Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Theses and Dissertations

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 601 - 630 of 2084

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Effects Of Cultural Participation On Health Outcomes Among American Indian/Alaska Native Elders, Collette Adamsen Jan 2018

The Effects Of Cultural Participation On Health Outcomes Among American Indian/Alaska Native Elders, Collette Adamsen

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) history represents a number of traumatic events inflicted upon each tribal generation that has yet to recover. These events have led to major consequences on the health of this population. AI/AN people experience the worst health disparities in the nation (Espey et al., 2014; Warne & Lajimodiere, 2015). Previous studies have shown that loss of land, cultural devastation, and inadequate health care access are associated with the high rates of health disparities endured by AI/AN people throughout North America (Walters, et al., 2011). AI/AN beliefs tell us that culture serves a fundamental role in managing good …


Tactical Implementation Of Strategic Guidance During The American Revolutionary War: Pedagogical Application For Classroom Use, Ryan Menath Jan 2018

Tactical Implementation Of Strategic Guidance During The American Revolutionary War: Pedagogical Application For Classroom Use, Ryan Menath

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force Academy is a specialized institution of higher learning dedicated to producing military officers in the U.S. Air Force. Specialized graduation requirements, like a required Military History course, present the opportunity for the implementation of unique pedagogical methodologies. Further, as a technologically forward-looking branch of service designed to control air, space, and cyberspace in a contested environment, the Air Force places a premium on twenty- and twenty-first century military history. Unfortunately, pre-airpower American military history gets overshadowed compared to later conflicts to the point where cadets attending the Air Force Academy get relatively little exposure to …


In Media Res, Christopher Andrew Sisk Jan 2018

In Media Res, Christopher Andrew Sisk

Theses and Dissertations

We are inundated by a constant feed of media that responds and adapts in real time to the impulses of our psyches and the dimensions of our devices. Beneath the surface, this stream of information is directed by hidden, automated controls and steered by political agendas. The transmission of information has evolved into a spiral of entropy, and the boundaries between author, content, platform, and receiver have blurred. This reductive space of responsive media is a catalyst for immense political and cultural change, causing us to question our notions of authority, truth, and reality.


Of Cannonades And Battle Cries: Aurality, The Battle Of The Alamo, And Memory, Michelle E. Herbelin Jan 2018

Of Cannonades And Battle Cries: Aurality, The Battle Of The Alamo, And Memory, Michelle E. Herbelin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis takes a sensory-historical approach to the 1836 Siege and Battle of the Alamo, its inscription into history and its propagation as a touchstone of Texas’ memory and identity. My focus is on the auditory, an especially important sensory experience to consider. Among the many auditory tactics deployed during the siege, the storming itself took place in the pre-dawn darkness, and many of the survivors’ accounts were from women and children among the garrison, who were sequestered away from the visual experience of the battle. Flooding from the accounts of survivors into the popular imagination of Texans, the sounds …


Voices From The Middle: Examining The Lived Schooling Experiences Of Black Males In A Predominantly White Middle School, Donham Douglas Kauffman, Jr. Jan 2018

Voices From The Middle: Examining The Lived Schooling Experiences Of Black Males In A Predominantly White Middle School, Donham Douglas Kauffman, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Being labelled as qualifying for special assistance simply by being a Black male is common, as with five Black males at my professional educational institution. This study elicits the voices of these Black males in such areas as their personal perception of academic achievement, school improvement needs, and staff misunderstandings of Black males. Because this research elicits voices of Black males missing from the current research literature (Howard, 2014), the participant researcher decided to use these ethnographic accounts to glimpse into the minds and schooling experiences of these students. This study should advance the research literature on Black male students …


Twelfth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Linked Learning Pathways, Scott Weimer Jan 2018

Twelfth Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Linked Learning Pathways, Scott Weimer

Theses and Dissertations

During the era of standardized testing in California, Central High School District (CHSD- pseudonym) had created a single course of study that all students were expected to follow to maximize results on state exams. This single course of study was not relevant to a large majority of the students who graduated from the district and they were not prepared for life after graduation. The new accountability system has allowed CHSD to expand the course of study that is being offered. The district has several programs that follow the Linked Learning model which uses project based learning to pair core academic …


American Indian Biculturalism Inventory - Pueblo, Royleen J. Ross Jan 2018

American Indian Biculturalism Inventory - Pueblo, Royleen J. Ross

Theses and Dissertations

A time in American history existed when Native Americans were not allowed to express, much less retain their traditions, culture, language, and livelihood. Today, Natives are thriving in various fields at many different professional levels and have not only mastered majority culture’s ways, but have integrated them, on their own terms, into their lives. Warfare was declared upon Native Americans in the educational arena beginning in the late 1800’s, resulting in many indigenous individuals not only meeting the educational challenge posed to them, but excelled beyond expectation. Thus, in contemporary society, many Native Americans have retained their traditional ways and …


Cults: A Psychological Perspective, Jonica V. Carlton Best Jan 2018

Cults: A Psychological Perspective, Jonica V. Carlton Best

Theses and Dissertations

Cults are communities that are seen as odd or strange. Lack of research done on cults makes it a phenomenon in society. With the help of evolutionary, social, and cognitive psychology, this phenomenon was analyzed and the behavior of the cult and its members were explained. Analysis of cults showed that there is an evolutionary need for them, for they are used as a means for social bonds and resources. Next, the identity of cult members was analyzed using a conveyor belt type method starting with social-identity followed by self-categorization and ending with deindividualization. Cult members then make decisions using …


Danse Macabre: Origins, Evolution, And Execution, Steven A. Bardon Jan 2018

Danse Macabre: Origins, Evolution, And Execution, Steven A. Bardon

Theses and Dissertations

The Danse Macabre is an allegory in which all living things -grand and otherwise -are equally escorted to death’s embrace. Most cultures, from ancient to contemporary, have a belief in an afterlife and interpreted death through funerary practices and religious artwork. Such spirituality associated with Danse Macabre is especially influential within the arts, such as visual storytelling. Two series in particular, FaustFall and Cardinal Junction, incorporate the Danse Macabre allegory through its implementation into accompanying concepts: like the Faustian archetype, the Gothic narrative, and the Byronic hero. Through exploring the Danse Macabre within their dystopian narratives, the notion of …


Fostering Resilience: Leader Strategies And Practices For Overcoming Adversity In Military Organizations, Eugene Coughlin Jan 2018

Fostering Resilience: Leader Strategies And Practices For Overcoming Adversity In Military Organizations, Eugene Coughlin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to identify leadership strategies and practices for overcoming adversity in military organizations. This entailed determining what challenges military leaders face in implementing practices aimed at fostering resilience in their organizations. Also examined was how military leaders measure success at fostering resilience in their organizations. Finally, this study considered what recommendations military leaders would make to aspiring leaders wanting to foster resilience in their own organizations in the future. The researcher used a phenomenological approach that incorporated interviews and content analysis. The population for this study was United States Marine Corps infantry officers who …


Principals' Perceptions Of Parent Involvement In Catholic And Protestant Schools In Southern California, Jacqueline Estella Davis Jan 2018

Principals' Perceptions Of Parent Involvement In Catholic And Protestant Schools In Southern California, Jacqueline Estella Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined principals’ perceptions of faith-based schools in Southern California. A 6-item survey was distributed by hard copy to 217 Catholic principals affiliated with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and by e-mail to 218 Protestant school principals affiliated with the Association of Christian School International. The survey was completed by 148 principals (101 from Catholic schools and 47 from Protestant schools, 34% of population), suggesting that hand-delivered surveys yielded a higher return. However, the Protestant principals who responded exclusively online completed significantly more comprehensive written comments or transcripts to the survey. Both groups of principals revealed high parent engagement …


Smartphone User Privacy Preserving Through Crowdsourcing, Bahman Rashidi Jan 2018

Smartphone User Privacy Preserving Through Crowdsourcing, Bahman Rashidi

Theses and Dissertations

In current Android architecture, users have to decide whether an app is safe to use or not. Expert users can make savvy decisions to avoid unnecessary private data breach. However, the majority of regular users are not technically capable or do not care to consider privacy implications to make safe decisions. To assist the technically incapable crowd, we propose a permission control framework based on crowdsourcing. At its core, our framework runs new apps under probation mode without granting their permission requests up-front. It provides recommendations on whether to accept or not the permission requests based on decisions from peer …


(Re) Thinking The Past Through Performance: The (Re) Construction Of Militant Childhood Imaginaries In The Post-Dictatorship Of Argentina’S Cultural Production From 2003-2015, Stephanie Rubi Orozco Jan 2018

(Re) Thinking The Past Through Performance: The (Re) Construction Of Militant Childhood Imaginaries In The Post-Dictatorship Of Argentina’S Cultural Production From 2003-2015, Stephanie Rubi Orozco

Theses and Dissertations

Burdened by the atrocities of Argentina’s coup d’état (1976-1982), many children of persecuted parents were forced to live as clandestine hideaways. In recent decades, adult survivors who experience the dictatorship as clandestine children have become primary protagonists, seeking to (re)construct past experiences through the creation of visual and textual productions. In attempt to (re)create their experience in hiding; such adults propose an alternative non-conventional image of a witnessing childhood under military rule as the child of prosecuted parents. For such children, life in secrecy meant having to find refuge from state officials seeking to eliminate their parents. It demanded strict …


On Nature's Prototypes: Character Design And Worldbuilding, Taylor J. Bardon Jan 2018

On Nature's Prototypes: Character Design And Worldbuilding, Taylor J. Bardon

Theses and Dissertations

Nature’s Prototypes is an ongoing narrative series that blends realism and fiction to create both dialectic plot structures and image sets. For substance, the series utilizes biological inquiries into fields, like ecology, pathology, and bioengineering, to imagine action-centric vignettes, where animalistic to monstrous characters become the predominant actors in a post-dystopian worldscape. Throughout these vignettes, these characters are subjected to the trials and tribulations of the catalysts and flux that are imposed upon them. In the series’ larger scope, these vignettes are sequential events within a larger timeline and an original mythos that delve into the implications and the intrigue …


Fighting Rhetoric And Training Composition: Theory And Pedagogy Of Mixed Martial Arts Argument, Trevor C. Meyer Jan 2018

Fighting Rhetoric And Training Composition: Theory And Pedagogy Of Mixed Martial Arts Argument, Trevor C. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the connections between martial arts training, rhetorical theory, and composition pedagogy. The central focus of this project is the common understanding of an argument as a “fight,” and by investigating the training practices of fighting arts, this project expands and complicates what an agonistic orientation can offer argument, teaching, and writing. This inquiry has two parts. Part one explores the importance and influence of ancient Greek martial arts practices in Platonic, Aristotelian, and Sophistic argumentation. By focusing on the “mixed” martial art of pankration, I challenge the pervasive binary of “open hand” and “closed fist” as a …


Aporetic Rhetoric: The Use Of Uncertainty In Healthcare Contexts, Adam S. Lerner Jan 2018

Aporetic Rhetoric: The Use Of Uncertainty In Healthcare Contexts, Adam S. Lerner

Theses and Dissertations

This project examines how uncertainty is rhetorically deployed in healthcare contexts. Investigating four major healthcare contexts, I study how different forms of uncertainty produce distinct rhetorical effects and consequences. In Chapter 1, I explore how the haphazard use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war makes it difficult for veterans to prove their exposure to this deadly chemical. In Chapter 2, I examine the rhetorical strategies of mental illness skeptics and denialists, looking at how each deploys uncertainty in different and related ways. In Chapter 3, I investigate the intersection between design, emotion, and uncertainty as it appears in the …


Domestic Extension Of Public Diplomacy: Media Competition For Credibility, Dependency And Activation Of Publics, Yicheng Zhu Jan 2018

Domestic Extension Of Public Diplomacy: Media Competition For Credibility, Dependency And Activation Of Publics, Yicheng Zhu

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation connects theories of political communication, public relations and international relations to conceptualize a new model of public diplomacy, where boundaries between distinct types of actors are drawn. It proposes an ecological model and a competition model of public diplomacy. Based on these conceptual models, it empirically supports the academic rationalization of governmental interference in foreign media effects among its domestic citizens: Using a quota sample of 560 survey respondent from mainland China, the empirical part of the dissertation illustrated: 1. Governmental control on foreign media accessibility has significant effects on perceived media credibility and thus dependency on it; …


Through The Spaceship’S Window: A Bio-Political Reading Of 20th Century Latin American And Anglo-Saxon Science Fiction, Juan David Cruz Jan 2018

Through The Spaceship’S Window: A Bio-Political Reading Of 20th Century Latin American And Anglo-Saxon Science Fiction, Juan David Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of a bio-political reading of a wide variety of Latin American, American, and British works of science fiction, written from 1919 to 1989. In this project I have analyzed how works of science fiction in different historical and geographical contexts deal with issues such as eugenics, racism, fear of the alien, the threat of nuclear global conflict, etc. I have made a conscious effort to demonstrate that Latin America has been part of global phenomena such as the Cold War, and has produced a wide and rich corpus of science fiction works that deal with these global …


Neurochemistry, Physiology, And Behavior In A Model Of Gulf War Illness, Victoria A. Macht Jan 2018

Neurochemistry, Physiology, And Behavior In A Model Of Gulf War Illness, Victoria A. Macht

Theses and Dissertations

Upon returning from the first Gulf War, soldiers cited a plethora of unexplained physical and cognitive deficits which have since been termed Gulf War Illness (GWI). Presentation of GWI is positively correlated with pyridostigmine bromide (PB) use, which was prophylactically administered to soldiers in response to threats of chemical warfare. To test the overarching hypothesis that PB interacted with stress of deployment to alter neural, endocrine, and immune systems, the following studies used a 2×2 rodent model with 14 days of drug treatment (vehicle; PB) and 10 days of repeated restraint stress (stressed) or non-stressed-control conditions. Results indicate that PB …


A Comprehensive Reengineering Of The Hospital Emergency Triage System, Nicholas D. Boltin Jan 2018

A Comprehensive Reengineering Of The Hospital Emergency Triage System, Nicholas D. Boltin

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital emergency triage and specifically Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs) are of major concern with regard to treatment and patient outcomes. Traditional emergency department triage models are oversimplified and often lead to over/under triaging of patients. Furthermore, triage models do not account for the full spectrum of different types of MCIs which often results in misclassification. In this thesis, we begin by looking at traditional triage models currently being used in hospital systems and identify several shortcomings of using these models within the context of a chemical related MCI. I will then move to describe a new approach to creating a …


The Impact Of Self-Assessment On Student Engagement During Independent Reading, Jonnell Atkins Jan 2018

The Impact Of Self-Assessment On Student Engagement During Independent Reading, Jonnell Atkins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a self-assessment rubric on a students’ ability to self-monitor and self-regulate engaged reading behaviors. The research attempts to answer the following question: What impact does self-assessment have on the engagement of second-grade students during Independent Reading? Using an action research design, data was collected using a pretest and posttest, weekly engagement assessments, field notes and pre/post interviews. Both the quantitative and qualitative data were collected over a period of six weeks on Mondays and Wednesdays during Independent Reading. Student-participants included seven second-grade students and their classroom teacher as a …


"Let The Castillo Be His Monument!": Imperialism, Nationalism, And Indian Commemoration At The Castillo De San Marcos National Monument In St. Augustine, Florida, Claire M. Barnewolt Jan 2018

"Let The Castillo Be His Monument!": Imperialism, Nationalism, And Indian Commemoration At The Castillo De San Marcos National Monument In St. Augustine, Florida, Claire M. Barnewolt

Theses and Dissertations

The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest stone fortification on the North American mainland, a unique site that integrates Florida’s Spanish colonial past with American Indian narratives. A complete history of this fortification from its origins to its management under the National Park Service has not yet been written. During the Spanish colonial era, the Indian mission system complemented the defensive work of the fort until imperial skirmishes led to the demise of the Florida Indian. During the nineteenth century, Indian prisoners put a new American Empire on display while the fort transformed into a tourist destination. The Castillo …


Skeletal Blast Trauma: An Application Of Clinical Literature And Current Methods In Forensic Anthropology To Known Blast Trauma Casualties, Petra Banks Dec 2017

Skeletal Blast Trauma: An Application Of Clinical Literature And Current Methods In Forensic Anthropology To Known Blast Trauma Casualties, Petra Banks

Theses and Dissertations

In order to examine the feasibility of assessing blast event conditions from bone and to distinguish blast trauma from aircraft crash trauma, this study attempts to determine if the observations made in clinical research are mirrored in skeletal remains of individuals who died in blast events. Research was conducted by assessing the frequency of different forms of trauma and their comparison to aircraft crash trauma, the directionality of trauma, and open-air versus enclosed blast trauma. Data consisted of historic and forensic anthropology reports of individuals who died from blast events and aircraft crashes from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). …


Efficacy Of Novel Pyridinium Oximes In Preventing Neural Damage, Charles Andrew Leach Dec 2017

Efficacy Of Novel Pyridinium Oximes In Preventing Neural Damage, Charles Andrew Leach

Theses and Dissertations

Organophosphates are neurotoxic compounds that inhibit acetylcholinesterase producing excess cholinergic stimulation. This produces various toxic signs including excitotoxic neuronal damage. Oximes can be used as a treatment for organophosphate poisoning by reactivating inhibited acetylcholinesterase. Traditional oximes do not penetrate the blood-brain barrier, limiting protection of the central nervous system. Novel, brain-penetrating oximes have the potential to protect the brain from organophosphate induced damage. Adult male rats were used to examine the ability of model organophosphates to produce neuropathology and the ability of novel oximes to prevent this damage. Additionally, adult male rats were used to examine changes in gene expression …


Alternations In Murui: A Morphological Approach, Amy Havlicek Dec 2017

Alternations In Murui: A Morphological Approach, Amy Havlicek

Theses and Dissertations

Murui is a Witotoan language spoken in Colombia and Peru. This thesis focuses on alternations of voiced and voiceless alveolar and velar stops in Murui that occur at some morpheme boundaries in verbs. The alternations of the voiced and voiceless alveolar stops occur in the active indicative suffix allomorphs [‐dɯ] ~ [‐tɯ] ~ [‐d] ~ [‐t] and the alternations of the voiced and voiceless velar stops occur in the passive indicative suffix allomorphs [‐ka] ~ [‐ɡa]. These stops may also become voiced or voiceless when other suffixes are present in the verb. I focus my analysis on the inflectional morphology …


Virtue Conquered By Fortune: Cato In Lucan's Pharsalia, Nathaniel Brent Pribil Dec 2017

Virtue Conquered By Fortune: Cato In Lucan's Pharsalia, Nathaniel Brent Pribil

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at how the Roman poet Lucan uses the character of Cato to elucidate his beliefs about Fortune and Stoicism. The traditional Stoic view of Fortune views it as a force for good that allows people to improve through hardship. Lucan portrays Fortune as a purely antagonistic force that actively seeks to harm the Roman people and corrupt even good individuals like Cato. Lucan's Fortune arranges events to place Cato in a situation where it is impossible to maintain his virtue. Rather than providing him an opportunity to improve in the civil war, Fortune makes it so that …


The Post-Revolutionary Roles Of Fidel Castro: A Semiotic Analysis Of Cuban Political Posters, 1959-1988, Meghan Elizabeth Payne Nov 2017

The Post-Revolutionary Roles Of Fidel Castro: A Semiotic Analysis Of Cuban Political Posters, 1959-1988, Meghan Elizabeth Payne

Theses and Dissertations

This study employs semiotic methods to identify the post-revolutionary roles of former Cuban President Fidel Castro in order to classify the transformations of his character portrayal over time. Informed by Goffman's framing theory as well as suggestions of agenda-setting and priming, this qualitative study analyzes 19 propaganda posters for communications of encoded messages. In this medium, the research explores thematic patterns of sociopolitical and sociocultural signs which add to the richness of Castro's appeal. In addition to providing a unique perspective on interrogating visual images, this study offers a better understanding of the influential power of professional design and the …


Intercultural Accommodation: Accommodating Communication To People Of Different Groups, Marcus M. Gruwell Oct 2017

Intercultural Accommodation: Accommodating Communication To People Of Different Groups, Marcus M. Gruwell

Theses and Dissertations

The current study attempts to address the widening division of race and communication due to a large continuation of demographics in Western countries like the United States. Using Communication Accommodation Theory and studies from Postcolonialism to the study, the researcher hopes to develop a more concrete understanding as to why people will change their speaking behaviors when encountering different groups. Concepts of the behavior of Postcolonial mentality and changes in speaking behaviors will better create a more social construct as to why people act in certain ways towards different people


Design And Evaluation Of A Cmos Contact-Imaging System For Microfluidics, Andres Moroni Galan Cherrez Oct 2017

Design And Evaluation Of A Cmos Contact-Imaging System For Microfluidics, Andres Moroni Galan Cherrez

Theses and Dissertations

A CMOS contact-imaging system for microfluidics is presented. The microsystem integrates a five-layer PDMS microfluidic network and a CMOS image sensor fabricated in a standard 0.18 µ­m technology. The CMOS image sensor consists of two 10×1-pixel array, an amplifier, and a control logic. The imager is able to achieve a low dark signal of 1.67 mV/s, a maximum integration time of 514 s, and a high dynamic range of 75.2 dB at 1 s integration time. The microfluidic device integrates several actuated valve to achieve a fully automated lab-on-a-chip. This work also presents a quantitative comparison of the photomultiplier tube …


Antecedents To Disposition To Trust: Online Assessment As An Enabler Of Individualized Instruction, Natalie Cathalyn Campbell Aug 2017

Antecedents To Disposition To Trust: Online Assessment As An Enabler Of Individualized Instruction, Natalie Cathalyn Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated the antecedents to disposition to trust with regard to the Accelerated Reader program. The areas considered were teachers’ experience, teachers’ peer experience, teachers’ peer support, gender, and age. The population for this study consisted of teachers who used Accelerated Reader from four school districts in Louisiana. The total number of teachers who were given the survey was 417, and the number of teachers who completed the survey was 301, resulting in a response rate of 72.2%. In this study, 6 research questions were addressed. The first question asked whether a statistically significant relationship exists between teachers’ experience …