Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of A Covid-19 Vulnerability Index (Cvi) For The Counties And Residents Of New Jersey, Remo Victor Disalvatore

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted countless aspects of everyday life since it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March of 2020. From societal to economic impacts, COVID-19 and its variants will leave a lasting impact on our society and the world. Approximately $9 trillion has been spent on fighting the pandemic around the world. During the pandemic, it became increasingly evident that indices, such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), were extremely important for predicting vulnerabilities in a community. The CDC's SVI provides important estimates on which communities will be …

War, Love, And Journeys: A Comparative Analysis Of Conceptual Metaphors In Political Speeches, Kelly N. Woods

Theses and Dissertations

In convention speeches and inaugural addresses, presidential candidates and newly-elected presidents attempt to persuade listeners to vote for and support them. One persuasive tool that they use in these speeches is metaphor, considered a fundamental form of reasoning (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). The present study focuses on three conceptual metaphors (POLITICS IS WAR, POLITICS IS A JOURNEY, and POLITICS IS LOVE) used in 40 speeches given by American presidents from 1944 to 2021 in order to see if there are differences in metaphor usage across political party (i.e., Democrat and Republican) and across speech type (i.e., nomination acceptance and inaugural …

It's The Focus On Black Girls For Me: A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into Perceptions Of School Climate, Eshe Price

Theses and Dissertations

Local and national context, along with some educational research, indicate the racialized and gendered challenges Black girls are facing in schools. Although there has been an increase in research centered on Black girls' schooling experiences, few studies investigate the realities Black girls face in rural communities. Accordingly, the aim of this three-article dissertation is to deepen our understanding of Black girls' schooling experiences in order to improve the climate in schools for Black girls in predominantly white, rural communities. The first article is a conceptual paper that unpacks the four tenets of critical race quantitative intersectionality (CRQI). The second article …

Affirming Respect And Kindness Within A Classroom Community Through Discussion And Multicultural Literature, Angelica Gitter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate how students in a third-grade classroom can engage with multicultural texts and learn about cultures that are different from their own. Furthermore, it investigated the impact of multicultural literature on respect and kindness in a classroom community. Throughout the four-week study, students read twelve different multicultural texts and engaged in classroom discussions during Morning Meeting. Students participated in group discussions expressing their ideas, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs related to the context of the books read. The strategies used for this qualitative research were questionnaires, teacher observations, and whole group and small group …

Data As A Service Ecosystem For Data-Driven Research, Leonardo Vieira

Theses and Dissertations

For the last two decades, the cloud computing ecosystems has become a major defining force for America, because of their unique economic, social and national importance. These ecosystems have now taken their place alongside the nation’s other infrastructure such as the food/agricultural, energy healthcare, and roads/highways. Scientists, engineers, and researchers over the same period have experienced a tremendous growth in the need for resources to that support assorted research. Cloud computing enables these communities to undertake wide-ranging research efforts, while requiring no maintenance, management or significant invest of local resources. The genius of this project examines how create on-ramps for …

The Influence Of Sex On Cognitive Control Performance And Frontoparietal Network Integrity In First Episode Psychosis, Kaitlyn Mcfarlane Greer

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are well documented including deficits in cognitive control, but how sex may influence or impact these cognitive deficits is not well known. Cognitive deficits may impact multiple neural networks, including the fronto-parietal network (FPN). How sex may influence the structural integrity of regions in the FPN is also an important area of research in FEP that may provide further insight into the beginnings of the disease. The current study aimed to examine sexual dimorphisms in structural integrity of the frontoparietal network (FPN) and its role in cognitive control in FEP. A total of 111 …

We Might Be Salvaged, Hannah Kroonblawd

Theses and Dissertations

We Might Be Salvaged is a dissertation that hinges upon poetic loci of disaster, survival, despair, and hope. The dissertation includes a critical preface, “Beyond Repair,” which contextualizes the central creative work alongside the concerns of the Anthropocene, as well as the collective necessity of environmental justice and disability activism. The creative work, “We Might Be Salvaged,” explores contemporary catastrophes and the lingering hope of an unknown future. The final chapter, “Teaching in the Anthropocene,” provides a pedagogical link through the design of online undergraduate creative writing workshop courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Much Is A Little Girl Worth? A Critical Qualitative Inquiry Of The Systemic Dehumanization Of Black Girls Through Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (Dmst) And How Schools Can Play A Pivotal Role In Prevention, Nermin Dia Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Black girls who have experienced childhood sexual abuse are disproportionately exploited through domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST)- as the intersection of their experiences of systemic marginalization exacerbates their trauma and increases their vulnerability to DMST. The purpose of this critical qualitative study, involving 10 Black girls and 13 women of color advocates, was to explore the self-identified and observed ways in which systems, especially schools, silence Black and Brown girls, as well as their recommendations for educators/schools and other systems to play a role in DMST prevention. This study builds on existing research on the adultification, criminalization, and sexualization of …

Mindfulness To Promote Healthy Aging In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment And Their Caregivers: A Mixed Methods Feasibility And Acceptability Study, Emma Mcbride

Theses and Dissertations

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), thought be a precursor to dementia, is characterized by cognitive decline without functional impairment. As the population ages and the prevalence of MCI increases, non-pharmacologic interventions are needed to address well-being and disease progression in this population of older adults and their caregivers. In response to growing interest in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) as an adjunct to integrated care for this population, this single arm, mixed methods pilot study trialed a lightly adapted, 6-week MBI for both MCI patients and their caregivers (n=24). The intervention was feasible and acceptable in both groups. There was a trend toward …

Legal Characterization Of The Challenges Faced By The Construction Industry During Covid-19 And Devaluation Of The Egyptian Pound, Riham Abuzaid

Theses and Dissertations

With all the challenges this past decade has inflicted on the economy on a global scale, Egypt had its share with two major events, starting with the Egyptian pound devaluation against the U.S dollar in 2016 and currently the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. These major events instigated the interference of the legal/contractual sectors in the construction market to find solutions that range from agreeable to stringent to protect the assets of their beneficiaries.

Both events are impactful and require extensive analysis to determine and classify each situation. This thesis addresses the implementation of standard internationally acknowledged legislative acts used …

Ethical Considerations Concerning The Dignity Of Patients With Terminal Disabling Illness, Hebatallah Rashed

Theses and Dissertations

Almost everyone agrees that they should be treated and treat others in a dignified manner; however, people have different views about dignity and what gives people honour and worth. There are different philosophical ideas about the meaning of this concept and its conditions. The concept of human dignity has been a fundamental yet controversial area in the field of bioethics, especially with the ongoing debate over euthanasia.

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate different philosophical views about the concept of dignity, and how the evolution of this concept throughout history affected our understanding of the moral permissibility of …

The Effectiveness Of Governmental Policy Measures On Controlling The Spread Of Covid-19: Empirical Evidence From Around The World, Lobna Abdallah Yassin

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid spread of COVID-19 in China and the world dramatically affected the development in China and many countries worldwide. Different governments applied various policy measures to control the virus and prevent its spreading inside their countries. These policy measures combined with this global health crisis have serious consequences on the health system in different countries and the world economy. This thesis aims to quantitatively measure the effectiveness of the governmental policy measures that are taken during the risk management of the coronavirus across different countries on controlling the spread of the virus. Also, this thesis highlights the different policies …

Voicing Female Servitude In Fiction: Charlotte Brontë, Jean Rhys, And Taha Hussein, Muhammed Salem

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the literary portrayal of the female servant in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1816-1865), Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (1890-1979), and The Call of the Curlew by Taha Hussein (1889-1973), within the theoretical framework of subaltern and gender studies. The study shows how three female subordinates in Victorian England, Postcolonial Caribbean Islands, in addition to Bedouin Egypt bargain while trying to dismantle their intersectional subordination within the patriarchal order. The problematic yet romanticized portrayal of governessing in Jane Eyre becomes a commoditized servitude, which requires active resistance in the postcolonial setting of Wide. As for The …

Education-Occupation Mismatch Among University Graduates In Egypt: Determinants And Consequences, Nouran Elkhouly

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reviews the literature on the education-occupation mismatch. The thesis focuses on Egyptian university graduates and postgraduates in 2018. It studies the determinants of the education-occupation mismatch, and its effect on earnings and workers’ job satisfaction using the 2018 wave of the Egyptian Labor Market Survey (ELMPS). Ordinary least squares (OLS) and probit models were used to investigate the determinants of the education-occupation mismatch, and an OLS and a two-stage least square (2SLS) regressions were estimated with the use of the father’s education and father’s employment status as instrumental variables to determine the effect of the mismatch on labors’ …

Intolerance Of Uncertainty, Sensory Processing, And Related Correlates In Autistic Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mollie Bradley

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic increased uncertainty and anxiety for most and was especially disruptive to autistic people and their families. Autistic children were particularly vulnerable due to their intolerance for increased uncertainty and disruption to their school and therapy support. This study aimed to investigate the effect that increased uncertainty had on autistic children, specifically their sensory behaviors and stress levels and on the stress levels of their primary caregivers. Parents and guardians of 47 autistic children completed an online survey consisting of questions investigating background and demographic information, their experiences during the first six months of the pandemic, information about …

A Comparative Study On The Expository Writing Abilities Of Kindergarten Students With And Without Developmental Language Disorder, Kristine Michelle Dayley Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

State standards require kindergarten students to produce expository writing, but little research has been done regarding their abilities in this area. This study describes expository writing samples of 47 typically developing (TD) kindergarteners and 43 kindergarteners with developmental language disorder (DLD). The Expository Language Measures (ELM) Flow Chart and the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software were used to detail the language complexity and text structure features the children in the sample produced. When comparing TD and DLD children's expository written samples, no significant differences in the language and text structure measures were found. It is important to continue …

International Water Quality: Global Patterns Of Water Pollutants And Pathogens, Leslie Lange

Theses and Dissertations

Water quality is an essential component of vibrant societies and ecosystems. For decades, researchers, managers, and policymakers around the world have struggled to accelerate societal progress while preserving and enhancing water quality and human health. This thesis consists of two studies that I hope will contribute to better understanding, policy, and management. In the first study, I evaluated spatial and temporal patterns in global water quality and their relationship to gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, as a metric of socioeconomic development status. Using global water quality datasets containing over 2.7 million observations, I tested the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) …

The Relationship Between Historical Trauma And Mental Health Status: The Moderating Role Of Ethnic Immersion For Polynesian Americans, Cameron W. H. Hee

Theses and Dissertations

A large body of research has examined the intergenerational consequences of historically traumatic events with populations whose ancestors have collectively faced significant experiences of loss and trauma due to colonization, genocide, and other forms of oppression and marginalization. This type of research is especially prevalent among indigenous populations and historical trauma has been used to theoretically explain some groups overrepresentation in negative societal and health indices. Yet there has been virtually no empirical study of the effects of historical trauma using a Polynesian sample. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the association historically traumatic losses may have with …

Socioeconomic Potential: Predicting Income Through The Moderating Effect Of Socioeconomic Status On Social Capital, Virginia K. Leiter

Theses and Dissertations

Social capital is an important predictor of socioeconomic attainment, defined here as household income, but it is less clear how this relationship may vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Coleman's (1988) theory of social capital suggests that context is likely to influence exchanges of capital. Indeed, theory and research suggest that SES may either intensify or compensate for social capital in its relation to socioeconomic attainment. I seek to identify and understand these potential interactions using data from 101,163 participants of the European Social Survey (ESS). Results indicate that while social trust and both absolute and relative social involvement--two common measurements …

Understanding The Association Between Well-Being And College Continuation: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Ariella S. Panek

Theses and Dissertations

Well-being is a catchphrase that is pervasive in higher education. Many institutions claim to be investigating well-being so that students are supported in more comprehensive ways. Few studies, however, examine well-being via a multidimensional perspective that views the student as multifaceted with complex well-being relationships, nor within the community college setting where there are diverse students with increased challenges and fewer resources. This mixed methods case study examined how the concept of well-being is associated with college continuation and sought to understand how the presence of well-being is related to retention and persistence. The findings concluded that students generally lacked …

Optofluidic Manipulation With Nanomembrane Platforms Used For Solid-State Nanopore Integration, Zachary J. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Nanopore technology has introduced new techniques for single particle detection and analysis. A nanopore consists of a small opening in a membrane on the nanometer scale. Nanopores are found in nature and are utilized for transporting molecules through biological membranes. Researchers have been able to mimic naturally forming biological nanopores and utilize them for a variety of sensing applications. Nanopores, fabricated either organically or inorganically, can be used for detecting biomarkers such as proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites that translocate the membrane by way of the nanopore. Constant ionic current flow is measured through the nanopore by way of a …

Concurrent And Incremental Validity Of Parent- And Teacher-Report And Neuropsychological Measures Of Executive Functions, Attention, And Hyperactivity In An Outpatient Community Mental Health Clinic Pediatric Sample, Lindsay Morgan Fruehauf

Theses and Dissertations

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects academic, social, and health functioning. The psychometric properties of measures commonly used in diagnostic settings to assess the constructs of attention, hyperactivity, and executive functioning, including concurrent and incremental validity with other commonly used measures, are not well-established. Additionally, these specific psychometric properties within ecological samples of children and adolescents presenting to community-based clinics is infrequent. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe a sample of children and adolescents presenting to a community-based mental health clinic and to test the concurrent and incremental validity of parent- and teacher-report questionnaires …

Anxiety Of Struggling Readers And Excelling Readers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Chelsey Taylor Lemmon

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is the most reported negative emotion in the academic setting. One of the specific forms of anxiety that children can experience is reading anxiety (RA). Children who experience RA are often at risk for reading failure; likewise, children who experience reading failure are likely to experience RA. Children who excel at reading can also experience anxiety, often in the form of harm avoidance. Bibliotherapy has been shown to help to mitigate the effects of specific types of anxiety in children. The purpose of this study was to understand the anxiety of children who excel at reading and children at …

The Impact Of Background Noise On The Communicative Experience Of People With Mild To Moderate Aphasia: A Qualitative Study, Riley Robertson Hegewald

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how retelling stories with a variety different background noise conditions affected the communicative experiences of people with aphasia (PWA). Participants included 11 adults with mild to moderate aphasia and 11 age- and gender-matched controls. Participants participated in a semi-structured interview immediately following the experimental measure where they were asked open-ended questions regarding their experience retelling stories and how those experiences related to their everyday lives. Results revealed three themes related to how participants responded to communicating in noise: (a) cognitive reactions, (b) emotional reactions, and (c) social reactions. The findings suggest that PWA exert more effort when …

Sleep And Eating Behavior Among Adolescent Females With Overweight Or Obesity: The Role Of Appetite-Related Cognitive Processes, Kirandeep Kaur

Theses and Dissertations

Insufficient sleep duration and poor sleep quality can potentiate weight gain and obesity in adolescents. Furthermore, overweight and obese females are at unique risk for insufficient sleep and associated health complications. We examined self-reported sleep duration and self-reported adequacy of sleep duration as potential moderators of the relationship between eating behavior and several cognitive processes including hedonic hunger, executive dysfunction, and self-control. We used a multisystemic conceptual framework to highlight the pathways that may explain the relationship between sleep behaviors and the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). The study employed a cross-sectional design. Participants completed baseline measures of height and weight, …

The Analysis Of Omission And Substitution Errors In Various Language Tasks In Bilingual Children, Macy Whiting

Theses and Dissertations

As the population of Spanish-English bilingual children in the United States steadily grows, the importance of accurately assessing and diagnosing developmental language disorder (DLD) has also grown. Understanding a child's underlying language learning system is critical in this process. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of nonword repetition (NWR) tasks in bilingual children across a wide range of development, however there is little information regarding guidelines for interpretation of NWR performance or analyzing error patterns. This study was conducted to address these gaps in the research. A sample of 26 Spanish-English bilingual school aged children (6;0-9;4) were administered English and …

Comparing The Effects Of Online And In-Person Social Skills Training For Adolescents With Autism Using Peers®, Benjamin Tze Ming Ooi

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (autism) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social skills differences which can interfere with success in developing or maintaining relationships. Social skills training may promote more satisfying change in social interactions for individuals with autism, especially if they already have age-appropriate cognitive and language abilities. Social skills training is a typical approach for addressing social skills needs for many individuals with autism. In some instances, in-person social skills training or groups may not be readily available because of geographical, transportation, or other barriers. Delivering social skills training online is one way to increase access to intervention for …

Classification And Creation Of Design Tools And Methods For Social Impact Considerations In Engineering For Global Development, Andrew Gary Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

Every product has economic, environmental, and social impacts whether or not those impacts are explicitly considered. These impacts affect society and are an important part of engineering design. "Triple Bottom Line Sustainability" focuses on economic, environmental, and social sustainability and has become an important goal for those designing products. Economic considerations are an established part of the engineering design process. Environmental considerations are increasingly being considered in design including the development of design standards and widely used methodologies. Social impact considerations, however, lack the standardization and wide inclusion of economic and environmental considerations. This results in reduced and unbalanced consideration …

Females With Autism Traits: A Retrospective Look At Developmental Trajectories, Greer Caroline Willman Finster

Theses and Dissertations

It is becoming more apparent in recent years that many females with autism spectrum disorder (autism) have not been identified, sometimes until adulthood. Most of what is known about early signs of autism is based on predominantly male symptomatic presentations or data gathered from females with autism who are severely affected by autism and co-morbid conditions such as intellectual developmental disorder. One of the issues contributing to the under diagnosis of females is that the presentation of symptoms or traits and developmental histories of females with autism may not be the same as those of males. There is a gap …

The Impacts Of Local Schools On Experience Of Community, Ciera M. Galbraith

Theses and Dissertations

This study expands upon the research regarding the role of schools in the local community to include how they impact experience of community. Current literature and school-related legislation focus on schools as facilities for education and socialization; little research has been done to look at how schools may influence how individuals experience community. To look at the possibility of this relationship, this study uses the 2017 Rural Utah Community Study to examine how residents view local education, schools, and degrees in addition to their experience of community through community attachment, community satisfaction, and community desirability. I find that residents' views …