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Defining interfacial properties and behaviors of perfluorooctanoic acid.
No full textPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a fully fluorinated, eight-carbon-chain carboxylic acid with high surface propensity, thermal resistivity, and structural stability. PFOA is considered part of a class of environmentally pervasive compounds, Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which are known for their resistance to degradation and association with numerous health risks. Due to their high surface activity, PFOA and other PFAS require surface-specific techniques to probe their behavior at air-liquid interfaces. This work draws from these surface specific techniques to investigate the interfacial properties of PFOA compared to its nonfluorinated analog, octanoic acid (OA), to better understand how fluorination alters surface behavior. Vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy and surface tension measurements determined surface pKa, protonation state as a function of temperature, and surface excess coverage of PFOA and OA monolayers. These findings provide molecular-level insight into PFAS environmental behavior and may inform precipitation modeling, water purification strategies, and the design of degradable and less toxic alternatives for industrial applications
Industrializing natures : anticipating ecofeminist selfhood in nineteenth-century British women's writing.
No full textThis dissertation examines how four nineteenth-century women writers⸻Charlotte Smith, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, and Elizabeth Gaskell⸻responded to discourses of industrialization, urbanization, and natural history in their depiction of the modern female self. Drawing on ecofeminist theory, I will argue that throughout their texts these nineteenth-century women writers presented the female self as rooted, enmeshed, and trans-corporeal, aspects which are now central to modern ecofeminist theories of selfhood and humanity’s engagement with the more-than-human world, while rejecting the subjugation of women under nineteenth-century scientific and social discourses. In their responses to industrialization, urbanization, and constructions of femininity, these women writers both engage with nineteenth-century concerns about environmental change and anticipate developments in the field of ecofeminism, subjectivity, and ethical engagement with the natural world.
This project is structured according to increasing engagement with industrialization and urbanization in relation to selfhood. Chapter two focuses on Charlotte Smith’s narrative poem Beachy Head (1807). Written at the start of the century, Smith’s poem does not focus on industrialization specifically, but it does consider issues of global capitalism and labor practices. I argue that Smith presents a rejoinder to the masculine autonomous observer which Victorian scholars often align with Romanticism. Chapter three examines Charlotte Brontë’s only industrial novel, Shirley (1849). Set at the beginning of the century during the Luddite revolts and the Napoleonic wars, Shirley catalogues the harms of industrialization while positing entanglement as a hope against ecological despondence. Chapters four and five each examine two works. Chapter four attends to enmeshment and social evolution in George Eliot’s novels The Mill on the Floss (1860) and Felix Holt: the Radical (1866). Finally, chapter five turns to the author perhaps most remembered for industrial fiction, Elizabeth Gaskell. Examining North and South and Ruth, I argue that Gaskell presents the self as trans-corporeal. Trans-corporeality for Gaskell serves as a catalyst for embodied sympathy, particularly in urban space
Cathepsin B cleavable antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and betabody drug conjugates (BDCs) targeting phosphatidylserine in the breast tumor microenvironment.
No full textThe Trawick Research Group specializes in the design and evaluation of novel therapeutic compounds using a multidisciplinary approach that includes enzyme kinetics and assays, mammalian cell culture, molecular modeling, and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The primary focus of this study is the discovery and development of novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and betabody-drug conjugates (BDCs) to achieve targeted delivery of anti-cancer agents within the breast tumor microenvironment. The ADCs under development utilize bavituximab, a well-established antibody that targets phosphatidylserine (PS) through the endogenous protein beta-2 glycoprotein 1, while the BDCs incorporate an innovative PS-binding protein known as a betabody. Enzymatic cleavage assays identified the most efficiently cleavable drug-linker construct (KGP475), which was further validated through cell-based assays demonstrating successful payload release and enhanced cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 cells (triple negative breast cancer). Both ADCs and BDCs were conjugated to this potent dual-mechanism anticancer agent through a cathepsin B/L-cleavable linker, followed by purification, formulation and characterization. The activity of novel vascular disrupting/anti-mitotic agents as payloads for the treatment of breast cancer were investigated. This is a collaborative project involving: the Trawick Laboratory (ADC and BDC synthesis, and enzyme and cell-based studies), and the Pinney Laboratory (design and synthesis of novel payloads and drug-linker constructs) at Baylor University, and the Brekken Laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center (design, production, and in vivo evaluation of betabodies and their conjugates).
A preliminary pharmacokinetic study of the anticancer agent OXi8007 was carried out to determine vascular clearance and biodistribution in RENCA tumor-bearing BALB/c mice as a model for renal cell carcinoma. OXi8007 is a phosphate prodrug of the indole-based, antimitotic and vascular disrupting agent OXi8006. After dephosphorylation OXi8007 is converted to the active agent OXi8006, which binds to the colchicine site located at the interface of the tubulin heterodimer causing inhibition of tubulin polymerization and microtubule disruption. This is a collaborative project involving: the Trawick Laboratory (pharmacokinetics), and the Pinney Laboratory (design and synthesis of OXi8007 and OXi8006) at Baylor University and the Mason Laboratory at UTSW Medical Center (in vivo studies)
The impact of culturally responsive leadership on collective teacher efficacy in high-poverty schools.
No full textAchievement gaps persist between students in high-poverty schools and their peers in more affluent settings, with minority and economically disadvantaged students disproportionately affected. High-poverty schools face challenges such as resource scarcity, high teacher attrition, and diverse learning needs, often leading to lower collective teacher efficacy (CTE)—a key predictor of student achievement. Culturally responsive leadership (CRL) has shown promise in fostering equity, inclusivity, and teacher development by addressing the cultural and socioeconomic contexts of students. However, limited research examines its direct impact on CTE and student outcomes in high-poverty schools. This improvement science study investigates the influence of weekly CRL professional development sessions on school leaders' culturally responsive practices, CTE, and student achievement. Guided by three research questions, the study examines changes in leadership behaviors using the Culturally Responsive School Leadership Self-Assessment, CTE as measured by the Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale (CTES), and correlations between CRL practices and student achievement. The study aims to bridge gaps in the literature by identifying strategies that educational leaders can use to foster culturally responsive learning environments. Findings indicate that sustained, equity-focused professional development had a positive influence on both teacher and leader growth, although in different ways. Teachers demonstrated a statistically significant increase in collective efficacy, with moderate effect sizes indicating meaningful improvements in their collective belief in their ability to influence student outcomes. In contrast, campus leaders did not exhibit statistically significant growth on the CRSL self-assessment; however, moderate effect sizes and qualitative reflections suggested practical shifts in leadership behavior, particularly in areas such as instructional collaboration, community engagement, and trust-building. These findings suggest that while measurable changes in leadership self-perception were not statistically significant, CRL remains a promising strategy for enhancing CTE in high-poverty schools
A computer system for computing invariants in general relativity.
No full textInvariants are powerful tools to analyze and understand exact solutions to Einstein’s field equations. This work is an overview of computer code developed for the EUCOS group to compute invariants in classical gravity. Practical considerations are given for generic calculations of invariants in computer algebra systems and a detailed overview of the code developed is provided. This code is then used in several applications, such as surface identification, classification, and identification of special properties of solutions
Target detection recovery for dynamic radar receiver notch filtering.
No full textCurrent spectrum sharing and reallocation initiatives are forcing radar systems to operate in increasingly congested frequency bands. As a result, radars face greater exposure to radio frequency interference (RFI), which can cause various operational issues. A common interference mitigation strategy is the use of notch filters, which attenuate interfering frequencies and reduce the undesired impact of RFI. However, notch filtering also can remove critical signal information, degrading target detection capability. As radar systems are pushed to coexist with other users, interference will become more prevalent, making notching and the resulting distortion more common. This thesis investigates several signal processing techniques designed to mitigate the effects of spectral notching on received radar waveforms for improved detection. Simulation results show that these methods can reconstruct distorted returns and maintain detection accuracy, providing potential solutions for radar operation in contested spectral environments
Writing the screenplay, "I see you".
No full textThe following thesis details the creative process behind the screenplay, I See You. This thesis includes personal and professional goals for the project, a brief overview of subverting genre expectations, and the sympathetic villain. It also includes the research process, including thematic research into cinematic identification, voyeurism, and situational irony. This paper is meant to shed light on the research and writing process that led to the script. This thesis delves into some of the theories of why sympathetic villains are so effective, and how that knowledge will be used when writing the script, and how when combined with the idea of subverting genre expectations they meld together well to create an impactful, and compelling, story
Educating the educators : six frames for three identities.
No full textEducating tomorrow’s teachers is a complex and evolving process. !ey are preservice teachers in undergraduate programs, current teachers pursuing career advancement in master’s programs, and aspiring educational researchers in doctoral programs. Perhaps nowhere else on campus does information literacy instruction have more potential to affect generations of information users than when librarians educate the educators as education students will, in turn, impart information literacy skills to the students in their classrooms for many years.
Education students inhabit three overlapping identities as they progress through degree programs: as students fulfilling assignments, professionals conducting evidence-based research, and future teachers responsible for teaching information literacy. Each role requires distinct information seeking behavior, and librarians must be prepared to teach the principles of information literacy in a register that is appropriate for each identity.
To support this work, the ACRL Education and Behavioral Sciences Section Instruction for Educators (IFE) committee created the Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Instruction for Educators (IFE Companion Document) to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This document strives to “provide effective instructional approaches for educators and teacher education faculty in an academic context that supports the overarching information literacy concepts shared across the profession.”
The Framework statically defines the audience of information literacy instruction as “students” and “learners.” However, the IFE Companion Document takes a more specific approach, enabling a more nuanced exploration of the multiple identities of these learners and providing librarians with domain-specific information to consider when developing instruction for education students. !is chapter provides a summary and classroom examples of how the IFE Companion Document can help librarians adapt each frame of the Framework to support the three identities of education students
Exploring principals’ descriptions of leadership self-efficacy and TPESS leadership competencies : a single-case study.
No full textSchool principals are leaving the profession at increasing rates due to job stress, rising demands without adequate support systems, and a lack of sufficient leadership development. Balancing operational and instructional responsibilities often leads to burnout, especially with added administrative duties beyond school hours. Principals face significant pressures, including student achievement accountability, behavioral challenges, cultivating school culture, and ensuring safe learning environments.
To examine these challenges, I conducted a qualitative single-case study to explore how principals described their leadership self-efficacy and abilities in terms of the leadership competencies in the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (TPESS). I collected data through interviews and observations with debriefs, using questions that prompted participants to reflect on the four sources (e.g., performance outcomes, vicarious experiences, vocal persuasions, and physiological feedback) and of Bandura's self-efficacy theory (SET, 1977, 1982, 1986b, 1996) and the five domains (e.g., strong school leadership and planning, effective well-supported teachers, positive school culture, high-quality curriculum, and effective instruction) in the TPESS evaluation tool (2023b). Four Texas principals participated in the study and described their self-efficacy and leadership competencies. I analyzed the data and developed themes from each participant’s description related to their self-efficacy in leadership competencies.
I identified five themes based on the descriptions provided by the participants. The implications highlighted the need for targeted support at the campus level, including reflection, growth through feedback, and professional practice changes. Participants described how they strengthened their leadership competencies by developing a strategic lens focused on systems and planning. Principals attributed their leadership practices to relationships with mentors who emphasized positive coaching and feedback. Each participant described expanding their instructional support capacities by coaching teachers to use data-driven, effective instructional practices. Learning to identify their physical cues or feedback from challenging and uncomfortable experiences produced growth for the participants. Principals illustrated the benefit of building positive relationships with staff that focused on high expectations to support a safe school culture. These findings showed the evolving nature of the principalship and the need for professional development and growth opportunities in TPESS leadership domains
Exploring the Catawba Indian Nation’s resiliency experience : a qualitative single case study.
No full textThe Catawba Indian Nation (CIN) has faced significant historical and contemporary challenges, including forced relocation, cultural suppression, and systemic inequalities. These adversities have led to profound intergenerational trauma, impacting the social, economic, and cultural well-being of the community. Despite these challenges, the CIN has demonstrated remarkable resilience, drawing on cultural strengths and community solidarity to navigate and overcome socioeconomic adversities. This study aimed to explore and understand the resilience mechanisms employed by CIN members to overcome these challenges. By examining the lived experiences and perceptions of CIN members, this study provided valuable insights into the strategies that foster resilience and mitigate the effects of intergenerational trauma.
This qualitative single case study employed Lopez and Magaña’s Family Resilience Model (FRM) as the theoretical framework, emphasizing communication, belief systems, and organizational patterns as key components of family resilience. The research design included a combination of qualitative surveys, semi-structured interviews, and follow-up qualitative surveys to gather in-depth data from participants. The study focused on capturing the richness and depth of participants’ experiences, prioritizing detailed insights over a broad sample size. Data analysis involved descriptive and pattern coding to categorize the data into broad themes, which were then refined into more specific codes. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes related to the FRM concepts, such as communication/problem-solving, belief systems, and organizational patterns.
The findings of this study revealed that effective communication, including family counseling and open dialogue, played a crucial role in fostering resilience. Participants emphasized the importance of transparent and meaningful communication in navigating trauma and strengthening familial bonds. Additionally, belief systems that focus on serving others and finding meaning in adversity are integral to resilience, as they provide a sense of purpose and cultural continuity. Organizational patterns, such as robust support systems and reliance on family and community, further enhanced resilience by promoting collective strength and shared responsibilities. These insights suggest that culturally sensitive policies and initiatives that support communication, cultural preservation, and community cohesion are essential for fostering resilience in Native American communities