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- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
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Description
The goal of this study was to examine whether there is any effect of phonotactic probability during the early phases of novel word recognition. In order to determine this, I performed two experiments. In Experiment 1, 33 adult monolingual English speakers learned 24 novel word-object pairings, half of which were high English phonotactic probability words and the other half were low English phonotactic probability words. I additionally included three conditions that varied the amount of exposures to each novel word-object pairing (i.e. One Exposure Condition, Two Exposures Conditions, and Five Exposures Condition). Experiment 2 was designed to clarify results found in Experiment 1, with improved randomization and fewer conditions (i.e. One Exposure Condition and Five Exposures Condition). The findings from both experiments were statistically significant in accuracy for Training condition, but not statistically significant for phonotactic probability nor for an interaction between phonotactic probability and Training condition. Although participants demonstrated learning across conditions there is no indication of a relationship between high and low phonotactic probability and novel word recognition. Collectively, these findings suggest that future studies will be necessary to determine if there is indeed an effect of phonotactic probability on early novel word recognition.
ContributorsQuinones, Sara Cristina (Co-author) / Quiñones, Sara (Co-author) / Benitez, Viridiana (Thesis director) / Tecedor Cabrero, Marta (Committee member) / Davis, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Aluminum alloys are commonly used for engineering applications due to their high strength to weight ratio, low weight, and low cost. Pitting corrosion, accelerated by saltwater environments, leads to fatigue cracks and stress corrosion cracking during service. Two-dimensional (2D) characterization methods are typically used to identify and characterize corrosion; however, these methods are destructive and do not enable an efficient means of quantifying mechanisms of pit initiation and growth. In this study, lab-scale x-ray microtomography was used to non-destructively observe, quantify, and understand pit growth in three dimensions over a 20-day corrosion period in the AA7075-T651 alloy. The XRT process, capable of imaging sample volumes with a resolution near one micrometer, was found to be an ideal tool for large-volume pit examination. Pit depths were quantified over time using renderings of sample volumes, leading to an understanding of how inclusion particles, oxide breakdown, and corrosion mechanisms impact the growth and morphology of pits. This process, when carried out on samples produced with two different rolling directions and rolling extents, yielded novel insights into the long-term macroscopic corrosion behaviors impacted by alloy production and design. Key among these were the determinations that the alloy’s rolling direction produces a significant difference in the average growth rate of pits and that the corrosion product layer loses its passivating effect as a result of cyclic immersion. In addition, a new mechanism of pitting corrosion is proposed which is focused on the pseudo-random spatial distribution of iron-rich inclusion particles in the alloy matrix, which produces a random distribution of pit depths based on the occurrence of co-operative corrosion near inclusion clusters.
ContributorsSinclair, Daniel Ritchie (Author) / Chawla, Nikhilesh (Thesis director) / Jiao, Yang (Committee member) / Bale, Hrishikesh (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Materials Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This grammar describes the inner workings of the language of the Fwonnel Peninsula, known in its English translations as Fwonnel, Arojaunzan, or, most succinctly, Arojun. Contained within this 288-page paper are sections dedicated to Phonology, Phonetics, Morphology, Syntax, Example Texts, and various other elements of the world that I have created. Arojun is a moderately analytic language that features a Verb-Object-Subject word order, a pronoun-tense auxiliary system, and two orthography systems with historic significance. Connected to the language and included within this paper are sections on original Calendar Systems, Music Theory and Notation, Naming Traditions, Geography of the Fwonnel Peninsula, Religions, Two Dictionaries, a collection of common phrases important to learning the language and interacting with the people, and an in-depth look at the full political and linguistic history of the Fwonnel Peninsula. The Sample Text section includes several lines of interlinear glosses translating popular scenes from television shows from English(or Japanese) into Arojun, videos of which were posted to my YouTube Channel, Agma Schwa, over the course of the past year. This language, and in essence, the entirety of the fictional nation of El Fwonk Casanosia, has been building up to this point since 2007, when I was only seven years old. I may have needed to occasionally bend over backwards to make the less logical, yet emotionally significant, parts of this language and history reach a point of satisfactory suspension of disbelief, but I believe that it turned out wonderfully. Either way, this project took a great deal of effort, by far the largest project that I have worked on in my life.
ContributorsCole, Robert Joseph (Author) / Van Gelderen, Elly (Thesis director) / Pruitt, Kathryn (Committee member) / Bjork, Robert (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis analyzes the importance of positive relationships between managers and their
employees. It attempts to define what a positive work relationship is and how it can influence the
work environment. Through information found from case studies and surveys it is clear that a
good manager, as defined in this work, has a large impact on employee job satisfaction,
motivation and perceived retention rate. Using popular theories and studies I will show the
support I have for the analysis of my results as well as studies which prove my results to be
flawed.
employees. It attempts to define what a positive work relationship is and how it can influence the
work environment. Through information found from case studies and surveys it is clear that a
good manager, as defined in this work, has a large impact on employee job satisfaction,
motivation and perceived retention rate. Using popular theories and studies I will show the
support I have for the analysis of my results as well as studies which prove my results to be
flawed.
ContributorsAmmons, Karilee Rose (Author) / Hom, Peter (Thesis director) / Eric, Knott (Committee member) / Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The rate of vaccinations has been consistently decreasing in the past years in children of ages 0-18. Multiple factors and barriers contribute to these low rates. This comparative case study investigated the accessibility of information regarding childhood vaccinations to parents in areas with differing poverty levels in the greater Phoenix region, specifically in the West Valley, Downtown Phoenix, and the East Valley. Pediatric clinics, public elementary schools, and public libraries were visited in each area to assess how much information was available where. The analysis produced unexpected results: the West Valley, which had the highest poverty level, contained the most amount of accessible information for parents in many languages, while the East Valley, with a low poverty level, had almost no information accessible to parents of these children. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed. Based on these unexpected results, one recommendation is to develop a pamphlet that could be distributed to these public places to raise awareness of the importance of vaccinations in children to parents.
ContributorsShah, Veedhi (Author) / Bates, Denise (Thesis director) / Castillo, Elizabeth (Committee member) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The purpose of this study was to describe the Spanish syntactic development of Heritage Speakers (HS) at 1st and 6th grade, with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). Mean length of utterance in words (MLU-w), subordination index (SI), and grammaticality were measured to determine the language growth trajectories of the children. Previously collected audios of narrative re-tells were used for this analysis. These language samples were transcribed and coded using SALT conventions. Two-way mixed methods ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of ability group (between-subjects) and grade (within-subjects) on each of the measures. Results revealed that there were differences between ability group and grade. Between groups, children with typical development (TD) performed higher than their peers with DLD. On a group scale, the children with TD improved in the measures of MLU-w and SI from the 1st grade to the 6th grade, while measures like grammaticality showed no significant improvement. On an individual scale, all growth types were observed: improvement, stagnation, and loss. Further research on bilingual adolescent language could reveal the significance of SI in assessing their language as well as develop norms for the language development of older HSs.
ContributorsElder, Paige Emily (Co-author) / Elder, Paige (Co-author) / Restrepo, MarÃa Adelaida (Thesis director) / DiLallo, Jennifer (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor, Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis explores the likely impacts of climate change on agricultural production globally and in the state of Arizona, and on agricultural supply chains. It shows increases in severe weather, including hotter temperatures and droughts, will have a negative impact on crop production in the state and on global agricultural supply chains. It also shows the effects on the environment caused by our current cradle-to-grave supply chains. As a partial remedy, this thesis explores the benefits of vertical farming systems and shows how they could be of value to the residents of Arizona.
ContributorsKing, Emily Marie (Author) / Kirby, Andrew (Thesis director) / Carter, Craig (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Cocaine use remains a prevalent problem, yet there are no effective pharmacological treatments against cocaine use disorders. Cocaine is known to affect serotonin neurotransmission in the brain. Previous data has shown the modulatory role of CP 94,253, a serotonin 1B receptor (5-HT1BR) agonist on cocaine self-administration at different periods of the use-abstinence-relapse cycle. CP 94,253 facilitates cocaine self-administration in rats during the use maintenance phase, where rats are receiving daily intake of cocaine, yet attenuates it after a period of abstinence, when drug delivery is discontinued and rats are placed in home cages. Here we study the therapeutic potential of 5-HT1BR agonist pre-treatment on cocaine self-administration during these different time periods. Male and free-cycling female rats were trained to lever-press for cocaine (0.75 mg/kg i.v.) or sucrose pellets, until they met stable performance for total number of infusions on a fixed ratio 5 schedule of reinforcement. Rats were then tested with either the FDA-approved but less selective 5-HT1BR agonist zolmitriptan (3, 5.6, and 10 mg/kg s.c.; in descending order) prior to a period of abstinence or the more selective 5-HT1BR agonist CP 94,253 (5.6 mg/kg s.c.) after a period of prolonged abstinence and relapse (i.e. resumption of daily cocaine self-administration after a period of abstinence). Each session ran for 2 hours during which the training dose was available for the 1st hour and a low dose of cocaine (0.075 mg/kg i.v.) for the 2nd hour. Zolmitriptan was found to attenuate cocaine self-administration measures at a dose of 3 and 5.6 mg/kg when testing at the low dose of cocaine and at all three doses (3, 5.6, and 10 mg/kg) when testing at the training dose of cocaine. Zolmitriptan at the doses effective at attenuating cocaine intake did not alter sucrose self-administration. CP 94,253 (5.6 mg/kg s.c.) was found to have significant attenuative effects on self-administration measures both after a period of prolonged abstinence and after a period of relapse. Overall, these experiments showed that zolmitriptan decreased cocaine reinforcement without altering sucrose reinforcement as well as that CP 94,253 attenuates cocaine intake even after a period of relapse. These findings support the therapeutic potential of 5-HT1BR agonists as pharmacological treatments for cocaine use disorders.
ContributorsLe, Tien (Author) / Neisewander, Janet (Thesis director) / Newbern, Jason (Committee member) / Garcia, Raul (Committee member) / Chemical Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Background: The hippocampus is a critical brain structure for memory formation and other aspects of cognition. The hippocampus and the white matter tracts connecting it to other parts of the brain are known to lose volume and integrity with aging. For populations with prior compromised hippocampal integrity, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is less well known how the hippocampus and its connections will respond to aging. In children with ASD, there may be an initial period of enlarged hippocampi, after which there is a trajectory of faster decline in volume compared to neurotypicals (NT). We have previously identified reduced hippocampal volumes and fornix white matter integrity in middle-age and older adults with ASD compared to matched NT adults. However, freewater (FW) may be a more sensitive structural integrity measure of the hippocampal complex. FW is present in the brain as cerebrospinal fluid but also accumulates within the extracellular spaces indicative of reduced gray matter density and increased axon degeneration. FW shows promise as a more sensitive biomarker for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This study evaluated age-related hippocampal complex FW differences in adults with and without ASD across the adult lifespan. We hypothesized that adults with ASD would demonstrate a larger age association with increasing FW in the hippocampus and fornix, compared to NT adults, and that FW would be a more sensitive brain measure than traditional fractional anisotropy (FA).
Methods: The study consisted of 79 participants with ASD (59 male, 20 female; ages 18-70, mean=40.27 [±17] years) and 77 NT participants (46 male, 31 female; ages 18-71, mean=40.33 [±16] years). Hippocampal and fornix FW and FA values were generated from diffusion tensor images obtained along 32 directions using a b-value of 2500 s/mm2 in the axial direction with 3 mm slice resolution. These images were then processed for eddy current, distortion, b-vec and motion correction, skull stripped, and non-linear registered using Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) to the subject’s T1 image. FW and FA maps were calculated using custom written MatLab code and standard atlases containing the hippocampus and fornix were applied.
Results: The right hippocampus showed a significant diagnosis by age interaction (p=0.018), such that the increase in FW with age was greater for adults with ASD. The left hippocampus diagnosis by age interaction approached significance (p=0.055). Similarly, the right fornix showed a significant diagnosis by age interaction (p=0.044), with increases in FW with age as greater for adults with ASD, and the left fornix diagnosis by age interaction approached significance (p=0.053). FA values showed no significant diagnosis by age interactions.
Conclusion: In the hippocampus and fornix, the association between increasing FW and increasing age was more pronounced for adults with ASD than matched NT adults. This may mean that as adults with ASD age, these regions will degenerate faster than their NT peers, which could have implications for accelerated age-related memory decline. However, a notable limitation is the cross-sectional nature of the study. Our ongoing longitudinal study will inform a more definitive picture of brain aging with ASD.
Methods: The study consisted of 79 participants with ASD (59 male, 20 female; ages 18-70, mean=40.27 [±17] years) and 77 NT participants (46 male, 31 female; ages 18-71, mean=40.33 [±16] years). Hippocampal and fornix FW and FA values were generated from diffusion tensor images obtained along 32 directions using a b-value of 2500 s/mm2 in the axial direction with 3 mm slice resolution. These images were then processed for eddy current, distortion, b-vec and motion correction, skull stripped, and non-linear registered using Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTs) to the subject’s T1 image. FW and FA maps were calculated using custom written MatLab code and standard atlases containing the hippocampus and fornix were applied.
Results: The right hippocampus showed a significant diagnosis by age interaction (p=0.018), such that the increase in FW with age was greater for adults with ASD. The left hippocampus diagnosis by age interaction approached significance (p=0.055). Similarly, the right fornix showed a significant diagnosis by age interaction (p=0.044), with increases in FW with age as greater for adults with ASD, and the left fornix diagnosis by age interaction approached significance (p=0.053). FA values showed no significant diagnosis by age interactions.
Conclusion: In the hippocampus and fornix, the association between increasing FW and increasing age was more pronounced for adults with ASD than matched NT adults. This may mean that as adults with ASD age, these regions will degenerate faster than their NT peers, which could have implications for accelerated age-related memory decline. However, a notable limitation is the cross-sectional nature of the study. Our ongoing longitudinal study will inform a more definitive picture of brain aging with ASD.
ContributorsAlvar, Jocelyn R (Author) / Braden, Brittany Blair (Thesis director) / Ofori, Edward (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The heliobacteria, a family of anoxygenic phototrophs, are significant to photosynthesis evolution research, as they possess the simplest known photosynthetic apparatus. Although they are photoheterotrophs in the light, the heliobacteria may also grow chemotrophically via pyruvate metabolism in the absence of light. In Heliobacterium modesticaldum, the cytochrome bc complex is responsible for oxidizing menaquinol and reducing cytochrome c553 in the electron flow cycle used for phototrophy. However, there is no known electron acceptor for cytochrome c553 other than the photosynthetic reaction center. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the cytochrome bc complex is necessary for phototrophy, but unnecessary for chemotrophic growth in the dark. Under this hypothesis, a mutant of H. modesticaldum lacking the cytochrome bc complex was predicted to be viable, but non-phototrophic. In this project, a two-step method for CRISPR-based genome editing was used in H. modesticaldum to delete the genes encoding the cytochrome bc complex. Genotypic analysis verified the deletion of the petC, B, D, and A genes encoding the catalytic components of complex. Spectroscopic studies revealed that re-reduction of cytochrome c553 after flash-induced photo-oxidation was ~130 to 190 times slower in the ∆petCBDA mutant compared to wildtype, phenotypically confirming the removal of the cytochrome bc complex. The resulting ∆petCBDA mutant was unable to grow phototrophically, instead relying on pyruvate metabolism to grow chemotrophically as does wildtype in the dark.
ContributorsLeung, Sabrina (Author) / Redding, Kevin (Thesis director) / Liu, Wei (Committee member) / Vermaas, Wim (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05