Digital Commons Network^™

Speech-Language Pathologists’ Knowledge, Confidence Levels, And Practice Patterns With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In The Schools, Jessica Munson

Master's Theses

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play a key role in serving children with cognitive-communication disorders in both medical and school settings. However, there remains little evidence regarding school-based SLPs’ service delivery for children following concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and how they rate their confidence, knowledge, and skills providing these services. The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge, confidence levels, and practice patterns for providing services to pediatric students with mTBI among school-based SLPs. A 43- item survey was developed to assess current concussion knowledge, and to allow for comparison to previous and future surveys on knowledge, confidence, …

Investigating The Utility Of Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback In Voice Instruction For Two Different Singing Styles, Kristen Smith

Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential utility of incorporating real-time visual biofeedback using ultrasonography to teach important concepts of vocal pedagogy to voice students. Exploration of innovative teaching tools, such as ultrasound visual biofeedback (U-VBF) in singing instruction, may contribute to bridging the gap between voice science and pedagogy by providing alternative ways to improve students’ kinesthetic awareness, clarify complex topics in voice physiology and acoustics, and create a common dialogue between different professionals specializing in voice. The primary research questions addressed in this study were: (a) To determine the current knowledge and attitude among …

The Well-Being Of Business Professionals Through The Participation Of Golf With Coworkers And Clients, Marisa Hisaki

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand how participation of golf influences the well-being of business professionals and how organizations could incorporate activities such as golf to their management practices. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews (Kvale, 1996) were utilized in this study to explore and understand how golf influences the well-being by expressing their experience of the phenomenon of the effects of golf. Seven participants were interviewed, where three were insiders and four were outsiders. The age of the participants ranged from 23-68 years, with the average being 49.7 years. Of the seven participants, six were male and only …

The Effects Of Parent-Implemented Demanded Eye Contact As A Component Of Eid On Child Compliance, Halley Claire Blanchard

Master's Theses

Effective instruction delivery (EID) is an eight-step strategy that has been shown to be effective at increasing child compliance across classroom and clinical settings (Everett et al., 2005; Ford, 1998; Mandal et al., 2000; Scoggins, 2005). Component analyses investigating the relative importance of eye contact components of EID have obtained mixed results in clinical settings (Everett et al., 2005; Faciane, 2001; Faciane, 2004). Additionally, applied studies evaluating the effectiveness and treatment integrity of interventions delivered through telehealth have been largely behavior-analytic in nature (Lee et al., 2015; Seuss et al., 2013; Stich & Samaha, 2015; Wainer & Ingersoll, 2014). The …

Comparison Of Two Advanced Oxidation Processes For Their Production Of Hydroxyl Radicals And Evaluation Of A Uv/Ozone Aop At Varying Uv Fluence For Treating Diclofenac, Alexandra Cass

Master's Theses

This study explores the efficacy of two advanced oxidation processes for generation of hydroxyl radicals to promote degradation of emerging contaminants. Drought and water shortage have become pressing issues caused by our world’s changing climate. Water reclamation and reuse are increasingly important options for relieving this water stress. Water reuse runs the risk of reintroducing recalcitrant compounds that can accumulate in our bodies and environment. Advanced treatment methods that degrade these compounds are vital to protect our health and the health of the environment while providing necessary water resources. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown great promise for removing recalcitrant …

Paradoxes Of The Heart And Mind: Three Case Studies In White Identity, Southern Reality, And The Silenced Memories Of Mississippi Confederate Dissent, 1860-1979, Billy Loper

Master's Theses

This thesis is meant to advance scholars understanding of the processes by which various groups silenced the memory of Civil War white dissent in Mississippi. It analyzes three case studies: F. A. P. Barnard’s 1860 trial for abolitionism, the transformation of community memory which surrounded Newt Knight in the early twentieth century, and Mississippi’s interaction with the Civil War through popular culture. These examples will reveal the cultural and discursive systems that have existed in the state for more than a century. This work argues that Mississippians silenced the memory of racial dissent throughout the state’s history because it conflicted …

Contextualizing A Crisis: Examining Michigan State University Press Releases And The Larry Nassar Scandal, Courtney Robinson

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to conduct a contextual analysis of press releases published by Michigan State University following a 2016 scandal that accused long-term physician Larry Nassar of sexually abusing more than 250 young women and girls under the guise of medical care. Specifically, the researcher was concerned with the image repair strategies employed by Michigan State as it attempted to respond to accusations that university personnel were aware of Nassar’s actions and had failed to act. The institution found itself responding to a series of distinct, yet related, crises, which were documented in a series of press …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons And The Microbiomes Of Two Benthic Species, Samantha Ells

Master's Theses

The presence of oil has been shown to affect the microbiomes of the water column, sediments, and organisms, both by altering the diversity and the composition of those microbial communities. If the microbiome is altered it may no longer provide benefits to its host organism, impacting its ability to survive. Thus, it is important to understand the effects of large-scale contamination events including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This study set out to examine the effects of oil exposure on the microbiome of two benthic species, southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) to further understand the effects …

An Annotated Bibliography Of Selected Music Theory Resources For The Middle And High School Choral Classroom With Alignment To Mississippi College- And Career-Readiness Standards, Amanda M. Brandon

Master's Theses

Middle and high school choral ensembles often struggle to produce musicians who are proficient in music theory skills; however, music theory and ear training skills provide numerous benefits to the student and ensemble. Promoting and fostering theory and ear training skills develop a student’s overall musicianship – thus, strengthening sight-reading skills– further leading to more accurate sight reading, using less rehearsal time, and the option of learning more, or even more technically challenging, literature. Additionally, developing independent musicianship skills encourages higher order and critical thinking in the choral classroom.

This project will examine and review selected music theory and ear …

Women Under Colonial Coverture: Divorce, Property Rights, And Inheritance In Early Massachusetts, Sarah Anne Hogue

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the evolution of women's legal rights - property, inheritance, and divorce- in colonial Massachusetts between 1630 and 1690. The project explores how and to what extent the legal doctrine of coverture- which severely limited married women’s legal rights- functioned in the Massachusetts Bay Colony under its Puritan government. This study examines how coverture directly impacted women’s property and divorce rights in the courts of law in the colonial Massachusetts legal system. It uses primary documents, such as official court records and Puritan sermons, to examine women’s legal rights in that colony through the intersecting lenses of …

Matching Equation: Teacher Rates Of Praise And Reprimands, Meleah Ackley

Master's Theses

Previous matching equation literature has demonstrated variability in student behaviors matching onto available reinforcement rates. While some studies have found that student on-task behaviors matched contingent teacher attention around half the observations (Martens et al., 1990), other studies have found that first grade students’ on-task behavior matched contingent teacher attention more than half of observations (Shriver & Kramer, 1997). However, no studies in the current literature have used teacher behaviors as the primary dependent variables (i.e., B1 and B2 in the matching equation). The current study sought to extend the Generalized Matching Equation (GME) further into the classroom, given the …

Climate Adaptation And Water Conservation Decision-Making In Paso Robles, California Vineyards, Christopher R. Klier

Master's Theses

This paper examines vineyard perceptions and adoption of climate change adaptation and water conservation measures in the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA). A survey was distributed to all 220 vineyards and vineyard management companies that operate in the AVA, with a 53.64% response rate. The objective of the survey was to determine vineyard manager and owner attitudes towards climate change and adaptation, as well as their perceptions of how these threats would impact their operation. A second objective was to document the current level of water conservation and climate adaptation while identifying the barriers and opportunities for further adoption …

Design, Synthesis, And Characterization Of Glycodendrons Through Small Molecule And Linear Polymer Models, Molly Jones

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of glycopolymer-dendron thiol-ene coupling reactions with the long-term goal of increasing biocompatibility of near infrared (NIR) fluorophores for bioimaging applications. A design of experiments was used with small molecule model compounds to determine the parameters for successful thiol-ene click reactions that would lead to success of more complicated amphipathic polymer-polymer coupling reactions. The first chapter provides an introductory overview of the importance and applications of glycopolymers, bioimaging, and Janus dendrimersomes. The second chapter presents the synthetic methods for creating a glucose-functionalized glycopolymer with an acrylamide backbone, the exploration of thiol-ene coupling …

Different Class: The Creation Of The Premier League And The Commercialization Of English Football, Colin Damms

Master's Theses

This project examines how English football evolved from a culture of hooliganism and poor upkeep into a popular and enterprising industry across the globe. The Premier League and its stars marketed the English game and its culture worldwide. Since the 1990s England has established itself as the leading club footballing nation. I argue that through football, and the culture and economics behind it, we can see the ways in which England attempted to change its image in the modern world. In the 1980s and 1990s Britain was confronted with its own established culture of violence, bigotry, and nationalist pride, particularly …

The Effects Of Segmenting Worksheets On Independent Seatwork With Elementary Students Delivered In A Remote Manner Using Parents As Interventionists, Lauren Peak

Master's Theses

Students have a limited amount of time each day to complete independent assignments. These assignments prioritize the learning opportunities provided to students. Learning opportunities or the chance to practice with feedback is highly effective, and additional repetition enhances the learning experience. By increasing student's time-on-task, they will be provided more learning opportunities. This study sought to discover if segmented work could increase the number of problems completed, digits correct per minute and on-task behavior. An alternating treatment design across four participants allowed for the comparison of segmented worksheets and whole worksheets. Additionally, parents served as the interventionist in this remote …

Urban Agroecology For Food Sovereignty And Biodiversity: Are Urban Community Farms Or Gardens More Effective?, Heidi L. Giancola

Master's Theses

Industrial agriculture is accurately criticized for eliminating biodiversity and destroying food sovereignty. Urban agroecosystems, usually individual plots in community gardens, are promoted to restore ecological services and equity to food systems. Recently, collectively tended urban community farms have developed, with explicit social justice goals. This study directly contrasts the effectiveness of the urban community farm and garden models. Spatial analysis is used to confirm that community farms enhance geographic access for healthy food priority areas compared to gardens in the San Francisco bay area. An online survey of farm staff and gardeners from Marin to Santa Clara County resulted in …

Exploring Racial Injustice Conversations In Intergenerational Asian American Households Following The Death Of George Floyd: A Case Study, Jasmine Nicole Lopez Itliong

Master's Theses

This study explores intergenerational racial injustice conversations in Asian American households by focusing on conversations that occurred following the death of George Floyd. Asian American historical oppression, Eastern versus Western ideologies, and intergenerational communication conflict present several challenges for navigating conversations about racial injustice among family members. Given the important role of family in facilitating identity and fostering support, this study also considers the implications of mental health and well-being of Asian Americans associated with their ability to communicate about racial injustice. Informed by Racial Triangulation Theory and Family Communication Patterns Theory, four in-depth interviews were conducted, along with a …

Examination Of Flow Patterns During Droplet Formation And In Venous Valve Mimic Using Μ-Piv, Vignesha Vijayananda

Master's Theses

In this work, particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used for fluid flow visualization in both continuous and segmented-flow microfluidics. Droplet microfluidics is known for its precise and consistent volume dispersion between microliters and picoliters in volume for application ranging from molecular synthesis, drug discover, and diagnostics. But the influence of junction geometry on the process of drop formation has not been investigated. In this study, µ-PIV was used to study the internal flow during the drop formation process in flow-focus microfluidic device with and without constriction. It was found that in case of flow-focus with constriction, the shear force on …

Analyzing The Scalability Of Parallel Microwire Arrays For Neural Recording, Yeena Ng

Master's Theses

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) improve the quality of life for patients with severe motor disabilities and sensory impairment by providing them a direct way to communicate with the outside world through computers. To gain higher temporal resolution for better devices, intracortical neural electrodes, such as microwire arrays, are used. Microwire electrode arrays bonded to CMOS sensors, for intracortical neural recordings, have been claimed to be scalable. Microwire electrode arrays of varying diameters and densities were constructed and evaluated for percentage connectivity after interfacing with a custom-made CMOS sensor. The results demonstrate that there is no significant difference in the mean connectivity …

The Relationship Between Trait Mindfulness And Servant Leadership, Harmeet Parmar

Master's Theses

In recent years, servant leadership has become a widely studied leadership style. Literature has focused on the outcomes of servant leadership, and only a few studies have looked at the antecedents of servant leadership. The purpose of this study was to examine trait mindfulness as an antecedent of eight dimensions of servant leader behaviors. It was hypothesized that trait mindfulness would have a positive relationship with the servant leader dimensions humility, authenticity, and standing back. In addition, a research question was posited to see if trait mindfulness would have a relationship with the other dimensions of servant leadership including empowerment, …

Perception Correction: Addressing Social Stigmatization Around Bdsm And Mental Health, Erin Afana

Master's Theses

Mainstream society’s characterization of activities and subgroups as abnormal can result in a long history of being shamed and pathologized, leading to discrimination and stigmatization. BDSM (bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism) is an alternative lifestyle with a variety of identities, characteristics and practices that are viewed by many as being outside of societal norms. The consequences of this can be seen in how society, in general, views BDSM participants, how the criminal justice system responds to issues involving BDSM, and how the mental health system perceives those who participate in BDSM activities. The purpose of this thesis …

How Do You Handle That? How Graduate Teaching Associates Engage In Sensemaking Practices To Overcome Challenges, Laura Bell

Master's Theses

The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of Graduate Teaching Associates (GTAs) and how they communicate about the challenges they face. Initially, I examined how GTAs describe difficult experiences they have during and outside of the classes that they teach or help facilitate. Then, I investigated how GTAs describe the way they recover readily from these challenging situations and continue to learn from them through the process of sensemaking. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with 13 GTAs from six different departments at San Jose State University, a thematic analysis was conducted to connect the information shared …

Versatile Disubstituted Imidazole Ligands For Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling Under Mild Conditions, Daniel Parker

Master's Theses

Synthesis of small molecules for medicine, agriculture, or research often requires the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatoms bonds, and palladium catalyzed reactions have emerged as a potent technique for these cross-coupling reactions. To address increasing catalysts demands, our research has focused on the development of a versatile catalyst platform bearing imidazole pendants as ligands to support cross-coupling reactions under mild conditions, an area of current interest. A series of bridged imidazole ligands was synthesized using a modular approach and characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of the complexes was measured for cross-coupling reactions in aerobic conditions, over a …

Analyzing Intramural Sport Participation At The State University Of New York College At Cortland 2021, Stephen D'Alessandro

Master's Theses

SUNY Cortland has historically had a robust and active Intramural Sports program. The program saw 2,380 students participate during the Spring 2016 semester, but that number has steadily declined in recent years. In the Fall 2019 semester, the participation rate had fallen to 1,482 participants. Research has been conducted on the topic, although it is not applicable to SUNY Cortland. Past research on intramural participation has focused on constraints to participation, finding a lack of time a primary constraint However, the research is 15 years old and conducted at universities with vastly different demographics than SUNY Cortland. The purpose of …

Cattle Producer Motivations And Willingness To Participate In Industry Animal Welfare Program Verification, Chase Decoite

Master's Theses

As consumers have become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it is grown, the cattle and beef industry is without exception. Many consumers are beginning to question traditional animal husbandry practices and on-farm animal welfare protocol. It is essential that the food system meets new demands and understands consumer views. In order to address these concerns, the industry has rallied around the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program to set the standard for cattle welfare and beef quality, with the explicit goal of improving consumer confidence. The goal of this research is to determine if cattle producers …

A Method For Monitoring Operating Equipment Effectiveness With The Internet Of Things And Big Data, Carl D. Hays Iii

Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper was to use the Overall Equipment Effectiveness productivity formula in plant manufacturing and convert it to measuring productivity for forklifts. Productivity for a forklift was defined as being available and picking up and moving containers at port locations in Seattle and Alaska. This research uses performance measures in plant manufacturing and applies them to mobile equipment in order to establish the most effective means of analyzing reliability and productivity. Using the Internet of Things to collect data on fifteen forklift trucks in three different locations, this data was then analyzed over a six-month period to …

Design Of An Automatic Fish Processing Line Using Machine Learning, Sangam Mainali

Master's Theses

This thesis presents an approach to automatic fish processing in the fishing industry using artificial intelligence. Using transfer learning approach (VGG16 model), convolutional neural network (CNN), and image processing, this thesis demonstrates the series of steps from intake of fishes, chopping of head and tail to collecting the body parts of fishes separately thus making it ready for post-processing or direct packaging as per the industrial and consumer needs. To present the idea of the classification of fishes, we have considered five different fishes and one shrimp, altogether six classes. After the classification, the fishes are sorted out according to …

Los Zetas, Neoliberalism, And Popular Opposition: A Study In Linkages, Gina R. Lyle

Master's Theses

Los Zetas are considered by security analysts to be a transformative force within transnational criminal organizations (TCO), exporting their unique model throughout Mexico. Los Zetas’ idiosyncratic interventions include their diversification of criminal operations, professionalization of TCO security, sophisticated use of media and technology, extreme forms of violent coercion, and decentralized command structure. This project aims to complicate the narrative that Los Zetas emerged because of top leaders’ sadistic tendencies or due to an inherently violent culture in Mexico by reframing the group’s evolution within historical processes. Moving beyond Los Zetas, this project examines how persons affected by Los Zetas’ indiscriminate …

Design And Implementation Of A Modular Human-Robot Interaction Framework, Michael J. Juri

Master's Theses

With the increasing longevity that accompanies advances in medical technology comes a host of other age-related disabilities. Among these are neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke, which significantly reduce the motor and cognitive ability of affected individuals. As these diseases become more prevalent, there is a need for further research and innovation in the field of motor rehabilitation therapy to accommodate these individuals in a cost-effective manner. In recent years, the implementation of social agents has been proposed to alleviate the burden on in-home human caregivers. Socially assistive robotics (SAR) is a new subfield of research …

Modeling Covid-19 Spread Using An Agent-Based Network, Stephen Yh Hung

Master's Theses

Beginning in 2019 and quickly spreading internationally, the Coronavirus disease Covid-19 became the first pandemic that many people have witnessed firsthand along with the severe disruption to their daily lives. A key field of research for Covid-19 that is studied by epidemiologists, biologists, and computer scientists alike is modeling the spread of Covid-19 in order to better predict future outbreaks of the pandemic and evaluate potential strategies to reduce infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.

This thesis proposes a method of modeling Covid-19 spread and interventions for local environments based on different levels of perspective. The goal for this thesis is to …