Digital Commons Network^™

Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Comfort Towards Lgbtq+ Students, Crassandra Mandojana-Ducot

Open Access Dissertations

In school settings, teachers are on the front lines for supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) adolescents and have direct contact with students daily. Previous research establishes that LGBTQ+ adolescents are at a higher rate of experiencing mental health disorders compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers due to high social stress from discrimination and bullying. The current study expanded upon previous literature by examining preservice teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and comfort towards LGBTQ+ students, the relationship between these factors, and teachers’ intention to engage in school-based LGBTQ+ advocacy. Participants were 168 undergraduate and graduate level preservice teachers currently …

A Quasi-Experimental Study To Improve Health Service Quality: Implementing Communication And Self-Efficacy Skills Training To Primary Healthcare Workers In Two Counties In Iran, Hossein Shahnazi, Marzieh Araban, Mahmood Karimy, Mansooreh Basiri, Ali Ghazvini, L. A.R. Stein

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Service satisfaction ratings from clients are a good indicator of service quality. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of communication skills and self-efficacy training for healthcare workers on clients’ satisfaction.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in health centers of Saveh University of Medical Science in Iran. Primary Healthcare (PHC; N = 105) workers and service recipients (N = 364) were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received four 90-min training sessions consisting of lecture, film screening, role-playing, and discussion group. Before and 3 months after the intervention, a multi-part questionnaire (including …

Prediction Of Suicidal Ideation And Attempt In 9 And 10 Year-Old Children Using Transdiagnostic Risk Features, Gareth Harman, Dakota Kliamovich, Angelica M. Morales, Sydney Gilbert, Deanna M. Barch, Michael A. Mooney, Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing, Damien A. Fair, Bonnie J. Nagel

Psychology Faculty Publications

The objective of the current study was to build predictive models for suicidal ideation in a sample of children aged 9–10 using features previously implicated in risk among older adolescent and adult populations. This case-control analysis utilized baseline data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, collected from 21 research sites across the United States (N = 11,369). Several regression and ensemble learning models were compared on their ability to classify individuals with suicidal ideation and/or attempt from healthy controls, as assessed by the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia–Present and Lifetime Version. When comparing control participants …

The Art And Science Of Drug Titration, Aisling R. Caffrey, P. Borrelli

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

A “one-size-fits-all” approach has been the standard for drug dosing, in particular for agents with a wide therapeutic index. The scientific principles of drug titration, most commonly used for medications with a narrow therapeutic index, are to give the patient adequate and effective treatment, at the lowest dose possible, with the aim of minimizing unnecessary medication use and side effects. The art of drug titration involves the interplay of scientific drug titration principles with the clinical expertise of the healthcare provider, and an individualized, patient-centered partnership between the provider and the patient to review the delicate balance of perceived benefits …

A Systematic Review Of Integrative Medicine For Opioid Withdrawal, Caroline Kruszecki, Courtney R. Cameron, Anne L. Hume, Kristina E. Ward

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Introduction: The United States has been battling an opioid epidemic for decades. As substance use disorders have grown, so too has investigation into treatment options, including integrative medicine approaches, for managing opioid withdrawal symptoms (OWS).

Objectives: This systematic review sought to assess the use of integrative medicine approaches for the alleviation of OWS in patients dependent on opioids and to summarize the available data.

Methods: The authors searched using synonyms for opioids, substance use disorder, and integrative medicine and standardized searches in Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. We also hand searched references for systematic reviews. This review …

Phytoplankton Thermal Responses As Drivers Of Community Composition And Biogeography In A Changing Environment, Stephanie I. Anderson

Open Access Dissertations

Phytoplankton are biogeochemically relevant, sequestering 45 Gt of carbon each year, roughly equivalent to all terrestrial plants combined. Because of their ecological importance to marine ecosystems and the biosphere, many have sought to assess the factors that regulate phytoplankton communities and make projections for how they may fare in a future ocean. This endeavor has proven challenging as phytoplankton are incredibly diverse, with varied and unique evolutionary histories. To confront this complexity, phytoplankton are often distilled down to a few key physiological traits which have been mathematically characterized. In this simplification, insights regarding broad ecological trends can be discerned with …

Gendered & Genrefied Bodies: Heroism As Production And Performance In Sword & Sorcery Fantasy, Anthony Conrad Chieffalo

Open Access Dissertations

Works of sword-and-sorcery fantasy often have the reputation of reproducing “traditional masculinity” through figures of heroism that embody a stoic, self-reliant and self-righteous machismo. They are similarly regarded as presenting stereotypical femininity as emotional, dependent, and delicate. These assumptions prevent sword-and-sorcery fantasy works from receiving the critical examination that the genre warrants. This genre is critically underutilized despite its unique capacity and bountiful potential to channel and redirect cultural expectations of gender roles and social norms. Sword-and-sorcery texts often reflect the patriarchal structures of reality, but they can also challenge and subvert those same structures. Sword-and-sorcery can be a genre …

A Case Study Of Scientific Modeling In Fifth Grade Classrooms: Teacher Conceptions, Epistemic Framing And Students’ Explanatory Models, Caroline W. Stabile

Open Access Dissertations

There is a call in science education for students to be in the business of “doing science,” rather than “doing the lesson” (Jimenez-Aleixandre et al., 2000). Developing explanatory models is one important strategy for sensemaking in science. Teachers’ knowledge plays a critical role in how classroom interactions are framed and how students perceive and go about their work. If we want students to be the knowers and doers of science, then we need to understand more about the relationship between teachers’ knowledge of strategies like scientific modeling and how classroom interactions can be framed to support students as they develop …

The Loud Impact Of A Quiet Ego: How Positive Psychology Increases Salesperson Performance And Well-Being, Jonathan Ross Gilbert

Open Access Dissertations

The role of business-to-business (B2B) sales professionals is adapting to meet ever-changing customer expectations. B2B buyers are now demanding more complex, customized solutions and more personalized after-sales support and service. This profound change in the nature of professional selling has spurred a global race to scale up digital platforms that seamlessly support buyer needs and expectations throughout the purchase journey. However, this emphasis on the marriage of technology and human interaction prior to the sale has created a dearth of attention to, and related scholarship on, the role of salesperson support after the sale [emphasis added]. The “quiet ego” (QE), …

The Role Of Climate Change In The Decline Of Narragansett Bay Winter Flounder, Joseph A. Langan

Open Access Dissertations

Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) has historically supported productive commercial and recreational fisheries throughout its range in the northwest Atlantic. As a small flatfish that inhabits estuaries, bays, and the coastal zone, this species is vulnerable to shifting environmental conditions in many of the habitats critical to its life cycle. At the southern edge of the species range, the Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic Bight winter flounder stock entered a steep decline during the 1980s following a period of overfishing. Despite repeated reductions in harvest during the proceeding decades, the population has yet to recover. A decreasing trend in recruitment has …

Microbial Diversity And Community Composition In The Open Ocean And Marine Sediment, Zak Kerrigan

Open Access Dissertations

Over the last fifteen years, there has been a large increase in the literature on microbial community composition in marine sediment (Inagaki et al., 2006, 2015; Biddle et al., 2012; Briggs et al., 2012; Breucker et al., 2013; Lloyd, 2014; Teske et al., 2014; Nunoura et al., 2016; Walsh et al., 2016; Petro et al., 2017; Harrison et al., 2018; Hoshino et al., 2020), and seawater (Quaiser et al., 2011; Hamdan et al., 2013; Walsh et al., 2016; Medina-Silva et al., 2018; Mestre et al., 2018; Quero et al., 2019). As molecular study of these biomes progresses, and the tools …

Marine Microbial Interactions: Diversity And Function Of The Thalassiosira Rotula Phycosphere Community, Olivia Marjorie Ahern

Open Access Dissertations

Interactions between diatoms and bacteria impact global-scale biogeochemical cycling, through regulating the biological pump, impacting productivity of the marine food web, and regulating fluxes of chemicals. The most intimate of these interactions occur in the diatom’s phycosphere, akin to the mammal’s microbiome or rhizosphere. Research into terrestrial systems has shown intimate connections between an organism’s microbiome or rhizosphere and the genetic structure of the host organism’s species. However, little research has been done to elucidate these interactions in the diatom’s phycosphere. The goal of this work is to explore how diatom population structure impacts the phycosphere microbiome, by surveying the …

Evaluating Natural Product Libraries With Emphasis On In Vitro Permeability Workflows, Riley D. Kirk

Open Access Dissertations

New active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) continue to be discovered from the natural world. These compounds can be further developed into a range of useful products such as drugs, supplements, or cosmeceuticals. To determine the biological target of the API, the new compounds are evaluated for their biological activity through a combination of in silico, in vitro, and in vivo analyses. These results will determine where the molecular target tissue is located for the API. However, identification of the target is only the beginning of pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical development. A common roadblock in the development of products is the evaluation and …

Characterization Of Impact Pile Driving Signals And Fin Whale Vocalizations At The Block Island Wind Farm Site, Jennifer L. Amaral

Open Access Dissertations

Offshore wind farm development is rapidly expanding and with that comes the need for assessment of the potential short and long term environmental impacts. As a by-product of the construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning of offshore wind farms, sound is generated both in air and underwater through various activities and mechanisms. With the rate of wind farm development continuing to increase worldwide, regulatory agencies, industry, and scientists are attentive to the potential physiological and behavioral effects these sounds might have on marine life living in the surrounding environment. The impact pile driving used to install the wind turbine foundations is …

Sex And The Stars: The Enduring Structure Of Gender Discrimination In The Space Industry, Bronwyn D. Lovell

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Women have much to contribute to the worlds of science and technology, and the world is poorer for women’s historical exclusion from such scientific endeavors. Although many industries exhibit gender discrepancies and continue to be shaped by sexism (e.g., banking, farming, mining, trucking, engineering, etc.), no other industry features so predominantly in our future-oriented visions for humanity as does science, and particularly space science. For women working in the male-dominated global space industry, space is a female frontier with a celestial ceiling. The United Nations (UN) reports that, in 2016, only 20% of workers in the space industry were women, …

Peeta’S Virtue In The Hunger Games Trilogy, Gabriel Ertsgaard

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

The Latin virtus literally means “manliness” (vir = man) and, by extension, the positive qualities that a man should have. During the transition from Latin to French to English, “virtue” lost its gender specificity, but retained its reference to positive qualities. Thus, by the Enlightenment period, separate standards of virtue had emerged for women and men. Suzanne Collins disrupts this gendered virtue dichotomy in her Hunger Games trilogy. Peeta Mellark is a natural diplomat and peacemaker, a gentle soul who fits the feminine model of virtue better than the masculine model. Although Peeta engages in violence when necessary, he …

I Hate The Archives: A Queer Lesbian Meditation, Helis Sikk

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

Questioning the neutrality of archives is nothing new as feminist scholars have been doing it since the 1970s. More recently, queer theorists have pushed the subjectivity of the archive even further by emphasizing the importance of desire and pleasure as its central tenants. The archive in these discussions is sometimes a metaphor for a variety of experiences and at other times a brick-and-mortar physical space. Yet, there has been a lack of focus on the relationships between these two approaches. Similarly, there has not been enough discussion on how to challenge the exclusivity of the archive in our everyday praxis …

History, Activism, Erasure: Archival Paradox As Institutional Practice, Sarah H. Salter

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This essay connects the reparative assemblages of queer archiving practice to growing conversations in university studies. Tracing the fraught legal history of Penn State University’s first “Homophile” association in the 1970s, this essay theorizes how university records—and the processes of recording they index—participate in the creation of institutional identity and help establish institutional relations with their communities. Ultimately, it suggests that archivists and librarians act as mediators, unintentionally or purposefully, of the relations between vulnerable communities and the structures of power in which they are embedded.

Minimally Invasive Physiological Correlates Of Social Behaviour In Belugas (Delphinapterus Leucas) Under Human Care, Justin Thomas Richard, Rachael Levine, Tracy A. Romano, Becky L. Sartini

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Simultaneous observations of reproductive physiology and behaviour were conducted on a group of two male and two female belugas under professionally managed care for one year to explore potential mating strategies. Weekly blow sampling for progesterone in females was used to define the breeding season by detecting three oestrous cycles in one female. Twice weekly blow sampling for testosterone and twice monthly testes measurements via ultrasonography were used to detect reproductive seasonality in both males. Female–male association frequency varied longitudinally, with 70% of all interactions occurring during the 16-week breeding season. Male–male associations did not vary seasonally. Male display behaviours …

Effect Of Head Size And Rotation On Taper Corrosion In A Hip Simulator, C. M. Wight, C. M. Whyne, E. R. Bogoch, R. Zdero, Ryan M. Chapman, D. W. Van Citters, W. R. Walsh, E. Schemitsch

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

Aims

This study investigates head-neck taper corrosion with varying head size in a novel hip simulator instrumented to measure corrosion related electrical activity under torsional loads.

Methods

In all, six 28 mm and six 36 mm titanium stem-cobalt chrome head pairs with polyethylene sockets were tested in a novel instrumented hip simulator. Samples were tested using simulated gait data with incremental increasing loads to determine corrosion onset load and electrochemical activity. Half of each head size group were then cycled with simulated gait and the other half with gait compression only. Damage was measured by area and maximum linear wear …

An Apple Extract Beverage Combined With Caffeine Can Improve Alertness, Mental Fatigue, And Information Processing Speed, Christie L. Ward-Ritacco, Alissa R. Wilson, Patrick J. O'Connor

Kinesiology Faculty Publications

The psychological effects of low-dose caffeine combined with polyphenols from apples have rarely been explored scientifically yet synergistic effects are plausible. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over experiment was used to test the psychological effects of apple extract beverages combined with 10, 20, 37.5, and 75 mg caffeine. Comparisons were made to both a placebo drink that was artificially sweetened and colored to mimic the test beverages and a positive control drink with 75 mg caffeine but without apple extract. Compared to placebo, it was hypothesized that dose-dependent improvements in cognitive performance, mood, and motivation would be realized after consuming the …

Functional Plasticity In Oyster Gut Microbiomes Along A Eutrophication Gradient In An Urbanized Estuary, Rebecca J. Stevick, Anton F. Post, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Oysters in coastal environments are subject to fluctuating environmental conditions that may impact the ecosystem services they provide. Oyster-associated microbiomes are responsible for some of these services, particularly nutrient cycling in benthic habitats. The effects of climate change on host-associated microbiome composition are well-known, but functional changes and how they may impact host physiology and ecosystem functioning are poorly characterized. We investigated how environmental parameters affect oyster-associated microbial community structure and function along a trophic gradient in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Adult eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, gut and seawater samples were collected at 5 sites along this estuarine …

Managing Aquaculture In Multi-Use Freshwater Bodies: The Case Of Jatiluhur Reservoir, D. A. Taskov, T. C. Telfer, D. A. Bengtson, Michael A. Rice, D. C. Little, F. J. Murray

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The pressure on scarce freshwater resources from intensifying human activity is rising across the globe. This study presents the case of Jatiluhur—Indonesia's largest reservoir, where unregulated aquaculture expansion has contributed to environmental degradation and associated conflicts with other water-users. Aiming to identify a strategy to improve the sustainability of cage aquaculture within Jatiluhur reservoir and other freshwater bodies facing similar challenges, this study consisted of an initial analysis of time bound satellite images of the reservoir and a systematic survey of 112 aquaculture farms. The results revealed that, with more than 45 000 production units in 2020, more than half …

Identifying Hotspots For Spatial Management Of The Indonesian Deep-Slope Demersal Fishery, Elle Wibisono, Gavino Puggioni, Edwison Firmana, Austin T. Humphries

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

The Indonesian deep-slope demersal fishery targets mostly snappers and groupers and is vital for the wellbeing of millions of people. More than 100 species are captured at depths of 50–500 m along shelves and seamounts using mostly droplines and bottom longlines. The main target species are Pristipomoides multidens, Pristipomoides filamentosus, Pristipomoides typus, Atrobucca brevis, Epinephelus areolatus, and Lutjanus malabaricus. The fleet in this fishery is predominantly unlicensed small-scale (1–10 gross ton) vessels. The fishery is unmanaged and lacks data that would allow policymakers to formulate sustainable management strategies. Here, we use fisheries-dependent data on …

Assessing Indicators And Limitations Of Food Security Objectives In Coral Reef Restoration, Jessica Vandenberg, Austin Humphries, Carlos Garcia-Quijanoa, Amelia Moore, Richard Pollnac, Suparman Abdullah

Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Faculty Publications

Coral reef restoration is often presented as a marine conservation solution that provides 'win-win' outcomes. However, most studies on reef restoration have focused on the biological success, while little is known about whether social objectives are ever achieved. This study investigates a reef restoration initiative in the Spermonde archipelago, Indonesia, where food security was initially presented as an intended social outcome. We utilised an ethnographic mixed-methods approach to investigate: 1) perceived sociocultural benefits of coral restoration to the local community; 2) impacts of reef restoration on local food security; and 3) local sociocultural barriers and limitations of reef restoration as …

Optimization Of Riparian Zone Nitrogen Management Through The Development Of Riparian Model, Marzia Tamanna

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis addresses the modeling approach to benefit the riparian zone nutrient management related to water quality in the Northeast and Midwest of USA. Nutrient (primarily Nitrogen (N)) loss from agricultural watersheds through runoff and drainage water continues to be a water quality concern of global importance. Since N is a crucial input for the sustainability of agriculture, the use of N has increased dramatically in recent decades and the excessive nutrient losses have increased too. Like global concern, agriculture (cropland, pasture, managed forest) is an important component of many watersheds of the USA Northeast where N flux to major …

Functional Analysis Of Virulence In Vibrio Coralliilyticus Re22 And Probiotic Mechanisms Of Phaeobacter Inhibens S4, Christian W. Schuttert

Open Access Dissertations

Infections by pathogenic marine bacteria present a major problem for both the shellfish and finfish aquaculture industries, resulting in severe disease and high mortality. Pathogen infection seriously affect aquaculture production, and cause significant economic loss. Marine pathogens like Vibrio coralliilyticus frequently cause disease in a variety of shellfish. The use of antibiotics in large-scale aquaculture settings leads to the development, and potential transfer, of antibiotic resistance. In order to mitigate this emerging threat, an understanding of pathogenic mechanisms of infection and novel preventative strategies, such as probiotic treatment, is paramount for understanding and preventing future disease.

In manuscript I, “Two …

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Cluster Analysis Differentiating Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors Of Children, Alexandria Capolino

Open Access Master's Theses

While decades of research have identified an association between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), minimal research focuses on differentiating the two phenomena. This can make assessing and treating symptoms of ADHD and exposure to childhood trauma a challenging and confusing process. The present study used cluster analysis to determine children’s behavior profiles based on internalizing and externalizing behaviors at age nine and examined whether these behavioral profiles differentiate the following four groups of children: children not exposed to ACEs or who were exposed to a low number of ACEs and indicate little to no ADHD …

Examining Anthorpogenic Pressures On Madgascar Carnivorans, Erin M. Wampole

Open Access Master's Theses

Biodiversity is increasingly threatened by anthropogenic disturbance globally. Information on the status of species and their response to changing environments is required to determine mitigation strategies before range contractions, population declines, or extinctions occur. Madagascar is a renowned biodiversity hotspot, comprising some of the highest levels of floral and faunal endemism in the world. Madagascar is also home to the most understudied family of carnivorans in the world, Eupleridae. Eupleridae is comprised of eight unique species that we currently lack fundamental knowledge about yet are of high conservation concern. Madagascar has experienced intense landscape changes from human expansion and resource …

Hybridization Between A Native Lizard (Anolis Carolinensis) And A Cryptic Invader (A. Porcatus) Across An Urban Landscape, Tyler B. Devos

Open Access Master's Theses

Invasive species impact native biota through competition, predation, and habitat alteration but can also transform native populations through hybridization. Outcomes of such hybridization events are variable and may result in the formation of a stable hybrid tension zone, extinction of one parental species via genetic swamping, hybrid speciation, or adaptive introgression. Hybrid population dynamics are further complicated by anthropogenic habitat disturbance, which has been shown to influence patterns of admixture and introgression between native and invasive species. Hybridization between the native lizard Anolis carolinensis and a morphologically similar invader (A. porcatus) in South Miami, Florida provides an ideal …