading has captured wide attention, but most of that attention has been focused on urban and suburban settings. A gap exists in the research when it comes to rural students and their reading habits. Using photo elicitation, I gained an understanding of reading identity as it relates to rural …

Navigating The Context: Implementing Inquiry In The Middle School Social Studies Classroom, Juliann Noble Healy

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Abstract

Despite over a century of advocacy by social studies scholars and professionals and the development of curricular resources to promote inquiry-based learning (IBL) in K-12 social studies, inquiry is not a defining element of the K-12 social studies classroom (Saye, 2017). Teachers face significant barriers to the use of inquiry-based learning. In particular, contextual barriers such as curriculum breadth, high-stakes testing, and lack of context-specific resources are indicated (e.g., Konopack et al., 1994; Martell, 2020; Voet & Wever, 2016). However, recent research presents applications of IBL in K-12 social studies classrooms, which suggests the potential to overcome barriers. This …

Tracking And Mathematical Identity For Rural Adolescent Students Of Color, Joseph Melvin Kelly

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

Tracking, or segregating students into varying levels of a course based on their mathematical ability and prior performance, is truly a social justice issue as it perpetuates racial injustice, widens the income gap, and does not foster equality (Gamoran, 2016). This is even more prominent for students who are socio-economically disadvantaged or minoritized. Also, dividing students into a group by their academic ability may cause them to self-label as inferior to upper track students (Ansalone, 2004). In addition, many students who enter tracked systems end up staying there throughout the course of their academic career with no mobility to move …

The Relationship Between Teacher Burnout And Physical Activity Among High School Teachers, Jonathan Davis

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Teaching at any level is a high-stress profession, and high levels of stress may result in increased rates of teacher burnout. The implications of teacher burnout are related to physical and emotional health problems for teachers, reduced student academic performance, and increased rates of teacher migration and attrition. One strategy for mitigating teacher burnout is to increase levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between level of physical activity and teacher burnout among high school teachers. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23) were used to determine levels …

Assessment Of Caregiver Burdens: A Screening Tool Development For The Improvement Of Caregiver Health, John M. White

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Grant To Support University Of Dayton-Led Community Brain Health Initiative, University Of Dayton

News Releases

The University of Dayton will receive a three-year, $450,000 grant from The Dayton Foundation to fund education, research and community outreach to help improve prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for traumatic brain injuries

Ud In The News May 6-12, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Sinclair Broadcasting's National Desk, Catholic World Report and Our Sunday Visitor are among the national news outlets highlighting UD programs or faculty expertise. Local media featured UD's commencement exercises.

Pandemic, Retail Sales And Local Economies: Evidence From Northeast Oklahoma, Sanchari Ghosh, Brian Jackson, Ray Murphy

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Early post-COVID pandemic studies focused on the macroeconomic impacts of that event on employment, income, healthcare costs, food security, etc. Yet there has been little emphasis on how changes in consumption spending patterns resulting from the pandemic affected retail sales and revenues, each of which are major contributors of growth for local economies. This study investigates these relationships by implementing retail pull and sales gap analyses to determine how non-metropolitan rural regions responded to consumption expenditures and retail sales before and after the pandemic. Using three cities of northeastern Oklahoma as a case study, retail pull factors at the city …

Tectonics Of Reuse: A Material Exploration Of Deconstruction And Reconstruction In Architecture, Scott Lafferty

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

This thesis explores the tectonics and poetics of reusing deconstructed building components. To challenge the current unitized method of deconstruction, a series of machines were designed to extract large-scale building chunks. These chunks were then reassembled using a range of details and connections that celebrate material textures and cultural memories of each architectural fragment. By developing methods and strategies for material reuse, the thesis demonstrates the potential for design to address the environmental impacts of the building industry and the architectural representation of cultural memory through tectonics.

Advisor: Zachary Tate Porter

Contribution Of Calcium And Vitamin D Supplementation To Nutrient Adequacy Status In Peri- And Postmenopausal Women, Joseph Drossman

Honors Scholar Theses

Adequate calcium and vitamin D intake is necessary for proper bone health in peri- and postmenopausal women. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on calcium and vitamin D intakes and adequacy levels in peri- and postmenopausal women. To evaluate this, the current study utilized baseline food records and demographic data from forty-six peri- and early postmenopausal women collected from a 3-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial which aimed to evaluate the effects of blackcurrant supplementation on prevention of bone loss in peri- and postmenopausal women. Significant differences in the data were determined …

Automatic Identification Of Jetting Behavior In 3d Printing With Binary Classification And Anomaly Detection, Alexander Chandy

Honors Scholar Theses

Consistently jetting different materials from the print head of a 3D printer is a key, yet challenging task in manufacturing processes. By using active machine learning, we can efficiently predict complex diagrams that illustrate the region of printing conditions under which “desirable jetting”, “jetting”, and “no jetting” of ink occurs for different substances. However, labeling the images of printed ink droplets that are fed to the active learning model can be time intensive. Therefore, it is ideal to use computer vision to automate the classification of this image data. This classification can be broken down into two steps. In the …

A Computationally Designed Ace2 Decoy Has Broad Efficacy Against Sars-Cov-2 Omicron Variants And Related Viruses In Vitro And In Vivo, Brandon Havranek, Graeme Walker Lindsey, Yusuke Higuchi, Yumi Itoh, Tatsuya Suzuki, Toru Okamoto, Atsushi Hoshino, Erik Procko, Shahidul M. Islam

SKMC Student Presentations and Publications

SARS-CoV-2, especially B.1.1.529/omicron and its sublineages, continues to mutate to evade monoclonal antibodies and antibodies elicited by vaccination. Affinity-enhanced soluble ACE2 (sACE2) is an alternative strategy that works by binding the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, acting as a 'decoy' to block the interaction between the S and human ACE2. Using a computational design strategy, we designed an affinity-enhanced ACE2 decoy, FLIF, that exhibited tight binding to SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variants. Our computationally calculated absolute binding free energies (ABFE) between sACE2:SARS-CoV-2 S proteins and their variants showed excellent agreement to binding experiments. FLIF displayed robust therapeutic utility against a broad range …

Optimization Of Urban Water Consumption In Residential Buildings, Mahmoud M. Amin, Elkhayam M. Dorra, Ossama A. Hosny

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Rejecting The Ottomans, Revisiting The Mamluks, Yasmine M. Ahmed, Claire Panetta

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Class Of 2023 Graduation Ceremony For The Degree Of Juris Doctor And Advanced Degrees, Southern Methodist University, Dedman School Of Law

Law School Commencement / Hooding Programs, 1942-present

No abstract provided.

Student Honors And Awards Program 2023, Communications And Marketing

UMM Honors and Awards Ceremony

Recognizing students who demonstrate academic excellence and enrich campus life.

Mechanobiology As A Tool For Addressing The Genotype-To- Phenotype Problem In Microbiology, Merrill E. Asp, Minh-Tri Ho Thanh, Subarna Dutta, Jessica A. Comstock, Roy D. Welch, Alison E. Patteson

Physics - All Scholarship

The central hypothesis of the genotype–phenotype relationship is that the phenotype of a developing organism (i.e., its set of observable attributes) depends on its genome and the environment. However, as we learn more about the genetics and biochemistry of living systems, our understanding does not fully extend to the complex multiscale nature of how cells move, interact, and organize; this gap in understanding is referred to as the genotype-to-phenotype problem. The physics of soft matter sets the background on which living organisms evolved, and the cell environment is a strong determinant of cell phenotype. This inevitably leads to challenges as …

Climate Change Message Framing, Death Anxiety, And Conspiracy Beliefs Impact On Individual Emotions, Cognitions, And Future Behavioral Intentions, Shanna E. Castellucci

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Prospect theory highlighted that individuals are more sensitive to loss frames than gain frames. However, previous literature involving message framing, emotion, and behaviors found that gain frames have more of an impact on whether an individual will engage in desired behaviors. The purpose of this experiment was to analyze the relationships between message framing, death anxiety, conspiracy beliefs, and future behavioral intentions. Participants were randomly assigned to the framing condition: either in the loss frame group or in the gain frame group. There were three hypotheses tested in this study. The first predicted that individuals receiving the loss frame would …

Analyzing Motivation And Sense Of Belonging Belonging In Cs1 Review Sessions, Cory Longenecker

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

The Computer Science Department at James Madison University has a Teaching Assistant program which aims to help students succeed in early-level Computer Science courses. Part of this program is a review session, the Fourth Hour, which provides students extra help on the concepts taught each week in class. Historically, attendance at this review session has been low. Because of this, the study aimed to increase attendance by motivating students through interventions, primarily offering quiz retakes to students who attended. Additionally, this study looked at the reported sense of belonging for participants who attended.

We made three conclusions from survey data …

Medical Interpreters' Work Impact On Their Lives: Understanding Medical Interpreters' Work Experience, Nicholas M. Herrarte Smith

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Medical interpreters in the US are crucial health workers that specialize in facilitating communication between non-English-speaking patients and English medical professionals. Although much research has been done regarding the positive impact of professional medical interpreters on LEP (limited English proficient) patients' health, it is less known how medical interpreters’ lives are impacted in this line of work. Thus, this study was aimed at gaining a better understanding on the impact that this line of work has on the lives of medical interpreters. For this study, a survey was created with questions regarding demographics, interpretation’s certification process, interpreter’s satisfaction/experience, and mental …

The Next Revolution? Negligence Law For The 21st Century, Allan C. Hutchinson

Articles & Book Chapters

Donoghue’s neighbour is still the defining concept of Canadian tort law. Indeed, the whole history of modern negligence law can be reasonably understood as a concerted judicial effort to adapt and accommodate that principle to changing social, commercial and legal conditions. Now, 90 years later, it is perhaps time to recommend another revolution in negligence law. The Donoghue-inspired doctrine has done sterling work, but it is now weighed down with a bewildering range of conditions, clarifications and complications. When the duty analysis is complemented by other related requirements of causation and remoteness, the law of negligence has become something of …

Cultivating Reproductive Small Group Leaders Within Southwest Church, Springboro, Ohio, Roger D. Hendricks

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This project was designed to address an ongoing challenge within the Southwest Church (SWC) in Springboro, Ohio. The specific challenge that SWC leaders have faced throughout the twenty-five-year history of the church is to continually increase the number of small group options within a growing congregation. Small groups have been identified as the primary vehicle for SWC members to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. This congregational emphasis has led to the good dilemma of having more individuals willing to participate than lead weekly small groups. In the past few years, SWC leaders have identified the need for the …

The Value Of Mentorship And More - Journey To Commencement, Abigail Martin

Journey to Commencement

Ember Suh discovers passion and path to STEM career

Local Field Potentials In The Male Rat Nucleus Accumbens During Effort-Based Behavior, Celine Aliko, John Salamone, Alev Ecevitoglu

Honors Scholar Theses

Major depression is a devastating disorder that consists of multiple symptoms such as low mood and motivational dysfunction. It has been shown that motivational dysfunction can be studied in animal models by using effort-based choice paradigms, which vary in their response requirements. It has been reported that dopamine depletion in the nucleus accumbens decreases ratio-scheduled lever-pressing in a manner related to the size of the ratio requirement. One dopamine depleting agent is tetrabenazine (TBZ), which has been shown to decrease lever-pressing and induce low-effort bias. The current study aims to investigate behavioral and electrophysiological changes that occur with animals performing …

2023-May-12-Hike. Learn. Play., University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY (May 12, 2023) – The Appalachian Trail Vista will bring hiking enthusiasts from across the country to Northeast Tennessee August 4-7. Participants will engage in a variety of hikes, workshops and excursions as part of the summit. With East Tennessee State University's D.P. Culp Student Center as the home base, the event provides a forum for engagement of activities on and near the Appalachian Trail. The summit offers hiking, educational, cultural and historical learning programs, while working with trail clubs, local communities and nearby partner organizations. 

The Appalachian Trail Vista is a gathering celebrating hiking with an opportunity …

Socioeconomic Status And Instrument Provision Program Effects On Engagement In Instrumental Music Programs, Zachary Truong

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study focuses on the correlation between Minnesota schools’ average socioeconomic status through the percentage enrolled in free/reduced lunch and instrumental music enrollment percentages. Additionally, it also looks to see whether providing different instrument provision opportunities to students in these schools correlates with the percentage of students enrolled in their instrumental music programs. Instrumental music enrollment and instrument provision program data were gathered through surveys completed by the directors of their respective programs. While the results of the study did not demonstrate statistical significance due to deviation and small sample size, correlations between instrumental music enrollment and socioeconomic status were …

Odds At A Job: The Post – Graduate Success Of Nngo Students, Dasha Denia Randle

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

This capstone is a case study on graduates from Northern Illinois University who majored, minored, or received a certificate in Nonprofit and NGO studies. This qualitative and quantitative study seeks to measure the employment trends of graduates from the Nonprofit and NGO studies major. As well as make a comparison between the post-graduate experiences of graduates who interned via the Center for Nonprofit and NGO studies and graduates who didn’t. Prior research suggests that paid internships generally have a positive correlation with entry-level career success. However, there is not much research on this relationship within the social sector. I’m interested …

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas And Small/Community Banks In Rural Areas., Samuel Spencer

Honors College Theses

Drug trafficking is on the rise in America. Drug trafficking brings money laundering, and banks have to combat this with Anti-Money laundering (AML) policies from the Bank Secrecy act. This is combated by the High-Intensity-Drug-Trafficking Area (HIDTA) designation. The designation aims at providing support to local, state, and federal law enforcement to combat drug trafficking in these counties. HIDTA and banks are not connected. Rather I use the HIDTA designation as a proxy to clearly identify counties that have drug trafficking. I specifically focused on small and community banks in rural areas. Small and community banks are disproportionately affected by …