Digital Commons Network^™

Prenatal Depression Screening Among A Diverse Healthy Start Population., Evangeline Pierce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prenatal depression has been associated with adverse outcomes for both pregnant women and infants. Data was studied from Healthy Start (n=1093). Healthy Start participants were screened for depression using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during pregnancy. Data reported included birthweight, gestational length, ethnicity, and sociodemographic variables. No statistically significant association was found between a positive EPDS screen and birthweight-low/normal (OR 1.02 [95% CI 0.53, 1.70]), birthweight-abnormal (OR 1.02 [95% CI 0.53, 1.70], or gestation-preterm/term (OR 1.29 [95% CI 0.68, 2.45]). An association was observed between a positive screen and race, ethnicity by region of origin, immigrant status, English as …

Analysis Of Gender And Gender-Related Implicit Leadership Themes In Hr Practitioner Literature : A Comparison Of The United States And Brazilian Hr Practitioner Publications., Flavia De Sousa E Castro Rossetti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among the many factors studied in relation to the women and leadership equality gap are gender stereotypes, implicit leadership theories, and the congruity of gender role expectations (Eagly, & Karau, 2002). Multiple studies in the scholarly literature support the finding that men, rather than women, are more likely to be seen as leaders (Bierma, 2016; Eagly, & Schmidt, 2001), and this finding appears to be robust across some cultures (Schein, 2001). While the scholarly research on women and leadership has been burgeoning, few research studies have investigated how human resource (HR) practitioner literature addresses themes related to women and leadership …

Organizational Collaboration And Its Impact On Immigrants And Refugees In Louisville., Elizabeth Burdette Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To understand the impact of collaboration on internationals’ integration experiences, this study captures the stories of supporting organizations and Somali refugees in Louisville, KY. The study utilized in-depth interviews and participant observations to analyze the programs and services offered by three supporting organizations, the partnerships they have formed in the community, and the impact the partnerships have on the challenges immigrants and refugees face during the integration process. Non-profit organizations, tasked by the government and communities to support internationals in their integration, face limited resources and capacity, which local partnerships help alleviate. The collaboration relies on relational embeddedness and a …

Electronic Nose For Analysis Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Air And Exhaled Breath., Zhenzhen Xie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exhaled breath is a complex mixture containing numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at trace levels (ppb to ppt) including hydrocarbons, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters and other non-volatile compounds. Different patterns of VOCs have been correlated with various diseases. The concentration levels of VOCs in exhaled breath depend on an individual subject’s health status. Therefore, breath analysis has great potential for clinical diagnostics, monitoring therapeutic progress and drug metabolic products. Even though up to 3000 compounds may be detected in breath, the matrix of exhaled breath is less complex than that of blood or other body fluids. Breath analysis can be …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Longitudinal Relationship Between Adolescent Depression And Academic Achievement., Rachel E. Buehner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers in the fields of both education and mental health endeavor to develop and implement interventions which will bring children and adolescents greater academic success and optimally address mental health issues. Educators seek to target risk factors which might impede a student’s success in the classroom, while mental health providers seek to reduce issues within a child’s environment which might be risk factors for depression. Evidence for a cross-sectional relationship between adolescent depression and academic achievement is well-supported, with depression and achievement being negatively correlated in adolescents. The longitudinal relationship between these two variables is not fully understood, however. While …

Reversible Silencing Of Spinal Neurons Unmasks A Left-Right Coordination Continuum., Amanda Marie Pocratsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is focused on dissecting the functional role of two anatomically-defined pathways in the adult rat spinal cord. A Tet^On dual virus system was used to selectively and reversibly induce enhanced tetanus neurotoxin expression in L2 neurons that project to L5 (L2-L5) or C6 (long ascending propriospinal neurons, LAPNs). Results focus on the changes observed during overground locomotion. The dissertation is divided into four chapters. Chapter One is a focused introduction to locomotion, including its broad description, the central mechanisms of its expression, how genetic-based approaches defined these mechanisms, and the limitations in these approaches. It concludes with …

Predicting Success In A Counselor Education Graduate Program, Ranleigh J. Mcadams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the predictive value of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) upon students’ success in a counselor education graduate program. Graduate programs must weigh the benefits of various entrance criteria to predict successful completion. Data for the study consisted of 233 students who had been admitted to a graduate program, and had either successfully completed the program through graduation or had been unable to graduate through personal attrition or removal by the faculty. The relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable of program graduation were analyzed using correlations and models of …

Evaluation Of Different Probiotic Strains Supplemented In Commercial Broiler Rations And Their Influences On Performance, Yield, And Intestinal Microbiota., Justin M. Glasscock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus subtilis, as probiotic strains compared to Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate (BMD) 50 as the antibiotic growth promotor, supplemented in commercial broiler rations and their influences on performance, yield, and intestinal microbiota. This trial was completed as a randomized-block design with 4,800 birds split into 96, 5’x10’ pens, and randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups. The birds were placed at a stocking density of 1.00 ft²/bird, (50 birds/pen), and reared on used pine shaving for 55 days. Throughout the study, bird …

The Relationship Of Intimate Partner Violence And Help-Seeking With Eating Disorder Symptoms, Rachel Amerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study used the SVAWS, MMEA, BES, and EAT 26 to test the hypothesis that victims of IPV would have a greater number of and more severe eating disorder symptoms than those who have not been victimized. The current study also used the SRQ, BES, and EAT 26 to test the hypothesis that of those who experienced IPV and sought help, those who received positive reactions would have a different number and severity of eating disorder symptoms than those who received negative reactions. Two MANVOVAs did not find support for these hypotheses however, exploratory analyses did find relationships of …

Up From Poverty: A Narrative Non-Fiction Study Of Three Female Superintendents From Poverty, Stephanie L. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative non-fiction study was designed to investigate the lived experiences of three female superintendents in the state of Texas who have lived in poverty during their youth and early life. The participating female superintendents were contacted by this researcher through email. The information used in this study was collected from participating superintendents through interviews and analyzed to find the common themes that exist between the lived experiences of each female superintendent from poverty as she progressed through the stages of development in life. The information was also analyzed to ascertain how she was able to elevate out of poverty …

Responses Of Education Preparation Program Instructors Toward Mental Health Legislation, Alison Bradford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2013, Texas State legislature passed Senate Bill 460 which implemented a law that requires the inclusion of knowledge relating to students’ mental health status in teacher preparation curriculum. This requirement is explained in Texas Education Code (TEC) §21.044(b). The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of awareness of the new requirement and the attitudes toward mental health among Education Preparation Program (EPP) instructors. In addition, faculty were asked about their implementation plans for the new requirement.

A survey was developed to address these research questions. Thirty-five public and private universities in Texas were targeted, which resulted …

The Influence Of Sport Participation On Youth Binge Drinking., Jason Nicholson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of the influence of sport participation on binge drinking among African-American youth. The dissertation is divided into five chapters, covering introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and conclusion. Chapter one describes the problem of binge drinking among African-American youth, focusing on the many deleterious consequences and rates of use. It also examines the problem theoretically through the criminological theories of social bond theory and social learning theory to argue for an understanding of binge drinking by African-American youth. Chapter two examines similar work by previous authors and further details our theoretical premises and their relation to …

Aspirations Into Action : Navigating Structures For Community Engagement At The University Of Louisville., Megan Faver Hartline

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the affordances of university structures based on how they value and support community engagement, focusing on common issues for community-engaged scholars. In this case study of the University of Louisville as an institution developing stronger structures for community engagement, I show that current efforts represent important starting points for how institutions support engagement, but I argue that they, and scholarly discussion about them, need to be deepened to meet the needs of engaged scholars. Toward that end, utilizing an institutional critique methodology informed by scholarship in institutional ethnography, I combine analysis of university policies and documents with …

Novel Statistical Approaches For Missing Values In Truncated High-Dimensional Metabolomics Data With A Detection Threshold., Jasmit Sureshkumar Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite considerable advances in high throughput technology over the last decade, new challenges have emerged related to the analysis, interpretation, and integration of high-dimensional data. The arrival of omics datasets has contributed to the rapid improvement of systems biology, which seeks the understanding of complex biological systems. Metabolomics is an emerging omics field, where mass spectrometry technologies generate high dimensional datasets. As advances in this area are progressing, the need for better analysis methods to provide correct and adequate results are required. While in other omics sectors such as genomics or proteomics there has and continues to be critical understanding …

Using An Audience Response System To Calibrate Dental Faculty Assessing Student Clinical Competence., Sean A. Aiken

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to best prepare students to become competent and confident practitioners in a clinical environment upon graduating dental school, it is imperative for them to receive consistent and productive feedback from the supervising faculty. Through academic engagement, and more specifically faculty calibration, it may be possible to eliminate the disconnect that sometimes exists between faculty expectations and terminology, and those of the students. In terms of definitions, academic engagement reflects faculty scholarly development activities that support integration of relevant, current theory of best practices consistent with the school's mission, expected learner outcomes, and supporting strategies.1-6, 32 The difficulty lies …

Examining The Link Between Press Freedom And Politics., Megan Wollerton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Freedom of the press is a hallmark of liberal democracy. Denying this civil liberty emboldens a government to exert an undue degree of influence over its citizens. By comparing the media discourse in a democratic country to the media discourse in an authoritarian country, one could reasonably expect to identify unique language markers, which shed light on their divergent political climates. This study specifically sourced articles from the Venezuelan publication El Universal and the Costa Rican publication The Tico Times. The author then analyzed every article related to politics published by both newspapers in March 2014 and in March …

The Effects Of Moderate Alcohol Consumption And Inflammation On The Hepatic Matrisome And The Renal Cortex Proteome., Christine E. Dolin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background. The association of chronic ethanol (EtOH) consumption with extracellular matrix (ECM) changes in alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is well established in the context of hepatic fibrosis. However, it is becoming increasingly understood that the hepatic ECM responds dynamically to stress well before fibrosis. The term “transitional tissue remodeling” describes qualitative and quantitative ECM changes in response to injury that do not alter the overall architecture of the organ; these ECM changes may contribute to early disease initiation and/or progression. The nature and magnitude of these changes to the ECM are currently poorly understood. In contrast to the liver, EtOH …

Trunk And Respiratory Motor Control In Typically Developing Children And Its Implications In Children With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Goutam Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Independent sitting is a major milestone and is also a prerequisite for optimal performance of activities of daily living (ADLs). Development of sitting posture control is a dynamic process involving control of degrees of freedom of head and trunk. Traditionally, trunk has been modeled as a single unit (segment). However, recent studies have suggested that it is made up multiple spinal units, controlled by a combination of trunk muscles. During typical development, posture control of trunk is different for different trunk segments. This motor development of trunk control is a complex process due to constant interaction between the nervous system …

Evaluating The Impact Of Statewide Policy Implementation On Interorganizational Collaboration At The Regional Level : An Application Of Network Analysis., Nida Moez Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One challenge to improving population health in the United States is that the systems tasked with the responsibility of providing services across the continuum of care often operate in silos, missing opportunities to provide quality, coordinated care. In 2011, Texas received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a five-year 1115(a) Medicaid Waiver Demonstration Project. This dissertation focuses on one element of the Waiver, the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program, which was designed to incentivize activities that support organizations’ collaborative efforts with other organizations in addressing the Triple Aim strategies. DSRIP was implemented through …

The Association Between Motor Proficiency, Cognitive Tempo, Academic Skills, Balance And Visual Efficiency In Elementary School Aged Children., Franklin R. Muntis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between motor proficiency, cognitive tempo, academic skills, balance and visual efficiency in elementary school aged children at a local Spanish immersion school. Forty-nine students and their parents provided consent to participate in the study. Motor proficiency was measured using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2), cognitive tempo and academic skills were assessed using the Child and Adolescent Behavior Inventory, Visual Efficiency was measured using Visual Efficiency Rating (VERA) and Balance was measured using a Neurocom^® platform function for stability evaluation test to determine limits of stability. …

Targeting The Glucose Metabolism Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (Mdscs) To Stimulate Cancer Immunity., Jaspreet Grewal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of immature myeloid cells that are significantly increased in cancer patients and correlate with higher stage and poor prognosis. MDSCs negatively modulate anti-tumor immunity, suppress T cell activity, promote angiogenesis and increase the risk of metastasis. In this study, we report that monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) but polymorphonuclear-MDSCs (PMN-MDSCs) over-express 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-bisphosphatases 3 (PFKFB3), an important regulator of glycolysis. Furthermore in the melanoma model, M-MDSCs but not PMN-MDSCs suppressed T cell function which correlated with PFKFB3 over-expression and increased rate of glycolysis. PFKFB3 inhibition with the first-in-class small molecule inhibitor, PFK-158 reversed M-MDSC …

Unthink Pink : Master Narratives And Counterstories Of Breast Cancer., Jessica C. Hume

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work examines the construction and impact of the master narrative breast cancer which is supported and reified by the contemporary breast cancer awareness movement. I contend that historical problematic constructions of the female body were interwoven with the beginning of the movement around the turn of the twentieth century. As a partial result, the female body with breast cancer is abject, and therefore subject to policing and discipline. The master narrative of breast cancer, through pinkwashing, enacts this policing and discipline. The master narrative expresses several distinct messages which may be exclusive of the experiences of many people, causing …

Embeddedness And Commitment : Tracing Patterns Of Family Instability And Child Wellbeing Over Time., Heidi Michele Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three quantitative papers using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Paper one, “For us or the children: Exploring the association between coparenting trajectories and parental commitment,” is situated in commitment theory and estimates latent growth curves. Findings suggest that unmarried parents’ coparental relationships are: 1) strong across the first five years of their children’s lives, and 2) influencing parental commitment at year 5. Paper two, “Maternal partnership transitions and coresidence with extended kin,” is situated in life course theory and estimates fixed and random effects models. Findings suggest that unmarried versus married mothers …

Remotely Sensed Heat : Variation And Change In Surface Urban Heat Islands In A Temperate Eco-Region Of The United States., Jeremy Sandifer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban heat island (UHI) is a term used to describe increased surface and atmospheric temperatures in an urban core relative to surrounding non-urbanized areas. To examine the variability introduced into derived estimates of the surface UHI, this study constructs and compares multiple remotely sensed indicators of the surface UHI for major metropolitan cities of a temperate eco-region of the United States. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 8-day, 500-meter product (MOD11A2) is the source data used to calculate six different RS-derived UHI indicators for the year 2002 to 2012. The different SUHI indicators are evaluated using the Spearmans Rho rank-order …

Parental Opinions About Prenatal Genetic Screening And Selective Abortion For Down Syndrome., Laura E. Holt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in the field of genetic testing have made it easier to prenatally identify the presence of Down Syndrome in a fetus. The purpose of this study was to examine the opinions of parents who are currently raising a child with Down Syndrome towards genetic screening and selective abortion for the condition, as well as any potential effects of this process on their families. A series of individual interviews with twenty parents was conducted. An inductive methodology was used to analyze interview data. The key findings indicate that parents’ perspectives of the role of the physician in the genetic …

Breaking The Cycle Of Silence : The Significance Of Anya Seton's Historical Fiction., Lindsey Marie Okoroafo (Jesnek)

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the feminist significance of Anya Seton’s historical novels, My Theodosia (1941), Katherine (1954), and The Winthrop Woman (1958). The two main goals of this project are to 1.) identify and explain the reasons why Seton’s historical novels have not received the scholarly attention they are due, and 2.) to call attention to the ways in which My Theodosia, Katherine, and The Winthrop Woman offer important feminist interventions to patriarchal social order. Ultimately, I argue that My Theodosia, Katherine, and The Winthrop Woman deserve more scholarly attention because they are significant contributions to women’s …

Non-Contact Based Structural Damage Assessment Using Stochastic Subspace Identification And Finite Element Model Updating., Li Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research proposed and verified an innovative method to identify and locate structural damage using only the response of operational vibration, that is the displacement acquired by a non-contact optical method. The most efficient and economical way to detect damage within the structure is to monitor its structural health while in operation. However, the uncertainties and the randomness of ambient vibrations due to the operation and environments cause a challenge in conducting the operational analysis. Current technology limits the ability to collect data on the properties of the structure without the interruption of operation. Frequencies and mode shapes have been …

Short Stories., Karley Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My creative thesis consists of a number of short stories. Each individual story stands alone, though all pieces in the project are doubtless connected by setting and syntax. Perhaps due to my own lack of imagination the stories take place, at least to some extent, in a small town. Though this may not be made explicit in every story, it can be deduced. Small town life, and particularly small town folk, are of interest to me; they are also what I know best. For example, Tom of “Neighbors” is a man living in a small town. The old man next …

Spontaneous Vocal Matching In Mothers And Their Hearing Impaired Infants With Cochlear Implants : A Quantitative Analysis., Lydia Doggett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vocal matching, the ability to imitate phonetic properties of speech, was examined in spontaneous interactions of sixteen dyads of mothers and their hearing-impaired (HI) infants with cochlear implants and age-matched normal-hearing (NH) infants. Mother-infant dyads came to three sessions at three, six, and 12 months post-implantation. Vocal matching was defined as an instance of perceptual and acoustic similarity of vowels and consonants between adjacent maternal and infant utterances. Vocal matching occurred in 25% to 50% of infant and in 17% to 64% of mother vocalizations across dyads. Both mothers and infants in the HI group produced fewer matches as compared …

Enhancing Cell Therapy For Ischemic Cardiomyopathy., Michael J. Book

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiac cell therapy using cardiac mesenchymal cells (CMC) significantly reduces ventricular dysfunction in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Despite the improvement in function, a modest number of CMCs survive in the heart post-transplantation. In this study, we sought to improve the survival and retention of transplanted CMCs to prolong the therapeutic benefits afforded by cardiac cell therapy. To do this, we targeted the enzyme telomerase (TERT), known to be active in some highly proliferating cells (e.g. germ, stem). TERT is responsible for preventing telomere attrition, thereby allowing continued proliferation. TERT has also been shown to be protective, improve cell migration and …