Digital Commons Network^™

The Medicine Of Memes: An Exploration Of Humor Styles, Memes, And Dark Humor, Theodor Napp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The usage of humor as a coping strategy is one that has been well-studied in the realm of psychology (Abel, 2002). However, research into the usage of dark humor as a coping mechanism, as well as dark humor expressed in memes, is not nearly as well-studied. This study (N = 50) replicated previous findings on humor and personality and expanded the research on self-directed humor and dark humor by comparing it to humor styles outlined by Martin et al. (2003) and Tsukawaki and Imura (2020). Replication results were mixed, with some findings supporting previous research between the Big Five personality …

The Effects Of Personal Growth Initiative, Grit, And Spirituality On Competition Anxiety In Student Athletes, Taylor Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personal growth initiative (PGI) is an intrinsically motivated engagement in growth processes that contribute to their ability to excel in sporting performance (Robitschek, 1998), and PGI may also predict their grit as well. Like PGI, team cohesion influences both performance and well-being in athletes, and little research has explored how spiritually oriented coaching influences team cohesion. This study explored PGI, grit, competition anxiety, intrinsic motivation, and the impact of spiritual involvement in sports on team cohesion. A sample (N = 45) of collegiate athletes at private Christian universities completed self-report measures in a survey. PGI was not a significant predictor …

Impact Of Community-Based Care Model On Child Welfare Professionals: A Study Of Workload, Job Satisfaction, And Turnover Intent, Kerri Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the research on child welfare workers is in a traditional service model. However, there is a lack of empirical studies regarding childcare workers in a community-based care model. This study examines whether transitioning to the community-based model has positively impacted workers’ perspectives regarding turnover intention, job satisfaction, and workload manageability. A cross-sectional survey design was used with convenient sampling from a Texas Department of Family Protective Service Region that transitioned to the CBC model. The single source continuum contractor employed a sample of 125 potential respondents in the selected region. A total of 43 permanency workers responded to …

Special Education Teacher Attrition: K-12 Administrator Perspectives, Tia Alove Stevens-Hicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Teacher attrition is a significant contributor to the teacher shortages, with preretirement attrition accounting for two thirds of all attrition. Special education teachers leave teaching at significantly higher rates than their general education peers. In addition, there is a greater demand for special education teachers due to the increase in public school students requiring special education services. As a result, many K–12 administrators and other educational leaders often fill vacant positions with unqualified or new teachers with less experience than their predecessors. Special education teachers have reported that teachers who remained in their positions reported high levels of administrative …

Healthcare Workers’ Perceptions, Practices, And Knowledge Of Trauma-Informed Care In The Hospital Setting, Emily Gayle Tippens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychological trauma has become a pervasive term throughout the mental health field but has been slow to gain momentum in the healthcare field. Hospitals have always been a place where people with mental health concerns or psychosis seek help, but hospitals have historically not implemented a trauma-informed care (TIC) approach. As the mental health crisis continues to become more detrimental, trauma-informed care skills will become more valuable. This study measured the knowledge, opinions, perceptions healthcare professionals in West Texas have regarding trauma-informed care. This study hypothesized that healthcare workers in West Texas would benefit from TIC training. This study hypothesized …

Positive Psychology For Mdd And Ptsd: A Systematic Review Of Treatment Benefits And Efficacy, Jackson Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Positive psychology was founded by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 2000 as a psychological school of thought that focused more on identifying and building up a client’s positive strengths instead of just focusing on their mental health deficits. The question asked in this systematic review is as follows, “Is there a unique benefit to treating MDD or PTSD with positive psychotherapeutic interventions and does it result in lower rates of suicide/relief from severe MDD/PTSD?” Objective: The objective of this literature review and meta-analysis was to examine the evidence and determine if positive psychology-based interventions such as PsyCap, IPPI, and …

Attitudes Towards Mental Health, Spiritual Seeking, And Well-Being, David Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Religion plays a crucial role in many peoples’ lives, shaping the way they interact with the world and react to stressors. The Relational Spirituality Model (Sandage & Shults, 2007) posits that individuals’ relationship with God resembles humans’ relationships with one another. That is, relationships consist of intimacy and closeness as well as independence and time away from each other, otherwise known as dwelling and seeking. Previous literature has analyzed the relationship between spiritual coping and well-being, yet none have analyzed the relationship between spiritual seeking and overall well-being using attitudes towards mental health as a moderator. Participants were 84 undergraduate …

Crossing Over: A Description Of Dual Status Youth In Taylor County, Texas, Kimberly S. Putnam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores and describes the experiences of ten dual status youth in Taylor County, Texas by examining the factors of race, sex, child welfare allegation, and juvenile justice offense. A review of the literature suggests that this population has unique challenges in and outside the courtroom, including being at increased risk for disparate outcomes in later adolescence and adulthood. This study compared single-system child welfare and juvenile justice data from Texas DFPS Region 2 and Taylor County to raw data provided on a sample of ten dual status youth identified in Taylor County from 2017–2021. Findings included a disproportionately …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Mental Health Of College Students, Jack Marcelain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 changed the world in the span of a few months. Schools and other businesses had to close and move to an online format to decrease physical interaction and stop the spread of the virus. Many people went without seeing close friends and loved ones due to the quarantine or lost someone close to them due to the virus. Students enrolled in college were sent home abruptly and could not return in person to school for the remainder of the year. Even when they were allowed to return to school, new guidelines and how classroom content was delivered were put …

TíNh ThốNg NhấT Trong Sự Đa DạNg: Hanoi International Fellowship Ethnography, Ariel Marie Bloomer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hanoi International Fellowship (HIF) is a multinational, multiethnic International Church (IC) in Hanoi, Vietnam. This thesis investigates how HIF constitutes unity among such lived diversity in its congregation. Chapter one reviews existing literature and provides the methodology of the study. Chapter two investigates where unity and diversity are present in HIF, focusing specifically on its mission and values, ministries, and leadership. Chapter three provides a theological basis for unity in diversity. Chapter four presents the research findings from this study. Lastly, Chapter five expresses the study’s limitations, summarizes the findings, offers suggestions to HIF and other Christian communities, recommends future …

Goal Setting And Student Retention, Hugh Castillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student retention has been a problem with which higher education institutions must face. Institutions have employed numerous different programs and services to improve student retention. This study sought to open up a new way to improve student retention by utilizing a goal-setting intervention that focused on creating SMART goals for student areas of weaknesses. This study employed the use of a quasi-experimental interrupted time series to better understand how goal-setting interventions could impact the participant attitudes correlated to retention. It was shown that goal-setting interventions had no significant impact on likelihood of retention but did exhibit improvement in client engagement …

Moral Objections To Pornography: Does The Reason For Opposition Affect Consumption?, Grant Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent literature has suggested a link between self-described “problematic” pornography usage or pornography addiction and moral incongruence (Grubbs et al., 2022; Guidry et al., 2019). That is, when someone is morally opposed to pornography, they feel worse about their use of it. As of yet, however, no link has been established between specific reasons for objecting to pornography and their effects on consumption. Participants were 54 adults selected randomly using Amazon’s MTurk survey distribution platform. Respondents completed demographic questions and 6 scales measuring frequency of pornography use, objections to pornography, self-perceived problematic porn use, external and internal shame, God representations, …

Impact Of Personalized Interactive Storytelling On Suspension Of Disbelief In Clinical Simulation, Audra Renee-Smith Xenakis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The literature review found suspension of disbelief (SOD) in clinical simulation heavily weighted on educators alone within high-fidelity environments. The project examined a co-created narrative background story applied to a simulated patient’s clinical profile to determine achieving an improved connectedness toward the simulated patient leading to enhanced SOD and enhanced levels of learning and reaction. The studied population was third-semester associate degree nursing students over 18 years of age with prior clinical simulation experience who were not repeating the semester. The research methodology used a quantitative experimental design with cluster sampling, randomization, and post-Likert-scored questionnaires. The intervention group co-created personalized …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Athletic Directors At Ncaa Institutions, Niya N. Blair Hackworth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, college athletics have advanced men over women in top leadership roles, sustaining gender hierarchy. Senior leadership positions within intercollegiate athletics, such as the athletic director or associate athletic director, are mainly held by White men. Women and racial minorities are considerably unrepresented in athletic director roles. In 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association reported that Black men held 13% of athletic director positions, whereas the role was held by 3% of Black women. Research indicated there are unique barriers that women of color experience as they strive to obtain the athletic director title. The barriers women of color experience …

The Effects Of Variations Of Victim Impact Statements On Juror Bias, Emily Sutton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Victim impact statements (VIS) are federally protected statements describing the physical, emotional, and financial impact of a crime on a victim. States can decide the content and timing of the VIS, resulting in much variation. Previous research has found an effect of these variations on mock juror bias in capital trials. The current study examined if variations such as changing the strength of emotion, crime type, and including sentencing recommendation within a VIS affects the judgements of mock jurors. The results showed the sexual assault VIS produced higher guilt ratings and longer sentences. Furthermore, the inclusion of a high sentencing …

Bloom: A 21st Century Mandolin Concerto, Ashley Hoyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have created a career performing various types of music on the mandolin. Very little of the concert repertoire, however, includes music originally written for the mandolin with most of it consisting of rearrangements of violin, cello, or piano music. This observation has led me down a path to learn why there is a lack of mandolin concert repertoire as well as to create new music specifically written for the instrument. In this thesis, an original mandolin concerto, Bloom, aims not only to add to the instrument’s repertoire, but bring it into the twenty-first century using contemporary compositional techniques. I …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Model Of Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy., Olivia Cooney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a procedure that targets abdominal tumors in the intraperitoneal space. During the procedure, chemotherapy heated to 40-43^oC is cycled through the abdomen for 1 to 2 hours. Although a majority of studies have focused on clinical outcomes, the dynamics of the intra-abdominal flow remain poorly understood. Consequently, it has been difficult to gauge the tumor targeting efficacy, which depends critically on temperature and chemotherapy flow rates. This study establishes a computational framework to evaluate the dynamics of fluid flow during HIPEC, with the goal to enable optimization of tumor drug exposure. A computer …

Metabolomic Differentiation Of Tumor Core And Edge In Glioma., Mary E. Baxter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glioma is one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. It has been shown that the microenvironments differ significantly between the core and edge regions of glioma tumors. This study obtained metabolomic profiles of glioma core and edge regions using paired glioma core and edge tissue samples from 27 human patients. Data was acquired by performing liquid-liquid metabolite extraction and 2DLC-MS/MS on the tissue samples. In addition, a boosted generalized linear machine learning model was employed to predict the metabolomic profiles associated with O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation.

A panel of 66 metabolites was found to be statistically significant …

A Formal Wound Care Plan For Homelessness Populations, Sophia C. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to develop a formal care management program for homeless patients during transition into the rehabilitation setting. This DNP scholarly project worked with one specific rehabilitation center, which is most open to the care of homeless individuals needing wound care, on the creation of a postdischarge service. An interprofessional team worked together to create a plan for the creation, implementation, and evaluation of this innovative service based on the protocols derived from the CDC to facilitate a framework and practice for those suffering from open, chronic, and worsening wounds in an effort to prevent further …

An Examination Of The Relationships Between Campus Administrators And Special Education Teachers And Its Influence On Teacher Retention, Tai Lea Peacock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher shortages have plagued U.S. school districts for many years now as special education and other high-need fields struggle to retain highly qualified teachers. School leaders must gain a better understanding of why special education teachers are leaving at such alarming rates in order to formulate a plan for improving retention. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine how campus administrators’ relationships influence the retention of special education teachers. Leader-member exchange theory, which contends that the relationships between leaders and followers impact our work environment and job satisfaction, served as the theoretical framework of this study. A …

A Par Reflection: The Power Of Teacher Voice, Anna Marie Warren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher voice is missing in systemic change. This PAR study explored some of the barriers in education today that prevent teachers from using their voices and the leadership skills needed to empower teachers to use their voices in change processes. The study was implemented on two secondary school campuses with two teams of PAR researchers. Data were collected using a triangulation of PAR forms, journal reflections, and Likert surveys. While identifying barriers hindering teachers from using their voice, the qualitative study also aimed to provide a platform where teachers could express and use their voice to cause change in their …

On Site Healthcare, Amy Roden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A productive workforce and retention of employees is an essential part of a company’s reputation and elevation of the company to be the best to the workforce. Healthy and present employees are a key to this productive workforce. Transient workers in the pipeline construction are away from their families and loved ones and can struggle to stay healthy and find quality healthcare while working long hours multiple days a week. Employers on these job sites can help their employees by providing onsite healthcare. The research shows there is a lack of healthcare providers available, especially in more rural areas. The …

Authentic Narratives Of Successful Pathways To Undergraduate Completion For Black Men, Tara M. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study examined the authentic lived experiences of eight Black male participants who successfully completed their college undergraduate degree at a private college in the southeast United States. The participants were recruited via LinkedIn, a professional social media, networking site. It explored family, K-12, co-curricular, and community factors that contributed to the academic success of the participants throughout their educational journey. This study drew upon Harper’s (2012) antideficit theory framing the study from the lens of the positive aspects of their academic experiences rather than focusing on the negative aspects of Black men that graduate college at the …

Reference Frames In Human Sensory, Motor, And Cognitive Processing, Dongcheng He

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reference-frames, or coordinate systems, are used to express properties and relationships of objects in the environment. While the use of reference-frames is well understood in physical sciences, how the brain uses reference-frames remains a fundamental question. The goal of this dissertation is to reach a better understanding of reference-frames in human perceptual, motor, and cognitive processing. In the first project, we study reference-frames in perception and develop a model to explain the transition from egocentric (based on the observer) to exocentric (based outside the observer) reference-frames to account for the perception of relative motion. In a second project, we focus …

Deep Learning For Power Flow Estimation And High Impedance Fault Detection, Kun Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is divided into two parts.

The first part is: “Optimal Power Flow Estimation Using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Network [1]“. Optimal power flow (OPF) is an important research topic in power system operation and control decisions. Traditional OPF problems are solved through dynamic optimization with nonlinear programming techniques. For a large power system with large amounts of variables and constraints, the solving process would take a long time. This paper presents a new method to quickly estimate the OPF results using a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). The OPF problem is treated as a high-dimensional mapping between the load …

Small Gtpase Regulated Intracellular Protein Trafficking In Endothelium, Caitlin Francis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intracellular protein trafficking is the movement of membrane-bound organelles to and from requisite locations within the cell. Small GTPases are a critical component to the spatiotemporal accuracy of intracellular trafficking pathways as they determine the specificity and direction of organelle transport. There exists over 150 small GTPases categorized into 5 sub-families and are employed across all cell types. Despite their universal expression and relevance to cellular function, small GTPases remain incompletely understood across tissue types. In various instances, the trafficking pathway of a particular Rab in one cell type may belong to a completely disparate pathway in another cell type. …

A Unified Approach To Regression Testing For Mobile Apps, Zeinab Saad Abdalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mobile Applications have been widely used in recent years daily all over the world and are essential in our personal lives and at work. Because Mobile Applications update frequently, it is important that developers perform regression testing to ensure their quality. In addition, the Mobile Applications market has been growing rapidly, allowing anyone to write and publish an application without appropriate validation. A need for regression testing has arisen with the growth of different Mobile Apps and the added functionalities and complexities. In this dissertation, we adapted the FSMWeb [14] approach for selective regression testing to allow for selective regression …

Moving From Theory To Practice: Examining Teaching Mathematics For Social Justice In An Elementary School Classroom, Krystal Giles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching mathematics for social justice is a distinctive approach to mathematics education that seeks to have students use mathematics to navigate their identities, understand their lived experiences, examine inequities, and become agents of change. Current research provides a rich explanation of what teaching mathematics for social justice entails. Still, there is a need for research that studies how to move from theory to practice. The purpose of this research study is to examine the experience of teaching mathematics for social justice within my fifth-grade mathematics classroom for myself and my students, analyze the extent to which students’ ethnic and academic …

Being And Trauma: A Theory Of Listening As A Dis/Appropriation Of The Listener To The Call Of The Unspeakable In Trauma, Kathleen M. Douglass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What is it to have a voice, to be heard? And how is this connected to the need to have someone listen? Through a close reading of Heidegger’s later works woven together with readings of Judith Butler, Jean Luc Marion, Michel Foucault, and Shoshana Felman, I explore a concept of Listening as it is connected to the event of our being, creating a theory of Listening that emphasizes what happens in the Listener as she Listens.

The concept of Listening is relied on, but under-considered, in both clinical and philosophical theories. In order to understand what it means to have …

Uncovering Zn2+ And Ca2+ Homeostasis And Crosstalk In Primary Hippocampal Neurons, Chen Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zn²⁺ has been suggested to act as an intracellular signaling molecule due to its regulatory effects on numerous protein targets including enzymes, transcription factors, ion channels, neurotrophic factors, and postsynaptic scaffolding proteins. However, intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration is tightly maintained at steady levels under natural physiological conditions. Dynamic changes in intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration have only been detected in cells exposed to pathologic stimuli or upon receptor ligand binding. In the first project of my dissertation, for the first time, we revealed that developing neurons fire spontaneous and synchronous Zn²⁺ spikes at a specific time window (from 14 …