By using the creative process as a means to reflect this work delves into the themes of memory and identity as they relate to my struggle, as an adolescent, to define my sexual orientation.

Verbal communication relies heavily on the ability to effortlessly produce intended words to express a meaning. This capacity is frequently impaired in individuals with aphasia, and impairment often lasts well into the chronic stages. However, the nature of anomia can vary. Phonological neighborhood density (PND) is one feature of words which has been shown to impact the ease of retrieval in speakers with aphasia; words with more similar-sounding neighbors are easier to retrieve because the neighbors help activate the target. However, it is unclear how different types of lexical access breakdowns affect the impact of PND. The aim of this project was to analyze the relationship between word retrieval accuracy, speech error patterns, and PND in individuals with aphasia. Twenty-two participants with various types and severities of aphasia named 200 single-syllable line drawings. WebFit, an online software program designed to fit naming data to a theoretical model of word retrieval, was used to characterize participants' error patterns by calculating the strength of connections within the lexicon, as well as the rate of decay. Analyses confirmed previous findings that participants with all types of breakdown achieved lower rates of overall accuracy. Weaker connections between semantic knowledge and words resulted in a more errors that were close to the target, relative to errors with no relationship to the target. Individuals with more severe impairments of the semantic-lexical connections and the lexical-phonological connections produced words with many neighbors more accurately than words with fewer neighbors. Implications for initial therapy target selection and directions for further research are discussed.

Illness. A secret. Feeling alone? Have you ever kept a secret? A life-changing secret that keeps you secluded, isolated, and contained in a bubble, lonely and empty? The daily struggle of coping with your own secret, yet feeling like everyone you come in contact with already knows, takes its toll in the lives of those who carry the burden of a chronic disease. While dealing with judgmental thoughts, and the scrutinizing gaze from others, do we think that the stigma of a medical diagnosis affects our ability to love someone? More specifically, how about being capable of allowing someone to love you knowing that you are HIV positive? In We Were Here, the choreographic research speaks directly to the topic of secrecy and isolation through song, dance, poetry, and videography of people living with life-threatening diseases in today’s society. This piece will take the audience on a short journey through the lives of seven individuals who seek to find peace and understanding in revealing their conditions to their family, friends and loved ones. In seven different journeys, through the highs and lows of coping with a chronic disease, the silver lining of WE WERE HERE, provides a friendly reminder that everyone needs somebody, sometimes.

During everyday scene viewing, the information received by the visual system is frequently disrupted: Objects are often occluded by other objects, and sensory processing is interrupted by eye, head, or body movements. The visual system is extremely efficient at correcting for these interruptions and in establishing object correspondence and perceptual continuity. At the end of this correspondence process, the visual system is left with two representations of an object: The initial representation and the one acquired after the disruption. In the present dissertation, I investigated the mechanisms by which the visual system reconciles these discontinuous inputs to give us a perception of a smooth and stable visual world. To achieve this, I ran four experiments in which participants were presented with a colored saccade target, and instructed to remember its color before executing the saccade. On some trials, the color of the saccade target was changed to a new value during the saccade. Participants were asked to report either the pre- or post-saccadic color value in a continuous report task. Object continuity was manipulated in two ways. The target blanking paradigm served as the main manipulation of stability: On half the trials, the target was removed from the screen during the saccade, disrupting object continuity. In addition, the magnitude of color change was used as a secondary manipulation of visual stability. The color report data were fit with probabilistic mixture models. First, there was no evidence for integration of pre- and post-saccadic feature values into a composite representation. Instead, on a majority of trials participants could successfully retain and report both pre- and post-saccadic states of the target object. Further, these two states dynamically interacted with each other, resulting in their feature values systematically shifting toward each other. Lastly, when reporting the pre-saccadic color, participants were more likely to incorrectly report the post-saccadic color under conditions of visual stability versus instability, supporting a probabilistic overwriting mechanism. Together, these results are more consistent with an object-based model, rather than an image-based model of representational updating. Although the present study only focused on transsaccadic updating mechanisms, similar mechanisms are likely to be functional in many common situations where the visual system needs to establish perceptual continuity across disruptions and changes.

Anemia of prematurity is characterized by a progressive decline in hemoglobin level during the first month of life. Unlike term newborns, preterm infants become anemic and often require red blood cell transfusions. Various factors contribute to the development of this anemia. These include short infant red blood cell (RBC) lifespan, decline in erythropoiesis rate after birth, and blood losses caused by repeated phlebotomies. The objectives of this work were to develop novel models to evaluate fetal and neonatal erythropoiesis, and to study in vivo adult and neonatal RBC survival in low birth weight preterm anemic infants. The model developed to evaluate fetal erythropoiesis was based on the in utero growth of the fetus over time. Neonatal erythropoiesis rate was estimated using a hemoglobin (Hb) mass-balance based method that has the advantage of not relying on specific structural pharmacodynamic model assumptions to describe the Hb production, but instead utilizes simple mass balance principles and nonparametric regression analysis to quantify the amount of Hb produced and the Hb production rate during the first month of life. To study RBC survival, two separate models, one describing the elimination of neonatal RBCs produced under non-steady state conditions, and the second describing the elimination of adult RBCs produced under steady state conditions were developed and applied to the RBC survival data obtained from low birth weight anemic preterm infants. The proposed mathematical models and its implementation provides a flexible framework to study both in utero non-steady state (non-SS) fetal erythropoiesis and neonatal erythropoiesis in newborn infants.

This study examined the relationship between intercollegiate participation and persistence in college. In addition, it explored the different factors that influenced student athletes' persistence patterns as compared to non-student athletes at residential liberal arts schools. Using data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNS), I first examined if student athletes were more likely to persist while controlling for background characteristics. Next, using Braxton's revised theory of student departure as a theoretical lens, I examined how eight factors (ability to pay, commitment of the institution to student welfare, communal potential, institutional integrity, proactive social adjustment, psychosocial engagement, social integration, and subsequent college commitment) influenced persistence in student athletes as compared to non-student athletes while controlling for students' backgrounds. The findings suggest that student athletes are more likely to persist. In addition, while Black students were more likely to persist than non-Black students as a whole, Black student athlete were less likely to persist than Black non-student athletes. Also, while some factors influenced student athletes and non-student athlete persistence patterns differently, no consistent pattern emerged. This study contributes to Braxton's model by suggesting classroom achievement, as measured by GPA, should be considered for inclusion in the model. Finally, this study has implications for administrators, especially those considering the use of athletics as an enrollment strategy.

With the removal of the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) from the United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2012, several states legalized wolf hunting as part of wildlife management programs and the protection of livestock. However, the legalization of wolf hunting has created much conflict between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in the Great Lakes region. Many Anishinaabeg, or Ojibwe, in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan object to the state-sanctioned wolf hunting because of their long-standing religious and ecological relationship to wolves as relatives. In the Anishinaabe creation story, the Creator Gitchi Manitou sent Ma'iingan, or Wolf, as a brother and companion to the original human, where the lives of Anishinaabe peoples and wolves would forever become intertwined. While the wolf hunting conflict appears to be one between religion and the broader secular state, it is a complex issue, involving historical religious conceptions of land and power among Anishinaabe and non-Indigenous Americans. Power and traditional ecological knowledge in Anishinaabe culture originates from non-human sources, where humans must establish relationships with other-than-human beings to survive and achieve bimaadiziwin, or "the good life." In a bimaadiziwin framework, wolves are a source of power, knowledge, and well-being for humans, suggesting that they and other non-human beings are valid models of potential ways in which humans may develop ecological models and environmental relations. A methodology based on Indigenous environmental theory and non-human power may provide a broader and more inclusive framework for environmental conflicts, incorporating the roles of all the beings that are indigenous in a certain area. In my thesis, I will show how the wolf-hunting conflict in the Great Lakes region is an example of clashing hierarchical and non-hierarchical systems of relations and knowledge, and explore how an Anishinaabe wolf-based epistemology and ontology is a valid non-hierarchical ecological model for the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine phenotypic expression of craniofacial form, shape, and size as it relates to the genotype of an individual. Shape analyses were completed on 3-D images of each subject's craniofacial structure by landmarking 45 points of interest on the cranial base, facial bones, and upper and lower jaws. A candidate gene analysis was undertaken focusing on specific genes in the Hippo Signaling Pathway to examine genotype-phenotype correlations that play a role in craniofacial development. This study is a continuation of a larger project aimed at the identification of candidate genes associated with human dento-skeletal bite problems led by Dr. Lina Moreno-Uribe. Methods: The sample size for our study included 166 individuals who had never been treated orthodontically at the time of records. Each individual was genotyped and a CBCT of the craniofacial complex was captured. Each CBCT image was landmarked by a single observer using 45 points to mark points on the cranial base and facial bones including the maxilla and mandible. General Procrustes superimposition was used to find correlations with phenotype and genotype. Size analysis was completed with average Euclidean Distances and ANOVA analysis. Results: 2 SNP's from the FOX03 gene had significant associations with size. The AA genotyped individuals appeared larger in overall size than AB genotyped individuals. 3 SNP's had statistically significant associations with facial form. The FOX06 SNPs had significant associations with increased anterior-posterior growth of the maxilla. The AJUBA SNP had significant associations with increased overall craniofacial breadth. Conclusion: Genes in the Hippo signaling pathway have specific roles in the development of facial form and size.

“Traces of Wind” is a through-composed work in three movements: "Wind Chimes", "Incantation" and "Meditation". It is scored for a Western sinfonietta ensemble with the addition of a traditional Chinese instrument, guzheng — a 21-stringed traditional Chinese zither, one of the most common instruments of the prominent Chinese musical tradition. In this work, guzheng's role alternates between that of a soloist and of an orchestral instrument. As the piece develops across movements, guzheng takes on a progressively soloistic role: its solo sections become longer and more frequent, with the final movement, "Meditation" being completely a work for guzheng and orchestra. Guzheng's unique sound and obvious reference to the Orient informs the material and orchestration of the work. One hears frequent use of pentatonic scales and imitation of guzheng through Western instruments, such as strings (pizzicati) and harp. Each movement bears an imprint of Chinese music. The opening movement, "Wind Chimes", is based on the idea of repeating pitches, imitating the effect of wind chimes - an attribute of Chinese Feng Shui culture - tossing and bouncing against each other. We hear randomly struck pitches, yet each pitch repeats with a certain regularity. Much of the material of the first movement is derived from an unrelated endeavor: computer programming. I became involved in writing mobile applications for iPhone and Android devices. One year prior to starting my work on "Wind Chimes", I wrote a unique iPhone app, “iSonics”. This app was an attempt to enable performers of electroacoustic music to interact with music physically: a performer prerecords a set of short sounds and taps the empty screen to manipulate these sounds by stretching them in time, pitch-shifting them (by tapping the screen in various locations) and applying various filters by means of tilting the device. I used a guzheng to pre-record a set of 8 different sounds and then improvised a composition. iSonics provided the ability to react to the generated musical material in real time and to inform myself where on the screen to tap next in order to create a convincing musical line. Tapping to the left of the screen rendered the same sound object played slower and at a lower pitch, thus I was able to create harmonies. The first minute of the resultant electroacoustic work is my improvisation of one and the same sound object, while the first minute of "Wind Chimes" is that minute orchestrated for the ensemble, minus the microtones (which are present in the original improvisation). Thus, guzheng being the “pre-recorded” sound serves as the generator of the material for this movement: the original sound object created with guzheng is the foundation of "Wind Chimes". Much of the subsequent material of "Wind Chimes" is derived from the same process of ii instantiating the sound object in different registers and pitch level. Consequently, “striking” this sound object creates complex melodic content, most notably used in the climactic section of the movement (m. 197). "Wind Chimes" flows directly into the second movement, “Incantation”, which is quite different in character, being more dark and dissonant. Spontaneous woodwind passages, which surface throughout, the movement are evocative of the style of singing one hears in a traditional Chinese opera. In the "Meditation", I call for a pair of back-up violins, if available, to perform the opening harmonics section of the movement. The violins are to be retuned to specific microtonal tunings. I carefully selected these tunings by experimenting with various combinations of frequencies with my own violin. Although optional, using microtonal tuning for the opening of the "Meditation" adds a dimension of exoticism to the already Asian-influenced sound world of the complete work.

The purpose of this dissertation study was to explore how traditional gender norms influence the daily experiences of female student-athletes. The following research question framed this study: How do collegiate female basketball players experience traditional gender norm expectations in relation to their sport? A combination of sources focused on gender norms and athletics informed this study, including previous research, mass media publications and documentaries, and the researcher's individual experiences with gender norms in organized athletics. To explore the research question, six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (D-I) female basketball players were interviewed to provide phenomenological data focused on their individual experiences with gender norms in college basketball. Semi-structured interviews utilizing a feminist phenomenological qualitative design were completed via Skype™. A phenomenological approach was employed to focus on the meaning of events experienced by people in specific situations. The feminist lens ensured that the study framed gender as a fluid concept consisting of multiple intersections. The six participants in the study represented five different teams from a major NCAA conference. Almost all of the participants in the study attended a different major research university in the Midwest (two participants attended the same institution). Three major themes surfaced from data provided by participants. These themes include: (1) the challenge of meeting traditional gender expectations (2) contrasting gender expectations in athletic and non-athletic settings (3) the changing dynamic of gender perceptions in women's basketball. These themes focus on participants' experience of contrasting gender expectations in different settings. In athletic settings participants described rarely thinking about gender dynamics or expectations. Off the court, however, players described a stronger perception of expectations for how they should look and behave. Players described experiencing regular questions and assumptions about their gender identity (i.e. female, male, trans*) and / or sexual orientation (i.e. bisexual, gay, heterosexual, queer) when wearing loose fitting basketball sweats during the day. While players rarely thought about conforming to a gender identity or role on the court, they did describe frustrations with an imbalance of media coverage between men's and women's athletics. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for higher education practice include (1) providing training and educational opportunities for student-athletes, coaches, and administrators focused on gender socialization and subsequent perceptions of student-athletes (2) developing mentoring programs pairing new recruits with veteran players to help acclimate new student-athletes to the demands of the NCAA season, and to explore the impact of traditional gender norm expectations on student-athletes and (3) developing mass media or social media campaigns to help encourage positive recruiting practices in women's basketball and to discourage recruiters focusing on the gender identity or sexual orientation of players and coaches on other teams as a means of lowering interest in those programs.