Digital Commons Network^™

Drive Toward Freedom: African American: The Story Of Black Automobility In The Fight For Civil Rights, Xavier Macy

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Looking across the 20^th century, this thesis seeks to understand the relationship African Americans developed between automobility and the fight for civil rights, filling a gap left in the historiography of both the automobile and the Civil Rights Movement. Historians of the automobile have almost exclusively focused their lens on white suburbia and the “autotopias” that Americans created, while historians of the Civil Rights Movement ignored the automobile entirely. This thesis hopes to begin to fill that void by explaining how African Americans exploited the technological system of the automobile to create forms of transportation accessible to African American …

Prescription For Critical Thinking: A Discussion Of Psychotropic Medication And Counseling, Barton W. Biggs

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper examines questions about the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medication, and looks at how these questions should impact the field of counseling. The paper first looks at increasing rates of use of psychotropic medication, and establishes that nearly every clinical mental health counselor will work with clients who are taking or considering taking such medication. The paper next examines the scientific literature and establishes that there is a legitimate basis for questions to be raised about the safety and efficacy of these medications. The paper goes on to establish that there is a foundation in ethical codes and …

Being Left Behind, Not Staying Behind: A Look At College-Aged African American Males, Lauren Fortune

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The purpose of this Ed.S. project is to examine the barriers African American males face and their resiliency factors. The information will be used to educate others about the issues faced by this group and what factors positively impact their success. The participants consisted of six African American Males who attend James Madison University and are between the ages of 18-22. A qualitative research design was used. The interviews were semi-structured with a five-question interview protocol. There were specific themes that emerged from the research that were barriers as well as resiliemcy factors. Barriers included the impact of fathers and …

Methods For Coating Quartz Crystals, William Patrick

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The goal of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness a procedure that can be used to coat quartz crystal microbalance crystals with titanium dioxide. A successful suspension was created by suspending titanium dioxide powder in poly(acrlic) acid and mixed in an ultra-sonication bath. By utilizing a spin-coater, the TiO₂ suspension was successfully dispensed onto a QCM crystal and verified using a surface profiler and microscope. However, after QCM testing, there was no evidence that supports the TiO₂ precursor aiding in photocatalytic reactions.

A Selected Survey Of Sacred And Secular Music From The English Reformation, With Emphasis On Pedagogical Applications For The High School Choral Classroom, Caroline Morse

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this project was to examine the historical and applied performance aspects of music from the English Reformation, and to explore and explain the pedagogical methods of teaching this music to developing musicians in high school. I was responsible for organizing, programming, rehearsing, and conducting a recital featuring several works of sacred English, sacred Latin, and madrigal/secular songs. In addition, I was responsible for researching and presenting a lecture recital on the Tudor Dynasty, and the effect the monarchy had on the publication of music during 1517-1648.

I developed a lecture recital based upon age appropriate choral pieces …

Health Care Service Disparity: Factors Associated With The Distribution Of Primary Care Physicians, Robert L. Morgan

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Primary care physicians operate on the front lines of health care. Although primary care physicians play a critical role in improving health outcomes, workforce trends in the United States show a growing shortage of primary care physicians as demand for primary care rises. In conveying the importance of primary care physicians, the worsening physician shortage, the inequitable distribution of providers, and the lackluster institutional response thus far, this paper calls into question the effectiveness of current indicators used to identify underserved areas and provide appropriate government assistance. Through the use of data from the 2010 census and American Medical Association …

The Impact Of Interactive Music Therapy On The Pediatric Oncology Population, Kristin Moon Orrigo

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

It is an unfortunate truth that a child with cancer will experience pain or anxiety during their battle with illness. Research shows that Interactive Music Therapy is extremely effective at the bedside of hospitalized pediatric cancer patients in reducing pain (Thrane, 2013; Huang, Good, Zauszniewski, 2010; Potvin, Bradt, Kesslick, 2015; Naylor, Kingsnorth, Lamont, McKenever, 2011; Tanriverdi, Aydemir, 2013) and anxiety (Callaghan, Dun, Baron, Barry, 2012; Thrane, 2013; Potvin et al., 2015; Docherty, Cherven, Stegenga, Ferguson, Roll, Stickler, Haase, 2012; Robb et al.,. 2008; Kemper, Bouhairie, Martin, Woods 2008; Tanriverdi, Aydemir, 2013). In cancer centers, the demand is quickly growing for …

Ability Of Skin Bacteria On The Panamanian Frog Species, Craugastor Fitzingeri, To Inhibit The Fungal Pathogen Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, Tiffany N. Bridges

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

An emerging infectious disease caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is leading to global amphibian declines and is threatening the biodiversity of amphibians. Bd susceptibility varies among individuals, species, and populations perhaps due to defensive mechanisms such as symbiotic skin microbes. Some species of amphibians such as Craugastor fitzingeri, a terrestrial frog native to Central America, continue to persist in Bd-positive environments in Panama. My study focused on identifying antifungal bacterial isolates and determining the culturability of the bacterial community on 15 individuals of C. fitzingeri. Morphologically distinct isolates were challenged against Bd in …

Pattern Discovery In Dna Using Stochastic Automata, Shweta Shweta

Master's Projects

We consider the problem of identifying similarities between different species of DNA. To do this we infer a stochastic finite automata from a given training data and compare it with a test data. The training and test data consist of DNA sequence of different species. Our method first identifies sentences in DNA. To identify sentences we read DNA sequence one character at a time, 3 characters form a codon and codons form proteins (also known as amino acid chains).Each amino acid in proteins belongs to a group. In total we have 5 groups’ polar, non-polar, acidic, basic and stop codons. …

Improving Patient Safety Through Accurate Medication Reconciliation, Dominique Watt

Master's Projects and Capstones

Medication errors due to incorrect medication reconciliation are a very present and serious problem in our microsystem. As an preop/postop outpatient unit, we see an average of 50 patients daily and perform medication reconciliations regularly. The problem is our nurses perform this task inconsistently and often incomplete, leading us to potential medication errors. During my CNL project, I worked with a committee of staff champions and developed a standard work guide for nurses to use in order to effective reconcile patient medications. We used fishbone diagrams, audit tools, surveys and led regular discussions in our huddles in order to develop …

Please Read, Joseph W. Anthony-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This is a semi-fictional story told through a series of fake found documents. It describes my work and thoughts through metaphor. Machines have the potential to gain self-consciousness through accumulation of errors. Creativity can be confused with randomly generated variety. The acceptance of chaos and loss of control can provide a path to enlightenment.

Deposition, Conjecture, And The Word Of Nod, Victor Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis involved mixed medium drawings based on written colonial papers regarding the beginning of a border war between the colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania. To fill in the fragmented historical information, the project incorporated period artifacts as merged and manipulated by contemporary technology and the internet’s ethos.

Elaborations On Thought Process And Practice, George A. Schwab

Theses and Dissertations

An extended statement describing the thought process and practice behind the sculptural work of artist George A. Schwab. Includes short descriptions and documentation of work installed during the Fall 2015 Thesis exhibition at CUNY Hunter's 205 Hudson Street Gallery.

Thinking Beyond The Fried Egg Model: How Accurately Do Students Perceive Cells In A Living Context?, Milissa Knox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study investigated three aspects of introductory undergraduate biology students’ understanding about cells. The study, which took place at the University of Maine with voluntary students in Basic Biology (“BIO100”) in the summer and fall of 2009, examined (1) students’ pre-course perceptions of cells as they exist in a living context and (2) gains in students’ perception and knowledge about cells after completing the one-semester course (BIO100). Results are based on lecture exam scores, pre-post surveys developed as a part of this thesis, and interviews with two groups of biology students. A total of 498 students participated in the …

A Retrospective View Of Bullying, Janie M. Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An Abstract of the Dissertation Presented

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
(in Education)
December 2015

Bullying in schools is one of the most prevalent challenges for teachers, administrators, and counselors all over the world (Esbensen & Carson, 2009; Merrell, Gueldner, Ross & Isava, 2008). The increase in bullying is evident by the growing interest in the behaviour, as well as intervention and prevention programs (Esbensen & Carson, 2009). This study examines the retrospective view of 10 university students who were identified as bullies during junior high years. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted, …

The Decider: George W Bush And His Use Of Presidential Power, Jamie Mullan

Politics & Government Undergraduate Theses

How well did George W Bush use presidential power, and what can be listed as his accomplishments? Richard Neustadt says that the three most important influences a president has are bargaining advantages, expectations of the president, and perception of how the public views him. With that in mind, I examine Bush’s major actions and find that he was largely successful as a leader

The Social And Economic Consequences Of Gendered Toys In America, Cydne Pope

Economics Theses

Toys in the American marketplace are heavily gender stereotyped, creating a variety of social and economic consequences. Beginning at an early age, children foster different cognitive abilities based on play with toys deemed appropriate for their gender. While boys’ toys promote skills in math and science fields, girls’ toys promote verbal and linguistic skills. This difference in cognitive ability has shown to influence a child throughout his or her lifetime, beginning with the education gap in schools and continuing on to influence a child’s choice in college major as well as his or her future occupational choice. Additionally, gender specific …

The Effects Of Thc On Attentional Bias To Emotional Stimuli, Sydney N. Haberberger

Honors Theses

The current study tested the hypothesis that the effects of THC on affect are mediated by the ability of THC to alter attentional bias to positive and negative stimuli. The study was completed by 16 participants, all of whom were consistent marijuana users. During sessions, participants used a machine called a Quantified Smoke Delivery System, which delivers a controlled amount of smoke to the user, to smoke either a cigarette that contained THC or a placebo cigarette. After smoking, participants would complete a task. During tasks, participants were placed in an eye tracking apparatus in order to record the movement …

“How Do You Define Yourself?” Mobilizing Leadership In The Graduate Employee Union Movement, Kathleen Ragon

Master's Theses

Social movement scholars agree that leadership plays a crucial role in the emergence, structure, and outcomes of social movement organizations (SMOs) and is thus an indispensable area of research. The vast majority of theories of leadership to date have been developed in contexts where participants’ movement identities are relatively stable (e.g., gender, sexual, or occupational) and engagement in the site of contestation will be long-term (e.g., workplace or nation state). However, the recent proliferation of graduate student employee unions poses a challenge to this literature because graduate students’ employment is by its very nature temporary and variable; graduate assistantship appointments …

Paleostress States And Tectonic Evolution Of The Early Mesozoic Hartford Basin, James Farrell

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Designing Safer Sex Infographics: Framing Data With Emotional And Rational Appeals, Yi Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

This study compares the effects of two safer sex infographic message strategies on American college students: the traditional social cognitive intervention approach (SC) versus the SC plus emotional intervention approach (SCE). An experiment was conducted to examine how message framing (gain-framed versus loss-framed) and data representation (rational versus emotional) embedded in the infographics influence health message processing, perceived severity of not using a condom, and condom use intention. Across all conditions, sexually inactive participants reported a significantly higher intention to use a condom compared to the sexually active participants. Among sexually active participants, SCE approach led to significantly higher condom …

The Interaction Of Parenting And The Serotonin Transporter Gene On Trajectories Of Fearfulness In Early Childhood, Moira R. Riley

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Children who are more fearful and inhibited during early childhood are at greater risk for social problems (e.g., loneliness, social isolation) and clinically significant internalizing disorders during adolescence and adulthood (e.g., Rubin, Chen, McDougall, Bowker, & McKinnon, 1995; Williams et al., 2009). While the impact of fearful temperament on adjustment indices are regularly the focus of study, less well understood are biological and social processes that may affect the development of fearful temperament. The present study considered the role of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and parenting on change in fearful and inhibited temperamental characteristics during early childhood.

The s/s genotype …

Twice Displaced: Katrina And The Redevelopment Of The Magnolia, Gabriella A. Garza

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Where and how to house the urban poor remains a controversial issue. Public housing residents are particularly vulnerable. Issues of race, class and gender intersect in their lives. Public-private partnerships in urban redevelopment projects and a focus on issues that arise from concentrated poverty gave rise to HOPE VI policy aimed at deconcentrating poverty via public housing demolition and redevelopment. In New Orleans, the effects of Hurricane Katrina further complicate this contested process. The purpose of this case study is to understand how residents experienced and framed the process of displacement brought on by disaster and the redevelopment of the …

Computation Of A Virtual Tide Corrector To Support Vertical Adjustment Of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Multibeam Sonar Data, Lawrence H. Haselmaier

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One challenge for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) multibeam surveying is the limited ability to assess internal vertical agreement rapidly and reliably. Applying an external ellipsoid reference to AUV multibeam data would allow for field comparisons. A method is established to merge ellipsoid height (EH) data collected by a surface vessel in close proximity to the AUV. The method is demonstrated over multiple collection missions in two separate areas. Virtual tide corrector values are derived using EH data collected by a boat and a measured ellipsoid to chart datum separation distance. Those values are compared to measurements by a traditional tide …

Are Physically Active College Students More Successful Academically Than Their Inactive Peers?, Jared T. Meacham

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research project intended to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and academic achievement in college students. Using an anonymous online survey, data was collected over two semesters. Ten thousand currently-enrolled college students ages eighteen and older from all states and recognized territories of the United States participated. The survey gathered data concerning a student’s age, gender, race, body weight, height, geographic region of college attendance, cumulative GPA, and physical activity level. The FIT Index of Kasari was used to classify each student’s physical activity level. A quintile split by FIT score was conducted to determine if physically active …

From The Back Of A Bus Named Desire, Brenda D. Quant

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

N/A

Stabilized Least Squares Migration, Graham Ganssle

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Before raw seismic data records are interpretable by geologists, geophysicists must process these data using a technique called migration. Migration spatially repositions the acoustic energy in a seismic record to its correct location in the subsurface. Traditional migration techniques used a transpose approximation to a true acoustic propagation operator. Conventional least squares migration uses a true inverse operator, but is limited in functionality by the large size of modern seismic datasets. This research uses a new technique, called stabilized least squares migration, to correctly migrate seismic data records using a true inverse operator. Contrary to conventional least squares migration, this …

A Crusade Against The “Cowboy”?: Austrian Anti-Americanism During The Presidency Of George W. Bush, 2001-2009, Brandon J. Keene

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This essay examines anti-Americanism in Austria throughout George W. Bush’s presidency, and Austrians’ response to Bush’s neoconservative team of advisers and his military actions in Iraq following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. For the first time in a century, a disposition of general hostility towards the United States came from both the Austrian Left and Right during the Bush years. Austrians’ latent notions of negativity towards the United States grew inflamed over Bush’s alienation of Western Europe and his determination to go to war against the Saddam regime in Iraq. Austrian anti-Americanism began to subside …

Exit, Promising, Stephanie Doyle

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A collection of short stories.

From Containing Communism To Fighting Floods: The Louisiana Army National Guard In The Cold War, 1946-1965, Rhett G. Breerwood

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the decades following World War II, the Louisiana National Guard evolved due to world, national, and local events. In response to the United States’ Cold War policies to contain Communism, the Guard expanded, professionalized, and was occasionally called to federal service. In conjunction with Cold War fears of external attack and internal subversion, a civil defense mission brought coordination between federal, state and local response agencies. Despite the lack of large scale war service or an attack on the U.S. homeland , the skills and responsibilities acquired by the Louisiana Guard during this time period resulted in an enhanced …