Digital Commons Network^™

Madness In The Mixtape: Gothic Literature And Pop Music, Nicholas Dertinger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In Gothic literature, madness has often been connected to the outliers of what is considered socially normal. This dissertation explores the enduring theme of madness, particularly the figure of the “madwoman,” in both women’s literature and in its “afterlife”—or continuing conversation with—contemporary pop music. Through a comparative analysis of songs including Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” (1978), Beyoncé’s “Hold Up” (2016), Lady Gaga’s “Plastic Doll” (2020), Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” (2021), Billie Eilish’ “What Was I Made For?” (2023), Paramore’s cover of “Burning Down the House” (2024), Taylor Swift’s “mad woman” (2020) and Florence + the Machine’s “Dream Girl Evil” …

Book Banning Bureaucrats: Grassroots Parents’ Groups Strategic Rationalization Of Book Bans In The 2020s, Ethan M. Forsberg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Book bans in the 2020s have seen a dramatic increase across the United States, with a major contributing factor being Social Movement Organizations (SMO) led by parents. My research looks at these parents' rights SMOs’ online presence through their social media and websites by analyzing the frames, counter frames, and realignments in regard to the 2020s book ban issue. Through a content analysis of three prominent parent rights SMOs (Moms for America, Defending Education, Moms for Liberty), I collected and analyzed data from their X, Facebook, YouTube, and respective websites. Coding the data using grounded and visual grounded theory, I …

Testing A Self-Affirmation Intervention To Increase The Likelihood Of Seeking Emotional Social Support, Selena Heinlein

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Needing help is a common occurrence in the everyday lives of many people. Seeking help, however, is not. Even though most people experience needing help regularly, many people do not ask for help. Not asking for help when it is needed may be caused by several factors. Some people may not ask for help because they think it is going to be awkward, while others may not ask for help because they think they are going to be negatively perceived by others. These fears may get worse when needing to seek emotional social support for a personal issue, since this …

Autonomous Coupler Alignment Using Position-Based Visual Servoing In A Ros~2 Framework, Nickolas Giffen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As robotic arms are becoming increasingly common alongside humans as collaborative robots, their high precision in motion enables tasks to be performed at significantly higher speeds with reduced disruption in the environment. The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is exploring this application by incorporating a UR16e from Universal Robots in a cleanroom setting during assembly of couplers to superconducting radio frequency cavities as part of the PIP-II project. The goal of the robotic assembly process is to precisely position the UR16e robot so that the coupler flange, mounted on the robot’s end-effector, is accurately aligned with and pressed against the cavity …

Effects Of Desiccation On Invasive Faucet Snail (Bithynia Tentaculata) And Trematode Survival, Elise Marie Jordahl

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Parasitism is one of the most common and diverse life history strategies, yet relatively little is known about the role of parasites as invasive species. Invasive species, which present one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, often need to overcome adverse environmental conditions as they establish and spread in new habitats. Invasive parasites are subject to these same conditions, though the effects may be mediated through their hosts. Here, I use an invasive snail and its trematode parasites to quantify the effects of desiccation on survival to better understand how processes of invasion play out in host-parasite systems. The faucet …

How You Hold The Bomb Matters: Nuclear Posture And Counterproliferation Effectiveness, Casey A. Kruger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the factors shaping state responsiveness to U.S. nuclear counterproliferation efforts by building on Posture Optimization Theory (POT) and introducing Counterproliferation Responsiveness Theory (CRT). CRT proposes that nuclear posture conditions how states respond to external counterproliferation pressure by generating distinct operational consequences, particularly differences in operational visibility, strategic autonomy, and escalation requirements. These operational characteristics shape the political and strategic costs associated with resisting coercive pressure. This study employs a comparative, theory-driven process-tracing methodology to examine the cases of India and Taiwan, drawing on declassified U.S. government documents and complementary secondary literature. Evidence tables were constructed to map …

Hot Topic Of The Cold War: Analyzing The Bomb In American Media During The Late Twentieth Century, Ryan Lambert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores nuclear war–related media (i.e., media involving “the Bomb”) from the late twentieth century, beginning in the early 1950s and ending in the late 1990s, although media from the 2000s and beyond are briefly touched on. Unlike other studies of nuclear war narratives, this analysis intends to explore this media through a rhetorical framework of an “eroding” society, and the “erosion” concepts of the 50s–70s paved the way for cumulative “erosion” storylines in the 80s (the height of the Cold War), and then “restoration” storylines in the 90s (after the end of the Cold War). This framework is …

Photovoice Exploration Of Afghan Refugee Background Women's Food-Related Well-Being, Eileen C. Lindemann

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

More than 117,000 Afghans have been relocated to the United States following the U.S. military withdrawal in August 2021. Research indicates that Afghan refugees resettled in the U.S. are at increased risk of psychological distress, with Afghan women particularly susceptible compared with Afghan men, and diet-related chronic disease. However, research also shows that traditional food and eating customs foster cultural identity, social support, integration, and well-being. The purpose of this study was to collaboratively explore the food-related well-being and daily life contexts of resettled refugee participants through the photovoice method, a participatory research strategy in which participants photograph aspects of …

Personality Theories, Leswin Laubscher

Open Education Materials

Introduction to Personality Theories

Virus-Derived Serpin Reduces Immuno-Coagulopathic Damage In Murine Colitis By Targeting The Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor (Upar) And Complement, Alexandra R. Lucas, Henna Monder, Junior Enow, Cheyanne Woodrow, Aman Garg, Jessika Schlievert, Nora Elmadbouly, Aashika Dupati, Emily Aliskevich, Rohan Saju, Jacqueline Kilbourne, Kenneth Lowe, Mostafa Hamada, Aubrey Pinteric, Isabela R. Zanetti, Ritvik Srivant Satyanarayanan, Savanah Gisriel, Esther Borges Florsheim, Masmudur Rahman, James Irving, Grant Mcfadden, Wei Kong, Liqiang Zhang

Student Publications

A virus-derived serpin, Serp-1, has proven efficacy in treating inflammatory and coagulation disorders in preclinical and clinical studies. Serp-1 evolved over millions of years to block host immune responses, targeting serine proteases in immune and coagulation pathways. Treatment with PEGylated Serp-1 (PEGSerp-1) protein reduced lung injury in both lupus lung hemorrhage and SARS-CoV-2 models. Here, PEGSerp-1 effects on immune-coagulopathic responses is examined in a mouse colitis model. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with life-threatening complications with severe inflammation, bleeding, vasculitis, cancer and toxic megacolon. Serine protease cascades activate coagulation and complement pathways throughout the human body and are regulated …

Implementation Of The Downes Scoring Tool, Jennifer Oney

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects

Background

Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. It is managed with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), but CPAP can mask the signs of RDS, and delay surfactant therapy.

Purpose

This quality improvement project (QI) was to assess healthcare providers’ confidence in RDS and surfactant therapy through pre- and post- surveys and provided education on RDS and the implementation of the Simplified Downes Scoring Tool to assess respiratory distress in premature infants (25-36 weeks gestation).

Methods

In a Level III NICU, healthcare providers received education on RDS and the scoring Tool, they …

Deterministic Black-Box Context-Free Grammar Inference: Scaling From Small To Big Languages, Mohammad Rifat Arefin

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations

Context-free grammars are essential for a number of software engineering tasks like program understanding, debugging, and grammar-based testing. However, formal language descriptions (i.e. grammars) are often unavailable, outdated, or inaccessible because parsers are closed-source or cannot be instrumented. Black-box grammar inference addresses this gap using only valid sample programs and parser acceptance decisions. The problem is challenging because finite samples rarely exercise all language features or their combinations, while the inference process cannot inspect the parser’s internal representation of syntax. This dissertation develops deterministic techniques for black-box context-free grammar inference. The first tool, TreeVada introduces the structural assumption that balanced …

Impact Of Fast Track On Emergency Department Length Of Stay, Kayce Carrick Bsn, Rn, Kelsey Richmond Rn, Stacy Duncan Rn

Nurse Residency Posters

Facilitator: Melissa Harper, BSN, RN

OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital

Impact Of Exercise And Cognitive Behavioral Therapy On Anxiety And Depression, Ranjita Subedi, Rachel Affeldt, Abigail Bentley, Gavin Gump, Madison Mitchell, Taylor Rodgers, Bayley Mullins, Libbie Woodland, Sophia Rubenkoenig

Nurse Residency Posters

OhioHealth Grant Medical Center

Hands-Free Tech For Fall Prevention, Sierra Dixon Rn, Jessica Gillam Rn, Bryan Hatheway Rn, Taightam Hicks Bsn, Rn, Kelsey Tignor Bsn, Rn, Hailie Tomsik Rn, Jeremiah Waworoendeng Rn

Nurse Residency Posters

Facilitator: Kasey Gillen, MHA, BSN, RN, NPD-BC

OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital

Impact Of Intentional Leadership Styles On Staff Nurse Satisfaction And Retention, Monica Patrick Rn, Camie Mitchell Rn, Amelia Kennedy Rn, Rachel Geiger Rn, Zachary Foster Rn, Katherine Leahy Rn

Nurse Residency Posters

Facilitator: Tess Wagner, BSN, RN

OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital

Air Quality Risks In Public Housing, Brynn Sheehan, Carolyn Caraballo Velez, Vaughan W. Rees, Miasha T. O'Neal, Kristen E. Moore, Katie M. Jones, Jessica Meadows, Sarah Gehlert, Richard Grucza, Andrew Plunk, Kelli J. England

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Importance Public housing residents face elevated environmental health risks, yet indoor air quality in these settings remains underexamined. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate indoor air quality in public housing 5 years after implementation of the federal smoke-free housing policy and compare it with outdoor air quality in the same regions.

Design, Setting, and Participants A 1-year cohort study of indoor air quality (particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5]) across 12 multifamily public housing communities in southeastern Virgina for individuals 65 years and older or persons with disability in cities with the highest rated outdoor air quality. Indoor PM2.5 was continuously measured …

Ai Exposure And Job Security Perceptions Among College Students, Isabela Voka

Honors College Theses

This study focuses on how college students and people in their early careers perceive the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on job security. Concerns about automation and job instability have grown in importance as AI technologies continue to change the modern workforce. This study uses qualitative content analysis to examine publicly accessible Reddit and YouTube debates to find recurrent themes in people's perceptions of how AI would affect their future career. Thematic coding techniques were used to analyze 68 internet posts and responses. The results show that the most common issue was employment instability, especially with reference to regular and …

Medical Image Feature Extraction And Selection Based On Inception V3 And Gini Index For Cervical Cancer Cells Identification, Rachida Assawab, Mounir Ouzir, Badreddine Benyacoub, Abderrahim Electrochemical Sensor For Tenofovir Allati, Ismail El Moudden

Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise (RISE) Faculty Publications

Background: Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common cancer in women globally, with 604,000 new cases annually. Early detection through cytological screening is critical, but manual interpretation suffers from high false negative rates and requires expert pathologists often unavailable in resource-limited settings.

Methods: We developed a novel hybrid framework combining InceptionV3-based deep feature extraction with Gini Index feature selection for automated cervical cancer cell classification. Using the Herlev dataset (917 Pap smear images: 242 normal, 675 abnormal), we extracted 2048 deep features and applied systematic feature selection to identify optimal discriminative subsets. Comprehensive clustering analysis (K-means, K-medoid, Fuzzy clustering) validated …

Neurotensin Drives Theca Cell Migration During Ovulation In Primates, Jessica S. Miller, Megan A. G. Sage, Thomas E. Curry Jr., Diane M. Duffy

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Theca cells are a critical steroidogenic cell type of the ovarian follicle and corpus luteum. The ovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge (or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) stimulates theca cell relocation from the stroma surrounding the dominant follicle to full integration into the developing corpus luteum. Luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin also stimulates granulosa cells to produce local mediators of ovulation, including the peptide neurotensin (NTS). To determine if hCG-stimulated NTS regulates theca cell relocation within the ovulatory follicle, vehicle or an NTS receptor antagonist was injected into a macaque dominant follicle, and ovaries were removed 48 h after hCG administration. Additional …

Skeletal Muscle Myofiber Development In Non-Human Primate Offspring Deprived Of Estrogen In Utero, Phillip J. Gauronskas, Terrie J. Lynch, Eugene D. Albrecht, Gerald J. Pepe

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: We previously showed that baboon offspring born to mothers deprived of estrogen during the second half of gestation exhibited insulin resistance prior to and after the onset of puberty. Moreover, the size of skeletal muscle myofibers and the number of microvessels important for delivery of insulin/glucose to myofibers were lower in near-term fetuses deprived of estrogen during pregnancy, and myofiber capillarization remained reduced in post-pubertal offspring deprived of estrogen in utero. However, it remains to be determined whether skeletal muscle size is restored to normal in animals deprived of estrogen in utero after the onset of puberty/gonadal estrogen production. …

Hu308, A Selective Cannabinoid Type-2 Receptor Agonist, Mitigates Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein-Induced Acute Lung Injury In Mice, Janette Lockett, Gregory Nicholson, Nicholas Richards, Ryan Washington, Nagaraja Nagre

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to pose major health challenges despite effective vaccination efforts. The sustained occurrence of breakthrough infections and emerging variants of the virus highlights the need for additional therapeutic strategies. Given the anti-inflammatory role of the cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R), we examined the effect of CB2R activation in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1 (S1SP)-induced acute lung injury (ALI).

Methods

ALI was induced in mice by intratracheal (i.t.) administration of S1SP, followed by treatment with the CB2R agonist HU308 (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal: i.p.) 1 h …

P38 Mapk Is Involved In Epigenetic Regulation Of Fibrotic Genes In Replication Induced Senescence In Lung Fibroblasts, Shan Zhu, Jennifer Q. Zhou, Kan Wang, Ming-Lei Guo, Yan Sanders

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Fibroblast activation is essential for tissue repair following injury; however, prolonged activation drives pathological fibrosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and age-associated lung disease, is characterized by aberrant fibroblast activation, with increasing evidence implicating senescent and near-senescent fibroblasts in its pathogenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly defined. In this study, we investigated whether histone modification is involved in TGF-β1 treated lung fibroblasts and contributes to the fibrotic phenotype. Human IMR90 lung fibroblasts at low and high population doubling levels (LPDL and HPDL), as well as primary IPF fibroblasts, were used in this study. In response to TGF-β1, both …

Brief Pulses Of High-Level Fluid Shear Stress Enhance Metastatic Potential And Rapidly Alter The Metabolism Of Cancer Cells, Amanda N. Pope, Devon L. Moose, Guy O. Hudson, Hank R. Weresh, Marion R. Dykstra, Aabha Y. Joshi, Patrick Breheny, Eric B. Taylor, Michael D. Henry

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) face challenges to their survival, including mechanical and oxidative stresses that are different from cancer cells in solid primary and metastatic tumors. The impact of adaptations to the fluid microenvironment of the circulation on the outcome of the metastatic cascade is not well understood. Here, we find that cancer cells exposed to brief pulses of high-level fluid shear stress (FSS) exhibit enhanced invasiveness and anchorage-independent proliferation in vitro and enhanced metastatic colonization/tumor formation in vivo. Cancer cells exposed to FSS rapidly alter their metabolism in a manner that promotes survival by providing energy for cytoskeletal remodeling …

Deletion Of Stim1 In Treg Cells Protects Against Lung Fibrosis And Associated Cardiovascular Complications In A Pre-Clinical Mouse Model, Nagaraja Nagre, Balaji Srinivas, Nicholas Richards, Ryan Washington, Gregory Nicholson, Yan Sanders, Beata Kosmider, Khalid Matrougui

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and incurable lung disease characterized by excessive tissue remodeling and impaired gas exchange. Evidence highlights the critical interplay between immune regulation, calcium signaling, and redox biology implications in the pathogenesis of fibrotic lung disease. Regulatory T-cells (Tregs), known to modulate cardiovascular and immune function, are diminished in IPF, contributing to inflammation and tissue damage. Here, we demonstrate that the stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), a key regulator of intracellular calcium homeostasis, is significantly upregulated in Treg cells isolated from IPF patients and mice subjected to bleomycin-induced lung injury. This upregulation is associated with …

Localization And Functional Exploration Of Leiomodin-2'S C-Terminal Binding Sites, Mason D. Summers, Madison Little, Robert P. Young, Brayan Osegueda, Alan Palma Guillen, Garry E. Smith Jr., John R. Cart, Vitold E. Galkin, Alla S. Kostyukova

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Striated muscle contraction occurs through interactions between overlapping myosin-based thick and actin-based thin filaments within the sarcomere. For effective contraction to occur, the length of the thin filament must be maintained to ensure sufficient overlap with the thick filament. The proteins leiomodin and tropomodulin compete for binding at the pointed ends of thin filaments to regulate their length, using their homologous N-terminal actin and tropomyosin binding sites. Leiomodin also contains a region called the C-terminal extension, absent in tropomodulin. In this region, the cardiac isoform (leiomodin-2) contains additional actin-binding sites that enable it to bind along the sides of thin …

Stat4-Dependent Regulation Of Neuroinflammation In Atherosclerosis, Natalie Stahr, Alina K. Moriarty, Shelby D. Ma, W. Coles Keeter, Woong-Ki Kim, Larry D. Sanford, Elena V. Galkina

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Atherosclerosis is linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline, with chronic inflammation being a common feature of both pathologies. IL-12 activates STAT4 to regulate myeloid cell functions, and blockade of this pathway alleviates cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's models. However, the mechanisms connecting vascular pathology to neuroinflammation remain unclear. Here, we examine whether STAT4 functions as a common mediator of neuroinflammation in atherosclerosis. We demonstrate that LysM^Cre-specific STAT4 deficiency ameliorates deficits in long-term memory in low-density lipoprotein-deficient (Ldlr^-/-) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD-C). STAT4 deficiency moderately reduces Ser199-phosphorylated Tau burden. Atherosclerosis alters brain immune …

Senescent Fibroblasts In Aging And Pulmonary Fibrosis, Sara B. Palega, Aiwei Y. Borengasser, Yan Y. Sanders

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic lung diseases, including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a fatal and incurable disease characterized by progressive fibrotic remodeling. Age-associated structural alterations, impaired regenerative capacity, and dysregulated cellular signaling collectively create a pro-fibrotic microenvironment. A central driver of this pathological shift is the accumulation of senescent cells, which undergo irreversible growth arrest and develop a robust pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Emerging evidence identifies senescent lung fibroblasts as critical mediators of IPF pathogenesis. These cells promote excessive extracellular matrix deposition, myofibroblast differentiation, and tissue stiffening, while simultaneously impairing epithelial regeneration. Together, these effects …

Inhibition Of Histone Demethylase Lsd1 Suppresses Cd47 Expression And Enhances Efficacy Of Cd47 Blockade In Breast Cancer, Fengjie Jiang, Yu Shen, Bing Li, Michael Henry, Nancy Davidson, Yi Huang

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Background CD47 functions as a “don’t eat me” checkpoint, inhibiting macrophage-mediated phagocytosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). While anti-CD47 therapies can restore immune surveillance, their efficacy in TNBC is often limited by immune evasion and drug development challenges.

Methods We investigated the crosstalk between the histone demethylase lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) and CD47 signaling in TNBC using in silico datasets, isogenic cell lines, conditional BRCA1 knockout models, and syngeneic mouse models. Techniques such as immunohistochemistry, multiplex immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, protein ubiquitination, chromatin immunoprecipitation, chemotaxis, flow cytometry, and phagocytosis assays were employed to examine the epigenetic regulation of CD47 by LSD1 and …

Lipid And Foam Cell Accumulation As Novel Pathological Features Of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, Dita Julianingsih, Samara V. Silver, Thaissa Horne, Kasun Gunawardena, Savannah Ward, Alicia Malewska, Douglas Strand, Julius Nyalwidhe, Ilya Sobol, Petra Popovics

Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) encompasses a heterogeneous set of pathological processes that instigate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Using a mouse model of steroid hormone imbalance-induced lower urinary tract dysfunction, we identified luminal lipid-laden foamy macrophages, although their presence and contribution to human pathology have not yet been established. The objective of this study was to determine whether luminal macrophages are associated with human BPH and to assess how lipid accumulation relates to underlying pathological features and clinical parameters.

Methods

Whole-mount tissue sections from simple prostatectomy specimens and prostates from healthy donors were used to evaluate the association of …