Digital Commons Network^™

Artizein_ Full Issue 2023, Barbara Bickel, Darlene St.Georges, Jeeyeon Ryu

Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal

Full issue of Artizein: Arts & Teaching Journal Volume 8, Issue 1, 2023

A Study Of Principals’ And Assistant Principals’ Use Of Emotional Intelligence In Addressing The Social-Emotional Workplace Well-Being Of Teachers In Sample Districts Of Roe #21 In Southern Illinois, Kimberly Matthews

Ed.D. Capstone Reports

No abstract provided.

Faculty Incentive Programs For Open Educational Resources: A Scoping Review, Amber T. Burtis, Jennifer J. Horton, Mary K. Taylor

Morris Library Data Sets

No abstract provided.

Protecting Those Who Protect Us Through Education, Jason Demas

Ed.D. Capstone Reports

The goal of developing this program is to enhance mental health in the public safety sector, explicitly addressing the unique challenges firefighters face. In this program, I discuss the prevalence of mental health issues among these professionals, acknowledging the potential impact on their well-being and job performance. Through an extensive literature review, I will develop a mental health education program that will effectively mitigate stressors associated with the firefighter profession and build long-term resilience.

The program highlights the significance of mental health education in fostering resilience, reducing stigma, and promoting early intervention. Moreover, the program helps identify key stressors, such …

Assessment Of Recycled And Manufactured Adsorptive Materials For Phosphate Removal From Municipal Wastewater, Deja Drummond, Shannon Brink, Natasha Bell

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Elevated concentrations of phosphorus (P) and other nutrients common in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent have been shown to contribute to the proliferation of harmful algal blooms, which may lead to fish kills related to aquatic hypoxia. Increased understanding of the negative effects associated with elevated P concentrations have prompted more strict regulation of WWTP effluent in recent years. The use of low-cost and potentially regenerative adsorptive phosphate filters has the potential to decrease P concentrations in WWTP effluent released to natural waters. This research focuses on assessing the capacities of recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), expanded slate, and expanded clay …

The Role Of Feedback In Accurate Delivery Of Skill Acquisition Programs In Applied Behavior Analysis, Cyndy Wollenweber

Research Papers

Feedback is commonly used to increase and maintain employee performance. Although the effectiveness of feedback is frequently studied in applied behavior analysis (ABA), there are various considerations when it comes to providing feedback, such as the type of feedback, delivery method, and timing of feedback. For instance, although the feedback sandwich is commonly used, where positive feedback is delivered followed by corrective feedback and more positive feedback, empirical findings are mixed (Henley & DiGennaro Reed 2015; Parkes et. al., 2013). Therefore, the current paper will review ABA, organizational behavior management, the role of feedback in the aforementioned areas, and provide …

Behavior Change Techniques On Perceived Engagement And Adherence Rates In Ehealth Exercise Programs For Young Adult Cancer Survivors, Ean Katz

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Secret Feminine: The Distortion Of The Womb In The Medieval Period, Lindsey Craig

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

“Everybody Better Care”: A Qualitative Exploration Of Environmental Documentaries And Psychological Distance, Cassandra Lc Troy

Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research

Severe problems like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss demand urgent action. Unfortunately, people can tend to view such problems as distant, failing to feel that they are relevant to their lives. Psychological distance may play a role in such perceptions. In order to understand how environmental documentaries, which are often used to educate the public about the environment, may influence perceptions of psychological distance, environmental film festival attendees and organizers were interviewed. Qualitative analysis revealed complex reactions to depictions of environmental issues in films, with perceived severity playing a key role in conceptions of spatial, social, and temporal distance. …

Inauthenticity, Delusion, And Victimization: Interrogating Affective Rhetoric Targeting Trans* Youth, Ben Bishop

Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research

In this essay, I interrogate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s KP-0401, a 2022 legal opinion letter that frames gender affirming healthcare as dangerous, sterilizing, and therefore, child abuse. Within this framing, trans* youth are presented as both delusional and deviant, written off as victims of abuse and social contagion. In analyzing KP-0401 through a critical perspective of affect and performativity, I demonstrate how particular affects have gained power through their circulation to reify feelings and performances of cisheteronormativity, often through establishing the trans* body as a source of negative affect, like fear or repulsion, and trans* youth as infantile and …

"Is This Place Inside Or Outside?": Issues Of Space In Kentucky Route Zero, Jesse Snider

Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research

Using the video game Kentucky Route Zero as an artifact and the theories of Space and Place of De Certeau, I examine “confused spaces:” places that present simultaneously as two or more contradictory spaces. Through the inevitable confusion between my performance/agency as the game’s player and the performance/agency of the characters within the game, I re-examine De Certeau’s idea of the pedestrian through the lens of twice-behaved behaviors, bureaucracy, remembered religion, inside, outside, and the agency to exert perceived change in one’s environment. Finally, I bring what I learned through Kentucky Route Zero into the realm of the physical, as …

Demographics And Status Of The Eastern Woodrat In Southern Illinois, Tiffanie Atherton

Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to: (1) quantify levels of genetic intermixing in remnant Illinois eastern woodrat populations augmented with Ozark woodrats, and (2) assess genetic health and population viability in remnant and reintroduced woodrat populations. This dissertation is arranged into 3 chapters. DNA extractions, microsatellite genotyping, and mtDNA haplotype sequencing were conducted for individuals from the western Shawnee National Forest (WSNF) (i.e., LaRue Pine Hills [LPH], Fountain Bluff, Horseshoe Bluff), eastern Arkansas (AR), southern Missouri (MO), and 5 locations in the eastern Shawnee National Forest (ESNF), Illinois. Genetic data provided a strong signal in STRUCTURE which confirmed MO, …

A New Approach To Synthetic Image Evaluation, Majid Memari

Dissertations

This study is dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) systems, with a special emphasis on Arabic handwritten digit recognition. The choice to focus on Arabic handwritten digits is twofold: first, there has been relatively less research conducted in this area compared to its English counterparts; second, the recognition of Arabic handwritten digits presents more challenges due to the inherent similarities between different Arabic digits.OCR systems, engineered to decipher both printed and handwritten text, often face difficulties in accurately identifying low-quality or distorted handwritten text. The quality of the input image and the complexity of the text …

A Study Of Policies And Responses To Chronically Absent Students In Illinois High Schools In The Four Southern Most Regions Of The Illinois Associaiton Of School Administrators, Charles Shain Crank

Dissertations

No abstract

Relationships Among Development, Growth, Body Size, Reproduction, Aging, And Longevity - Trade-Offs And Pace-Of-Life., Rong Yuan, Erin Hascup, Kevin Hascup, Andrzej Bartke

Articles

Relationships of growth, metabolism, reproduction, and body size to the biological process of aging and longevity have been studied for decades and various unifying "theories of aging" have been proposed to account for the observed associations. In general, fast development, early sexual maturation leading to early reproductive effort, as well as production of many offspring, have been linked to shorter lifespans. The relationship of adult body size to longevity includes a remarkable contrast between the positive correlation in comparisons between different species and the negative correlation seen in comparisons of individuals within the same species. We now propose that longevity …

Cognitive Function Among Military Veterans With Stem Occupations., Justin T Mcdaniel, Kevin N Hascup, Erin R Hascup, Ugochukwu G Ezigbo, Amanda M Weidhuner, Harvey Henson, David L Albright

Articles

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Function Among Military Veterans With Stem Occupations., Justin T Mcdaniel, Kevin N Hascup, Erin R Hascup, Ugochukwu G Ezigbo, Amanda M Weidhuner, Harvey Henson, David L Albright

Articles

No abstract provided.

Searching For Freedom: An Investigation Of Form In Japanese Storytelling And Animation, Dorcas Brou

2023

This project investigated characteristics of storytelling within Japanese animation known as anime. Through the use of textual analysis and historical research methods, I explored the story element of theme and it’s relation to character development and narrative structure within the anime and manga series, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). I identified two story themes: 1) The World’s Cruelty, Oppression of man and 2) Searching & Fighting for freedom against the cruel world—and a strong influence of folklore and Eastern and Western art that attribute to the story structure and aesthetic elements of the anime story. These findings informed my …

"So That We Can Save The Earth From Dying": Highlights From A Middle School Environmental Field Day, Kenton Sena, Jill Abney, Hannah Ruehl, Chris Barton

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Continued urbanization is likely to reduce human-nature experience, transforming human-dwelt spaces into increasingly artificial environments and removing humans from interaction with non-human living things and their ecosystems. In urban spaces, outdoor experiential educational activities can help students increase their familiarity with the outdoors and get their hands dirty. This case study reports on an environmental field day for middle school students from an urban Kentucky middle school. Students rotated through three activities (picking insects out of leaf packs, testing water quality, and planting trees), then completed a brief survey designed and administered by their faculty. Students rated the tree planting …

Physiological, Ecological, And Microbial Factors Shaping Thermal Tolerance And Performance In Ectothermic Vertebrates, Jason Warren Dallas

Dissertations

Temperature represents a major driving force in biology as it influences essential functions across multiple levels of biological organization. The role of temperature is especially important for ectothermic animals, whose biotic processes are dependent on both body and environmental temperature. Assessing the relationship between temperature and organismal performance represents an important research direction as temperatures continue to warm under anthropogenic climate change. Chapters two and three are focused on a recently colonized population of the invasive Mediterranean House Geckos at the northern edge of their invasion front. These chapters examine the ecological and physiological factors that enable these lizards to …

Western Water Network: A Case Study In Water Network Formation, Travis Warziniak, Robert Heinse, Alexander Fernald, Michael Gaffney, Kristiana Hansen, Bret Hess, Lyla Houglum, Ginger Paige, Qin Zhang

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Increased water scarcity and drought frequency are creating water management challenges for many communities in the western U.S. In response, the Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors sponsored a virtual summit in August 2020 to develop a framework for identifying and addressing the most pressing water issues in the western United States (the West). Summit attendees were research scientists, university extension specialists and professionals, and federal/state agency representatives with knowledge and expertise of water management in the West. The summit elicited opinions from 54 experts on pressing water issues and possible methods for addressing them. A follow-on survey of …

Strategy-Specific Differentiation In Response To Resources And Drivers Of Spring Migration Phenology In Rocky Mountain Elk, Storm Crews

Theses

Elk (Cervus canadensis) are known to exhibit high movement strategy diversity compared to other ungulate species. Most elk populations are migratory or partially migratory, presenting unique conservation and management challenges. For example, successful maintenance of multiple seasonal ranges and connectivity between them is necessary to conserve populations with migratory behaviors. Further study of the structure and maintenance of movement strategy diversity within partially migratory populations is needed to assist management and refine fundamental ecological theory. Improved understanding of the determinants of elk migratory timing is also important, with the dynamics of significant drivers likely to shift under future climate change …

Differential Movement Response Of Silver Carp To Individual And Environmental Conditions In The Illinois And Wabash Rivers, Taylor Mogavero

Theses

Knowledge about the spatial dynamics of invasive species is essential to predict, restrict, and prevent their spread to new areas. Invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations are expanding on all fronts and are threatening to establish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Understanding their movement patterns is vital to prevent their populations from spreading further and to improve management efficiency. This study looked at multiple factors to understand which have an influence on the movement of invasive Silver Carp in two different river systems. Chapter 1 examined the relationship between individual and environmental factors—including length, body condition, temperature, and discharge—and movement …

Comparing Various Staff Training Modalities Within Applied Behavior Analysis, Jason Joseph Starr

Theses

Behavioral skills training (BST) has continuously demonstrated to be an effective means of training others in new skills and techniques. A limitation of BST, however, is that it requires extensive time and a professional trainer. Currently, there is a lack of literature comparing BST to alternative and effective training methods that require less resources, such as written directions and video modeling. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which training modality (i.e., behavior skills training, written directions, or video modeling) was most effective at increasing staff members' correct implementation of applied behavior analysis procedures, specifically forward chaining, shaping, …

Queerness, Affect Theory, And Cruel Optimism In "The Yellow Wall-Paper", Lauren Stengel, Lauren E. Stengel

Research Papers

The way in which the resolution of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-paper” seems both enabling and disabling when it comes to the possibility of resistance to structures of power has been the subject of much criticism. Challenging Walter Benn Michael’s claim that “The Yellow Wall-paper” critiques only women’s exclusion from capitalist labor and not capitalist labor itself, I argue that while the narrator’s freedom/unfreedom at the end of the story attests to her own attachment to these structures, the story itself does not. Further I argue that Gilman, in fact, is working through her own cultural critique similar to …

Kukama Radio: The Politics And Aesthetics Of Indigenous Media In Peruvian Amazonia, Gabriel Torrealba Alfonzo

Dissertations

This dissertation is about the political and aesthetic dimensions of Indigenous media in Peruvian Amazonia. It explores how Kukama media-makers use aesthetic mastery to engage in three key political fields in Amazonia: indigeneity, historicity, and environmentalism. I specifically examine the audiovisual discourses and media-making practices coming from an Indigenous radio station called Radio Ucamara, located in the town of Nauta in Northeastern Peru (Loreto region). Drawing on place-based ethnography and digital research methods, I analyze the way this radio station instrumentalizes multiple digital and non-digital media forms to make visible (and also audible) their identities, violent histories, and cosmological worlds …

Acting Locally: Vegetable Gardening In Southern Illinois, Aimee L. Trojnar

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the everyday practice of home and community vegetable gardening in a small southern Illinois city. The project engages with questions of how diverse elements of practice interact over time in the development of both gardens and gardeners, dwelling particularly on how the material agency of nonhumans contributes to what emerges. Combining a broad investigation of societal influences and constraints involved in gardening practices with a granular focus on material interactions in the garden, I consider the kinds of relationships individuals forge with the nonhuman environment in a modern, Western context and how they do so. Understanding such …

Chronic, Mild Hypothermic Environmental Temperature Does Not Ameliorate Cognitive Deficits In An Alzheimer's Disease Mouse., Samuel Mcfadden, Lindsey N Sime, Makayla F Cox, Caleigh A Findley, Mackenzie R Peck, Kathleen Quinn, Yimin Fang, Andrzej Bartke, Erin R Hascup, Kevin N Hascup

Articles

Metabolic dysfunction increases with age and is a contributing factor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. We have previously observed impaired insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in the APP/PS1 model of AD. To improve these parameters, we chronically exposed male and female mice to mild hypothermic environmental temperature (eT), which positively modulates metabolism. Although a hypothermic eT normalized insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance was still impaired in both sexes of AD mice. We observed increased plasma glucagon and B-cell activating factor in both sexes, but additional sexually dimorphic mechanisms may explain the impaired glucose homeostasis in AD mice. Hepatic Glut2 was decreased …

Fritz Lang's Critique Of Capitalism Through Body Language In "Metropolis", Nathan Bailey

Honors Theses

This honors thesis argues that Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film Metropolis contains nonverbal narrative elements (including body language, architectural proxemics, and phallic imagery) that align the film with Marxist class structures. The film provides a moral epigram, “the mediator between head and hands must be the heart,” which this paper aims to define through a Marxist lens. This thesis narrates Metropolis’ verbal and nonverbal narratives through observing intertitles in the film alongside the elements that perplex the viewer and overload the senses. The aim of this paper is to notice where the head, hands, and heart make …

Threading Memory: Performing Animacy In Text, Memorial, And Travel, Alex Keith Davenport

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the process of creating and touring a community-sourced memorial quilt for the anti-mountaintop removal activist Julia “Judy” Bonds, who died in 2011. As a practice, the project positions memorialization as a possible framework for social movements to utilize when faced with loss that allows for actions that honor members of the movement while still engaging in consciousness raising and organizing efforts. From a theoretical standpoint, the practice of memorialization—especially when it is intentionally designed to align with the practices/legacy of the person(s) being remembered—is also considered through an object oriented ontology perspective, providing insight into the affective …