Digital Commons Network^™

How Exemplary Title I Elementary School Principals Lead With An Infinite Mindset, Lindsey Rae Gatfield

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how exemplary Title I elementary school principals perceive practices of Sinek’s infinite mindset framework are embedded in their organization to inspire achievement of extraordinary results. A further purpose of this study was to understand organizational supports and barriers exemplary Title I elementary school principals perceive affect infinite mindset development. Methodology: This phenomenological study explored experiences of exemplary leaders and their perceptions of how the five practices of infinite mindset are embedded in their organization. The target population for this study was exemplary Title I elementary school principals in Orange …

A Correlational Study Examining The Teacher Candidates’ Performance In The Initial Teacher Preparation Programs Of A Private Midwestern University, Khitam Issa Yousuf Abdalla

Dissertations

This study explores and identifies the variables that affect teacher candidates’ performance in various stages of their study in the Teacher Preparation Programs at a Private Midwestern University. The researcher introduced the topic by providing a background of the study and its significance in maintaining the effectiveness of the Teacher Preparation Programs and its ability to prepare teacher candidates for state assessments and their field experience. One research question, five hypotheses, and 38 sub-hypotheses were formulated to tackle this study. The researcher provided literature on topics surrounding the history of teacher preparation programs and the curriculum offered by the Teacher …

Identification Of Students At Risk Of Low Performance By Combining Rule-Based Models, Enhanced Machine Learning, And Knowledge Graph Techniques, Balqis Mubarak Al Braiki

Dissertations

Technologies and online learning platforms have changed the contemporary educational paradigm, giving institutions more alternatives in a complex and competitive environment. Online learning platforms, learning-based analytics, and data mining tools are increasingly complementing and replacing traditional education techniques. However, academic underachievement, graduation delays, and student dropouts remain common problems in educational institutions. One potential method of preventing these issues is by predicting student performance through the use of institution data and advanced technologies. However, to date, scholars have yet to develop a module that can accurately predict students’ academic achievement and commitment. This dissertation attempts to bridge that gap by …

Comparing The Efficacy Of Two Inclusivity Interventions On Willingness To Invest In Female- Versus Male-Led Stem And Non-Stem Companies, Alicia Macchione

Dissertations

A notable gender asymmetry has been historically prevalent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Recent work has shown how gender-inclusive advertisements can increase women’s interest in pursuing these fields as indexed by college course enrollment, which could occur through reminders of moral and pragmatic utilities of gender inclusivity. This dissertation extended prior work by determining if inclusivity priming can be leveraged to facilitate financial investment in hypothetical STEM and non-STEM companies led by either a male or female CEO. Participants were first primed with a statement describing the pragmatic utility of gender inclusivity in STEM, a moral statement …

Level 2 And Level 3 Patients In A 5-Level Triage System: Factors Related To Acuity Assignment And Trajectory Of The Emergency Department Experience, Roxanne O. Garbez

Dissertations

Clinical decision making in the emergency department (ED) can have a significant impact on patient safety and health care outcomes. One type of clinical decision making is the process of emergency department triage. Within the context of the 5-level Emergency Severity Index triage system, it is not known what factors influence patient assignment by the triage nurse to ESI acuity levels 2 and 3. To increase the validity of patient assignment to levels 2 and 3, more explicit criteria are needed.

Purposes: (1) Describe factors that influence triage nurse assignment of patients to level 2 and level 3; (2) Examine …

Impacting African American Student Achievement In The Middle School Stem Classroom By Teaching Mathematics Through Arts Integration And Design Thinking, Robert Lippert, Tjuannia R. Seals

Dissertations

Middle school is a transitional period in which many students experience content-specific teachers, travel between classrooms, and explore extracurricular activity options for the first time. Historically, African American middle school students have not fared well in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on standardized assessments, performing significantly below their Caucasian counterparts in mathematics and science. From the beginning of their academic careers, a lack of access to quality teachers, excessive use of direct instruction strategies, and a lack of resources in their school communities, contribute to their overall apathy towards the subject matter and factor into their underperformance. As a …

The Neuroendovascular Procedures In The Cath Lab: An Educational Intervention, Jolly M. Kuruvilla

Dissertations

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and a major cause of disability. Catheter-based therapies for acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke have emerged as the latest model of care for patients experiencing stroke. Catheterization laboratories are now performing neuroendovascular procedures such as thrombectomy and embolization for stroke; it is critical that nurses assist with cardiac catheterization be proficient in neuroendovascular procedures. The project began with a clinical question: Among nurses practicing in a cath lab, will there be a difference in knowledge level and clinical competencies in preparing and monitoring patients for thrombectomy and embolization (neuroendovascular procedures) before and …

A Phenomenological Study On The Informal Learning Experiences Of Female Mid-Level Administrators, Kathryn L. Curameng

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to identify and describe the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identifies and describes the informal leadership development experiences of female mid-level administrators in private nonprofit higher education institutions in California. Respondents were selected based on specific criteria and recommendations of a sponsor. The researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews and observations of participants.

Findings: Examination of the qualitative data from interviews with 16 female mid-level administrators working in private nonprofit higher education yielded nine major findings. These included 2 unexpected …

The Impact Of Using Relevant Context On Student Comprehension And Attitude In A Collegiate Introductory Statistics Unit On Probability, Ryan F. Rzeszutko, Jennifer L. Petrie, Dwayne T. James

Dissertations

The typical collegiate introductory statistics course poses significant challenges for students. Many do not fully comprehend key course skills, and it is common for students to exit the class with a neutral or negative attitude toward statistics. To measure the impact of using relevant contextual examples as an instructional strategy during a probability unit, in-class activities were designed to align with areas of interest for participants as identified by a student interest inventory. It was hypothesized that the use of relevant context would create a significant difference in the comprehension or attitude of students enrolled in an introductory statistics course …

Magnetic Interactions In Open-Shell Conjugated Polymers, Michael Steelman

Dissertations

Most materials are closed shell in which every electron participates in a bond, resulting in unremarkable magnetometry signatures and functionalities. While rare, modern technologies rely on magnetic materials in which unpaired electrons are localized to inorganic atomic centers. In recent decades, a collection of organic open-shell π-conjugated molecules have shown magnetic ordering, albeit at exceedingly low temperatures; a result of weak noncovalent intermolecular interactions limiting long range electronic exchange. Thus, practically applicable sp orbital magnetism that persists at or above room temperature remains a grand challenge for chemistry and physics. Despite the wide variety of chemical structures afforded by organic …

Chaos Is Not Rational: Nursing Leadership And Intuition In Disaster Preparedness And Response, Sarah Banks

Dissertations

Nurses are looked upon as leaders in disaster preparedness and response. Charged with making life-altering decisions, experienced nurse leaders utilize analytical and intuitive strategies to manage crisis situations. Rarely recognized by upper-level management and educational institutions, intuition is our natural ability to know something without any evidence or validation. Intuition allows us to make decisions in ever-changing circumstances when solutions are not obvious. Though difficult to explain, intuition is a powerful skill that gives nurse leaders the confidence needed to make decisions based on their previous experience. Experienced nurse leaders utilize intuition to arrive at a solution without conscious awareness …

Modeling And Simulation Of Cyberattacks To Aid Systems Security Engineers And Cyber-Physical Designs To Aid Systems Engineers, Christopher Daniel Colvett

Dissertations

The advent of the Internet has led to an ever-increasingly interconnected world. The range of cyber-physical systems being interconnected has expanded to include power generation facilities, automobiles, weapon systems, and others. Securing such systems against cyberattacks is crucial, and consequently cybersecurity research, including cybersecurity modeling, has been growing. However, most cybersecurity modeling efforts to date omit any representation of the computer systems' user, thereby overlooking the potentially negative impact that security measures can have on system users' productivity. A currently ongoing research program, consisting of multiple interrelated research projects, has been modeling cyberattacks based on their descriptions in the MITRE …

Hyperinsulinemic Lew.1wr1 Rats Develop Insulin Resistance And Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Madushika M. Wimalarathne

Dissertations

The pathophysiological causes of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development are not fully understood but are often associated with hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and ectopic lipid accumulation. A subpopulation of type 1 diabetes patients develops the pathophysiological parameters to be termed “double diabetes,” which is associated with NASH. The objective of this work was to identify metabolic features of double diabetes and assess if LEW.1WR1 rats develop NASH. I assessed pathophysiologically relevant protein changes using proteomics and western blotting. I found that 17-week-old LEW.1WR1 rats showed protein changes related to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a precursor to NASH. We tested a second population …

Gardening And Watering 21st Century Soil: Culturally Responsive And Technology Enhanced Instructional Design In K12 Schools, Elissa W. Frazier

Dissertations

Decades of research have documented the positive impact of culturally responsive teaching on academic outcomes for African American and LatinX students. However, as the field of education has become increasingly embedded with technology as a powerful tool of instruction, more attention is needed to understand how culturally responsive teachers use technology to close achievement gaps. Although national public policy over the last twenty-years has documented the negative impact of the digital divide on low SES, African American and LatinX students, large-scale efforts to close the divide have focused primarily on access to devices only. More recently, the second digital “use” …

Fermi-Gbm : The 10 Year Spectral Catalog And Exploring Physically-Motivated Models To Fit Gamma-Ray Burst Spectra, Suraj Poolakkil

Dissertations

Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) are ultra-relativistic jets of plasma and radiation formed by two known progenitors: core-collapse supernovae (a.k.a. “collapsars”) and binary mergers of compact objects, especially neutron stars. They have been studied extensively since their discovery in the 1960s, but many aspects of their prompt emission remain a mystery. In the first part of this dissertation I present the systematic spectral analyses of GRBs detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor during its first ten years of operation. It consists of spectral fits from 2297 GRBs, resulting in a compendium of over 18,000 spectra. In the second part, I explore …

A Qualitative Study Of The Time Of Completion For African Graduate Students At Andrews University, George Opoku

Dissertations

Problem

International students are an important part of higher education institutions because they bring in funds, they enhance the diversity, and increase the knowledge being shared (Srivastava et al., 2010; Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2013; Ongo, 2019; Knight, 2007; Pandit, K., 2007; Baklashova & Kazakov, 2016). Therefore, if retention is not monitored and maintained, the United States could soon lose this important group to other countries with more competitive retention plans (Srivastava, 2010, p. 1561). Andrews University is one school in the U.S. that already shows signs of retention issues among international students, including African international students. There are several challenges …

Impact Of The Regionalization Of Universidad De Antioquia In The Development Of Human Capital And Improvement Of The Equity In The Region Of Urabá, Monica Castaño Mejía

Dissertations

Problem

In Colombia, higher education plays a relevant role in developing human capital and equity, giving everyone the opportunity to access higher education. In particular, the government has been supporting public and private universities to open campuses in rural areas where guerrillas, the mafia, and paramilitary groups were fighting the government to dominate the territories. In 1995, the government of the State of Antioquia officially established the regionalization of higher education as a strategy to promote higher education in disadvantaged regions. The Universidad de Antioquia (Universidad de Antioquia) adopted that strategy as part of its development plans during the last …

The Body Of Christ And The Law: A Comparative Study Of Romans 7:4 And Galatians 2:19, Dominic Bornand

Dissertations

In Romans and Galatians, Paul refers to a spiritual death to sin (Rom 6:2) and to the law (Rom 7:4; Gal 2:19). As the means of the believer's death to the law, Paul mentions the "body of Christ" in Rom 7:4 and the "law" in Gal 2:19. These verses seem to suggest some sort of relationship between the body of Christ and the law, as well as between the law and sin. The purpose of this study is to determine the type of relationship between the body of Christ and the law, as well as between law and sin. The …

The Perceived Results Of Feedback And Evaluation Of Teaching Effectiveness On Adjunct Faculty Professional Development And Growth, Luda V. Vine

Dissertations

Problem

While full-time faculty at any institution of higher learning undergo an established system of evaluation of teaching effectiveness, adjunct faculty members' experience varies greatly from institution to institution. There is little in the relevant academic literature about an effective feedback mechanism for evaluating teaching effectiveness among adjunct faculty members. Limited qualitative research has been done to understand the effects of teaching evaluations on the professional development and growth of individual adjunct faculty members. Developing an understanding of effective evaluation of teaching that will result in improved adjunct faculty professional development and growth will impact not only the faculty members' …

Associating High School Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem) Course-Taking With Future Earnings For Non-Stem Employed High School Graduates, Beth Marchant

Dissertations

Problem

Due to the current resurgence of attention given to high school students' taking courses in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), research was needed to examine whether a relationship between the number of STEM courses a high school student, who graduates from high school and works in a non-STEM field, completes and the success of that student 10 years later. One measure of student success, future earnings, can be measured quantitatively and is included in the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002) data set, an ideal source of information to evaluate this issue (Institute of Education Sciences, 2019b).

Method …

A Computational Model Of Trust Based On Dynamic Interaction In The Stack Overflow Community, Patrick O’Neill

Dissertations

A member’s reputation in an online community is a quantified representation of their trustworthiness within the community. Reputation is calculated using rules-based algorithms which are primarily tied to the upvotes or downvotes a member receives on posts. The main drawback of this form of reputation calculation is the inability to consider dynamic factors such as a member’s activity (or inactivity) within the community. The research involves the construction of dynamic mathematical models to calculate reputation and then determine to what extent these results compare with rules-based models. This research begins with exploratory research of the existing corpus of knowledge. Constructive …

Application Of Shallow Neural Networks To Retail Intermittent Demand Time Series, Urko Allende

Dissertations

Accurate sales predictions are essential for businesses in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. However, their demand forecasts are often unreliable, leading to imprecisions that affect downstream decisions. This dissertation proposes using an artificial neural network to improve intermittent demand forecasting in the retail sector. The research investigates the validity of using unprocessed historical information, eluding hand-crafted features, to learn patterns in intermittent demand data. The experiment tests a selection of shallow neural network architectures that can expedite the time-to-market in comparison to conventional demand forecasting methods. The results demonstrate that organisations that still rely on manual and direct forecasting …

Modelling And Mitigating Interlocutor Confusion In Situated Human-Avatar And Human-Robot Interaction, Na Li

Dissertations

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) is an important but challenging field focused on improving the interaction between humans and robots, to make the interaction more intelligent and effective. However, building a natural conversational HRI is an interdisciplinary challenge for scholars, engineers, and designers. Achieving successful conversational interaction with a social robot necessitates not only observing a user’s active participation in the interaction but also being aware of their emotional and attitudinal states as the interaction progresses. On the topic of attitudinal states, one field that has received little attention to date is monitoring the user for possible confusion states. Confusion is a …

A High-Speed Simulation And Cybersecurity Regression Testing Platform For Industrial Control Systems, Shelton Wright

Dissertations

Modeling and simulation techniques are used extensively in both industry and science. Individual parts of larger systems are typically modeled and simulated using different techniques and tools making it difficult to study the more extensively coupled heterogeneous system. In order to show the vulnerabilities of a physical system to cybersecurity risks, the complex interdependence between the cyber and physical systems must be modeled. This paper discusses the development of a high-speed high-fidelity Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) simulation platform that 1) enables regression testing of both cybersecurity applications and other SCADA applications and 2) enables the creation of data …

Bayesian Methods For Time-Delay Interferometry In Space-Based Detection Of Gravitational Waves, Jessica Page

Dissertations

Gravitational wave (GW) data analysis often necessarily includes limiting assumptions about detector noise and its response function during astrophysical parameter estimation. Here we take a broad look at the impact these assumptions can have across the GW spectrum, with an emphasis on Bayesian techniques for the future space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. Laser frequency noise (LFN) will be the dominant source of noise in the LISA mission at ~7 orders of magnitude greater amplitude than typical GWs. Time-delay interferometry (TDI) is the method for suppressing LFN to acceptable levels by linearly combining time-shifted measurements to digitally represent an …

The Influence Of Irrigation On Great Plains Diurnal Circulations And Boundary Layer Convective Rolls, Christopher E. Phillips

Dissertations

Agriculture is the most substantial change to the natural land surface made by humans, and irrigation plays a crucial role. Irrigation is utilized for 20% of croplands, and those regions produce 40% of the global food supply. The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) deployed to southeast Nebraska during the summer of 2018 to investigate the effects of irrigation on the atmosphere. This dissertation utilizes those observations in conjunction with numerical modeling to determine how irrigation modifies the Great Plains slope wind. Analysis of rawinsondes indicate that irrigation present in upslope regions of the domain weakens the slope wind circulation and …

Microphysical Examination Of Electrified Snowfall Events Using Goes Abi/Glm And Nu-Wrf, Sebastian S. Harkema

Dissertations

Much of the research using lightning, satellite, and numerical weather prediction model dataset involves the observation and prediction of warm season convection, whereas studies with regards to winter weather and heavy snowfall are sparse and nearly non-existent for electrified snowfall events. Single channel and multispectral composite satellite imagery were analyzed prior to lightning initiation in snowfall (i.e., thundersnow). Objectively tracked cloud features exhibited similar cloud-top brightness temperature and reflectance value changes – prior to thundersnow initiation – compared to cloud features associated with summertime lightning. Multispectral composite imagery – particularly the day cloud phase distinction – demonstrated consistent color changes …

Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement In Stem Through Bioinformatics Research, Michele C. Morris

Dissertations

A novel intervention to introduce undergraduate students to bioinformatics, provide authentic research opportunities, and support student retention in science majors and careers is presented in the Characterizing Our DNA Exceptions (CODE) project. The need to increase the number of qualified STEM graduates, particularly in the fields of bioinformatics and computational research, was the impetus for this project that leads students down the path of scientific discovery as they characterize genomic variants of uncertain significance (VUS). This study sought to examine if student participation in a CODE research project would increase their bioinformatics awareness, interest, comfort, and knowledge, as well as …

Applying Organizational Learning Theories To Continuous Improvement Practices Through Self-Study Methodology To Better Reflect Upon And Understand Factors That Influence School Improvement Efforts, Morgan Daniel Gallagher

Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study is to better understand and address the factors that influence continuous improvement efforts led by the researcher/practitioner. To this end, this study applies Bolman and Deal’s 4-frame model of organizational learning lenses to school improvement indicators on the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. Through taking Bolman and Deal’s Online 4-frame Self-assessment, I am able to identify the organizational learning lens least integrated into my own leadership worldview. The organizational learning lenses that comprise Bolman and Deal’s 4-frame model are the structural, symbolic, human resource, and political lenses. I then apply core tenets of my least integrated lens …

Method Development For The Quantification Of Heavy Metals In Biological Matrices And Its Application To Clinical And Environmental Samples, Michelle Catherine Gende

Dissertations

A three-fold approach was taken to develop a method for the detection of heavy metals in different matrices and had to be performed sequentially. The first was to develop a method capable of quantifying lead in complex matrices by graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA). The developed method needed to meet specific analytical requirements, namely, to be robust, sensitive, and accurate. Initially, four different sample preparation methods were explored for the quantification of lead using Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a sample matrix. The sample preparation procedures attempted were acidic dilution, matrix modification, conventional heating digestion, and microwave assisted acid digestion …