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Biophysical Exploration Of Conformational Environments In Zymogen Prothrombin And Blood Coagulant Thrombin., Ramya Billur May 2018

Biophysical Exploration Of Conformational Environments In Zymogen Prothrombin And Blood Coagulant Thrombin., Ramya Billur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The serine protease thrombin plays important roles in coagulation, anticoagulation, and platelet activation. Thrombin is initially expressed as the inactive zymogen prothrombin (ProT). The final cleaved and activated form of thrombin has mature anion binding exosites (ABEs) and several regulatory loops. Engagement with these exosites helps define the fate of thrombin as a procoagulant or an anticoagulant. Researchers previously reported that zymogen ProT may already bind exosite ligands. Little is known about conformational changes associated with ProT maturation, resultant ligand binding affinities, individual ligand-protein contacts, and long-range communication between thrombin exosites. Protease Activated Receptors (PARs) play critical roles in controlling …

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Maturation Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Engineered Cardiac Tissues Using Chief Transfection And Chronic Optical Pacing., Marc M. Dwenger May 2018

Maturation Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Engineered Cardiac Tissues Using Chief Transfection And Chronic Optical Pacing., Marc M. Dwenger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The immaturity of engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs) limits their ability to regenerate damaged myocardium and to serve as in vitro disease models and surrogates for drug toxicity testing. Several chronic biomimetic conditioning protocols, including mechanical stretch, perfusion, and electrical stimulation promote ECT maturation but have significant technical limitations. Non-contacting chronic light stimulation using heterologously expressed light-sensitive ChIEF ion channels, termed optogenetics, may be an advantageous alternative to chronic electrical stimulation. As a proof of principle, we transfected ECTs using an AAV packaged ChIEF and then verified acute optical pacing (OP) by patch clamp. We then chronically OP ECTs for 7 …

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Simulation-Based Analysis And Optimization Of The United States Army Performance Appraisal System., Lee A. Evans May 2018

Simulation-Based Analysis And Optimization Of The United States Army Performance Appraisal System., Lee A. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, a discrete event simulation framework is considered to replicate the dynamics, structure, and regulatory constraints placed on the officers in the U.S. Army. Using performance appraisal data provided by the United States Army Human Resources Command, we create a multi-objective response function that quantifies the human behavior associated with evaluating subordinates. Utilizing simulation-optimization techniques for model validation enables estimating unknown input parameters, such as human behavior, based on historical data. Furthermore, the model allows users to analyze the effects of current constraints on the evaluation system and the effects of proposed personnel policy changes.The effectiveness of the …

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A Case Study Of Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of A School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention And Supports Framework In An Urban Elementary School., Cassaundra Lynn Watkins May 2018

A Case Study Of Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of A School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention And Supports Framework In An Urban Elementary School., Cassaundra Lynn Watkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This single site case study examined the perceptions of teachers and the principal of a persistently low achieving elementary school in a large urban school district. Using the Concern-Based-Adoption-Model (CBAM), which originated in Fuller’s (1969) study of perceptions of pre-service and practicing teachers and used by Roach, Kratochwill and Frank (2009) as a tool to ascertain support for the implementation of research-based practices, teacher and principal perceptions of the effectiveness of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) framework were examined. Interviews and document analysis were utilized to collect data and triangulate teacher and principal perceptions of obstacles and supports …

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T Socio-Ecology Of Managed Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) In The Louisville Metro Area., Haileigh M. Arnold May 2018

T Socio-Ecology Of Managed Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) In The Louisville Metro Area., Haileigh M. Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans have a long history of the practice of beekeeping to harness the power of pollination. This managed pollinator system consists of beekeepers, honeybees, and their environment. However, recent disease, pesticide use, and land use factors honeybee threaten this relationship. In the face of such concerns it is important to examine the factors that impact and can help sustain our managed pollinator systems. In this thesis, the national and Kentucky state-level policies that affect managed pollinator systems were examined and socio-ecological factors that may contribute to honeybee hive growth and losses were assessed along an urban development gradient in Louisville, …

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Implementation Of Emergency Preparedness In Long Term Care And Rogers' Diffusion Of Innovation Theory., Elizabeth M. Shiels May 2018

Implementation Of Emergency Preparedness In Long Term Care And Rogers' Diffusion Of Innovation Theory., Elizabeth M. Shiels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky is one of the top ten states in the U.S. in the number of Presidential Declarations of Disaster (PDD) over the past ten years. This is due to its geology and weather patterns. The far western portion of Kentucky lies on the New Madrid Seismic Zone, one of the most dangerous fault lines in the United States; and natural hazards such as tornadoes, earthquakes, flash floods, severe storms offer only minutes or even seconds of advance notice. These “no-notice” emergencies with no timely warnings are the most common hazards experienced in Kentucky. In these events, individual long term care …

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Jumping Over The Hurdle : Examining And Overcoming The Barriers For Women In Intercollegiate Athletics Through Mentorship., Emma Mary Cohen May 2018

Jumping Over The Hurdle : Examining And Overcoming The Barriers For Women In Intercollegiate Athletics Through Mentorship., Emma Mary Cohen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given the evident underrepresentation of females working intercollegiate athletics at all levels, there is a growing need to understand the types of barriers that limit women and cause these disproportionate representation(Acosta & Carpenter, 2014; Staurowsky & Smith, 2016). There is also a need to explore the impact of meaningful mentorship to combat these apparent obstacles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the barriers women currently face as they enter the intercollegiate athletics workplace in entry-level positions and explore the role of mentors in their career success. Entry-level sport administrators are a demographic of the industry that has not …

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Challenges In Flexible Microsystem Manufacturing : Fabrication, Robotic Assembly, Control, And Packaging., Danming Wei May 2018

Challenges In Flexible Microsystem Manufacturing : Fabrication, Robotic Assembly, Control, And Packaging., Danming Wei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microsystems have been investigated with renewed interest for the last three decades because of the emerging development of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology and the advancement of nanotechnology. The applications of microrobots and distributed sensors have the potential to revolutionize micro and nano manufacturing and have other important health applications for drug delivery and minimal invasive surgery. A class of microrobots studied in this thesis, such as the Solid Articulated Four Axis Microrobot (sAFAM) are driven by MEMS actuators, transmissions, and end-effectors realized by 3-Dimensional MEMS assembly. Another class of microrobots studied here, like those competing in the annual IEEE Mobile …

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Long-Term Dental Outcomes Of The Professional Education Preparation Program., Samuel D. Petersen May 2018

Long-Term Dental Outcomes Of The Professional Education Preparation Program., Samuel D. Petersen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The Professional Education Preparation Program (PEPP) is a health careers pipeline program for Kentucky pre-health students from Health Professional Shortage Area counties and/or racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in the health professions. The purpose of this study was to determine the demographics of the dental PEPP participants and if, post dental school graduation, they were providing care for underserved patient populations Methods: PEPP dental graduates (n=114) had been previously identified. Participants were contacted by phone, asked to participate and then mailed a survey. Survey questions covered personal, practice and patient characteristics, procedures performed, insurance accepted and community outreach. Logistic regression analysis …

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Intraoral Imaging At Insertion Of Implant Supported Restorations At An Academic Institution : Conformity To Established Guidelines., J. Alec Power May 2018

Intraoral Imaging At Insertion Of Implant Supported Restorations At An Academic Institution : Conformity To Established Guidelines., J. Alec Power

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to establish the frequency of intraoral imaging at the time of insertion of implant supported restorations at University of Louisville School of Dentistry (ULSD). After IRB approval (14.1215), patients on whom an implant-supported single unit fixed restoration was placed were identified from the electronic health record over a 4-year period. Type of prosthesis retention (cement vs. screw) and discipline responsible for crown placement was recorded. Bitewing (BWx) or periapical (pa) images taken at the time of prosthesis placement were accessed and reviewed. Overall radiographic frequency according to modality was tallied and compared using Chi-square …

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Asylum For Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, & Chamber Orchestra., Cullyn D. Murphy May 2018

Asylum For Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, & Chamber Orchestra., Cullyn D. Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1884, Daniel Paul Schreber was admitted into an asylum in an attempt to help treat his paranoid schizophrenia. He documented his time in the asylum through a memoir titled Memoirs of My Nervous Illness. His memoir noted the extremely poor living conditions and treatment of patients, while also illustrating Schreber’s slowly deteriorating mental state. Prior to his admittance, Schreber was a well respected judge in Germany and the son of a renown child psychologist. This societal decline contributed to the acceptance of these memoirs as a serious account of the events that transpired on a daily basis for mental …

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Principal Professional Development And Principal Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District., Brian Thomas Garrett May 2018

Principal Professional Development And Principal Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District., Brian Thomas Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educator professional development (PD) is a heavily relied upon method for school improvement, and administrator professional development (APD) is a key element to nearly all school reform efforts. District-wide APD in large school districts can carry a heavy cost in financial and human resources. Moreover, PD is frequently too inadequately planned and/or implemented to bring about lasting positive change in educator practice, school reform, and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principal PD focused on culture/climate or instruction and principal self-efficacy in an urban school district. Through hierarchical linear multiple regression (HLMR), this …

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The Mosaics Of Ciudad Universitaria : Mexican Muralism At The Crossroads., Annemarie Elizabeth Carney May 2018

The Mosaics Of Ciudad Universitaria : Mexican Muralism At The Crossroads., Annemarie Elizabeth Carney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an investigation of the mosaics developed for Ciudad Universitaria (CU) and the monumental shift in the Mexican mural movement they initiated. It is broken into four chapters each of which examine the works of one of the four major Mexican artists: David Alfaro Siqueiros, Diego Rivera, Juan O’Gorman and José Chávez Morado commissioned to develop mosaics for CU in the early 1950s. It emphasizes the differences in the artists’ ideologies and experiences which led each to develop an individual understanding of plastic integration and the ways in which those ideas manifest themselves in the campus mosaics. The …

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The Far Green Country., Lincoln A. Sandham May 2018

The Far Green Country., Lincoln A. Sandham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work was inspired by a beautiful image from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: “And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.” ~The Return of The King, Book VI chapter 9. This imagery inspired the three movements of this work. The first, The Gray Raincurtain, depicts a violent end, the world crashing down around you. The musical material of this movement gradually …

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Feeding Behaviors And The Child With Posterior Tongue-Tie : Comparison To Norms., Mckenzie Sexton May 2018

Feeding Behaviors And The Child With Posterior Tongue-Tie : Comparison To Norms., Mckenzie Sexton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The tongue is an important muscle used in speech, mastication, swallowing, and breastfeeding. It plays an important role in facial development, dentition, and periodontal status. Posterior ankyloglossia, also known as posterior tongue-tie (PTT), is characterized by a tether beneath the lingual mucosa. Upon visual inspection, the frenulum is non-prominent but with the use of a grooved director it may appear abnormally prominent, short, thick, or cord-like. Palpation of the frenulum may reveal tightness. There is a lack of empirical data about PTT and the impact on feeding beyond early infancy. PTT is not well recognized and can be missed resulting …

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Conciencia Bilingüe : The Multilingual And Academic Writing Practices Of Undocumented Immigrant Activists., Sara Del Pilar Alvarez May 2018

Conciencia Bilingüe : The Multilingual And Academic Writing Practices Of Undocumented Immigrant Activists., Sara Del Pilar Alvarez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research and community-based engagement focuses on the critical examination of the texts that 12 U.S. Southern and New York City undocumented young adults have produced in relation to immigrant rights advocacy. Adapting Lillis and Curry’s 2010 text-oriented ethnography methods and drawing on a collective framework informed by García and Wei’s (2014) theorization of dynamic bilingual practices, translingual theories of language difference in academic writing (Horner et. al, 2011; Lu & Horner, 2016), and Flores’s and Rosa’s (2015) call for raciolinguistics as a way to interrogate academic writing, this study examines the bilingual stances that these immigrant activists bring …

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When The Ground Shakes., James May May 2018

When The Ground Shakes., James May

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the spring of 2017, I approached friend and writer Mickey Osthimer about collaborating on text for a song cycle. I was concerned about questions of identity, especially in America—why and how do certain ideologies lay “claim” to American values? Are protesters less representative of our values than police or government? More? Why do we ignore certain sub–communities, uphold others, and mourn or empathize with them accordingly? What emerged from our discussions was a series of poems and prose selections about community, identity, memory, and trauma. Some of the text deals with childhood and nostalgia, while we culled other excerpts …

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Pens, Print, And Pixels : Gendered Writing And The Epistolary Genre In Transitional Eras., Keri Elizabeth Mathis May 2018

Pens, Print, And Pixels : Gendered Writing And The Epistolary Genre In Transitional Eras., Keri Elizabeth Mathis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a retheorization of rhetorical genres, media, and modes, with a particular emphasis on how this interrelationship reinstantiates and/or subverts deeply entrenched power dynamics over time. Current scholarship often depicts genres and media in a one-to-one relationship that obscures the intricate ways rhetorical genres and media rely on one another to enable (or hinder) writers’ participation in particular discourse communities. This project primarily focuses on gendered power and analyzes letters—a traditionally feminized genre—in three distinct time periods marked by media transition. Specifically, I explore ways women employ genre and media affordances together to assume positions of greater authority …

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Automatic Iq Estimation Using Stylometry Methods., Polina Shafran Abramov May 2018

Automatic Iq Estimation Using Stylometry Methods., Polina Shafran Abramov

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stylometry is a study of text linguistic properties that brings together various field of research such as statistics, linguistics, computer science and more. Stylometry methods have been used for historic investigation, as forensic evidence and educational tool. This thesis presents a method to automatically estimate individual’s IQ based on quality of writing and discusses challenges associated with it. The method utilizes various text features and NLP techniques to calculate metrics which are used to estimate individual’s IQ. The results show a high degree of correlation between expected and estimated IQs in cases when IQ is within the average range. Obtaining …

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The Disjointed Moment : Marking, Mapping, And Making The Real In William Eggleston's Election Eve (1976)., Joel Darland May 2018

The Disjointed Moment : Marking, Mapping, And Making The Real In William Eggleston's Election Eve (1976)., Joel Darland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the photographic book Election Eve (1976) produced by photographer William Eggleston. Eggleston’s photographs represent a complex network of connections between material objects and the potential truth of depiction. The often-nondescript locations that Eggleston photographed in Sumter County, GA in October 1976 appear specific at the outset, but quickly lose their adherence to the supposed realities that they depict. Since his first major exhibition in the mid 1970s, Eggleston’s photographs have presented difficulty because they from often-disparate material sources. Despite of the complexity of Eggleston’s engagement with both art and non-art photography, scholarship continues describe Eggleston’s “snapshot aesthetic” …

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A 3d Numerical Analysis Of The Railway To Compare The Performance Of The Granular And Asphalt Trackbeds., Thammapot Wattanapanalai May 2018

A 3d Numerical Analysis Of The Railway To Compare The Performance Of The Granular And Asphalt Trackbeds., Thammapot Wattanapanalai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the last two decades, trains have been developed either to carry heavy weight of cargo or for high-speed rail transport. Nonetheless, track structure, have not been improved adequate to support the extra loads or dynamic vibrations of high-speed trains. As a result, the performance of track will be affected from heavy freight or high-speed trains. In the long term it results in trackbed damage by increasing the subgrade and ballast displacement. Besides, it negatively affects the performance of the locomotives. Therefore, alternative subballast, should be introduced to reduce the stress and deformation of the track under dynamic or heavy …

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Photonic Tools For Advanced Sensing And Imaging At The Nanoscale., Jafar Hamed Ghithan May 2018

Photonic Tools For Advanced Sensing And Imaging At The Nanoscale., Jafar Hamed Ghithan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports a novel bio-sensing strategy based on single-mode, electro-active, integrated optical waveguide (SM-EA-IOW) platforms. It also reports the development of a super-resolved far-field optical imaging tool to enable optical, electronic, and spectroelectrochemical investigations at the nanoscale. SM-EA-IOW platforms with its outstanding sensitivity for spectroelectrochemical interrogation was combined with a sandwich bioassay for the development of a novel immunosensing based strategy for label-free detection of infectious pathogens. The strategy begins with the functionalization of the electroactive waveguide surface with a capturing antibody aimed at a specific target analyte. Once the target analyte is bound to the photonic interface, it …

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Malaria In The Prehistoric Caribbean : The Hunt For Hemozoin., Mallory D. Cox May 2018

Malaria In The Prehistoric Caribbean : The Hunt For Hemozoin., Mallory D. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the increase in resistance to anti-malarials and global warming trends expanding the habitation range of the mosquito vector, research highlighting the biogeographical contexts of infected populations is critical to understanding epidemiological patterns. A bioarchaeological approach to epidemiology can shed light on previous disease patterns and aid in the prediction of future outbreaks of diseases like malaria. Currently, there is no direct evidence of malaria in the Americas prior to European contact; however, skeletal, archaeological, paleoenvironmental, historic, and ethnohistorical evidence strongly suggest the presence of Plasmodium spp. malaria in indigenous Caribbean skeletal remains held in the Yale Peabody Museum of …

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Maintainability Analysis Of Mining Trucks With Data Analytics., Abdulgani Kahraman May 2018

Maintainability Analysis Of Mining Trucks With Data Analytics., Abdulgani Kahraman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mining industry is one of the biggest industries in need of a large budget, and current changes in global economic challenges force the industry to reduce its production expenses. One of the biggest expenditures is maintenance. Thanks to the data mining techniques, available historical records of machines’ alarms and signals might be used to predict machine failures. This is crucial because repairing machines after failures is not as efficient as utilizing predictive maintenance. In this case study, the reasons for failures seem to be related to the order of signals or alarms, called events, which come from trucks. The …

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Development Of Blended Polymeric Fibers To Alter The Release Of Peptide Targeting Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Sonali Suresh Sapare May 2018

Development Of Blended Polymeric Fibers To Alter The Release Of Peptide Targeting Porphyromonas Gingivalis., Sonali Suresh Sapare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that infects the tissues of the periodontium. It is estimated that 47.2% or 67.2 million American adults suffer from mild, moderate and severe periodontitis. Globally, 30-50% of the adult population is afflicted with periodontal disease, making it one of the most prevalent infectious diseases in the world. Therapeutics targeting P. gingivalis may be effective to alter periodontitis progression. However, the current treatment modalities that target critical pathogens to maintain host-biofilm homeostasis are limited, urging the development of specifically targeted therapeutics to limit P. gingivalis recolonization of the oral cavity after periodontal treatment and healing. …

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Killing Martin County : Resiliency In A Central Appalachian Community., David Adam Sizemore May 2018

Killing Martin County : Resiliency In A Central Appalachian Community., David Adam Sizemore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental stressors, anything that poses a threat to human and environmental health, are disproportionately located in marginalized communities. Coal extraction companies produce and concentrate environmental stressors in Central Appalachia, a sub-region of Appalachia with high poverty rates and economic hardship. Through destructive coal extraction methods, the coal industry has jeopardized Central Appalachian health and environmental quality. The coal industry’s power to cause destruction in Central Appalachia is a product of historical strategic initiatives. Since the late 1800s, the coal industry has forcefully altered the culture and ideology of Central Appalachians and developed relationships with local, state, and federal policymakers to …

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Jazz Bass Method Books Versus Actual Performance : The Case Study Of Charlie Haden., Hamilton Pinheiro May 2018

Jazz Bass Method Books Versus Actual Performance : The Case Study Of Charlie Haden., Hamilton Pinheiro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to compare what jazz bass method books teach with an actual performance. For this end, I analyzed and summarized several bass method books regarding bass line construction and compared them to transcriptions of Charlie Haden’s bass lines, trying to find considerable discrepancies. Firstly, I found that Charlie Haden used all the techniques that all authors teach in their books. Beyond that, I found that Haden extensively applied two techniques the authors cover superficially (implied harmony and sequences) and also expanded the concepts of chromaticism and building tension and release that are found in the …

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Igniting The Imagination : Tenaciously Building A Character., Lois Abdelmalek May 2018

Igniting The Imagination : Tenaciously Building A Character., Lois Abdelmalek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As an actor, my goal is to achieve full transformation to perform any character. During my final year of graduate school, I auditioned and received the roles of Liz Morden and Lieutenant Faddy in Our Country’s Good. I had been exposed to several acting methods in graduate school; however, I questioned if I had a solid technique to rely on. My thesis role was an opportunity to become self-aware of my process. Through imagination, I explored the historical circumstances, the text, and physical and voice work. I became conscious as never before how my creation of a character demands trusting …

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Will-Power Through Physical Connectivity., Mia Donata Rocchio May 2018

Will-Power Through Physical Connectivity., Mia Donata Rocchio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of my process within the creation of my thesis role, Eurydice in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. I begin with the technical skills, such as analysis and dissection of, the text and all of its components (punctuation, alliteration, rhyming, the organization of the lines, etc.), character action and reaction, and historical research into the primary source material for the play, (the Greek myth, Orpheus and Eurydice). These discoveries are framed around a discussion of situating Eurydice within contemporary standards of girlhood. From there, I dive into an examination of the steps I had to take in order …

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Fostering Sense Of Belonging : A Multi-Case Study Of Black Male Retention Initiatives., Jarrod Elliott Druery May 2018

Fostering Sense Of Belonging : A Multi-Case Study Of Black Male Retention Initiatives., Jarrod Elliott Druery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The retention and graduation rates of Black male collegians continues to be a work in progress for colleges and universities in the U.S. Researchers have highlighted impediments to student success and degree attainment of this population at historically White institutions (HWIs)—with racism being prominent. As a result, recent efforts have been made to promote success and persistence among Black men in college. Within the last decade, Black male initiatives (BMI) have emerged on college campuses across the country. BMIs are programs aimed at increasing persistence and success among Black male collegians. Based on the newness of these initiatives, there is …

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