Digital Commons Network^™

County Social Isolation And Opioid Use Disorder Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Medicare Data, 2013–2018, Tse-Chuan Yang, Carla Shoff, Seulki Kim, Benjamin A. Shaw

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study aims to fill three knowledge gaps: (1) unclear role of ecological factors in shaping older adults’ risk of opioid use disorder (OUD), (2) a lack of longitudinal perspective in OUD research among older adults, and (3) underexplored racial/ethnic differences in the determinants of OUD in older populations. This study estimates the effects of county-level social isolation, concentrated disadvantage, and income inequality on older adults’ risk of OUD using longitudinal data analysis. We merged the 2013–2018 Medicare population (aged 65+) data to the American Community Survey 5-year county-level estimates to create a person-year dataset (N = 47,291,217 person-years) and …

Evaluation Of Current Methods To Detect Cellular Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (Lrrk2) Kinase Activity, Belén Fernández, Vinita G. Chittoor-Vinod, Jillian H. Kluss, Kaela Kelly, Nicole Bryant, An Phu Tran Nguyen, Syed A. Bukhari, Nathan J. Smith, Antonio Jesús Lara Ordóñez, Elena Fdez, Marie-Christine Chartier-Harlin, Thomas J. Montine, Mark A. Wilson, Darren J. Moore, Andrew B. West, Mark R. Cookson, R. Jeremy Nichols, Sabine Hilfiker

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Coding variation in the Leucine rich repeat kinase 2 gene linked to Parkinson’s disease (PD) promotes enhanced activity of the encoded LRRK2 kinase, particularly with respect to autophosphorylation at S1292 and/or phosphorylation of the heterologous substrate RAB10.

Objective: To determine the inter-laboratory reliability of measurements of cellular LRRK2 kinase activity in the context of wildtype or mutant LRRK2 expression using published protocols.

Methods: Benchmark western blot assessments of phospho-LRRK2 and phospho-RAB10 were performed in parallel with in situ immunological approaches in HEK293T, mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and lymphoblastoid cell lines. Rat brain tissue, with or without adenovirus-mediated …

Resisting Face Surveillance With Copyright Law, Amanda Levendowski

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Face surveillance is animated by deep-rooted demographic and deployment biases that endanger marginalized communities and threaten the privacy of all. But current approaches have not prevented its adoption by law enforcement. Some companies have offered voluntary moratoria on selling the technology, leaving many others to fill in the gaps. Legislators have enacted regulatory oversight at the state and city levels, but a federal ban remains elusive. Both approaches require vast shifts in practical and political will, each with drawbacks. While we wait, face surveillance persists. This Article suggests a new possibility: face surveillance is fueled by unauthorized copies and reproductions …

Reimagining The Prophets: Joel’S Reception Of (The Rest Of) The Book Of The Twelve, Brianna Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The book of Joel is classified as one of the twelve Minor Prophets. However, it is different from the books that surround it. In this study, we will explore how studying Joel by thinking of it as a reception and reimagining of what the prophets like Amos and Hosea spoke about helps us to understand the prophet’s words for a new generation and context. Joel uses echoes and prophetic stock images that the author’s audience knows to convey his message. The author draws from prophetic material from the preexilic and exilic world and creates something for this new generation of …

Stigma As A Barrier To Military Mental Health Services, Alicea Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A psychiatric disorder is perhaps an uncomfortable topic that isn’t discussed enough in the military. However, the nature of the profession (i.e., the possibility of combat exposure) increases the risk of mental health disorders in the military. Despite the increasing awareness of the effects of untreated mental health conditions, a treatment gap still exists within the military culture. The present study aims to describe the prevalence of stigma in the military, as well as examine related factors, such as leadership behaviors and the associations between endorsed and anticipated stigma and treatment seeking intentions. Utilizing a questionnaire, this study investigated the …

Population Genomics Provides Insights Into The Genetic Basis Of Adaptive Evolution In The Mushroom-Forming Fungus Lentinula Edodes, Jingcheng Zhang, Nan Shen, Chuang Li, Xingjie Xiang, Gaolei Liu, Ying Gui, Sean Patev, David S. Hibbett, Kerrie Barry, William Andreopoulos, Anna Lipzen, Robert Riley, Guifen He, Mi Yan, Igor V. Grigoriev, Hoi Shan Kwan, Man Kit Cheung, Yinbing Bian, Yang Xiao

Biology

Introduction: Mushroom-forming fungi comprise diverse species that develop complex multicellular structures. In cultivated species, both ecological adaptation and artificial selection have driven genome evolution. However, little is known about the connections among genotype, phenotype and adaptation in mushroom-forming fungi. Objectives: This study aimed to (1) uncover the population structure and demographic history of Lentinula edodes, (2) dissect the genetic basis of adaptive evolution in L. edodes, and (3) determine if genes related to fruiting body development are involved in adaptive evolution. Methods: We analyzed genomes and fruiting body-related traits (FBRTs) in 133 L. edodes strains and conducted RNA-seq analysis of …

Sophomore Speech-Language Pathology Major Wins National Scholarship, Cameron Smith

University of Mississippi News

Amy-Kate Winter selected by National Student Speech Language Hearing Association

The Potential Impact Of Climate Change On The Distributions Of Eleutherodactylus Cystignathoides And E. Planirostris (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae), Rebecca T. Chastain

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is inducing changes in the distributions of many species, causing range shifts and habitat loss as well as facilitating invasions. It is a broad contributor to global amphibian decline, already causing mass extinctions and extirpations of amphibian populations, a phenomenon which is expected to continue. The understudied direct-developing frog Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides is a notable outlier, having rapidly expanded its distribution in recent years. This is of particular interest given that other eleutherodactylids, such as E. coqui and E. planirostris, have already shown propensity for rapid dispersal and invasion. Originally found in the southernmost tip of …

Modeling Functions Into An Angular Displacement Of An Elastic Pendulum, Brenda Lee Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we study the relation between analytic signals and a variety of pendulum systems. The representation of a signal as a pair of time varying amplitude and phase has been well studied and often related to linear mass spring systems. The differential equations describing pendulum systems are nonlinear and we provide analytical and numerical results regarding interpretation about the amplitude and the phase of signals in different pendulum settings. We report an explicit solution of the Elastic Pendulum problem in the case of linear phase. We develop an experimental procedure to piece-wise approximate bounded functions on a partition …

Aliens, Lizbet Cantu Montiel

Theses and Dissertations

Aliens is a collection of poems exploring the concept of alienations though heavy usage of figurative language and rich, dark language. Each poem will portray a variety of issues around the author and the world around the author of the work. Other important issues as underlying themes of the work explore diversity in different means through the concept of alienation, or not belonging, in a certain circumstance. Each poem also uses a variety of literary devices, especially the heavy usage of figurative language in order to portray the issues or themes at hand revolving around the concept of alienation.

Biological Sex Differences In The Monodelphis Domestica: Investigating Behavioral Responses In Environmental Enrichment And Conditioned Place Preference Paradigms, Katelynn M. Renteria

Theses and Dissertations

The Monodelphis domestica, commonly known as the grey short-tailed opossum, has become an increasingly frequented animal model for areas of psychological study, including comparative psychology. Despite the growing interest in utilizing the Monodelphis as an animal model, several areas of research remain limited in what has been studied. This includes associative learning and the effects of environmental enrichment on the Monodelphis. This study novelly incorporates the two using environmental enrichment with the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm to both diversify associative learning literature and expand existing knowledge on the Monodelphis domestica. The CPP paradigm included interactive objects as environmental …

Synthesis Of Gpr119 Interacting Drugs For Treatment Of Type Ii Diabetes, Tien M. Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Type II Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and is categorized by high blood glucose levels, insulin deficiencies, and inhibition. Located in the pancreas and intestine, the G-Protein Receptor 119 (GPR119) was noted to have an important effect on insulin secretion. Previous studies found that when the receptor is activated, insulin secretion was upregulated which is vital for type II diabetes treatment. Compounds AR437735 and AR437948 are the proposed agonist and inverse agonist pair that will be synthesized and tested for bioactivity to the receptor. It is theorized that the different double-bonded atoms …

Testing The Efficacy Of Uvc Leds For Biofouling Control, Margaret Jeannette Giggie

Theses and Dissertations

The use of ultraviolet-C (UVC) light as a biofouling preventative has been successfully demonstrated using mercury-based lamps. However, these lamps have several limitations (such as fragility and use of mercury), and the use of UVC LEDs (light-emitting diodes) has been suggested as an alternative. Several experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of LED strips (29 W, 270 nm, emittance angle of 130º) for biofouling control, as well as to compare them to a classic lamp (25 W, 254 nm, emits UVC light at 360º). Experiment #1 assessed the biofouling abundance and community composition on test panels exposed to either …

Low-Cost Carriers Versus Legacy Carriers: Passenger Preference During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Aaron Bushelle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to identify whether passengers had a preference between traveling on low-cost carriers versus legacy carriers during the ongoing pandemic. Building off research conducted by another researcher, several dimensions were identified and utilized within the question items. For this research, the target population was persons residing within the United States who were at least 18 years old and have traveled since the start of the pandemic in the United States in January 2020. A questionnaire was distributed online, and convenience sampling was undertaken. A T-test was conducted, and results indicated that when it came …

Wayne E. Sabbe Arkansas Soil Fertility Studies 2021, Nathan A. Slaton

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Rapid technological changes in crop management and production require that the research efforts be presented in an expeditious manner. The contributions of soil fertility and fertilizers are major production factors in all Arkansas crops. The studies described within will allow producers to compare their practices with the university’s research efforts. Additionally, soil-test data and fertilizer sales are presented to allow comparisons among years, crops, and other areas within Arkansas.

The Happiest Place On Earth: A Grounded Theory Of Fulfillment In Mixed-Orientation Marriages, Isadora Ferreira De Melo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mixed-orientation marriages (MOMs) are often misunderstood. There is a general cynicism in research literature and in the broader culture regarding the relational viability of same-sex attracted (SSA) individuals who marry someone of the opposite sex. However, there exist couples in MOMs that are resilient and attain satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to better understand how MOMs might become successful. By interviewing maritally satisfied mixed-orientation couples, the Model of Relational Self- Determination in Mixed-Orientation Marriages was developed. This model is separated into five stages that are organized around the experience of disclosure of the SSA spouse’s sexuality. Depending on …

The Correlations Of Financial Exploitation On Senior Adults Over 65, Carmen Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in people over the age of 65, the need for education about elder abuse and intervention in confirmed cases has become a priority for service providers, including social workers. The purpose of this study is to bring awareness to the different circumstances attributing to a senior adult over the age of 65 becoming a victim of elder abuse or financial exploitation. This exploratory descriptive study gathered data from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Open Data Portal and the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau. Various analyses were conducted to determine what may cause someone to be …

Adults With Disabilities: What Factors Create A Successful Transition From Higher Education To The Workforce?, Tiffany Elaine Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with disabilities face difficulties in both higher education and the workforce. While it would seem that they would be equipped to deal with these difficulties, high levels of college dropouts as well as pay gaps and high levels of underemployment suggest otherwise. Although there are many studies on disabilities and its relationship to singular factors, there is a lack of empirical study on the holistic relationship between disabilities and multiple factors. The purpose of this study is to explore how environmental factors, individual-external factors, and individual-internal factors are related to a successful transition from higher education to the workforce …

Responses To The Incarceration Of Nikkei Among Churches Of Christ In America, Joel Childers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During World War II (WWII), the United States of America relocated and incarcerated thousands of people of Japanese descent, also known as Nikkei, living in the

western United States. Some of these incarcerated Nikkei were Japanese nationals, but the majority were American citizens. Most white Americans said and did very little to oppose the incarceration or to aid incarcerated Nikkei, and American Christians were no exception. This study examines how one Christian group, Churches of Christ, responded to the incarceration in light of this group’s theological character.

While the responses of members of Churches of Christ to the incarceration are …

The Impact Of Intensive Advising Within Trio Student Support Services On Good Academic Standing And Student Perception: An Explorative Study, Mariesha Shaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Challenges in bachelor’s degree attainment for disadvantaged students (e.g., low income, first generation and disabled) within higher education is a social problem. TRiO SSS, a federal program, has been implemented at a private university in Texas to meet the needs of disadvantaged students and positively influence good academic standing, which would lead to higher bachelor’s degree attainment. Intensive advising, which is holistic meetings conducted with participants to meet academic and personal needs, is one intervention utilized in the TRiO SSS program. The purpose of this study is to assess the role and influence of intensive advising by examining whether it …

Becoming Stewards Of Attention: A Theological Appeal, Joshua Gorenflo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The widespread compromising of attention currently taking place in our digital age is, at least in part, a theological issue necessitating a theological response, which invites an examination of the human person in relation to God. Familiar within the biblical narrative and throughout Christian tradition, I suggest that when the role of steward functions as the operative paradigm for humans, the claims made upon their lives have profound implications for attending within the digital age. More specifically, the steward’s attention becomes a tangible expression of authority and accountability in representation of God’s image to the rest of creation. In pursuit …

"Is He Not A Maker Of Parables?": Restorative Poetics And Magical Realism In Ezekiel 40–48, Matthew Wells Sapp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The thesis demonstrates that Ezek 40–48 functions as a unified narrative of restoration and that it is profitable to understand its fantastic realism and postcolonial rhetoric as early precursors to the modern magical realism genre. The tools of narrative criticism are utilized to exegete the literary features of Ezek 40–48 and uncover its poetic elements and rhetorical thrust. After this analysis, Ezek 40–48 is viewed as a precursor to modern magical realist texts in a comparative study with Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude and Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children, paying special attention to the thematic emphases …

Perceived Benefits Of Upskilling And Reskilling By Persons Who Are Among The Employed, Underemployed, And Unemployed, Rosalind Marie Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research study is to explore the perceived influence, potential impact, and benefits that upskilling, and reskilling have on the employed, underemployed, and unemployed worker. In addition, this study seeks to explore whether the perceived benefits of upskilling and reskilling include moving above the poverty line and therefore, out of poverty in real and sustainable ways. This resulting new position and potential increase in pay could have the positive impact of moving them and their families above the poverty line. The results of this study indicate that participants perceive upskilling and reskilling to be an option …

Caregiver-Child Conversations About Sex In African American Women, Hannah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using grounded theory methods, this study examines the experience of African American women during their caregiver-child conversations about sex and the impacts of the conversations on their sexual attitudes. The process of these conversations begins with an unplanned topic and progresses further to identify six essential themes of these conversations: gender differences, race and religion, protective/emphasis on protection, lack of knowledge, withholding knowledge, and sex negativity/shame. African American women’s description of the process included feelings of shame and negativity towards their sexuality. Caregivers promoted positive messages about sex by having open conversations that advocated for equality between the genders, empower …

A Study Of Military-Connected Parental Perceptions Of Civilian Secondary School Image, Legitimacy, And Reputation, Jorge Manuel Soldevila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using elements from the parent-based school reputation model, this qualitative methodology study explored the association between a school’s perceived image and reputation as a barrier to the school–home relationship involving military families. Military-connected family culture and diverse contexts affect parent–teacher relationships through a perceptional gap between a school’s role in what it concretely accomplishes and its beliefs about supporting students’ behavioral, emotional, and academic needs. This study aimed to explore the opinions and beliefs of military-connected families based on their experiences with schools during service. The resulting grounded theoretical model argues that military families construct a perception of school support …

Academic Leadership Perceptions Of Online Program Quality And Course Design, Amanda Gayle Korkow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine college and university leaders’ background in, perceptions of, and experiences with the administration of high-quality online programs and design of online courses. The population of this study included academic leaders at higher education institutions within the state of Texas from 2 and 4-year undergraduate and graduate, public and private, for-profit and not-for-profit institutions that had at least one 100% online program. A quantitative research design was used through the distribution of a survey that contained two parts: part one asked questions related to the background demographics of the leader and their respective …

A Correlational Investigation Of Black Females’ Education And Their Reproductive Health, Angela Marie Holliday

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Research supports that people who dropout of high school do substantially worse than those who graduate (Anderson & Pörtner, 2014) based upon research on the consequences of dropping out of high school. High school dropouts “earn less, report lower levels of happiness, commit more crimes, and suffer from poorer health” (Anderson & Pörtner, 2014, p. 113). Dropout rates have a massive impact on employment rates, individual earnings, and crime rates (thinkimpact.com, 2020, para. 7). Students who dropout of high school “face social stigma, fewer job opportunities, lower salaries, and higher probability of involvement with the criminal justice system” (Mass. Dept. …

Energy Science & Engineering: 10 Years Of Excellence, Yun Hang Hu

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

No abstract provided.

An Extraction Method To Quantify The Fraction Of Extracellular And Intracellular Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Aquatic Environments, Kassidy N. O'Malley, Walter M. Mcdonald, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

As the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes increases in the environment, there is a concurrent increase in the threat to public and ecosystem health. Extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) are cell-free DNA that can promote the development of antibiotic resistance via transformation by competent bacterial cells. Despite this role, eARGs have not been well characterized in different environmental waters. Their small size and low concentrations in some aquatic environments render them difficult to extract. The aim of this research was to modify an eARG extraction method to determine the abundance of both eARGs and intracellular ARGs (iARGs) in …

Assessing Flooding Impact To Riverine Bridges: An Integrated Analysis, Maria Pregnolato, Andrew O. Winter, Dakota Mascarenas, Andrew D. Sen, Paul Bates, Michael R. Motley

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Flood events are the most frequent cause of damage to infrastructure compared to any other natural hazard, and global changes (climate, socioeconomic, technological) are likely to increase this damage. Transportation infrastructure systems are responsible for moving people, goods and services, and ensuring connection within and among urban areas. A failed link in these systems can impact the community by threatening evacuation capability, recovery operations and the overall economy. Bridges are critical links in the wider urban system since they are associated with little redundancy and a high (re)construction cost. Riverine bridges are particularly prone to failure during flood events; in …