Digital Commons Network^™

A Historical Analysis Of Bilingual Program Implementation, Jessica Gonzalez Perez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to uncover opportunities for reimagining the dual language program. Furthermore, it aims to provide valuable insights to district leaders contemplating initiating such programs. Through an examination of the program's inception and subsequent evolution, the research will offer a comprehensive understanding of its background and development. Integral to this exploration are district leaders' and campus administrators' perspectives and viewpoints directly involved in implementing the program. Their insights will shed light on the program's journey and inform potential improvements or adaptations. Ultimately, this study endeavors to serve as a roadmap for district leaders navigating the …

Makeup Revolution: How Makeup Changed From The “Ideal Woman To The Redefinition Of The Standard Of Makeup”, Kellie Solomon

Theses and Dissertations

For women, makeup became a mask that was forced upon them and could never be taken off. A woman’s main job was to remain at home, and while this development wasn’t new at this time, it became more common. Cosmetic advertisements would make money off of every woman’s insecurities by starting at an age where they are impressionable only to sell products that may or not work. My goal with this essay was to establish a timeline of makeup’s impact on society that eventually broke down into what is more common for today’s makeup wearers. This endeavor began with women …

Molecular Insights Of Paraoxonase 2 In Advanced Glycation End Product Induced Endothelial Dysfunction, Ramya R

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder associated with various vascular complications and affects the function of the endothelial cells. Elevated blood glucose levels accelerate the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by Amadori rearrangement and bind to their Receptor for the advanced glycation end product (RAGE) and evoke release of key pro-inflammatory cytokine proteins leading to endothelial dysfunction. Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) is an endogenous intracellular enzyme, localised in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and nuclear membrane with numerous properties, like anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant.

Our present study aims to ascertain the effect of AGEs on PON2 activity and expression, …

“You Have To First Recognize That There’S A Problem Before You Can Enact Change”: A Mixed-Methods Study Of General And Special Education Co-Teachers’ Critical Consciousness And Agency In Enacting Socially Just Inclusive Practices, Latifa Sebti

Theses and Dissertations

Inclusive education transcends the physical integration of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms, demanding a commitment toward socially just inclusive practices. The purpose of this exploratory mixed-methods study is to investigate inclusive co-teachers' critical consciousness and agency in socially just inclusive practices, specifically for students of color with disabilities. The quantitative phase, with a survey of 241 teachers, revealed a structural equation model showing relationships between critical awareness about intersectionality, attitudes toward inclusion, self-efficacy in inclusive teaching, agency, and critical action. The open-ended responses indicated two teacher profiles based on their level of critical consciousness. The qualitative phase included interviews …

Investigation Of The Regional Innovation System In Rural Region Of New Jersey: A Qualitative Single Case Study, Ketan N. Gandhi

Theses and Dissertations

This single-case study investigated how a partnership between a rural community college in New Jersey and a manufacturer of emerging optics equipment reflected the “regional networked innovation system,” a type of regional innovation system (Asheim & Isaksen, 2002, p.83). The regional innovation system explains a region's development and competitiveness based on a set of actors within a region, developing specific forms of capital derived from social relations, norms, values, and interactions with the community (Doloreux & Parto, 2005).

An Investigation Of The Interactions Of Gradient Coherence And Network Pruning In Neural Networks, Zachary Yauney

Theses and Dissertations

We investigate the coherent gradient hypothesis and show that the coherence measurements are different on real and random data regardless of the network's initialization. We introduce "diffs," an attempt at an element-wise approximation at coherence, and investigate their properties. We study how coherence is affected by increasing the width of simple fully-connected networks. We then prune those fully-connected networks and find that sparse networks outperform dense networks with the same number of nonzero parameters. In addition, we show that it is possible to increase the performance of a sparse network by scaling the size of the dense parent network it …

"I'Ll Stay Where You Want Me To Stay": How Latter-Day Saints Navigate Conflicting Social Values While Remaining Committed To Their Faith, Venice Jardine

Theses and Dissertations

While recent efforts in religious studies have focused on why many Americans seem to be leaving religion entirely, much less is understood about why many others choose to remain committed to their faith--especially when they hold many of the same social values, doubts, or divergent opinions that others cite for leaving. Within a Latter-day Saint context especially, very little research has been done to explore the experiences of those navigating the complexities of competing ethical affordances while remaining committed to their faith. Through ethnographic research in both Salt Lake County and New York City, I document the patterns and processes …

Developing Adult English Language Learners' Fluency And Pronunciation Skills Through Readers Theater, Francisca Constanza Jara Scholz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the impact of Readers Theater (RT) on the fluency and pronunciation skills of adult English language learners (ELLs) at an intermediate proficiency level. Readers Theater, a technique gaining attention in oral language skills development, involves transforming stories into scripts and performing them orally in a dramatic way. While there is limited empirical research on the extended use of this technique, this study employs a quasiexperimental design with control and treatment groups to evaluate its effectiveness based on temporal fluency measures and level achievement tests. Research has identified three particular temporal fluency measures that correlate with second language …

Physical Activity, Cardiorespiratory Fitness And All-Cause Mortality, Jorin Dane Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction Both elevated levels of physical activity (PA) and high cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality. The degree to which an individual's PA level and CRF status interact to influence mortality is not currently fully understood. This study investigated whether PA and CRF were independently related to all-cause mortality, and to what degree PA was associated with improved mortality risk in individuals with low CRF. Methods This is a prospective cohort study using health assessments on individuals gathered between 1975 and 2002. Health assessment data were matched with the National Death Registry to assess …

Sleep It Off? Exploring Sleep Duration And Bedtime Regularity As Potential Protective Moderators Of Early Adversity's Impact On Mental Health In Infancy, Childhood, And Adolescence, Sarah Lindsey Hipwell Kamhout

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are known to increase risk of mental health challenges throughout development, and sleep is known to decrease risk of mental health challenges. These have not been studied in tandem in younger cohorts. We investigated whether interactions between sleep duration and sleep regularity would moderate the impact of ACE exposure on risk for the development of mental health disorders. Methods: We conducted secondary cross-sectional analyses on the 2020-2021 waves of the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) (n = 92,669). We used logistic and ordinal regression to replicate known main effects of ACEs (total, household, community, …

Songs And Flowers Of The Wasatch: Rhetorical Aesthetics And Latter-Day Saint Women's Poetry, Jolyn D. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Although the literary quality of women's poetry from the nineteenth century has long been criticized by literary scholars, recent work in reception studies has documented readers' aesthetic experiences with such poetry in order to appreciate its popularity and appeal (Stauffer). Extending this work in literary reception studies, I draw on scholarship in rhetorical studies, specifically rhetorical aesthetics (Clark), to demonstrate how conventional poetic forms and sentimental appeals can be used by marginalized communities to facilitate identification. I examine Songs and Flowers of the Wasatch, a collection of primarily Latter-day Saint women's poetry compiled by Emmaline B. Wells for the 1893 …

Information Literacy In First Year Writing: A Case Study In Instruction, Rebekah A. Jakeman

Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence of the digital age, and the convenience of producing, accessing, and disseminating information, information literacy (IL) has become a prominent topic in higher education, especially in First-Year Writing (FYW) classrooms. Although much research exists about students' struggle to acquire IL dispositions and practices, there is less scholarship about teachers' attitudes towards IL and how they implement IL concepts in the classroom. Rise Smith proposes that to ensure students master IL skills, higher education must ensure that instructors understand, value and apply IL in their teaching. Therefore, my study focuses on instructors' self-efficacy surrounding IL and how it …

Type 2 Diabetes And Marital Quality Declines Moderated By Positive Health Behaviors, Rebekah Case Fankhauser

Theses and Dissertations

Type 2 diabetes affects more than one-quarter of older adults in the United States. Many older adults manage type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the context of marriage, although few studies have acknowledged the effect the illness has on marital quality. The current study examined how the presence of T2D in later life relates to marital quality, and how positive health behaviors--diet, physical activity, and sleep--can moderate the relationship between T2D and marital quality. Data from the 1,200 married older adults in the Life and Family Legacies study were used to estimate moderation models using structural equation modeling in Mplus. Results …

Perceptions Of Tesol Instruction From Varying Feedback Sources, Kylie J. Woffinden

Theses and Dissertations

Many studies in the field of preservice TESOL teacher education focus on expert teacher feedback to preservice teachers but neglect to address other sources of classroom feedback. This study explored how alternate sources of classroom feedback, including peer teachers and students, compare to expert feedback. A total of thirty participants from three different participant groups were featured. The three participant groups were composed of students studying at an intensive English lab school, preservice teachers who worked at the lab school, and the mentors and university instructors that guided those preservice teachers. Data collection took place through feedback sessions, during which …

The Effects Of Adverse And Positive Childhood Experiences On Childhood Mental Health And Behavior Problems, Jane Grace Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic childhood events with enduring repercussions on child well-being, while positive childhood experiences (PCEs) have been identified in emerging research as capable of offsetting the effects of ACEs. However, little research investigates the combined impact of ACEs and PCEs on child outcomes, which can inform better aid for children exposed to ACEs. The purpose of this study is to address these important gaps in existing ACE literature. Using data from the National Survey of Child Health (NSCH) 2020-2021 (N = 60,809), I examine the individual and interactive effects of ACE, PCEs, and gender on childhood …

“There’S A Term For That?”: Moral Injury In K-5 Teachers, Grace Ahn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how changes in the nature of teacher work due to factors such as high-stakes accountability systems and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to teachers’ experiences of moral injury. Understanding moral injury is important because it is an issue for teachers who remain in the profession and for those who decide to leave. Moral injury has been examined in the context of American Public Education and scholars have contributed to the growing body of moral injury in teachers. However, a review of the literature reveals the need for more empirical data to …

Lexical Entrenchment And Cross-Language Activation: A Look Inside The Bilingual Brain, Megan Myers

Theses and Dissertations

We used eye-movement measures to identify the extent to which lexical entrenchment and cross-language activation impact bilingual reading between languages with different alphabets. Specifically, we evaluated first fixation duration, first run dwell time, and total dwell time as predictors of lexical entrenchment and cross-language activation. Our data was collected from English-Russian bilinguals reading Russian material. We found that cross-orthographic neighborhood size has a statistically significant effect on eye movement, and phonetic neighborhood size has no significant effect on any of the eye behaviors analyzed.

Lessening Lacunas: A Genetic Critique And Literary Analysis Of Female Indigenous Characters In Maria Firmina Dos Reis's Gupeva, Xana Furtado

Theses and Dissertations

One year after publishing Úrsula (1860), Maria Firmina dos Reis (Brazil’s first female novelist) published Gupeva, a novella that acts as a continuation of José de Santa Rita Durão’s Caramurú: Poema épico do descubrimento da Bahia (1781). Gupeva depicts the ultimately tragic love between Épica, an indigenous woman, and Gastão, a French sailor. The novella was published twice more during Reis’s lifetime—once in 1863, with minimal orthographic changes, and again in 1865, this time with quite drastic modifications. The editors of Echo da Juventude, where the 1865 version was published, acknowledged these changes by asking readers to be "indulgentes para …

College Students' Perceptions Toward Native And Non-Native Chinese And Spanish Instructors, Xiaoce Ye

Theses and Dissertations

Since the recognition of the distinction between native and non-native language teachers in English Language Teaching (ELT), research has focused on understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both types of instructors. However, limited attention has been given to students' perceptions of native teachers (NSTs) and non-native foreign language teachers (NNSTs) beyond English instruction. This thesis delves into college students' perceptions of native and non-native Chinese and Spanish language instructors in language education, extending beyond the native/non-native English teacher debate. Drawing from existing literature on language teaching, this study contextualizes preferences and biases to provide an understanding of student perceptions. Employing …

Visualizing Intergenerational Kinship: Humor, Grief, And Youth-Led Resurgence In Reservation Dogs, Emily Catherine Huillet

Theses and Dissertations

Audiences have been drawn to Reservation Dogs (2021-2023) because of its life-giving humor and portrayal of contemporary Indigenous realities. Yet the series truly gains its rhetorical power as the creators pair humor with intergenerational kinship to process diverse forms of unresolved grief. In fact, through narrative, the filmmakers map out processing grief and bonding through humor as healthy components of intergenerational kinship, and they position Indigenous youth as leading that balanced approach to kinship. I refer to this artistic rhetorical mapping as visual kinship mapping and I view it as a filmic manifestation of cultural mapping processes described by Leanne …

Conservation And Management Of Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley: Quantifying Influences On A Traditional Capture Method And Long-Term Trends In Clutch Size, Janae Radke

Theses and Dissertations

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern that has undergone serious declines in the last century. The Strawberry Valley sage grouse population in Utah underwent such a decline from an estimated 3,500 sage grouse in the 1930s to 150 sage grouse in the early 2000s. This decline initiated a long-term conservation and monitoring project in Strawberry Valley with the goal of preserving the sage grouse population. As part of this ongoing conservation project, we investigated factors that impact the success of capturing sage grouse using the night-lighting method (Chapter 1). We found that capture success is …

The Advancement Of Experimental And Computation Tools For The Study Of Molten Salt Chemistry To Facilitate The Extraction Of Strategic Elements In Nuclear Applications, Michael Stoddard

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear energy presents environmental benefits, yet the challenge of radioactive waste management persists. Advanced solutions, such as Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), require a more profound understanding of molten salt chemistry. This research aims to develop tools, including a depletion simulator, molten salt electrochemical simulator, and a fluoride-based thermodynamic reference electrode for electrochemical purification. The computationally inexpensive depletion simulator allows for exploration into extraction and processing strategies for molten salt reactors. An illustrative case study on Mo-99 production from MSRs demonstrates the practical application of the theoretical framework, emphasizing the need for optimization in extraction effectiveness and separation difficulty. The electrochemical …

Trip - Transformer Interatomic Potential Predicts Realistic Energy Surface Using Physical Bias, Bryce Eric Hedelius

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate interatomic energies and forces enable high-quality molecular dynamics simulations, torsion scans, potential energy surface mapping, and geometry optimization. Machine learning algorithms have enabled rapid estimates of energies and forces with high accuracy. Further development of machine learning algorithms holds promise for producing general potentials that support dozens of atomic species. I present my own Transformer Interatomic Potential (TrIP): a chemically sound potential based on the SE(3)-Transformer. TrIP's species-agnostic architecture--using continuous atomic representation and homogenous graph convolutions--encourages parameter sharing between atomic species for more general representations of chemical environments, keeps a reasonable number of parameters, serves as a form of …

Arthur Is Only Sleeping: A Reawakening Of John Steinbeck's The Acts Of King Arthur And His Noble Knights, Caroline J. Raines

Theses and Dissertations

John Steinbeck, known for his descriptions of the American West, maintained a fascination with the Arthurian legend throughout his life and literary career. Through comparative analysis of Cup of Gold, Tortilla Flat, and The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, we can see Steinbeck's recurring interest in the Arthurian legend which is often overlooked by scholars. Steinbeck's initial interest in strict translation which evolved into adaptation over the course of his work on The Acts shows his developing interest in Arthurian themes which he enhanced with his own creative abilities as a world-renowned author. By highlighting the gap …

Psychotherapy Outcomes Of Sexual Minority College Students: A Comparison Of Religiously-Affiliated And Non-Religiously Affiliated U.S. Universities, Elise Burton Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares U.S. university counseling center therapy outcomes of Sexual Minority (SM) students who attend religiously-affiliated compared to SM peers who attend non religiously-affiliated institutions. Using archival data from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), we examined psychotherapy outcomes of 4257 SM student clients.We analyzed pre-treatment symptoms and post-treatment outcomes based on differences in Distress Index (DI) scores. We used the reliable change index (RCI) to separate outcomes into four groups based on the change in distress index level: no change, deteriorating, reliably improved, recovered from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Our participants (n = 4257) attended 34 religiously and …

Development Of Deployable Arrays For Satellites Through Origami-Pattern Design, Modeling, And Optimization, Nathan Mckellar Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents methods for modeling and optimizing an origami design using compliant mechanisms, improving origami design processes, modeling and analyzing rolling behavior of compliant designs, and an antenna design for SmallSats. A framework for the optimization of the origami Flasher pattern to mitigate issues with rigid-foldability is shown, and several optimization solutions are presented to overcome these issues. An alternative design method is presented which allows designers to more accurately predict the characteristics of a design in the deployed state, and configurations are shown for an example use case. A model for rolled gossamer structures is presented which predicts …

A Corpus Study Of The Effects Of Information Packaging On The Position Of Siempre And Nunca In The Spanish Verb Phrase, Rebekah Geddes

Theses and Dissertations

In Spanish, time adverbs show variability in their position with respect to the modified verb. This thesis investigates the effect of information packaging on the position of VP time-adverbs of frequency. Data were drawn from the Davies WEB Dialects Corpus. Two high-frequency verbs (dar and decir), as well as some of their less frequent near-synonyms (expresar, declarar, mencionar vis-à-vis decir, and ofrecer, entregar, and regalar vis-à-vis dar) were examined in relation to the adverbs siempre and nunca. The data show that when VP adverbs are part of sentence focus and do not have any special emphasis, they are found in …

Manuel Ponce: Father Of Mexican Nationalistic Music, Guillermo Sanchez Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) in early 20th-century Mexico serves as a precursor to the emerging nationalistic sounds sought after the 1910 revolution. Despite the challenges posed by Mexico's music education system, Ponce's private tutelage enabled him to achieve European standards, marking a significant progress in the broader efforts of 19th-century Mexican musicians to attain proper musical training. Ponce's method of creating an authentic Mexican sound involved reconstructing folklore music, blending it with European styles, and aligning himself with the Indigenismo movement. His compositional trajectory, marked by trips to Europe and distinct musical periods such as Romanticism, Nationalism, and …

"A Ghostly Roll Of Drums Remorselessly Beat The Measure Of Life": Mrs. Ramsay's Mediation Of Time And Memory In Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, Kirsten Walker Burningham

Theses and Dissertations

Virginia Woolf declares she was "obsessed" with her mother's presence. Though Julia Stephen died when Woolf was only thirteen, Woolf spent years negotiating her mother's astonishing influence, culminating in her novel To the Lighthouse. How does one square Woolf's obsession with her Victorian mother considering Woolf's progressive and feminist ideologies? I argue that Mrs. Ramsay--and by extension Julia Stephen--mediated time for their children as a byproduct of their role as maternal caregivers. This mediation is presented as an atmospheric quality or ambience as well as an intervention between subjective experiences and objective measures of time. The measurement and psychology of …

Entre Sombras Y "Bellas Artes": La Ciudad De México Como Escenario Noir En Distinto Amanecer (1943), Linda G. Villarreal Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Con Julio Bracho como director y Gabriel Figueroa en la fotografía, Distinto amanecer llega a las pantallas mexicanas en 1943. A pesar de que la acción de Distinto amanecer ocurre en la Ciudad de México y se conecta con una realidad nacional, el filme abre con un preámbulo que parece minimizar la importancia de esa geografía y de su contexto sociohistórico: “Los personajes de este drama no tienen relación alguna con personas de la vida real. El conflicto dramático que se presenta tiene características universales y puede, por ende, ser situado en cualquier ciudad del mundo contemporáneo”. Todo esto superpuesto …