Outside Looking In: Non-Standard Work And The Politics Of Labor Market Segmentation, Kathleen Bolter

Dissertations

Since the 1980s, major structural and demographic changes in the OECD have encouraged the proliferation of nonstandard work (part-time and temporary jobs). The increase in nonstandard work is viewed as a key cause for income and social inequality. Inequality creates many issues for states including the erosion of trust in institutions and a weakening of civic society as economic growth fails to benefit all of those involved in its production. Up to this point, there have been few studies examining why states vary in employment protection and regulation for nonstandard work. This study seeks to answer how the insider/outsider divide, …

Methodology To Qualify And Monitor A Chemically Bonded Sand System Used In Foundries, Prayag Pravinbhai Patel

Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation is to establish a new quality control framework that combines a statistical process control (SPC) approach to casting quality for chemically bonded sand systems used in foundries. Foundries in the United States use the American Foundry Society standardized sand testing to monitor chemically bonded sand systems. These standardized tests are inefficient for two reasons. Firstly, standard tests are based on mechanical, physical, chemical and thermal properties of a sand system that do not consider interaction between these properties, but sand casting processes are inherently thermo-mechanical, thermo-chemical and thermo-physical. Secondly, these tests can only detect large …

The Relationship Of An Ipad, A Video Magnifier, And Large Print Text With Oral Reading Outcomes For Children With Low Vision, Rosemary L. Nave Stawasz

Dissertations

Low vision may cause a decrease in visual performance and interfere with daily functioning, especially reading print or text materials. Reading standard text can be particularly challenging for students with low vision in an educational setting and can reduce oral reading rates. Students with low vision may use large print or low vision devices for reading. Limited evidence currently exists to compare oral reading outcomes across various reading media for children with low vision.

The purpose of this exploratory project was to examine oral reading rate, fluency, and comprehension among children with low vision when using an iPad, a video …

Superintendent Practices And Initiatives For Building Principal Instructional And Collaborative Leadership Capacity In A High-Performing High-Poverty School, Fatemah Ali Al Ramel

Dissertations

This study explores how superintendents build school principal leadership capacity by developing (a) principal capacity to function as instructional leaders and (b) a culture of shared and collaborative leadership. A particular focus for this study is the ways in which superintendents work with principals to build instructional and shared leadership capacity in order to turn low-performing schools that educate high-poverty student populations into schools that outperform their demographic peers. This study describes the activities and strategies that characterize the ways in which superintendents build a strong collaborative leadership team with their school principals, then use that collaborative team to develop …

Repression And Resistance: A Social History Of The Gay Social Movement Of Tijuana, México 1980-1993, Jesse Anguiano

Dissertations

Social movements are shaped by the historical context in which they emerge and provide a window to understand how collective action develops. The literature on social movements suggests that macro factors such as political climate and dominant social scripts affect the direction of a social movement. However, examining solely the macro perspectives on a movement reveals only part of how and why groups mobilize. This dissertation uses historical and archival resources to document the social history of Gay men living in Tijuana, México. This research is guided by a main research question: What explains the successful and ongoing mobilization of …

The Lived Experience Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Transitioning From High School To A Liberal Arts College, Joseph D. Bishop

Dissertations

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are transitioning into colleges and universities at a growing rate. All types of post-secondary institutions are seeing this influx, yet some are ill prepared to assist students with ASD, especially within the transition process. There is a gap in the research focusing on students with ASD within liberal art colleges. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of students with ASD as they transition from high school to a small liberal arts college.

My research uses a phenomenological approach in order to develop descriptive themes. I interviewed seven students who …

The Role Of Histamine H3 Receptor Antagonists In Modulating Autistic Behaviors And Altered Central Inflammatory Responses In Different Mouse Models Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nermin Abdel Wahab Mahmoud Eissa Abdel Zaher

Dissertations

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment of social communication and restricted/repetitive behavior patterns or interests. Brain histamine and acetylcholine play a crucial role in cognitive functions. Considering this, the effects of systemic sub-chronic treatment with H3R antagonist DL77 (5, 10, or 15 mg/kg) on autistic-like behavioral parameters, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation in male Tuck-Ordinary (TO) and C57BL/6 (C57) mice, prenatally exposed to valproic acid (VPA, 500 mg/kg), were investigated. Furthermore, the effects of dual-active H3R antagonist and balanced acetylcholinesterase inhibitor E100 (5, 10, or 15 mg/kg) on autistic-associated abnormalities of VPA- exposed male C57 mice, …

Chemical Characterization Of Trichoderma Reesei Degraded Date Pits And Its Effect On Growth Performance And Intestinal Bacterial Population And Antioxidant Status - A Comparative Study With Mannose And Mannan -Oligosaccharide On Broiler, Salem Rashed Ali Rashed Al Yileili

Dissertations

With the increasing apprehension over food safety nowadays, there have been relentless efforts aiming for subrogating antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feeds. Thus, this research study aims at investigating the potential effects of using degraded date pits (DDP) as feedstuff and as a natural alternative for antibiotics in poultry feeding. Two feeding experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, the minimum time of feeding a diet containing 10% DDP is required to induce growth-promoting effects on broiler performance. In experiment 2, the influence of feeding 10% DDP was examined as feedstuff at 10% in broilers diets and a growth-promoting agent …

An Evaluation Of An I-Ready Math Program For 5th Graders In One School District, Tashanda Brown-Cannon

Dissertations

This study evaluated the impact of i-Ready Math instruction on 5^th grade students identified as performing below grade level in mathematics. The participants in this study, administrators and teachers from three Title I schools, answered survey and interview questions to provide their perception on the program’s effectiveness. Equally important, I analyzed student assessment data and online program usage data to ascertain the program’s impact on student achievement. The results of this study revealed a lack of fidelity of implementation of the i-Ready Math program. Based on these findings, I proposed an extension to the teacher contract and a revision …

Advocating For Cycles Of Inquiry As Alabama's Professional Development Model For Teachers, Brian Metcalf

Dissertations

The single most important variable in student achievement is the quality of the teacher in front of them (Darling-Hammond 2014). As Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) professional development mission statement has included adult learning principles, states must begin to align to this expectation. If schools are going to see the quality that Darling-Hammond references, states must think aobut adopting a professional development framework that gives districts guidelines but allows for autonomy. Cycles of Inquiry is a researched based framework that aligns to the principles of adult learning but isn’t so rigid that school district and schools couldn’t augment it to …

Exploration Of Atheism As A Diversity Issue And Its Implications For Best Practice In Psychotherapy: Trajectories And Strengths, Justin Michael Lampert

Dissertations

The conceptualization of Atheism has transformed considerably over the past century, making a transition from the taboo to a new movement of outspoken activism underlined by a strong self-identification with systemic nonbelief and sense of pride. Psychological literature has only begun to reflect the larger societal changes in perception and value over the past decade. As such, research has yet to adequately examine Atheism from a cultural perspective, creating an injustice in the psychotherapist’s ability to properly understand and treat patients in a comprehensive manner. Through the examination of trajectories leading to an Atheistic belief set, the application of a …

Engaging In Self-Care: Do Mental Health Care Providers Practice What They Preach?, Nancy L. Lashley

Dissertations

Self-care has been identified as a critical protective factor against the adverse effects of career-related stress among mental health care professionals. The need for utilization of adequate self-care practices among mental health care professionals remains critical with the number of mental health care professionals endorsing clinically significant levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations. Research has identified the need and importance of self-care among mental health care providers as well as the adverse consequences of inadequate self-care. This literature review examined the methods and strategies mental health care providers are using to engage in self-care including complementary and alternative methods. …

Linking The Relationship Between Childhood Interpersonal Trauma And Auditory Hallucinations: Considerations For Assessment, Conceptualization, And Treatment, Amanda Pinelli

Dissertations

Abstract

A growing body of research has demonstrated a strong relationship between childhood interpersonal trauma and development of auditory hallucinations in children, adolescents, and adults. Several factors may influence whether an individual will experience auditory hallucinations after exposure to childhood interpersonal traumatic events, including the type of trauma exposure such as childhood sexual abuse or neglect, and biopsychosocial factors such as genetics or the environment. Additionally, the content of auditory hallucinations may include thematic representations of childhood interpersonal trauma. Auditory hallucinations may be perceived as commanding, threatening, and cause fear in individuals who experience them. Research suggests that dissociation may …

Treatment Considerations For Adoption-Related Complex Trauma, Jessica Reyka

Dissertations

The western culture holds many assumptions related to adoption; however, it is clear based on the research provided that adoption and the circumstances leading up to being adopted often leave the child traumatized. Many adopted individuals and adoptive families seek mental health services in order to help address some of the symptoms that have manifested through traumatic events. However, the services they are receiving are reportedly lacking in basic knowledge related to adoption and have, at times, done more harm than good. As clinicians, it is important to acknowledge one's scope of clinical competence and to only treat individuals that …

Stonewall: Developing A Historically-And-Culturally Based Empowerment Narrative Modality For Therapeutic Treatment With Lgbtq+ Youth, Stephen Terranova

Dissertations

Despite more recent advancements in social acceptance and legislative advancements, LGBTQ+ peoples have continued to suffer from institutional and cultural oppression which has resulted in disproportionately higher levels of negative psychological outcomes, particularly for youth. The behavioral health establishment should be best-suited for addressing these concerns, but a history of stigmatizing LGBTQ+ peoples has created a paucity of population-sensitive treatment interventions which could be beneficial for use with younger people of sexually diverse identity. This paper posits that empowerment narrative therapy, with its emphasis on re-framing the stories of individuals to draw on their history of resilience to confront personal …

Policy Advocacy: Transgender Students In A Public School Setting, Rob Mcelligott

Dissertations

The purpose of this policy advocacy paper is to encourage the State of Illinois to implement a statewide policy on how school districts can best support students undergoing a gender transition. It has been proven that students in the LGBTQ community are subject to more harassment and bullying than their straight, cisgender peers. It is incumbent on schools to provide a safe, caring environment for all students. This policy was analyzed from educational, economic, social, legal, and ethical points of view. The implementation of this policy will help to guide students who are struggling with their gender identity by helping …

Electrochemically Reactive Membranes For Efficient Biomass Recovery, Pollutant Degradation And Commercialization, Likun Hua

Dissertations

Micropollution in natural waters such as rivers and groundwater aquifers is a widespread problem that prevents these potentially potable sources from being used as drinking water. In the United States, approximately two-thirds of the over 1,200 most serious hazardous waste sites in the nation are contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), a potentially carcinogenic compound. Other emerging and environmentally persistent organic micropollutants include polyromantic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organophosphate flame retardants, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Membrane filtration is one of the most efficient separation processes widely used for water treatment and pollutant removal. However, traditional membrane …

A Multimodal Approach To Investigate Brain Reorganization After Spinal Cord Injury Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, Keerthana Deepti Karunakaran

Dissertations

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) results in structural and functional neurological changes at both the brain and the level of the spinal cord. Anatomical studies indicate decreased grey matter volume in sensorimotor and non-sensorimotor regions of the cortex following SCI; whereas, neurophysiological findings mostly report altered functional activity in the sensorimotor nodes of the cortex, subcortex, and cerebellum. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether tissue atrophy observed in non-motor related areas has any concomitant functional consequences. Furthermore, the neural underpinnings of adaptive neuroplasticity after SCI is not well-defined in the current literature. Hence, this dissertation is a pioneer study investigating …

Minimizing Vehicular Traffic Via Optimized Land Use Development For A Sustainable And Equitable Future, Babu Veeregowda

Dissertations

Mixed-use developments and transit-oriented developments are becoming very common in urban areas in an effort to reduce sprawl. Numerous studies have shown that such programs would not be successful unless the mix of land uses and sizes is well-balanced and integrated with the surrounding neighborhood. Developers often ignore this aspect in favor of immediate financial gain and do not realize that there are sustainable financial benefits in land use optimization. In addition, professionals often work with limited logistics, resources, and technical knowledge and therefore struggle in setting goals and suggesting land uses that have less auto dependency based on travel …

Dual Modality Optical Coherence Tomography : Technology Development And Biomedical Applications, Farzana Rahmat Zaki

Dissertations

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a cross-sectional imaging modality that is widely used in clinical ophthalmology and interventional cardiology. It is highly promising for in situ characterization of tumor tissues. OCT has high spatial resolution and high imaging speed to assist clinical decision making in real-time.

OCT can be used in both structural imaging and mechanical characterization. Malignant tumor tissue alters morphology. Additionally, structural OCT imaging has limited tissue differentiation capability because of the complex and noisy nature of the OCT signal. Moreover, the contrast of structural OCT signal derived from tissue’s light scattering properties has little chemical specificity. Hence, …

High-Performance Learning Systems Using Low-Precision Nanoscale Devices, Nandakumar Sasidharan Rajalekshmi

Dissertations

Brain-inspired computation promises a paradigm shift in information processing, both in terms of its parallel processing architecture and the ability to learn to tackle problems deemed unsolvable by traditional algorithmic approaches. The computational capability of the human brain is believed to stem from an interconnected network of 100 billion compute nodes (neurons) that interact with each other through approximately 10¹⁵ adjustable memory junctions (synapses). The conductance of synapses is modifiable allowing the network to learn and perform various cognitive functions. Artificial neural networks inspired by this architecture have demonstrated even super-human performance in many complex tasks.

Computational systems based …

Interventions Of Waterjet Technology In Skin Incisions, Nadi Atalla

Dissertations

This research explores the use of waterjet (WJ) technology in performing skin incisions. The study defines the analytical relationships between the skin properties and the operating parameters of the WJ which include the skin thickness, its elastic modulus, the WJ pressure, the nozzle’s orifice diameter, its stand-off distance and the traverse speed of the WJ as well as the duration of applying the WJ pressure. An analytical model is developed to measure the depth incision of the skin, the water pressure and the water velocity, while using a WJ. Systemization and optimization models that determine the optimal operating parameters levels …

Fouling And Aging In Membrane Filtration : Hybrid Afm-Based Characterization, Modelling And Reactive Membrane Design, Wanyi Fu

Dissertations

Membrane filtration has been extensively used in water and wastewater treatment, desalination, dairy making, and biomass/water separation. However, membrane fouling, aging and insufficient removal efficiency for dissolved organic matters remain major challenges for wider industrial applications. In order to tackle these challenges, this doctoral dissertation investigates mechanisms of membrane fouling and development of antifouling membrane filtration technologies. Specifically, four major research areas are explored: (i) nanoscale physicochemical characterization of the chemically modified polymeric membranes; (ii) quantitative modelling between membrane properties and membrane fouling and defouling kinetics; (iii) development of quantitative structure-activity relationships for membranes that undergo thermal and chemical aging …

Engineered Excipients Via Dry Particle Coating, Liang Chen

Dissertations

Excipients with good flowability, bulk density as well as compaction properties are desired for use in tableting since they play important roles in formulation development and processing, including, handling, mixing, feeding and compaction. However, it is often difficult to manufacture excipients that simultaneously possess all three desirable properties, particularly if their size is fine. In addition, it is desirable that the excipients promote direct compression of poorly compactable fine cohesive drug powders at sufficiently high drug loading, and not just achieve the desired high functional properties in placebo formulations. This dissertation aims to developed engineered excipients towards this unmet industry …

Enzyme-Assisted Development Of Hydrogels As Medical Materials With Injectable, Biodegradable And Biocompatible Properties, Yung-Hao Tsou

Dissertations

Hydrogels were first discovered in the year 1960 by Wichterle and Lim [1], and in the following decades, they have been widely studied because of their unique characteristics including their hydrophilic nature, biocompatibility, and capacity to mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM). Hydrogels based on natural or synthetic polymers have continued to be of interest for tissue engineering and drug delivery due to their ability to encapsulate living cells and control the release rate of drugs or other bioactive molecules such as pharmaceutical proteins.

In the first part of this dissertation, dopant-free photoluminescent hydrogels formed in situ by crosslinking of biocompatible …

Temporal And Functional Cortical Aspects Related To Mirror Visual Feedback During Target-Directed Movement In Healthy And Stroke Individuals, Maryam Rohafza

Dissertations

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States (American Heart Association, American Stroke Association) affecting 800,000 individuals annually (i.e., one person every 45 seconds). Therapy for stroke often uses repetitive task practice, which is difficult to perform for patients due to impairment. Mirror visual feedback (MVF) based rehabilitation uses the effect of observing the mirror reflection of volitional movement of one limb, to activate visuomotor brain areas that process movement of the opposite limb. In persons with hemiplegia due to stroke, exercising the less affected limb while observing its reflection, perceived by them as the motion of …

Adult Ambulatory Care Visits For Illness-Related Complaints In The United States, 1995/1996, Ann M. Williamson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of a subset (illness-related complaints) of adult ambulatory care visits during 1995 and 1996 to physician offices (MDO), emergency departments (ED), and outpatient departments (OPD), using a nationally representative sample. Additionally, visits for selected illness conditions (chest pain, abdominal pain, asthma, and depression), visits resulting in hospital admission, and visits occurring in the ED were analyzed using logistic regression to construct utilization profiles.

Seeking Life Balance: The Perceptions Of Health Of Cambodian Women In Resettlement, Olivia Catolico

Dissertations

This grounded theory study was an inquiry into the perceptions of health of Cambodian women in resettlement and the conditions that influenced their perceptions. Few studies of Cambodian women who escaped political conflict exist. Cambodian women were among the waves of Southeast Asian refugees who have resettled in the United States. The sequelae of significant life trauma upon the health of Cambodian women in resettlement have received little attention in the nursing literature. There is less information about their perceptions of health in resettlement as their beliefs about health and illness causation contrast with those of Western health care providers.

The Relationship Between Health Locus Of Control, Perceived Self-Efficacy, Hardiness, And Recovery In Schizophrenia, Anne W. Bender

Dissertations

Approximately 1 out of 100 persons in the United States will be diagnosed as schizophrenic at some point in their lives. As an illness with onset in late adolescence or early young adulthood, schizophrenia has been described as having a homogeneous course of long-term chronicity. Recent literature has delineated more heterogeneity of outcome, but studies identifying factors related to recovery have been sparse. Using as a theoretical framework the stress-vulnerability model of schizophrenia, and concepts from social learning theory and existential psychology, this study examined the relationship between health locus of control, perceived self-efficacy, hardiness, and recovery, and which would …

Exploration Of The Decision-Making Process To Access And Utilize Healthcare In Women Veterans, Corinne A. Lee

Dissertations

Previous research described the barriers that women veterans (WVs) encounter during their decision-making to access and utilize healthcare services (Hamilton et al. 2013; Haskell, 2011& Washington et al. 2011).The decision-making process for accessing and utilizing healthcare in VA and non-VA health systems by women veterans is not described in the literature. Using a grounded theory approach (Strauss et al., 1998) and embedding the Decisional Conflict Scale(DCS) to assess for decisional conflict, this study explored how and why women veterans decide to access and utilize healthcare.