Social Domination And The Class Structure: Extending Left-Republicanism, Michael A. Hettinger Ii

Philosophy Theses

There is a debate in republican political philosophy concerning whether, and under what circumstances, workers are dominated. Philosophers such as Pettit, Anderson, Gourevitch, and Vrousalis argue that employers dominate workers, either in extreme circumstances or as a necessity under capitalism. Some, such as Vrousalis, argue the domination of workers is a structural feature of capitalism. Others, such as Pettit, argue workplace domination is an extreme to protect against. I argue that capitalism requires the vulnerability of workers as a class to domination. Republicans who view workplace domination as an extreme fail to account for the structural cause of that domination. …

The Hard Problem Of Consciousness And Neurobiological Naturalism, Bailey Villarreal

Philosophy Theses

In this thesis, I present Feinberg and Mallatt's (2020) theory of neurobiological naturalism and attempt to situate it within the broader philosophical discussion of consciousness. They propose what they consider to be the neurobiological components sufficient for phenomenal consciousness to have evolved and claim to have filled the explanatory gap in our understanding of how the brain gives rise to experience. I will argue that their claim for doing so is premature and rests on a fundamental misunderstanding of what distinguishes the hard and easy problems of consciousness, which results in a vicious circularity. I explore how Feinberg and Mallatt …

Collective Bargaining, Police Pay, And Racial Differences In Police Lethality Rates, Thaddeus Johnson, Natasha N. Johnson, William Sabol, Megan Ariel Hartman, David T. Snively

CJC Publications

This study examines the interaction effects of police collective bargaining authorization and police pay on racial differences in police-related fatalities. Using data from Fatal Encounters, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and other publicly available databases, we applied entropy-weighted regressions to a balanced panel of 282 local police departments from 2000 to 2013 in the United States. We found that collective bargaining authorization is not directly associated with police-caused deaths. However, results indicate that higher median salaries for city police officers directly and meaningfully contribute to fewer people killed by police actions. When considering interactive effects, our findings suggest that police …

Care Pathway Of People With Frontotemporal Dementia (Ftd) Living In States That Have Expanded Medicaid Under Aca Vesus Those Living In States That Have Not., Catherine Scipion

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: The care pathway of people with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is strongly influenced by differences in health insurance coverage. Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been demonstrated to impact the care pathway of adults with chronic conditions such as cancer, mental health disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Yet, no study has focused on its impact on the care pathway of people with FTD. This study hypothesized that people living in states that have expanded Medicaid under ACA have better care pathway outcomes than their counterparts.

METHODS: I analyzed self-reported data of caregivers for people …

Understanding Individual Differences In Executive Function In Older Adults, Gabriell Champion

Psychology Theses

Aging is associated with declines in executive function leading to difficulties performing everyday tasks. To combat aging declines, many studies investigate varying rehabilitation interventions. Although improvement on task performance has been noted, improvement on other tasks remains inconsistent. The current study sought to replicate Miyake and Friedman’s (2012) Unity and Diversity (U&D) model including physical activity as a predictor across a sample of older adults. Two models were computed to estimate three latent variables: Common EF, Updating, and Shifting. Model 1 replicated Miyake and Friedman’s bifactor model. Model 2 was a structural model that included physical activity as a separate …

Promoting Action Observation In Stroke Rehabilitation By Facilitating Knowledge Translation, Madison Medina

Occupational Therapy Capstone Projects

Occupational therapists can improve stroke survivors’ hand and arm movement and participation in daily activities through action observation (AO). AO involves watching another person’s hand or arm complete a movement or task. While research supports the use of AO with stroke survivors, there is a delay in applying the information from AO research studies to stroke rehabilitation. Also, limited AO videos are available to occupational therapists which makes applying AO challenging. The purpose of this capstone project was to increase awareness of AO and access to AO videos for stroke survivors, occupational therapists, and researchers. Collaboration with experts on AO …

Supporting Students With Sensory Processing Differences In The Classroom: Development Of Educational Resources For Teachers, Morgan Paige Bouwkamp

Occupational Therapy Capstone Projects

Sensory processing differences (SPD) refer to a condition in which an individual has difficulty interpreting and responding to sensory information that they receive. Research has indicated that 5-15% of children may experience SPD and that can negatively impact their ability to participate in a school setting. Despite the impact on classroom participation, there is limited research regarding teacher training and awareness on this topic. This capstone project sought to expand elementary teacher knowledge of SPD and classroom-based supports. The project consisted of the development of educational resources for teachers. These resources were developed by a three-step process, consisting of literature …

Perspectives On Youth Transition Services In Rhode Island: An Implementation Guide For East Greenwich High School, Margaux Officer

Occupational Therapy Capstone Projects

This study examines the pivotal transition from high school to adulthood for youth with disabilities, emphasizing the crucial acquisition of academic knowledge, independent living skills, work readiness, and self-determination. Despite federal and state policies mandating transition services to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities, this population continues to face lower rates of independence, marriage, financial literacy, and employment, highlighting the need for enhanced support.

To bridge this gap, this study investigates transition services at East Greenwich High School (EGHS) through interviews and focus groups with 33 stakeholders, including students, parents, staff, and external personnel. Findings reveal recurring themes such as …

Distributed System For Meshnet, Pratyush Reddy Gaggenapalli

Computer Science Theses

This thesis explores the integration of Meshnet models with distributed learning techniques to enhance MRI brain scan analysis, with a focus on optimizing brain tissue segmentation while maintaining secure distributed systems. Through refining Meshnet's architecture and training strategies, the goal is to enhance accuracy in identifying brain segmentations. Distributed learning strategies, particularly centralized aggregation, are investigated to enable collaborative model training while ensuring data privacy. Additionally, Coinstac is integrated for secure gradient aggregation from diverse nodes, facilitating collaborative analysis without compromising confidentiality. Implementation of a serverless architecture using public clouds extends global accessibility while upholding robust security measures. The primary …

Assessment Of A Multidisciplinary Feeding Program's Caregiver Education Material Through The Application Of Health Literacy Principles, Mary Thomas

Public Health Capstone Projects

The current capstone project examines the health literacy level of a Multidisciplinary Feeding Program’s Day Treatment Information Sheet. This material is disseminated to caregivers of autistic children after completion of the child’s feeding evaluation, which is conducted to determine eligibility for admission into the program. The current caregiver material was assessed using the CDC’s Clear Communication Index and Patient Education Measurement Assessment Tool, which are health literacy tools used to measure the understandability, communication level, and actionability of caregiver materials in written communication methods. After the Day Treatment Information Sheet was assessed and a score from each tool was produced, …

Heads I Win, Tails It’S Chance: Mutual Fund Performance Self-Attribution, Meng Wang

Finance Dissertations

This paper investigates the presence of self-attribution bias among mutual fund managers and evaluates its impacts on trading outcomes. I develop a novel GPT-based Natural Language Processing (NLP) architecture designed to extract attribution information from mutual funds' self-assessments of performance in their shareholder reports. On average, mutual fund managers exhibit a significant self-attribution bias—they are 40.6% more likely to attribute performance contributors versus performance detractors to internal factors. Funds displaying stronger self-attribution bias tend to engage in excessive trading and excessive risk-taking in the subsequent reporting period, which negatively impacts their performance. In addition, funds exhibit a higher self-attribution bias …

The Place-Based Impacts Of Social Determinants Of Health: An Examination Of Social And Structural Influences, Nikita Rao

Public Health Dissertations

Introduction: A growing awareness of social determinants of health and their impact on health disparities has become a core focus of health research in the past two decades. Specifically, a movement towards equity-focused research has led to investigation of place-based research which emphasizes how human-human and human-nonhuman interactions occur within historical and spatial contexts to produce health disparities. While place-based research has the potential to develop sustainable and scalable interventions, continued underinvestment limits our understanding of the mechanisms through which health change may occur. There is a growing need for investigation into place-based factors such as housing, structural processes that …

Towards Equitable Urban Policies, Henry T. Woodyard Vi

AYSPS Dissertations

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the role of space in not only generating inequality but also alleviating it through place-based policies. This research focuses on mechanisms for inequality generation through local labor markets and potential routes for mitigation. In “Skills, Matching, and Skill Specificity Across Space”, we test whether urban agglomeration is skill-biased by using text data on skills from a near universe of job postings and resumes. Creating a new measure of skill specificity by modeling the network of relationships between skill, we find evidence that an increase in urban population increases match quality on …

The Intersection Of Mental Illness And Queerness: A Quantitative Study, Jennie E. Benjamin

Sociology Dissertations

My dissertation addresses the intersection of queerness and mental illness utilizing Meyer’s minority stress theory, which argues that for sexual minorities, discrimination, stress, and internalized homophobia lead to worse mental health. Specifically, in my dissertation, I extend the minority stress theory by examining a population with two stigmatized identities, sexual minority status and diagnosed mental illness, and by testing if “coming out” or disclosure of stigmatized statuses mediates the modified minority stress theory indicators on two measures of well-being. I developed a broad-topic survey to collect the data. A majority of my sample (N=98) are white women who are bisexual …

The Greatschools Rating Change, Huong Nguyen

Real Estate Dissertations

GreatSchools (GS) rating is the most visible school quality measure available to homebuyers. In 2017, GS changed its rating system, by incorporating other rating components in its measure and shifting away from focusing exclusively on test scores (TS). Using this abrupt rating change event, I examine the market response to the GS rating change via home prices by comparing homes in school districts that received GS rating changes to similar ones in districts with no rating changes before and after the event. Home price coefficients after the GS rating change are lower than those before the change, reflecting a sensitivity …

Efficient Algorithms For Large Scale Analysis Of Viral Genome Sequencing Data, Daniel Novikov

Computer Science Dissertations

Extracting insights from the vast dataset of viral genome sequences collected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic requires the development of novel algorithms that are tailored to its unique properties. These properties, such as high sampling density, unambiguous knowledge of the phylogenetic root sequence, and completeness with respect to the virus’s evolutionary history in humans, make it distinct among viral genome datasets. This dissertation details the development and application of advanced computational methodologies to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 genomic dataset. We introduce a suite of computational techniques that are tailored to this data, beginning with SPHERE, an algorithm for scalable phylogeny reconstruction that …

Designing Methods For Representation Learning Of Molecular Sequences And Its Application In Analysis Tasks, Taslim Murad

Computer Science Dissertations

Molecular sequence analysis serves as a fundamental process for elucidating the intricate functions, structures, and behaviors inherent in sequences. Its application extends to char- acterizing associated organisms, such as viruses, facilitating the development of preventive measures to mitigate their dissemination and influence. Given the potential of viruses to trigger epidemics with global ramifications, comprehensive sequence analysis is pivotal in understanding and managing their impact effectively. The rapid expansion of bio-sequence data has surpassed the computational capabilities of traditional analytical techniques, such as the phylogenetic approach, due to their high computational costs. Consequently, clustering and classification have emerged as compelling alternatives, …

The Impact Of Technology-Driven Supply Chain Systems On Market Penetration Of Smes In Developing Economies: A Study Of Nigerian Smes, Olawale Temowo

Business Administration Dissertations

The adoption of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in supply chain management (SCM) has transformed businesses globally, from large corporations to small enterprises. Emerging market economies have not fully exploited the opportunities technology affords to improve their SCM practices. This lag constitutes a competitive disadvantage for emerging market businesses and economies in global markets, and in domestic economic growth. These economies, whose markets and workforces are dominated by SMEs, can catch up through technology deployment in SCM. Technology adoption offers benefits in scale, efficiency, geographic reach, and market insights.

There exist barriers to technology adoption, which SMEs must surmount. To …

Outsourcing Auxiliary Services In Higher Education: An Integrated Risk Management Model, Alfonso Quinones

Business Administration Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Outsourcing Auxiliary Services in Higher Education:

An Integrated Risk Management Model

By

Alfonso A. Quinones

May 2024

Chair: Lars Mathiassen

Major Academic Unit: Executive Doctorate in Business

Managers can explore outsourcing as an alternative to in-house provisioning of various services. Within the realm of higher education on college campuses, institutions deliver auxiliary services directly or indirectly to students, faculty, and staff. These services typically stand apart from the core business of the institution. Outsourcing auxiliary services in higher education has, therefore, been a prevalent practice for decades, encompassing a range of services from food and housing to mental health …

Twitter Sentiments And Stock Prices: An Event Study On The Role Of Influencers, Denys Wincel Lu

Business Administration Dissertations

For many companies, some consumers enthusiastically follow brands and may have insights rivaling those of professional financial analysts based on their knowledge of the companies. Often, these brand-loyal consumers express their thoughts and opinions on social media may be received by others in their communities, driving users to follow them based on the perception of expertise and trustworthiness. In academic literature, such users are referred to as Social Media Influencers (SMI).

The present study investigates the relationship between sentiments of Twitter posts and abnormal stock price returns. It further explores if source credibility operationalized as followership affects this relationship. SMIs …

Exploring The Impact Of Transformational Leadership On Job Turnover Intention: A Study Of Plant Operations, Christopher Bernard Edwards

Business Administration Dissertations

"Problems are opportunities." This familiar phrase encapsulates the essence of our study. It is an invitation to improve, to venture into uncharted territories, and to surpass our previous limits. One such problem, the "People Problem," looms large over numerous organizations in various industries. The U.S. mining industry, in particular, is grappling with this issue, striving to transform it into a catalyst for new growth and possibilities. This study aimed to contribute to the employee retention literature and equip practitioners with insights to combat the escalating job turnover rates.

The current study examined how transformational leadership, a powerful tool, impacts an …

Decorum, Corran Shrimpton

Art and Design Theses

Before women went to work in factories during World War 2, the domestic sphere was a woman’s place. Although we are now free to venture beyond the four walls of our homes, other barriers, in the form of beauty standards and internalized expectations of femininity, control us and keep us in our place. Decorum explores the tumultuous relationship that I and many women experience with our bodies as we navigate our beauty-obsessed culture. These ceramic sculptures use distorted, fragmented, and abstracted feminine forms to illustrate the ways we restrict and contort our bodies to achieve impossible beauty ideals. Imagery referencing …

The New College Of The Arts: Forming A Collaborative Community At The College Of The Arts At Georgia State University In Atlanta, Ga, Peter Huesemann-Odom

Art and Design Theses

The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design, the School of Music, and the School of Film, Media & Theatre form the College of the Arts at Georgia State University. These schools operate in separate campus areas. This lack of unified presence impedes collaborative and inspiring exchanges between communities. The New College of the Arts investigates forming a community that combines all the College of the Arts disciplines and highlights the College’s impact on the city of Atlanta, Georgia State University, and the arts. The components needed for a successful evolution are discovered through primary and secondary research, including …

Relationship Between College Graduate Job Placement And Faculty-Led, Team-Based, Undergraduate Research Experiences: A Propensity Score Analysis, Julia Sonnenberg-Klein

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

While career development is not the sole purpose of higher education, obtaining a better job is a strong motivating factor in college attendance. The relationship between higher education and graduates’ career outcomes can be framed through the theories of human capital, social capital, cultural capital, and signaling. In the context of finding a job, capitals are resources and traits valued by employers. Signaling theory describes the process by which job applicants signal their fitness for employment and the process by which employers interpret signals from applicants. Substantial research shows that access to the job market is shaped by race, ethnicity, …

Essays On Environmental Economics, John Alexander Gomez Mahecha

AYSPS Dissertations

This dissertation discusses the results of new empirical evidence in two topics of significant importance in the environmental economics field, both of them also an essential part of my research agenda. First, carbon pricing is one of the most significant contributions of Economics to the ongoing climate crisis. Based on the Pigouvian tax, carbon pricing is expected to be a major tool for achieving the required reductions in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases efficiently. On the other hand, the effect of air quality on health outcomes, and therefore human welfare, has been one of the major …

Hospital And Patient Responses To Medicare Policy, Ricardo Ang

AYSPS Dissertations

In chapter 1 of this work, I estimate the causal impact of Section 3008 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on its targeted infection outcomes. This policy, implemented in October 2014, imposes a 1% reduction in the Medicare reimbursements of hospitals that perform poorly based on a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) measure. A limited body of literature evaluates the impact of this policy in a primarily descriptive manner. Using patient discharge data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and a difference-in-differences identification strategy, I contribute to the literature by …

Essays On Environmental Economics, Zheng Li

AYSPS Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays on Environmental Economics.

The first chapter provides evidence of ’polluting my neighbor’ phenomenon at the province level based on two largest firm-level micro datasets and wind pattern information in China. I show that large air polluting manufacturing firms tend to be disproportionately situated near downwind borders, particularly when wind speeds are lower. Quantitatively, the expected number of new large air polluters (top 10%) in a county-year cell reduces by 11% as the countys distance to the downwind province border increases by one standard deviation, and a one standard deviation increase in wind speed will …

Scoping Review Of Covid-19 Infection And The Post Diagnosis Of Anxiety, Zenobia E. Roberts-Harley

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous news and media outlets reported an increase in mental health dilemmas. Studies varied from anxiety caused due to fear of catching the virus to if contracted, how did the virus psychologically affect the person. These reports examined different areas of the population, especially healthcare workers, first responders, teachers, and persons with comorbidities. The purpose of this scoping review is to describe the research conducted on the relationship between testing positive for COVID-19 and subsequent diagnosis of anxiety.

METHODS: The study design utilized for this research was a scoping review. The literature search was conducted …

Tracking Childhood Vaccination Trends By Race: Analyzing Mmr-Only, Dtap-Only, And Varicella-Only Vaccine Coverage Rates From 2016-2022, Victoria Gallagher

Public Health Capstone Projects

Declining vaccination rates due to factors like hesitancy and access issues during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have spurred outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles and pertussis. This capstone analyzes vaccination coverage for MMR-only, DTaP-only, and Varicella-only shots among children from 2016 to 2022, focusing on racial disparities. Data from the National Immunization Surveys (NIS) informed the analysis, encompassing 118,323 children. Odds ratios from a multivariable logistic regression were used to perform this analysis, and statistical significance was determined using a 95% confidence interval (CI). Black children had lower odds of MMR and Varicella vaccination compared to White children …

Prevalence And Determinants Of Perceived Stress Among Undergraduate Respiratory Therapy Students In Saudi Arabia, Abdulmajeed Baogbah

Respiratory Therapy Theses

Background: Stress is a common phenomenon among health sciences students, severely impacting students in different ways. Similar to other students, undergraduate Respiratory Therapy (RT) students are at a high risk of stress exposure that may harm their well-being. To enhance students’ well-being, it is essential to examine the prevalence and determinants of perceived stress among undergraduate RT students. Purpose: This research aims to assess the prevalence of perceived stress and identify variable sources of stress among undergraduate RT students in Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the academic year (2023-2024) to explore the prevalence and determinants …