Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond School Engagement: School Adaptation And Its Role In Bolstering Resilience Among Youth Who Have Been Involved With Child Welfare Services, Skyler S. Leonard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Youth involved with the child welfare system are at significant risk of poor school functioning and mental health. Little research has explored how the connection to school impacts known relationships between adversity and youth outcomes. The following project sought to shed light on the role of schools in conferring risk or resilience for youth in contact with the child welfare system, with regard to their mental health. The overall aims of this project were to (1) improve our conceptualization of school adaptation, with particular attention to individual variation along multiple dimensions of school adaptation, (2) examine the relationship of …

Mindful Acting, Terence Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As we transition into a more goal-oriented society, our ability to nurture and cultivate individual growth in emotional, spiritual, and mental awareness in the performing arts has been stifled by the desire to get ahead in our modern-day race for success. This fierce struggle brings with it a risk of subconscious deterioration in mental, spiritual and emotional health. As actors in an aggressive industry, we are often faced with the monumental task of preserving our artistry while competing in the industry, and we often find ourselves overwhelmed by the inescapable pressures in the business of acting. In "Mindful Acting", I …

The Living Hashtag Play: A Modernized Living Newspaper With Theatre Of The Oppressed Approaches To Play Development, Elizabeth Corsi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a time where the majority of our news sources and justice movements are received, hashtagged, mobilized, and scrutinized through technology and social media, this thesis embarks to resurrect a once short lived concept of introducing theatre as an informative and educational news source. ?The Hashtag Play ?will be an experiment to create a modern living newspaper play that will utilize techniques and approaches found in Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed Pedagogy to devise meaningful and impactful art determined to educate, inform, and challenge artists and audiences while fostering a sense of community. For the purpose of this thesis, …

Three Studies On Cybersecurity Disclosure And Assurance, Patricia Navarro Velez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three experimental studies that explore how management's financial disclosure behavior and security strategies influence the costs associated with cybersecurity breaches. The first study examines the cost of litigation in connection with cybersecurity incidents. The purpose of this study is to determine how the characteristics and content of cybersecurity incidents' disclosure affects jurors' liability assessments. Specifically, this study explores how jurors react to management timeliness in disclosing the incident and the plausibility of the explanations provided to justify the disclosure strategy. The second and third studies explore the value relevance of cybersecurity risk management (CRM) assurance. In particular, …

Assembling A Hispanic-Serving Institution: A Campus Landscape Analysis Of A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Brenda Lee Jimenez Sifuentez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Post-secondary educational spaces are often thought of as a backdrop to where education takes place. Architectural designs are seen as neutral sites; however, higher education institutions are sites of ideological production and therefore, fundamental exercises of power (Ford, 2017). The study of campus landscapes is relevant to uncovering and illuminating larger social issues of (in)equality in higher education. Literature regarding campus landscapes is scarce and this study seeks to demonstrate how the study of campus landscapes is both materially "real" and socially constructed. This study takes place at a four-year institution of higher education that has received the Hispanic Serving …

The Racialization Of Relationships Between Higher Education Institutions And Cities: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Changing North Denver, Sabrina Carolina Sideris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Universities help shape the physical contours and the social fabric of cities. Historical forms of racial domination repeat themselves, reproducing spatial subordination. In the Globeville, Elyria, and Swansea neighborhoods in North Denver, residents who are mostly low-income immigrant families have in the past faced housing discrimination; air, water, and soil pollution; environmental racism; highway construction and expansion; school dilapidation; and social, political, and economic neglect for over five decades (Doeppers, 1967; Cram, 2013; EPA, 2019). As the City of Denver turns its attention to these three neighborhoods, re-investment could result in improved quality of life. Colorado State University (CSU), two …

Stories Of The 3%: Foster Care Alumni Narratives Of Resilience And Postsecondary Attainment, Molly Sarubbi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although education continues to be a pathway for social mobility, disparities remain in post-secondary attainment for traditionally marginalized populations such as the half-million youth in foster care (Children's Bureau, 2016). Due to multiple personal, social, and system barriers, only 46% of foster youth will earn a high school or GED diploma, and less than 3% will enroll in postsecondary education (Naccarato, Brophy & Courtney, 2010; Sarubbi, Parker, & Sponsler, 2016). Barriers impacting foster care alumni (FCA) have been widely documented, yet their narratives of resilience receive less attention. This study employs a participatory action research design in which FCA participants …

Cyberbullying, Relational, And Social Aggression, Latitia Lattanzio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon that has only begun to be significantly investigated within the last decade. To date, researchers have failed to develop a uniform definition or determine appropriate terminology. These deficits have inhibited a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Although a comprehensive conceptualization of cyberbullying has yet to be established, the phenomenon has been recognized as a significant problem affecting our youth. Many of the existing studies are descriptive in nature and emphasize the need for more research. In an effort to drive future studies, many have postulated on the possible similarities between cyberbullying and traditional indirect …

Community Pharmacists And Substance Use Disorders: Attitudes, Knowledge And Practices, Deepika Rao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a serious health concern affecting a large proportion of the US population. Community pharmacists are well-positioned to prevent, screen, and provide appropriate treatment for SUD. Stigma towards these patients and SUD results in reduced quality of care as well as poor treatment outcomes. It is imperative that pharmacists have the appropriate knowledge of and attitude towards prevention, harm reduction and treatment to develop therapeutic relationships and improve their delivery of pharmacy services

Objective: To assess knowledge, practices (with an emphasis upon screening), stigma and general attitudes of community pharmacists towards SUD and evaluate the …

Access To Care And The Use Of Healthcare Services By Women In Rural Cameroon: A Participatory Action Research Study, Grace Tadzong-Awasum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women in rural Cameroon do not access health care as timeously and as often as they should. They fail to get screened for common diseases, with the consequence that such diseases are often diagnosed at a very advanced stage. This accounts for the high morbidity and mortality rates as well as low life expectancy recorded among women. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the health access experiences of women in rural Cameroon. Methodology: Participatory action research was used guided by a Focused ethnography in phase one. Twenty-five women aged 21-77 years were recruited through local the …

A Disability Theology Of Limits For Responding To Moral Injury, Lisa Hickman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The lament of Jeremiah, “they dress the wound of my people as if it were not serious,” reverberates today as veterans return home from a decade of war, ridden by PTSD and moral injury, only to discover lethargy, lack of seriousness and complacency in societal response. The seriousness of our soldiers’ wounds, to body and spirit alike, demand ethical, societal and theological responsibility. Failure to address the seriousness of these wounds results in distress, depression and even suicide for the soldier. Statistics may describe a portion of the reality, but the degree to which soldiers suffer in silence and the …

Harnessing The Anopheles Microbiome To Conditionally Express Anti-Plasmodial Effectors During The Blood Meal, Jackie Shane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The control of vector-borne diseases such as malaria has been an extremely important research subject for hundreds of years. Because of the complex lifecycles of the pathogens that cause these diseases, finding a comprehensive treatment or preventative strategy has proven extremely difficult. Malaria alone is responsible for almost half a million deaths annually, most of them children under 5 years old. This disease is caused by parasitic protists in the genus Plasmodium that are transmitted to humans from Anopheles sp. mosquitoes. Most preventative strategies that are in use today revolve around controlling the vectors, including bed nets, insecticides, and larval …

Probiotic Use In Trauma Patients: A Pathway To Determining The Standard Of Care To Improve Outcomes, Heather Vitko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gut microbiome consists of normally non-pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These friendly microbes serve to maintain GI barrier function and integrity, play a role in host nutrient and drug metabolism, immunomodulation, and prevent pathogenic bacteria from colonizing or causing disease. The importance of a healthy microbiome for the overall health of the host is just recently being appreciated within the medical and science communities. Disruption of the microbiome places one at greater risk for illness and infection. Patients who suffer a traumatic injury are among those at highest risk for complications associated with microbial imbalance, or dysbiosis. In addition …

Using An In Vitro-In Vivo Correlation For The ‘Bioequivalence By Design’ Development Of An Immediate Release Carbamazepine Product, Douglas Steinbach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The quality of a drug product may be characterized by the consistency with which its indicated clinical effect, and safety profile, is experienced by the patient. The concept that such quality should be built into a product is at the core of the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) quality by design (QbD) initiative. This vision for pharmaceutical product development emphasizes the risk-based identification of critical quality attributes (CQA) which summarize a product’s performance, the efficient refinement of critical product/process parameters (CPP) that can affect such attributes, and the systematic development of CPP limits, which assure appropriate performance of …

The Association Between Depression, Anxiety And Clinical Outcomes For Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Elham Heidari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To evaluate the impact of depression and/or anxiety on clinical outcomes of diabetes, including glycosylated hemoglobin (HgA1c), blood glucose, blood pressure, total cholesterol, weight and LDL among patients with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Method: A retrospective cohort study utilizing electronic medical record (EMR) data from a primary care physician (PCP) group practice was conducted to identify patients newly diagnosed with T2DM with at least 6 months pre-diagnosis and 12 months post-diagnosis of EMR data using International Classification of Disease 9th edition Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) coding. The presence of comorbid depression and anxiety was identified to identify four …

Health Equity Through Spatial Justice: A Critical Phenomenology Of Urban Trail Makers, Arvin Simon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has increasingly demonstrated that race, class and place are powerful predictors of health and social justice. This study was conducted to identify the lived experiences of individuals who were hired and trained as part of a green job program that created trails within a city park in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington Community. This program has historically hired individuals who were formerly incarcerated, many of whom identify as African American. We explored the personal and social experiences of working in nature to better appreciate the intersections of race, class and environment in an urban community. This current study is based on …

Characterization Of G-Protein Coupled Receptors In Pain, Depression And Anxiety, Neil Lax

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain and major depressive disorder are widespread conditions in the world. Interestingly, these conditions often occur comorbidly, with each individual disease amplifying the symptoms of the other. A significant amount of preclinical research in pain and depression focuses on G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), implying that GPCRs may be useful in treating this comorbidity. Our efforts have sought to characterize several poorly understood GPCRs, including the serotonin receptor subtypes 2C and 7 (5-HT2CR and 5-HT7R) and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), along with more well-known GPCRs such as the mu opioid receptor (MOR), and the role that they play in …

Synthesis Of Novel 6-Substituted And 5-Substituted Pyrrolo[2,3-D] Pyrimidine Antifolates As Targeted Anticancer Therapies, Xinxin Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation will give an introduction, background and current research progress in the areas of antifolates and chemotherapy of anticancer. The design and synthesis of classical 6- substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines and 5-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as potential antifolates have been described. The design variations include: methylated thiophene regioisomers, fluorinated phenyl regioisomers, thionyl regioisomers on the side chain of pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines. As a part of this study, a series of new compounds have been synthesized and characterized. Of these, ten final compounds were submitted for biological evaluation.

The Influence Of Age, Gender, And Thiol Repletion In An In Vivo Model Of Lewy Body Disorders, Daniel Mason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lewy body disorders are a family of neurological brain disorders associated with olfactory, motor, and cognitive deficits and are collectively defined as α-synucleinopathies, as they are characterized by hallmark “Lewy bodies” composed of aggregated, fibrillar α-synuclein. It is not certain but often posited that fibrillar α-synuclein seeds the progressive, self-propagating spread of Lewy pathology through neuroanatomical circuitry. Furthermore, the site of disease induction is still debated. In Aim I, we developed a novel protocol for generating reproducible and robust α-synucleinopathy in the limbic temporal lobe following infusions of preformed α-synuclein iv fibrils into the mouse olfactory bulb, which is frequently …

Identity Negotiation, Saudi Women, And The Impact Of The 2011 Royal Decree: An Investigation Of The Cultural, Religious, And Societal Shifts Among Women In The Saudi Arabian Public Sphere, Maha Alshoaibi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, Saudi Arabian culture has been deeply rooted in tradition, religious customs, family-oriented structures, and gender derived expectations for men and women alike. Saudi Arabian culture emphasizes a patriarchal family structure where men financially provide for their family whereas women are expected to manage internal household duties such as raising children, upholding household affairs, and working within a limited scope of employment. The concept of Saudi Arabian women integrating into the public workforce has been a source of contention and debate for the last several hundred years. Due to recent changes in political and economic events, a royal decree issued …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Systemic Influences Upon The Wellness Of Home And Community Based Counselor, Elizabeth Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Home and community based counseling services have become instrumental to the treatment of children and adolescents struggling with mental illness. Counselors working in these systems of care face significant challenges in this unique setting. Most home and community based counselors (HCBCs) face these challenges as recent graduates, not having adequate preparation for the home setting, while receiving little supervision. HCBCs have reported feeling isolated and unsupported and question their effectiveness as counselors. Macchi, Johnson, and Durtschi’s (2014) results point to the importance of self-care to HCBC wellness, especially when the HCBC is lacking supervision. Yet, we are unable to glean …

An Exploratory Survey Of Factors Affecting Satisfaction With Educational Experiences For Parents Of Children With Cystic Fibrosis, Rebecca Perry Keenan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Consumer satisfaction has been studied extensively as it relates to service seeking behavior, positive perceptions of services rendered, and measurable benefit as a result of service delivery. Furthermore, numerous studies have explored the importance of a strong, collaborative home-school partnership for student success. Additionally, previous research has identified children with chronic illnesses as a special population frequently requiring individualized accommodations and modifications to promote success in the educational environment, and therefore testing the limits of the educational system to adequately meet their needs. Finally, research has described the common sequelae of Cystic Fibrosis, including wide-ranging physical, behavioral, and functional consequences. …

Tumble Tots: Outcomes Of A Gymnastics Program For Children With Disabilities, Cayla Leichtenberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the benefits, children with disabilities do not participate in recreational activities as often as typically developing peers. The purpose of the program was to: 1) describe the benefit of a gymnastics program on a child’s development, and 2) identify the impact of a staff training program. Engagement in the proposed program aimed to ultimately contribute to a child’s involvement in recreational activities, health and quality of life (QOL). All participants in the gymnastics program demonstrated a positive change in motor and communication skills. Pre-test data from the staff training program indicated that none of the gymnastics staff members were …

Bullying Of Linguistically Diverse Learners: Results From The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Jenna Woodarek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bullying is a serious phenomenon yielding significant consequences for youth who are victimized, often targeted due to their perceived level of difference from their peers. This “otherness” can often be amplified in minoritized populations, especially those which have multiple, cooccurring vulnerabilities to be targets of bullying. After a period of bullying rates decreasing in the US, special interest group inquiries found bullying rates to be on the rise again and reportedly motivated by ethnicity or race, immigrant status, and proficiency in the English language. The present research study aims to expand upon the existing pertinent literature base specific to the …

Sensory-Based Programming In Mental Health: Sense Of Self, Nikki Yeckel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The doctoral experiential component (DEC) for this Capstone was completed at the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (VA) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The program, called Sense of Self, was implemented with the Veteran mental health (MH) population in an inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation unit at the VA. Sense of Self was a three-day educational program that educated Veterans on the sensory systems and sensory processing, provided calming or alerting strategies with use of sensory materials, and assisted the Veterans in creating sensory home programs based on personal goals. The goals of this Capstone were to inform the staff of the Veteran demographic population …

Externality In Hegel's Philosophy Of Nature, Martin Krahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The topic of my dissertation is the metaphysics of laws of nature in Hegel’s philosophy of nature. I argue that Hegel differentiates laws of nature from norms of culture through a concept of “externality,” according to which the universals or laws of nature stand outside of, apart from, independent from their particulars. He contrasts this with norms of culture, where the universals are internal to the particulars, such that in culture the particular events or actions shape the norms, whereas in nature, the laws remain the same through their independence from the particular events. I then address the consequences this …

Pyrrolo[2,3-D]Pyrimidine Classical Antifolates For Targeted Cancer Chemotherapy- Applications Of Bioisosteric And Regioisomeric Substitutions For Improved Tumor-Selectivity And Potency, Manasa Punaha Ravindra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2018, it is estimated that 1,735,350 new cases of cancer and 609,640 deaths from the disease will be diagnosed in the United States alone. Conventional chemotherapy is by far the most successful category of clinical oncology, having cured (complete remission (CR), without return) or provided clinical benefit to millions of people. However, since its earliest discovery, the major causes of failure of conventional cancer chemotherapy have been dose-limiting toxicities and development of resistance. There is a desperate ongoing search for new cancer therapies as tumor-targeted agents (without harming normal cells or tissues) with low propensity for the development of …

Take Charge For Therapy Discharge: Outcomes Of A Patient Education Program Applying The Co-Op Approach, Kathryn Westley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A thorough needs assessment at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Largo revealed slight dissatisfaction scores on the Press Ganey survey for both the occupational therapy department and discharge planning processes. This quality improvement project, Take Charge for Therapy Discharge, implemented a two-session patient education protocol using the Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach. Using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), participants identified and prioritized three therapy goals and rated their perceived current performance. Results demonstrated a significant difference between the participants’ PSFS pre and post-intervention scores. Patients’ improved self-perceived goal attainment scores served as evidence that, in addition to using …

Independence Through Patient Education In A Spinal Cord Injury Population, Justin Mctish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Know More, Live Better program was developed because the population of people with Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI) includes a substantial number of young people, who often readmit into hospitals for preventable causes such as pressure ulcers, respiratory infections, and bowel/bladder infections. These complications can be avoided through patient education. A needs assessment was conducted at the SCI unit at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital in Allentown, PA. This assessment included structured observation of patient education in the therapy process, semi-structured interviews about site needs and patient education topics completed with patients and occupational therapists on staff, and surveys of multi-disciplinary …

Camp Geronimo: Evaluating The Influence Of An Animal Assisted Intervention Based Summer Camp On Social Participation In Children With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Joelle Ruggeri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research regarding animal assisted intervention (AAI) has found that it can be an effective intervention towards promoting positive social participation in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A quality improvement project was implemented at The Barn at Spring Brook Farm, where children ages 2-12 with IDD are able to participate in AAI activities. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the Barn’s Camp Geronimo, a six-week long summer camp program, and its impact on the social participation of participants using the Home & Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS). The study findings showed positive results, with statistically significant change …