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Does Structural Racism Influence How Black/African Americans Define Memory Loss And Cognitive Impairment? An Africana Phenomenological Study, Andre Pruitt

Dissertations and Theses

With the variety of research about dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD), few studies have explored the effect of social structures, such as racism, on how Black/African Americans conceptualize memory loss, dementia, or AD. Furthermore, limited within the scholarship are the environmental factors and structural racism that are thought to influence cognitive impairments and meaning making about cognitive decline impacting Black/African Americans.

Most U.S. research centers on methodologies and epistemologies grounded in Eurocentric ways of knowing (objectivity, individuality, either/or logic). However, Eurocentric methodologies fail to acknowledge the cultural experiences with memory loss, cognitive impairment, dementia, and AD, as well as the …

Defining Dementia-Friendly Communities From The Perspective Of Those Affected, Iris Alexandra Wernher

Dissertations and Theses

More and more communities across the globe are pledging to become more "dementia friendly," yet many initiatives lack direction as to what this pledge might entail. The intent of this qualitative study, conducted in the metropolitan area of Portland and several other cities in Oregon, was to better understand how communities can increase their dementia friendliness – from the perspective of people living with dementia and their care partners. The study further aimed to clarify if and how age- and dementia-friendly efforts can be integrated.

Twenty-five community-dwelling individuals living with dementia and their 25 informal carers participated separately in semi-structured …

Graphical Models In Reconstructability Analysis And Bayesian Networks, Marcus Andrew Harris

Dissertations and Theses

This research focuses on the investigation of two machine learning methodologies, Reconstructability Analysis (RA) and Bayesian Networks (BN). Both methods are probabilistic graphical modeling (PGM) methodologies. RA was developed in the systems community and has applications including time-series analysis, classification, decomposition, compression, pattern recognition, prediction, control, and decision analysis. BNs have origins in path models and have applications similar to those of RA. BNs are another graphical modeling approach for data modeling that is closely related to RA; where BN overlaps RA the two methods are equivalent, but RA and BN each has distinctive features absent in the other methodology. …

Elementary Principal Leadership And Special Education: A Case Study In The United States, Vivian M. Garrison

Dissertations and Theses

School districts have called upon principals to build capacity for inclusive learning environments and prioritize the needs of an increasingly diverse group of students. A principal's work to effectively include students so they are part of the school community and have opportunities to achieve academically has been challenging. As the instructional leader of the school, principals have played an essential role by collaborating with teachers and specialists, removing obstacles to learning, and ensuring that teachers meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. They have also been held accountable for knowing the laws, policies, and best practices to support …

"The Call Is Coming From Inside The House": Tracing Experiences In The Institutionally-Centered Process Of Establishing Limited Conservatorships In California, Barbara Alison Imle

Dissertations and Theses

In this institutional ethnography, multiple methods are used to explore California’s process of establishing limited conservatorships, which are legal proceedings that limit or terminate civil rights of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). This research uses observations of 93 conservatorship hearings, 16 interviews with people involved in the conservatorship process, and an analysis of over 40 documents related to these legal proceedings. These data are used to answer two questions: 1) what is the process of establishing a limited conservatorship in California; and 2) how is this process experienced by those involved?

Findings break down a complex process and …

Understanding The Experiences Of Latino Medical Students In A Learning Medical Environment, Leslie García

Dissertations and Theses

Very little is known about the experiences and perceptions of underrepresented minority (URiM) medical students in the U.S. allopathic medical schools. The limited literature posits URiMs experience more adverse experiences in the learning environment and have different learning outcomes in comparison to their White peer counterparts. Latino medical students represent 7.1% of all entering medical students across all U.S. medical schools. While they represent the largest ethnic minority in the United States within parity lack representation among the physician workforce [sic]. There is a dearth of knowledge of what factors contribute to the success of Latino medical students progressing in …

Cementation And Groundwater Chemistry In Pleistocene Paleodune Deposits Of The Central Oregon Coast, Adrienne Lynn Stephens

Dissertations and Theses

Pleistocene paleodune deposits occur along the Oregon coast, underlying coastal towns, roadways, and associated power and water infrastructure(s). Secondary cementation within these deposits provides some stability, allowing for near-vertical sea cliffs and roadcut outcrops. Yet, slope instability is a prevalent hazard observed within the paleodune deposits. Weakening of cementing agents via changes to groundwater conditions due to altered vegetation, climate change, or contamination, for example, could promote slope instability, threatening lives and infrastructure. This study aims to investigate the variability in the type and degree of cementation and to determine how they are affected by changes in groundwater conditions.

To …

Coriolis Forces On Wind Turbine Wakes Within A Wind Farm, Natalie Violetta Frank

Dissertations and Theses

As wind plant footprints and turbine scales grow larger, understanding the interactions between mesoscale physical phenomena, such as Earth's rotation, and large-scale farm wakes become increasingly important. Current field research notes spatial and temporal influences on the global farm wakes caused by Coriolis forces. However, using field experiments to study this is notoriously difficult as there is additional influence from wind veer in the atmospheric boundary layer caused by many factors ranging from terrain to the diurnal cycles. Experiments are performed on a wind plant under the influence of Coriolis forces. This is achieved by placing the wind plant on …

Comparing The Performance Of Different Machine Learning Models In The Evaluation Of Solder Joint Fatigue Life Under Thermal Cycling, Jason Scott Ross

Dissertations and Theses

Predicting the reliability of board-level solder joints is a challenging process for the designer because the fatigue life of solder is influenced by a large variety of design parameters and many nonlinear, coupled phenomena. Machine learning has shown promise as a way of predicting the fatigue life of board-level solder joints. In the present work, the performance of various machine learning models to predict the fatigue life of board-level solder joints is discussed. Experimental data from many different solder joint thermal fatigue tests are used to train the different machine learning models. A web-based database for storing, sharing, and uploading …

Organizational Readiness Assessment For Fraud Detection And Prevention: Case Of Airlines Sector And Electronic Payment, Sultan Ayed Alghamdi

Dissertations and Theses

Payment processing systems have advanced significantly in the airline business. Because e-payments are easy, they have captured the attention of many companies in the aviation industry and are quickly becoming the dominant means of payment. However, as technology advances, fraud grows at a comparable rate. Over the years, there has been a surge in payment fraud incidents in the airline sector, reducing the platform's trustworthiness. Despite attempts to eliminate e-payment fraud, decision-makers lack the technical expertise required to use the finest fraud detection and prevention assessments; this research recognizes the lack of an established decision model as a hurdle and …

Factors Affecting Community Rating System Participation In The National Flood Insurance Program: A Case Study Of Texas, Ryan David Eddings

Dissertations and Theses

Since the 1960s, the frequency and cost of floods have, on average, increased in the United States. Concurrent with this increase in flood losses has been an increase in flood insurance claims paid out by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The existing literature shows that participation in the NFIP's Community Rating System (CRS) program successfully lowered flood losses and NFIP insurance claims in the participating communities. In spite of these successes, community participation in the CRS is low and the NFIP is currently more than $20 billion in debt. By identifying factors predicting participation and related barriers to entry …

A Case Study Of Mexican Immigrant Parents' Involvement In Their Children's Education, Evelia Vega

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this phenomenological case study is to explore the misconception that is occurring in schools today about Mexican Immigrant parents' involvement. Using the Sociocultural and Funds of Knowledge theories to ground this study, I conducted in-depth phenomenological semi-structured interviews with six participants. The participants were Mexican Immigrant parents who resided in a specific Oregon county where their children attended school. They shared their perceptions and experiences about being involved in their children's education. The analysis led to three themes in the findings, which were: Perceptions, Culture, and Communication. The first theme provided a glimpse into the participants' lived …

Why So Serious? Using The Belongingness Need Tenet From The Self-Determination Theory To Examine Workplace Humor And Its Outcomes, Katharine Lucille Mcmahon

Dissertations and Theses

The small body of literature for workplace humor remains fragmented due to the lack of coherence in conceptualization and theory. Furthermore, the distinction between positive and negative humor adds complexity to predicting the outcomes of humor. Focusing on the foundation aspect of humor as a form of social play provides guidance on choosing a theory-informed integrative framework that could explain the implications of humor in the workplace. The belongingness need tenet of the self-determination theory offers a promising framework to synthesize existing research and to direct future studies. Paper 1 reviews the literature and concludes with an integrative framework suggesting …

Exploring Associations Between Military Identity And Well-Being Outcomes Among Post-9/11 Veterans After Separation, James David Lee

Dissertations and Theses

Approximately 200,000 service members exit the military each year; as of 2016, there were 19 million veterans in the U.S. As service members transition out of the military and acclimate to civilian life, they face a multitude of stressors. For example, estimates vary from 44 to 72% of veterans reportedly experience increased stress during their transition which often entails securing civilian employment, navigating interpersonal difficulties, and adapting to the challenges of civilian life. These stressors have harmful consequences and have been linked to physical and mental health, and suicide risk. Despite these findings, research examining the well-being of veterans following …

Integrated Stem Learning Activity: Effect On Student Engagement And Learning, Leslie Deitrich Sauder

Dissertations and Theses

Student engagement in math and science courses decreases starting in middle school and continues throughout high school (Museus et al., 2011). This lack of engagement results in students taking only the required math and science coursework and not advanced coursework that would help prepare them for future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning activities may be used to promote student engagement and learning. This experimental design study was conducted with students in grades 3-5 in one rural mid-sized school district in the upper mid-west. Student engagement was analyzed using a …

Redeeming Femininity: A Steinian Catholic Feminist Reading Of Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction, Amanda Pugh

Dissertations and Theses

By situating an analysis of Flannery O’Connor’s short fiction in conversation with Edith Stein’s theology of gender, this project contributes to the critical conversation that interprets O’Connor’s fiction through various feminist frameworks. I respond by proposing an alternative feminist framework that centers O’Connor’s sacramental or incarnational vision of the human body and her characters’ movement from fallenness to redemption. Stein’s theology posits that men and women live their fallenness and redemption in differentiated ways that correspond to their embodied masculinity and femininity, respectively. For men, participating in redemption involves imitating the sacrificial love of Christ’s crucifixion. For women, participating in …

"An Infinite Advantage": A Kierkegaardian Analysis Of Anxiety And Despair In Post-War American Literature, Jeremiah Davis

Dissertations and Theses

“An Infinite Advantage”: A Kierkegaardian Analysis of Anxiety and Despair in Post-War American Literature uses a theistically informed existentialist lens to examine issues of selfhood as depicted in American literature from the mid-twentieth century. During this period in America, the changing nature of religious worship led to an uncertain understanding of what it meant to be an individual. With examinations of characters from five novels published in the period, I explore how Soren Kierkegaard’s philosophy can help us better understand how Christian authors from the period attempted to define what makes up a self and how a self is to …

Community Health Workers In Rural Palliative Care: A Mixed Method Exploration Of The South Dakota Context, Angela Beth Kroeze Visser

Dissertations and Theses

Rural communities in the United States face challenges in providing palliative care due to the limited number of providers and the distances patients must travel to access services. Community health workers (CHWs) are community members who provide a connection between communities and health or social services providers and offer a potential innovation as members of palliative care teams to expand connections to palliative care services. However, there is little known about how CHWs are integrated into palliative care teams and whether palliative care providers and advocates would view this innovation as feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for the rural palliative care …

Childhood Maltreatment And Suicidal Ideation: The Role Of Insecure Attachment, Alexithymia, And Negative Urgency., Surabhi Swaminath

Dissertations and Theses

Suicide is a significant cause of preventable death, especially among young adults. Survivors of childhood maltreatment are at heightened risk of experiencing suicidal ideation and following through on suicide-related thoughts. Insecure attachment, alexithymia, and impulsivity (negative urgency) are known risk factors for suicidal ideation. However, the combined role of these variables in association with suicidal ideation is not fully understood. The current study tested the role of insecure attachment, alexithymia, and negative urgency in the relationship between child maltreatment and ideation via a path model in young adults between 18 and 29 (N = 441). We hypothesized that maltreatment would …

Adaptation To Sport Retirement In Division I Student-Athletes, Andrea Cota Powell

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation utilizes a mixed-methods design to explore adaptation to sport retirement among Division I student-athletes. Sport retirement is a major life transition that can elicit changes in support systems, identity crises, and feelings of loss, failure, and grief. Transitioning out of sport is a phenomenon that over 90% of collegiate student-athletes experience when their four years of NCAA eligibility expires. It is a phenomenon that all athletes experience at some point in their lives. To transition out of sports, one must adapt to post-sport life. Study one of this dissertation explored the phenomenon of occupational retirement through concept analysis …

Micro Credentialing For Teachers: A Case Study In Personalized Professional Development, Brad John Berens

Dissertations and Theses

Professional development for teachers must evolve to provide a personalized approach to better meet the needs of the individual. Micro-credentialing is one way to provide teachers with personalized professional development. This case study explores the implementation of a micro-credentialing course in one school district. The district selected a company that provides micro-credential courses nationwide. The theoretical framework for the study is Andragogy, the theory of adult learning (Knowles, 1984). The objective of the study is to determine to what extent micro-credentialing meets the needs of teachers, and to what extent it is effective professional development. Data for this qualitative study …

Deadly Emotions: The Argument For Tempered Feeling In British And American Literature Of Sentiment, Miranda Anne Liebsack

Dissertations and Theses

This project focuses on late eighteenth-century literature of sentiment, specifically examining the man and woman of feeling characters in The Adventures of David Simple (1744) and Volume the Last (1753), both written by Sarah Fielding, The Man of Feeling (1771), written by Henry Mackenzie, The Power of Sympathy (1789) by William Hill Brown, and The Coquette (1797), by Hannah Webster Foster. I use the following terms to analyze these texts: sensibility functions as the ability to feel great emotion, emotionally and physically; sympathy is the ability to connect with another with emotions, and sentiment is tempered emotion based in morality …

Little Mexico In The Black Hills: A Study Of Mexican Migration And Settlement From 1970-1990s, Sabrina Escalante

Dissertations and Theses

In the early 1970s, the members of the small-town Ojos de Agua de Ocampo, Michoacán, in Mexico, began migrating to the United States to escape poverty. As they continued to work in the fruit fields of California, some of them decided to follow the fruit, which eventually led them to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, where their Mexican community expanded through the late 1990s. In this thesis, I argue that without following the fruit, Mexicans would not have found the Black Hills and job security as loggers. The environmental similarities between the Black Hills and Ojos de Agua …

Trauma And The American Dream: Frictions Of The Dominant Fiction In Steinbeck And Smith, Mary Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This project focuses on how John Steinbeck’s East of Eden (1952) and Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) portray individuals’ interaction with the dominant fiction of the American Dream. At the time of these novels’ publication, the ideology of the American Dream was a prominent feature of America’s culture, encouraging individuals that success is possible if they work hard enough. Steinbeck and Smith challenge this concept as their novels depict scenarios which thwart individual’s opportunities at success and characters whose hard work goes unnoticed. Specifically, I explore how the trauma and adversities characters experience in childhood and adolescence …

The Victorian Crisis Of Faith: Uncertainty, Pessimism, Morality, And Monsters. A Look At Nineteenth-Century British Gothic Horror And The Unassailable Unknown, Jay Schroeder

Dissertations and Theses

This work investigates how Gothic narratives employed negative aesthetics, monstrous bodies, exploded meaning, and an unshakable mood of uncertainty to explore rising fears of dwindling morality and impending human doom during the long nineteenth century. Using Eugene Thacker’s cosmic pessimism, Sianne Ngai’s concept of tone, and Stephen Greenblatt’s theories of resonance and wonder, combined with monster theory, Gothic criticism, biological studies of fear, and nineteenth-century studies in medicine, science, and literature, I investigate how these texts constructed monstrous bodies to create an atmosphere of fear that reflected a culture of pessimism and a crisis of faith to contend, albeit unsuccessfully, …

A Phenomenological Study: Examining Resilience In Native American Women Who Witnessed Domestic Violence In Childhood And Experienced Domestic Violence In Adulthood, Arial Swallow

Dissertations and Theses

Domestic violence has significant acute and long-lasting harmful effects on the well-being of women from all backgrounds with higher rates of psychological effects in ethnic minority populations. Native American women experience domestic violence at disproportionate rates and face unique barriers in overcoming challenges of healing from domestic violence. Even though the impact of domestic violence in children and adults is well-studied, research in rural and Native American populations is scarce. Women who have witnessed or experienced domestic violence in childhood have identified challenges and strengths and developed coping strategies to help them endure and adapt to surviving domestic violence in …

Late For Class But Still On The Bus: Women's Persistence At A Community College, Mellisa Flanigan

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of post-traditional women’s persistence in earning credentials at community college cannot be understated. The literature addressed the issue of non-completion within the community college; however, it did not address why or how some students completed, particularly, post-traditional women. Gaps existed in the literature, as it primarily concerned why students did not finish. Therefore, the research conducted for this study was critical for higher education to understand why some post-traditional complete credentials.. Throughout this phenomenological study, five themes emerged: resiliency, respect, economics, support, and integration, as well as subthemes as the women shared stories of how they persisted in …

A Comparison Of Emotional Intelligence And Resilience Between Bachelor’S Degree And Associate Degree Nursing Students, Natalie Board

Dissertations and Theses

Emotional intelligence and resilience are essential proficiencies critical for nurses to deliver safe and quality patient care. In the healthcare industry, nurses are exposed to numerous complex circumstances in demanding and high-stress environments. The quality of patient care a nurse can deliver depends on one's capacity to handle certain situations effectively. Emotional intelligence and resilience were potentially important variables in improving clinical practices and patient outcomes (Cleary et al., 2018). With the nursing shortage in the US, all nurses became necessary and required on the front lines of patient care during this time of dire need, regardless of their levels …

Voter Influencing In State Trial Court Judicial Elections In Los Angeles, San Francisco, And Houston, Myanna Dellinger

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines select key factors that influence voter choices in state trial court judicial elections in three large, cosmopolitan counties in California and Texas. These include ballot designations (i.e., professional titles of candidates), “evaluations” of candidates by local bar associations, newspaper endorsements, political party affiliation, and gender. Focus here is on ballot designations and local bar association evaluations; the subjective opinions issued by local bar associations as official-sounding, objective and qualitative evaluations. In turn, local bar associations are private, voluntary associations consisting of fee-paying members and not overseeing state bar associations as many laypeople believe. Judicial elections remain low-information, …

“I Am Still Dakota”: Assimilation, Education, And Survival On The Lake Traverse Reservation, Katherine Victoria Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

In 1867, the Sisseton Wahpeton signed the Lake Traverse Treaty and settled on the Lake Traverse Reservation in Northeastern South Dakota. As part of the growing westward expansion of settlers, the U.S government confined Indigenous peoples to reservations and tried to destroy their culture. Federal and state governments since then have continued to eliminate, relocate, and assimilate Indigenous people. For Indigenous peoples, the land is life, and assimilation through boarding schools served to sever them from their land and enforce white superiority. In this thesis, I argue that the Sisseton Wahpeton found ways to engage in cultural resilience utilizing Indigenous …