bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Multi-Level Governance Approach to Understanding Fragmentation in the Implementation of Stormwater Policies
Authors:   , Qaisi Ahmad Abdallh A
Published: January 2025

This dissertation argues that stormwater management is fragmented both at that vertical fragmentation (at the level of intergovernmental relations) and horizontal fragmentation (within the level of governments). The first essay focuses on the institutional arrangements used by states to implement stormwater management policies. Building on the race to the bottom literature, I examine the impact of the institutional arrangement centralization on state water quality in California, Texas, Virginia, and Minnesota. A five-year (2013-2018) permitting cycle was used to analyze five dimensions: formalism, coercion, education, prioritization, and accommodation.There is an inverse relationship between the quality of stormwater and the degree of centralization in the institutional arrangements adopted by state governments to implement their stormwater management policies. The second essay focuses on a local government's decision to join an inter-local agreement to comply with federal/state stormwater management policies. Building on the transaction cost framework, the study used a cross-sectional design to analyze a case study. The case study consists of 119 cities subjected to stormwater regulation requirements in northern Texas during 2017. The dependent variable is the membership of the regional inter-local agreement, and the independent variables are the number of neighboring cities and population density. Community wealth, public works spending, stormwater fees, government type, and the percent of the population over 65 were used as control variables. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. This study concludes that the increase in the number of neighboring regulated local governments is associated with an increase in the likelihood of a decision by the regulated local government to join an interlocal agreement (ILA), as well as finding that an increase in the population density is associated with an increase in the likelihood of a decision by the regulated local government to join the ILA. In addition, the study found that the type of government also affects a decision to enter into a cooperative relationship to meet the regulative burdens associated with implementing the stormwater management policies imposed by state/federal governments. The results found in this dissertation contribute to bridging the gap in our knowledge on the impact of the institutional framework adopted by the states to implement environmental policy through empirically evaluating the effect of institutional arrangements (as represented in the States general MS4 permits) on the policy output (reducing the level of stormwater pollution).
Three Essays on Harmony in Intrapersonal Identity Networks
Authors:   , Anzollitto Peter
Published: January 2025

Drawing attention to an under-examined process during organizational socialization, we develop theory to explain how newcomers' new organizational roles and social identities become embedded. The process of identities becoming embedded is influenced by how an individual's preexisting identities interact with new organizational identities during socialization. Perceived harmony relationships among identities indicate if newcomers experience identities interacting in a positive or negative manner generally. Using a network perspective, we suggest that the identity embeddedness of new roles and identities are indicated by: degree centrality in an intrapersonal identity harmony network, perceived harmony with the network itself, and the perceived cost of lacking harmony with a focal identity. Newcomers are likely to be more satisfied and engaged with identities with greater embeddedness as well as find such identities more salient. Organizations can work to embed their employees' new identities through initiating identity work directed towards increasing harmony perceptions among the newcomers' new organizational identities and preexisting identities. Through helping individuals create harmony relationships among identities, organizations can improve socialization outcomes.
Carbon Capture Utilization for Bio-Based Building Insulation Foams
Authors:   , Oluwabunmi Kayode
Published: January 2025

Ecological, health and environmental concerns are driving the need for bio-resourced foams for the building industry and for other applications. This is because insulation is one of the most important aspects of the building envelope. Global building insulation is expected to reach USD 27.74 billion in 2022. Conventional insulation materials currently used in buildings are made from nonrenewable products (petroleum, fiber glass). However, they yield increasing unrecyclable eco-unfriendly waste at the end of their lives; styrene and polyurethane generates over 100,000 kg of waste insulation in US alone yearly. This is because they are non-biodegradable and can remain as microplastics in the environment for 1000 years. Polyurethane contains the same amount of energy as coal. Additionally, most of the processing techniques and blowing agents used in this manufacturing of these foams are cancerous and injurious to health when inhaled. Because buildings and their construction together account for 36% of global energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions annually, there is a need to develop eco-friendly foams that will serve as possible substitutes to the currently used petroleum-based foams. This dissertation examined the development and characterization of eco-friendly foams that were developed using the melt mixing technique of bio-resourced polymers with the use of environmentally benign carbon dioxide as blowing agent. This study was conducted and financially supported by the National Science Foundation. A collaborative research: Engineering Fully Bio-based Foams for the Building Industry. Award NSF-CMMI: 1728096.
Optimal Look-Ahead Stopping Rules for Simple Random Walk
Authors:   , Sharif Kazemi Zohreh
Published: January 2025

In a stopping rule problem, a real-time player decides to stop or continue at stage n based on the observations up to that stage, but in a k-step look-ahead stopping rule problem, we suppose the player knows k steps ahead. The aim of this Ph.D. dissertation is to study this type of prophet problems for simple random walk, determine the optimal stopping rule and calculate the expected return for them. The optimal one-step look-ahead stopping rule for a finite simple random walk is determined in this work. We also study two infinite horizon stopping rule problems, sum with negative drift problems and discounted sum problems. The optimal one, two and three-step look-ahead stopping rules are introduced for the sum with negative drift problem for simple random walk. We also compare the maximum expected returns and calculate the upper bound for the advantage of the prophet over the decision maker. The last chapter of this dissertation concentrates on the discounted sum problem for simple random walk. Optimal one-step look-ahead stopping rule is defined and lastly we compare the optimal expected return for one-step look-ahead prophet with a real-time decision maker.
"I Love This Land": A Performance Guide for Six Chinese Art Songs by Zaiyi Lu
Authors:   , Han Yixuan
Published: January 2025

English, Italian, French, German, and Russian songs often appear in the repertoire of Western singers, but only a few singers try to sing Chinese songs. Chinese songs have a wealth of musical material uninterrupted for nearly 10,000 years. However, the lack of clear and correct International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) makes non-Chinese singers confused and unable to pronounce Chinese accurately. In this study, I have used the IPA that singers are familiar with to change the old version of Chinese IPA, which applied many phonetic transcriptions that are not included in the Western phonetic alphabet and even wrong phonetics. The new version Chinese IPA I created solves the problem of the old version. To demonstrate the practicality of this new IPA version, I have then used this revised IPA in six songs by Zaiyi Lu, who is one of the most outstanding contemporary Chinese composers. His vocal music works are among the finest works of contemporary Chinese art songs. I added Chinese pinyin to the song translation, given a performance guide to introduce the songs' background, IPA with word-by-word translation, poetic translation, singing skills, and emotional expression for both singers and pianists. This study developed a useful tool (new version of Chinese IPA) for western singers, introducing Chinese songs to singers worldwide, giving future scholars more ideas, allowing people to feel the charm of East Asian art, and enriching the repertoire.
Passacaglia for Solo Violin (1997) by Byung-dong Paik : A Performance Guide
Authors:   , Lee Seowon
Published: January 2025

Byung-dong Paik is the one of the most famous Korean composers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He has wanted his music to keep up with the times and also incorporate features of Eastern music without catering to the "difficulty" of modern Western music. The Passacaglia for Solo Violin takes a unique modern approach to the Baroque form of passacaglia and its tonal structure by transforming the characteristics of the original theme in a series of seventeen variations and a coda. In this paper, a general analysis of the work leads to suggestions on how to perform it effectively.
Studies on the Fibrinolytic Pathway in Zebrafish
Authors:   , Gill Jaspreet Kaur
Published: January 2025

Fibrinolysis pathway is an important mechanism for dissolution of fibrin clot by the action of plasmin which is formed from plasminogen, a zymogen via the action of plasminogen activators, i.e. tissue plasminogen activator and urinary plasminogen activator. The regulation of fibrinolysis system in vivo is maintained by plasminogen activators and natural inhibitors i.e. α2-antiplasmin, α2-macroglobulin, Thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 and 2 (PAI-1and PAI-2). There are several fibrinolytic assays developed for human plasma but there are no reports describing fibrinolytic assay using zebrafish plasma. In this study, a fibrinolytic assay via using small amount of zebrafish plasma was developed. This assay was performed under different conditions; one by the addition of exogenous tissue plasminogen activator alone to the pooled zebrafish plasma along with calcium chloride and thromboplastin, second Dade ACTIN was used instead of tissue plasminogen activator and third Dade ACTIN along with thromboplastin was used. Epsilon amino caproic acid (EACA), a synthetic antifibrinolytic agent was used at different concentrations to inhibit fibrinolysis successfully. Similar experiments were performed on human plasma as well to check the applicability of the assay to humans and positive results were obtained. Furthermore, knockdown of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen genes was performed and the prolongation of peak time, the time taken for the maximal formation of fibrin was observed, similar to the EACA inhibition. In conclusion, a fibrinolysis assay using miniscule amount of plasma was developed and applied to study knockdown of fibrinolytic pathway genes. The assay developed here may have clinical utility.
Particulate Matter Accumulation to Urban Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) Feathers
Authors:   , Ellis Jennifer Lee
Published: January 2025

This research investigates particulate matter (PM) deposition to rock pigeons (Columba livia) in urban environments within Denton County, Texas. Pigeon habitat was characterized within a 2-km radius at eight locations using the 2016 National Land Cover Database (NLCD). In summer 2020, feathers were sampled from 10 rock pigeons at two locations (n = 20) differing in degree of urban development. Birds were captured using walk-in funnel traps baited with bird seed. Based on molt pattern and appearance, four old flight feathers were identified and sampled from each bird. New primary feathers were obtained from each population as reference samples. Feathers were washed three times with double deionized water and acetone, and the solution vacuum filtered through a glass microfiber filter to collect all particles >1.5 µm in diameter. Particulate matter mass was determined by gravimetric analysis and calculated per unit feather surface area. Relative PM accumulation rates were significantly different between the populations. Characteristics of urban land cover, proximity to and types of emissions sources, wind exposure, and building density were drivers of variability in PM deposition to feather surfaces. The results from this study should be useful for subsequent research to help identify best practices for using feathers collected from pigeons or other urban restricted bird species to monitor PM levels across multiple spatial scales.
The Relationship of Resilience, Self-Compassion, and Social Support to Psychological Well-being in NCAA Female Athletes during COVID-19
Authors:   , Mikesell Matthew
Published: January 2025

When COVID-19 hit the United States in spring of 2020, collegiate student-athletes, who had sport seasons canceled and were forced to move off-campus, were uniquely and significantly impacted. Psychosocial resources, such as social support, self-compassion, and resilience, may have been used to help athletes cope with the stress of COVID-19. I used structural equation modeling to analyze the relationship of resilience, self-compassion, and social support to collegiate female athlete's (n = 3,924) psychological well-being at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, the more supported, self-compassionate, and resilient the athletes reported being, the less psychological distress they said they were experiencing (resilience to psychological distress (β = -.215, p < .001), self-compassion to psychological distress (β = -.533, p < .001), and social support to psychological distress (β = -.187, p < .001)). Further, self-compassion and social support were related indirectly (and inversely) to psychological distress, to the extent that they contributed to the athletes perceiving themselves as more resilient (Self Compassion X Resilience X Psychological Distress: β = -.106, 90% CI [-.148, -.069]; Social Support X Resilience Psychological Distress: β = -.065, 90% CI [-.099, -.041]). The total effect of social support, which included the direct and indirect effects, also was significant (β = -.253, 90% CI -.307, -.196]), as was the total effect of self-compassion (β = -.639, 90% CI [-.679, -.597]). Although I collected my data in the context of this pandemic, the supported relationships have application beyond it and can guide how sports medicine professionals intervene with athletes and their general mental health concerns.
Evaluating Program Diversity and the Probability of Gifted Identification Using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking
Authors:   , Lee Lindsay Eryn
Published: January 2025

Multiple criteria systems are recommended as best practice to identify culturally, linguistically, economically diverse students for gifted services, in which schools often incorporate measures of creativity. However, the role of creativity in identification systems and its recruitment of diverse student populations is unclear. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) is the most widely used norm-referenced creativity test in gifted identification. Although commonly used for identifying talent, little is known on the variability in composite scores on the TTCT-Figural and student demographics (i.e., race/ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, English language learning status). This study evaluated student demographic subgroup differences that exist after the initial phase of an identification process (i.e., universal screening, referrals) and examined the relationship among student demographics (i.e., race/ethnicity, free/reduced lunch status, English language learning status, sex), cognitive ability, academic achievement, and creativity, as measured by the TTCT-Figural Form A or B, to the probability of being identified for gifted programs. In a midsized school district in the state of Texas, findings indicate several demographic differences for students who were referred or universally screened across the measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement, and creativity. However, there were lower differences when using the TTCT-Figural. Results of a hierarchical generalized linear regression indicate underrepresented groups showed no difference in the probability of being identified after controlling for measures of cognitive ability, academic achievement, and creativity. Though, cognitive ability and academic achievement tests were more predictive of identification compared to the TTCT-Figural. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
To Seal or Not to Seal? Equity and Policy Discourses in the Texas Seal of Biliteracy
Authors:   , DeVaughn Nichelle
Published: January 2025

Initiated in California in 2011, the Seal of Biliteracy is a distinguishing graduation recognition honoring the academic success of bilingual biliterate high school seniors. The purpose of this study was to illuminate and describe Texas language education policy discourse by critically examining policies including the Seal of Biliteracy and Texas' House Bill 5 Performance Acknowledgment. This study used the discourse of language policy frameworks, global human capital (GHC), and equity heritage (EH). Viewed as a hegemonic discourse adversely affecting current landscapes of dual language education, GHC is demonstrated by a rise in elite bilingualism and neoliberal effects on language education, including an inclination to commodify and marketize language learning. The EH discourse is focused on language programming and support of emergent bilinguals developing multiple linguistic systems simultaneously, for heritage language maintenance and growth in English. This study critically analyzed Texas macro language policies and discourse alongside the school district's micro level implementation of these policies. Using critical policy analysis, this research explored the interpretation and implementation of Texas language policies, and their impact on language minoritized students. Analytical methods also included a critical discourse and content analysis. Findings revealed an enlightened understanding of the Texas context for the biliteracy seal initiative and how language policy, power, and discourse operate within bilingual education on various levels. Evidence of EH discourse was found, in addition to opposing policies which countered the equity language framework. Implications and recommendations are suggested to minimize language inequalities, prioritizing educational access and equity for marginalized and linguistically diverse students.
Flow-Recruitment Relationships of Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) in Three Texas River Basins
Authors:   , Reeves Cole Griffin
Published: January 2025

This project focused on the relationship between instream flows and smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus) recruitment in the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas. The flow regime is the dominant factor in lotic systems and, consequently, the relationship between instream flows, including impacts to natural flow regimes, and life-history is a subject of growing interest. Smallmouth buffalo is a good model to investigate the relationship between river flows and variable interannual recruitment success of periodic life-history strategist fish species. Smallmouth buffalo were collected from the Brazos, Colorado, and Guadalupe Rivers of Texas, U.S.A., and otoliths were extracted from individuals in the field and sectioned and photographed in the lab. Photographs of sectioned otoliths were used to estimate age and thus the year in which the individual was spawned by counting back from the time of capture. Population age structure (i.e. a ‘state' or condition at a point in time) was used to infer effects of flow variation on a rates-based process (i.e. recruitment). After controlling for mortality using recruitment index values, interannual variation in recruitment was modeled using multiple components of the flow regime quantified as indicators of hydrologic alteration (IHA) variables based on daily discharge data from USGS gaging stations in each river system. Model selection followed a two-tier approach, first fitting models using only flow attributes associated with the spawning season then adding additional informative parameters from the pre-spawn and post-spawn periods. The primary finding from model selection was that duration of high flow pulses during the spawning season is a critical component of the flow regime associated with successful Smallmouth Buffalo recruitment. These findings have implications for river management and conservation of ecological integrity, in particular populations of periodic life-history strategist species.
The Changing Role of On-Air Women Journalists: Journalists on Local Television News and Digital Influencers on Instagram
Authors:   , Lara Sarah
Published: January 2025

This thesis looks at how women journalists are now also digital influencers on Instagram. It analyzes the gendered expectations of women journalists that are also included on their professional Instagram accounts.
A Legal Analysis of Litigation Against Alabama Local School Boards and Teachers under the Alabama Sovereign Immunity Law
Authors:   , Warfield Alphonso B.
Published: January 2025

As American schools moved into the twentieth century and beyond, they encountered an increasingly litigious society. While many school districts and their employees have enjoyed protections from tort liability via some form of state tort claims act or exemption, this immunity varies from one state to another. The variations in these laws have made it difficult for educators and school districts to understand how state legislation impacts their daily activities inside and outside the classroom. In this environment, it has become imperative for educators to understand state and federal laws related to tort liability. By focusing specifically on tort claims filed against school boards and educators in the state of Alabama under the Alabama Sovereign Immunity Act, this dissertation adds to a growing body of research on state tort laws as they apply to local school boards and their employees. From over one hundred cases reviewed, fourteen were selected for in-depth analysis of the ways in which Alabama courts have interpreted sovereign immunity statutes and the specific limits on those protections. This study found that courts in Alabama have recognized local boards of education as state agencies and their employees as state agents, making them subject to the doctrine of sovereign immunity so long as they are operating within the scope of their assigned roles and responsibilities.
Leveraging Instructional Leadership to Build Teacher Efficacy in Title I Elementary Schools
Authors:   , Hall Tracy
Published: January 2025

By building self-efficacy in individual teachers and collective efficacy in grade level teams, principals can improve the instructional practices that take place on campuses. Instruction impacts student achievement. Principals indirectly impact student achievement through instruction that happens in the classroom. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between the behavior of instructional leaders and teachers' self-efficacy and collective efficacy. Data collection tools included a survey, semi-structured interviews, and observations of interactions and behaviors of teachers and principals at two Title I elementary schools in a large suburban school district in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy were seen through the lens of classroom management, instructional strategies, group competency, student engagement and task analysis. Teacher efficacy at both schools were influenced by leadership behaviors through direct and indirect actions. Instructional leaders must be adept at using tools, such as PLCs and walkthroughs, to contextualize the needs of all stakeholders and bring about high levels of efficacy in teachers and student achievement.
Improving Memory Performance for Both High Performance Computing and Embedded/Edge Computing Systems
Authors:   , Adavally Shashank
Published: January 2025

CPU-memory bottleneck is a widely recognized problem. It is known that majority of high performance computing (HPC) database systems are configured with large memories and dedicated to process specific workloads like weather prediction, molecular dynamic simulations etc. My research on optimal address mapping improves the memory performance by increasing the channel and bank level parallelism. In an another research direction, I proposed and evaluated adaptive page migration techniques that obviates the need for offline analysis of an application to determine page migration strategies. Furthermore, I explored different migration strategies like reverse migration, sub page migration that I found to be beneficial depending on the application behavior. Ideally, page migration strategies redirect the demand memory traffic to faster memory to improve the memory performance. In my third contribution, I worked and evaluated a memory-side accelerator to assist the main computational core in locating the non-zero elements of a sparse matrix that are typically used in scientific, machine learning workloads on a low-power embedded system configuration. Thus my contributions narrow the speed-gap by improving the latency and/or bandwidth between CPU and memory.
Behind the Curtain of Public Spaces: Revealing the Narratives of Corporate Street Hawking in Globalizing Accra
Authors:   , Ansah Hilary Ama
Published: January 2025

All street hawkers are not the same in many Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) of the global south as often portrayed by the media and documented in extant literature. This perception has created a gap in knowledge as researchers explore street hawking activities in NICs. In this study, I investigated a new informality trend of street hawking is coming into being within the capital city of Accra, Ghana. As governance is increasingly becoming entrepreneurial, informal activities are gradually becoming formal. Formal and registered businesses are increasingly capitalizing on hawking activities to occupy public spaces. The advent of the informality trend, I term corporate street hawking opens up new issues for the political economy, labor, and urban studies. By employing semi-structured interviews with 47 street hawkers in Accra, this paper sought to investigate three broadly interrelated questions. First, how do neoliberal policies impact the production of public space in Accra? Second, is corporate street hawking a form of creative destruction? Finally, how do corporate street hawkers practice agency within Accra?
Donor-Acceptor Artificial Photosynthetic Systems: Ultrafast Energy and Electron Transfer
Authors:   , Seetharaman Sairaman
Published: January 2025

Mother nature has laid out a beautiful blueprint to capture sunlight and convert to usable form of energy. Inspired by nature, donor-acceptor systems are predominantly studied for their light harvesting applications. This dissertation explores new donor-acceptor systems by studying their photochemical properties useful in building artificial photosynthetic systems. The systems studied are divided into phthalocyanine-porphyrin-fullerene-based, perylenediimide-based, and aluminum porphyrin-based donor-acceptor systems. Further effect of solvents in determining the energy or electron transfer was studied in chapter 6. Such complex photosynthetic analogues are designed and characterized using UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. Using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, the excited state properties are explored. The information obtained from the current study is critical in getting one step closer to building affordable and sustainable solar energy harvesting devices which could easily unravel the current energy demands.
Assessing the Clinical Experiences and Attitudes of Play Therapists Working with Children of Parental Substance Use
Authors:   , Yurkovich Chelsea
Published: January 2025

This study aimed to gain insight into the clinical practices and attitudes of currently practicing play therapists working with children with a parent with a substance use disorder. Participants in the study were play therapists credentialed by the Association for Play Therapy, either as a Registered Play Therapist™ or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™. A total of 198 play therapists participated in the study. Results demonstrated that variables including prior education, caseload of children affected by parental substance use, and the number of years since obtaining a mental health licensure explained 16% of the variance in participant attitude scores on the Drug and Drug Problems Perceptions Questionnaire (DDPPQ). Specifically, education (β = -.335, rs2 = .884, p < .001) was found to be a significant predictor of play therapist attitudes towards substance users as it explained 88% of the variance accounted for in the effect. Additionally, although not found to be significant, caseload (β = -.134, rs2 = .325, p = .058) was found to explain 33% of the variance accounted for in the effect. This initial exploration of play therapists' attitudes towards substance users provides strong evidence towards the importance of education and training in substance use disorders. Further exploration of play therapists' educational backgrounds in substance use and clinical experiences of working with children affected by parental substance use.
In Vitro Electrochemical Evaluation of Bioelectronic Arrays
Authors:   , Singh Sukhpreet
Published: January 2025

In this paper, I sought to identify and develop a protocol on electrode arrays as a result of rapid aging by applying rapid current over time. We, however, apply a different approach by using phosphate buffer solution (PBS) to mimic the conditions of the body. Here we have established an in vitro protocol for accelerated aging, a process that involves testing in extreme conditions such as oxygen, heat, sunlight, humidity, and vibration aimed at speeding the normal aging process of items; on commercially available shape memory polymer electrode arrays from Qualia over a period of 30 days in PBS. Two electrode arrays were placed in 37°C and 2 were placed in 57°C. Open lead electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was conducted on the electrode arrays. Overall, the results showed there were differences in average impedance during this accelerated aging protocol. At 37°C we see that the average impedance values increased as the electrodes were aged at 1kHz from an average of 4.15E6 to 9.14E6 Ohms. At 57°C electrode arrays 4 and 5 showed strong P values well above 0.05, but average impedance increased drastically from 3.27E6 to 9.97E6 and P value of 0.04 from measurement day 24 to day 30. This indicated to us that the electrode could be experiencing some delamination. In addition, this could be because the Qualia nerve cuffs tested were "B" grade, so changes in impedance could be due to the integrity of the device. This would tell us that these electrode arrays would not be capable to withstand long – term recording for up to 240 days. As a result, rejecting the hypothesis that this protocol would show no change in impedance levels for a simulated aging period of 240 days. Although this protocol was not in a perfect setting and the quality of the electrodes were not up to standard, this gave us insight into the electrochemical properties of SMP electrodes which will be useful when we bio-fabricate our own electrodes to study gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.
Influence of Quiet Eye Self-Training on Internal Processes and Performance Outcomes
Authors:   , Casey Taylor BreAnn
Published: January 2025

Use and effectiveness of the quiet eye (QE) technique has been a topic of interest in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of QE self-training on college students' internal processes associated with performing a novel task. Specifically, college students' internal processes were examined to understand how QE self-training influenced performance on a novel aiming task. College students (N = 106; M = 21.84 ± 1.79) voluntarily participated in QE self-training intervention. Participants' self-efficacy, self-regulation, and mindfulness was examined before and after QE self-training intervention over a 7-week period, with performance being measured weekly. Following intervention, interviews and follow-up survey were used to gather information about perceptions of using QE self-training instruction. Results indicated outcome performance improved from pre- to post-intervention. Additionally, participants mindfulness acting with awareness and non-judging of inner experiences was influenced by QET self-training. Findings from this study may help sport coaches and performance psychology professionals provide attentional focus training instruction to individuals with diverse levels of skills while also providing future directions for applied practice and research.
Manipulation of Lipid Droplet Biogenesis for Enhanced Lipid Storage in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana
Authors:   , Price Ann Marie
Published: January 2025

In this study, I examined the use of mouse (Mus musculus) Fat Specific Protein 27 (FSP27) ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana as a means to increase lipid droplet (LD) presence in plant tissues. In mammalian cells, this protein induces cytoplasmic LD clustering and fusion and helps prevent breakdown of LDs contributing to the large, single LD that dominates adipocytes. When expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana, FSP27 retained its functionality and supported the accumulation of numerous and large cytoplasmic LDs, although it failed to produce the large, single LD that typifies adipose cells. FSP27 has no obvious homologs in plants, but a search for possible distant homologs in Arabidopsis returned a Tudor/PWWP/MBT protein coded for by the gene AT1G80810 which for the purposes of this study, we have called LIPID REGULATORY TUDOR DOMAIN CONTAINING GENE 1 (LRT1). As a possible homolog of FSP27, LRT1 was expected to have a positive regulatory effect on LDs in cells. Instead, a negative regulatory effect was observed in which disruption of the gene induced an accumulation of cytoplasmic LDs in non-seed tissue. A study of lrt1 mutants demonstrated that disruption this gene is the causal factor of the cytoplasmic LD accumulation observed in the mutants, that this phenotype occurs in above ground tissues and is present throughout the early growth stages of the plant. Further examination of lrt1 mutant plants has allowed a preliminary understanding of the role LRT1 may play in LD regulation. Taken together, the results of this study point towards some promising strategies to increase LD content in plant tissues.
Quantifying the Effects of Single Nucleotide Changes in the TATA Box of the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S Promoter on Gene Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors:   , Amack Stephanie C.
Published: January 2025

Synthetic biology is a rapidly growing field that aims to treat cellular biological networks in an analogous way to electrical circuits. However, the field of plant synthetic biology has not grown at the same pace as bacterial and yeast synthetic biology, leaving a dearth of characterized tools for the community. Due to the need for tools for the synthetic plant biologist, I have endeavored to create a library of well-characterized TATA box variants in the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter using the standardized assembly method Golden Braid 2.0. I introduced single nucleotide changes in the TATA box of the CaMV 35S promoter, a genetic part widely used in plant gene expression studies and agricultural biotechnology. Using a dual-luciferase reporter system, I quantified the transcriptional strength of the altered TATA box sequences and compared to the wild-type sequence, both in transient protoplast assays and stable transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The library of TATA-box modified CaMV 35S promoters with varying transcriptional strengths created here can provide the plant synthetic biology community with a series of modular Golden Braid-adapted genetic parts that can be used dependably and reproducibly by researchers to fine-tune gene expression levels in complex, yet predictable, synthetic genetic circuits.
Virtues in Vocal Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study of Character Strengths-Based Approaches in Historic Voice Instruction
Authors:   , Tarr Jeffrey Ronald
Published: January 2025

Researchers of historic voice pedagogy texts have generally focused their objectives towards reviewing the recommendations of historic voice teachers pertaining to the physiological, acoustical, and musical elements of training singers; however, researchers have given less attention to the evidence of humanistic pedagogical elements presented by historic teachers of voice. This study aims to examine historic resources of vocal pedagogy for qualitative data representing exemplification of or advocacy for character strengths for voice teachers. Additionally, this study explores practical applications of character strengths within the context of the modern applied voice studio. In this context, character strengths are defined as the positive attributes of a personality that influence how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. In this document, historic pedagogical resources (N = 80) represent works published between 1811 and 1975. Using the scientifically validated VIA (Values-in-Action) Classification of Strengths, the relevant data extracted from these resources were categorized first into six virtues – wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. These data were further divided into the subcategories of character strengths based on descriptions located in seminal resources in character strengths research.
Body Doubles: Materiality and Gender Non-Binarism in Victorian Supernatural Fiction
Authors:   , Schneider Katherine
Published: January 2025

This dissertation is a study of supernatural doubles in Victorian literature. It argues that these doubles expand our understanding of gender variance in the Victorian period. The texts in this dissertation privilege gender non-binarism through their depictions of materiality, gender embodiment, and temporality.
Structural and Magnetic Properties of Additively Manufactured Hiperco (FeCo-2V)
Authors:   , O'Donnell Aidan James
Published: January 2025

The FeCo-V alloy, commercially referred to as Hiperco, is known for its great soft magnetic properties. However, the high cost of production has limited the usage of this alloy to small-scale applications, where the small volume and high magnetic performance are critical. Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to solve the production problems that exist in Hiperco manufacturing. The present research has focused on selective laser melting (SLM) based AM processing of Hiperco. The goal was to perform a detailed examination of SLM processed Hiperco and determine how the process parameters affect the microstructure, mechanical and magnetic properties. While a systematic set of SLM process parameters were employed, the results indicate that the energy density was quite similar for this set of process parameters, resulting in similar properties. Overall, the saturation magnetization (Ms) values were very good, but the coercivity (Hc) values were very high, in the case of all as SLM processed conditions. Additionally, a large variation in porosity was observed in the as SLM processed samples, as a function of process parameters. Interestingly, long-term heat-treatments of these samples in an Ar+H2 atmosphere resulted in substantial decreases in the Hc values. These results are presented and discussed.
Study of the Corrosion Resistance of 316L Stainless Steel Made by Directed Energy Deposition for Applications at an Elevated Temperature
Authors:   , Canales Cantu Alberto Alejandro
Published: January 2025

The corrosion resistance under elevated temperature of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel made by directed energy deposition was studied. Test samples were prepared in a hybrid additive manufacturing machine using standard deposition parameters recommended by the manufacturer. Control samples were cut from wrought material to compare the results. The test was performed under a corrosive atmosphere with a solution of water with 3.5 % in weight of salt (NaCl). The total duration of the test was 635 hours, divided in five stages of 12, 24, 48, 226, and 325 hours to analyze the samples between each stage. The samples were analyzed quantitatively measuring weight loss and surface topography, and qualitatively by macroscopic inspection with digital photography, and microscopic inspection with optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results show a higher corrosion rate for the additively manufactured samples compared to the control samples. An evident increase in the size of pits initially present on the samples was observed and quantified on the additively manufactured. Although the additively manufactured samples were more aggressively attacked by corrosion, they still presented a shiny surface finish at the end of the test, reinforcing the idea of the formation of a passive oxide layer and suggesting that the corrosion was focalized in the surface defects by pitting and crevice corrosion mechanisms.
The Relationship of Teacher Attitudes to Levels of Integration in Technology-Rich Learning Environments
Authors:   , Steiner Ron
Published: January 2025

This mixed methods study examined teacher attitudes towards technology and their relationship to the integration of technology in technology-rich learning environments.
An Ethnography of a Digital Archive: A Usability Study of the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA)
Authors:   , Ewing Michael
Published: January 2025

Digital language archives are used for the preservation of documented language data, such as video and voice recordings, transcriptions, survey data, and ethnographic fieldnotes. This data is most often used for research and linguists and anthropologists are generally heavily involved in the creation of language archives. Ideally, Indigenous communities that are represented in the archives are also able to access their data, but this is not always the case, especially if poor internet access and lack of technological know-how prevent archive use. In addition, western epistemologies are embedded in archival logics, exacerbating the issues surrounding Indigenous access and pointing to the need for a decolonizing archival design that centers the needs of its users. Using ethnographic research methods and a decolonizing framework, I conducted a usability study on the Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA) to uncover the cultural-based meanings that inform AILLA use. Using linguistics and anthropology listservs, I recruited research participants for a Qualtrics survey and conducted semi-structured interviews that explore the user perspective on AILLA. I analyzed AILLA's Google Analytics data and used qualitative and quantitative research methods to build upon the previous literature in user-centered design approaches to language archives. As one of the largest online language archives in the world, AILLA serves an important role in the language documentation and cultural revitalization movement. Continued research in the field of user-centered design and non-Western epistemologies is necessary to ensure the accessibility of language archives and for AILLA to fulfill its mission of support for the survival of the Indigenous languages of Latin America.
Optimal Pair-Trading Decision Rules for a Class of Non-Linear Boundary Crossings by Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Processes
Authors:   , Tamakloe Emmanuel Edem Kwaku
Published: January 2025

The most useful feature used in finance of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) stochastic process is its mean-reverting property: the OU process tends to drift towards its long- term mean (its equilibrium state) over time. This important feature makes the OU process arguably the most popular statistical model for developing best pair-trading strategies. However, optimal strategies depend crucially on the first passage time (FPT) of the OU process to a suitably chosen boundary and its probability density is not analytically available in general. Even for crossing a simple constant boundary, the FPT of the OU process would lead to crossing a square root boundary by a Brownian motion process whose FPT density involves the complicated parabolic cylinder function. To overcome the limitations of the existing methods, we propose a novel class of non-linear boundaries for obtaining optimal decision thresholds. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the maximizer of our decision rules. We also derive simple formulas for some FPT moments without analytical expressions of its density functions. We conduct some Monte Carlo simulations and analyze several pairs of stocks including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Target and Walmart, Chevron and Exxon Mobil. The results demonstrate that our method outperforms the existing procedures.
A New Class of Stochastic Volatility Models for Pricing Options Based on Observables as Volatility Proxies
Authors:   , Zhou Jie
Published: January 2025

One basic assumption of the celebrated Black-Scholes-Merton PDE model for pricing derivatives is that the volatility is a constant. However, the implied volatility plot based on real data is not constant, but curved exhibiting patterns of volatility skews or smiles. Since the volatility is not observable, various stochastic volatility models have been proposed to overcome the problem of non-constant volatility. Although these methods are fairly successful in modeling volatilities, they still rely on the implied volatility approach for model implementation. To avoid such circular reasoning, we propose a new class of stochastic volatility models based on directly observable volatility proxies and derive the corresponding option pricing formulas. In addition, we propose a new GARCH (1,1) model, and show that this discrete-time stochastic volatility process converges weakly to Heston's continuous-time stochastic volatility model. Some Monte Carlo simulations and real data analysis are also conducted to demonstrate the performance of our methods.
Behavioral and Neural Correlates of Speech Perception Outcomes in Adults with Cochlear Implants
Authors:   , Manning Jacy
Published: January 2025

Postlingually deafened cochlear implant (CI) adults have large variability in speech perception abilities. While CIs are one of the most successful neural prosthetic devices, they are not able to adequately provide fine structure cues which results in a degraded signal for the listener to interpret. While behavioral measures remain the gold standard for determining speech perception abilities, an objective measure is needed for patients who are unable to provide reliable behavioral responses. Behavioral, cognitive, and neural measures were collected in this study to identify potential neural biomarkers that correlate with speech perception performance. Behavioral experiments evaluated participants' abilities to identify, discriminate, and recognize words as well as sentences in quiet and in noise. Cognitive measures were assessed to determine the roles of attention, impulse control, memory, and cognitive flexibility on speech recognition. Auditory event-related potentials (ERP) were obtained with a double oddball paradigm to produce the mismatch negativity (MMN) response, which has been shown to have associations with phonetic categorical perception at the group level. The results indicated that executive function is highly predictive of speech performance and that the MMN is associated with categorical perception at the individual level. These findings are clinically relevant to determining appropriate follow-up care post-implantation.