Digital Commons Network^™

“Fetch M’Dear”: Healers, Midwives, Witches, And Conjuring Women In Select Ya And Toni Morrison Novels, Diane Mallett-Birkitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accusations and persecution of witchcraft have been embedded in global culture for centuries. For as long as these persecutions have occurred, women have found themselves accused most frequently. Older women with herbal knowledge were often called on to assist with childbirth or termination of pregnancies and this “secret knowledge” often led them to be suspected of supernatural abilities, often of a satanic nature. Intrigued by these wise women who appeared to have mysterious powers and a penchant for arousing the ire of men in the legal, medical, and religious communities, I began to notice their frequent appearance in novels. Does …

Prevention Of Chronic Inflammation By Targeting Macrophage Integrin Adb2, Cady Forgey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Macrophage integrin a_Db₂ promotes macrophage retention and accumulation within inflamed tissue, a key event in development of chronic inflammation. Recently, the P5 peptide was identified as a specific inhibitor for integrin a_Db₂ interaction with 2-(ω-carboxyethyl) pyrole (CEP), a ligand at inflammatory sites. This thesis aims to identify integrin a_D I-domain amino acids involved in binding P5 peptide and likewise to CEP. We propose that non-conserved, basic amino acids of the integrin a_Db₂ I-domain are responsible for binding to P5 peptide and likewise to CEP. Eight amino acids were analyzed by …

Mapping A Course To Success: The Relationship Of A College To Career Navigation Exploratory Course To Academic Success, Patrick D U Davis Sr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a College to Career Navigation exploration course and students who did not participate in the course at a rural, community college serving a 14-county area in the Southeast U. S.

Archival data were collected from the participating community college’s student information system. Other data examined for this study included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and age. Retention data of the first-year, full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with the enrollment requirements of the community college’s governing …

Veteran Teachers’ Perceptions On The Negative Implications Of Classroom Disruptive Behavior And Redirection Strategies, Charvelia Sharae Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Classroom teachers are responsible for creating an environment where all students are able to receive an optimal educational experience. However, disruptive behavior demonstrated by students in classrooms often makes it more difficult for teachers to provide quality instruction to all students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the perceptions of veteran teachers related to student disruptive behavior as well as the redirection strategies utilized to decrease the occurrence of such behavior during instructional time. Along with completing an open-ended survey related to strategies used to address disruptive behavior, the veteran teacher participants shared their experiences in …

Supporting Postnatal Women With Opioid Use Disorder Treated With Medication Avoidance Therapy, Lea Ann Quave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent data in 28 U.S. states revealed that opioid use during pregnancy had increased by four times since 2014, going from 1.5 to 6.5 per 1,000 admissions. The use of opioids during pregnancy is dangerous to the mother and developing fetus, greatly increasing the risk for maternal death, miscarriage, and premature birth. The increase in the number of women with opioid abuse disorder (OUD) is reflected by a fivefold increase of infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal syndrome from opioids. Corresponding with U.S. trends, a community hospital in the Texas Gulf Coast region has seen an increase …

Curricular Influence On Professional Formation In Physical Therapy Students, Chad W. Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professionalism is needed from each healthcare professional to meet the needs of patients, society, and the expectation that the profession has for its members. Professionalism comprises many attributes and is developed explicitly and implicitly over time through a variety of influential factors. Professional formation education should be an intentional emphasis in any professional program. However, in the academic preparation of healthcare professionals, including physical therapists, a lack of consistency exists in professionalism curricula. It does not appear there are published studies that have specifically compared the effect of curricular approaches in physical therapy education on students’ professional formation. The purpose …

A Program Evaluation Of A Rural Nursing Academic Partnership, Meagan A. Spencer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education continue to promote the implementation and creation of literature on academic partnerships, a Christian university, sought to evaluate its academic partnership with a for-profit hospital for the first time in regard to student perspectives. The purpose of this mixed-methods program evaluation was to describe the student perceptions of the academic partnership in trusting, collaborating, and engaging nursing students and recruiting and retaining nursing graduates to rural hospitals and health care facilities. Measurable impacts included both qualitative and quantitative coding of the levels of trust, collaboration, and …

Let Me Serve Your Majesty: Psalm 8, Matthew Fredrickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The speaker in Ps 8 proclaims a desire to serve Yahweh’s heavenly power/victory by appealing to humanity’s status as God’s images (Gen 1:27) and accepting the role of Yahweh’s new servant (Isa 55:3), as a priest/minister of God (Isa 61:1-6; cf Isa 42:1). This thesis translates אשר תנה as one word in verse 2b (אשרתנה), rendered, “May I serve your heavenly power/victory!” This is illustrated (in part) by two participles in Ps 8, ינקם (v. 3) and עבר (v. 9), which refer to cosmic foes of Yahweh—“the ones who nurse” (the goodly gods in CAT 1.23) and the “one …

Potential Roles For Social Work In Supporting Mourning Practices Of Non-Dominant Religious And Cultural Groups In America, Stephanie Bergslien

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper will explore the perceived cultural sensitivity/affirmation of mourning ceremonies and rituals of non-dominant population groups by funeral directors serving families in the mountain region of the United States. Specifically, this paper examines the perceived ability of funeral directors and funeral homes to respect, affirm, and honor the mourning rituals and practices of non-dominant religious and spiritual population groups. Additionally, the paper seeks to explore the potential role of social workers in supporting and affirming mourning rituals and practices of non-dominant population groups.

What Interventions Should Be Utilized With Alzheimer's Patients To Increase Quality Of Life?, Laci Bach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects nearly 50 million people worldwide and will continue to increase exponentially with the aging of the population. The current work is an attempt to identify the needs of a subset of Alzheimer’s patient caregivers who have placed their family member to help identify the specific psychosocial needs the family member may have. This will help agency staff to tailor specific plans in their interactions with both the patient and family member to help reduce identified caregiver burden. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions only a limited number of family members (n=5) were contacted and …

Use Of The Cameo Ii Acuity Tool To Decrease Burnout For Nurses Working In A Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Frances Lynn Feria-Clement

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported registered nurse burnout is an occupational hazard resulting in serious consequences for patients, healthcare organizations, and individual registered nurses (Woo et al., 2020). The purpose of this project was to see if the Complexity Assessment and Monitoring to Ensure Optimal Outcomes II (CAMEO II) Acuity Tool, used as an intervention for staffing and scheduling, would have a positive effect against nurse burnout in a pediatric critical care setting in a pediatric medical center. Maslach’s Burnout Inventory- Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSSMP) was used as a pre- and postsurvey to measure the emotional …

Black Male Student Success In Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Cherise A. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When compared to their peer counterparts, Black male students have a lower college attrition rate. Universities and higher education institutions explore ways to increase the retention and graduation rates for Black male students persisting toward college graduation, and all Black male students need to be included in the dialogue. This qualitative instrumental collective case study explored first-generation Black male college students’ lived experiences that contributed to their persistence toward graduation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) framed within Tinto’s retention theory (1993). Snowball sampling was used to identify eight first-generation Black male students that were in good academic standing …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

A Qualitative Study On Elementary School Principals’ Perspectives On How Leadership Practices Influence The Academic Achievement Of African American Male Students, Jamel Kimbro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School leaders are responsible for implementing effective strategies that improve African American male students’ academic and social performance. Hence, this study focused on the elementary African American male population and the influence school principals’ leadership practices have on African American male students’ academic achievement. This qualitative case study examined the perceived impact of 10 elementary school principals’ leadership practices on African American male students in the Southeastern United States. This study identified several key leadership practices and strategies that school leaders implemented towards African American male students to improve their ability to meet academic and behavioral expectations.

Delineating Of The Utica Shale/Point Pleasant Formation Play System To Determine Influence Of The Precambrian Basement In Northeastern Ohio, Jarrod R. Bridges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Utica Shale/Point Pleasant Formation system has recently become a highly developed unconventional target for oil and natural gas production, leading to an increased desire for knowledge of the controls on deposition of this system. Precambrian basement features have long been known to affect deposition of older strata near these features across Ohio, but the effects of far field tectonics is not fully agreed upon. Precambrian faults and lineaments are known to exist and have been mapped, but are thought to have ceased their influence on deposition by the time of the Knox unconformity during the Cambrian. In the case …

An Economic Analysis Of Using Retired Vessels To Create Artificial Reefs In Costa Rica, Josué González

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Republic of Costa Rica is a Central American country with only 0.03% of the world’s landmass, but 5% of the world’s biodiversity, making it a leading ecotourism destination. Ecotourism is one of the main sources of revenue for the country, but the degradation of coastal reefs has resulted in a significant loss of financial income for developing areas. As a result, many of these areas are searching for methods to revert the degradation of coral reefs.

Artificial reefs play an important ecological role in marine ecosystems due to their complexity and size. They help in the development of …

Privacy In Multigenerational Homes Before And Amidst Covid-19, Jennifer Luque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multigenerational households in the United States are more prevalent now than they have been in the last forty years. In part, aging, illness, job loss, saving money, and even tradition are factors that contribute to the idea of multiple generations living together in one home. Given the health of the individuals, size of the home, and number of dedicated bedrooms and bathrooms, living multigenerational can have both positive and adverse effects. Many family groups fall into the category of multigenerational living. However, this study investigates the relationships between adults and senior family members in terms of privacy in the home. …

Aerial Mineral And Organic Particulate Deposition In East Texas, Sarah Caton, Sarah Caton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study determined the monthly amount, particle size distribution, and chemical composition of particulate deposition in East Texas over a one-year period. It also recognized the seasonal patterns of this deposition as well as its primary origins as either mineral or organic particulate deposition.

The study recorded the monthly mass of deposition, particle size distribution, and the chemical makeup of deposition throughout a period of twelve months at seven sampling locations. SEM-EDS technology was used in conjunction with PCI programming to measure the sizes of depositional particles throughout this time period and identify their chemical composition.

The total yearly deposition …

The Persistence Of Acid Mine Drainage At An East Texas Coal Mine, Sarah Zagurski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to estimate the time it will take for acid forming materials (pyrite) to be weathered to a state of equilibrium and thus cease to produce acid in ground and surface waters within Oak Hill Mine. This was accomplished using an ex-situ kinetic leaching study incorporating a humidity cell in a controlled laboratory setting. Leaching was conducted on soil cores obtained from the vadose zone at Oak Hill Mine and the humidity cell was used to accelerate oxidation of the pyrite within the cores.

An in-situ field study was also conducted that monitored groundwater conditions …

Stratigraphy, Petrology, Diagenesis, Paleontology, And Depositional Environments Of The Harrisburg Member Of The Kaibab Formation In Northern Arizona And Southern Utah, Zachery T. Case

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Kaibab Formation has two members, the Fossil Mountain Member below and the Harrisburg Member above. They were deposited in shallow-marine shelf to restricted coastal settings. Stratigraphically above are the Rock Canyon Conglomerate and the Moenkopi Formation; consisting of the Timpoweap and Lower Red members; which are the only members present in the study area. The Rock Canyon Conglomerate was deposited in depressions and as a regolith. The Timpoweap and Lower Red members were deposited in shallow marine to tidal environments.

Nine stratigraphic units were identified in the Harrisburg Member. Units one, two, three, five, six, seven, and nine are …

Putting Cajuns On The Map: Music's Role In Popularizing Louisiana's Bayou Culture, Christine Broussard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southern Louisiana witnessed a grassroots Cajun cultural revival whose most active years stretched across three decades in the latter half of the twentieth century. While important local and world events created conditions favorable to its development, actors and events within the Cajun musical sphere specifically, and the establishment and use of iconography within that sphere, played integral roles in sustaining the Cajun renaissance into the 1980s. Activist efforts that recast long-held negative tropes about Cajun culture ensured modern-day Cajuns had access not only to cultural traditions but to the same spaces created to help keep those traditions alive. While those …

Resilience Mediates The Relationship Between Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness And Perceived Stress In Academic Middle Managers In Higher Education, Rachel R. Slaymaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Faculty, staff, and administrators in higher education have experienced rising stress levels due to an increasingly turbulent environment amid constant change and uncertainty. In particular, academic middle managers experience increasingly high demands and significant stressors in the ever-changing landscape of higher education. Most research that addresses stress among academic middle managers has focused on the management of stressors and emphasized the need for additional training and technical support rather than how to address adaptive challenges. However, emerging research has provided promising evidence of the positive effects of mindfulness in reducing the perception of stress and enhancing resilience, both of which …

An Exercise Device Used To Achieve Bone Formation Metrics For The Strengthening Of The Proximal Femur., Sean P. Coyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lateral falls often lead to hip fracture particularly in the elderly who have low bone mineral density. These fractures frequently lead to indirect mortality soon after injury. Normal use over the course over a lifetime leads to optimized adaptation of the bone in the proximal femur according to normal loading. A lateral fall generates non-normal, lateral loading at the proximal hip where the bone has not adapted to withstand such loading. The resulting fracture is generated by reversed strains on the bone tissue in the femoral neck in the hip in contrast to vertical, quotidian loading. Modern practices for preventing …

Determining The Effectiveness Of A Peer Support Person In Individuals With Depression Symptoms, Donna K. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study’s aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing peer support program as an adjunct treatment for patients with depression. This retrospective evaluation analyzed the total scores of 110 patients with depression on the PHQ-9 questionnaire at the initial assessment (Time 1), at 6-weeks (Time 2), and then at 12-weeks (Time 3). The participants were divided into two groups, those who enrolled in a peer support program (n = 55) and those without peer support (n = 55). PHQ-9 total scores for each time interval were compared for the two groups utilizing independent sample t-tests …

Lowering Perceived Stress Levels In Undergraduate Nursing Students, Caitlin Dodd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project analyzed the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students’ perceived stress levels. College students and professional nurses are both susceptible to having high stress levels. Mindfulness activities have been shown to lower stress levels. Undergraduate, prelicensure nursing students participated in this project determining the effects of guided meditations and a stress management class on perceived stress levels in a quantitative, pre- and postinterventional study. Participants in the project completed a stress management class and 18 guided meditation sessions in an undergraduate classroom setting. The researcher used the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) …

Center For Teaching And Learning Impact On Adjunct Job Satisfaction: Examining Their Lived Experiences, Winsome S. Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adjunct faculty have become a significant part of the collegiate workforce in times of financial constraints; however, they are not supported like their full-time counterparts and have lower career and job satisfaction. Some institutions have responded to the increase in dependence on adjuncts by developing support systems in the form of teaching and learning centers. This phenomenological case study’s purpose was to explore the lived experiences of adjunct faculty using a center for teaching and learning (CTL) and explore the impacts the CTL has on adjunct job satisfaction. A purposive sample of six adjunct faculty, two CTL leaders, and one …

The Academic Achievement Gap: Learning From Schools That Bridge The Academic Achievement Gap Between African American Students And Caucasian American Students, Sheri Lynn Mccaig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The academic achievement gap has been observed in the United States since the late 1960s. Despite the best efforts of lawmakers and educators, African American students continue to achieve lower academically than their Caucasian American peers. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate three schools that were successful at reducing the achievement gap between the African American students and Caucasian American students at their school in the area of mathematics and provide suggestions for other schools. Mathematics teachers at the selected schools were asked about their awareness of the factors that contributed to the achievement gap between African …

Exploring North Texas Elementary Principals’ Viewpoints Regarding The Influence Of Culturally Responsive Teaching On School Climate And School Culture, Monica Latrice Tatum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Public schools in the United States have become more diverse due to immigration and the mass exodus of the White population to the suburbs. Growing demographic changes and a consistently White educational labor force raise concern regarding how schools address the needs of their diverse student populations. Much research exists concerning teachers’ implementation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices. However, a void remains in the literature regarding the role of school leadership in this process. An understanding of culturally competent principals’ perspectives on CRT needs more attention to address how school leaders create safe and equitable environments for diverse …

Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Dyslexia Professional Development Training For Addressing The Social-Emotional Needs Of Children With Dyslexia, Darlene Elizabeth Breaux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with dyslexia simultaneously struggle with both literacy acquisition and poor selfesteem and undergo social-emotional learning difficulties. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore elementary general education teachers’ perceptions regarding the dyslexia training they received for addressing the social and emotional learning (SEL) needs of children with dyslexia. The conceptual framework guiding this study was the five core competencies for SEL developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. The researcher used a qualitative description research design involving semistructured interviews. The population included 10 elementary general education teachers who taught in first through fourth-grade classrooms …

Navigating The Role Of Head Of School As Perceived By Female Heads Of National Christian School Association Schools, Jill C. Hartness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current representation of women as heads of schools in U.S. independent schools is significantly less than that of men. With little research on independent female heads of schools, particularly in religious school communities, this qualitative study examined the perspectives of female heads of school from the National Christian School Association regarding perceptions and experiences in the leadership role within a conservative Christian school context. This study was framed through social role theory, muted group theory, authentic leadership theory, and emotional labor theory, and guided by one overarching research question: What has been the experience of a female head of …