Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Health Profile And Quality Of Life Of Adult Marijuana Users In The United States: Analysis Of Self-Reported Nhanes 2007-2010 Data, Crystal A. Lane

Public Health Theses

Background: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit substance in the United States. Public approval of marijuana has driven its legalization in twenty states and the District of Columbia for medical use; and, this year alone (2013), two states have legalized recreational use of the drug. Despite the nation’s growing trend towards marijuana acceptance, the evidence regarding the health effects of its use remains vague. This study was designed to evaluate the health profile of marijuana users by determining the association of marijuana use with quality of life, defined in terms of perceived overall health and as self-reported medical conditions. …

Hippocampal Volume And Its Association With Verbal Memory In Adult Survivors Of Pediatric Brain Tumor, Reema Jayakar

Psychology Theses

Verbal memory (VM) has been shown to be impacted in brain tumor (BT) survivors, but the nature of VM problems and underlying neuropathology are poorly understood and a long-term outlook is lacking. Our study examined hippocampus volume (HV) and VM in adult survivors of pediatric BT (n=32) and controls (n=48). Results indicate that disruption to a maturing brain in childhood is detectable 17 years (mean) after diagnosis, as HV is significantly lower in survivors compared to controls. Analysis of the VM scores shows that survivors have significantly lower overall immediate recall compared to controls, but learning slope, retention, and recognition …

Negotiating The Faculty Journey: Technology, Teaching, And Tenure, Joseph Horne

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of five (5) tenured university faculty members over a ten-year span of their professional lives. The purpose of this study was to better understand the lived experience of tenured university faculty, particularly how they negotiated experiences related to the combined influences of technology, tenure, and teaching. While some have suggested that university faculty do not have the necessary skills to transition to this emerging technological era (McKee & Tew, 2013), this study did not attempt to make judgments about whether or not college faculty were prepared to shift their approach to teaching, nor …

An Examination Of Effort: An Experimental Approach, Alexander P. Brumlik

Economics Dissertations

This dissertation studies issues associated with various topics related to a worker’s effort. For example, I explore how different wage incentives affect a worker’s productivity. I explore how exogenous shocks, what we often refer to as “luck,” can affect a worker’s motivation. In addition, I explore how different wage contracts destroy cooperation and can lead to destructive activities such as cheating and sabotage, as well as how these activates, in turn, affect productivity. Finally, in the last chapter, I analyze behavioral issues related to fairness and altruism in tournaments, and how these behaviors affect worker’s effort.

Essays In Children's Time Allocation And Age At Primary School Enrollment, Yared Seid

Economics Dissertations

The essays in this dissertation explore the challenges of primary school attendance and the timing of enrollment in primary school in a typical developing country where child labor is widely practiced and poor households have limited access to school. The first essay assesses if when a child was born relative to his/her siblings affect whether the child attends school or participates in child labor. I investigate this question by estimating the effect of birth order on the probabilities of school attendance and child labor participation. Endogeneity of family size may bias the coefficient estimate of birth order since high birth …

Building Schemata For Tax Provision Learning Based On Cognitive Load Theory And Constructivism, Ellen Best

Accountancy Dissertations

This study investigated whether different instructional methodologies have an impact on learning a complex accounting task: tax provision work. To become proficient in making tax provision judgments, an accountant must understand the rules and principles of GAAP and the rules and regulations governing income tax reporting. However, these two sets of rules are often in direct opposition. Using cognitive load theory and constructivist learning theory as a framework, this study predicted how schema acquisition, a key component of learning, could improve tax provision performance. Greater schema acquisition should in turn lead to more accurate performance. Hypotheses include the following: (a) …

Practicing Work, Perfecting Play: League Of Legends And The Sentimental Education Of E-Sports, Neal C. Hinnant

Communication Theses

A growing force in the culture of digital games fandom, e-sports represents the profes-sionalization of digital games play. This thesis examines League of Legends, a prominent game in e-sports, to understand the relationship between e-sports and the ideology of neoliberal economics. Using Clifford Geertz’s descriptions of sentimental education as a model, the author argues that League of Legends and other e-sports texts create an environment where neoliberal economic values can be practiced and explored in a meaningful space. The game as text, the culture of e-sports fandom, and the e-sports broadcasting industry are all examined to reveal the ways …

Diversity Within Discrimination: Does Victim Nativity And Discriminator Race Matter For The Mental Health Of Blacks?, Aja Simpson Zulfiqar

Sociology Theses

The current study focuses on the variations in mental health effects due to the race of discriminators and the heterogeneity of the Black racial group. Using NSAL data, this study seeks to determine whether skin color discrimination has differing mental health impacts if it originates from a Black perpetrator versus a White one. The study examines these effects on both foreign-born and native-born Blacks to determine similarities and differences in their experiences in distress. The findings can provide a unique insight into diversity within the discrimination experience and inform interventions and policies that seek to improve the mental health among …

Intervening Factors In The Impact Of Child Maltreatment On Marital Satisfaction In Older Age, Vivian E. Piazza

Psychology Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of childhood abuse that occurred before the age of 18 on levels of marital satisfaction in older age. The study examined marital satisfaction in a group of Caucasian older married individuals with a mean age of 65.4 years who retrospectively endorsed a history of childhood physical, verbal and/or sexual abuse. Although previous studies examined the relationship of child maltreatment on young and middle-age adult relationship satisfaction, the study addressed a gap in the literature in that it examined the impact of child maltreatment on marital satisfaction in older age. Marital satisfaction in older age …

An Evaluation Of The Delivery Of Sexuality Education In A Youth Development Context, Jessica Thomason

Psychology Dissertations

The present study is a mixed-method evaluation of the delivery of sexuality education in the context of a youth development program called Cool Girls, Inc. Part one was a quasi-experimental, pre and post-test design for which 216 program participants and 92 demographically matched comparisons were surveyed on variables associated with healthy sexual decision-making. It was hypothesized that participation in the program would be associated with increases in these variables, increases in helping resources for questions about sex, and that helping resources would mediate the relationship between participation and study outcomes. Participation predicted one of the sexual efficacy items: at the …

Coronary Artery Calcium Quantification In Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography Angiography, Abinashi Dhungel

Computer Science Dissertations

Coronary arteries are the blood vessels supplying oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. Coronary artery calcium (CAC), which is the total amount of calcium deposited in these arteries, indicates the presence or the future risk of coronary artery diseases. Quantification of CAC is done by using computed tomography (CT) scan which uses attenuation of x-ray by different tissues in the body to generate three-dimensional images. Calcium can be easily spotted in the CT images because of its higher opacity to x-ray compared to that of the surrounding tissue. However, the arteries cannot be identified easily in the CT images. Therefore, …

Introducing An Innovative Brain And Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Curriculum To Adolescents: Evaluation Results, Sandy K. Templeton

Public Health Theses

ABSTRACT

SANDY TEMPLETON

Introducing an Innovative Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Prevention Curriculum to Adolescents: Evaluation Results

(Under the direction of Sheryl Strasser, Ph.D.)

Introduction

In the U.S., injuries account for over half of all deaths among persons age 1-44 which is more deaths than non-communicable and infectious diseases combined. Adolescents and males are disproportionately affected.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an injury prevention curriculum for adolescents.

Methods

A curriculum employing indirect instructional strategies was implemented with 7th graders in four local middle schools in Cobb County, Georgia. A 45-item test assessing 6 …

Securitizing British India: A New Framework Of Analysis For The First Anglo-Afghan War, Mark F. Honnen

History Theses

The First Anglo-Afghan War of 1839-1842 was one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of the British Empire. It caused the death of thousands and the annihilation of the Army of the Indus. Yet this defeat came after a successful invasion. In analyzing the actions of officials and officers of the British imperial state and the East India Company leading up to and during the invasion, I will argue that these actions served to securitize British India. Securitization is a process by which an actor takes a series of steps to persuade an audience that a specific referent …

The Mental Health Consequences Of Losing A Parent: Does Culture Moderate The Impact Of Parental Death?, Daisuke Ito

Sociology Dissertations

The death of a parent represents a potential traumatic life event that has been linked to depression in both Japan and the United States. Yet experiences surrounding death and ways of grieving are framed differently across cultures. At the individual level, the majority of the bereaved people in both Japan and the United States attempt to maintain bonds with the deceased family members. Being complementary to the individual-level desire, Japanese death-related beliefs and practices seem to provide a tool to maintain bonds. In contrast, American death-related beliefs and practices may be at odds with the individual desires by encouraging the …

Responses To Caregiver Violations Of Communication In Typically Developing Children, Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, And Children With Down Syndrome, Ann Grossniklaus

Psychology Theses

Examining responses to violations of communication may provide insight into children’s communicative competencies not apparent during reciprocal interactions. In this study, the caregivers of 18-month-old typically developing children, 30-month-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and 30-month-old children with Down syndrome followed our suggestion to playfully violate communication with their children in two contexts: requesting and social interacting. Caregivers of children with ASD made fewer bids and violations, which their children accepted less often than typically developing children; they also used instrumental behaviors more often when responding. Children with Down syndrome responded to their caregivers similarly to typically developing children, …

A Phrenological Assesment Of Rebecca Harding Davis's Sketch, 'Blind Tom', Leanne M. Davis

English Theses

In this essay, I examine how the nineteenth-century cultural phenomenon of phrenology is made apparent in the abolitionist arguments of Rebecca Harding Davis’s “Blind Tom” (1862), a nonfiction character sketch of the popular blind slave and idiot savant-musician. The first portion of my argument constructs a probable reality that allows for the influence of Davis’s exposure to phrenology first as a student, then later as a writer. I then perform a critical assessment of “Blind Tom,” revealing how Davis relies upon phrenological terminology, such as that employed by famous phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler, in her descriptions of the musician’s physical …

Evaluation Of The Risk Factors For Antibiotic Resistance In Streptococcus Pneumoniae Cases In Georgia, Bethany Laclair

Public Health Theses

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is the main bacterial cause of pneumonia, bacteremia and meningitis. Incidence rates have decreased since the initiation of pneumococcal vaccines, but antibiotic resistant strains continue to emerge and place a heavy burden on healthcare systems to treat such serious resistant infections. This study looks at risk factors that increase a patients probability of contracting a drug resistant strain of S. pneumo.

Methods: Confirmed cases of S. pneumo were acquired through the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance program from 2009-2012 for the state of Georgia. Cumulative incidence rates, odds ratios and Pearson’s chi square were calculated to test …

Eating Behaviors And Supplement Use Of College Upperclassmen Athletes Versus Lowerclassmen Athletes, Marissa F. Wertheimer

Nutrition Theses

Background: Past studies have shown that optimal nutrition can enhance physical activity, athletic performance, and recovery from exercise. It is important for college athletes to incorporate positive eating behaviors into their daily lives, such as consuming breakfast, eating frequently throughout the day, and not skipping meals in order to maintain energy levels and reach their sports performance potential.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the eating behaviors and dietary supplement use of underclassmen and upperclassmen student athletes at Georgia State University.

Methods: Underclassmen (freshmen, sophomores) and upperclassmen (juniors, seniors, fifth-year seniors) athletes (n=255) completed …

Comparing Needed And Actual Knowledge Of Elder Abuse For Law Enforcement Officers, Aps Workers, And Students In Criminal Justice And Social Work, Susannah Tapp

Criminal Justice and Criminology Theses

A sample of APS workers, law enforcement officers, criminal justice and social work students were surveyed. Participants were asked how much knowledge they believed professionals working in their respective fields had about elder abuse and how much those same professionals needed to know. The differences between needed and possessed knowledge, also referred to as level of anomie, was compared across groups. Students in both groups believed those working in their fields had significantly less knowledge than they needed on all elements of responding to elder abuse. APS workers and law enforcement officers felt those in their fields had enough knowledge …

Vicarious Victimization: Examining The Effects Of Witnessing Victimization While Incarcerated On Offender Reentry., Jane Christie Daquin

Criminal Justice and Criminology Theses

Witnessing victimization in prison is a relatively new area of research. Prison victimization research focuses on direct experiences of victimization and its attending consequences; however, studies have not focused on the vicarious victimization experiences of prisoners. Drawing from the prison victimization, witnessing/exposure to violence, and offender reentry literature, this study will investigate the link between witnessing victimization in prison and individual post-release outcomes. Using multivariate analyses, I examined the extent to which individuals witness victimization in prison and the effects of witnessing victimization on individual post-release outcomes using The Prison Experience and Reentry study, a longitudinal study of 1613 males …

Contributions Of Caregivers Interaction To Infant Attention, Nahomie Julien

Psychology Honors Theses

Research shows the way adults communicate with children can be classified into two main categories: Adult Directed Speech (ADS) and Infant Directed speech (IDS) (Schachner & Hannon, 2011). Past research focused on the maternal use of IDS; however, the current study investigated differences in maternal and paternal use of IDS. We hypothesize that 1) there will be a difference in the amount of paternal caregiving depending on mothers’ work status, 2) the acoustic properties of IDS will be influenced by the amount of parental involvement in caregiving activities, and 3) infants will pay more attention to parents who use more …

Curiosity Seekers, Time Travelers, And Avant-Garde Artists: U.S. American Literary And Artistic Responses To The Occupation Of Haiti (1915-1934), Shelley P. Stevens

English Dissertations

U.S. American literary and creative artists perform the work of developing a discursive response to two critical moments in Haitian history: the Revolution (1791-1804) and the U.S. Marine Occupation (1915 to 1934), inspiring imaginations and imaginary concepts. Revolutionary images of Toussaint Louverture proliferated beyond the boundaries of Haiti illuminating the complicity of colonial powers in maintaining notions of a particularized racial discourse. Frank J. Webb, a free black Philadelphian, engages a scathing critique of Thomas Carlyle’s sage prose “On the Negro Question” (1849) through the fictional depiction of a painted image of Louverture in Webb’s novel The Garies and their …

Listening From The Heart: The Experience Of Compassionate Listening In Teen Talking Circle, Carla Wilson

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of former teen talking circle participant’s experience with the practice of compassionate listening in talking circles and to explore compassionate listening as a form of spiritual activism. This study explored the use and effect of compassionate listening within the facilitator training materials developed and used by the organization Teen Talking Circles as well as the use and experience of compassionate listening within the teen talking circles. For the purpose of this study, I interviewed seven former female teen talking circle participants. Open ended semi-structured interviews were the means of …

A Common Monitoring & Evaluation Framework Guided By The Collective Impact Model: Recommendations To Enhance The Tobacco Control Effort In Sub-Saharan Africa, Meenu Anand

Public Health Theses

Background: Tobacco use is one of the most ubiquitous causes of death and disability worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, despite the rising trend the use of tobacco in generally low among adults - less than 10% in men and around 2% in women. As a result the region is viewed as being in the early stages of the four stage tobacco epidemic model. Projections suggest that the tobacco epidemic, if unchecked, can peak in Sub-Saharan Africa in the middle of this century. This offers the public health community an extraordinary opportunity – not only is the epidemic predicted so far …

Lifting The Veil Between George Eliot's "The Lifted Veil" And Henry James' "The Beast In The Jungle, Dan Abitz

English Theses

This thesis works towards establishing a legacy of influence between George Eliot’s “The Lifted Veil” and Henry James’ “The Beast in the Jungle.” Through an exploration of James’ relationship to Eliot’s oeuvre and a close study of the two works in tandem, it will become apparent the influence Eliot’s slight Gothic story held on James’ celebrated short story. Furthermore, this thesis will introduce another chapter of the growing critical tradition of studying the relationship between George Eliot and Henry James.

Sublime Subjects And Ticklish Objects In Early Modern English Utopias, Stephen Mills

English Dissertations

Critical theory has historically situated the beginning of the “modern” era of subjectivity near the end of the seventeenth century. Michel Foucault himself once said in an interview that modernity began with the writings of the late seventeenth-century philosopher Benedict Spinoza. But an examination of early modern English utopian literature demonstrates that a modern notion of subjectivity can be found in texts that pre-date Spinoza. In this dissertation, I examine four utopian texts—Thomas More’s Utopia, Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, Margaret Cavendish’s Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World, and Henry Neville’s Isle of Pines—through …

A Sequential Analysis Of Parent Reassurance And Child Postoperative Distress, Sarah Martin

Psychology Theses

Children undergoing surgical procedures often experience pain in the recovery room where parents are typically responsible for managing children’s distress. Research suggests that parents’ behavior influences children’s distress; however, no study has used time-window sequential analysis to examine the likelihood of parents’ reassurance and children’s distress interactions. The purpose of this study was to utilize time-window sequential analysis to examine the likelihood of parents’ distress preceding and following the start of children’s distress. Participants included 148 families with children 2-11 years old undergoing outpatient surgery. Reassurance was positively associated with children’s distress, but sequential analyses revealed that children’s nonverbal distress …

Sexual Orientation, Work Values, Pay, And Preference For Public And Nonprofit Employment: Evidence From Canadian Postsecondary Students, Gregory B. Lewis, Eddy Ng

PMAP Publications

Despite some evidence that gay men hold fewer government jobs in the U.S. than their population share would predict, analysis of two large surveys of Canadian university and college students shows no lack desire for public sector jobs among GLBTQs. Instead, we find that (1) GLBTQs are more likely than heterosexuals to prefer public and nonprofit sector employment; (2) GLBTQ career goals and work values predict a stronger desire for public and nonprofit sector jobs than do those of heterosexuals; and (3) GLBTQs expect to pay a smaller penalty for working in the public and nonprofit sectors. In partial support …

An Investigation Of Pre-Service English Language Teacher Attitudes Towards Varieties Of English In Interaction, Jason J. Litzenberg

Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language Dissertations

English has become the default language of global communication, and users around the world are adapting the traditional standards of grammar and interaction. It is imperative that teachers of English keep pace with these changing conceptualizations of the language as well as the changing expectations of its users so that they can best prepare language learners for the sociolinguistic realities they will encounter. Teacher training programs have a critical role to play in that they must keep pace with both the changing global linguistic landscape and how these changes influence pre-service teachers. It is therefore imperative to understand the attitudes …

Oblique Optics: Seeing The Queerness Of Ec-Static Images, Kristopher L. Cannon

Communication Dissertations

Oblique Optics contends that studies of visual culture must account for the queerness of images. This argument posits images as queer residents within visual culture by asking how and where the queerness of images becomes visible. These questions are interrogated by utilizing queer theories and methods to refigure how the image is conceptualized within traditional approaches to visual culture studies and media studies. Each chapter offers different approaches to see the queerness of images by torquing our vision to see "obliquely," whereby images are located beyond visible surfaces (like pictures or photographs) through ec-static movements within thresholds between bodies and …