Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Puberty Blocking Treatment (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Agonist) On Physical Activity And Reproductive Health In Young Female Rats, Brandon Creed Jones

Dissertations

The number of adolescents identifying as transgender has been increasing with many transgender youth receiving treatment with a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) that suppresses sex hormone production (i.e., puberty blocker). Transgender individuals taking a GnRHa to block puberty have reported improved mental wellbeing, but the physiological impacts need to be examined. Purpose: To investigate the effects of puberty blocking treatment using GnRHa on physical activity, reproductive morphology, and reproductive function in young female rats. Methods: Four-week old female Sprague Dawley rats were given daily subcutaneous injections of the GnRHa triptorelin or saline as control. One group of rats was …

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Science Practices And Science Identity, Alaina Buchanan

Dissertations

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have become more commonly incorporated in laboratory courses in undergraduate education. Because CUREs incorporate research within the context of a course, the benefits of mentored research (self-efficacy, science identity, persistence, and more) are extended to each student enrolled. CUREs are designed with five key components: discovery, relevance, iteration, collaboration, and science practices. However, the term science practices is broad and includes a diversity of student activities which can make it difficult to compare student outcomes across different CUREs. The first part of this work reviews the components and specific science practices included in all CUREs …

A Leadership Laboratory: Exploring The Use Of Case-In-Point Pedagogy To Develop Complex Thinking In Leaders, Erica Corley Jackson

Dissertations

Leadership scholars have identified a growing gap between the complexity of 21^st century organizations and the capabilities of individuals in positions of leadership to adequately address these challenges. This gap has contributed to a so-called complexity crisis—a situation in which the demands placed on those in leadership positions increases “at a rate that significantly outstrips the rate at which” leaders are cognitively developing (Rich-Tolsma & Oliver, 2016, p. 1). One way to respond to this growing need for complex adult thinking is through metacognitive development initiatives. However, finding educational methods to promote metacognitive development has proven to be …

Inward And Onward: An Autoethnography On The Lived Experience Of Love, Loss, And Grief In A Doctoral Program, Laura A. Watts

Dissertations

While research around attrition during doctoral programs exists, the lived experience of grief during a doctoral program has little footing in the current literature. This autoethnography examined the lived experience of one doctoral student, acting as both the researcher and the researched. The purpose of this study was to have a meaningful understanding of the broad grief process, and its impact on one doctoral student’s identity development through sharing, analyzing, and interpreting their most raw stories in an effort to name and normalize the challenges and opportunities related to doctoral program persistence and identity development. The following research questions were …

Regulators Of Mast Cell Activation, David Lyons

Dissertations

This research focuses on identifying novel mechanisms through which mast cells (MCs) can be activated, specifically focusing on the effects of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) on MC activation and cytokine release and how these pathways can contribute to disease. We found that MCs can be activated with TGF-β1 alone, inducing degranulation and cytokine release comparable to classical, immunoglobulin-E-mediated activation paradigms. This activated state resembles a described concept in immunology termed trained immunity – a process that allows innate immune cells to potentiate their future immune responses following priming with a stimulus. Hypothesizing that TGF-β1 is a novel stimulus of …

Response Of Bats And Nocturnal Food Webs To Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonous Ponderosae) Outbreaks, Amanda Bevan

Dissertations

Climate change has led to increased severity and frequency of forest disturbances globally which would predictably alter species compositions in affected habitats. Bats, as important bioindicators of ecosystem health, are known to respond to changes in habitat structure and prey composition. This dissertation describes how a forest disturbance event and ensuing successional changes altered the structure of bat-associated food web components along the highly biodiverse Front Range of Colorado. Mountain pine beetles (MPB) are important drivers of forest regeneration when populations are at background levels, however, unprecedented outbreaks of MPB populations in recent decades have severely impacted over 1.3 million …

Women In Educational Leadership: An Embodied Narrative Inquiry, Pauline Avis

Dissertations

To meaningfully capture the lived experiences of women educational leaders working in American public schools, this study utilized the qualitative traditional research design and employed an embodied narrative inquiry to explore the primary research question: How do women educational leaders story their gendered experience of employment in the workplace? The purpose of this study was to describe and explore how female educational leaders in American public schools perceive the impact that gender identity construction has had on their ability to pursue successfully, attain, and retain educational leadership roles. Through a feminist semiotics theoretical lens, this study offers an examination of …

Understanding Trauma Through A Behavior Analytic Lens: A Comparative Case Study, Kevin D. Bland

Dissertations

Although other therapeutic approaches across human service disciplines have acknowledged the importance of understanding the impacts of trauma, the field of behavior analysis has seen less frequent discussions. To address this growing need, the purpose of this study was to explore how three participant board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs): (a) define trauma-informed behavior analysts (TIBA), (b) use TIBA to guide their decisions for identifying appropriate interventions, (c) determine appropriate evidence-based interventions for students with a history of trauma, and (d) obtained their training to confidently implement TIBA in their practices. Using a comparative case study, the participants provided information about …

Evaluating The Impact Of A Certificate In College Teaching Program On Graduate Students’ Pedagogical Metacognition And Teaching Knowledge, Audrey Jannine Tocco

Dissertations

Graduate student professional development initiatives aim to prepare future faculty for college-level teaching. One such program is the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT). CCT programs provide graduate students with foundational knowledge and authentic teaching experiences to prepare them to design and deliver instruction at the college level. Participants report positive perceptions of these programs during and after completion, but evidence of concrete program outcomes is limited. Two potential outcomes of graduate student professional development are the use of pedagogical metacognition (reflection on and action upon teaching) and knowledge of teaching and learning (identification of research-based teaching strategies and application to …

An Examination Of Musical Pitch/Color Correspondence In Music, Arts, And Non-Arts Students And Adults, Luciano Silvestri Jr.

Dissertations

Chromesthesia is the involuntary combination of a visual color response to a musical stimulus. Previous research has associated the presence of absolute pitch with color responses to musical pitch; however, recent studies indicated that color associations were also made amongst those who did not possess absolute pitch. Eighty-four participants to various extent and of varying ages representing backgrounds in music and in arts (as well as those with neither background) took part in a series of experiments to determine if a color/music pitch connection was prevalent in their responses. Additionally, participants were tested individually regarding the presence of consistent visual …

Let’S Take This Outside: Utilizing Outdoor Classrooms As A Response To The Coronavirus-19 Pandemic, Cortney Leigh Lamb

Dissertations

The worldwide school closures due to the Coronavirus (COVID)-19 pandemic that began in the spring of 2020 caused a disruption to educational systems (Bao et al., 2020; Engzell et al., 2021; Masonbrink & Hurley, 2020; Munir, 2021; United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, 2020). The pandemic created a dilemma in which school leaders around the world and in the United States had to make challenging decisions about how to open schools in the fall of 2020 and how to best educate students (Honein et al., 2021). The majority of school leaders choose to reopen schools in the fall of 2020 …

An Exploration Of The Pathway From Childhood Neglect To School Bullying Victimization, Natalie D. Johnson

Dissertations

The objective of the current study was to explore the association between two widely prevalent sources of trauma occurring early in life, child neglect and bullying victimization (BV), via adult recollections of maltreatment experiences. One hundred and twenty participants, recruited from a mid-sized university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, were ultimately included in the sample. Of the total sample, 30 participants (25%) endorsed a history of moderate to severe neglect in childhood and 62 participants (52%) endorsed experiencing at least one form of BV in school. Childhood maltreatment, including various forms of neglect and abuse, was …

Dan Forrest’S The Breath Of Life: A Podium Guide With A Study Of The Compositional Techniques And The Integration Of Texts Used To Mirror The Emotional Arc Of The Human Life Cycle, Brian Keith Dukeshier

Dissertations

Dan Forrest’s the breath of life is a contemporary composition the author believes will be performed numerous times in future years after the extensive physical and emotional effect the pandemic had on the world. Although composed prior to the pandemic, the breath of life could bring comfort and a salve to the hurt and pain of humankind caused by the pandemic but will also affect the emotional state of loss for years to come for all humanity. This work exhibits Forrest’s use of acousmatic electronics with choir and orchestra. Biblical texts as well as poetry written by three poets from …

Intelligent And Explainable Solution To Predict Infant Birthweight And Preterm Birth In The United Arab Emirates, Wasif Khan

Dissertations

Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as Low Birth Weight (LBW) and Preterm birth (PTB) are complex pregnancy challenges that can lead to high perinatal mortality and long-term morbidity for infants. Early prediction of such adverse outcomes can be useful for averting catastrophic outcomes for the mother and her baby. With advances in machine learning (ML)-based algorithms, several models have been proposed for both PTB and LBW predictions. However, the risk factors associated with these outcomes are still unknown, particularly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Furthermore, existing ML-based prediction models work in a black-box manner and lack proper interpretations for clinicians, …

Electrodialysis Process For The Simultaneous Treatment Of Reject Brine And Capture Of Carbon Dioxide, Jawad Mustafa

Dissertations

Desalination plants are highly efficient in producing desalinated water for potable applications. However, the process also generates reject brine, which is highly concentrated saline water. In order to produce 1 liter of potable water using desalination, approximately 1.5 liters of reject brine is generated. The disposal of reject brine presents a significant challenge for the desalination industry. Typically, this waste product is discharged into the sea, causing environmental damage, and polluting marine life. Moreover, certain countries heavily rely on desalination to meet their potable water needs, which results in the emission of greenhouse gases. As desalination plants consume a significant …

Deficiency Of Adipose Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Protects Against Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction Through Sexually Dimorphic Mechanisms, Nazmul Haque

Dissertations

Calorie imbalance due to high energy intake vs. expenditure is considered a major cause of obesity. Molecular mechanisms underlying diet-induced obesity remain unclear due to the complexity of disease progression. The impact of environmental factors contributing to obesity also remains poorly understood. Activation of the xenobiotic sensor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), by obesogens may contribute to diet-induced obesity. AhR has the potential to influence lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and the development of diabetes. Activation of AhR increases the risk of metabolic dysfunction by impairing adipose tissue function. Thus, the hypothesis was that conditional AhR depletion specifically from mature adipose tissue …

Championing Equity: Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies Of California Community College Eops Leaders, Cara Demyra Askew

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to identify and describe how CCC EOPS leaders are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford et al.’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework.

Methodology: This qualitative ethnographic study identified and described culturally responsive leadership techniques among 16 CCC EOPS leaders. Participants were purposefully chosen based on a predetermined set of criteria for the study. The researcher collected two types of data to gain firsthand knowledge of CCC EOPS leaders’ lived experiences. Data was captured using web-based semi-structured interviews and artifacts, which were subsequently coded and analyzed to identify themes and …

Leading From The Middle: Culturally Responsive Strategies Utilized By Mid-Level Student Services Leaders Within California Community Colleges, Amandeep Kandola

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study is to identify and describe how California Community College Student Services mid-level leaders are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford’s et al. (2011) Culturally Relevant Leadership Framework.

Methodology: This ethnographic study identified and described culturally responsive leadership strategies utilized by 16 mid-level Student Services leaders within the California community colleges using Horsford et al.’s (2011) Culturally Relevant Leadership Framework. Participants were identified and selected through purposeful criterion sampling. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and the collection of artifacts. The data was then analyzed and coded to identify themes and …

Faculty Perceptions Of Preparation Of Medical And Nursing Students For Interprofessional Collaboration, Jacqueline M. Loversidge

Dissertations

The effectiveness of teams comprised of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health care providers is critical to the safe and effective delivery of health care. Teamwork is necessary in the current health care environment because patient problems and health care needs have become so complex that no single practitioner can be expected to manage them effectively alone.

Homegrown: Pastor Advocacy For Victims Of Sex Trafficking, Julie Heifner

Dissertations

Human trafficking consists of both sex trafficking (ST) and labor trafficking (LT) and is a growing problem for the United States. The Federal Human Trafficking Report (2019), states that Missouri is ranked ninth in the country for active criminal human trafficking cases. This issue is particularly prevalent in our churches because churches serve vulnerable populations and predators may be drawn to churches. Religious academic literature about pastor advocacy for victims of ST is lacking, while popular news sources reference case after case where pastors are the predators. This study consisted of nine Christian pastors who currently served in a pastoral …

Effectiveness Of Follow Up Phone Calls On Postpartum Women After Discharge: A Program Evaluation, Camille Williams

Dissertations

After an expectant mother gives birth, they are closely monitored for 48 to 72 hours after delivery and then discharged from the hospital. They are then typically seen by their physician for a postpartum follow up appointment within six to eight weeks for their postpartum follow up visit. Although complications during this postpartum period can still arise, postpartum women are rarely assessed during this time. Follow-up phone calls have been known to improve patient outcomes and communication between patients and providers once patients are discharged from the hospital. In January of 2020, the Mother/Baby Unit at a midwestern metropolitan hospital …

Loss Scaling And Step Size In Deep Learning Optimizatio, Nora Alosily

Dissertations

Deep learning training consumes ever-increasing time and resources, and that is
due to the complexity of the model, the number of updates taken to reach good
results, and both the amount and dimensionality of the data. In this dissertation,
we will focus on making the process of training more efficient by focusing on the
step size to reduce the number of computations for parameters in each update.
We achieved our objective in two new ways: we use loss scaling as a proxy for
the learning rate, and we use learnable layer-wise optimizers. Although our work
is perhaps not the first …

Increasing Testicular Self-Examination Practices In Male College Students, Christopher Mccoy

Dissertations

A significant number of males attending colleges and universities in the United States have limited or no current knowledge of testicular cancer and screening practices (Tosun, Gul, & Arikan, 2020).

Lack of knowledge of testicular cancer and practice of testicular self-examinations.

The evidence-based health promotion project aimed to increase testicular self-examination practices in male college students and increase their knowledge of testicular cancer.

Moving Forward By Looking Back: How Family Firms Create Competitive Advantage By Embracing Their History, Adam Goldman

Dissertations

Family businesses are the engine that drives the United States economy. While extensive implications have been made in the literature about the advantages or disadvantages of family-owned businesses compared to non-family-owned businesses, the focus of this study was to show how small to medium-sized family-owned firms (FF SMEs) based in the United States can use their unique history to create a competitive advantage. Drawing on imprint theory and the resource-based view (RBV), this history-informed study helped identify the impact that founder imprints, business traditions, and storytelling have on the business performance of FF SMEs. Using quantitative methods, the findings of …

Topological Data Analysis Of Weight Spaces In Convolutional Neural Networks, Adam Wagenknecht

Dissertations

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have become one of the most commonly used tools for performing image classification. Unfortunately, as with most machine learning algorithms, CNNs suffer from a lack of interpretability. CNNs are trained by using a training data set and a loss function to tune a set of parameters known as the layer weights. This tuning process is based on the classical method of gradient descent, but it relies on a strong stochastic component, which makes the weight behavior during training difficult to understand. However, since CNNs are governed largely by the weights that make up each of the …

Improving Screening And Referral For Hereditary Cancers In New Breast Cancer Patients, Lisa J. Henczel

Dissertations

Breast cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Early recognition and identification of those at risk for germline mutations have been difficult at the project site due to patients' lack of knowledge of their family cancer history, which is critical to improving access to the hereditary cancer program. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if the implementation of Kiran et al.'s family cancer history nursing telephone prompt impacted screening and referral rates to the provincial hereditary cancer program among adult patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer at an urban outpatient cancer clinic located …

Phenomenological Study: The Perceived Impact Of The Intersectional Barriers Created By Gender And Race On African American Females’ Advancement To A Senior Executive Service Within The Federal Government, Nicole Oliver

Dissertations

Purpose. This phenomenological study aimed to investigate the perceived impact of intersectional barriers created by gender and ethnicity on the advancement of African American females to the Senior Executive Service (SES) corps of the United States federal civil service. Additionally, the study sought to identify strategies used by African American females to overcome these barriers because of intersectionality and advance to the SES corps of the United States federal civil service.

Methodology. This qualitative phenomenological study used a convenience sampling method to select eight African American females who have advanced to an SES position in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. …

Leading With Cultura Y Corazón: Culturally Responsive Leadership And Latina Mid-Level Leaders In The California Community Colleges, Gabriela Lopez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to identify and describe how California community college Latina mid-level leaders are culturally responsive in their leadership strategies, based on Horsford, Grosland, and Gunn’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework.

Methodology: This ethnographic study identified and described how Latina mid-level leaders within the California community colleges utilize culturally responsive leadership strategies using Horsford et al.’s (2011) culturally relevant leadership framework. The researcher was part of a thematic team of 6 researchers who developed and vetted a semi-structured interview protocol aligned with the theoretical framework. Sixteen participants were identified and selected using purposeful criterion …

The Efficacy Of An Antenatal Probiotic Intervention To Reduce Residual Group B Streptococcus, Emily M. Malloy

Dissertations

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The current prevention strategy involves universal antenatal screening for GBS and IV intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for those who test positive. Despite this approach, up to 80% of cases of early onset GBS neonatal disease are in infants born to birth givers who screened negative for GBS, which can be described as residual GBS.

Probiotics are a primary prevention strategy for antenatal GBS. This was a substudy of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Participants in the parent study were randomized to probiotics verses placebo and the major …

Synthesis And Evaluation Of Biologically Active Phosphorous Heterocycles And Lipid A Antagonist Compounds, Saroj Kafle

Dissertations

Cyclophostin and cyclipostins are naturally occurring organophosphates with common structural core units and different phosphate ester substituents. Cyclophostin is a cyclic phosphate triester with a chiral center at phosphorous and C-3a carbon atom while the cyclipostins have characteristic alkyl substituents with varying chain lengths at the phosphate center. Long-chain substituted monocyclic phosphate (2b) and phosphonate (2a) analogs of cyclophostin and cyclipostin are promising inhibitors against serine hydrolases acetylcholinesterase with an IC₅₀ in the nanomolar range.

Biologically active β-lactones and lactams owe their activity, in part, to ring strain. The ring opening of β-lactones and lactams …