Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Leadership For The Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards: Principal Behaviors That Develop Professional Capital To Create Conditions For Positve Change, Eileen Beth Brett

Dissertations

Identifying specific leadership behaviors of elementary school principals that create conditions for positive change is critical to implementing educational reform. The purpose of this research is to identify specific leadership behaviors of principals that have positively impacted the implementation of the Common Core State Standards through the development of professional capital.

The Common Core Standards represent a recent movement to create national standards, founded on the belief that schools have an obligation to ensure that all students are college and career ready (McLaughlin & Overturf, 2012; Conley; 2014a). Implementing the Common Core has challenged principals to develop leadership skills to …

Divergent Pro-Leukemic Effects Of Myd88 And Ticam-1/Trif Mediated Toll-Like Receptor Signaling, Joseph Michael Cannova

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to determine the role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a hematopoietic malignancy that predominately affects the elderly. The median age of AML diagnosis is 67 years old. The standard of care of AML is treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy, which elderly patients are often unable to tolerate. To identify novel pathways as potential targets for treatment, a microarray on AML primary patient samples was performed to determine the expression of key inflammatory genes. This microarray, and other published datasets, showed that TLR are overexpressed in myelomonocytic (M4) and …

Perceptions Of Pediatric Hospital Safety Culture In The U.S.: A Secondary Data Analysis Of The 2016 Hospital Survey On Patient Safety Culture, Pamela J. Gampetro

Dissertations

This study explored differences in conceptualizing safety cultures in pediatric hospitals and specialty units from an interprofessional perspective on a national level. Errors in the pediatric population can quickly cause harm and frequently lead to adverse events (AEs). Research has explored the problems of patient harm and identified strategies to prevent those harms; but sustainable improvements, particularly in pediatric settings, have not been achieved. This cross-sectional descriptive study used national data from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture's 2016 dataset developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality measuring 12 dimensions of safety culture. The extracted sample included …

Role Of Micrornas In Impaired Gut Permeability Following Ethanol And Burn Injury, Niya Latrice Morris

Dissertations

Every year there are nearly 500,000 reported burn injuries in the United States; half of which occur under the influence of alcohol. Clinical studies have shown that burn patients who are intoxicated at the time of injury have a worse prognosis; including increased risk of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and sepsis. The etiology behind these pathological consequences of ethanol and burn injury remains to be elucidated. The Gut-lymph hypothesis of MODS theorizes that trauma (e.g. ethanol and burn injury) results in a redistribution of blood flow to protect more vital organs which leads to ischemia/hypoxia (diminished oxygen delivery) in …

Uncovering The Mechanisms Underlying The Immunogenicity Of Adenovirus Vaccine Vectors, Natalie Nidetz

Dissertations

Vaccination is historically the most effective tool for preventing infectious disease but current vaccine strategies fail to generate robust immunity to major infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria. Therefore, newer vaccine approaches are needed. Vaccines generated from viral, adenovirus based, vectors (AdVs) have proven highly immunogenic in multiple disease models. However, the clinical use of many AdVs is limited by the presence of pre-existing antibodies in human populations, which prevent expression of antigenic genes during immunization with AdVs based on common adenovirus (Ad) serotypes, such as HAdV-5C. Immunization with rare serotype based AdVs, such as HAdV-28D, are not affected …

A Discrete Loop In Serca N-Domain Plays A Role In Serca Headpiece Dynamics And Function, Olga N. Raguimova

Dissertations

The sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) is the major regulator of Ca2+ levels in the cell. Deficient calcium handling in the heart has been linked to heart failure, a leading cause of death in developed countries. As of today, targeting SERCA to enhance cardiac function has not been successful due to lack of details about SERCA structural dynamics during Ca2+ transport.

In my research, I utilized MD simulations and variety of physical assays to determine the role of Nβ5-β6 loop in regulation of SERCA structural dynamics during Ca2+ transport. Previous MD simulations by our lab predicted that the Nβ5-β6 loop …

Nitric Oxide Inhibits Biofilm Formation By Vibrio Fischeri Via The Nitric Oxide Sensor Hnox, Cecilia Thompson

Dissertations

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signal secreted by the squid, Euprymna scolopes, and is thought to limit symbiotic biofilm formation, the initial step in colonization by the bacterium, Vibrio fischeri. Previous work demonstrated that a mutant defective for NO-sensor HnoX (heme nitric oxide/oxygen binding) had a competitive advantage over wild-type V. fischeri, but the mechanism by which this occurred remains unknown. HnoX is encoded upstream of hahK, a recently identified positive regulator of biofilm formation. I thus hypothesized that HnoX inhibits colonization by controlling HahK-induced biofilm formation during the initiation of colonization.

I assessed the impact of an hnoX …

Ecospatial Orientation And American Literature, Lowell Wyse

Dissertations

Place is complex, and it undergirds and influences our fictional and nonfictional narratives in ways we often fail to recognize. In this dissertation, Lowell Wyse argues for a more holistic understanding of place's role in literature while asking what it means to read environmentally€”spatially, ecologically, and historically. Drawing from ecocriticism, which emphasizes the biological world, and geocriticism, which privileges the spatial, Wyse proposes a hybrid "ecospatial" criticism, with a particular emphasis on the role of maps in reading for place. With individual chapters on the nonfiction of William Least Heat-Moon, John Steinbeck's Salinas Valley fiction, Richard Wright's Native Son, and …

The Roles Of Hpa Axis Activity And Attentional Bias In The Development Of Anxiety Symptoms In Low-Income Mexican-Origin Children, Stephanie Brewer

Dissertations

The overarching goal of this research is to increase understanding of the development of anxiety in children of low-income Mexican-origin immigrants. Mexican-origin children display disproportionately high rates of mental disorders such as anxiety, as they face many chronic stressors related to poverty and immigration. A likely mediator of this process is HPA axis activity, causing a buildup of cortisol in the body in response to chronic stress. There is a large amount of evidence indicating that HPA axis activity is a mechanism through which accumulated poverty-related stress causes mental illness, but this mediator has not been examined in relation to …

Measuring Community Violence, Trauma, And Family Functioning Among Youth Living In Low-Income, Urban Environments, Kyle Deane

Dissertations

Exposure to community violence is a pressing public health concern that has profound effects on an adolescent’s development and psychological well-being, and is disproportionately experienced by ethnic minority youth living in economically disadvantaged urban environments. Efforts to measure violence exposure and its sequelae have centered primarily on the use of retrospective questionnaires and cross-sectional design and often fail to consider other contributory risk or resilience factors. Comprised of three related studies, the goal of this dissertation is to address the relations between of exposure to community violence, adjustment difficulties, such as posttraumatic stress, and family functioning among African American and …

In Between: What The Experiences Of Biracial, Bisexual Women Tell Us About Identity Formation, Marissa C. Floro

Dissertations

Research on bisexual, biracial women has been scarce; identity development in particular shows not only a gap in the research for this particular population, but shows the lack of intersectional models for approaching identity as a whole. Traditional models of queer identity have used White, gay, cisgender men as the default sample and coming out as the benchmark goal for identity integration. Biracial identity research, though more holistic, rarely includes intersectionality. Through feminist, queer theory and constructivist grounded theory, this project hopes to challenge traditional models of categorical identity development, give voice and visibility to a continually underrepresented group of …

Comparison Between The Structure-Function Relationship In The Wild Type Gαi1 Protein And Its Oncogenic Mutant, Jesse Lee Goossens

Dissertations

Many signal transduction pathways are regulated by guanine nucleotide-binding (G?) proteins, which function as molecular switches fluctuating between active and inactive conformations. Proper function depends on three flexible switch regions that are involved in the relatively slow hydrolysis of GTP. Deep sequencing studies have found mutations in the GNAS and GNAI1 genes involved in tumorigenesis, among which include a mutation corresponding to a highly conserved arginine residue in the switch II region. A mutation in GNAI1 encoding an R208Q change in G?i1 has been linked to intestinal cancers. We investigated the molecular basis of oncogenesis of this mutant by studying …

Shaping Black Boys: Exploring School Construction Of Masculinity And The Impact On Black Male Scholastic Perceptions Toward Academic Achievement And Schooling, Kisha V. Jenkins

Dissertations

African American boys face unique challenges. They are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than any other racial group (Losen, 2015). Equally disturbing, African American male students are largely suspended for more subjective and ambiguous reasons such as appearing “threatening or disrespectful” (Verdugo, 2007, p. 60). Research on teacher bias in the classroom has indicated that “African American males are generally viewed as possessing characteristics incongruent with academic success (e.g., laziness), valuing athletics over academic accomplishments, and having a propensity toward aggression and violence” (Thomas & Stevenson, 2009, p. 162). These issues experienced by African American males …

Child Maltreatment And Psychosocial Functioning In The Context Of Foster Care: Self-Concept As A Mediator And A Moderator, Grace Jhe Bai

Dissertations

Youth in foster care experience high prevalence rates of emotional and behavioral problems (Burns et al., 2004; Clausen et al., 1998; Fernandez, 2009; Orton et al., 2009; see McWey et al., 2010; see Pilowsky, 1995) due to a range of risk factors they encounter. Exposure to maltreatment can generally lead to increased internalizing problems (e.g., Avery et al., 2000; Carlson et al., 1997; see McWey et al., 2010), externalizing behaviors (e.g., Prino & Peyrot, 1994; McWey et al., 2010), social problems (e.g., Bolger & Patterson, 2001; Bolger et al., 1998), and poor self-perceptions or self-worth (see Arata et al., 2005; …

An Examination Of School Psychologists’ Exposure To And Preparedness To Support Transgender Students In Schools, Natalie Meier Meier

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine school psychologists’ professional practice in relation to transgender youth. The frequency with which school psychologists engage in the professional guidelines outlined by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) in their position statement: "Safe Schools for Transgender and Gender Diverse Students" was explored as well as school psychologists’ feelings of preparedness to complete these duties. Results indicate rural practitioners and school psychologists in elementary and middle schools feel the least prepared to implement the NASP best practices for serving transgender students. School psychologists working in non-rural and high school settings with more …

The Experience Of Mentors In A Cross-Age Peer Mentoring Program: Exploring The Helper Therapy Principle, Dakari Quimby

Dissertations

Mentoring programs are increasingly popular interventions for promoting positive development in Black youth from high risk environments. Cross-age peer mentoring refers to an older youth serving as a mentor for a younger mentee. Although not as widely studied as adult mentoring, this relationship has been found to have a beneficial effect for both the mentor and mentee. The current study seeks to better illuminate this bidirectional benefit by focusing on one half of the relationship—the experience of cross age peer mentoring by Black American mentors from low income communities. This is an important untapped area of study as peer mentoring …

Barriers And Perceptions To Obtaining Palliative Care In The Emergency Department, Jacqueline Lucille Saucier

Dissertations

Background:

Purpose: This study explored barriers and perceptions of providing palliative care services while patients are in the emergency department (ED) in order to increase the>likelihood of caregivers to elicit palliative care methodologies for patients with chronic illness, who are not necessarily at the end of life, but rather who are identified through repeated visits to the ED.

Design and Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to explore the barriers and perceptions of providing palliative care services in the ED. By using a qualitative approach, evidenced by grounded theory, this study explored the barriers and perceptions of providing …

Evaluating The Impact Of Adopting 3d Printing Services On The Retailers, Sharareh Rajaei Dehkordi

Dissertations

As additive manufacturing technology becomes more responsive to consumers’ demand, one important question for the retailers is whether they should provide 3D printing services in their brick-and-mortar store in addition to the traditional off-the-shelf product? If so, what should be the retailers pricing scheme to achieve a higher profit? What should be the optimal inventory level of off-the-shelf products? What is the optimal capacity of 3D printers? In this study, stochastic models are examined to capture the joint optimal 3D product price and capacity of 3D printers to maximize retailer’s expected profit while considering consumer product choices. Moreover, a stochastic …

Numerical Methods And Simulation For Time Dependent Electrokinetic Flow, Rui Cao

Dissertations

Electrokinetic flow typically occurs when an electric field is applied to a fluid electrolyte in the presence of a boundary or interface. The electric field induces a force that causes oppositely charged ions to migrate in opposite directions while simultaneously diffusing due to Brownian motion. In an unbounded medium this process, which is called electrodiffusion, does not separate bulk electric charge into separate regions and causes no bulk motion of the host fluid solvent. However, in the presence of a boundary or interface that either impedes or is impervious to the movement of ions in the normal direction, the normal …

Black Silicon – Optical Properties And Applications, Sita Rajyalaxmi Marthi

Dissertations

Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) is one of the most abundant and widely used semiconductors. Si is a semiconductor with indirect bandgap. The average reflectance of Si is about 30% in the visible range of wavelengths. Standard Si solar cells are not entirely useful in the infrared spectrum region. In order to make Si useful in a wide spectral range, the surface of Si is modified to reduce the reflectance of Si. The silicon thus modified is called Black Silicon (BSi).

This dissertation describes the model based on effective medium approximation to determine the effective optical constants, refractive index and extinction coefficient …

Validation Of The Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires, Philip Eiseman

Dissertations

Gender identity shapes the ways transgender adults experience themselves and relate to the world around them. Although research and theory suggest that gender identity is a multidimensional construct, most measures of gender identity have viewed gender as primarily a unitary construct tied to the gender binary. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires (MGIQ), a set of measures of gender identity, in a sample of transgender adults. Qualitative data collected through focus groups with transgender adults (N = 7) helped refine and develop these measures. A series of analyses involving a …

Latino Male College Students' Identities, Psychological Stress, And Coping Mechanisms, Ana E. Ramirez

Dissertations

Latino male college students’ identities impact their personal experiences, academic achievement, and well-being. This qualitative study uses a narrative inquiry approach to research Latino male college students’ racial and ethnic, gender, and academic identities and to investigate how these identities impact their psychological stress and the coping mechanisms they implement to manage their stress. Latino males undergo an identity development in which they engage in negotiating their gender identities in order to prioritize higher education academic requirements. When Latino males are determined to achieve a college degree, they are able to adjust their familism gender role expectations and shift their …

Effects Of Trophic Relationships On Oyster Reef Restoration Success In The Mississippi Sound, Virginia Robin Fleer

Dissertations

Natural and anthropogenic changes resulting from altered hydrology, hurricanes, variable precipitation, and the BP oil spill have all taken their toll on oyster reefs in Mississippi. In response, oyster reef restoration efforts are currently underway within the Northern Gulf of Mexico. In order to understand why these efforts succeed or fail, it is crucial to consider predator-prey relationships within the context of the trophic dynamics of oyster reefs. Thus, for this dissertation study I integrated a multidisciplinary approach to understanding key trophic interactions affecting oyster recruitment, growth and survival, comprising field sampling, manipulative lab experiments, and individual-based modeling. Spat settlement …

Historical Change Of Seagrasses In The Mississippi And Chandeleur Sounds, Linh Thuy Pham

Dissertations

Seagrasses are important coastal resources facing numerous stressors, and losses have been documented from local to global assessments. Under the broad theme of habitat loss and fragmentation, a study of historical change in total area and landscape configuration of seagrasses in the Mississippi and Chandeleur Sounds was conducted. Mapping data was collated from a multitude of previous projects from 1940 to 2011.

Comparisons of seagrass area among various studies that used different mapping methods can result in overestimation of area change and misleading conclusions of change over time. The vegetated seagrass area (VSA) data were generalized to a common resolution …

Examining The Perceived Influence Of A Comprehensive Youth Development Program For Promoting Black Male High School Persistence, Richard Gray Walker

Dissertations

Black male youth in the United States drop out of high school at a rate consistently higher than their White counterparts. A lack of academic persistence contributes to lower workforce participation rates among Black Americans, which leads to lower national productivity and unrealized personal prosperity. Youth development research has developed an extensive body of knowledge regarding possible causes and contributing factors of minority high school dropout. Literature shows youth experience higher dropout rates when they grow up in adversity. Adversity risks such as dysfunctional families, cultural discontinuity between home and school, dysfunctional neighborhoods, or low-expectations from teachers contribute to graduation …

Using Eye-Tracking And Molecular Modeling To Explore Students’ Strategies For Solving Organic Stereochemical Problems, Travis Howard Knowles

Dissertations

Stereochemistry concepts are often some of the most difficult topics for students to grasp in the organic chemistry curriculum. Several factors may influence students’ abilities to solve stereochemistry problems, including their spatial abilities, strategy choice, and ability to use various types of spatial representations. A mixed-method study was conducted to investigate the role that these factors play when novice organic chemistry students solve stereochemistry problems. Eye-tracking methods were used in an attempt to capture cognitive processes of students while solving these problems. Additionally, three-dimensional molecular models and spatial ability measures were used to further analyze and characterize their strategies for …

(Dis)Integrated Identities: Experiences Of Tenure- Track Engineering Faculty Who Identify As Sexual Minorities, Robyn Elisa Sandekian

Dissertations

This study was conducted to explore how full-time, tenure-track engineering faculty members who self-identify as sexual minorities have experienced working in Doctoral Universities. Literature reviewed for this study included the history of higher education and engineering education in the United States; a review of the differences between engineering and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields; and an overview of the history of discrimination against sexual minorities. Using a mixed-methods explanatory sequential methodology, the study included an anonymous web-based survey followed by semi-structured interviews of the participants who agreed to be contacted. During the interviews, participants shared photographs of their …

Exploring Students’ Use Of Learning Contracts In Preparing For The National Athletic Training Board Certification Examination, William Dill

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the application of learning contracts in the process of preparing to take the AT BOC exam. The goal of this study was to investigate best practices to assist students in being successful when taking the BOC certification examination. Self-directed learning in medicine was an important skill in the ever-changing healthcare landscape. One self-directed learning tool, learning contracts, had been studied in other healthcare fields. However, little research had been conducted utilizing learning contracts in athletic training. In addition, providing students with a research based instrument that could be used to improve success …

Urinary Incontinence And Women’S Quality Of Life In Oman, Alya Ali Abdullah Al Hasni

Dissertations

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common public health concern among women worldwide, with adverse effects on their quality of life (QoL). This study aims to explore the prevalence of UI among Omani women aged 18-49 years old, and to explore the impact of UI on women's daily prayers, physical activities, social life, mental health, and general QoL. The study is of quantitative comparative design, and the researcher used the World Health Organization’s (WHOs) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), as a conceptual framework. The researcher randomly chose four-hundred and one participants from ten primary health care centres in …

Evaluation Instruction In Council On Education For Public Health Accredited Master Of Public Health Schools And Programs, Kristin Ann Hobson

Dissertations

Despite the increasing role of evaluation in public health practice and research (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health [ASPH], 2006; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 1998; Public Health Functions Steering Committee, 2008; United States Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2012), as well as Henry and Mark’s (2003) assertion of a need for systematic evidence on evaluation training and education, the literature continues to lack studies on evaluation instruction in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) schools and programs. As such, this study explored evaluation instruction in CEPH-accredited MPH schools and programs in the following …