Digital Commons Network^™

Operational Analysis Of The Flipped Left Diamond Interchange Design, Sayed Abuzar Kazimi

Theses (2016-Present)

Interchanges are critical elements of modern transportation networks. A new design called the Flipped Left-Turn Diamond Interchange (FLDI) has been proposed to enhance efficiency and increase the capacity of traditional diamond interchanges. The FLDI design features left-turn lanes in opposing directions, eliminating conflicts between opposing left-turn movements. One of the key benefits of FLDI is its ability to be easily implemented within the existing right of way, without the need for major construction or the elimination of direct connectivity between frontage roads or access to corner properties, unlike other innovative designs such as the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) and Continuous …

Regional Toll Roads And Median Income: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Toll Roads And Community Realities, Valencia Stewart

Theses (2016-Present)

Congestion pricing is viewed as a resource that will charge drivers a fee for operating specific lanes of the roadway. This fee aids in decreasing traffic congestion by having drivers utilize additional roadway space. This resource of toll pricing can also address the importance of decreasing the carbon footprint from highway travel. Various transportation sources have reported traffic congestion on roadways will increase as the United States population will increase. This research will examine the relationship between toll rates and the income of regional populations within the Houston tolling system. The Sam Houston 288 Express Toll Road and The Westpark …

Evaluation And Heavy Metal Concentration Assessment In Selected Brands Of Infant And Toddler Food Types In Houston, Texas, Omobolanle Oluwafemi David Garuba

Theses (2016-Present)

Heavy metals and metalloids such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and zinc are an unavoidable contaminant of our ecosystem because of its natural occurrence They are also introduced into the environment anthropogenically through manufacturing, industrial agricultural processes which contaminates the food chain when taken up by food producing crops as a result of their presence in soil and water used in planting or feeding livestock. The adverse effects of these toxic elements have become a global threat to food security, particularly due to their inextricable association with human health. Exposure to environmental contaminants from daily diet is a major concern …

P27kip1 Is A Mediator Of Cell Migration In Metastatic Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Nyaia A. Liddell

Theses (2016-Present)

Despite advances in treatment, breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women. Although early detection through mammograms and advances in treatments have shown great promise, tumor relapse still poses a major challenge. Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been recently identified as a small subpopulation of breast cancer cells thought to promote breast cancer progression and drug resistance. Similar to normal stem cells, CSCs have the capacity for self-renewal, proliferation, and pluripotency. Breast CSCs also display increased cell migration and invasion. Therefore, targeting the growth of breast CSCs will provide novel strategies to combat breast …

An Evaluation Of Silent Sexually Assaulted Female Survivors On Hbcu Campuses: Silent Sedation, Jasmine Renee Bellard

Theses (2016-Present)

Often, we are conditioned to think about Sexual Assault as something that is taboo, rare, and unheard of unless you happen to be in a terrible situation. However, the reality is that it occurs so often that people are silent about their situation. Why are people quiet? They are silent because they tend to feel ashamed and blame themselves. Seriously, what about the young ladies and men that never speak up? “The Majority of Sexual Assaults are not reported to the police. Only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police. That means more than 2 …

Automation In Aviation: An Advancement Or Hindrance To Aviation Safety?, Laquinton Paul Armbrister

Theses (2016-Present)

Transportation at large is becoming increasingly automated, and aviation has often been at the forefront of this technological movement. Automation’s presence in the cockpit has been quite advantageous by improving economics, enhancing safety, and arguably reducing workload. However, its implementation has also presented several challenges, including but not limited to complacency and overreliance on automation, manufacturer design errors, and automation surprise. To overcome these challenges and mitigate safety issues preemptively, methods and strategies must be devised to improve the implementation of automation in aviation. Upon review of eight case studies from accident reports where the use of automation was a …

An Examination Of Support Provided To Students Attending Two Performing Colorado High Schools With A Significant Percentage Of Students Experiencing Poverty, Rebecca Albert Vollrath

Dissertations

Students living in poverty are noted to experience a variety of barriers, which include literacy gaps (Buckingham et al., 2013), lower reading achievement entering high school (Reardon et al., 2013), lower graduation rates (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016), higher incidences of learning disabilities and behavior problems (Morgan et al., 2009), and other negative psychological and educational outcomes that could affect academic achievement (Mistry et al., 2009). The aforementioned items have created barriers to learning and achievement while high school leadership across the United States have worked to support all students at school. Colorado high schools generally have used Multi-Tiered …

An Exploration Of The Pathway From Childhood Neglect To School Bullying Victimization, Natalie D. Johnson

Dissertations

The objective of the current study was to explore the association between two widely prevalent sources of trauma occurring early in life, child neglect and bullying victimization (BV), via adult recollections of maltreatment experiences. One hundred and twenty participants, recruited from a mid-sized university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, were ultimately included in the sample. Of the total sample, 30 participants (25%) endorsed a history of moderate to severe neglect in childhood and 62 participants (52%) endorsed experiencing at least one form of BV in school. Childhood maltreatment, including various forms of neglect and abuse, was …

The Family Medical Leave Act: The Current Regulations And Future Recommended Changes, Olivia Schmidt

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Family Medical Leave Act was implemented in 1993, affecting thousands of employees. This act allows caregivers the time to care for their loved ones and for people to take the time they need to heal and care for themselves, all while maintaining their careers. While the workforce and it’s needs have changed over the years, FMLA has remained stagnant with minimal adjustments at the federal level. There are many different aspects to FMLA including different state regulations, different industry effects, and the special case of the airline industry. While FMLA was an important change in 1993, it needs to …

Overcoming Challenges And Building Bridges: A Journey Towards Sustainable Tourism Development In Dangriga, Belize, Drew Patterson

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

This article discusses the challenges and potential solutions for enhancing tourism in Dangriga, the largest town in the Stann Creek District of Belize. Despite being known as the "Culture Capital of Belize," Dangriga attracts fewer tourists compared to smaller towns in the country. The lack of tourist influx could be attributed to limited understanding of internet marketing by local business owners and the town's focus on its cultural identity rather than catering specifically to tourists. The article emphasizes the importance of online marketing in promoting tourism and suggests that improving the online presence of local businesses could boost the tourism …

A Contemporary Dressing Of Henrik Ibsen’S Hedda Gabler, Heidi Rose Decaluwe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis describes the process of creating the costume designs for the production of Hedda Gabler that was produced at the University Theatre at The University of Arkansas in the spring of 2023. In this thesis, I will explain the process, from my initial response to the script to the final stage production. Included is a full script analysis, an extrapolation of the stages of design, from research to rough sketches and preliminary renderings, final color renderings, the process of turning renderings into fully realized costumes, and finally an evaluation of the entire process.

A Quantitative Examination Of The Impact Of Moderating Variables On The Experience Of Eudaimonic Outcomes, Brandon Lynn Lawson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There has been a growing body of research looking into effects beyond enjoyment of media content. However, these explorations have primarily been outcome focused and have failed to analyze variables that could be mediating eudaimonic effects. This thesis examined the results of an experimental study investigating the variables of flow and realism and their possible impact on eudaimonic outcomes of video game play. Using data collected from 193 participants who played either the game The Last of Us Remastered or Elude, this study examined the possibility of flow mediating the relationship between realism and eudaimonic effects. Results of a hierarchical …

Dressing The New World: Costume Design For An Unconventional Adaptation Of Jason Robert Brown’S Songs For A New World, Callie Lythgoe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis follows the process of designing the costumes for the University of Arkansas’ production of the musical Songs For A New World by Jason Robert Brown. The following will detail the steps taken to conceptualize and realize the costume designs for the full process of the production. Included in this thesis is the analysis of source materials and other dramaturgical research, my research images and process sketches, final costume renderings, and production photographs. Overall, this document will record the design process and my evaluation thereof.

Microorganisms In Extreme Environmental Conditions, Khanh Mai Nguyen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organisms are known to be able to prosper under normal and extreme environmental conditions, which are classified as mesophile and extremophile, respectively. Extremophiles can thrive under a large array of conditions, from pressures, temperatures, salinity, and pH to a combination of them. For example, to survive on the ocean floor, marine biomass must have its biomolecular machinery adapted to the high pressures and high salinity environment. Moreover, around the hydrothermal vents, aside from pressure and salinity, the microbes that live there also need to adjust to the temperature as well as the pH level. Aside from high temperatures, researchers also …

Exploring Ferroelectric Phenomena In Batio3, Linbo3, And Liznsb: From Extended Oxygen Vacancies To Tri-Stable Polarization And Giant Hyperferroelectricity, Shaohui Qiu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three projects that investigate the complex phenomena of ferroelectricity under different conditions in BaTiO3, LiNbO3, and LiZnSb using first-principles density functional calculations. Extended defects in ferroelectric solids play a crucial role in reducing the lifetime and performance of ferroelectric devices by causing fatigue, domain pinning, and aging. Thus, understanding their impact is of critical importance for the development of reliable and high-performance ferroelectric devices. In addition, hyperferroelectricity is an intriguing phenomenon that has attracted much attention in recent years. Despite the existence of depolarization field, spontaneous polarization persists under an open-circuit boundary condition (OCBC), making hyperferroelectric materials …

Investigation The Plugging Behavior Of Virus Filters, Iman Abdulqader Saab

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A virus filtration step is integral to the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals to ensure viral safety. A virus filter is a single-use device that uses a size-based separation process and has a unique structure with minimal defects, so that contaminating virus particles cannot pass through the membrane pores, while therapeutic molecules can. The development of novel antibodies (Abs), including significant increases in product titers, is frequently challenged by virus filter fouling, making a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms essential. This thesis focused investigating of the effect of prefilter types, buffer type and salt content on virus filtration performance. The impact …

Unveiling The Ancestral Function Of A Neuroendocrine Regulator, Pou-I/Pit1: Insights From Gene Expression Analysis In The Sea Anemone Nematostella Vectensis, Miguel Agostinho Pina Da Silva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cnidaria (i.e., sea anemones, jellyfish, corals) and Bilateria (i.e., vertebrates, sea stars, fruit flies), are sister groups that diverged around 600 million years ago. Despite the long evolutionary time, many cellular differentiation mechanisms, cell types, tissues and behaviors are conserved. Such as neurons, mechanosensory hair cells, feeding behaviors, peristaltic movements, and sleep. Recent advances in genomics, molecular biology and microscopy have fueled an increased interest in understanding cnidarian nervous and neuroendocrine systems. Understanding the developmental mechanisms and the mode of operation of Cnidarian nervous systems helps to reconstruct the ancestral nervous system of the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and …

Investigate Pilot-Related Factors On Controlled Flight Into Terrain (Cfit) In General Aviation, Zakiya Chinue Irawagbon Percy

Theses (2016-Present)

Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) crash is defined as an unintentional collision with terrain (the ground, a mountain, a body of water, or an obstacle) while an aircraft is under positive control. It is one of three high-risk accident occurrence categories identified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Although advanced technologies have dramatically reduced the number of General Aviation CFIT crashes over the past 20 years, CFIT crashes continue to occur and at least half of them were fatal. Therefore, it is quite momentous to identify the contributing factors and recommend countermeasures to prevent or mitigate CFIT crashes. This …

Assessing Cancer-Causing Carcinogens In Freight Facilities: A Case Study Of Englewood Rail Yard In Houston, Texas, Terrance Dewayne Overstreet

Theses (2016-Present)

This study provides a qualitative analysis and uses a cross-case comparison to highlight the contamination exposure of the Englewood rail yard in Houston, Texas to contamination exposure found in four (4) other rail yards: Conrail rail yard in Elkhart, Indiana, Union Pacific rail yard in Eugene, Oregon, Paoli rail yard in Paoli, Pennsylvania, and CSX rail yard in Waycross, Georgia. The research will show that a high level of cancer-causing toxins created a health problem in the Houston area communities of the city’s Greater Fifth Ward, Denver Harbor, and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods. Based upon the disposal practices by rail yard …

Investigating Runway Incursions In The United States Airports, Olajumoke Lizzy Omosebi

Theses (2016-Present)

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of runway incursions are rising. Over the last two decades, the number of runway incursions at US airports has increased from 987 in 2002 to 25,036 in 2020. Runway incursions are a major threat to aviation safety, causing major delays and financial consequences for airlines, as well as injury or death through incidents such as aircraft collisions. The FAA promotes the implementation of runway safety technology, infrastructure, procedural methods, changing airport layouts, and training practices to reduce the frequency of runway incursions. In this paper, the relationship between airport geometry factors, …

Analysis Of The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic Outbreak On Houston Bike Share Ridership, Mustafa Muhammad Wali

Theses (2016-Present)

A bikeshare system is a transportation service which bicycles are available for shared use by individuals for a short term at low or no cost. It is affordable to users and a healthy system for both users and the environment. It is a solution for people who do not have a vehicle and to limit the increase of private car usage. The study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on bikeshare ridership with a case study for the City of Houston. The data used for this study include ridership data for 2019 and 2020, COVID-19 cases …

The Whispering Voices Behind The Poetry Of Robert Browning And Matthew Arnold: Three Theoretical Approaches To Selected Works: Formalist, Psychoanalytic, And Marxist, Gabriel M. Cisneros

Theses (2016-Present)

Throughout the literary world, many critics have attempted to pinpoint the root cause for the sudden changes in style and attitude about writing the poetry that ultimately chased Robert Browning and Matthew Arnold into developing their own style in which to convey their innermost compassion for humanity. They hid their injured poetic souls; they hid their innermost thoughts, but they expressed themselves through their characters. By expressing themselves as the voice behind the speaker, they were able to create an artificial mask and utilize the mask as a method of capitalizing on the very essence of what the dramatic monologue …

Race, Racisim, And The Representation Of Niger-Congo West African Grammar In African American Language :Ebonics In Works By Paul Laurence Dunbar, Mark Twain, And Zora Neal Hurston, Gloria Jean Williams-Mitchell

Theses (2016-Present)

An analysis of selected works written in African American Language (AAL): Ebonics by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Mark Twain, and Zora Neale Hurston in historical, national American literature are used to document “Race, Racism, and the Representation of Niger-Congo West African Grammar in AAL: Ebonics. This study provides an overview of the Enlightenment period by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. which proved how world-renowned Euro-American meta-physicists justified slavery and colonization based on unsubstantiated science and religious beliefs. Further, Gates used his research to dispute the outlandish and biased historical documentation provided by some European scholars who claimed that Africans were animals …

Defining Public Transit Purpose And Need For Rural And Interstice Communities, Abdullah Adeal

Theses (2016-Present)

This thesis seeks to answer the research question; can one measure of social equity be a measure comparing socio-demographic variables of vulnerable communities with their county peers? If so, what benefits can public transportation bring to the rural communities? To answer the aforementioned research question, a study is conducted on the rural areas of the Texas Triangle along Interstate Highway 10 (IH 10) from Houston to San Antonio. Block groups located within five miles from the centerline of IH 10 are pulled and their poverty rate data are analyzed. A poverty index is calculated based on vulnerability variables which are …

Exploring The Impact Of Negative Publicity And Organizational Justice Among Officers Of A Southwest Agency, Matthew J. Durán

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Three years since the murder of George Floyd and police departments, nationwide, are amid a staffing crisis. While the outcomes of â??depolicingâ?? have received much empirical attention, little has been placed on understanding how officerâ??s attitudes were impacted, and how this affects their interactions with the public. This study uses survey data from a sample of 138 predominately Hispanic police officers to investigate the impact that negative publicity and organizational justice have on self-legitimacy (i.e., the confidence an officer has in their authority). Accordingly, multi-variate regressions are estimated to test the independent effects of negative publicity and organizational justice on …

The Effects Of An Intervention Using Pokemon Trading Card Game On The Decoding Abilities Of Children, Derek Emmett

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The present study focuses on illustrating the relationship between word decoding instruction and word decoding abilities within the context of a trading card game. Additionally, an argument for reading motivation and improvement of literacy skills is made. Three participants between the ages of 9 and 13 were recruited for participation in this study. Several decoding strategies such as phonemic awareness and morphological awareness strategies were implemented and trained over the course of several trading card games. Performance in decoding of several lists of compiled nonwords following treatment phases were systematically measured by the researcher. Two of the three participants demonstrated …

A Novel 3d Evaluation Of The Correlation Between The Condylar Position And Angle Classification In A Lebanese Population: A Pilot Study, Carine Haddad, Nabil Ghosn, Abboud Youssef, Amine El Zoghby, Camille Haddad

International Arab Journal of Dentistry

Introduction: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex joints. Its morphology varies between individuals, and even between the left and right sides. Several studies have found a significant relation between certain occlusal features and joint morphology. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging is currently the most widely adopted modality for the examination of the TMJ.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the joint space in a Lebanese cohort with different Angle classification using CBCT.

Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed CBCT images performed at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut in Lebanon, over a period of 1 …

Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Administrators On The Social And Emotional Health Of Teachers And School Climate: A Qualitative Case Study, Allison Breen

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

This intrinsic, qualitative single case study took place at a suburban, public elementary school in Massachusetts with teachers from second through fifth grade. The study addressed the importance of administrative support and engagement on teachers’ social and emotional health and sustaining a positive school climate. The study aimed to help stakeholders understand the perceptions of teachers regarding the perceived impact of administrators’ support and engagement on teachers’ health and well-being. The online survey used convenience sampling that included seven topics from a pre-existing instrument. The semi-structured interviews were based on purposive sampling and included open-ended questions. A total of 16 …

Public Privacy And Info-Liberal Authoritarianism, Christopher Hongach

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neoliberalism’s promise of economic prosperity has proven itself futile, as growing disparities in inequality have resulted in both developing and developed countries. As neoliberalism has become a major influence in international relations and the global economy, its adaptive capacity has led to the emergence of new forms and functions of capital, especially through commodification and abstract labor. With the rise of information capitalism, neoliberalism has incorporated information of all sorts into the nexus of capitalism. Most especially through the advancement of the Internet and social media platforms, information capitalism reaches its highest form through developing surveillance technology and the brokerage …

Post-Pandemic Travel Patterns Of Remote Tech Workers, Simon Tan, Kevin Fang, T. William Lester

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Almost half of all jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area are “remote-eligible” – more than any other metropolitan area in the United States, due to the high concentration of employees in the technology sector who were early to embrace teleworking at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Any significant share of these tech workers staying remote may have profound long-term impacts on aggregate travel patterns in the region. This research seeks to predict the magnitude of these impacts and derive insights about the newly learned behaviors of tech workers, as indicative of remote-eligible workers in general. …