Austerity As Enclosure: How Austerity In Ireland After The Global Financial Crisis Acts As A Method Of Inclusion And Exclusion, Taylor Soto

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues that the austerity policies in Ireland after the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis acted as a form of second enclosure and increased economic inequality. This thesis uses a Marxian critique of neoliberal market society to analyze the policies enacted after the 2010 Irish Bailout. I situated the concept of enclosure within liberal hegemony arguing that enclosure must be conceptualized as a method of inclusion and exclusion. In addition, I connect Ireland’s history of enclosure with the power relation between land ownership and capital accumulation. I contextualize Ireland’s austerity policies within the neoliberal project and Ireland’s membership in the …

The Ecology Of Educational Attainment: Resilience Among Black High School Students, Jacqueline O. Davis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Achievement gaps among students of color in the United States are pervasive and persistent. Identifying trajectories of resilience among Black teens is an important step toward promoting their educational attainment. This study identified risk and protective factors at the individual, family, and school levels hypothesized to influence Black high school students’ attainment. The effects of these risk (behavior problems, lack of college planning, and school problems) and protective factors (academic self-efficacy, parent involvement, and academic climate) on Black students’ educational attainment at 10-year follow-up were assessed. The sample included 2,423 Black 10th-grade students who participated in the Education Longitudinal Study …

Chronic Life Stress And Change In Stress Response Functioning In Urban Youth: The Role Of Social Support And Gender, Heather M. Marshall

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been established as a bio-marker of stress reactivity in acute stressor tasks. Much less research exists exploring whether sAA is bio-marker for chronic stress exposure, and therefore, allostatic load. Extant research is inconsistent with some evidence to support chronic stress exposure having an impact on sAA reactivity and diurnal levels of sAA, while other studies have failed to support this theory. Social support is regarded as a protective factor against stress, mental health, and physical health consequences. It has been suggested that gender may play a role in the utilization and benefits of social support networks. …

Understanding Group Dynamics Within A Classroom Using Small Group Networks And Epistemological Framing, Katarzyna E. Pomian

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we examined interactions within student groups and between groups and instructors. A deeper exploration of group dynamics helps educators to more fully understand student groups and student learning within the classroom. Our data are from a two-week summer program for incoming college freshman that focuses on helping students develop metacognitive and self-assessment tools. With the intention of using Social Network Analysis (SNA), we took the novel approach of creating network graphs from video data as opposed to surveys. However, given the isolated nature of the groups, the quantitative measures of SNA were inappropriate for our small group …

A Comprehensive Reentry Policy For Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists With Substance Use Disorder, Thomas M. Nigro

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a common problem in anesthesia. While there are policies in place for practicing anesthetists, there are no known studies to date discussing reentry policies specific to the student registered nurse anesthesia (SRNA) population. The purpose of this research study was to describe key stakeholders’ knowledge and perspectives surrounding policies for reentry into academic programs for SRNAs in Illinois with SUD.

The theoretical framework used to drive this research was based off George L. Engel’s Biopsychosocial Theory. The theory examines the biological component of a person’s disease process, the psychological component, and the social component.

During …

Use Of Non-Technical Skills Training & Video Simulation To Improve Knowledge Among Nurse Anesthesia Trainees, Kathryn Walus

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: The transition from didactic component to clinical practice is challenging for nurse anesthesia trainees. When faced with an airway crisis, successful management involves non-technical skills, which include recognition, decision-making, and prioritization. Limited data is available on the efficacy of instructional video on enhancing non-technical skills during airway crisis management among nurse anesthesia trainees.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of instructional video simulation on enhancing the nurse anesthesia trainee’s knowledge of recognition, decisionmaking, and prioritization during bronchospasm and laryngospasm airway crises. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was used to investigate the effect …

Children’S Selective Trust Based On Previous Lying Behaviors, Natalie A. Mordini

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study examined children’s nuanced understanding of prosocial liars and self-serving liars across the following three areas: children’s willingness to learn information from liars, their judgments of liars through their friend preferences, and their visual attention to liars. As children develop theory of mind skills, they learn they can manipulate other’s knowledge states by telling lies. They also evaluate lying based on whether the liar has self-serving or prosocial intentions, with the former judged more negatively and the latter judged more positively. Based on research findings indicating that children demonstrate selective trust in informants based on their previous accuracy or …

Overcoming Exposure To Complex Stressors: An Examination Of Protective Coping Mechanisms For Low-Income Urban African American Youth, Molly Cory

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Low-income urban African American youth experience multiple uncontrollable stressors (e.g. community violence) that may then impact the severity of controllable stressors (e.g. school stressors) and combine to produce negative life outcomes. In light of these negative outcomes, it is important to understand individual protective factors, and the coping response in particular. Past research has emphasized the advantages of primary control engagement coping, but recent evidence suggests that low-income urban African American youth facing complex and uncontrollable stressors may benefit more from disengagement strategies in response to uncontrollable stressors. Although it is expected this population would additionally benefit from applying engagement …

Latent Classes Of Exposure To Potentially Traumatic And Stressful Life Events In A Sample Of Young Predominantly Ethnic Minority Women, Alyssa Donovan

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Women are disproportionately affected by specific types of potentially traumatic and stressful life events that are strongly linked to PTSD and depressive symptoms (Tolin & Foa, 2006; U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). Yet, while many studies have investigated patterns of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and their associations with clinical outcomes, few have assessed PTE typologies with exclusively female samples (e.g., Cavanaugh et al., 2013). This study examined profiles of childhood and adulthood potentially traumatic and stressful life events in a predominantly ethnic minority, community sample of 191 young women. Using latent class analysis, we found four distinct profiles of exposure to …

An Exploration Of The Psychometric Properties Of The Self-Sufficiency Matrix Among Individuals And Families Currently Or At Risk Of Experiencing Homelessness, Camilla Cummings

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The homeless service sector has moved toward the implementation of assessment tools to better understand the support service needs of individuals and families. While a variety of assessment tools are available, their psychometric evidence base is limited. The Self-Sufficiency Matrix (SSM) is one assessment that holds promise with regard to its reliability, validity, and potential use as an instrument for triaging services. However, research examining the factor structure of the SSM has been inconsistent across samples. Moreover, it has never been tested among a broad population of both those currently experiencing and at-risk of experiencing homelessness, or examined unaccompanied adults …

Lcp1 Mutant Zebrafish: A Look At Neutrophils, Cancer, And Gene Compensation, Taylor Mitchell

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Lymphocyte cytosolic protein 1 (lcp1 or L-plastin) is a small actin-bundling protein that is typically only expressed in motile leukocytes, such as neutrophils and macrophages. However, it is also overexpressed in cancer cells, which may be related to tumor metastasis. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, our lab has created zebrafish that are genetic knockouts for lcp1 in order to better understand the relationship between L-plastin and cell motility.

Previous studies on L-plastin knockout mice have shown that the mutants have a decreased immune response, and therefore I predicted that our zebrafish mutants might have impaired development or distribution of immune cells. …

Motivation To Lead: College Students' Perceptions Of Their Roles As Leaders On Campus, Jacob M. Gross

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Student leadership in college has long been studied from the perspective of the university, and more specifically, how the university supports its student leaders in hopes of enhancing institutional reputation. With this in mind, there is little attention given to the micro-level experience of college student leaders. As such, researchers are called to shift the rhetoric on student leadership away from an institutionally-driven conceptualization to a more student-focused discourse. The central aim of this study was to gather student leader perceptions of their roles as campus leaders and construct meaning behind those perceptions. This qualitative research study examined the phenomenology …

Motivation To Lead: College Students' Perceptions Of Their Roles As Leaders On Campus, Jacob M. Gross

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Student leadership in college has long been studied from the perspective of the university, and more specifically, how the university supports its student leaders in hopes of enhancing institutional reputation. With this in mind, there is little attention given to the micro-level experience of college student leaders. As such, researchers are called to shift the rhetoric on student leadership away from an institutionally-driven conceptualization to a more student-focused discourse. The central aim of this study was to gather student leader perceptions of their roles as campus leaders and construct meaning behind those perceptions. This qualitative research study examined the phenomenology …

A Parallax View Of Teacher Ontology: Reconceptualizing The Reflexive Method In The Abyss Of Žižekian Negativity, Brian R. Gilbert

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The primary emphasis of this research is the exploration and development of a Žižekian lens of teacher reflection. This methodological exploration further considers how the Žižekian lens can functions as a unique contribution to both teacher education and the philosophy of education through the exploration of particular pathways of teacher consciousness and misrecognitions of self-identity in relation to the discourse of education. Following Žižek, teacher reflection is an act of resistance to this discourse that begins with uncovering the failure of our own perception as the result of a misperception at the limits of being in/through the big Other thereby …

Understanding Stem Identity Construction: An Ethnography Of An All-Girls Stem Club, Pasiewicz Marie Loyola

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative ethnography follows 11 high-school girls through their experiences in an all-girls after-school STEM club in a privileged school setting. This study uses Gee’s concept of identity and a feminist poststrutural framework to understand their experiences and how they use the club to re/construct their gendered STEM identities. Through interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis, this study found that the after-school club offers girls a space to not only learn about STEM, but also provides a space for girls to understand the gendered nature of their interactions with peers and adults in STEM classrooms. Data shows that girls …

Counter-Narratives And Jonas Hassen Khemiri’S Play Invasion!: Storytelling That Fractures The Orientalist Narrative, Anna Christina Bahow

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the counter-narratives Jonas Hassen Khemiri constructs to challenge Orientalism in his play INVASION! Khemiri’s use of oppositional narratives and disidentification challenges the narrow confines of Middle Eastern/Arab stereotypes by using story and performance to decenter the White Western lens. By examining the context of Swedishness from which Khemiri’s work grows, the construct of the Orientalized Other, and the play itself, this thesis demonstrates how Khemiri disrupts systemic racism and creates a stage, both literally and figuratively, to address race and national identity in Sweden and, by implication, in the United States. I show how the storytelling in …

"Current Anesthesia Education Practices Regarding Music As An Adjunct For Analgesia And Anxiolysis ", Taylor Hull

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Music has been proven as an effective complementary and alternative medicine, and can be an important tool for nurse anesthetist.

Objectives: The purpose of this project was to assess if nurse anesthesia programs are including music as a part of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) curriculum for anxiety and pain in the perioperative setting.

Method: A descriptive survey was sent to program directors of nurse anesthesia programs in the United States to assess the current level of awareness and education regarding music as an alternative medicine as well as barriers to the addition of music into curriculum. …

Executive Functioning In Pediatric Youth: A Meta-Analysis, Draycen D. Decator

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Executive functioning (EF) represents a set of cognitive skills that are important for daily functioning. EF can be influenced by a number of biopsychosocial factors, many of which are present in the pediatric population (i.e., youth with at least one medical condition). It is important to understand EF in this population as it affects aspects of their physical health (e.g., treatment adherence). Previous meta-analyses have been conducted to examine EF in the pediatric population, and they have generally found deficits in EF compared to healthy peers. However, these previous meta-analyses have only focused on specific medical conditions (e.g., pediatric youth …

Optical And X-Ray Studies Of Compact X-Ray Binaries In Ngc 5904, Vanshree Bhalotia

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Globular clusters are the oldest objects in the Milky Way, serving as probes of early galactic evolution due to their chemically uncontaminated history. Compact binaries act as an internal energy source through their dynamical interactions, and measuring the types of X-ray binaries within a cluster provides an understanding of its stellar population and dynamics, as stellar collisional frequencies have been correlated to the number of X-ray sources detected in globular clusters. Compact binaries can be found by correlating X-ray positional data with optical imaging data. In this project, optical fluxes of sources from archival HST images of NGC 5904 have …

"Effect Of Zinc And Strontium Dopants On The Structure And Stability Of Hydroxyapatite At High Temperatures", Dylan Correll Smith

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is a bioceramic that synthetically mimics human bone. It is commonly used in medical applications as a filler for damaged bone, and in procedures such as dental implants and hip replacements. Doping of HA with elements such as zinc and strontium is known to increase the bioactivity of HA, as well as increase the retention and adsorption of therapeutic molecules for drug delivery. High-temperature, in-situ X-ray diffraction data were measured on 10 at. % zinc-doped, 10 at. % strontium-doped, and undoped HA powders at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. This research studied the temporal and …

Probing The Non-Linearity In Galaxy Clusters Through The Analysis Of Fractal Dimension Via Wavelet Transform, Loay Ali Khalifa

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The study of large scale structure (LSS) of the Universe armed with both all-sky surveys and numerical simulations has become an increasingly important tool to probe basic cosmology. We used the method of wavelet transforms combined with the fractal based point-processes to investigate the clustering of matter on galactic scales through the fractal analysis approach. In particular, we developed a method to calculate the angular fractal dimension of galaxy distributions as a function of the cosmological comoving space. Taking advantage of the self-similarity and lo- calization properties of the wavelets, allows us to compute the fractal dimension of galaxies in …

Biological Stress Response And Cognitive Vulnerability To Depression In Adolescence, Bridget M. Brush

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of worldwide disability. Rates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) increase exponentially over the adolescent transition, suggesting adolescence represents a key period of risk for the onset of depression. Previous research has associated both biological stress response and cognitive vulnerability with symptoms of depression; however, there is little research examining the joint effects of these two risk factors and symptoms of depression, especially during adolescence. The present study examined the association between symptoms of depression and two established risk factors for depression: cognitive vulnerability, as measured by negative cognitive style, and biological stress response, as measured …

"Use Of Non-Technical Skills Training & Video Simulation To Improve Knowledge Among Nurse Anesthesia Trainees", Laurie L. Mclaughlin

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: The transition from didactic component to clinical practice is challenging for nurse anesthesia trainees. When faced with an airway crisis, successful management involves non-technical skills, which include recognition, decision-making, and prioritization. Limited data is available on the efficacy of instructional video on enhancing non-technical skills during airway crisis management among nurse anesthesia trainees.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of instructional video simulation on enhancing the nurse anesthesia trainee’s knowledge of recognition, decisionmaking, and prioritization during bronchospasm and laryngospasm airway crises.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was used to investigate the effect …

A Malignant Hyperthermia Competency Training For Nurse Anesthesia Trainees: Development, Implementation, And Evaluation, Andrew M. Christ

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Video simulation is an alternative method of teaching that can play an important role in nurse anesthesia education. Using video simulation for uncommon crisis could prove beneficial.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of an educational video simulation regarding malignant hyperthermia (MH) recognition and management on knowledge of nurse anesthesia trainees (NATs).

Methods: A single group pretest-posttest design was used to compare knowledge on recognition and management of malignant hyperthermia. The study included a voluntary convenience sample of junior and senior nurse anesthesia trainees at NorthShore University HealthSystem School of Nurse Anesthesia. Pretest scores …

Teaching Links Between Epigenetics And Anesthesia To Anesthesia Providers, Bilanicz Slawomir

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background

Epigenetics has been proposed as the epicenter of anesthesia research. The epigenetic landscape developed by Waddington reflects that human diversity is likely the result of a myriad of complex interactions between both intracellular and environmental environments, rather than a simple one-to-one protein coding of the genome. A gap in the literature identifies a need to better explore links between epigenetics and anesthesia. No formal educational program on this topic geared toward anesthesia providers was identified based on the comprehensive literature review completed.

Objectives

This study aimed to describe the knowledge of the anesthesia providers including Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists …

Efficacy And Usefulness Of An Educational Video On Safe Medication Handling, Suzanne Butz Anderson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Medication errors are a significant and detrimental issue in anesthesia practice and have the potential to have drastic effects for patients, providers, and hospitals; therefore, it is important to determine if an educational video on safe medication handling technique can improve knowledge on safe medication handling. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and perceived usefulness of an investigator-developed educational video on nurse anesthesia trainees’ (NATs) knowledge of safe medication handling.

Methods: A single group pretest-posttest design was used to evaluate actual knowledge and perceived usefulness of safe medication handling video. A convenience sample included …

Housing, Relationships, And Substance Use Among Female Ex-Offenders, Arturo Soto-Nevarez

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Female ex-offenders with histories of substance abuse face many difficulties upon reentry into the general population, such as acquiring adequate housing. The purpose of this proposal is to explore the relations between housing settings, relationships, and substance use. Two hundred adult females participated in the initial baseline study. Two methods of data analyses were proposed to predict substance use: one clustering participants into groups based on the endorsement of those settings and relationships, and one using multi-level modeling examining housing settings and relationships both independently as well as unique settings comprised of housing setting and relationship. Participants fell into one …

An Examination Of The Reciprocal Association Of Collective Efficacy And Community Violence Exposure In Low-Resourced, Urban African American Adolescents, Christopher R. Whipple

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

African American adolescents are exposed to community violence at alarming rates. Compared to Caucasian adolescents, African American adolescents are 112% more likely to be exposed to community violence and 6 to 9 times more likely to be victims of homicide. There are many risk factors and behavioral/emotional issues associated with community violence exposure. Collective Efficacy Theory posited that collective efficacy (i.e., social cohesion and informal social control) influence community violence, and that a reciprocal association exists between collective efficacy and community violence. While the influence of collective efficacy on community violence exposure is established, the influence of community violence exposure …

Implementation And Compliance With A Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy (Gdft) Protocol For Hip Arthroplasties: A Two-Year Review, Michelle N. Pavlik

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Background: Historically, goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) has been shown to improve patient outcomes when used in the perioperative setting for specific cases (colorectal, etc). When anesthesia providers use GDFT protocols, intraoperative fluid therapy is” patient specific” via the use of dynamic patient-specific physiologic parameters.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess whether GDFT improved patient-specific fluid administration. A secondary aim was to assess adherence to the instated GDFT protocol.

Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 201 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures following implementation of a GDFT protocol at the University of Illinois at Chicago …

Dialectical Thinking And Smoking Outcomes In Asian Americans, Amber Pham

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Cigarette smoking is the leading health problem in the United States. Recent literature has discussed risk perception and acculturation as possible protective factors against this risky health behavior. However, there is little research regarding dialectical thinking as a potential barrier for smoking cessation. The current study examined smoking outcomes, which include expectancies, attitudes, and intentions in Asian American males. Specifically, we examined acculturation and dialectical thinking as major factors influencing smoking outcomes. We hypothesized that dialectical thinking mediates the relationship between acculturation and smoking outcomes. We also hypothesized that Asian Americans who were primed to think dialectically would hold more …