Digital Commons Network^™

"Can’T Touch This": Empowering Children With Severe Food Allergy In The Residential Camp Setting 2014, Alexsandra Dubin

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to create an empowerment program for children with severe food allergy (SFA) in a residential camp setting. Despite recent advancements in research, there is no cure for SFA, thus there is a need for programs to help children manage their allergies and cope with the ramifications of their condition. Quality of life is a major concern for children with SFA, as the constant fear of exposure to an allergen can lead to high levels of anxiety. This is particularly noteworthy because, barring exposure to an allergen, these children are otherwise healthy and symptom free. …

Gender And Self-Representation In Maya Angelou's Autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 2014, Jay-Nel Steitz

Master's Theses

A voice that has been silenced for so long has much to say. Whether still confined or set free, the statement applies equally to both. The silenced voice wants not only to tell his or her story, but to share the life experiences which in turn reveal the identities of these individuals. These silenced voices then are not those of the oppressors, but the oppressed; and when an oppressor wants to share his or her story, the oppressed wants to tell their side of it as well. How can those labeled the marginalized outcasts of society express their feelings and …

All About Life: Analyzing The Most Effective Interventions In A Colorado Juvenile Diversion Program, Kamille Mckinney

Master's Theses

Far too often in our society offenders in the criminal justice system started their criminal careers as juveniles and never found a way to dig themselves out of the black hole that is delinquency. In recent years, across the nation, there has been great effort expended in finding early interventions for juveniles to deter them away from the criminal justice system before they delve into a negative life trajectory. In Colorado multiple jurisdictions utilize diversion programs as a way to keep juvenile offenders out of the formal court system. This research examines one such Juvenile Diversion Program in the Fifth …

School, Disability Status, And Delinquency: An Examination Of Delinquency Among Rural Adolescents, Miriam Yvonne Brooks

Master's Theses

Extensive research has been devoted to identifying risk-factors that contribute to the onset of juvenile delinquency. Furthermore, evidence has suggested that a disproportionate number of adolescents with learning disabilities are confined in juvenile correctional facilities. Yet, there is a substantial gap in empirical research that explores the possible relationship between learning disabilities and delinquent behavior. The purpose of the current study is to assess how specific learning disabilities relate to various forms of delinquent behavior among adolescents from rural high schools in a southern state. Specifically, this study aims to assess how Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dysgraphia relate to drug use, …

Race, Gender, And Deliberative Democracy: Overcoming Oppression Through The Theatre Of The Oppressed, Jacob Edward Rothschild

Master's Theses

A great deal of recent democratic political theory has revolved around the concept of democratic deliberation. However, this brand of theory has neither fully addressed the need for empathy between social groups in the deliberative process nor sufficiently examined the consequences of its absence. Such intergroup empathy is a necessary component of political communication that seeks to root out oppression in a liberal democracy. This project begins with a review of the basic tenets of deliberative democracy, as well as its most common challenges. Habermas' theory of systematically distorted communication is then explored, with intergroup empathy as a suggested remedy. …

U.S. Relationships With Iran, Israel, And Pakistan: A Realist Explanation, Aaron Daniel Coates

Master's Theses

The purpose of this work is to assess U.S. relations with Iran, Israel, and Pakistan throughout the Cold War into the contemporary age of Islamic extremism. It demonstrates how the international relations theory of realism is most applicable to these relations when compared to the four competing theories of neorealism, liberalism, neoliberal institutionalism, and constructivism. Each case study is examined and evaluated in full detail. Particular emphasis is allotted to variables such as foreign aid, interventionism, sanctions, geography, and political and cultural similarities. The thesis concludes by offering a brief explanation as to the lessons that should be learned from …

The Impact Of Serotonin And Dopamine On Human Aggression: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Caroline Isabelle Jalain

Master's Theses

Aggressive behaviors can have serious impacts on both the population at-large and the criminal justice system (Fish, DeBold, & Miczek, 2002); but despite these potential repercussions, no adequate treatment options have been identified to prevent (or reduce) such consequential actions. An increasing amount of research has, however, developed (over the years) in response to these treatment needs. Recently, the disciplines of neurobiology and neuropsychology have discovered specific anti-aggressive treatments. Studies on the prefrontal cortex specifically reveal that certain areas of the brain, along with an array of chemical imbalances, are related to aggressive behavior (Barrett, Edinger, & Siegel, 1990). Specifically, …

The Effects Of Olfactory Stimuli On The Behavior Of The Far Eastern/Amur Leopard (Panthera Pardus Orientalis) In Captivity, Marks Stimson Mcwhorter

Master's Theses

Two Amur leopards from the Jackson Zoological Park were observed under continuous surveillance while on exhibit over 21 days to better understand the activity budget of leopards in captivity, and what effects olfactory stimuli may have on those activity patterns. Behaviors were observed through surveillance systems located around their enclosure and scored using an ethogram, and proportions of behaviors shown were calculated for each day, and by 15-minute increments throughout the day. Over the course of this study, leopards received three olfactory stimuli on separate occasions, where we then compared behaviors before stimuli presented to behaviors expressed during and after …

Handling Risk: Testosterone And Risk Preference, Evidence From Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tobias Sytsma

Master's Theses

The relationship between testosterone and risk aversion is of increasing interest in the experimental economics. Using the ratio of the second digit to the fourth digit (2D:4D) as a rough indicator of level of prenatal testosterone exposure, this study attempts to replicate recent results from Garbarino et al., (2011), which found that individuals with digit ratios above the sample average were significantly more risk averse, and individuals with digit ratios one standard deviation below the sample average were significantly more risk seeking in a subject pool of male and female Caucasian students. Here, a subject pool from Dhaka, Bangladesh, is …

Callous-Unemotional Traits And Empathy Deficits: Mediating Effects Of Affective Perspective-Taking And Facial Emotion Recognition, Joyce Hoi Ling Lui

Master's Theses

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are core features of psychopathy that indicate severe and pervasive disruptions in behavioral and emotional functioning in youths (Frick, Ray, Thornton, & Kahn, 2014). Research on how CU traits are associated with cognitive and affective empathy (which includes an aspect of emotional responsiveness), are equivocal. Furthermore, little is known about what specific abilities may underlie these purported empathy deficits. Affective perspective-taking (APT) and facial emotion recognition are two abilities that may be implicated, given their associations with empathy, and to some degree, with CU traits (Anastassiou-Hadjicharalambous & Warden, 2008a; Carr & Lutjemeier, 2005; Chambers & Davis, 2012; …

Evaluation Of A Theory-Based Farm To School Program, Rebecca Kent Bishop

Master's Theses

Fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes in MS children remain lower than recommended. Theory-based, multi-component nutrition education interventions like Farm to School (F2S) target FV consumption and utilize such interventions to improve children’s dietary behaviors by incorporating nutrition and agriculture education. The current study was designed with Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as its framework. An intervention was implemented to enhance beliefs, norms, and self-efficacy regarding FV, thus potentially increasing the intention to consume more FV. The research objectives of this study are to describe changes over the course of the intervention in (1) nutrition knowledge; (2) norms, beliefs, and self-efficacy …

Determinants Of Family Planning Service Uptake And Use Of Contraceptives Among Postpartum Women In Rural Uganda, Katelyn M. Sileo

Master's Theses

Uganda is among the countries with the highest unmet needs for family planning, which is associated with both negative health outcomes for women. The present study was a cross-sectional secondary data analysis using Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Service Use (ABM) as a theoretical framework to identifying factors influencing family planning service uptake and contraceptive use among postpartum women in rural Uganda. Participants were 258 women who attended antenatal care at a rural Ugandan hospital and completed an interview approximately 13 weeks postpartum. Bivariate logistic regression models in SPSS were used to test hypothesized ABM factors as determinants of family …

De Gustibus Non Est Disputadem: The Culinary Arts, Ferran Adrià, And Documenta 12, Jean A. Nihoul

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Support Networks During The Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer Experience, Stephanie Clines

Master's Theses

Context: The Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer (GAAT) position often serves as the first experience independently working as an AT, and the next stage in the professional socialization process. GAATs have three academic program tracks to choose from when selecting their assistantship: 1) Accredited postprofessional athletic training (APPAT), 2) Postprofessional athletic training (PPAT), and 3) Nonathletic training (NAT). The graduate assistantship experience can highly influence professional commitment and retention within the field due to the perception of being a rite of passage. Objective: To gain an understanding of how GAATs perceive professional socialization and mentorship during their graduate experiences. Design: Semi-structured …

Work Life Balance Perspectives Of Ncaa Division I Male Athletic Trainers: Positive And Negative Influences, Walter A. Trisdale

Master's Theses

Work-Life Balance Perspectives of NCAA Division I Male Athletic Trainers: Positive and Negative Influences

Trisdale W*, Mazerolle SM*, Goodman A†, Eason CM*: *University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT; †Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

Context: Athletic Trainers (ATs) not only have to manage their responsibilities in the workplace, but also those associated with their personal and family lives. This is referred to as work-life balance (WLB). Long work hours, inflexible work schedules, travel, and coaches’ expectations have all been found to be major contributors of work-life imbalance especially at the NCAA Division I clinical setting where performance expectations are high. Organizational factors …

A Positive Behavior Intervention’S Effect On Student Tardiness To School, Catherine A. Egan

Master's Theses

Abstract

Developing and implementing proactive interventions within a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework creates a positive instructional environment that results in desired outcomes for students (e.g., improved behavior) and staff (e.g., improved organizational health). To date, most descriptive and empirical studies of PBIS have occurred at the elementary and middle school levels (Horner, Sugai, & Anderson, 2010). If PBIS strategies are to positively impact student success at the high-school level, more examples of evidence-based effective strategies are required. I investigated the effects of a proactive approach of acknowledging appropriate behavior across four high school students using a multiple-baseline …

Uh, Um, And Autism: Filler Disfluencies In Children With Optimal Outcomes From Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christina Anne Irvine

Master's Theses

Spontaneous speech is marked by the presence of frequent disfluencies, including fillers like um and uh, which are thought to serve distinct social-communicative functions (Clark & Fox Tree, 2002). People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social communication. The current study examines a) the production of fillers in spontaneous speech among children and adolescents with ASD as well as individuals who have achieved “optimal outcomes” (OO) from ASD, and b) the association between filler rate and autism symptom severity versus general cognitive factors, in order to illuminate the processes implicated in filler production. Speech samples from 64 individuals …

Risk And Protective Factors That Affect Married Women’S Reproductive Health In A Low-Income Community In Mumbai, India, Benjamin D. Hallowell

Master's Theses

In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), symptoms of reproductive morbidities are the most common health problem reported by women. Women in developing countries are often at higher risk for these problems due to the social, behavioral, cultural, infrastructural, and demographic barriers they face in daily life and in receiving medical treatment. Previous studies conducted in LMICs have found an association between women’s self-reported symptoms of reproductive morbidity and negative life situations and have suggested, that rather than a biomedical issue, women in LMICs may express these symptoms to reflect other problems in their lives. Currently, however, women who self-report symptoms …

A Closer Look At Violent Crimes Among Severely Mentally Ill Patients Who Use Cocaine, Deepa Jayanti Mavani

Master's Theses

It is estimated that one in four U.S. adults have a mental illness and that nearly half will develop a mental illness during their lifetime, with one in 17 people in the general population suffering from a severe mental illness (SMI). The high prevalence of SMI in conjunction with its presumed link with violence, suggests substantial risk to the public. Evidence remains inconsistent in determining if this link exists. Some suggest that specific SMI’s such as schizophrenia and other psychosis–related disorders increase risk for violence, while others have reported no association (Fazel, et al., 2009). Establishing the validity of this …

Gender Differences In Co-Rumination, Co-Worry, And Internalizing Symptoms In Late Adolescence, Caitlin Virginia Dombrowski

Master's Theses

Beginning in adolescence and continuing into adulthood, internalizing disorders have higher rates of prevalence in females. Cognitive and interpersonal theorists have described etiological factors in the development these symptoms, which may contribute to the symptom disparity across gender. Drawing on aspects of both models, repetitive conversations found in close female friendships have been proposed as a potential contributing factor to this gender disparity in internalizing arising in adolescence. Co-rumination, although associated with both depression and anxiety, does not fully consider anxiety-specific aspects of dyadic conversations, which may be important to understanding the differential developmental trajectory of the disorder. Co-worry, defined …

Minor Characters With Major Impacts : Examining Giovanelli’S Role In Henry James’ Daisy Miller 2014, Zachary Lang

Master's Theses

Henry James’s first journey into the world of the American girl came in the form of one of his most read novellas, Daisy Miller. Through the eyes of Frederick Winterbourne, the reader begins a study of Daisy Miller, a character whom James uses to showcase many of the issues that were prevalent at the time including the role of women, societal standards, and class mobility. Winterbourne and Daisy are the principal characters, and as such they are given the most attention from readers and critics alike. The minor character Giovanelli, however, has received little critical attention. Despite being a minor …

The Diagnostic Stability Of Developmental Delay And Developmental Language Disorder In Infants And Toddlers, Alexander J. Hinnebusch

Master's Theses

Numerous children are diagnosed with Developmental Delay (DD) and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) each year in the US. There are inconsistent diagnostic definitions for these disorders because individual states determine diagnostic criteria, complicating prevalence and diagnostic stability estimation. In the current study, 37 children received a diagnosis of DD and 21 received a diagnosis of DLD at an initial evaluation as part of participation in a study investigating the early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), and were seen for a follow-up evaluation. The DD group was significantly more likely to retain this diagnosis at follow-up than the DLD group. …

Tunnel Road Safety: A Look At Older Drivers' Performance And Sight Impairment, Edith Lopez

Master's Theses

In California, there is an observed trend in which collisions cluster in and around tunnels. The break in road continuity created by the tunnels disturbs traffic flow that can lead to collisions. One of the main contrasts between open roads and tunnel roads occurs in lighting. Drivers with sight deficiencies are unable to adapt their sight to the change in the lighting environment and may crash due to misperception of road alignment, vehicle’s speed and other physiological reactions, such as tension. The suspect population group of crashes occurring under the influence of tunnels conditions is older drivers.

The literature suggests …

Gender Identity, Ethnic Identity, And Self-Esteem In Latino Adolescent Males, Miriam Asya Reder

Master's Theses

The relationship between gender identity and psychological adjustment has long been investigated, but it is only in the 21^st century that gender identity has been examined as a multi-faceted construct. According to Egan and Perry (2001), there are five dimensions comprising a person’s gender identity and they have demonstrated a significant relationship between these dimensions and youth’s psychological adjustment. Three of their gender identity constructs are pertinent to this study: gender typicality, gender contentedness, and felt pressure. While subsequent studies have had similar significant results (Carver, Yunger, & Perry, 2003; Yunger, Carver, & Perry, 2004), one study found that …

Roubaud's Circus: Playing With Words And Animals In Les Animaux De Tout Le Monde, Miranda R. Mueller

Master's Theses

It is commonly held that there is a solid, defined line existing between men and animals. This thesis explores the ideological boundary and, through a close examination of Jacques Roubaud’s collection of poetry Les animaux de tout le monde, imagines the line as a fluid structure that can be broken, approached, and multiplied.

In a circus theme following the playful style of Roubaud’s own verses, I include several close readings of poems as well as an analysis of Roubaud’s influence from Lewis Carroll’s nonsense genre, the Fables of Jean de la Fontaine, and Medieval bestiaries in order to create a …

The Relationship Between Obesity And Occupations Among The U.S. Population Based On Occupational Tasks, Luz D. Flaherty

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Child Abuse Reporting: When Given The Option, Do Youth Choose To Report?, Michelle L. Vos

Master's Theses

Christensen and Prout (2002) explain, "The task of the social scientist is to work for the right of people to have a voice and to be heard. In the case of children, `age' is perhaps one of the most dominant factors used to discriminate against children being heard and listened to" (p. 483). And in the case of children experiencing neglect or abuse, the opportunity for them to be heard is even more limited. This project analyzes data from the National Runway Safeline - one place where children's voice can be heard. NRS, established in 1971, offers confidential and anonymous …

Culture Wars: A Quest For Justice In Arizona, Crystal Lynne Pfeiffer

Master's Theses

The Southwest is the location of an ongoing culture clash between proponents of a unified "American" culture and Mexican-American culture. The significance of the debate is not just about Mexican-American studies; it reflects a broader debate about individual and collective identity in the United States. The two cultures have historically had a contentious relationship that is further intensified by their geographical proximity to one another. Some of the tensions have culminated in a conflict within the school system between supporters and opponents of Mexican-American studies. One side of the debate sees the program as a means to help students succeed …

Experiences Of Immigration Among Women From Taiwan, Robert Johnston

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the transformative effects of immigration from the 1960s through the 2010s among women from Taiwan living in the County of Santa Clara. The study focused on three substantive areas: (1) early life experiences and factors leading to immigration; (2) shifts in social identities after leaving Taiwan (e.g., political, national, and ethnic self-concepts in various contexts); and (3) practices of child-rearing. Several methodological tools were employed during the data collection phase of the research process, including interviews, surveys, and participant observations. The findings of this study suggested a dynamic process of change in which informants adapted to, were …

Hittingtime And Pagerank, Shanthi Kannan

Master's Theses

In this thesis, we study convergence of finite state, discrete, and time homogeneous Markov chains to a stationary distribution. Expressing the probability of transitioning between states as a matrix allows us to look at the conditions that make the matrix primitive. Using the Perron-Frobenius theorem we find the stationary distribution of a Markov chain to be the left Perron vector of the probability transition matrix.

We study a special type of Markov chain &mdash random walks on connected graphs. Using the concept of fundamental matrix and the method of spectral decomposition, we derive a formula

that calculates expected hitting times …