Digital Commons Network^™

Irregular Domination In Graphs, Caryn Mays

Dissertations

Domination in graphs has been a popular area of study due in large degree to its applications to modern society as well as the mathematical beauty of the topic. While this area evidently began with the work of Claude Berge in 1958 and Oystein Ore in 1962, domination did not become an active area of research until 1977 with the appearance of a survey paper by Ernest Cockayne and Stephen Hedetniemi. Since then, a large number of variations of domination have surfaced and provided numerous applications to different areas of science and real-life problems. Among these variations are domination parameters …

Research Training And Certification Protocol For Medical Students, Michelle Arisleida Padley

Dissertations

Early and frequent exposure to research is imperative to initiating and sustaining long term for medical student research interest. The attitude and approach of physician mentors has been demonstrated to have a substantial effect on student perceptions of research involvement. The purpose of this study is to determine best practices for assessing student perceptions for a research certification program. An additional long-term objective is to utilize these findings to help maintain interest in research throughout their medical careers. Research is an essential aspect of the prestige of medical schools, and the benefits of academic research institutions have numerous facets, including …

A Critical Analysis Of Discrepancies In Behavioral Health Program Ratings By Evidence-Based Practice Registers For Behavioral Health, Miranda Jade Lee-Easton

Dissertations

Decision makers in the behavioral health disciplines are under increasing pressure to identify and implement evidence-based practices (EBPs). These decision makers often do not have the time or expertise to assess primary studies of program efficacy or effectiveness. They could benefit from tools to assist them in identifying and implementing EBPs. One tool is an evidence-based practice register (EBPR). Prior studies have documented that when multiple EBPRs rate a given program, they may come to seemingly conflicting program ratings. The prior research concerning the reason for these conflicts is sparse. The purpose of the present study is to understand how …

Development Of Modeling Tools To Determine The Effects Of Customer Diversification On Customer Lifetime Value Volatility In Higher Education, Oscar Neal

Dissertations

As societies become increasingly global the competition for customers continues to increase. In competitive markets, it is important to identify a process to acquire and retain the most profitable customers. To discriminate customers, it is important to understand the value different customers bring to an organization. Much research has been done modeling customer value using customer lifetime value, however, there is limited research on the effect current customer diversity has on future customer lifetime value of future customer portfolios.

In this dissertation, a Lifetime Value Model considering the interaction between customer diversity, revenue management, and customer lifetime value in an …

Teaching And Assessing Cornhole As A Leisure Activity For Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Katarina Rotta

Dissertations

Leisure has long been identified as a crucial component of a healthy lifestyle. One population that displays extremely low levels of leisure activity is people with developmental disabilities, which is concerning because previous research has identified a positive correlation between leisure activity and quality of life among such individuals. The purpose of the present project was to teach and assess cornhole as a leisure activity for seven young adults with developmental disabilities. Study 1 assessed points scored with four versions of cornhole and preference for those versions. Study 2 evaluated a procedure intended to teach participants to keep score. A …

Anti-Woman Invective On The Early Modern Stage: Abuse, Degradation, And Resistance, Savannah Xaver

Dissertations

On the early modern stage, gendered epithets like “strumpet,” “mermaid,” “minx,” “hobby horse,” “courtesan,” “drab,” and “whore” are not just markers of misogyny. Instead, these insults harm the male user as well as their female target. My cross-playwright and cross-genre connections show the complex, wide use and impact of anti-woman terms. A wide-ranging study of the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries reveals that gendered insults signify masculine mental decline in tragedies as well as comedies and tragicomedies. In tragedy, the increasingly violent language of male slur users – like, for example, the frustrated Othello, who declares, of his wife, …

Analysis Of U.S. Housing Markets Using Advanced Econometric Models And Machine Learning Algorithms, Cody Kirby

Dissertations

The Great Recession is the most recent reminder in U.S. history of the important relationship that exists between monetary policy and housing market activity. Since World War II, eight U.S. recessions have followed downturns in housing. A decline in the housing market results in the balance sheet deterioration of homeowners, financial institutions, private organizations, central banks, governing bodies, and foreign countries. The ability to understand the relationship between monetary policy and housing market activity, and to better forecast housing prices, allows for better planning by all economic agents.

This study answers the following research questions. (1) How have monetary policy …

Essays On Agglomeration Economies And Industrial Clusters, Ahmad Aswin Masudi

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the role of agglomeration economies in Indonesia’s manufacturing sector. In three chapters, I utilize different methods from three different perspectives.

The first chapter explores the role of localization and urbanization economies in manufacturing firms’ location decisions using Indonesia’s Industrial Survey from 2003 to 2013. The mixed conditional-multinomial logit model results indicate that, despite the small magnitudes, localization economies do attract firms. However, urbanization economies seem to discourage firms. On the other hand, sectoral-weighted import content has proven to be one of the most prominent attractors of firms, except for medium technology firms in Java. For foreign firms …

Exposure To Videos Of Police Brutality Against Black Americans And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among U.S. Adults, Ingrid Rauk

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine in a diverse sample of U.S. adults the relationship between exposure to videos of police brutality against Black Americans and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Exposure to videos of police brutality against Black Americans is believed to have emotional and psychological effects on the viewer and may be considered an indirect (i.e., vicarious) form of exposure to trauma (Alang et al., 2017; Bor et al., 2018; Bryant-Davis et al., 2017). Prior research has established a positive association between experiences of racial discrimination and trauma symptoms (Kirkins et al., 2018). Previous research on psychological reactions …

Design And Implementation Of An Efficient Priority Queue Data Structure, James A. Rhodes

Dissertations

Priority queues are one of the most useful data structures. Research to improve the efficiency of priority queues is on-going in the field of Computer Science. We have designed and implemented a priority queue based on buckets that improves the performance of applications that utilize min/max heaps. The data structure improves an application’s insertion time and deletion time, and thus its overall execution time. We demonstrate the performance improvements in a wide variety of applications. Every one of the applications that we implemented is well-known, and important in the Computer Science field. We also demonstrate that the performance gains over …

Student Experience And Learning In A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience, Allison Witucki

Dissertations

Scientific research is advocated as an important experience for undergraduate STEM majors. Involving undergraduates in research early on in their educational careers can potentially prevent attrition and encourages students to pursue post-graduate education and careers within the field. However, research opportunities for undergraduates can be difficult to obtain. Many students may not realize that research opportunities exist, or there is limited availability for undergraduates to work in a faculty member’s research laboratory. Luckily, an educational model for involving scientific research in a course, also known as a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), can provide more widespread opportunities for students to …

Implementation Of Team-Based Learning In The Pre-Clerkship Medical Curriculum: Investigating Essential Elements, Jade Woodcock

Dissertations

Team-based learning (TBL) has been used in undergraduate medical education over the past 20 years. Available evidence suggests that there is a problem with how the core design elements are implemented. It is also unclear the extent to which faculty and students believe TBL supports the goals of undergraduate medical education (UME). The purpose of this research is to identify the essential elements of TBL, how those elements have been used by medical educators over the past 10 years, and identify if faculty and student believe TBL supports the goals of undergraduate medical education at a single medical school where …

Advanced Materials For High Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Jian Yang

Dissertations

With the advantages of high capacity and low cost, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation batteries. However, the wide adoption of LSBs to the commercial markets is limited due to the fast capacity decay and low utilization of sulfur. To address these issues, advanced cathodes with high electronic conductivity and strong affinity to elemental sulfur and lithium polysulfides, which are intermediate products during the charge/discharge process, have been developed in this program. Carbon aerogels (RFCs) with controllable porous architectures have been fabricated through adjusting the process parameters and used as the …

The Dark Side Of Leadership: Mid-Level Managers And Their Experience With Hubristic Behaviors Of Executives, Leili Sadaghiani

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify the emotional reactions of mid-level managers to executives’ hubris behaviors in a corporate setting.

Methodology: This leadership study uses qualitative phenomenological methodology was executed to explore the lived experiences of mid-level managers with past executives who practiced hubristic behavior.

Findings: The findings of this research on the lived experiences of mid-level managers with hubristic behaviors of executives suggest that the lack of support lessens the mid-level manager’s confidence; with little support; the mid-level manager was either afraid to fight the executive or gave up trying; the mid-level manager faced stress even …

A Middle-Class Mother's Journey On Navigating The Educational System: The Impact Of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, And Class In Schools, Amy A. Hunter

Dissertations

This is a qualitative autoethnographic study of a Black mother in the Midwest region as she navigates the educational system for her children. This is a research document that informs the reader of the impact of racism and the intersectional identity of race, gender, and motherhood. The importance of intersectionality is highlighted in this research, and so it is that the mother is middle-class to articulate that poverty, access to resources, or the educational attainment of the mother are not necessarily mitigating factors for the treatment she receives within the educational setting. Moreover, is serves as a guide for other …

Cognitive Dysfunction In Older Breast Cancer Survivors, Adele Crouch

Dissertations

Up to 75% of the more than 3.5 million breast cancer survivors (BCS) living in the United States report cognitive dysfunction. However, little is known about cognitive dysfunction among older BCS, who may be at greater risk. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to characterize cognitive dysfunction in older BCS. Specific aims included:

(1) synthesize the literature regarding cognitive dysfunction in older BCS

(2) examine the relationships between a) objective cognitive function (immediate memory, delayed memory, attention, executive function-working memory, verbal fluency) and subjective cognitive function (attention); b) demographic factors, medical factors, treatment factors, and cancer-related symptoms (depressive symptoms, …

Linking Midwifery Practice To Outcomes: A Delphi Study, Holly P. Kennedy

Dissertations

How is excellence in the profession of midwifery defined? Does excellence result in improved outcomes for the recipient(s) of midwifery care. These are the questions that the profession of midwifery grapples with today within the context of a changing health care arena. The purpose of this research was to (a) describe exemplary midwifery practice, (b) link specific aspects of the process of exemplary practice to specific outcomes, and (c) initiate the development of an exemplary midwifery model of care.

An Investigation Of Multiple Roles Influencing The Participation Of Students Enrolled In A College Nursing Program, Carol T. Avery

Dissertations

Primarily descriptive in nature, the goals of this study were three-fold. The first intent of this project was to describe the demographic characteristics of the typical undergraduate student enrolled in a four year baccalaureate nursing program at a state university. Typically, this student was Caucasian, female, over 27 years old, receiving some or no financial support from parents or guardians, and employed less than 30 hours per week.

The second intent was to identify the multiple roles of these student nurses and to determine whether the students' perceived role strain changed with the type and/or number of multiple roles assumed. …

An Investigation Of The Impact Targeted Motivational Efforts And Leadership Styles Have On School Climate, Ashley Nichole Galloway

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the challenging nature school climate holds within the realms of organizational and building effectiveness among building leaders, staff, and students. Difficulties associated with organizational climate were identified. There are numerous factors that contributed to shaping school climate and school climate is also highly dependent on perceptions (McGregor, 1960). Through an interdisciplinary focus between targeted motivational efforts and administrative leadership styles, this study aimed to discover a new understanding of central climate and leadership factors which might lend to a more positive environment. Despite the substantial amount of critical work performed within this study, recommendations for future research …

Dimensions Of Quality Of Care: African-Americans' Perspectives, Marie N. Fongwa

Dissertations

In this descriptive study, data related to African Americans' dimensions of quality of care in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California were collected using focus group and a Modified Delphi approach. In-depth focus group interviews explored and described participants' (a) level of quality of care knowledge, (b) perceptions, feelings/opinions about available health care services, (c) satisfaction with available health services, and (d) perspectives on how such services can better serve their health care needs. The Delphi technique was used to validate and achieve consensus on the focus group information. Seven focus groups were conducted (N = 35). Twenty-two …

Effectiveness Of A Nurse Leader Mentorship And Support In The Acute Care Setting: A Program Evaluation, Kymberlee Shutts

Dissertations

A solution to rising nurse leader attrition may include focused mentorship into the role. A health system in Northeast Florida developed a nurse leader mentorship program for nurses who were new to the leader role or new to the organization during the coronavirus disease of 2019 pandemic. This nurse leader mentor program was designed to help new nurse leaders feel more comfortable in the role and create a relationship with a mentor. In the program, a full-time Nurse Mentor was assigned to meet with new nurse leaders periodically over the first year in their role. The nurse mentor program aimed …

Improving Outcomes Through Patient Empowerment At Transition Of Care: A Fall Prevention Program For Stroke Survivors, Tiffany M. Hoke

Dissertations

Stroke survivors fall 7 times more annually than same-aged healthy adults; and most fall within the first 2 to 6 months post stroke after transition of care home from the acute setting. These falls cause hip fractures and other bodily injury, further compounding post-stroke mobility, fear of falling, social isolation, and social dependence while collectively yielding poorer outcomes at greater financial burden.

To date, no fall prevention program has targeted stroke survivors as they prepare for transition of care home from the acute setting.

The purpose of this practice inquiry is to develop an evidence-based fall prevention program aimed at …

By The Grace Of God: The Lived Experience Of Mothering An Infant While Recovering From Chemical Dependency, Kathy R. Higgins

Dissertations

What is it like to mother an infant while recovering from chemical dependency? That question is answered by this research into one of our country's major public health issues. Research and literature related to drug use by women is generally lacking. Both members of the mother-baby dyad begin their relationship in a vulnerable state and are at great risk for problems. The predominant qualitative method used by nurse researchers has been grounded theory. This method results in describing a process; however, understanding the process and its meaning to those who live it every day is required to better deal with …

Individual Perceptions Related To Fall Risk Among Older Adults In Acute Care Setting In A Saudi Arabian Hospital, Zuhar S. Altaymani

Dissertations

Despite a plethora of research examining fall risk, including numerous fall prevention strategies, falls remain the most common adverse event among the elderly. Frail older adults are at higher risk for falls. With the increase in the geriatric population and their risk for frailty, it is imperative to address the limitations of both diagnosis and treatment of frailty, and the concurrent fall risk for older adults in Saudi Arabia by examining self-perception of fall risk. In older Saudi Arabian adults, falls are a serious health issue affecting up to 49.9% of elderly people, often resulting in fractures, traumatic brain, and …

Educational Intervention To Mitigate The Effects Of Bullying In The Student Nurse Population, Dawna E. Rutherford

Dissertations

Bullying behaviors are an unfortunate part of the nursing profession. Prominent organizations condemn behavior such as bullying, because of potential harm it could have upon nurses and healthcare. Researchers established the potential detriment of bullying to nurses and have investigated prevention interventions yet limited information regarding interventions for the student nurse population exists. Though complete eradication of bullying from the nursing profession is unlikely, nursing students need to have the appropriate skills to mitigate bullying behaviors.

The goals of the study were to: (1) analyze the state of the science regarding bullying interventions in the nursing profession, (2) evaluate the …

Capturing The Advanced Practice Nursing Voice For Implementation Of Preventive Services, Eva A. Meyers

Dissertations

The United States of America, as the richest nation in the world, must determine how to allocate more resources toward health promotion, prevention, and the public health of its citizens. This exploratory study investigates the phenomenon of the advanced practice nurse as healthcare clinician for improved implementation of clinical and community preventive services. Multiple case study is the qualitative method used to examine the voice of nurse practitioners in three practice settings, and to hear the national perspective from six nurse members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. A nursing—health services research (N-HSR) paradigm became the foundation for a …

Predictors And Correlates Of Fatigue In People Living With Hiv/Aids, Joachim G. Voss

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: describe the intensity of fatigue by selected person, environment, and health/illness variables in (n = 372) men and women with HIV/AIDS; to explore the potential confounding effects between fatigue and depression; and to test the UCSF Symptom Management Model (UCSF-SMM) through identifying predictors and correlates of fatigue related to physical and mental health. This study was a secondary data analysis based upon a previous descriptive survey.

The Caregiving Practices Of Korean-American Families: A Descriptive Study Using An Ethnographic Approach, Boas J. Yu

Dissertations

This ethnographic study examined caregiving practices of Korean-American families, using interpretive approach and analysis. The findings were categorized into caregiving as burden, stress, career, and cultural caregiving. The identified themes of caregiving as burden, stress, and career invariably impacted the caregiving; but the undercurrent and persistent main theme in those aspects of Korean-American caregiving was their cultural context of caregiving. The cultural context in which one functions as a caregiver had an important influence in the practice of family caregiving.

In this study, the cultural caregiving in seven Korean-American caregivers was influenced by immigration to the US as well as …

Objective Physical Activity And Sleep Characteristics Measurements Using A Triaxial Accelerometer In Eight Year Olds, Susan A. Harrington

Dissertations

Secular trends demonstrate that young children are less active and sleep less. Inequity in an individual's energy balance is known to have poor health outcomes. Academic achievement, academic behavior, and weight status are proxy indicators for health and psychosocial outcomes in this study. Current guidelines in place for sleep and physical activity in childhood are the result of data collected in the form of self-reports. Quantification and qualification of physical activity dimensions and sleep characteristics are essential not only for the purpose of clearly establishing parameters but also for the intent of verifying optimal health outcomes and evaluating interventions related …

Disease Risk Of Reintroducing Primates Confiscated From The Illegal Wildlife Trade, Ana Patricia Mendoza Becerra

Dissertations

Zoonotic infections are easily shared between human and other primates, and thus primate trafficking poses a high risk of introducing zoonotic pathogens into urban environments as well as spreading human-associated diseases into natural environments when infected primates are released. The magnitude of these risks has not been thoroughly studied in the context of primate trafficking and rehabilitation of Neotropical primates. In this dissertation, I address some knowledge gaps in disease risk analysis of reintroducing trafficked primates. In chapter 1, I describe the dynamics, diversity, and composition of live wildlife trafficking in urban markets in Peru. I found these markets are …