Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Counselor Education Students Regarding Their Reactions To Client Suicide, Renée Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the differences in perceptions regarding the vignette of a client suicide between master's level counseling students in their first year of coursework and students getting ready to graduate. The participants (N=75) were asked to read a vignette depicting a client suicide and complete the Jones Clinician Suicide Survivor Survey--Adapted. No significant differences were found between the two groups. Based on the results of the analyses, students who are getting ready to graduate show no differences in how they perceive they would react to a client suicide than do students in their first …

Family Cap Programs: The Future Of Pennsylvania Welfare Reform, Robin Barngrover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Welfare reform has been a highly debated topic since before the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) and continues to be at the forefront of many policy makers' agendas. Although significant positive changes have occurred in welfare policy since PRWORA's adoption, welfare costs remain unwieldy. This study aims to review the controversial family cap program, already implemented in various states, to determine if it would be a beneficial step to reducing Pennsylvania welfare costs. The following consists of a discussion of previous national and state-level family cap research in order to determine a framework for the economic, …

Graduate Recital, Violin, Rochelle Agnew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This M.M. thesis consists of a collection of the major orchestral excerpts that are to be found at any professional orchestral violin audition. The goal of this recital is to present a range of styles and periods from the orchestral repertoire to prepare the performer for future professional auditions. The audience will be educated in the different skills that are required of an orchestral musician with regards to the different time periods and composers selected. This type of presentation requires an intensified focus and energy from the performer as each excerpt is selected with a very specific goal in mind …

Indicators Of Linguistic Processing Constraints In The Narratives Of Individuals With High-Functioning Autism, Katherine Michael Belardi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A current model of autism proposes that it is a disorder of information processing. The purpose of this study was to compare the language production of adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) to that of age and Verbal IQ-matched controls with respect to speech disruptions and formulaic expressions, features which indicate linguistic processing challenges. Standard language measures and language samples from the ADOS Telling a Story from a Book and Create a Story tasks were collected and analyzed. No between-group measures were found to be statistically significant. However, 10 of 16 individuals with HFA exhibited speech disruptions consistent with clinically "tangled" …

A Study Of Plato's Cratylus, Geoffrey Scott Bagwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last century, philosophers turned their attention to language. One place they have looked for clues about its nature is Plato's Cratylus, which considers whether names are naturally or conventionally correct. The dialogue is a source of annoyance to many commentators because it does not take a clear position on the central question. At times, it argues that language is conventional, and, at other times, defends the view that language is natural. This lack of commitment has led to a long-standing dispute over the outcome of the dialogue. I argue that the Cratylus provides no clear resolution to this …

Nicomachean And Neo-Aristotelian Ethics And Shakespeare's Tragedies, Janine Bayer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Nicomachean and Neo-Aristotelian Ethics in Shakespeare's Tragedies" examines two of Shakespeare's most compelling tragedies--Othello and King Lear--through the lens of contemporary virtue ethics theory, thereby offering new conceptions of how morality operates in these plays. Although neo-Aristotelian moral philosophers locate the roots of their theories in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, their arguments reach far beyond Aristotle's original theoretical conception, offering innovative ways for us to understand virtue in our analysis of morality. The dissertation Introduction provides an overview of contemporary moral philosophy--i.e., the state of normative ethics today, including brief explanations of Deontology, Teleology, and Virtue theory. Discussion in Chapter One …

Valleys Of The Shadow Of Death: The Apocalypses Of The Inferno And One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Deirdre Ann Assenza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literary genre apocalypse is unknown or, at best, vague to literary scholarship. The genre apocalypse is an important category of religious and world literature. Apocalypses communicate diverse worldviews. They rationalize existence. They encourage audiences unto righteousness and warn audiences of sin. Their common forms and functions achieve their distinctive, visionary, revelatory quality and exhortative force. These forms and functions constitute the genre apocalypses' definition, and differentiate apocalypses from other works. Dante's Inferno and Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude are both apocalypses, though they are not normally considered such. Each work manifests an apocalypse's typical form and …

Graduate Recital, Trumpet, Nicholas Benner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This M.M. Thesis demonstrates the range of styles and techniques studied with private instructor Sean Jones on the jazz trumpet. As five of the seven pieces were transcribed by hand from an original recording, the recital also reflects the transcribing skills I have developed in my studies. My own compositional style is represented in the piece - Be Here, Now.

The Multicolored Patchwork Portraiture Of An Effective Veteran High School Special Education Teacher Amidst The Tempest Of The High Stakes Testing Movement, Vaughn Bicehouse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This single-subject study used the art and science of portraiture to illuminate a veteran special education teacher who is meeting the needs of her students with disabilities. This qualitative study was not done for the purposes of generalization but rather to show how this remarkable and effective special educator acts as an inspirational educational leader and inspires both her students and her fellow teachers.

The movement to hold schools accountable for the educational performance of students with disabilities is fairly new in the United States. Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975, …

Graduate Recital, Trumpet, Christine Betschart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My graduate recital included two major works for solo trumpet and piano and five works for brass quartet. The works for solo trumpet and piano that were performed were Second Concerto Pour Trompette by Andre Jolivet and Sonata Prima by Giovanni Buonaventura Vivianni. The five pieces for brass quartet that were performed were a Stephen McNeff arrangement of Fanfare from Orfeo by Monteverdi, a William Schmidt arrangement of Fuga I by Johann Sebastian Bach, Canzona per sonare No. 1 La Spiritata by Giovanni Gabrieli, Suite for Brass Quartet by Robert Sanders, and a Bill Holcombe arrangement of Pineapple Rag by …

Transcending Private Friendships To Public Hearts: Implications Of Interracial Friendships For Public Life, Danielle L. Blackburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An increasingly multicultural society presents both challenges and opportunities to the public sphere. These challenges are frequently answered with calls for diversity and inclusion. However, this project suggests that interracial friendship overcomes the inherent limitations of diversity and inclusion and is therefore a more desirable alternative with which to enter the public sphere. This project explores the phenomenon of friendship and the particular notion that interracial friendship is critical to developing and disciplining our public hearts.

While long standing philosophical conceptions and more recent social science perspective of friendship are examined, friendship is conceptualized here using Emerson's notion of "truth" …

Compressive Sensing, Joshua Booth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is an expository overview of certain key elements in the area of compressive sensing. As a sub-discipline of signal processing, compressive sensing is concerned with both sampling and reconstruction techniques. In this expository, sampling will center on random matrices and expander graphs, while reconstruction will use multiple numerical optimization techniques. Although theoretical performance bounds for these techniques can be found scattered throughout the published literature, there are few practical rules for concrete problems. This thesis helps fill this gap by experimenting on the asymptotic bounds of the number of measurements needed to guarantee perfect reconstruction. These numerical experiments …

Design And Synthesis Of Cdk-5 And Mek-5 Inhibitors And Synthesis Towards Tubulysin Analogs, Ishveen Kaur Chopra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

CDK-5 is associated with hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau, formation of neurofibrillary tangles, and possibly an acceleration of the neurodegenerative progression of Alzheimer's disease. C6-O linked benzimidazoles and C-4 benzamide and phenylacetamide benzimidazoles based on (R)-Roscovitine, a non-selective inhibitor of CDK-5 were designed and synthesized.

MEK-5, a member of the MAPK family, phosphorylates ERK-5 permitting cells to survive oxidative stress. MEK-5 is upregulated in tumor cells and activated by mitogens; inhibition of this enzyme is a potential anti-cancer strategy. Scaffolds from the following classes--benzimidazole, diphenylamine, flavones, and ortho-carboxyamide were examined for their capacity to be developed into potent and …

Semantic Processing In Adults With High Functioning Autism, Katherine Deragon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the semantic processing of 19 adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 18 age and verbal-IQ matched controls using language tasks that varied in the demand for simple or integrative processing. On standardized measures, the individuals with autism had relatively intact vocabulary skills compared to controls, whereas the comprehension and use of figurative language was relatively weaker. The adults with HFA were relatively insensitive to context and incorrectly completed sentences with a commonly associated word pair rather than a semantically appropriate response. On a 3-letter word stem completion task, the autism group provided a similar mean number of …

Solution To The Ukrainian Gas Crises And Achievement Of Energy Efficiency Of Ukraine Through The Development Of Coalbed Methane, Valeriya Denisenko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, Ukraine has been a net energy importer, needing oil and natural gas for the effective functioning of its industries and satisfaction of domestic needs. Ukraine's independence immediately followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, resulting in its ultimate dependency on oil and natural gas imports from Russia. During the last few years, the parties had undergone a number of disagreements that led to the disruption of natural gas supply to Ukraine, and political instability within the country. The necessity to redevelop Ukraine's domestic energy industry and adjust it to an available domestic natural gas source became vitally …

Clinical Trial Of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy To Reduce Antiretroviral Side Effects In Hiv Patients, R. Eric Doerfler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background & Purpose: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS has led to significant improvements in survival and a reduction in AIDS-related morbidity. Adherence to regimens is vital, yet clinical observations and research have suggested that side effects are a significant reason for non-adherence. This randomized, controlled clinical trial was a pilot study sought to determine if a brief exposure cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could reduce side effect symptoms in HIV/AIDS patients on ART.

Methods: 33 participants were randomized to standard adherence education alone or adherence education plus three sessions of CBT over a period of three months.

Results: Completing the study were …

System Transformation In The Context Of Building An Integrative System In The Child Welfare System In Allegheny County Through Child And Adolescent Needs And Strengths Assessment, Svetlana Doni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last decade, the Allegheny County constituents could witness the transformation of a widely criticized system of divided services into a single Department of Human Services. As an attempt to improve service planning DHS moved to a common assessment (CANS Comprehensive) shared across the child-serving offices/systems that would lead to a shared service plan and an overall integrated service delivery process. The primary goal of the CANS is to support communication between systems and, in the end, help the integration process within DHS.

This study describes what CANS is and how it became a central point in Human Services …

Rights In Flux: The Rights Of Afghan Women In Different Eras, Kelly Anne Drevitch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Have the lives of Afghan women improved since the U.S. invasion of October of 2001? Historically, the George W. Bush Administration followed past foreign governments, Afghan political parties, and Afghan regimes who also promised to "liberate Afghan women" when making the case for war or violence. Using case study methodology and feminist theory, the research compares the status of Afghan women in three eras: before the Taliban (1973 to 1995), during the Taliban (1996 to October 2001), and since the U.S. invasion (October 2001 to December 2009). By applying gender and cultural essentialism, the research concludes that these theories offer …

An Inquiry Of The Lived Experiences And Contextual Understandings Of Early Childhood Special Educators Related To Children's Trauma, Alison Dubois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Secondary trauma stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma are terms rarely found in educational literature. Studies have shown the significant and lasting ramifications of these constructs within the realm of counseling and psychology. Professionals working in educational settings with high risk populations encounter multiple exposures to children experiencing traumatic events. Despite this phenomenon, teacher and counselor training programs do little to address the issue, thereby matriculating graduates who do not feel confident, well informed, and effective when dealing with trauma material on a daily basis.

This inquiry sought to examine the lived experiences and contextual understandings of early childhood special …

Habermas And The Feminist Engagement With Communicative Ethics: Solidarity And Utopian Interests As A Corrective To Normative Political Problematics, Taine Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation subjects Habermas to a critique inspired by ethical and political feminist philosophy. Whereas Habermas believes particularized political interests are foundational for communicative ethics, neo-Marxist feminists argue that he makes naïve assumptions about the separation of public from private interests. Habermas, on one hand, sees communication as politically oriented dialectics that culminates in rational consensus and normative guidelines. Seyla Benhabib, on the other hand, claim that Habermas' notion of consensus is obtained through false dialectical syntheses. In her view, Habermas cannot preserve the utopian goals cherished by diverse and marginalized members of society. Benhabib thus attempts to reconcile contemporary …

Graduate Recital, Soprano, Kaleeya Furlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My M.M. thesis demonstrates vocal repertoire from the baroque, classical, romantic, and twentieth musical periods as well as art songs and arias written in Italian, French, German and English. My program ranges in styles starting with Vivaldi's Four Arias, an Italian song cycle written in the baroque period to traditional spirituals arranged by Mark Hayes a twentieth century gospel composer. The spiritual Gospel of Grace is medley of Amazing Grace and I'm New Born Again. Steal Away to Heaven is also a medley of Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child and Steal Away.

Graduate Recital, Saxophone, Xin Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Because of its age, the saxophone has not been covered by those historic music eras before its birth. Based on its popularity, thousands of pieces have already been written for it. While the history of the saxophone is short, the stylistic freedom of modern music allows composers the opportunity to exploit the potential of the instrument in a wide range of styles. Because the repertoire is limited in modern compositions, saxophone performers nowadays are meeting the challenge of the variety of styles. Composers of today have absorbed many elements from the past and mixed them with new innovations to interpret …

A Higher Public Spirit And A Better Social Order: The Civic Club Of Allegheny County, 1895-1930, Aaron Matthew Gallogly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Civic Club of Allegheny County was an organization created in the Progressive era that confronted urban issues that plagued early twentieth century Pittsburgh. Although the club's origins were part of a long tradition of women's reform groups, this organization was a mixed-gender organization, different than most cities in the United States. The membership and leadership of the organization shifted from the active, club female to the professional male. Professionalism appealed to the members of the Civic Club because it limited decision-making to those who possessed certain qualifications. This belief helped facilitate the shift, as professionals became important to both …

Personal Digital Assistants: Their Influence On Clinical Decision-Making And The Utilization Of Evidence-Based Practice In Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Carol S. Gorelick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the last decade, the advent of the personal digital assistant (PDA) and the development of clinical software specific to nursing practice have changed the way that many nurses manage information and workload. More recently, PDAs have become a standard tool in undergraduate nursing education. Though there is substantial discussion in the literature on PDA technology, the emphasis there has been descriptive and anecdotal. Since 2002, nurse authors have reported that PDA use has reduced medication errors and streamlined data gathering. This has lead to speculation that use of the PDA is a clinical tool that supports evidence-based practice and …

Leadership In Youth Baseball: Awareness Of Health & Safety Issues, Keith Gorse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Society has a great emotional attachment to children and their overall health and safety. Youth sports organizations, directors, coaches, and parents are no different. Participation in sports such as baseball provides great physical opportunities for the youth population in this country. Unfortunately, children can and do get hurt while playing baseball. For some, these injuries can cause a life long physical impairment or possible death. The purpose of this study was to examine Little League Baseball and Babe Ruth Baseball and attempt to determine if these youth baseball leagues are implementing required and recommended standards to ensure the health and …

Graduate Recital, Cello, Eleanor Graham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My M.M. thesis demonstrates a variety of performance literature on the cello, ranging historically from Baroque to Contemporary. The first half of the recital explores the versatility of the cello as a solo instrument, beginning with J. S. Bach's Suite No. 6 in D Major for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1012. I end the first half with a contrasting solo piece that I composed in memory of a recently departed family member. The second half of the recital focuses on the cello as a collaborative instrument with the Kodaly Duo for violin and cello, op. 7.

Russell Kirk And The Rhetoric Of Order, Eric Grabowsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The corpus of historically-minded "man of letters" and twentieth century leader among conservatives, Russell Amos Kirk, prompts one to reflect upon a realist rhetoric of order for conservative discourse in particular and public argumentation in general. In view of building a realist rhetoric of order within the present spectrum of modern to postmodern thought, this dissertation project contains two related layers of study. At one level, the author both builds and departs from the realist approach to communicative epistemology known as "rhetorical perspectivism" toward a theoretical framework for the study of rhetoric that is based upon Aristotle and St. Thomas …

Graduate Recital, Flute, Joo Yeon Jung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Andre Jolivet is an iconic figure in contemporary French music. Many of his composition have a unique configuration of high character, maturity, combined with a sense of mysticism, religious influence, and the concept of returning to its origin give the foundation for Jolivet's music. Jolivet's composition, Chant De Linos, was composed during his mid-life stage (2nd stage) for the Paris Conservatory as a competition piece for the Morceau de Concours. Chant de Linos is a literal translation "Linos' Song" and depicts a chant during an ancient Greek funeral. Jolivet combined the Greek funeral chant with his unique compositional style. "Mourning", …

Executive Functioning In Asperger's Disorder And Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: A Comparison Of Developmental And Behavioral Characteristics, Nathan E. Kegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a broad classification of pervasive developmental disorders characterized by impairments in the development of reciprocal social and communication skills, abnormal language development, and a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. Evidence suggests that individuals with ASD also experience deficits in executive functioning, particularly cognitive flexibility. Deficits in cognitive flexibility have been related to the presence of repetitive behaviors and interests in adults with ASD. The goal of this study was to extend these findings to children and adolescents with Asperger's Disorder. In addition, this study examined comparisons in executive functioning between children and adolescents with …

Performing To Reclaim: War Trauma And Female Non-Combatant Recovery In Sylvia Townsend Warner, Virginia Woolf, And H.D., Rita Allison Kondrath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines narrative representations of female non-combatant identity authored by Sylvia Townsend Warner, Virginia Woolf, and H.D. between 1916 and 1955, a historical moment consonant with World War I, the interwar era, World War II, and its aftermath. Their depictions of the material reality of war and its devastating impact on selfhood span the genres of the diary, essay, long poem, and novel. I argue that each text forwards a specifically feminist approach to recovery, which manifests in three ways. First, as experimental texts, these works embrace (and mirror) the shattering effects of trauma and loss sustained by non-combatant …