Digital Commons Network^™

Air Pollution In The Steel City: Assessing The Influence Of Covid-19 On Air Pollution In Allegheny County, Carissa L. Lange

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has sickened millions of individuals, lockdown measures have provided a unique opportunity to analyze air pollution reductions. Reductions in air pollution are especially important in a city like Pittsburgh, where industrial activity has led to elevated levels of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter 2.5). The majority of this PM_2.5 pollution comes from two industrial facilities, the Edgar Thomson Steel Works and the Clairton Coke Works. By utilizing a natural experiment, this study sought to determine how large of a role the COVID-19 lockdowns played in improving air quality in the Pittsburgh region. Data …

The Assumptionist Movement As Precursor To Vatican Ii: A Case Study On The Dogmatic Definition Of The Assumption Of Mary And The Teachings Of The Second Vatican Council, Eric Lafferty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Assumptionist movement (1863–1950) was a theological movement within the Roman Catholic Church that worked to obtain a dogmatic definition for the Assumption of Mary. This study employs a form of reception theory to argue for the doctrinal continuity between the Assumptionist movement and Vatican II. The first chapter examines the Assumptionist movement’s overlooked history. It uncovers two major characteristics of the movement. First, it was a global movement. Support for the Assumption dogma emerged from every populated continent. Second, it was a movement that involved every rank in the Church. The laity, priests, religious, and bishops worked together towards …

Scripture Living In The Church: The Ecumenical Relevance Of Yves Congar's Ecclesiological Approach To Sola Scriptura, Paul Mueller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Yves Congar was quite possibly the greatest Catholic ecclesiologist of the twentieth century. His lifelong passion for ecumenism and ecclesiology were contained in his prodigious work on the sources of revelation, Scripture and Tradition. Congar explained the frequently misinterpreted Catholic concept of Tradition clearly, which could be helpful in easing any tensions on this topic between Catholics and Protestants. This dissertation intends to show how Congar understood Tradition and to show how that can be a potential aid in ecumenical dialogue. Congar’s efforts in the composition of numerous documents from Vatican II gave him the knowledge of the Catholic position …

A Theoretical Framework For Effective Education In Rural High-Poverty Schools, Harley Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated “why” some educational leaders are effective in serving rural high-poverty populations and to better understand “how” to enact effective leadership in similar spaces. Core principles of Critical Social Theory, Systems Leadership Theory, and Emotional Intelligence informed this work. Using a Grounded Theory methodology, a theoretical framework for effective educational leadership in rural high-poverty schools emerged. This framework suggests that effective educational leaders take a systems leadership approach to guiding their organizations to more equitable and socially just ends. Such leaders honor student and family voices and actively seek to understand and respond to their lived realities. They …

Circle Of Circles: Rethinking Idealism Through Hegel's Epistemology, Sila Ozkara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation’s central thesis is that Hegel’s approach to knowledge and philosophy is “circular”. A “circle of circles”, Kreis von Kreisen, an image Hegel regularly uses throughout his corpus, has sustained a steady wonder in his commentators. Nevertheless, it has not been studied with rigor adequate to its extensive importance, which spans his philosophical career and frames his engagement with the history of philosophy and the philosophy of his time. Due attention to Hegel’s concept of circles provides a robust frame for grasping his philosophical project, idealism, and account of knowledge. The content of each of Hegel’s works is the …

Diagnosis Of Melanoma Disease State From Patient Blood Samples Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jacob Salvatore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 1 in 50 Americans develop melanoma in their lifetime. Early detection of melanoma is pivotal to the survival of the patient, with a 99% survival rate for 5 or more years after an early diagnosis. Metastasis, or the spread of cancer, increases the chances of cancerous growth in other parts of the body. In this study, we propose the use of photoacoustic flow cytometry as a diagnostic of patient disease state, by closely monitoring the amount of circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) in a patient’s blood before and after chemotherapy treatments. Using this patient data, we were able to make …

Characterizing The Dormancy And Repair Of A Circumneutral Passive Remediation System Receiving Iron And Sulfate-Rich Amd, Garrett Struble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Wingfield Pines remediation system is a ~20-acre circumneutral, gravity-fed system constructed in 2009 to passively remediate Fe from an ~2000 gallon/minute effluent. In 2017, a fracture to the system’s underground cavern caused the AMD effluent to bypass the system, flowing directly into Chartiers Creek and leaving the system decommissioned between 2017-2019. Soil slurry and water samples were collected in the weeks prior to the system’s reinstalment in September 2019 through January 2020 in order to determine the effect of the repair on remediation efficiency and microbial community composition. This study acted as the first to describe the temporary decommissioning …

Cultivating Eliot's Historical Sense: Eliotic Time And The Waste Land's Response To Alienation, Thomas Ball

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I argue that T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land marshals his account of historical sense as a response to the problem of alienation in modernity. Eliot’s historical sense depends upon an awareness of the endurance of the past, demanding a reorientation to the structure of temporality. I interrogate the temporal ramifications of Eliot’s account, arguing that it resonates with Henri Bergson’s durational theory of time. I ultimately investigate Eliot’s relationship to Bergson, suggesting that Eliot intervenes in the Bergsonian framework by establishing duration as a cultural, rather than individual or ontological, reality.

Feminine Discursive Authority Through Symbolism, Allegory And Exemplum: A Study Of Christine De Pizan, A Rhetor Of The Late Middle Ages, Kathleen Burk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhetorical studies are deeply concerned with the way that human beings use language and symbols to interact and persuade others to follow a particular point of view, or plan of action. In the male dominant culture of 15^th century France, Christine de Pizan recognized the limitations of speaking as a woman in her own voice. Therefore, she directed her voice through a cadre of allegorical divine beings, most of whom were women. These allegorical mentors held the divine authority to profess the virtue of women, as Christine, the narrator, humbly listened. This was a time in history when few …

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students' Self-Efficacy For The Doctoral Capstone Experience: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Ann B. Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine factors that influence occupational therapy doctoral students’ self-efficacy for the Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE). Six doctoral students enrolled in an entry-level occupational therapy doctoral program at a private university were recruited to participate. Students completed a four-item self-efficacy rating scale prior to and several times throughout their DCE. Participants also participated in semi-structured phone interviews regarding their relationship with their Site Mentor after completing the DCE.

Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. The quantitative analysis determined that there were no significant differences in self-efficacy for students …

The Feasibility Of A Music Listening Intervention On The Incidence, Severity, And Duration Of Delirium In The Older Acute Care Patient: A Feasibility Trial, Mary Kovaleski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background.Delirium is an acute change in cognition in response to some form of noxious insult whichhas been shown to last for up to one year post occurrence and may lead to permanent cognitive decline.As a non-pharmacological treatment, music may aid in improving patient engagement and attention. Method. An integrative review (IR) was used to synthesize current literature examining the effectof a musicinterventionon delirium in older acute care patients. Results. Systematicdatabase searches (2000-2019) yielded fourstudies that included a music listeningintervention.This IR found that collaborative music listening interventions (not music therapy), have been shown to decreasedelirium in the older acute care patient, …

Rural Elementary Teacher Beliefs Regarding The Effectiveness Of Their Homework Practices During The Pandemic, Daniel Clara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the lenses of C.S. Peirce’s Belief and Genuine Doubt, Albert Bandura’s Self Efficacy and Collective Efficacy, Bernard Weiner’s Attribution Theory, and Critical Race Theory, this dissertation captured and codified rural elementary teacher beliefs regarding homework and its effectiveness related to learning, and in particular, the effects brought on by the 2020 COVID 19 school closure. Rural school systems are under-researched and present notable differences in homework challenges, including access to libraries, technology and distance from home to school. Using qualitative research, this study identified themes regarding teacher perceptions of homework. The author explained that many of the long-held tenants …

In-Service Teachers' Ability To Integrate Instructional Technology Into Lessons Based On Samr Level Outcomes And Their Perceived Ease Of Use, Perceived Usefulness, And Self-Efficacy, Jordan L. Cotten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine in-service teachers’ ability to integrate instructional technology into their lesson plans. The Technology Acceptance Model 2 (TAM 2) survey was used to measure self-reported perceived ability of technology integration. Teacher self-efficacy, computer self-efficacy, and self-efficacy towards technology integration questions will be used to measure self-reported self-efficacy levels. The Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model was used to determine the level of integration in-service teachers actually incorporated. Participants (n = 131) were teachers from a suburban public K-12 school district in the northeastern region of the United States. Results showed that participants …

Consecrate The World To God: Maximus The Confessor On The “Secular” And Vatican Ii’S Theology Of The Laity., Anthony Marco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Post-Conciliar ecclesiological reflection has been largely critical of Lumen Gentium’s description of the laity. The criticism is focused around two concepts: that the lay vocation takes place principally among the life and work of the world, having a “secular character” and that the activity of the laity, as a participation in the priesthood of Christ, is the consecration the world itself to God. According to this critique, these concepts are problematic because they juxtapose the task of the laity in the world with the task of the clergy who are the sole proprietors of the sacred. This is compounded by …

Professional Ethics For College Health Services, Dessa Mrvos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College health services provide a crucial resource for campus communities in the United States, substantially affecting student health, safety, and wellbeing. The impact and quality of campus clinical services impact student life through varied approaches to the delivery of services, health innovations, and business models. The role that campus health services plays in dealing with risk mitigation is essential: well-established public health principles of disease prevention, health promotion, and health education are sustained and advanced by campus clinical health services. Despite the widely recognized importance of college health services, there is very little literature on the contribution of ethics related …

Recommended Reading: Book List Books And Middlebrow Tastemaking, Cheryl Read

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term “middlebrow” has historically been hurled as a pejorative to signify cultural objects and consumers of them which are watered down, inauthentic, and invested in quick social gain. I argue that the literary middlebrow can be better understood if its definition expands to include a mode of reading characterized by being mediated by cultural arbiters and purposeful in that literature functions as an instrument for self-improvement. In this dissertation, I use book list books, lists of recommended reading published as standalone books themselves, to trace the history of a middlebrow mode of reading from the late nineteenth century to …

Examining The Development Of Tpack And The Use Of Sqd Strategies In Teacher Education Programs, Triantafyllia Sarri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate the impact of technology training offered by teacher education programs on preservice teachers’ ΤPACK development. Specifically, the study aims to investigate how the SQD strategies of: 1) teacher educators acting as role models, 2) learning technology by design, 3) collaborating with peers, 4) scaffolding authentic experiences, 5) reflecting about the role of technology in education and, 6) moving from traditional to continuous feedback, contribute to the development of each domain of the TPACK framework. The study employs a quantitative methodology for analyzing the data collected. The measurement instruments for data collection …

Get Ready For Future Education: A Phenomenological Study On Artificial Intelligence, Son T. H. Pham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence (A.I.) brings new opportunities for social construction. This phenomenological research attempted to analyze the phenomenon of artificial intelligence in education, grounding in American philosophy, with a review of the history of A.I. in education, its promise, and possible futures. The primary purpose of the study was to share voices and lived experiences of educators, philosophers, industrialists and politicians toward the coming high-tech society. Fundamental to this philosophical inquiry was Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology. The findings from eight intellectuals participating in this study elucidated five themes of the investigated phenomenon. Together these empirical indicators, and an outline of philosophy of …

The Ethical Justification Of Extracorporeal Interval Support For Organ Retrieval (Eisor) Within The Context Of Donation After Circulatory Determination Of Death (Dcdd), Jude Anyaeche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

THE ETHICAL JUSTIFICATION OF EXTRACORPOREAL INTERVAL SUPPORT FOR ORGAN RETRIEVAL (EISOR) WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DONATION AFTER CIRCULATORY DETERMINATION OF DEATH (DCDD)

ABSTRACT

Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death (DCDD) protocol contributes to the increase in the number of organs available for transplant. However, the primary practical limitation of the DCDD practice is that the retrieved organs are not of good quality. The organs retain long periods of warm ischemia between the cardio-circulatory arrest of donors and the cold preservation of the donated organs. Within the period, ischemic damage affects the organs, leading to the graft's primary non-function or delayed-graft …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Psychotherapists' Experiences Of Vulnerability, Kay Yu Yuan Chai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the service of forging a deep authentic connection that has the power to heal and transform, psychotherapists create and hold space for their patients to show themselves in a deeply vulnerable manner so that they can be known and accepted as they are. At the same time, psychotherapists are also flawed and wounded mortal beings who cannot help but bring their own woundedness, personalities, and limitations into the space, and must negotiate the delicate balance between restraint and expressiveness of their vulnerability. This study is a phenomenological inquiry into how psychotherapists experience their vulnerability given the demands of their …

The Rhetoric Of Parody And Persona: The Rhetorical Construction Of Donald Trump Through Parody In The 2016 Election, James Lyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation is to explore the rhetorical nature of parody in the context of the American electoral process. This work draws on existing research in the field to show how humor is an important method for engaging the public sphere. This project develops the rhetorical nature of humor, works through existing research on conceptualizations of humor and its importance for societal dialogue, and then addresses the specific contributions to the study of parody offered by Mikhail Bakhtin and Kenneth Burke to demonstrate the potential for parody to act as a form of rhetorical illumination of existing rhetorical …

Rhetoric And Philosophy Of Communication In Jorge Luis Borges' Metaphysical Obsession With Time, Aurora M. Pinto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project begins with the assumption that through storytelling we humans make sense of the world around us. Language and communication are powerful in defining who we are and allowing individuals to “become a self” (Taylor The Language 318). Drawing from Schrag, I argue that rhetoric is inextricably linked to discourse but is also situated beyond its classical persuasive function. Rhetoric evokes a response from the other, based on reflection and deliberation. Since that other might be a reader of texts of fiction, there is a rhetorical connection to interpretation that situates literature as an exemplar of communicative engagement.

This …

School Counseling In An Oppressed Society: Examining The Relationships Between Social Justice Advocacy Competence, Empowerment, And Social Justice Self-Efficacy, Michelle Tanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current nature of oppression that exists in the United States can be seen in the structure and process of American schools, impacting students’ social/emotional, academic, and career development. The defined role of school counselors along with their educational background; strategic position within schools to make meaningful change; access to critical student, teacher, family, and community data; and their professional dispositions and experience make them the most logical choice to help remove systemic barriers and to create equitable opportunities for the marginalized students. School counselors must work as social justice advocates to lead these diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; however, …

Technology And Pleasure: A Qualitative Study On Using Mobile Applications For Online And Offline Sexual Purposes, Gabriella Locke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The internet has long been considered an accessible, anonymous, and affordable platform for sexuality and the emergence of smartphone applications has made facilitating online and offline sexual behaviors even easier for young adults. Despite the increase, there continues to be a lack of detailed research on the experiences of young adults who use these types of applications. This qualitative study explored how young adults use mobile applications to engage in online and offline sexual behaviors and the motivations and perceived benefits and risks of such behavior. This study, analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, completed eight semi-structed interviews with individuals between …

An Ethical Foundation For Genetic Therapy And Gene Editing (Crispr), Nikolija Lukich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many steps involved in the process of introducing CRISPR-Cas9 into the current health care system. This dissertation provides an ethical foundation for the uses of CRISPR-Cas9 genetic therapies and editing techniques, which organizations can utilize when implementing these new technologies. Multiple components must be examined, including the practical application of the concept of autonomy, which benefits from the inclusion of personalism and care ethics as it aims to provide a more effective method upholding the right to independent decision-making. In addition to individual considerations, population-based decisions and public health tools are explored, connecting the human right to health …

Natural Law And Latinx Social Ethics: A Narrative Approach, Mathew D. Scruggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will argue concepts rooted in Latinx social ethics provides a corrective to acontextual and ahistorical, Euroamerican natural law frameworks by positing natural law as a type of moral reasoning rooted in the contexts, histories, and narratives of particular communities. Rooting natural law in the narrative practices of Latinx communities not only reveals the need for justice for oppression against Latinx bodies from the wider community, but also offers a corrective to ahistorical and acontextual Euroamerican natural law frameworks. A Latinx natural law functions as a radical and prophetic critique against systems of oppression that destroy the lives of …

Subepidermal Moisture Measures And Their Relationship To Early Identification Of Pressure Injuries In Both Dark And Light Skin Tones In The Acute Care Setting, Cecilia Zamarripa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Pressure injuries are an important quality measure. Most are avoidable and can be prevented by implementing nursing care strategies early. Pressure injury prevention is significant to nursing practice. There is a gap in the ability to detect early skin damage through standard visual skin assessment in dark skin toned individuals. Subepidermal moisture (SEM) values have been shown to detect early tissue damage in people with dark skin, prior to it being detected through standard visual skin assessment.

Objectives: This study sought to explore the relationship between visual skin assessment and SEM as indicators of pressure injury and …

Animated By The Spirit: An Ecclesiology For Assessing Charism-Centered Mission In Higher Education, Michelle Nicole Blohm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A “charism-centered” institutional mission is a mission that is believed to be instantiated and guided by the working of the Holy Spirit. Countless Catholic higher education institutions claim to have missions rooted in one or more charisms. However, institutional assessment processes tailored to charism-centered missions have remained in their infancy due to the lack of a theological grounding for institutional charism and its assessment. This work uses Yves Congar’s pneumatological ecclesiology to establish a theological framework for interpreting charism as respecting and enhancing stakeholder diversity and uses Louis-Marie Chauvet’s ecclesiology of symbol to pioneer a model for institutionally assessing charism-centered …

Meeting Myself As A Scholarly Practitioner: A Self-Study Exploring The Process Of Integrating Instructional Technology Into Introductory Theater Courses, Ramona Broomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

A growing number of faculty in higher education are using technology applications in their teaching practices. However, a gap in the literature exists related to instructional technology integration in liberal arts courses. This gap also exists in theater education, where I have spent the last 20 years of my professional life. This self-study analyzed my knowledge and practice of using instructional technology in theater education. Using technological and pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) as a theoretical framework, I examined my teaching of introductory theater courses in face-to-face and online formats. As part of the inquiry process, I collected and analyzed …

Communication As Change: Marshall Mcluhan And A Transformation Model Of Communication, Lane Grafton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The work synthesizes Marshall McLuhan’s transformation model of communication with a trivium-based educational model and challenges the modern-day position of unreflective mediated communication. McLuhan’s transformation model demonstrates that communication is more than the transfer of content; rather, it is a transformation of perception. This work broadens the analysis and suggests that figure and ground relationships are integral to seeing the whole of media transformations. Through figure and ground relationships, communication unfolds as a study of perceptual change. The work explores perceptual change within the context of McLuhan’s conversion to the Catholic Church and underscores the importance of a unified mind …