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489 Days
489 Days is an animated documentary about the harrowing experiences of Egyptian-American Mohamed Soltan, who survived 16 months of hunger strike in an Egyptian prison. Caught up in the political turmoil which followed the Arab Spring uprisings, Soltan was unjustly incarcerated between August 2013 and May 2015, when the United States government intervened to release him weeks after an Egyptian court sentenced him to life in prison. The film is also the larger story of an estimated 60,000 political detainees currently held in Egypt without due process, and in violation of local and international human rights conventions.
Allusions and Borrowings in Selected Works by Christopher Rouse: Interpreting Manner, Meaning, and Motive through a Narratological Lens
Christopher Rouse (b. 1949), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his Trombone Concerto (1993) and a Grammy award for his Concerto de Gaudi (1999), has come to the forefront as one of America's most prominent orchestral composers. Several of Rouse's works feature quotations of and strong allusions to other composers' works that are used both rhetorically and structurally. These borrowings range from a variety of different genres and styles of works, from Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea to Jay Ferguson's "Thunder Island." Due to the more accessible filtering and funneling methods of musical borrowings (proliferation of mass media), the weighty discourses attached to them, and their variety of functions (critiquing canons, engaging in an allusive tradition, etc.), quotation has become elevated to the most prominent of musical actors that trigger narrative listening strategies, which in turn have a stronger role in the formation of narratives about music as well as narratives of music. The primary aim of this study is to adapt and apply more recent methodological narrativity frameworks to selected instrumental compositions by Rouse containing quotations, suggesting that their manner of insertion, their method of disclosure, and their referential potential can benefit from being examined through various narrative lenses as well as reveal their participation in certain roles of narrative functions. For this study, I have chosen six instrumental works by Rouse for examination - the Violoncello Concerto, Symphony No. 1, Iscariot, String Quartet No. 2, Seeing, and Thunderstuck. On a more specific level, the aim of this study is to investigate the manner, meaning, and motive of the quoted material in a select group of Rouse's compositions through various narratological lenses. To accomplish this, I intend 1) to establish a context for understanding the musical borrowing procedures of Rouse; 2) to explore how works containing quotations can be …
Analysis of Regional Magazine Content and Engagement on Twitter
This two-part mixed-methods study analyzed the Twitter activity of two regional magazines – D Magazine and Texas Monthly – and how social media editors implement strategies to maintain journalistic integrity (news values, topics, and ethical standards) while increasing engagement.
Animals Alive and Dead
Collection of poems.
Application-Focused Investigation of Monovalent Metal Complexes for Nanoparticle Synthesis
Over the last 20 years, there has occurred an increase in the number, scope, and impact of nanomaterials projects. By leveraging the Surface Plasmon Resonance of metallic nanoparticles for labelling, sensing, and treatment, researchers have demonstrated the versatile utility of these nanomaterials in medicine. The literature provides evidence of use of simple, well-known chemistry for nanomaterials synthesis when the focus is new applications of nanomaterials. A case in point, is the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles, whereby HAuCl4, CuCl2, Cu(acac)2, and AgNO3 are typically employed as nanoparticle precursors. Unfortunately, the use of these precursors limits the number of applications available to these materials - particularly for AuNPs in medicine, where the byproducts of nanoparticle synthesis (most often surface-adsorbed reductants, toxic stabilizers, and growth directors) cause nanoparticles to fail clinical trials. Despite the several thousand publications detailing the advancements in nanoparticle therapeutics, as of 2017, there were only 50 FDA-approved nanoparticle formulations. Less than 10 were based on metallic nanoparticles. This is a problem because many of these nanoparticle therapeutics demonstrate potent cell killing ability and labeling of cells. A solution to this problem may be the use of weakly coordinated, monovalent metal complexes, which require only one electron to reduce them to their metallic state. Further, by designing nanoparticle syntheses around these monovalent complexes, we can employ weaker, environmentally friendly stabilizers. This strategy also forgoes the use of exogenous reducing agents, because the monovalent complexes can be reduced and stabilized by one reagent. Herein we investigate the use of Au(Me2S)Cl, [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4, and AgBF4 with green stabilizers to synthesize a variety of nanomaterials. We find that a range of sizes of spherical particles, as well as a range of sizes of gold triangular prisms can be synthesized by using techniques that follow this strategy.
Asian and Asian Indian American Immigrant Students: Factors Influencing Their Academic Performance
Asian American students have done well in school; they have had higher academic achievements, higher academic scores, lower dropout rates and higher college entrance rates as compared to other minorities and generally other students in the United States (U.S.). A possible explanation to the higher academic performance and achievement of the Asian American students is that they are more likely to have experienced an environment that is conducive to learning at home; their parents were involved and held higher expectations. Immigrant minorities have been found to do well in schools in many parts of the world. Similarly, here in the U.S. there has been increasing evidence that students of Asian ancestry, both immigrants and U.S. born, complete more years of education than most of the other ethnicities. Current research and data on the academic performance of Asian immigrants includes most Asian countries. This study reviewed the current literature regarding the factors that influence the academic performance of "Asian Indian Americans" who attended high schools in the U. S. This correlational study examined the relationship between various factors, such as parental participation, parental expectations and involvement, discipline, cultural beliefs, personal identity and values, language spoken at home, and the academic performance of the Asian Indian Americans.
Beyond Nothingness: A Broader Nihilism in Cinema Paradiso by Stephen Goss
Stephen Goss composed Cinema Paradiso, a six-movement suite for solo guitar, as an homage to films and film directors. Goss cites nihilism as a theme in Dogville, the film that inspires the fourth movement, "Mandalay," but I assert that all the films and many musical devices throughout the piece can be read through the lens of nihilism. The first movement, "Paris, Texas," depicts the stark landscape of the opening scene of the 1984 Wim Wenders film of the same name. "Modern Times" chronicles Charlie Chaplin's slapstick-laden descent from the factory to the insane asylum in the opening sequence of his 1936 Modern Times. "Noir" is a tribute to the procedures of film noir: violent storylines that depict the harshness of life, dim lighting, and anti-hero characters, all accompanied by jazz. Lars von Trier's Dogville provides the movement "Mandalay" with its nihilistic meaning, but Goss writes that he invokes the musical style of Kurt Weill's opera The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Just as the book people of François Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 had to pass on books orally, Goss has burned the score for his "451," forcing guitarists to learn it by watching a video and listening to a recording. Finally, the chaotic tarantella, "Tarantino" depicts Uma Thurman's heroin overdose scene in Quinten Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. By analyzing Fredrich Nietzsche's writings to form a broader definition of nihilism and applying that definition first to each film and then to corresponding musical elements in each movement, this paper argues that nihilism acts as a connecting theme throughout Cinema Paradiso.
Bio-Inspired Material Surfaces with Self-cleaning, Micromanipulation and Water Collection
Geckos are famous for the skill of switchable adhesion that they use to stick on various surface while keep their fingers super clean. In the dissertation, a unique mechanism was discovered to explain gecko self-cleaning phenomena. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we managed to compare the microparticle-substrate adhesion and the microparticle-seta adhesion with a single seta bonded to the AFM cantilever. A dynamic effect was approved that high pulling-off speed could increase the microparticle-substrate adhesion and thus the self-cleaning appears at high moving speed. Based on the self-cleaning theory, a gecko-inspired N-doped graphene surface with switchable adhesion was achieved, which was designed into a bio-inspired micromanipulator with a success rate over 90%. When electrical bias was applied on this biomimetic surface, the charge concentration induced an electrical double layer (ELD) on the convex surfaces, which attracts polar water molecules to form a water bridge on it, significantly enhancing the adhesion on the wrinkled graphene surface, mimicking the capillary force on beetle feet. Therefore, the bio-inspired adhesive surface can be controlled with speed, electrical bias, humidity and different material surfaces. The water attraction phenomenon on the polarized surface was further tested for the potential application of water collection and evaporation in microsystems.
Bipolar Spectrum Traits in Day-to-Day Life: Ecological Momentary Assessment of Reward Sensitivity, Circadian Timing, and Experience of Reward in the Environment
The current study examined 236 undergraduate students in a week long twice-per-day ecological momentary assessment exploring the influence of baseline reward sensitivity and interactions between circadian variables (i.e., total sleep time, sleep quality) and daily measures of reward. Though primary study findings did not support reward sensitivity related moderation of sleep-reward pathways, a number of notable findings emerged. We found evidence of specific domains of reward sensitivity (anticipatory reward and reward responsiveness) which are uniquely related to daily experiences of reward. In addition, bidirectional circadian-reward pathways were found between sleep quality and daily rewards which suggests pathways towards reward-related engagement. Evidence also supported interactions between sleep quality and total sleep time on experience of daily reward, further highlighting the complexity of sleep-reward pathways and their relevance to mood symptoms.
Brazos
Brazos is a collection of poetry that comments on and critiques life in a small town in Texas. These poems situate the speaker both in this town and in spaces removed from the town, but the work always grapples with questions of how the speaker identifies himself via the relationship to that space. The creative portion is accompanied by a critical introduction that looks at the intersections of poetry and the lyric essay.
Carbon Nanotubes and Molybdenum Disulfide Protected Electrodes for High Performance Lithium-Sulfur Battery Applications
Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are faced with practical drawbacks of poor cycle life and low charge efficiency which hinder their advancements. Those drawbacks are primarily caused by the intrinsic issues of the cathodes (sulfur) and the anodes (Li metal). In attempt to resolve the issues found on the cathodes, this work discusses the method to prepare a binder-free three-dimensional carbon nanotubes-sulfur (3D CNTs-S) composite cathode by a facile and a scalable approach. Here, the 3D structure of CNTs serves as a conducting network to accommodate high loading amounts of active sulfur material. The efficient electron pathway and the short Li ions (Li+) diffusion length provided by the 3D CNTs offset the insulating properties of sulfur. As a result, high areal and specific capacities of 8.8 mAh cm−2 and 1068 mAh g−1, respectively, with the sulfur loading of 8.33 mg cm−2 are demonstrated; furthermore, the cells operated at a current density of 1.4 mA cm−2 (0.1 C) for up to 150 cycles. To address the issues existing on the anode part of Li-S batteries, this work also covers the novel approach to protect a Li metal anode with a thin layer of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). With the protective layer of MoS2 preventing the growth of Li dendrites, stable Li electrodeposition is realized at the current density of 10 mA cm−2; also, the MoS2 protected anode demonstrates over 300% longer cycle life than the unprotected counterpart. Moreover, the MoS2 layer prevents polysulfides from corroding the anode while facilitating a reversible utilization of active materials without decomposing the electrolyte. Therefore, the MoS2 protected anode enables a stable cycle life of over 500 cycles at 0.5 C with the high sulfur loading amount of ~7 mg cm−2 (~67 wt% S content in cathode) under the low electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio of 6 μL mg−1. This …
Ceramide Biosynthesis and NEET Proteins Impact Development, Function, and Maintenance of the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline
I used the C. elegans genetic model to examine the role of ceramide biosynthesis (sphingolipid pathway) and iron regulation and found that each process impacts germline development and function. Using a sphingolipid specific antibody mAb15B4, I found that sphingolipids are associated with germ granules (P granules) within C. elegans and zebrafish; thus, suggesting conservation of macromolecules associated with germ granules. Phenotype analysis of ceramide biosynthesis mutants in C. elegans revealed that this pathway is essential for normal germline function in the aging adult hermaphrodite; specifically, precocious germline senescence was observed. Furthermore, I found that disruption of ceramide biosynthesis, via the hyl-2 deletion mutation, negatively impacts mAb15B4 localization at the P granules. Through genetic suppression analysis, I determined that insulin signaling and lipid biosynthesis can modulate the mAb15B4 localization to P granules. Additional, phenotype analysis showed that ceramide biosynthesis dysfunction decreased fecundity, and led to germline structure defects and uterine tumors. Through suppression analysis, I determined that modulation of the insulin signaling pathway suppressed the precocious germline senescence due to ceramide biosynthesis dysfunction. Since the presence of uterine tumors is associated with reproductive senescence I concluded that ceramide biosynthesis has a role in germline maintenance in the aging of the germline (germline senescence). The other important fate of a germ cell is programmed cell death. Apoptosis, which occurs through a highly conserved molecular pathway, is a normal component of growth and homeostatic processes. I used C. elegans to gain a greater understanding of the cisd gene function. The C. elegans genome has three previously uncharacterized cisd genes which code for CISD-1 (homology to vertebrate mitoNEET/CISD1 and NAF-1/CISD2) and CISD-3.1 and CISD-3.2 (homology to vertebrate Miner2/CISD3). I determined that independent disruption of the cisd genes resulted in a significant increase in the number of cell corpses within the adult hermaphrodite germline. Genetic …
Cesarean Section Delivery and Exclusive Breastfeeding in Pakistan: Emerging Challenges
This research examined two interrelated issues relevant to maternal and neonatal health in Pakistan, namely, the rising rates of C-section delivery and low rates of exclusive breastfeeding. By using the Andersen's health behavioral model to frame two empirical studies, the data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012-13 was used. The first empirical study examined the correlation between place of delivery and the odds of cesarean section in Pakistan. Not all Pakistani women have an equal chance of delivering at a health facility where C-section delivery takes place; therefore, the study modeled mode of delivery as a two-step process. In the first step, place of delivery was a function of medical indications and various sociodemographic and community factors. Women who delivered at a health facility were included in the second step, where C-section was a function of medical indications and type of facility (private, public). It is found that women who delivered at a private health facility were more likely to have a C-section, even after controlling for the effects of medical/clinical factors, which is concerning. Findings suggest that the private maternal health sector in Pakistan may be over-medicalizing childbirth. The second study examined this paradox of low exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan, taking into account not only individual-level characteristics of the child and parents, but also place and mode of delivery, sociocultural factors, and community composition. The sample consisted of 1,044 children 0-5 months old, currently living with their mothers. Binary logistic regressions of exclusive and predominant breastfeeding found women who delivered vaginally, whether at home or health care facility were more likely than mothers who delivered via C-section to predominantly breastfeed their infant, and that mothers who delivered vaginally at a health care facility were more likely than their peers who delivered via C-section to exclusively breastfeed …
Characterization, Analysis, and Optimization of Rotary Displacer Stirling Engines
This work focuses on an innovative Rotary Displacer SE (RDSE) configuration for Stirling engines (SEs). RDSE features rotary displacers instead of reciprocating displacers (found in conventional SE configurations), as well as combined compression and expansion spaces. Guided by the research question "can RDSE as a novel configuration achieve a higher efficiency compared to conventional SE configurations at comparable operating conditions?", the goal of this study is to characterize, analyze, and optimize RDSE which is pursued in three technical stages. It is observed the RDSE prototype has an optimum phase angle of > 90° and thermal efficiency of 15.5% corresponding to 75.2% of the ideal (Carnot) efficiency at the source and sink temperatures of 98.6° C and 22.1° C, respectively. Initial results indicate that 125° phase angle provides more power than that of the theoretically optimum 90° phase angle. The results also show comparable B_n and significantly higher W_n values (0.047 and 0.465, respectively) compared to earlier studies, and suggest the RDSE could potentially be a competitive alternative to other SE configurations. Furthermore, due to lack of a regenerator, the non-ideal effects calculated in the analytical approach have insignificant impact (less than 0.03 kPa in 100 kPa). The clearance volume in the shuttled volume has a dramatic negative effect and reduces the performance up to 40%. Ultimately, utilizing CFD, it is proved that the existing geometry is relatively optimized where the optimum phase angle is 121° and geometric ratio D\/L for the displacer is 0.49.
Charpy Impact Testing of Twinning Induced Plasticity and Transformation Induced Plasticity High Entropy Alloys
High entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of solid solution alloys that contain multiple principal elements and possess excellent mechanical properties, from corrosion resistance to fatigue and wear resistance. Even more recently, twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) and transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) non-equiatomic high entropy alloys have been engineered, promising increased strength and ductility as compared to their equiatomic counterparts. However, impact and fracture resistance of these HEAs has not been studied as much as their other mechanical properties. In this thesis, the hardness, tensile properties, and Charpy impact energy of Al0.3CoCrFeNi, a TWIP HEA, and 50Fe-30Mn-10Co-10Cr (at.%), a TRIP HEA, was explored. First, three processing conditions, (1) as-received, (2) recrystallized, and (3) peak hardness, were chosen for each alloy and verified with Vickers microhardness measurements. Next, the tensile properties of each alloy and condition were investigated. Charpy impact specimen size was then selected based on the final plate thickness, and the machined samples were tested. Plastic zone size and change in sample thickness in the deformed region of each condition after testing was measured. Post-impact test inspection of the samples in all conditions showed that the samples were in tension near the V-notch root and in compression at the impact surface. Plastic zone size is seen to change as a function of distance from the V-notch root moving towards the impact surface in conditions that exhibited higher ductility. Overall, the TWIP alloy displayed high fracture resistance, and further microstructural optimization will likely increase the fracture resistance of these alloys.
Choice Androgyny
This work provides an alternative theory of gendered consumption that explains chronic and situational shifts in consumers' preferences for masculine, feminine, and androgynous choices, beyond the effects of gender identities.
Cold-Formed Steel Member Connections Using BAC Screw Fasteners
In this project, the main research objective is intend to seek criteria for evaluating the capacity of BAC screw fasteners with mixed configuration of waterproof seal washer, sealer tape and different pre-drill holes to determine shear and tension strength values for the screws used in cold-formed steel connections. The thesis presents the design methods and test program conducted to investigate the behavior and strength of the screw connections in shear and tension test. Test results were compared with AISI design provisions to determine if new design equations will be developed for those screws used in BAC cooling tower applications. LRFD resistance factors and ASD safety factors were investigated to the proposed design equations.
Comparing Cognitive Functioning in White Mexican/Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic White Americans with and without Type 2 Diabetes
To better understand the impact of type 2 diabetes, the relationship between ethnicity, specifically Mexican/Mexican American ethnicity, and the disease must be further investigated. This study specifically examined the cognitive impact of type 2 diabetes. Data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study was used to compare the cognitive functioning of non-Hispanic White (n = 10,658) and White Mexican/Mexican American (n = 847) individuals, age 50+ years, with and without type 2 diabetes. Serial 7's and immediate and delayed recall—hypothesized to be more negatively affected by type 2 diabetes and Mexican American status—was compared controlling for age, education, and depression. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) indicated significant main effects for race/ethnicity (F(3,11496) = 11.15, p < .001) and diabetes status (F(3,11496) = 3.15, p < .024), with Mexican Americans and those with diabetes having worse cognitive performance. There were significant effects for all covariates. A step-wise multiple regression indicated that education, age, depression, race/ethnicity and diabetes status accounted for a combined 28.4% of variance in a cognitive performance composite. Implications for assessment and treatment are discussed.
Complex-Restricted Repetitive Patterns of Vocal Behavior of Individuals with High Functioning Autism: An Innovative Intervention
Repetitive verbal patterns of speech are a trait associated with high-functioning autism (HFA). For some, this higher-order restricted, repetitive behavior impedes learning, social opportunities, and access to work environments. Despite emerging motivation for establishing social relationships, some individuals with HFA lack the behavioral prerequisites to establish meaningful relationships. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching interaction to decrease higher-order verbal restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) for four adults with HFA. Through a multiple baseline design across participants, individuals were exposed to a function-based intervention (i.e., teaching interaction) that systematically taught and reinforced alternative communicative behaviors while interrupting repetitive speech with specific feedback. Teaching interaction effectively reduced RRBs and increased alternative conversation for all four participants. Three of the four participants elected to participate in post-intervention maintenance sessions that occurred in individualized naturalistic settings. Their conversation behaviors maintained with one participant receiving one booster session.
Computational Development of Trimetallic Cyclotrimers for Gas-Filtration Applications through Non-Covalent Interactions
Photophysical properties of an array of various polyaromatic hydrocarbons were benchmarked with B3LYP, M06 and B97D methods coupled with Pople and CEP-31G(d) basis sets. Results from the benchmark show the importance of diffuse basis sets when modeling the electronic properties of highly conjugated systems and provide qualitative reliable accuracy with certain levels of theory. B97D and M06 are applied to modeling pyrene adducts governed by non-covalent interactions in both gaseous and condensed states to reproduce experimental spectra. DFT calculations with both B97D and M06 functionals show qualitatively and quantitatively that pyrene dimer is a stronger π–base as compared to its monomer. Binding energies coupled with MEP, PCA and Qzz results show that the difference in π-basicity of the monomer and dimer impacts the supramolecular chemistry involved in adducts formed with super π-acidic silver cyclometallic trimer (CTC). Non-covalent interactions between coinage metal CTCs and ammonia/phosphine substrates is reported. Interactions between these substrates and the facial plane of the π-rich gold CTC reveal a novel interaction, where the typical Lewis acid/base roles are reversed for the substrates. Adducts formed through this type of interaction define typical Lewis bases like ammonia and phosphine as Lewis acids, wherein the partially positive hydrogens coordinate to the metallo-aromatic center through dipole-quadrupole interactions. Interactions of ammonia at the side positions is shown to heavily impact the Lewis basicity of the CTC facial plane leading to similar interactions exhibited by the ammonia-gold CTC adducts. Structural and electronic properties of the adducts modeled are examined.
Computational Studies of C-H Bond Activation and Ethylene Polymerization Using Transition Metal Complexes
This work discusses the C-H bond activation by transition metal complexes using various computational methods. First, we performed a DFT study of oxidative addition of methane to Ta(OC2H4)3A (where A may act as an ancillary ligand) to understand how A may affect the propensity of the complex to undergo oxidative addition. Among the A groups studied, they can be a Lewis acid (B or Al), a saturated, electron-precise moiety (CH or SiH), a σ-donor (N), or a σ-donor/π-acid (P). By varying A, we seek to understand how changing the electronic properties of A can affect the kinetics and thermodynamics of methane C–H activation by these complexes. For all A, the TS with H trans to A is favored kinetically over TS with CH3 trans to A. Upon moving from electron-deficient to electron-rich moieties (P and N), the computed C–H activation barrier for the kinetic product decreases significantly. Thus, changing A greatly influences the barrier for methane C–H oxidative addition by these complexes. Secondly, a computational study of oxidative addition (OA) of methane to M(OC2H4)3A (M = Ta, Re and A = ancillary ligand) was carried out using various computational methods. The purpose of this study was to understand how variation in A and M affects the kinetics and thermodynamics of OA. Results obtained from MP2 calculations revealed that for OA of CH4 to Re(OC2H4)3A, the order of ΔG‡ for a choice of ancillary ligand is B > Al > SiH > CH > N > P. Single point calculations for ΔG‡ obtained with CCSD(T) showed excellent agreement with those computed with MP2 methods. MCSCF calculations indicated that oxidative addition transition states are well described by a single electronic configuration, giving further confidence in the MP2 approach used for geometry optimization and ΔG‡ determination, and that the transition states are more …
Computational Studies of Catalysis Mediated by Transition Metal Complexes
Computational methods were employed to investigate catalytic processes. First, DFT calculations predicted the important geometry metrics of a copper–nitrene complex. MCSCF calculations supported the open-shell singlet state as the ground state of a monomeric copper nitrene, which was consistent with the diamagnetic character deduced from experimental observations. The calculations predicted an elusive terminal copper nitrene intermediate. Second, DFT methods were carried out to investigate the mechanism of C–F bond activation by a low-coordinate cobalt(I) complex. The computational models suggested that oxidative addition, which is very rare for 3d metals, was preferred. A π–adduct of PhF was predicted to be a plausible intermediate via calculations. Third, DFT calculations were performed to study ancillary ligand effects on C(sp3)–N bond forming reductive elimination from alkylpalladium(II) amido complexes with different phosphine supporting ligands. The dimerization study of alkylpalladium(II) amido complexes indicated an unique arrangement of dative and covalent Pd-N bonds within the core four-membered ring of bimetallic complexes. In conclusion, computational methods enrich the arsenal of methods available to study catalytic processes in conjunction with experiments.
Construction Management Methods and Techniques in Army Tactical Shelter
This thesis presents a research effort aimed at developing using construction methods and techniques in army tactical shelter. The beginning step focuses on developing and identifying different activities and work breakdown structure applicable in shelter prototype. The next step focuses on identifying resource allocation. This include allocate resources based on the delivered project as per alternative one and for the second alternative as optimization, resource allocation modified and tried to level and minimize resource peak. In addition, the cost calculated for the whole project as well as for each WBS and activities which consider as alternative one and in the second alternative, cost mitigation applied according to available resources and adjusting predecessors and successors of each activity. In conclusion, two alternatives compared, available outcome presents, and future work suggested for the project team to continue this effort.
Decision Making in Alternative Modes of Transportation: Two Essays on Ridesharing and Self-Driving Vehicles
This manuscript includes an investigation of decision making in alternative modes of transportation in order to understand consumers' decision in different contexts. In essay 1 of this study, the motives for participation in situated ridesharing is investigated. The study proposes a theoretical model that includes economic benefits, time benefits, transportation anxiety, trust, and reciprocity either as direct antecedents of ridesharing participation intention, or mediated through attitude towards ridesharing. Essay 2 of this study, focuses on self-driving vehicles as one of the recent innovations in transportation industry. Using a survey approach, the study develops a conceptual model of consumers' anticipated motives. Both essays use partial least square- structural equation modeling for assessing the proposed theoretical models.
Deep Learning Approach for Sensing Cognitive Radio Channel Status
Cognitive Radio (CR) technology creates the opportunity for unlicensed users to make use of the spectral band provided it does not interfere with any licensed user. It is a prominent tool with spectrum sensing functionality to identify idle channels and let the unlicensed users avail them. Thus, the CR technology provides the consumers access to a very large spectrum, quality spectral utilization, and energy efficiency due to spectral load balancing. However, the full potential of the CR technology can be realized only with CRs equipped with accurate mechanisms to predict/sense the spectral holes and vacant spectral bands without any prior knowledge about the characteristics of traffic in a real-time environment. Multi-layered perception (MLP), the popular neural network trained with the back-propagation (BP) learning algorithm, is a keen tool for classification of the spectral bands into "busy" or "idle" states without any a priori knowledge about the user system features. In this dissertation, we proposed the use of an evolutionary algorithm, Bacterial Foraging Optimization Algorithm (BFOA), for the training of the MLP NN. We have compared the performance of the proposed system with the traditional algorithm and with the Hybrid GA-PSO method. With the results of a simulation experiment that this new learning algorithm for prediction of channel states outperforms the traditional BP algorithm and Hybrid GA-PSO method with respect to classification accuracy, probability of misdetection, and Probability of false alarm.
Defining Components Linked to Bacterial Nutritional Utilization of Cyanide as a Sole Nitrogen Source
One of the challenges in biology is placing a function on the myriad of gene sequences having become available from rapid advances in genome sequencing. One such example is a gene cluster (Nit1C) found in bacteria that is tied to the unusual ability of certain bacteria to grow when supplied cyanide as the sole nitrogen source. The term cyanotrophs has been applied to such bacteria, for which a genetic linkage between cyanotrophy and Nit1C was demonstrated for 10 separate bacteria. In addition to growth, cyanide induced the expression of Nit1C genes in all organisms tested, and in one case, deletion of one of the Nit1C genes (nitC) caused a loss of growth. Of the ten bacteria able to grow cyanotrophically, all gave evidence of harboring Nit1C on their genome except for two (Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf11764 and P. monteilii BCN3), which were sequenced and the presence of Nit1C was also confirmed. A broader search of bacteria identified 270 separate strains with the cluster, all limited to bacteria spanning the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria. Remarkably, many examples of a single representative of a given taxon contained Nit1C, most poignantly displayed by Pf11764 and PmBCN3; the interpretation being the cluster was likely acquired by horizontal gene transfer in response to cyanide as an environmental cue. Consistent with its absence in Archaea is the time line for the emergence of cyanide producing organisms (cyanogens) on earth dating back only 400-500 million years.
Depression, Religious Behaviors and Social Support as Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life among HIV Positive Individuals
The goal of the current study was to evaluate the ways in which religious behaviors and perceived social support are associated with the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life for this group. We hypothesized (1) that religious behaviors moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life, (2) perceived social support mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life and (3) that religious behaviors moderate the mediational indirect effect of perceived social support in the depression and health-related quality of life relationship. Findings from a sample of 244 HIV-positive individuals provided evidence to support direct, conditional, and indirect effects on the depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life relationship. A discussion of the findings, implications for future research and clinical practice are provided.
Design Method of Cold-Formed Steel Framed Shear Wall Sheathed by Structural Concrete Panel
The objective of this research is developing a new method of design for cold-formed steel framed shear wall sheathed by ¾" thick USG structural panel concrete subfloor using a predictive analytical model and comparing the results obtained from the model with those achieved from real testing to verify the analytical model and predicted lateral load-carrying capacity resulted from that. Moreover, investigating the impact of various screw spacings on shear wall design parameter such as ultimate strength, yield strength, elastic stiffness, ductility ratio and amount of energy dissipation is another purpose of this research.
Design, Synthesis and Characterization of Polymer and Protein Coated Hybrid Nanomaterials: Investigation of Prototypes for Antimicrobial and Anticancer Applications
This work involves synthesis and characterization of isotropic and anisotropic noble metal nanoparticles for applications ranging from antimicrobial uses to anticancer applications. These nanomaterials are stabilized in genuinely benign biomaterials ranging from polymers to cross linked proteins for targeted cancer treatments. The nanoparticles are found to have tunable optical properties.
Development and Testing of Gold(I) and Europium(III) Based Sensors for Environmental Applications
This dissertation focuses on the development, characterization, and analysis of luminescent materials and coatings for sensing applications, including CO2, heavy metals, and silver. Chapter 2 involves the use of a gold(I) pyrazolate trimer that is able to detect silver ions with an AgNP medium. Detection of silver is vital, because there is an influx of silver into our environment caused by the increased use of AgNP. Therefore, having a sensor that is able to differentiate between and detect only Ag ions is an important first step to solving the toxicity mystery of AgNPs. Chapter 3 focuses on the development of sensor coatings containing a Eu(III) based luminescent system for sensing dissolved CO2 without the aid of an absorption-based dye. It is well-known that monitoring CO2 levels in our environment is important since even at low concentrations it can cause adverse health effects to the human body. This work demonstrates a pH-sensitive Eu complex being used directly as a CO2 sensor without the aid of any other absorption-based dye. Chapter 4 explores the idea of developing a heavy metal sensor for lead and its ability to detect lead in wide concentration range upon changing the pH of the medium and the polymer matrix. Different heavy metals have toxicity at different concentrations, therefore, being able to change the dynamic range of the sensor is advantageous. This research is the first step towards developing a luminescent Pb sensor with a tunable dynamic range.
Disasters, Smart Growth and Economic Resilience: An Empirical Analysis of Florida Cities
This dissertation examines the relationship between economic resilience, disaster experience, and smart growth policies at the local government level. The study is based upon three research questions that examine spatial distribution of economic resilience in Florida cities, and examines the impact of disaster experience, and smart growth policies adopted by local governments on economic resilience. Based upon the bounce-forward approach (Cowell, 2013; Klein et al. 2003), economic resilience is defined using three dimensions—economic stability, economic equity, and economic diversity. The spatial analysis is conducted by mapping economic resilience scores across 780 Census Designated Places in Florida through standard deviation method of classification, and conducting cluster-outlier analysis. Results suggest difference in economic resilience within coastal and inland communities—with higher scores mostly situated inland. East Central Florida, Tampa Bay, and South Florida were identified as high economic resilience clusters, and Northwest Florida was identified as low resilience cluster. Impact of disaster experience, and smart growth policies on economic resilience was examined based upon logic of focusing events by Birkland (1997, 2010). Data was collected from the U.S. Census, the National Climatic Data Center, and the Energy Sustainable Florida Communities Survey conducted by Florida State University in 2009. Results suggest significant association between disaster experience of communities and their level of economic resilience, highlighting the importance of community learning in building capacity for resilience after disasters. The results also highlight the need of balancing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Mixed-use development policies, green building certification, and energy savings policies were found to have a significant positive impact on economic resilience.
Diverse Learners in the Classroom: Students with Special Needs Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Texas Public Classrooms
The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were used from a previously large existing dataset from a grant funded by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between the general student population and students with special needs. However, STEM coursework in an inclusive classroom may impact students' decision to pursue STEM careers.
"Driving Lessons" and Other Stories
A study through short stories of the emotional effects on close family relationships before and after a traumatic death.
Dynamic Deformation and Shear Localization in Friction-Stir Processed Al0.3CoCrFeNi and Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 High-Entropy Alloys
High entropy alloys (HEAs) are a relatively new class of solid solution alloys that contain multiple principal elements to take advantage of their high configurational entropy, sluggish diffusion, lattice distortion, and the cocktail effect. In recent development, work hardening mechanisms known as twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) and transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) have been found active in Al0.3CoCrFeNi (molar fraction) and Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 (at %) HEA compositions. Friction-stir processing was done to increase the mechanical properties and improve the microstructure of the alloys for the purpose of high strain rate performance. Quasi-static tensile tests as well as top-hat geometry Split-Hopkinson pressure bar tests were conducted to view the mechanical properties as well as view the microstructural evolution at dynamic strain rates. Overall, the Al0.3CoCrFeNi condition after friction-stir processing and heat treatment has proved to have the best mechanical properties, and selecting from the conditions in this study, Al0.3CoCrFeNi has better shear localization resistance.
The Effect of Processing Conditions on the Surface Morphology of Few-Layered WS2 Thin Films
Recent progress in layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) has led to various promising electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, the structure of materials plays a critical role in electronic and optoelectronic devices, and determines performance. Electronic and optoelectronic devices typically consist of multiple layers that form electrical homojunctions or heterojunctions. Therefore, in a device it can be expected that a WS2 layer may serve as the substrate for a subsequent layer in a multilayer device stack and determine how the layer grows. In transistor structures, roughness at the channel/gate dielectric interface introduces field variations and charge scattering. Therefore, understanding the relations between processing, surface morphology and properties is important. In this project, the effects of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) processing conditions on the surface morphology of few layered WS2 films were studied. WS2 films were synthesized under processing conditions that represent the extremes of surface supersaturation and kinetic energy transfer from the flux to the growing films, and evolution of the surface morphology was studied. The specific conditions were 1Hz/50mJ, 10Hz/50mJ, 1Hz/300mJ, and 10Hz/300mJ respectively. Combining AFM, XRD and Raman analyses, it was determined that deposition at 10Hz/300mJ, provided the best structural properties and surface morphology. Growth appeared to be 3D-cluster, and was governed by supersaturation rather than by surface diffusion processes. No clear correlation between mobility and surface roughness was found. Hall measurements and XPS data show the highest mobility was obtained with the highest S/W ratio, indicating that point defect scattering rather than scattering from surface roughness was dominant.
The Effect of Trauma Experiences and PTSD Severity on Positive Memory Recall and Memory Phenomenology
Positive memories play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, there are potential clinical benefits of recalling positive memories on affect, cognitions, and behaviors. However, most research/clinical work has focused on the role of traumatic memories in PTSD's symptomatology and treatment. The current study examined positive memory recall difficulties and positive memory phenomenology among 185 trauma-exposed individuals with varying PTSD severity. Participants completed the Life Events Checklist for DSM-5, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Autobiographical Memory Test, Memory Experiences Questionnaire – Short Form, Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale – Brief 16-Item Version, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale – Positive Emotions, the Positive Affect subscale of the Affective Control Scale, and two items from the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Results showed that (1) greater PTSD severity was a marginally significant predictor of fewer recalled positive memories; (2) greater positive emotional dysregulation predicted fewer recalled positive memories controlling for PTSD severity; and (3) increasing PTSD severity predicted more negative valence, less vividness, less coherence, less accessibility, less clear time perspective, fewer sensory details, and greater distancing ratings of the recalled positive memory, controlling for sleep quantity/quality. Such findings add to the PTSD-positive memory literature by informing PTSD theoretical perspectives; enhancing an understanding of if/how positive memories may be incorporated into PTSD treatments; and highlighting potential clinical targets, such as positive emotional regulation skills, when integrating a focus on positive memories into PTSD intervention.
The Effects of Benefit Types on Customer Loyalty in Integrated Resorts
This study examined the relationships between the six benefit types and customer loyalty through trust and satisfaction in integrated resorts. A self-administered survey was developed based on previous studies in customer loyalty and was distributed through e-Reward online survey panel. The findings showed that only financial gaming benefits, functional gaming benefits, and psychological non-gaming benefits had impacts on customer attitudinal loyalty and customer behavioral loyalty through trust and satisfaction in integrated resorts. Besides, functional gaming benefits had the most influence on customer loyalty through trust and satisfaction. This study extended existing literature in integrated resorts by showing that benefit types in a loyalty program can build customer attitudinal loyalty and customer behavioral loyalty in integrated resorts. This study also examined different types of benefits affect customer loyalty in different degrees. For operators of integrated resorts, understanding how different benefits of a loyalty program affect customer loyalty will allow them to modify their loyalty programs effectively to increase revenue and maintain customers.
Effects of Telepractice for Training Autism Teachers to Contrive Motivating Operations
The rising rate of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has resulted in challenges for teachers in public schools, concerning the delivery of evidence-based practices for superior outcomes. Thus, school districts are in need of professional learning options that can be efficiently and effectively delivered to improve the procedural fidelity of interventions. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of using telepractice to teach autism teachers how to contrive motivating operations to teach manding to students with ASD. By utilizing multiple baselines across participants design, four autism teachers in public schools received intervention support through an online module along with video models as well as direct performance feedback from autism specialists via video-conferencing. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of correct responses from the instructional procedures of task analysis, and the secondary measure was the subsequent rate of student mands. Data were analyzed both visually (i.e., through the study of behavioral patterns) and statistically (i.e., analysis of effect size). Results indicate that telepractice increased accuracy of both teacher and student target responses.
The Effects of the IAM Workshop on Preservice Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes on Integrating Art and Mathematics In Saudi Arabia
This mixed-methods dissertation used an explanatory sequential design to examine art and mathematics preservice teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards integrating art and mathematics (IAM) after an IAM workshop. The conceptual framework of this study has its basis in three theoretical sources: constructivism, multiple intelligence theory, and semiotics. Each of these sources provides a conceptual lens to examine art integration in the curriculum and the teacher's role in facilitating this instructional process. Participants of this study included two sub-groups at a large university in Saudi Arabia. The first sub-group was preservice teachers of art education. The second sub-group was preservice teachers of mathematics. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that the IAM workshop had positive impacts on art and mathematics preservice teachers' attitudes and perceptions of IAM. Participants attributed more value to art, were more willing to apply IAM, and felt that there was less barriers for applying IAM. The study also indicated differences between art and mathematics preservice teachers' attitudes towards IAM. The differences were due more to art value than willingness or barriers. After the IAM workshop, mathematics preservice teachers put more emphasis on the importance of art to mathematics, especially with respect to making mathematics a more enjoyable subject.
Electrochemical Deposition of Metal Organic-Modified-Ceramic Nanoparticles to Improve Corrosion and Mechanical Properties
Corrosion is an unstoppable process that occurs spontaneously in many areas of industry, specially, oil and gas industries. Therefore, the need of developing protective coating to lower the cost of corrosion is very consistent. Among different methods, electrodeposition has been a popular method since it offer many advantages such as low cost, ability to control the surface and thickness of the coating, ability to perform at low temperature and pressure, and very convenience. Ceramic nanoparticles have been widely incorporated into metal coating and used as a protective layer to improve both corrosion and hardness properties. Diazonium synthesis was used to modify cerium oxide nanoparticles by grafting with ferrocene for use in nickel nanocomposite coating. Citric acid and citrate salt were used as stabilizing ligands for yttrium oxide and praseodymium oxide nanoparticles in nickel plating solution to prevent the formation of hydroxide, thus, higher amount of nanoparticles was able to incorporate into nanocomposite coatings. These fabricated coatings were evaluate for the corrosion and mechanical properties using many different instruments and electrochemical techniques. As modified cerium oxide, stabilized yttrium oxide or praseodymium oxide added into nickel coatings. The results showed an increase in hardness and corrosion resistance leading to the overall improvement compare to pure nickel coating.
Enhanced Approach for the Classification of Ulcerative Colitis Severity in Colonoscopy Videos Using CNN
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by periods of relapses and remissions affecting more than 500,000 people in the United States. To achieve the therapeutic goals of UC, which are to first induce and then maintain disease remission, doctors need to evaluate the severity of UC of a patient. However, it is very difficult to evaluate the severity of UC objectively because of non-uniform nature of symptoms and large variations in their patterns. To address this, in our previous works, we developed two different approaches in which one is using the image textures, and the other is using CNN (convolutional neural network) to measure and classify objectively the severity of UC presented in optical colonoscopy video frames. But, we found that the image texture based approach could not handle larger number of variations in their patterns, and the CNN based approach could not achieve very high accuracy. In this paper, we improve our CNN based approach in two ways to provide better accuracy for the classification. We add more thorough and essential preprocessing, and generate more classes to accommodate large variations in their patterns. The experimental results show that the proposed preprocessing can improve the overall accuracy of evaluating the severity of UC.
Enhancing Storage Dependability and Computing Energy Efficiency for Large-Scale High Performance Computing Systems
With the advent of information explosion age, larger capacity disk drives are used to store data and powerful devices are used to process big data. As the scale and complexity of computer systems increase, we expect these systems to provide dependable and energy-efficient services and computation. Although hard drives are reliable in general, they are the most commonly replaced hardware components. Disk failures cause data corruption and even data loss, which can significantly affect system performance and financial losses. In this dissertation research, I analyze different manifestations of disk failures in production data centers and explore data mining techniques combined with statistical analysis methods to discover categories of disk failures and their distinctive properties. I use similarity measures to quantify the degradation process of each failure type and derive the degradation signature. The derived degradation signatures are further leveraged to forecast when future disk failures may happen. Meanwhile, this dissertation also studies energy efficiency of high performance computers. Specifically, I characterize the power and energy consumption of Haswell processors which are used in multiple supercomputers, and analyze the power and energy consumption of Legion, a data-centric programming model and runtime system, and Legion applications. We find that power and energy efficiency can be improved significantly by optimizing the settings and runtime scheduling of processors, and Legion runtime performs well for larger-scale computation in terms of power and energy consumption.
Ensemble Singing in the Bel Canto Salon Repertory: A Pedagogical Reconsideration
Vocal duets have had a long history in the Western classical music tradition. Their use as a teaching resource can be traced back to the Renaissance, where duets were used for the development of singing, performance, and musicianship. In the late 19th and all of the 20th centuries, this pathway of vocal pedagogy has markedly declined. This study proposes a reintroduction of this methodology of teaching, asserting that it provides the collegiate vocal student with maximum opportunity for growth and development in terms of technique, musicianship, ensemble skills, and performance development. Four vocal duets ("La pesca," "Il brindisi," "Il gallop," and "La caccia") of Saverio Mercadante (1795-1870) serve as the point of discussion. These songs from Les soirées italiennes (C.1836), which are representative of the salon culture of the 19th century, are given detailed attention through a discussion of their pedagogical value. Since they are long out of print, a new performance edition is presented.
An Exploration of Professional Training and Professional Practice: Title IX Administrators and Meaning Making
Federal law requires institutions to designate campus-based administrators to oversee Title IX processes and investigations, but little is known about how these have been professionally prepared for their roles. The purpose of this study was to understand the professional preparation, educational experiences, and professional training of Title IX administrators and to understand their independence in decision-making in those roles. This study utilized qualitative content analysis and a social constructionist approach to analyze data generated from interviews and document analysis. Sixteen current and former Title IX administrators (investigators, deputy coordinators, coordinators) provided their perspectives on their professional training and development. Using frameworks of work/professional socialization and professions theory, findings illustrated complex systems for knowledge acquisition, professional preparation, and professional socialization based on factors including resources, institutional context, and role prioritization. Participants' formal education, formative experiences, position-specific training, and professional organizations training all served as preparation for their roles. Discussion focused on implications for graduate programs, training and trainers, institutions and supervisors, the field of higher education, and current Title IX practitioners regarding professional preparation for these roles.
Exploring EHR Adoption and Implementation: The Impact of Resource Advantage Theory on Healthcare Organization's Competitive Position
The hospitals and their healthcare providers need to optimize simultaneously three outcomes: healthcare costs, healthcare options offered to customers, and information utilization efficiency. The adoption of electronic healthcare record (EHR) technologies is a potential managerial mechanism for balancing these outcomes. EHR offers patient management and decision support capabilities that can ameliorate health delivery outcomes for patients, doctors, and hospitals through better-informed business and care decisions. The analysis of data collected in an EHR system may lower costs and improve health care delivery (or both). In sum, it could be argued that EHR is a source of competitive advantage. Despite this prima facie appeal, many hospitals remain reluctant to adopt and implement EHR due to lack of insights into return on investment, unavailability of tested systems and data entry obstacles. To address this gap between the potential of EHR system and lack of its adoption, the purpose of this research is to investigate the role of EHR as a resource of competitive advantage for hospital. Essay 1, titled "Implementation and Adoption of EHR: A Conceptual Model based on Resource Advantage Theory", describes the antecedents and consequences of EHR adoption and implementation. Essay 2, titled "Exploring the Relationship Between Electronic Healthcare Record Adoption and Quality of Care", delves deeper into the operational performance of a hospital. This essay focuses on the impact of EHR on different aspects of patient care and thereby on the financial performance of the hospital. Essay 3, titled "The Effect of Resources on a Hospital's Financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Electronic Health Records Implementation and Adoption", is an empirical inquiry into the key factors that may influence hospitals' financial performance. These include organizational factors (such as, number of nurses and beds) and environmental factors (such as, location and received donations). Further, this essay explores the interaction effects …
Extrinsic Doping of Few Layered Tungsten Disulfide Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition
This dissertation tested the hypothesis that pulsed laser deposition (PLD) could be used to create targeted dopant profiles in few layered WS2 films based on congruent evaporation of the target. At the growth temperatures used, 3D Volmer-Weber growth was observed. Increased energy transfer from the PLD plume to the growing films degraded stoichiometry (desorption of sulfur) and mobility. Sulfur vacancies act as donors and produce intrinsic n-type conductivity. Post deposition annealing significantly improved the crystallinity, which was accompanied by a mobility increase from 6.5 to 19.5 cm2/Vs. Preparation conditions that resulted in excess sulfur, possibly in the form of interstitials, resulted in p-type conductivity. Current-voltage studies indicated that Ohmic contacts were governed by surface properties and tunneling. Extrinsic p-type doping of few layered WS2 films with Nb via pulsed laser deposition using ablation targets fabricated from WS2, S and Nb powders is demonstrated. The undoped controls were n-type, and exhibited a Hall mobility of 0.4 cm2/Vs. Films doped at 0.5 and 1.1 atomic percentages niobium were p-type, and characterized by Fermi levels at 0.31 eV and 0.18 eV from the valence band edge. That is, the Fermi level moved closer to the valence band edge with increased doping. With increased Nb doping, the hole concentrations increased from 3.9 x1012 to 8.6 x1013 cm-2, while the mobility decreased from 7.2 to 2.6 cm2/Vs, presumably due to increased ionized impurity scattering. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that Nb substitutes on W lattice sites, and the measured peak shifts toward lower binding energy observed corresponded well with the UPS data. Throughout, a clear correlation between degraded stoichiometry and decreased mobility was observed, which indicates that point defect and ionized impurity scattering is a dominant influence on carrier transport in PLD few-layered WS2 films. The approach demonstrates the potential of PLD for targeted doping of …
Faculty Characteristics and Program Budgets: Academic Capitalist Influences on Physical Therapy Graduate Outcomes
This study sought to observe the trends in physical therapy faculty members over time and to understand how those trends correlated with changes in program outcomes. Accreditation data from 231 programs between 2008 and 2017 was used in a panel analysis using fixed effects and random effects models to estimate the effects that faculty characteristics, program characteristics, and program budgets have on graduation rates, first-time licensure examination pass rates, and the percentage of graduates of color that a program produced. Results show that for a 1% increase in faculty time devoted to scholarship, a program could expect graduation rates to rise by 0.17%. For a one percentage point increase in grant-funded faculty, a program could expect a 1.7% increase in graduation rates. Results also indicated a negative linear relationship between the number of publications and graduation rates. First-time licensure exam pass rates had an association with different variables. For a 1% increase in part-time faculty, a program could expect a 6.4% decline in first-time licensure examination pass rates. Similarly, a 1% increase in tenured faculty was associated with a 1.2% decline in first-time licensure examination pass rates. A 1% increase in faculty of color was associated with an increase in graduates of color by 33%. This research study provides data to better inform interested parties on how changes in faculty makeup and program budgets can impact PT graduation rates, licensure pass rates, and the percentage of graduates of color that a program can realistically expect to produce.
Flotsam: Men in Isolation
An interrogation of male behavior in isolated masculine spaces through short stories, an essay, and chapters from a novel-in-progress.
The Food-Drug Relationship in Health and Medicine
In this dissertation, I apply Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics to examine interpretations of the food-drug relationship within the contexts of health and medicine. Assumptions regarding the relationship between these categories undergird a substantial academic discourse and function as key components in worldviews beyond the academy. Despite this, little work has been done in foregrounding them to allow for critique and consideration of alternative perspectives. Unearthing philosophical assumptions within various fields, epistemic systems, and regulatory bodies, I classify food-drug interpretations into two main categories: dichotomous interpretations of the categories of "food" and "drugs" as ontologically distinct, and continuum-based interpretations where these categories overlap. Rather than arguing for a single appropriate way of understanding the food-drug relationship, my project aims to disclose the complexities of both sets of interpretations, illustrating their virtues and vices, and underscoring the need for people to call their own interpretations into question while taking seriously those of others. The dialogical structure of philosophical hermeneutics provides a useful foundation for dialogue within and between dichotomous and continuum-based interpretations. We do not have unmediated access to a mind-independent reality, the terms "food" and "drugs" do not necessarily refer to natural kinds, and all interpretations likely have different degrees of strengths and blind spots. Food-drug interpretations are bound up with larger worldviews, holistic systems that generate meaning for their adherents. Granting this, conversation partners can seek to gain a clearer picture of differing interpretations, what they can learn from these interpretations, and how they can interrogate their own interpretive modes.
The Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment: the Washburne Lead Mine Regiment in the Civil War
Of the roughly 3,500 volunteer regiments and batteries organized by the Union army during the American Civil War, only a small fraction has been studied in any scholarly depth. Among those not yet examined by historians was one that typified the western armies commanded by the two greatest Federal generals, Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. The Forty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry was at Fort Donelson and Shiloh with Grant in 1862, with Grant and Sherman during the long Vicksburg campaign of 1862 and 1863, and with Sherman in the Meridian, Atlanta, Savannah, and Carolinas campaigns in the second half of the war. These Illinois men fought in several of the most important engagements in the western theater of the war and, in the spring of 1865, were present when the last important Confederate army in the east surrendered. The Forty-fifth was also well connected in western politics. Its unofficial name was the “Washburne Lead Mine Regiment,” in honor of U.S Representative Elihu B. Washburne, who used his contacts and influences to arm the regiment with the best weapons and equipment available early in the war. (The Lead Mine designation referred to the mining industry in northern Illinois.) In addition, several officers and enlisted men were personal friends and acquaintances of Ulysses Grant of Galena, Illinois, who honored the regiment for their bravery in the final attempt to break through the Confederate defenses at Vicksburg. The study of the Forty-fifth Illinois is important to the overall study of the Civil War because of the campaigns and battles the unit participated and fought in. The regiment was also one of the many Union regiments at the forefront of the Union leadership’s changing policy toward the Confederate populace and war making industry. In this role the regiment witnessed the impact of President …
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