Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Perceptions Of Math Instructional Practices In Preparation For High-Stakes Testing, Rachel M. Green

Dissertations

In all things, I give my God glory; He is my strength and comforter. To my mom, thank you for giving me life and choosing to love me relentlessly. You are, to me, an inspiration and a warrior for Christ. To my mother-in-law, my first classroom teacher, completing this project could not have happened without you. Its success is just as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for giving me my best friend and biggest supporter. To my Joe, the wind beneath my wings and protector of my heart, you have been with me through every season of …

Evaluation Of The Proliferation Of Electromagnetic Radiation In Smart Indoor Environment And Subsequent Absorption On Human Head By Simulation And Factorial Analysis, Reshna Raveendran

Dissertations

Smart buildings using 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) acknowledge themselves as one of the undeniable byproducts occasioned from the fifth Industrial Revolution and are seen as the best solution adopted by the built environment. Smart buildings are publicized to carry a spectrum of benefits for building occupants ranging from actively saving electricity, ensuring operational efficiency to facilitating health support, wellness and productivity. Conversely, the negative aspects associated with smart buildings are often marginalized, and the limited research produced so far makes them seemingly non-existent. Literature review informs us that a smart building being subjected to external and artificial radiation …

Koh-Based Modified Solvay Process: Optimization And Kinetics Studies, Aya Abdel-Hamid Mourad

Dissertations

While desalination of seawater is important for meeting the water demand, the technology produces large volumes of reject brine and CO₂, causing environmental pollution. Solvay process (based on ammonia, NH₃) and modified Solvay process (based on calcium oxide, CaO) try to manage these wastes. However, more attention is needed to overcome different limitations of these processes such as, alkaline solubility, operating temperature, maintaining high pH value, and low sodium (Na⁺) removal efficiency, which does not exceed 35%. The aim of this work is to introduce an alternative alkaline, namely potassium hydroxide (KOH) and investigate …

Membrane Bioreactor For Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis Of Cellulose, Saleha Abdullah Al-Mardeai

Dissertations

With the rising environmental concerns related to fossil fuels utilization and the depletion of these resources, interest in bioethanol from lignocellulosic waste as an alternative, sustainable energy source has been increasing. Date palm waste is considered a good feedstock for bioethanol production, especially in countries of large date palm plantations, such as the United Arab Emirates.

In the lignocellulose to bioethanol process, the enzymatic hydrolysis of celluloses to produce simple sugars that can be converted to bioethanol by fermentation is the most challenging step, and enhancing it is essential for efficient and feasible operation. Enzyme inhibition by the products is …

Resource Allocation For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks Of Devices With Multi-Connectivity, Monika Prakash

Dissertations

This dissertation contributes to designing an effective resource allocation scheme for multi-connectivity (MC) networks. MC is a feature that allows devices to utilize the radio resources from more than one base station simultaneously. With MC anticipated to play a key role in satisfying the stringent QoS requirements of the next-generation networks (5G/6G), it is crucial to efficiently allocate the resources across multiple connections of one or more radio access technologies (RATs).
/="/">Currently, there is a huge demand on the availability of radio spectrum resources with a large volume of different types of data traffic (Internet-of-things, human-based, machine-machine) traversing the …

Bayesian Joint Modeling For Longitudinal Outcomes Of Exponential Families And Informative Time Points, Michael Safo Oduro

Dissertations

The benefits of longitudinal data in clinical research are immense, owing to the potential to detect phenomenon changes and trends over time. An avalanche of traditional methods exist for the analysis of this data kind, most of which are predicated on the assumption of fixed time design for study individuals. This assumption however, is not always tenable. Consider occurrences that can alter the time or visit profile of subjects in a clinical trial, such as adverse events. These may result in not just irregular visit times, but also unbalanced data on subject outcomes. Hence, one can consider visit times to …

Blue: A Stylistic Analysis Of Blue Mitchell, David Michael Moore

Dissertations

This study examined ten transcriptions of improvised solos by trumpeter Blue Mitchell. Mitchell was a prominent performer in the hard bop style known for his tenure with the Horace Silver Quintet. The transcriptions were selected from recordings produced between 1958 and 1977. These pieces include “Sir John,” “Peace,” “Strollin’,” “Why Do I Love You?,” “Chick’s Tune,” “Gingerbread Boy,” “I Love You,” “Quiet Riot,” “Silver Blue,” and “OW!” The chosen transcriptions were analyzed and compared for common melodic devices such as motivic development, use of sequence, blues language, bebop language, and melodic quotes from other songs, which are all common elements …

At Risk For Success: Promising Practices In Their Own Voices, Amber Leigh Mcelwee

Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study utilized high school graduate perceptions to identify pedagogical methods, educational structures, and school supports that improved their participation, inclusion, and growth within their classrooms and coursework. The research was focused on students identified at-risk to graduate high school and how educational supports affected the success or constraint in attaining their diploma. The research design applied a connected learning framework structure with a focus on student interest, relationships, and opportunities as defined by the Connected Learning Alliance. One component of connected learning was student-centered learning; therefore, an examination of John Dewey’s educational philosophy of student-centered practices and …

The Ballybriar Heist: An Original Composition And The Incorporation Of Folk Music And Tintinnabuli Influences, Conor Darling Mulroy

Dissertations

The Ballybriar Heist is a thirty-eight minute five-movement piece for symphony orchestra. It is based on a condensed version of the short story “The Ballybriar Heist.” The music draws influence from a variety of sources. Through analyzing folk music and seeing its influence in concert hall compositions throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, one sees how these folk traditions evolved and were incorporated into concert hall music. Composers collected and transcribed folk music, giving them new ways to approach composition. Examining the music and performance practice of traditional Irish music shows how these traditions and performances influenced composers’ writing as …

Mothers’ Perspectives On Language And Literacy Development In Children With Disabilities Adopted From China, Jessica B. Hovland

Dissertations

Children with disabilities and special needs make up the vast majority of those currently being adopted internationally into the United States (U.S.). China has been a leading sending country for international adoption since the 1990s and remains one of the few nations with thousands of orphaned or abandoned children, many with congenital disabilities or significant medical needs, in government welfare institutions. While most children adopted internationally (CAI), whether from China or other nations, experience developmental catch-up after adoption, children with disabilities and those who spent time in institutional settings exhibit persistent language deficits that impact literacy and academic skills as …

Are Natural Killer Cells Novel Mediators Of The Effects Of Cannabidiol On Mental Health, Sleep Quantity, Sleep Quality, And Immune Function?, Jacob Norbert Kisiolek

Dissertations

Cannabidiol (CBD) has increased in popularity since the United States Farm Bill legalized hemp production in 2018 and is now projected to become a $24.4 billion dollar industry by 2025. Since its legalization, CBD is thought to be an antiepileptic, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic, as well as an agent to improve mental health, quality of life, aspects of sleep and immune function. However, many of these claims lack scientific evidence. The purpose of this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial was to determine the effects of an 8-week CBD intervention on measures of mental health, sleep quantity, sleep quality, and natural killer …

Effects Of Noise, Light, And Landscape On Birds In A Recently Urbanized County, Karina Alejandra Sanchez

Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities are drastically and rapidly altering ecosystems. Research has found that urban environments support less biodiversity than non-urban environments. This work has inspired recent interest investigating animal behavior and individual reproductive success in urban wildlife as mechanisms to why biodiversity is lower in urban areas. For my dissertation research, I used three key urban characteristics; noise, light, and landscape composition to study the effects of urbanization on avian species across Weld County, CO. I used these measurements to test the overarching hypothesis that urban land characteristics alter avian community structure and more specific hypotheses regarding how each factor (noise, …

Role Of Trap States On Electronic And Optoelectronic Properties Of Two-Dimensional (2d) Selenide-Based Materials, Prasanna Dnyaneshwar Patil

Dissertations

Atomically thin 2D materials have gained the interest of the scientific community in the past decade due to their exotic electronic and optoelectronic properties, thus emerging as potential candidates for the next generation of nano-devices. Quantum confinement in one of the dimensions is the primary reason for these exotic properties. However, it has been seen that these properties are widely inconsistent, and they are controlled by variety of factors such as material synthesis, device fabrication, testing environment, etc. Due to low dimensional nature of these materials, defects are inevitable. These defects typically originate from either the presence of bulk impurities …

Interventional Radiology Procedures Without Sedation: The Nurse Experience, Catherine De Leon

Dissertations

Background: Many IR procedures offer a less invasive and economical alternative to some open or laparoscopic surgeries. Patients undergoing a procedure without moderate sedation are awake, alert, with heightened sensory perceptions, and vulnerable to their surroundings. There is a gap in the current body of literature relating to the IR nurse’s experience of caring for patients during procedures without the use of moderate sedation.

Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of Interventional Radiology (IR) nurses caring for conscious patients undergoing a procedure without the use of sedation. This phenomenological study aimed to describe the …

Biomarkers And Factors Related To Risk Of Acute Kidney Injury, Mary Ann David

Dissertations

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital cost. Timely intervention is needed to prevent disease progression, but the delay in diagnostic process often results in delayed treatment. Recent studies show a significant increase in novel urine biomarkers (UB), TIMP-2 and IGFBP7, has been linked to an increased risk of AKI.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among participants’ sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including select biomarkers, care management processes, treatments, and patient outcomes in a sample of hospitalized critically ill patients in southern California.

Findings: Study …

Transformative Pedagogy And Science Identity In Undergraduate Anatomy And Physiology, Emily Ann Royse

Dissertations

Anatomy and Physiology (A&P) courses are undergraduate biology prerequisite courses that cover many topics about human biology, including anatomy, histology, organ systems, and homeostasis. The purpose of the course is to equip students aiming to enter nursing and allied health education programs with an understanding of basic biological principles relevant to human biology and pharmacology. However, these courses have a high incidence of failure, and many students need to retake the course to progress in their competitive academic programs. Students tend to rely on memorization techniques to learn the course content, and given the nature of A&P as a discipline, …

Gay Male K-12 School Leaders' Self-Sabotaging Behaviors And Their Journey To Reclaiming Their Power: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, John Mccarthy

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-method explanatory study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by California gay male K-12 school leaders to explore the impact these behaviors have had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by California gay male K-12 school leaders to overcome these self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This mixed-method sequential explanatory study explored the lived experiences of eight gay male K-12 school leaders who self-identified that they have experienced self-sabotaging behaviors throughout their career. Purposeful, convenience, snowball sampling was utilized to identify gay men who met …

Bis(Tryptophan) Amphiphiles: Design, Synthesis And Efficacy As Antimicrobial Agents, Michael Mckeever

Dissertations

Amphiphiles play important roles in nature. These molecules contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, leading to some astonishing properties. The lipid bilayer of the cell membrane is a fascinating organization of amphiphilic phospholipids. Natural and synthetic amphiphiles, such as antimicrobial peptides, interact with the cell membrane. Such interactions can impact transport of molecules across the cell membrane, disrupting cell functions. In this work, a library of tryptophan-containing amphiphiles was synthesized and their antimicrobial properties were explored.

First, a library of bis(tryptophan) amphiphiles was synthesized. Preparation included a coupling reaction of a diamine with tryptophan residues, via their carboxy-termini, at …

A Quantitative Study On The Impact Of Adapted School Instruction As A Result Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Student Standardized Math Scores In A Midwest Public School District At The Middle School Level, Matthew Walker Buschman

Dissertations

The COVID-19 Pandemic has presented the educational system with challenges that have caused adaptive instruction techniques for all student populations in one way or another. The researcher chose to focus specifically on the impact of adaptive instruction as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the area of mathematics by evaluating student growth on STAR Math Assessments at the Middle School level for a Midwest Public School District. Through evaluating the data from pre-adaptive instruction to post-adaptive instruction as a result of COVID-19, the researcher aimed to identify possible declines in growth as a result of adaptive learning from the …

Native Hawaiian Caregivers' Cultural Perspectives Of Pediatric Asthma Management, Donna-Marie Palakiko

Dissertations

Asthma remains the leading cause of chronic respiratory illness among Native Hawaiian children 0 to 17 years in Hawai'i. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) established asthma management guidelines which includes medical assessment and monitoring, education in partnership with the caregiver, control of environmental triggers, and medication adherence (National Asthma Education Prevention Program [NAEPP], 2007).
However, these guidelines do not consider the worldview, health beliefs, and cultural practices of caregiver, child, and family.

The purpose of this study was to describe how Native Hawaiian caregivers manage pediatric asthma, to understand which strategies are considered cultural practices, and to …

Phenomenological Study On Leaders With Heart: Examining The Effects Of Heart-Led Leadership With Remote Employees, Aries Sanders

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to examine and describe how exemplary leaders of remote teams lead from the heart, using Mark Crowley’s four principles to accomplish extraordinary results in organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study examines and describes how exemplary leaders of remote teams at Fortune Global 500 companies who lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles accomplish extraordinary results in an organization. The research study is qualitative. The qualitative method was chosen to describe and understand the lived human experience. The study aims to uncover and explain patterns to make a scholarly contribution …

Female African American Higher Education Chief Executives: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study Of Their Use Of Personal Power To Dismantle Self-Sabotage, La Toya Davis, Nee Goodrum

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by female African American higher education chief executives and to explore the impact these behaviors had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify the strategies employed by female African American higher education chief executives to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This explanatory mixed method study identified and described the lived experiences of eight female African American higher education chief executives across the United States. This research design encompassed a sequential data collection method using an electronic survey instrument …

Race, Masculinity, And Personality Development: Understanding The Black Male Experience In America, Veronica High

Dissertations

Although men from all racial backgrounds have several poor health outcomes, most of the research suggests that Black men have even worse health outcomes compared to White men (Bowman, 1989; Watkins & Neighbors, 2007; Williams, 2003). The majority of published research on masculinity, however, has primarily focused on samples of White men. The issue of how racism intersects with masculinity and its impact on Black men remains understudied and is a current area of focus in the field. The present study examined relationships between Black men on the cultural measures of masculinity and self-esteem, Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism), …

The Effect Of Classroom And Clinical Learning Approaches On Academic Achievement In Associate Degree Nursing Students, Jo Anne Carrick

Dissertations

While many students compete aggressively to enter into nursing schools, those who succeed have no guarantee they will be successful in their nursing studies, graduating, and passing the National Council Licensing Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®). This study's objective was to gain a better understanding of how nursing students approach learning and to determine what characterizes the successful student. The study's design was based on the theoretical framework of the students' approach to learning, which ultimately impacts on the students' learning outcome.

This study followed a non-experimental causal-comparative study design using the Revised Approach to Studying Inventory - Short Version …

Differences In Preferred Teaching Strategies: A Quantitative Study Of Nursing Student Perspectives, Kaela L. Appleman

Dissertations

The preparation of nursing students to meet the demands of the nursing profession remains the goal of academic institutions worldwide. The most productive methods of preparation, including specific teaching strategies to attain that goal, have long been debated. This quantitative, nonexperimental study included an investigation of the most preferred teaching strategies among baccalaureate degree nursing (BSN) students in an effort to support the development of best practice recommendations for meeting the andragogical needs of adult learners and aid in the preparation of effective nurses who practice safely. The results of the study showed that BSN students most prefer hands-on, simulation-based …

Team Dynamics And Learning Behavior In Hospitals: A Study Of Error Reporting By Nurses, Lindsay Thompson Munn

Dissertations

Error reporting is the primary way that hospitals identify errors and near misses, and it is essential for organizational learning and improvement to occur. However, it is widely recognized that errors in hospitals are significantly underreported. As a result, there are numerous lost opportunities for health care organizations to learn from errors and improve the care delivered to patients.

The purpose of this study was to use the model of work-team learning as the theoretical foundation to examine the error reporting behaviors of nurses. The study examined the team factors of safety climate, leader inclusiveness, and psychological safety and their …

Female African American Deans’ Rise To Success: Navigating And Conquering Self-Sabotaging Behaviors By Taking Back Their Power, Davina Bailey

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by female African American Deans in higher education and to explore the impact these behaviors had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by female African American Deans in higher education to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This sequential explanatory mixed-method study explored the lived experiences of nine female African American deans who acknowledged they had experienced self-sabotaging behaviors throughout their careers. The researcher distributed an electronic Likert scale survey to the participants to identify the most …

Hydrolytically Degradable Thermosets With Tunable Degradation Profiles Via Ketal-Based Crosslinks, Benjamin Alameda

Dissertations

Thermoset polymer networks are ubiquitous in the construction of high-performance materials due to their excellent mechanical properties, solvent resistance, and thermomechanical performance. However, the crosslinked structure that instills these materials with favorable performance also makes them incredibly resistant to degradation and are nearly impossible to recycle – adding to the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution. Hydrolytically degradable thermosets have emerged as a potentially sustainable alternative to traditional thermosets by affording networks that are inherently degradable in aqueous environments. This dissertation focuses on the development of hydrolytically degradable thermoset networks with tunable degradation behavior through the implementation of ketal-based crosslinks. Given …

Trauma And Alcohol/Substance Use: The Role Of Self-Regulation Flexibility, Saankari Anusha Challa

Dissertations

Despite a high comorbidity rate between trauma/PTSD and problematic alcohol/substance use, there is only a small body of work investigating moderators and mediators in this relationship. Few studies have examined the role of self-regulation, composed of coping and emotion regulation, in the context of PTSD and problematic substance use. Prior work has generally measured self-regulation categorically, with strategies labeled as maladaptive or adaptive, and therefore failing to account for the adaptiveness of the strategy in particular contexts. The present study is the only one to date to examine self-regulation flexibility in the relationship between posttraumatic symptoms (PTSS) and problematic alcohol/substance …

Family Care Of Persons With A Brain Tumor, Paula R. Sherwood

Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that caregivers of persons with cancer and persons with dementia are at risk for negative consequences from providing care, such as increased mortality, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. However, there have been minimal efforts to describe the impact of providing care for persons with both oncological and neurological sequelae. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the care recipient's functional, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric status on the caregiver's level of burden and depressive symptoms for caregivers of persons with a primary malignant brain tumor, and to determine whether caregiver mastery and perceived adequacy of information …