Digital Commons Network^™

Wigner's Theorem For Semi-Finite Von Neumann Algebras, Devin Daley Gent

Doctoral Dissertations

Wigner’s theorem, an important result in quantum mechanics, shows that a transitionprobability preserving bijection on the set of rank-one projections on a Hilbert space H extends to a Jordan ∗-isomorphism ρ on the algebra of all bounded linear operators on H. In this work we consider generalizations of Wigner’s theorem within the context of von Neumann algebras. Let M and N be two semi-finite von Neumann algebras with faithful normal semi-finite tracial weights τM and τN, respectively. Suppose that M has no direct summand of type I2 and is either diffuse or atomic such that every minimal projection in M …

Legality Is Not Morality: The Legal Socialization Of Prosocial Rule-Breakers, Paul Hennigan

Doctoral Dissertations

Legal socialization research is the backbone of many educational, forensic, and intervention programs aiming to prevent criminal behavior, yet researchers in this field and other disciplines define rule-breaking exclusively as harmful/antisocial behavior. This classification fails to explain rule-breaking motivated by prosocial intentions (e.g., clashing with police over racial injustice, hiding Jewish families during Nazi Germany, and violating racial segregation laws during the civil rights movement). The studies described here intend to adapt two legal socialization models so they clearly distinguish prosocial rule-breaking from antisocial rule-breaking. Across three studies, I present findings that validate the distinction between morality and legality, identify …

The Clumsy Leviathan: The Subtreasury And American Federal Power In The Nineteenth Century, Aaron Lee Chin

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation traces the history of the Subtreasury System, which preceded the Federal Reserve as the United States’ fiscal management system. Rather than relying on private banks, the government opted to store its money in federally owned and managed vaults called “subtreasuries.” By tracing the history of this overlooked institution, this project shows how the government used the Subtreasury to consolidate and display its economic power throughout the nineteenth century. My dissertation is the first to center monetary storage and control over financial spaces in the story of American state building during this crucial period. When the government chose to …

Studies Of Epigenetics And Properties Of B Cell Receptor In Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (Wm), Mona Karbalivand

Doctoral Dissertations

Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) is an indolent lymphoproliferative disorder with aberrant monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) production that is associated with disease symptoms. Despite significant advances in our understanding of disease biology, the cell of origin remains largely unknown. Although WM therapy options have improved over the last decade, WM is still an incurable disease. Many studies have identified epigenetic dysregulation as a regulatory factor in WM malignancy. Here, we investigated the role of Mixed-lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) histone methyltransferase in WM. We showed that MLL1 and its partner Menin are upregulated in WM patients. We also found that MLL1 knockdown and …

Evaluating The Chenopodium Microbiome: How Do Rhizosphere Microbial Interactions Affect Plant Growth And Stress Tolerance?, Haley Nolen

Doctoral Dissertations

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) has potential for cultivation in North America; however, abiotic stresses like high humidity and a short growing season are obstacles for production in the Northeast. Wild relatives of quinoa such as C. berlandieri and C. ficifolium thrive in New England and have the potential to serve as both genetic resources for breeding research and as sources of novel beneficial microbes for application to quinoa. Previous studies have shown that certain bacteria and fungi within the soil-root zone (or rhizosphere) microbiome can increase plant growth, aid in stress tolerance, and increase water and nutrient acquisition. It is …

Iron Chelator And Fluorophore Peptide Bioconjugates For The Study Of Cellular Iron Metabolism, Leonid I. Povolotskiy

Doctoral Dissertations

Bifunctional Szeto-Schiller (SS) peptides provide new tools for the study of cellular processes and drug delivery at the organelle level. SS-peptides have been shown to localize to the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), which holds a large fraction of intracellular labile iron. Dysregulation of iron has been linked to a variety of disorders ranging from neurodegeneration to cancer. Previous studies have employed the hydroxypyridinone and catechol chelating families which fail to inhibit Fenton-style redox cycling of iron. It has been shown independently, that tripodal 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) structures can prevent Fenton chemistry. SS-peptide variants containing 8HQ as the iron-chelating group along with …

Gelatin-Based Microporous Injectable Hydrogels For In Situ Stem Cell Encapsulation, Seth David Edwards

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I developed and investigated gelatin-based microporous injectable hydrogels for the encapsulation of stem cells for multiple applications in cell delivery. Utilizing microgels composed from a mixture of gelatin and modified gelatin, I demonstrated the utility of a dual crosslinking mechanism, which enabled rapid gelation and tissue adhesion with improved cytocompatibility. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) encapsulated in this hydrogel proliferated at a more rapid rate than in a nonporous counterpart, and showed increased immunomodulatory potential. Then, I investigated gelatin microporous hydrogel for the encapsulation of MSCs for bone tissue regeneration. Encapsulated cells more readily differentiated into osteoblasts (i.e. …

The Warriors' Views: Mid-Level Officers On American Interventions, Foreign Policy, And The Road To 9/11, 1993-2001, Michael Anthony Anderson

Doctoral Dissertations

When President William Jefferson Clinton took office, the United States had entered into a new era, though it was heavily influenced by almost a half-century of Cold War. Foreign policy staples had been embedded into United States foreign policy habits, influencing American decisions even as it tried to transition to a new global environment. The Cold War had left America, but America had a hard time leaving the Cold War. The nation had difficulty transitioning away from applying containment, relying on mutually assured destruction in preventing weapons of mass destruction attacks, and focusing on major conventional warfare when small-scale contingencies …

"A Wild Home For Wild Things": Forest Workers' Co-Creation Of Knowledge, Identity, And Place, Adrienne R. Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

This study addresses the relationship between environmental knowledge and place-based and occupational identities. I conducted fifty-five in-depth interviews with people involved in forest management in northern California. Participants belonged to one of three groups: logger- industrial, governmental-institutional, or organizational. In addition, I completed twenty-seven hours of observational fieldwork at logging sites in the region. From these transcripts, several themes emerge. Participants adopt a variety of ways of knowing and conceptions of care, and these correspond to different forest priorities, as well as attitudes toward global environmental issues. These groups also each construct distinct occupational identities, which sometimes form in response …

Highly Dispersed Metal Sites On Semiconductor Surface For Small Molecule Activation, Ehab Shaaban

Doctoral Dissertations

Heterogeneous catalysts have been extensively used in various chemical transformations that have important ecological and economical relevance. The rational design of such catalysts, however, is still not effectively implemented due to the ambiguity that encircles their structure-activity correlations. The origin of synergetic effects which make the binary system (metal/metal oxide) distinct from the individual components continues to elude researchers. In this work, binding and structural properties that emerge from metal/metal oxide interaction were investigated using in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Different catalytic structures, including highly dispersed Cu sites on TiO2, were …

Domestic Shakespeares In The Antebellum United States, Daniel G. Lauby

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how early nineteenth-century female novelists developed a new mode of adapting Shakespeare, what I am calling “domestic Shakespeares,” that cite, reference, and rearrange plays based on women’s experiences in and of the home. I focus on popular women authors whose novels appeared between 1827 and 1862, a time when identity was especially apparent in the geographical formation of the United States. These women novelists used allusions to and adaptations of Shakespeare in their works to express their frustrations with conventional paradigms of womanhood and related disciplinary systems, such as coverture, that limited women’s citizenship. “Domestic Shakespeares,” I …

Designing For The Dissonance: Community-Engaged Field Experiences For Challenging Curricular Misconceptions Of Place Toward Localizing And Indigenizing Curricula Within Elementary Teacher Education., Elaine Marhefka

Doctoral Dissertations

Harmful oversights remain in elementary social studies curricula which overlook or misrepresent minoritized communities. This dissertation explores designs for teacher education which address these oversights through community collaborations. This multi-manuscript dissertation is an empirical-conceptual inquiry design (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009), as it is not purely empirical or conceptual research. This design allows for an independent discussion of each study, while interpreting phenomena across the three chapters. Acknowledging my positionality as a white female, in a predominantly white, female profession, I look to Indigenous and Black scholars, both locally and broadly, to inform my perspective and project design. Using a phenomenological …

Low Current Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry For Environmental Contaminants And Proteins, Taoqing Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

The introduction of electrospray ionization (ESI) in the 1980s has had a significant impact on the field of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), enabling the qualitative and quantitative analysis of small molecules in complex biological and environmental samples. NanoESI, developed in 1993, further improved sensitivity and reduced sample consumption. However, the detection limits for some environmental contaminants, such as perfluorooctanoate sulfonate (PFOS), require ppt-level detection, which necessitates preconcentration. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a commonly used technique, and liquid-liquid extraction has shown promising results for water samples. Recently, the Li group has discovered femtoampere and picoampere ionization modes of ESI, which have …

Scanning Probe Microscopy Studies Of Petroleum Chemistry: Substrate-Dependent Catalytic Properties Of Mos2 And Automating Scanning Probe Microscopy With Machine Learning, Steven Arias

Doctoral Dissertations

With the growth of the population, society’s energy demands are mostly reliant on petroleum products that come from the refining of crude oil. Most of these refining reactions have been developed through averaging spectroscopic techniques, but scientists do not know exactly what is happening in these processes at the nano and atomic levels. This information is crucial when designing an efficient refining process that produces petroleum products that emit fewer harmful gases when combusting. Scanning probe microscopy techniques have become a powerful tool to look into the chemical structures found in petroleum products, to understand catalytic reactions in refining processes, …

Paying Attention To Prior Reinforcement: How Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine, And Adolescence Influence Anterior Cingulate Cortex Function, Madison K. Clement

Doctoral Dissertations

Converging evidence supports the need to understand the unique contributions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in attention. The ACC has been implicated in filtering distractors, determining the relevance of stimuli, generating prediction errors, conflict monitoring, and goal-oriented behavioral changes. Unfortunately, much of this work has used broad definitions of ACC, which have often captured activity or deficits in regions outside of the ACC. Specific attention to the ACC, without concomitant damage to other regions of the prefrontal cortex is necessary to illuminate the specific role of the ACC in attention. Dysfunction of the ACC in humans is implicated in …

On Spectral Density-Based Goodness-Of-Fit Tests For Time Series Models, Biao Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

The goodness-of-fit tests for time series models have been discussed for years. Most of the current goodness-of-fit tests require the calculation of residuals from the fitted model. Such calculations can be tedious, and in some cases, the tests are even unreliable. Furthermore, most of their results require assumptions that rule out long memory processes, whose autocorrelation decays at a hyperbolic rate as the lag increases and has become popular in time series modeling. In this thesis, a new goodness-of-fit test for time series data is proposed. The test statistic is based on the ratio between the periodogram and the parametric …

Ultralight Axion Dark Matter With Self-Interactions, Noah James Glennon

Doctoral Dissertations

Our Universe is filled with an invisible substance, called dark matter, which dominates the ways in which structures like galaxies form. Ultralight axion (ULA) dark matter is a possible alternative to more common cold dark matter models. Self-interactions in ULA models are often discarded because they are constrained to be very small. However, in my research, I have found that including self-interactions in these models can have a significant impact on what we observe, even when the self-interaction is small. I simulate ULA dark matter with self-interactions and quantify how different phenomena, including isolated soliton oscillations, binary soliton collisions, tidal …

Embedding Explicit Metacognitive Instruction Into The General Chemistry Curriculum: Equipping Community College Students With 21st Century Stem Competencies, Sonja Gamby

Doctoral Dissertations

This work describes the development, implementation, and assessment of a curriculum- embedded metacognition instruction model. The Talking About Learning is Key (TALK) module, a 10-week, discussion-based instruction module was initially integrated into a general chemistry course at a community college in Spring 2020. This case study was assessed qualitatively using a thematic analysis to characterize student posts and replies to the Learning Management System discussion board. Course outcomes between Spring 2020 – Fall 2021 were analyzed to determine what effect participation had on course completion and final grade.Finally, the generalizability of the module was investigated using a focused case comparison …

Synthesis, Modification, And Characterization Of Semiconductor Photocatalysts For Environmental Remediation, Norbert Okechukwu Okolie

Doctoral Dissertations

Semiconductor photocatalysis is a viable solution to tackle the increasing global demand for energy and the need for the recovery of wastewater in situ, without the need for fossil fuel dependence. Semiconductor materials active in the visible or near visible regions of light have been explored as suitable candidates for photocatalytic environmental remediation. Magnesium tantalates (MgTa2O6-xNx) were initially explored as promising candidates because their bandgaps can be brought well into the visible region by the introduction of nitrogen atoms as dopants. The synthesis of a highly ordered mesoporous nitrogen doped magnesium tantalate was achieved and the bandgap of magnesium tantalate …

“They Turn To Violence”: Active Shootings And The Convergence Of Hegemonic Masculinity, Race, And Perceived Injustice, Linda M. Fogg

Doctoral Dissertations

Public rampage shootings like Parkland, FL, the Las Vegas concert shooting, and Sandy Hook are a type of crime that captures national attention. As media covers these incidents and the perpetrators of them, they seek to explain why someone would commit such violence. Using active shooter data for incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2019, I examine shooter identity with particular focus on the shooter’s race, an often-unreported statistic. Finding 55.4% of active shooters are white men, interviews with 20 white men and 10 white women are analyzed for explanations for white men’s violence. These men and women describe active …

Seismic Soil-Structure Interaction And Foundation Rocking In Unsaturated Ground, Matthew Michael Turner

Doctoral Dissertations

Strong earthquake motions often cause severe damage to buildings and foundation systems, during which the interaction between the soil, foundation, and structure may dominate the seismic response. Most shallow foundations are located on, or embedded in, unsaturated and partially saturated soil deposits. Unsaturated soil layers are particularly common in zones above the water table where water can rise through different mechanisms like capillary action. Additionally, the degree of saturation throughout a soil deposit can vary both seasonally and yearly due to groundwater table fluctuation related to infiltration and evaporation. Properties of soil layers below foundations impact the seismic response of …

Influence Of O+ On Onset And Energy Release In The Earth’S Magnetotail, Akhtar Shojaei Ardakani

Doctoral Dissertations

Although the magnetotail plasma sheet predominantly consists of protons and electrons, singly charged oxygen ions, of ionospheric origin, are the third most abundant species in the plasma sheet. During disturbed times, the amount of oxygen ions in the plasma sheet and the inner magnetosphere can be comparable to the levels of the H+ ions and because of its larger mass, such a population of O+ in the near Earth magnetotail has the potential to modify the plasma sheet dynamics. It can affect the current sheet stability enhancing the growth rate of the ion tearing instability (ion scales) or alter overall …

Influences Of Students’ Use Of Calculus 1 Signs/Symbols On Students’ Assessment Scores, Phuong Wilk

Doctoral Dissertations

Mathematical notations not only contribute to but also confound the development of the understanding of mathematical concepts (Leinhardt, Zaslavsky & Stein,1990). Inaccurate use of calculus notations is likely to have a significant influence on student conceptual understanding and student assessment scores in the Calculus 1 course. This dissertation study aimed to examine whether or not the relationship between student’s ability to correctly write signs/symbols, interpret signs/symbols and interpret concepts using signs/symbols (students’ use of signs/symbols) and student assessment scores is statistically significant. The relationship between students’ use of sign/symbol and students’ grade performance was also examined under the effects of …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Social License To Operate For Aquaculture: Understanding How Broad Public Perceptions And Local Company Actions Influence Community Acceptance, Emily H. Whitmore

Doctoral Dissertations

With aquaculture development becoming increasingly important in meeting global food needs, understanding social dynamics of development is essential. Social license to operate (SLO), a concept that describes community acceptance and approval of incoming industry, offers a lens into these dynamics and possible strategies for successful development. Using a mixed-methods approach, this project aimed to investigate how broad public perceptions and local company actions influence social license to operate in aquaculture. First, a systematic literature review of SLO studies identified perceptions that would likely condition a community’s willingness to issue social license, independent of company actions. These predictors included environmental values, …

Examining Empathy During An Initial Nutrition Counseling Session Through Video-Cued Narrative Reflection, Kevin Joseph Pietro

Doctoral Dissertations

Empathy is considered critical to client-centered care within the broader nutrition profession. Through empathy, practitioners are said to recognize the individual experience better, support client/patient autonomy, and encourage collaboration in decision-making regarding treatment. However, the literature on empathy is fraught with conceptual disagreement and methodological misalignment, which has resulted in a limited understanding of the role and presence of empathy within a nutrition counseling session. Additionally, research conducted on nutrition undergraduate students using self-reported questionnaires may offer insight into students’ perceived/believed tendencies related to empathy but fail to provide evidence of empathy during a patient/client interaction. Given the current landscape, …

Characterizing New Hampshire Salt Marshes Using Geospatial Technologies, Michael R. Routhier

Doctoral Dissertations

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands flooded regularly by saltwater tides and terrestrial runoff. They are highly productive and dynamic ecosystems that provide many benefits to the environment and humans. These benefits are at risk by many natural and anthropogenic drivers that are affecting the distribution of their vegetation species. Previous research shows that salt marsh vegetation around New England has been shifting from less flood-tolerant species to more flood-tolerant species in recent decades. Monitoring these ecosystems can be helpful in providing policymakers with the information they need to promote mitigation and restoration efforts for these environments. Remote sensing is one …

Deep Learning Based Predictive Models For Performance Enhancement In Bio Medical Applications, Sajila Dimagi Wickramaratne

Doctoral Dissertations

The medical field produces large quantities of multidimensional, complex, and often unstructured data. The timely interpretation of medical data is crucial for medical diagnostics. Machine learning applications are increasingly becoming popular with the ever-increasing computational ability and data availability. Machine learning methods can potentially find complicated relationships that may not be apparent in traditional clinical decision rule systems used in medical applications. Models deployed in medical applications need to be reliable, time efficient, and easy to interpret, thus making working with biosignals challenging in some cases.

The first part of the dissertation focuses on building predictive systems using existing data …

Modernism On The Edge Of The Anthropocene: The Ecological Imagination Of Forster, West, Warner, Woolf, And Eliot, Leanna Jean Lostoski-Ho

Doctoral Dissertations

By reading modernist literature on the edge of the Anthropocene, I argue in this dissertation that modernist authors, through the experimental aesthetics of their works, are able to articulate the beginnings of anthropogenic climate change in the early-twentieth century. The early-twentieth century, and particularly the interwar period, in which British modernist authors such as E. M. Forster, Rebecca West, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Virginia Woolf, and T. S. Eliot were writing coincides with the early-twentieth-century ramp up period of human activity rising to the level of a geological force before the beginning of the Anthropocene. While this dissertation does not argue …

A Comparison Of The Spectroscopically Determined Complex Refractive Indices Across Uv/Vis Wavelengths For Vanillic Acid From Two Aerosol Generation Methods, Vahid Hosseinpour Hashemi

Doctoral Dissertations

Aerosols are important because of their direct and indirect impact on the energy budget of Earth. Characterizing and understanding the physical, chemical, and optical properties of aerosols is beneficial to decrease uncertainties on the Earth’s energy budget estimations and improve climate models. Field studies characterize the real conditions and cases; however, controlling all variables, including the weather, is impossible, so only a snapshot can be obtained. Laboratory work can be a great support for field studies because controlling experimental conditions on a smaller scale is easier and targets can be achieved. Laboratory optical property studies of aerosol, even single chemical …

Type 3 Adenylyl Cyclase, Neuronal Primary Cilia, And Hippocampus-Dependent Memory Formation, Yuxin Zhou

Doctoral Dissertations

Primary cilia are microtubule-based cellular antennae present in most vertebrate cells including neurons. Neuronal primary cilia have abundant expression of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and downstream cAMP signaling components such as type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3). The deflects of neuronal cilia is associated with many memory-related disorders, such as intellectual disability. Thus far, little is known about how neuronal primary cilia regulate neuronal activity and affect hippocampal memory formation. Episodic memory is thought to be encoded by sparsely distributed memory-eligible neurons in the hippocampus and neocortex. However, it is not clear how memory-eligible neurons interact with one another to form …