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- Creators: Arizona State University
- Creators: Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 1756-1791
Description
This dissertation combines three first-author manuscripts that focused broadly on the study of adolescent sleep within a family context (Sasser et al., 2021; Sasser & Oshri, 2023; Sasser et al., 2023). First, Chapter 1 introduces the theoretical background and empirical research that grounded the research questions and hypotheses explored across the studies. The first study (Chapter 2) examined the influence of family connection on actigraphy-measured sleep among Latinx late adolescents and explored family dynamics and cultural values as potential moderators. The second study (Chapter 3) investigated daily and average concordance between parent and youth actigraphy-measured sleep and how this varied as a function of family context (e.g., parenting, family functioning). The third study (Chapter 4) examined concordance in actigraphy sleep among parent-youth and sibling dyads and explored how relations differed across zygosity type and sleeping arrangements. The dissertation concludes with an immersive discussion (Chapter 5) that summarizes the key differences, similarities, and takeaways across studies and highlights future directions and implications for developmental science, public policy, and clinical interventions. Collectively, this dissertation contributes to the understanding of youth and adolescent sleep within a family context by identifying proximal (e.g., daily interactions with parents/siblings) and broader family-level factors (e.g., dynamics, culture) that may help promote more healthful sleep among both adolescents and their family members.
ContributorsSasser, Jeri (Author) / Doane, Leah D (Thesis advisor) / Su, Jinni (Committee member) / Grimm, Kevin J (Committee member) / Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains a pressing health concern, especially with lagging youth vaccination rates despite its evident benefits. Given the significant role of vaccination in safeguarding individual and community health, this dissertation sought to explore how the use of serious games may offer hope for addressing the COVID-19 vaccine coverage gap among youths. This dissertation collected, appraised, and synthesized existing evidence on serious game-based vaccination interventions, finding increased youths’ vaccine knowledge but limited effectiveness in boosting their vaccination intentions and uptake. Using serious game in youth health education considered key attributes including gamification, game mechanics, educational, health-related content, and objective, tailored for youth and adaptability, real life relevance, engagement, interactivity, safe environment, feedback, and assessment. Stemming from technological advances and interdisciplinary collaborations, these games provided experiences that resonated with diverse populations. Outcomes from such educational games have shown improved health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, improved self-efficacy and reduced health disparities. The dissertation also presented a pilot study randomization control trial (RCT) on a COVID- 19 game-based intervention (vs. usual care) targeting unvaccinated youth, showing its feasibility, acceptability and positive influence on vaccine knowledge, vaccination intention and uptake. Partnering with key stakeholders and adapting game designs for ongoing relevance could contribute to intervention effectiveness in promoting youth vaccination, catering to diverse needs and preferences.
ContributorsOu, Lihong (Author) / Reifsnider, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Chen, Angela Chia-Chen (Committee member) / Todd, Michael (Committee member) / Amresh, Ashish (Committee member) / Mun, Chung Jung (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the etiological agent of the tuberculosis disease, is estimated to infect one-fourth of the human population and is responsible for 1.5 million deaths annually. The increased emergence of bacterial resistance to clinical interventions highlights the lack in development of novel antimicrobial therapeutics. Prototypical bacterial two-component systems (TCS) allow for sensing of extracellular stimuli and relay thereof to create a transcriptional response. The prrAB TCS is essential for viability in Mtb, presenting itself as an attractive novel drug target. In Mtb, PrrAB is involved in the adaptation to the intra-macrophage environment and recent work implicates PrrAB in the dosR-dependent hypoxia adaptation. This work defines a direct molecular and regulatory connection between Mtb PrrAB and the dosR-dependent hypoxia response. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays combined with surface plasmon resonance, the Mtb dosR gene is established as a specific target of PrrA, corroborated by fluorescence reporter assays demonstrating a regulatory relationship. Considering the scarce understanding of prrAB essentiality in nontuberculous mycobacteria and the presence of multiple prrAB orthologs in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium abscessus, CRISPR interference was utilized to evaluate the essentiality of PrrAB beyond Mtb. prrAB was found to be inessential for viability in M. smegmatis yet required for in vitro growth. Conversely, M. abscessus prrAB repression led to enhanced in vitro growth. Diarylthiazole-48 (DAT-48) displayed decreased selectivity against M. abscessus but demonstrated enhanced intrinsic activity upon prrAB repression in M. abscessus. Lastly, to aid in the rapid determination of mycobacterial drug susceptibility and the detection of mycobacterial heteroresistance, the large volume scattering imaging (LVSim) platform was adapted for mycobacteria. Using LVSim, Mtb drug susceptibility was detected phenotypically within 6 hours, and clinically relevant mycobacterial heteroresistance was detected phenotypically within 10 generations. The data generated in these studies provide insight into the essential role of PrrAB in Mtb and its involvement in the dosR-dependent hypoxia adaptation, advance the understanding of mycobacterial PrrAB essentiality and PrrAB-associated mycobacterial growth dependency. These studies further establish molecular and mechanistic connection between PrrAB and DAT-48 in Mtb and M. abscessus and develop a rapid phenotypic drug susceptibility testing platform for mycobacteria.
ContributorsHaller, Yannik Alex (Author) / Haydel, Shelley E (Thesis advisor) / Bean, Heather (Committee member) / Nickerson, Cheryl (Committee member) / Plaisier, Christopher (Committee member) / Acharya, Abhinav (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Despite the technical competence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) graduates of the Department of Computer Science (DCS) at the University of Guyana, stakeholders’ perception generally holds that they lack affective and behavioural (soft) skills. These soft skills are expected of them to lead and champion technological change in Guyana. This dissertation addresses the question of what is understood about, and how meaning and sense are made of, the concept of ‘ICT graduate employability’, in the context of the local public sector, by the key stakeholders: employers (government), and alumni (graduates) and lecturers (educators) of the DCS. On account of the cyclic, incremental, reflective nature of Action Research (AR) and its tenet of integrating theory with practice, an AR project was undertaken to develop a deep local understanding about ICT graduate employability. This understanding has implications for how ICT graduates are prepared as a function of their programme of study in the DCS and how their performance and careers are managed in the public sector. The research comprised one reconnaissance study (Cycle 0), an intervention-based study (Cycle 1), and a qualitative study (Cycle 2). The focus and direction of Cycle 2 were refined by insights garnered from Cycles 0 and 1. Cycle 2 employed surveys, interviews, and focus groups to elicit the perceptions, views, opinions, experiences, values, and framing ideas and beliefs of a sample of forty participants. Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns and develop themes in the process of analysing and interpreting the data. The findings unearthed a local definition of ICT graduate employability; revealed implications of environmental factors in the public sector for the psychological safety and resilience of ICT graduates; and informed recommendations for a locally relevant ICT graduate education ecosystem.
ContributorsWilliams, Malcolm Maxwell (Author) / Fischman, Gustavo E (Thesis advisor) / Basile, Carole G (Committee member) / Thomas, Troy D (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Renewable energy and carbon reduction policies are creating new challenges for electricity markets. To achieve carbon-free goals, large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are necessary to ensure grid reliability and flexibility. The impact of BESSs on market and grid operation, as well as the optimal portfolio across the energy and ancillary services markets, must be analyzed to guide their operation. At the same time, the expansion of renewable and storage resources and the adoption of carbon reduction policies have introduced new complexities to the bidding behavior of market participants, which cannot be easily described by cost-based bidding objectives. In response to these challenges, this dissertation aims to achieve two research objectives: (I) enable BESS participation in energy and ancillary services markets under uncertainties, considering the battery's degradation cost; (II) identify robust bidding objectives for electricity market participants based on their historical bidding data. Three optimization frameworks are proposed in Part I to model a BESS as a price-maker in energy markets, evaluating its impact on market outcomes. The preliminary framework models automatic generation control signals, while the detailed framework proposes a participation factor for dispatching AGC signals and accounts for battery degradation costs. The stochastic framework models spinning reserve deployment with uncertainty and propose an optimization-based approximation method based on reinforcement learning. Case studies on proposed frameworks validate operational models for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and markets, showing the accuracy and efficiency of the approximation approach. Key findings include that accurate degradation cost modeling is essential, and participation in ancillary services markets is more profitable. Part II proposes a data-driven approach using Adversarial Inverse Reinforcement Learning to identify robust bidding objectives for electricity market participants. It introduces a tailored reinforcement learning model for bidding objective identification without data discretization, and a special policy structure compliant with multi-segment bidding rules. Two approaches are suggested for electricity market environment modeling in RL/IRL problems, ensuring the robustness of the identified bidding objective. Three case studies validated the accuracy and robustness of the proposed bidding objective identification method in various application scenarios.
ContributorsKhalilisenobari, Reza (Author) / Wu, Meng (Thesis advisor) / Vitall, Vijay (Committee member) / Pal, Anamitra (Committee member) / Khorsand, Mojdeh (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Formula 1 car front wings have evolved significantly over the last fifty years. Looking back at the past decade shows significant changes made due to rules and regulations by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile and an increased understanding of aerodynamic concepts. There seems to be a trend where aerodynamic design concepts, previously seen in aviation, are being applied to Formula 1 front wings; this helps race teams increase downforce and reduce drag. This thesis analyzes these changes made over the past years and relates the material back to material that was learned by the aviation industry and attempts to synthesize conceptual Formula 1 front Wing designs using VORLAX, a vortex lattice panel method, used in the aviation industry. This insight would be beneficial for Formula 1 teams as there are budget and time restrictions applied to Computational Fluid Dynamic and wind tunnel testing, but panel methods are run in a matter of seconds as opposed to hours or days. So, if verified, preliminary designs can be rapidly tested to optimize the workflow and reduce the time required for Computational Fluid Dynamic and wind tunnel testing.
ContributorsRatnayake, Sajana Sathsara (Author) / Takahashi, Timothy T (Thesis advisor) / Perez, Ruben E (Committee member) / Kim, Jeonglae (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
By utilizing words, photographs, and motion pictures, this multimodal and multisited project traces a rhizomatic genealogy of Russian Cosmism—a nineteenth century political theology promoting a universal human program for overcoming death, resurrecting ancestors, and traveling through the cosmos—amongst post-Soviet techno-utopian projects and imaginaries. I illustrate how Cosmist techno-utopian, futurist, and other-than-human discourse exist as Weberian “elective affinities” within diverse ecologies of the imagination, transmitting a variety of philosophies and political programs throughout trans-temporal, yet philosophically bounded, communities. With a particular focus on the United States and Ukraine, and taking an apophatic analytical position, I dissect how different groups of philosophers, technologists, and publics interact(ed) with Cosmism, as well as how seemingly disparate communities (re)shape and deterritorialize Cosmist political theology in an attempt to legitimize their constructed political imaginaries.
ContributorsGenovese, Taylor (Author) / Bennett, Gaymon (Thesis advisor) / Avina, Alexander (Committee member) / Messeri, Lisa (Committee member) / Josephson Storm, Jason Ā (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Development approaches have historically been driven by external forces, and they are short-term and lack fit and inclusiveness. For Indigenous communities, this approach to development has been severely disruptive to their means of livelihood as well as their social and cultural norms. This has led to rethinking development as a process that places greater emphasis on engaging communities to ensure that their context-specific needs are met. Simultaneously, rising interest in information and communications technology (ICT) has drawn elite attention from development agencies about its potential roles in enhancing development through inclusion. However, the growing literature on ICT for development (ICT4D) is vague on how to nurture inclusion to pursue development activities in Indigenous communities. This qualitative study examined a) the processes required for formulating local development objectives in Indigenous communities in the Rupununi Regions of Guyana, b) the potential roles that ICT can play in enhancing those development processes, and c) the institutional and policy innovations warranted to facilitate this kind of inclusive development with ICT. The results suggest that Indigenous communities can be empowered to determine their development processes and objectives, and ICT can aid the processes. However, policies are required to ensure that the people are empowered to participate in development processes, equitable access to ICT is provided to the communities, and training and awareness of ICT are provided to guard against the dark side of ICT and to ensure that citizens are able to perceive the value of ICT. The findings i) challenge established development orthodoxies, ii) give voice to the Indigenous communities to craft their own development goals and objectives, iii) guide policymakers about the use of ICT4D in Indigenous communities, iv) generate discussions on ICT-led approach for inclusive development, v) and improve the literature on ICT-enhanced inclusive development strategies in Indigenous communities.
ContributorsPersaud, Girendra (Author) / Scornavacca, Eusebio ES (Thesis advisor) / Chhetri, Netra NC (Committee member) / Parmentier, Mary Jane MJP (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
A mixed methods action research study was designed to answer three research questions based on inter-rater reliability (IRR) in compliance calls for transition at a state education agency, perceived confidence levels in making and discussing compliance calls, and perceived confidence in sharing transition resources. An innovation based on andragogy and frame of reference training (FOR) was designed and implemented with twelve participants to answer these questions. To measure the effects of the innovation, participants completed a pre-and post-innovation review of five student files, analyzing the IRR for the group as compared with a gold standard (GS) both before and after the innovation. Additionally, a smaller group sample for the same five files post-innovation was collected to compare group results for IRR with the GS to the combined individual results. A retrospective survey was also utilized in which participants rated their confidence in each component pre- and post-innovation. Based upon analyses of these data, several key findings were identified. Higher inter-rater reliability was noted when participants reviewed files within small groups and in the area of annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals aligned with measurable post-secondary goals. Lower IRR was reported in nuanced files, files for students with low-incidence disabilities, and files with more instances of non-compliance. Results indicated that participant confidence in making and discussing transition files in the field improved post-innovation. Lastly, participants indicated higher confidence in sharing best practices in transition with the field post-innovation. Implications for this research include training suggestions, additional practice with low-incidence and nuanced files at the state agency, and group review of files in other state monitoring systems.
ContributorsRaithel, Heather (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Ross, Lydia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
For decades, there has been a concerted effort to support the transition of first-generation students from high school into higher education, yet there is a continued troubling gap in the number of first-generation students attending college who attain success once enrolled. This disparity is particularly pronounced among low-income students of color. This study illustrates how action research can be used to analyze a program that aims to assist students and their parents in navigating the American higher education system. Participants included (N=20) twelfth grade, first-generation, Latino, students and their parents (N=20) in rural Yuma County, Arizona, a geographically isolated area which is a three-hour drive from the nearest metropolitan city. Mixed methods were utilized to examine the impact of the American Dream Academy on self-efficacy in cultivating a college-going culture among first-generation, Latino students. Since parents play a significant role in the academic success of students, this program also sought to bolster the self-efficacy of the parents of the twelfth-grade student participants. A concerted effort was made to bring the American Dream Academy to the San Luis High School, Arizona Western College, and Arizona State University. The Academy’s curriculum included eight sessions that covered college-going topics that were collectively facilitated by university, college and high school faculty. Outcomes of this study indicate the need to support first-generation Latino students and their parents to foster college readiness and increase college access. Additionally, this study highlights how increasing the self-efficacy of students and parents can positively shift self-perceptions and sense of belonging among first-generation college students.
ContributorsCorr, Laura (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Carrasco-Jaquez, Diane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023