Digital Commons Network^™

Saying Way More Than Gay: Polarized Adoption Of Ultimate Terms In U.S. Legislation, Shelby E. Limbach

Theses and Dissertations

Due to rampant political polarization in the United States this thesis investigated the role of language in perpetuating opposing ideologies. A critical rhetorical cluster analysis of Florida’s House Bill 1557, political rhetoric, and public discourse reveals the contemporary power of ultimate terms. Within the United States terms such as “parental rights” and “Don’t Say Gay” operate to further divisive discourses due to their simultaneous perceptions as god and devil terms. In the United States such buzzwords are associated with vastly different valences dependent on individual ideological value systems, which often correlate with one’s political affiliations. Existing scholarship on the ideograph …

Mothering Experiences Of Women In Jail, Bothwell Piason

Theses and Dissertations

Women make relatively small proportions of incarcerated population worldwide, but the rate at which they have been incarcerated over the past four decades in the U.S. has outpaced that of their male counterparts. Although carceral trends show declining patterns in prison population numbers, the jailed population continues on an upward trend (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2022), studies have focused more on prison than jail. The disproportional incarceration of women is evident in jails where the majority of women incarcerated are mothers of young children (Sawyer & Bertram, 2022). The current paper explores mothering experiences of women in two Midwestern jails, …

Memorable Health Messages And Their Influence On Health Behavior, Benjamin Brew Sam-Paintsil

Theses and Dissertations

Students encounter a lot of the health messages they perceive to be relevant. Some of health messages may stick with them for a long period of time and may be easily recalled than others, thus becoming memorable messages to them. Yet, little is known about the content and the source of college students’ memorable health messages. Thus, this study explored the features, the impact, and sources of college students’ memorable health message and whether students view their sources as credible. In addition, the present study examined health issues that students deem as salient in their memorable messages. The study found …

Burned Beauty: Stories Of How Black Women Burn Survivors Manage Their Trauma & Recovery, Bree Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on an under-researched segment of the burn-survivor community, Black-women burn survivors, who tend to go unrecognized beyond the initial observation of physical scarring or disfigurement. Recent data indicates that burn survivors of color, post-injury, report less satisfaction with their appearance and lower levels of community integration when compared to white burn survivors (Mata-Greve et al. 2022). Likewise, men burn survivors fare better than women during the post-injury recovery period when it comes to navigating romantic relationships, social interactions, and work and employment opportunities (Levi et al. 2018). This topic of burn survivors at the race-gender nexus is …

Awe And Positive Affect: The Role Of Self-Transcendence And Self-Focused Attention, Autumn Chall

Theses and Dissertations

The present study discussed the mechanism behind awe’s ability to improve affect. Proposed mechanisms include a lowered level of self-focused attention and a heightened level of self-transcendence since awe experiences have been found to decrease self-interest and significance (Bai et al., 2017; T. Jiang & Sedikides, 2021). To examine self-focused attention and self-transcendence as potential mediators for the relationship between awe and positive affect, this study utilized therapeutic writing techniques. In a between-subjects design, participants were randomly assigned to write about either a personal experience of awe or a neutral experience. Following this, participants filled out questionnaires assessing affect, level …

Virtual Social Onboarding: Bridging The Gap Between Newcomer Adjustment And Workplace Friendships In Virtual Work Teams, Ertemisa Paz Godinez

Theses and Dissertations

Many organizations are choosing to adopt some form of remote work teams long-term post-COVID 19 and are now tasked with addressing challenges around remote work such as newcomer engagement and newcomer onboarding (MacKenzie et al., 2022). This study attempts to explore how virtual onboarding impacts newcomer adjustment and the development of workplace friendships in fully remote teams due to their correlation with the desired outcomes of onboarding and socialization (Allen, 2006; Feeley et al., 2008; Hemphill & Begel, 2011; Jones, 1986; Korte & Lin, 2013; Mignerey et al., 1995; Morrison, 2004; Sias & Cahill, 1998). Organizational socialization tactics (Jones, 1986; …

Gyno-Gerontological Discourse And The Dearth Of Old Women Narrators In British Fiction 1790-1860, Lavender Elisabeth Earnest

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the remarkable dearth of old woman narrators in British fiction between 1790 and 1860, both documenting their under-representation and explaining it as, in part, a product of a wave of medical discourse disparaging the physical and mental vitality of post-menopausal women. Regarding methodology, I perform a random sample upon a corpus of first-person novels published in the period and categorize each according to the gender and age of the narrator. This analysis exhibits, unsurprisingly, that most narrators in the dataset are either in the first half of their life, male, or both. Old women represent only a …

Delivering Computer-Based Training Within State Prisons, Kunal Jha

Theses and Dissertations

Internet-connected devices are ubiquitous, and our built environment allows us to tap into formerly impossible solutions. As our world increasingly depends on technology to operate, one demographic cannot gain exposure to internet-connected devices or web-based educational programs: incarcerated individuals. The Department of Justice reports that 5 out of 6 State Prisoners are arrested and returned to prison within nine years of their initial release. Research shows that education is a pathway to reducing the U.S. prison population. Individuals who participated in any educational program are 43 percent less likely to return to prison.1 Prisons in the United States often partner …

What Factors Motivated Female And Minority Students To Pursue A Career In Healthcare, Ken Smith

Theses and Dissertations

KEN SMITH125 Pages This research study was conducted to determine what motivational factors influenced females and minority students to pursue a career in healthcare. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, this quantitative study suggests that there are three distinct motivational factors influencing minority students to pursue a healthcare as their future profession. This study surveyed current undergraduate students at four-year public institutions. These students completed an online survey known as the Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ), which is comprised of a series of questions based on the ten domains of values theory. Each individual portrait or item provides a description of …

Role Of The Cytosolic Chaperonin Cct In The Folding Of Novel Substrates, Theresa M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

All cells depend on properly folded proteins for survival and function. Misfolding of proteins results in loss of critical functions and may trigger the misfolding of other nearby proteins leading to toxic aggregation. While many proteins can fold on their own, others with complicated domain structures require assistance from protein folding machines called chaperones. The most complex and highly specialized of all chaperones is the eukaryotic chaperonin complex CCT which is necessary for the folding of a wide variety of essential proteins. These include the cytoskeletal proteins actin and tubulin as well as the Gβ subunit of the G protein …

Efficacy And Outcome Beliefs Of General And Special Education Teachers Working With Culturally Linguistically Diverse Students With Disabilities, Jennifer L. Hastings

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand general and special education teacher perceptions about collective teacher efficacy (CTE), culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), and culturally responsive instruction outcome expectancy (CRIOE) and the educational success of culturally linguistically diverse students (CLD) with disabilities. Forty-four teachers (16 general educators and 28 special educators) from six Midwestern school districts completed a survey consisting of CTE, CRTSE, and CRIOE. The findings from this study suggest general and special education teacher participants did not perceive themselves or their colleagues as culturally responsive. Yet, general and special education teachers agreed that CRT positively affects student …

Evolving Literacy Practices In The Vocational-Technical High School Classroom: How Critical Literacy Frameworks Enhance Learning And Increase Student Reading Success In Cte, Alice A. Infranco

Theses and Dissertations

This paper provides a qualitative account of how Critical Literacy instruction fosters reading growth in vocational-technical school settings. This study examines how critical literacy enriches learning outcomes within Career and Technical Education (CTE). The findings are that Critical Literacy skills are necessary for all readers because they positively affect student engagement and participation in learning, especially if presented in a way that allows students to have an active role in their learning. Examples of how to integrate Critical Literacy instruction into CTE classrooms are presented and discussed. These instructional practices go beyond traditional reading comprehension skills. The conclusion is that …

Lynch Law In The Land Of Lincoln: African American Intellectuals And Early Twentieth Century Race Riots, John Patrick Pleming

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: In the early twentieth century, more and more African Americans began to leave the American South in search of better jobs and more equal treatment in the North. These black migrants found a less rigid racial hierarchy and employment in industrial and domestic settings. However, racism in the North was alive and well. As African American communities began to exert their economic and political power, they were often targeted by white mobs who would rampage through black neighborhoods, killing and burning as they went. In response to race riots in Springfield (1908), East St. Louis (1917), and Chicago (1919), …

Kif3 A Tail Domain Phosphorylation Is Not Required For Ciliogenesis In Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts, Ayoola Fasawe

Theses and Dissertations

Cilia and flagella are microtubule-based organelles that protrude from the plasma membrane of most cells in the body and play a critical role in cell signaling, motility, and development. Numerous diseases, collectively known as ciliopathies, with phenotypes like developmental abnormalities, cystic kidney disease, and obesity, have been linked to ciliary dysfunction. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) shuttles cellular cargoes along axonemal microtubules and into and out of cilia. IFT is essential for the assembly of cilia and flagella and is powered by heterodimeric kinesin-2 (KIF3A/KIF3B) and dynein-2. While the essential role of kinesin-2 in mammalian ciliogenesis is well established, little is known …

Fever City: Memory, Truama, And Storytelling Via Hybrid Writing Methods: A Creative Dissertation, Samantha Moe

Theses and Dissertations

Fever City: Memory, Truama, and Storytelling via Hybrid Writing Methods: A Creative Dissertation is a hybrid novel examining Latinx and Chicanx hybrid writing methods, ghost stories, gastro-poetry, and images exploring Ecuadorian cuisine, trauma, memory, mental health, queerness, domestic violence, and love in the backdrop of a sixth New York City borough called Fever City. The dissertation includes a critical preface that theorizes how silent workshop models can and should be abolished and (re)created with trauma-engaged workshop methods supporting discussion groups and literate activity tracing in student assignments. The dissertation also includes a pedagogical chapter that explores hybrid writing in the …

Assessment Of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Condition Using Liver Histopathology, Health Parameters And Water Quality Of The Central Chattahoochee River Watershed, Kari Carmack Goodwin

Theses and Dissertations

The health of Largemouth bass from west-central Georgia was assessed using liver histopathology and the degree of tissue change index (DTC), hepatosomatic indices (HSI), relative weight, condition factors, and intersex. These health parameters as well as water chemistry data were compared across four bodies of water, three within the Chattahoochee watershed, and one pseudo-control located in the Flint watershed. Fish from Lake Oliver, Lake Harding, and West Point Lake had severely impacted liver health compared to Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery, with DTC rankings over 100 for the three lakes within the Chattahoochee watershed, demonstrating severely damaged livers. There was …

Lo Bueno Y Lo Malo – Assessing Admissions Staff And Practices Supporting Undocumented Students At Illinois’ Four-Year Public Universities, Dave Marcial

Theses and Dissertations

Illinois has enacted legislative policies to provide access to higher education and state funding opportunities for undocumented students. Public Act 093-0007, Illinois RISE Act, and Illinois House Bill 3438 all have implications for Illinois four-year public universities and community colleges.

This dissertation focused on understanding the training, knowledge, and support of the admissions staff at all twelve public four-year universities. A survey was created with the assistance of content experts to gauge admissions staff institutional training and knowledge as it pertains to supporting undocumented students. Approximately 90 admissions staff were identified for the study and 57 participants responded from all …

Parenting Characteristics And The Development Of Self-Compassion: A Look At Self-Warmth And Self-Coldness, Meghan Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Self-compassion, which reflects a kind stance towards oneself when suffering, is related to a whole host of positive outcomes from decreased anxiety (Neff & McGehee, 2010; Raes, 2010; Temel & Atalay, 2018) and depression (Neff & McGehee, 2010; Raes, 2010; Steindl et al., 2018; Temel & Atalay, 2018) to increased happiness (Neff et al., 2007b; Wei et al., 2011). It is important, therefore, to understand how an individual develops self-compassion. Parenting characteristics have been shown to be associated with later self-compassion and may therefore be related to its development. In addition, self-compassion has recently been conceptualized as having two different …

A Hedonic Analysis Of Thoroughbred Horses In Online Auctions, Madalynn Nicole Camp

Theses and Dissertations

A horse’s lifespan ranges from 20 to 30 years while a Thoroughbred racehorse’s career averages just 4.45 years. According to the American Horse Council Foundation, 33% of the horses in the United States are involved in the racing industry. Upon retiring from racing, Thoroughbreds have the option of being kept as breeding stock or sold to equestrians in the non-racing sector to begin second careers. Retired Thoroughbred racehorses may prove to be a great investment for equestrians wanting an athletic horse for an affordable price and provide a second career track for these retired racehorses. This study aims to analyze …

Applied Machine Learning In Development Of Geospatial Information Tools For Sustainable Groundwater Management, Saul Gallegos Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater plays an important role in sustainable water resource management. Globally, the development of groundwater resources for irrigation provides a stable water source and enhances food security. However, developing groundwater resources is difficult, requiring the collection, synthesis, analysis, and dissemination of information about groundwater in an accessible, effective manner so decision makers have the knowledge and tools to implement sustainable management strategies. In this dissertation, I present solutions to assist with the paucity of groundwater data. The first problem I explore is extending the Palmer Drought Severity Index to near present day. This dataset is crucial to current groundwater imputation …

The Kinetics Of Biocontaminant Inactivation: A Comparative Study With Bacillus Globigii And Bacillus Anthracis, Leigh M. Durden

Theses and Dissertations

Bacillus anthracis has been a biological threat for decades and after the 2001 terrorist attack via the U.S. Postal Service where five people died, there was heightened awareness and inquiry on the subject (Goel, 2015; Greenberg et al., 2010; Nicholson & Galeano, 2003; Spotts Whitney et al., 2003). The health risk to humans makes this biological agent, a Tier 1 agent and one of the most likely to be used in an attack (Anthrax as a Bioterrorism Weapon | CDC, n.d.; Driks, 2009; Rose & Rice, 2014). B. anthracis is one of most resistant and potent biological warfare agents as …

Mission Dependency Weighted Water Distribution Networks, Payten A. Connally

Theses and Dissertations

How does the United States Air Force (USAF) assess and plan to replace their most critical drinking water infrastructure? The historical answer is to wait for it to break and then replace or repair the failed pipe. While this has been the process in the past, it is no longer a sustainable approach with resources and funding becoming more constrained in the public and private sectors, and aging assets approaching the end of their usable life. The USAF has taken the first step in asset management to identify their underground water lines, but they have not developed ways to convey …

Investigation Of Possible Alternatives To Fossil Fuels For The Dod In Indopacom, Terrence W. Caploe

Theses and Dissertations

Energy security, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and geopolitical concerns in the south pacific require diversification and independence from legacy energy sources in the Indo-Pacific Combatant Command (INDOPACOM) area of operation (AO). The United States Government has placed mandates and directives to minimize the impacts of GHG on the climate. These orders require divestment from GHG producing fuel sources by 2050. This study compares the energy alternates to Jet Propulsion 8 (JP8) as Ammonia, Hydrogen, and Lithium-ion Batteries. The study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to determine the environmental impacts of various energy candidates in the South Pacific. These results …

A Comparative Analysis Of Viral Aerosol Biological Sampling Efficiency Of A Small Unmanned Aircraft System (Suas)-Mounted Aerosol Sampler And A Reference Static Biosampler®, Jonathan D. Moroz

Theses and Dissertations

Bioaerosol sampling using small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) is a rapidly developing field that may result in a paradigm shift in emergency response and industrial hygiene sampling conventions. These technologies offer decreased sample acquisition times, larger sampling area coverage, and reduced health and safety risks to traditional human sampling teams. This potential requires a comprehensive investigation of sUAS capabilities and limitations. This study is a continuation of the characterization of an AFIT-developed sUAS-mounted aerosol sampler, proven capable of collecting viable vegetative and spore-forming bacteria through previous AFIT research. Within this study, viral biological sampling efficiency (BSE) of the sUAS-mounted aerosol …

An Analysis Of A Modular Open System Approach On Program Management Metrics For Cost And Schedule, Kayla I. Vogler

Theses and Dissertations

A modular open system approach (MOSA) and its inclusion of open architecture are among the prevailing acquisition strategies for cost and schedule management. This approach involves the incorporation of reusable, modular packages that can be incrementally added and upgraded throughout programs’ lifecycles. Many practitioners throughout the acquisitions community find that MOSA enables better opportunities for affordability, rapid acquisition, flexibility, enhanced competition, and innovation. A literature review reveals that few studies examine the interaction between MOSA and the extent to which it influences cost and schedule performance. However, no studies to date examine open architecture’s impact via programmatic evaluation of Earned …

An Analysis Of Aircraft Maintenance Leading Indicator Metrics To Unit-Level Aircraft Availability Rates, William C. Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to improve the usefulness of data that is already collected within aircraft maintenance organizations to better identify trends, and outliers, and possibly better explain relationships between leading and lagging indicator metrics. Specifically, this graduate research paper sought to answer two research questions addressing what aircraft maintenance metrics significantly impact aircraft availability, and how to measure those to understand which metrics impact aircraft availability most. The research questions were answered through a comprehensive literature review, and the use of multiple linear regression analysis on data from two specific aircraft maintenance organizations from the same location. …

Developing And Assessing A Generalized Serious Game That Supports Customized Joint All-Domain Operations Related Learning Objectives, Jonathan D. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

As the threat of near-peer adversaries has increased, the DoD has increased its emphasis on Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO). This emphasis on JADO highlights the need for hands-on training that can engage military members at all levels. The serious game Battlespace Next (BSN) was designed to teach high-level JADO concepts by modeling real-world military assets in the context of a strategic card game. To keep pace with the evolving landscape of warfare as well as fit the needs of a variety of Department of Defense (DoD) communities, this research introduces the Battlespace Next Education Framework (BSNEF). The BSNEF allows JADO …

Comparison Of Federated Kalman Filter And Autonomous Resilient Management Of All-Source Sensors (Armas) Framework For Fault Detection And Exclusion, Flavio Fernandes

Theses and Dissertations

In recent times, there is a great demand for resilient and robust PNT solutions. Current navigation systems rely heavily on GNSS to provide this solution. This dependence is a major concern and therefore it is prudent to use additional aids to provide the best solution possible. However, traditional methods to address this need require a nontrivial number of Kalman filters to maintain a fault-free solution. The federated filter approach provides an attractive alternative to the current solutions. In this thesis, we examine the use of the federated filter design to address this need in today’s integrated navigation systems. We compared …

Method Development Biological Agent Personal Decontamination Effectiveness For Airman Battle Uniform Fabric Material: Ms2 Bacteriophage, Alisha Helm

Theses and Dissertations

This article presents a study that investigates the effectiveness of a common decontamination (decon) strategy used by Airmen in the United States Air Force who may find themselves in a densely populated area during an emergency evacuation. Ultimately, this study addresses the following questions: Is there a significant difference in the number of viral particles being re-aerosolized before and after the applied decon strategy, and is this difference significant enough to consider the decon strategy effective? The study entails using MS2 bacteriophage to contaminate swatches of Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) fabric. Swatches were secured to a vortex centered in the …

Effects Of Occupationally Military-Relevant Particle Mixtures (Sio2, Cdo, Cr2O3) On A549 Human Pulmonary Epithelial Cells, Isabella M. Muffoletto

Theses and Dissertations

In the course of maintaining a safe, mission-ready aircraft fleet and operational runways, United States Airmen experience a range of occupational risks. These risks include inhalable hazards generated from oft-used maintenance practices, such as blasting which emits silica from the media abrasives as well as contaminants from the exterior coatings. Additional inhalation hazards range from engine and fuel emissions, chemical agents, radiation, and explosives, to naturally occurring and human-manufactured biopathogens. Of notable concern are emissions in forward-deployment areas, including urban pollution, particulates released from runway construction and maintenance activities, and combustion from burn pits containing hazardous and unknown combinations of …