Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item WHITE RACIAL ALLYSHIP AMONG STAFF AT TRADITIONALLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS(2024) McGuire, Teon Donté; Fries-Britt, Sharon; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Interrupting Whiteness at Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) is first and foremost a White problem. Those who have been unjustly privileged due to their race (i.e., White people) have both the resources and primary responsibility to challenge and interrupt the very systems that unjustly oppress People of Color. This study sought to understand the experiences of White staff members at TWIs who intentionally challenge racism and interrupt Whiteness. This study used a multiple case study design with White staff members as the unit of analysis and data were collected through semi-structured interviews and journals from seven White staff members at working at TWIs across the U.S. White staff member practiced racial at the intrapersonal (i.e., working on themselves), interpersonal (e.g., educating students, serving as a resource Students of Color, and being an amplifier), and organizational and institutional (e.g., via hiring and participating in DEI initiatives) levels. Additionally, their actions revealed multiple forms of Whiteness such as, preference of White centric course content, tokenizing People of Color, shifting the blame from racism to those challenging racism, and unfair reward processes.Item PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN BEESWAX PREDICT THE OCCURRENCE OF VARROA WITH ALLELES THAT CONFER AMITRAZ RESISTANCE.(2024) Hartel, Eric; vanEngelsdorp, Dennis; Entomology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Honey bees are important pollinators and are essential to modern industrial agriculture. One of the largest threats to honey bee health is the parasitic varroa mite Varroa destructor. A common method beekeepers use to control varroa is the application of synthetic varroacides. Following years of treatment, varroa have developed resistance to multiple varroacides leading to treatment failures. This project set out to examine the relationship between pesticide residues within beeswax and resistance alleles in varroa. I expected that the presence of varroacides would be positively related to the occurrence of known mutated alleles that confer varroacide resistance to varroa. We looked for 3 different known varroacide resistance alleles, and only found 2, (N87S and Y215H). Both N87s and Y215H confer resistance to amitraz and her metabolite DMPF. Only one mutation, the Y215H mutation, was widespread, occurring in 68% of the 195 mites we examined. We found that the mutation occurred more frequently in mites that were collected from apiaries that had higher DMPF levels. Surprisingly, the presence of other unrelated pesticides (e.g. not having the same mode of action as amitraz) were also positively correlated with the proportion of mutated alleles found. Both the total number of pesticides found in an apiary, and increasing concentrations of fungicides, insecticides, and varroacides (including and excluding DMPF data), predicted higher odds of finding the Y215H mutation. It is unclear if this relationship is a result of a correlation between pesticide levels, if the mutation help benefits the mites resist pesticide more generally, or if the gene has become fixed in the population. It is important to monitor resistance conferring mutations in the varroa mite population in order to help beekeepers make proper varroa management decisions.Item IDENTIFYING HIGHLY CONSERVED PATHOGENICITY GENES IN CHESTNUT BLIGHT AND POWDERY MILDEW FUNGI AS TARGETS FOR NOVEL FORMS OF HOST RESISTANCE(2019) Levine, Bruce Jonathan; Xiao, Shunyuan; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A bioinformatic search of the genomes of chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica (Cp), and the Arabidopsis powdery mildew fungus, Golovinomyces cichoracearum (Gc), yielded six suspected pathogenicity genes with homologues in both species. Deletion of these genes by homologous gene replacement was attempted in Cp, with one success, TG4. The TG4-knockout strain showed changes in phenotype and reduced fungal virulence against chestnut. TG4 appears to be a promising target for host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) in transgenic American chestnut. The use of homologues from genetically tractable species like Cp can help overcome the obstacles to performing reverse genetics on intractable, biotrophic fungi such as Gc. Experiments underway involving the silencing and ectopic overexpression of the Gc homologues of the target genes provide a rapid method to study Cp genes, including to screen additional candidate genes as future targets for HIGS.Item The Politics of Insurgency(2015) Gandy, Maegen; Quester, George; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation introduces a new definition of insurgency for academic discourse. It argues that four components of a defined relationship framework must interoperate to satisfy organizational requirements and processes in order for an insurgency to achieve increasing levels of scale. From a systemic perspective, it presents a connective theory of constitutive and destructive mechanisms to assess why certain movements expand or ignite while others degrade or get stuck in a particular phase. The proposed perspective provides improved analytic leverage over existing phasing models. Chapter 1 introduces the scope and definition of the politics of insurgency. Chapter 2 presents academic, military, and legal perspectives of the phenomenon. Chapters 3 and 4 explain the limitations of existing insurgency models within the context of two historic case studies, the Chinese and Algerian Revolutions. Chapter 5 introduces the dissertation’s full phasing model. Chapters 6 and 7 present case studies to further elucidate the proposed relationship framework and composite phasing construct, assessing strengths and weaknesses in light of two comparable cases. The Chechen and Kosovar Albanian insurgencies provide insight and applied examples of the activities that occur within each phase. Chapter 8 then consolidates the findings and analysis from the case studies and assesses the viability of the phasing model as a usable tool to better comprehend insurgency behavior, movement scalability, and associated response options.Item Relational Dynamics in Teacher Professional Development(2013) Finkelstein, Carla; Valli, Linda R; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Teacher professional development (PD) is considered essential to improving student achievement toward high standards. I argue that while current notions of high quality PD foreground cognitive aspects of learning, they undertheorize the influence of relational dynamics in teacher learning interactions. That is, current conceptions of high quality PD may be necessary but insufficient to engender teacher learning, and attention to relational dynamics may be essential to leveraging teachers' engagement and productive participation in learning opportunities. A review of the literature from related fields provides preliminary recommendations for addressing affective concerns and relational dynamics in learning, but extrapolation of these recommendations for PD is problematized by particular considerations of teachers as learners, including bureaucratic presses and hierarchical school contexts. A conceptual framework that incorporates power/knowledge considerations may allow for investigation of relational dynamics in PD interactions in a way that takes into account the participants' individual characteristics as well as institutional context. This study uses discourse analysis to examine interactions between three focal teachers and their PD facilitators in a science learning progressions project and a literacy coaching cycle. Examining moments of tension or questions raised by the focal teachers, my analysis finds that close attention to both verbal and nonverbal discourse moves in PD interactions illuminates the ways in which relational dynamics were consequential to the teachers' participation and can help explain the progress or lack of progress for each teacher.Item INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT OF FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT IN SOFT RED WINTER WHEAT(2011) Reed, Elizabeth; Grybauskas, Arvydas; Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA); Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a destructive disease of the soft red winter wheat grown in the Mid-Atlantic region. Management of FHB focuses primarily on foliar fungicides or cultivar resistance. The purpose of this research was to examine how type II resistance (resistance to spread of the pathogen) is affected by multiple infections along the spike. The combination of type II resistance and fungicide as a way to manage FHB was evaluated in both the greenhouse and field settings. Finally, the role of increased foliage density in an integrated pest management program that included fungicide and cultivar resistance was also evaluated. Multiple infections occurring along a single wheat spike can overwhelm the type II resistance present in some cultivars. The combination of type II resistance and fungicide was the best management practice for FHB than either alone. Foliage density did not improve FHB disease ratings.Item Self-Protective Behaviors and Injury in Domestic Violence Situations: Does it Hurt to Fight Back?(2008-05-01) Wyckoff, Rachael Anne; Simpson, Sally S; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Routine activities theory has different implications regarding situational crime prevention when applied to domestic violence. Indeed, it is often impossible for the victim to make herself a less suitable target or increase capable guardians. Therefore, women sometimes engage in their own form of situational crime prevention; self-protective behaviors. However, relatively little is known empirically about self-protective behaviors, their prevalence, context, and link to victim injury. Using both quantitative and qualitative data from the Women's Experience of Violence (WEV) funded NCOVR project, I explored the phenomenon of self-protective behaviors in domestic violence situations to examine whether the use of self-protective behaviors impacts the probability and severity of subsequent injury. I found that forceful physical behaviors increase injury whereas both forceful and nonforceful verbal behaviors actually served as a protective factor against subsequent injury.