Digital Commons Network^™

How Do Professional Learning Communities Foster Strong Career And Technical Education Programs Of Study In Illinois Public High Schools?, Wendy Custable

Dissertations

This research study examines how Illinois public high school Career and Technical Education educational leaders employ best practices in providing all students rigorous, relevant, and equitable learning experiences within a professional learning community structure.

This study utilized a mixed method two-tier case study methodology. Tier one consisted of a survey administered to 605 Illinois public high school Career and Technical Education leaders, outside of the Chicago Public School system, with 72 leaders who responded. This survey asked the leaders questions about what CTE programs their schools offered students and how they provided these students rigorous, relevant, and equitable learning experiences …

Toward The Development Of The Stereotypical Roles Of Black Young Men Scale, Amber Hewitt

Dissertations

There is a significant amount of literature on identity development in general, but there is a dearth of research focusing on identity development in relation to how other processes and constructs influence the identity development of African American young men. One such construct is the presence of stereotypical roles. The primary purpose of this study was to create a reliable and valid measure of the stereotypical roles of African American young men. This study explored the relationship between the endorsement of stereotypical roles, stigma consciousness, and masculinity of African American young men. African American young men (n = 164) between …

Liberian Refugee Women's Personal Narratives On The Effects Of War On Motherhood, Florence Wanjiru Kimondo

Dissertations

One major effect of displacement by war and subsequently living in a refugee

camp is the disruption of the social, cultural, economic and legal institutions of

communities; this affects parenting and a child's development. Few research studies

address the effects of war, political upheaval, and displacement on parenting, specifically

the experience of motherhood and the cultural socialization process of children. Yet, most

research points at the undeniable connection between social and cognitive competence

and the social and physical context, with changes in these contexts influencing the

competencies parents' inculcate in their children. Furthermore,

there is sparse literature focusing specifically on …

Psychosocial Distress Mediates Immune Dysregulation Through Alterations In Global Epigenetic Patterns And Chromatin Remodeling Proteins, Karen Krukowski

Dissertations

Psychosocial distress, characterized by increased perceived stress, anxiety and mood disturbance, is a common response of women to a diagnosis of breast cancer (Northouse, 1992; Pettingale et al., 1988; Stark and House, 2000; Witek-Janusek et al., 2007). This psychosocial distress leads to activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and increased circulating glucocorticoids (GCs) (Chrousos, 2000; Chrousos and Gold, 1992; Schoneveld and Cidlowski, 2007). Increased psychosocial distress and increased HPA activation can lead to immune dysregulation consisting of reduced natural killer (NK) cell activity (NKCA) (Biondi, 2001; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 1987; Kiecolt-Glaser et al., 2002; Witek-Janusek et al., 2008; Witek-Janusek et …

Just Like Everyone Else? Locating South Asians In 21st Century American Popular Media, Bhoomi K. Thakore

Dissertations

In the 21st century, representations of South Asians in American popular media have grown exponentially. This is a particularly interesting phenomenon when considering the status that South Asians occupy in the American racial hierarchy. In Just Like Everyone Else? Locating South Asians in 21st Century American Popular Media, I examine audience perceptions of South Asian/Indian characters and actors in American popular media. My research is guided by the following question: to what extent do audience perceptions of South Asians in U.S. popular media reflect pre-existing ideologies of race, gender, ethnicity, and immigration? Using data from 155 open-ended online questionnaires and …

Remembering The Cultural Trauma Legacies Of Slavery: African American Young Adult Perceptions On Racism, Ethnic Identity, And Racial Socialization, Kimya Pearl Barden

Dissertations

The purpose of this research investigation is to explore cultural trauma theory on African American young adult development. Cultural trauma theory asserts the adverse cross-cultural encounter, North American slavery, reproduces intergenerational psychosocial legacies for contemporary African Americans. Accordingly, cultural trauma theory is used to explore with African American young adults three "slave" legacies: ethnic identity formation, perceptions of racism, and racial socialization experiences. A qualitative case study approach is used for (N=26) participants enrolled in either college or a GED program. Each young adult participates in either an individual or focus group interview. To aid in data triangulation, older African …

Funk My Soul: The Assassination Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. And The Birth Of Funk Culture, Domenico Rocco Ferri

Dissertations

Few can deny that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s untimely death had a profound impact on American life. In this dissertation, I argue that the assassination inspired musicians, producers, artists, and consumers across the nation to reconstruct soul music and, in its place, construct the cultural idiom known as funk. Narrating the process by which black artists' embraced and popularized funk modes of expression, this dissertation traces how the genre extended directly from post-assassination trauma and attempted to provide a purposeful announcement of black solidarity and an uncensored narrative of the black American experience. In telling the story of funk, …

A Survey Study Of Prepare Workshop Participants' Application Of Knowledge, Confidence Levels, And Utilization Of School Crisis Response And Recovery Training Curriculum, Brian Richard Lazzaro

Dissertations

This survey study investigated the effects of the National Association of School Psychologists PREPaRE Workshop 2 training on workshop participants. PREPaRE is a comprehensive crisis prevention and intervention model that is specifically designed for schools. This study evaluated the impact of the PREPaRE model and the training of school psychologists in terms of (a) can school psychologists apply the knowledge gained when responding to crisis situations as a result of the PREPaRE training? (b) what are school psychologists' perceptions of their confidence in responding to an actual crisis situation? (c) and have school psychologists utilized PREPaRE response and recovery techniques …

Going Beyond Phosphorylation: Acetylphosphate-Mediated Ran Polymerase Acetylation And Caper Phosphorylation Co-Regulate Transcription Of Escherichia Coli Stress-Responsive Gene Cpxp, Bruno P. Lima

Dissertations

The ability of bacteria to sense and adapt to environmental changes has al-lowed these organisms to thrive in all parts of the globe and to establish many complex interactions with the environments they live as well as other members of these environments. Crucial to monitoring extracellular conditions is a group of signaling pathways known as two-component signal transduction system (2CST). These systems relay information from the extracellular environment to the interior of the cell via a transfer of phosphoryl groups from the sensory protein know as sensor kinase (SK) to the output protein known as response regulator (RR).

In addition …

Expression Of Cytosolic Peroxiredoxins In Plasmodium Berghei Ookinetes Is Regulated By Environmental Factors In The Mosquito Bloodmeal, Benjamin A. Turturice, Michael A. Lamm, James J. Tasch, Angelika Zalewski, Rachel Kooistra, Eric H. Schroeter, Sapna Sharma, Shin-Ichiro Kawazu, Stefan M. Kanzok

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Plasmodium ookinete develops over several hours in the bloodmeal of its mosquito vector where it is exposed to exogenous stresses, including cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). How the parasite adapts to these challenging conditions is not well understood. We have systematically investigated the expression of three cytosolic antioxidant proteins, thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1), peroxiredoxin-1 (TPx-1), and 1-Cys peroxiredoxin (1-Cys Prx), in developing ookinetes of the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei under various growth conditions. Transcriptional profiling showed that tpx-1 and 1-cys prx but not trx-1 are more strongly upregulated in ookinetes developing in the mosquito bloodmeal when compared to ookinetes growing under …

Bonding Alone: Familism, Religion, And Secular Civic Participation, Young-Il Kim, W. Bradford Wilcox

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

This study examines the influence of familism, religion, and their interaction on participation in secular voluntary associations. We develop an insularity theory to explain how familism and religion encourage Americans to avoid secular civic participation. Using data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households, this study finds that familism reduces participation in secular organizations. Moreover, religion moderates the effect of familism: specifically, religious involvement tends to increase the negative effect of familism on secular civic participation. Although religious involvement in and of itself fosters secular civic participation, strong familism tends to dampen positive impacts of …

Behavior And Ecosystem Effects Of The Invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula Fluminea) In Urban Streams, Kayla Turek

Master's Theses

Invasive species can be detrimental to freshwater ecosystems. By completing laboratory and field studies to observe processes and behaviors of the invasive Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea), I documented pathways whereby this invasive species impacts aquatic ecosystems under conditions typical of urbanized streams I found. The predominant pathways by which clams impacted nitrogen (N) cycling was through excretion thus increasing ammonium (NH4+) flux out of sediment and through bioturbation, which increased nitrate (NO3-) diffusion to the sediment and dinitrogen gas (N2) production (i.e., denitrification). The effect was greater under urban conditions, where C. fluminea population density and water column NO3- were …

Exploring Predicted Vs. Actual First To-Second Year Retention Rates: A Study Of Evangelical Lutheran Church In America Colleges, Brenda Porter Poggendorf

Dissertations

Retention of students is a critical area of much needed attention on nearly every college campus. It is important to students who want to succeed in college and beyond, to institutions that desire high efficiency and prestige, and increasingly to state and federal leaders. Retention of students in college affects a broad range of stakeholders, from the self-esteem and financial stability of students to the fiscal health, well-being and leadership of our country.

Using Astin's model of inputs-environment-outputs (1993) as a guide, this study seeks to understand institutional environmental factors that may impact the retention of students from their first-to-second …

Understanding The Consequences Of Interpersonal Confrontation: The Role Of Goal Pursuit In Men's Responses To Being Confronted As Sexist, Dana E. Wagner

Dissertations

Research investigating interpersonal outcomes resulting from confrontation of bias shows mixed results. Some studies show that men expect to react harshly when imagining confrontation (Saunders & Senn, 2009), whereas other research finds that men often react well when actually confronted (Mallett & Wagner, 2011). The current studies investigated this inconsistency by exploring the role of men's interaction goals on men's goal-directed compensation and interpersonal outcomes following confrontation. In Study 1, I measured accessibility of three goals (liking, respect, egalitarian) after men either imagined or experienced confrontation for sexist or uninformed behavior (gender-neutral). An egalitarian goal was the most accessible goal …

The Costumed Catholic: Catholics, Whiteness, And The Movies, 1928 - 1973, Albert William Vogt Iii

Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation examines the impact movies had on the place of Catholics of European descent in mainstream white America. Most scholars who study the history of Catholic populations in this country assume that they attained whiteness at some point. Whether with the Irish in the late nineteenth century, or more generally when urban parishes began the move to the suburbs post-World War II, the historiography claims that Catholics earned white status. However, an analysis of twentieth century American film complicates the historiography of Catholicism. A set of negative stereotypes, instead, have colored the presentation of the religion in cinema …

The Effects Of An Experiential Learning And Mentorship Program Pairing Medical Students And Persons With Cognitive Impairment: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Darby J. Morhardt

Dissertations

The United States population is aging rapidly and with it a tremendous rise in the number of people with dementia. In the future, as now, physicians and other health care professionals will likely provide the majority of health care for older people and those with dementia. The non-geriatric trained workforce must have the attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to provide high quality care for this aging and increasingly cognitively impaired population. There is evidence that prevailing stigma regarding older adults can be modified with experiential opportunities early in students' career. Few of these programs are aimed at persons with dementia. …

Defining A Role For Inducible Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70i) In Mediating Autoimmune Vitiligo, Jeffrey Alan Mosenson

Dissertations

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of melanocytes, leaving 0.5% of the population with progressive depigmentation. Current treatments offer limited efficacy. Observations that heat shock proteins (HSPs) can serve as adjuvants in antitumor vaccines first suggested to us a link between HSPs and stress-induced vitiligo. Such proteins are marvelously well conserved throughout evolution, which has placed them in the spotlight for helping to understand the intriguing relationship between infection and immunity. Intracellularly, inducible heat shock protein 70 (HSP70i) is upregulated by stress and helps protect cells from undergoing apoptosis. In times of stress, melanocytes will secrete antigen bound …

The Religion Of Consumption And Christian Neighbor Love, Christopher Porter

Dissertations

Loyola University Chicago

THE RELIGION OF CONSUMPTION AND CHRISTIAN NEIGHBOR LOVE

Consumerism is a word frequently used in various disciplines to express the variety of attitudes, motivations, and practices found among the middle and upper classes. It drives the global economy and influences individuals' socio-psychological perceptions. Some have gone so far as to call consumerism a religion, yet they have not substantiated this claim. This dissertation offers a framework that accounts for consumerism as a religion both as a person's ultimate concern and as a structuralized belief system. As such, it prescribes moral values that shape how people respond to …

Religious Pluralism And The Catholic Church: Lonergan's Method And The Jacques Dupuis Controversy, Andrea J. Stapleton Berger

Dissertations

This project applies Lonergan's method to the controversy that resulted from the censure of Jacques Dupuis by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith over his book, Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism. The application of Lonergan's method reveals the potential for the resolution of the issues presented by Dupuis in the area of developing a Catholic theology of pluralism as well as the tension between the Catholic Magisterium and the work of Catholic theologians.

Brown V. Entertainment Merchants Association: "Modern Warfare" On First Amendment Protection Of Violent Video Games, Jessica Fisher

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Findings From Santa Cruz County’S “Roots & Wings” Initiative, Kathy Lemon Osterling, Amy D'Andrade

Faculty Publications

This report provides new findings on three outcome areas within the Roots and Wings Initiative: 1) systems change to promote concurrent planning and permanency (Staff Permanency Survey results), 2) recruitment and licensing outcomes, 3) Resource home questionnaire results, and 4) long-term outcomes related to permanency, placement stability and sibling placements. Overall, there are a number of indicators that are changing in the intended direction, suggesting that Roots and Wings activities are influencing key outcomes.

Are Rural People More Anti-Immigrant Than Urban People? A Comparison Of Attitudes Toward Immigration In The U.S., Carlos E. Garcia, T. Davidson

Faculty Publications, Sociology

Immigration to the United States has increased markedly in the past two decades, including significant growth in rural areas. Using General Social Survey data we compare rural and urban attitudes toward immigration in the United States. Our analyses reveal that, first, overall opposition is more pronounced in rural areas. Second, notions of a distinct American identity matter for urban, but not rural, residents. Third, beliefs about immigration are salient predictors in both regions. Fourth, political ideology is a determinant exclusively among rural residents, whereas political affiliation is a determinant solely among urban residents. Fifth, race and education level are significant …

2012-2013 Annual Report, Society Of American Archivists Student Chapter

Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Placing The Suspect Behind The Keyboard: Using Digital Forensics And Investigative Techniques To Identify Cybercrime Suspects, Thomas Nash

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In this must read for any aspiring novice cybercrime investigator as well as the seasoned professional computer guru alike, Brett Shaver takes the reader into the ever changing and dynamic world of Cybercrime investigation. Shaver, an experienced criminal investigator, lays out the details and intricacies of a computer related crime investigation in a clear and concise manner in his new easy to read publication, Placing the Suspect behind the Keyboard. Using Digital Forensics and Investigative techniques to Identify Cybercrime Suspects. Shaver takes the reader from start to finish through each step of the investigative process in well organized …

Book Review: Iphone And Ios Forensic: Investigation, Analysis And Mobile Security For Apple Iphone, Ipad And Ios Devices, Simson Garfinkel

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In April 2011 news outlets around the world revealed shocking news about Apple’s iPhone: for reasons that were not apparently clear, every iPhone contained a small SQLite database that logged where and when the user had been whenever the phone was turned on, and those records went back for pretty much as long as the user had owned their phone. Apple eventually declared that the data cache was the result of a bug and issued a software update to prune the database (it had previously grown without limit). Privacy activists rejoiced that their beloved iPhones were once again trustworthy. But …

Factors That Impact Pseudo-Nitzschia Spp. Occurrence, Growth, And Toxin Production, Naomi Downes-Tettmar

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This work investigates, for the first time, the Pseudo-nitzschia (PN) dynamics in the western English Channel (L4) and the environmental factors impacting on domoic acid (DA) production in these waters. This is combined with laboratory studies examining key environmental factors and the multifactorial impact of multiple macronutrient and micronutrient availability on PN growth and DA production. An LC-MS method was established, optimised, and compared with ELISA for the accurate and reproducible extraction and determination of particulate and dissolved DA. The method was used to measure the seasonal variation in DA at L4 during 2009 and this was compared to PN …

Allotments And Alternative Food Networks: The Case Of Plymouth, Uk, Wendy M Miller

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Alternative food networks (AFNs) are the focus of an ‘explosive growth’ of research in Europe (Goodman 2004), and the term covers a wide range of activities, from food banks, community gardens, and farmers’ markets, to community supported or organic agriculture. However, there is an impasse in differing positions over whether AFNs represent an exclusionary place-based ‘quality turn’ (Ilbery and Kneafsey 2000), or whether they contribute to inclusive local communities, sustainability and food security (Tregear 2011, Kirwan and Maye 2013). This research aimed to clarify these debates, through exploration of UK allotments as a benchmark for AFNs, using the case of …

Suicide In Adults Aged 75 And Over In Cornwall: An Epidemiological And Case Study Analysis, Sarah Buckingham

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Introduction/Background: Suicide in older people is a historically neglected research area. Local audits had suggested that Cornwall had a higher than average suicide rate, and people aged 75 years and over appeared to be at particularly high risk. Heterogeneity between studies and variations in presenting suicide statistics can make comparison of rates difficult. Aims: The study aimed to explore in depth the epidemiology of suicide in elderly people in Cornwall, to develop an understanding of the risk factors (including sources of stress), suicide methods, locations, and warnings, and consequently to identify potential preventive strategies. Methods: A mixed methods approach was …

Redefining Murder: Joint Enterprise, Nicola Mitchell-Rod

The Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review

This article explores the evolution of secondary liability and the unforgiving doctrine of joint enterprise in homicide cases. Exploration of the current law ensues to determine if the distinct decisions of their Lordships in both Powell and Rahman have failed to sufficiently clarify the law; followed by in depth analysis of the Law Commission and Ministry of Justice proposals to reform this infamously disputed area of law.

Why Is There Lack Of Recognition For British Children Who Are Victim To Internal Trafficking For Sexual Exploitation?, Anne Westcott

The Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review

Child trafficking has been conceptualised as 'modern day slavery'. Slavery has been held up as the worst possible exploitation in human history (Lee, 2007). For more than 20 years UK governments have ratified United Nation Conventions and Protocols and rescheduled laws in its effort to eradicate this crime. However, despite such political commitment, in reality thousands of British children are still victims to internal trafficking for sexual exploitation in the UK today. Over the last 10 years the UK government has employed agencies, in the shape of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC), the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and the …