Digital Commons Network^™

Stressors And Coping Strategies Of Undocumented Latinos In Therapy, Belinda Hinojos

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Undocumented Latinos are diagnosed with higher levels of anxiety, adjustment disorders, alcohol abuse, and other psychological problems compared to documented immigrant Latinos and U.S. born Latinos (Perez & Fortuna, 2005; Ramos-Sanchez, 2010). In addition, undocumented Latino immigrants may experience worries about their legal status and preoccupation with disclosure and deportation may increase the risk for emotional distress and impaired quality of health (Cavazos-Rehg et al., 2007). Currently, both state and proposed federal laws have become increasingly aggressive in regards to immigrants and immigrant rights. This may increase the amount of stress and anxiety undocumented individuals experience and may contribute to …

Strengths Versus Deficits: The Impact Of Gender Role Conflict And Counseling Approach On The Appeal Of Therapy For Men, Jeff Reznicek-Parrado

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current trends from the fields of mental health, criminal justice, and sociology suggest that despite men’s significant mental health problems (i.e. Moscick, 1995; Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2003; Greenfield & Snell, 1999; Follman, Aronsen, & Pan, 2013), they are much more reluctant to seek mental health help than women (Addis & Mahalik, 2003; Olfson & Marcus, 2010). Sociologists and psychologists have suggested that this disparity in help seeking can be largely explained by a cultural mismatch between the context of masculinity and the context of psychotherapy. Psychologists have called for a paradigm shift in the way clinical services are rendered …

Characterization Of Cereal Aphid Resistance In Tetraploid Switchgrass Populations (Panicum Virgatum L.), Kyle G. Koch

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., is a perennial warm-season grass that has been identified as a model species for the development of bioenergy crops in the United States. The objectives of this research were to evaluate selected switchgrass populations for host suitability and differential resistance to potential aphid pests, determine the categories (antibiosis, antixenosis, and/or tolerance) of resistance among selected switchgrass populations, and elucidate Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) feeding behavior on resistant and susceptible switchgrasses. Screens for host suitability of two switchgrass populations, Summer and Kanlow, and two experimental strains, KxS and SxK, revealed all switchgrasses were unsuitable feeding and reproductive hosts …

Zein: Novel Natural Polymer For Nanoparticle- And Film-Mediated Gene Delivery, Jessica D. Taylor

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Gene delivery, the introduction of DNA into cells, is applicable to gene therapy, DNA vaccination, functional genomics and diagnostics, tissue engineering, and drug-eluting medical devices. Particulates incorporating DNA are promising vehicles for gene delivery and overcome some of the barriers that hinder successful gene transfer, with the ability to protect DNA and provide for controlled, localized, and sustained release and transfection. Furthermore, innovative new gene delivery strategies that incorporate DNA particulates or complexes within films or coatings for devices and scaffolds could further provide for controlled and sustained transfection at the site of implant. Zein, a hydrophobic protein from corn, …

Changes In Avian Vocalization Occurrence And Frequency Range During The Winter, Amy I. Oden

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human population expansion has led to an increase in vehicle traffic and therefore vehicle noise. Traffic and traffic noise has been shown to affect avian abundance, breeding success, density and species diversity on the landscape. Documented changes in avian vocalizations due to traffic noise include shifts in amplitude, frequency, rate, timing, and duration of vocalizations along with a number of behavioral adaptations. During the winters of 2011–2012 and 2012–2013, we recorded and measured the “chick-a-dee” vocalization of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and the “po-ta-to-chip” vocalization of American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) to determine …

Recent Cases And Commentary

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

Politics Trump Science: The Collision Between No Child Left Behind And The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Ruth Colker

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

Monster Of Mourning, Ritual Of Remembering: Ishirô Honda’S Gojira, Sigmund Shen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

It is widely accepted among scholars that Ishiro Honda’s Gojira (1954) contains an allegory for the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Scenes involving Dr. Serizawa, the scientist who destroys the monster and commits suicide, reveal a combination of ambivalent affect, psychological defenses, and ritualistic body language that are inadequately explained by the nuclear metaphor, and suggest a more deeply repressed subtext. I argue that these moments allude to regret over the Meiji Era westernization of Japanese culture and guilt for an “open secret” of wartime biological weapons research and human experimentation conducted by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Subglacial Lake Vostok (Antarctica) Accretion Ice Contains A Diverse Set Of Sequences From Aquatic, Marine And Sediment-Inhabiting Bacteria And Eukarya, Scott O. Rogers, Yury M. Shtarkman, Zeynep A. Koçer, Robyn Edgar, Ram S. Veerapneni, Tom D'Elia, Paul F. Morris

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Lake Vostok, the 7th largest (by volume) and 4th deepest lake on Earth, is covered by more than 3,700 m of ice, making it the largest subglacial lake known. The combination of cold, heat (from possible hydrothermal activity), pressure (from the overriding glacier), limited nutrients and complete darkness presents extreme challenges to life. Here, we report metagenomic/metatranscriptomic sequence analyses from four accretion ice sections from the Vostok 5G ice core. Two sections accreted in the vicinity of an embayment on the southwestern end of the lake, and the other two represented part of the southern main basin. We obtained 3,507 …

Phase Transition Of Boolean Networks With Partially Nested Canalizing Functions, Kayse Jansen, Mihaela Teodora Matache

Mathematics Faculty Publications

We generate the critical condition for the phase transition of a Boolean network governed by partially nested canalizing functions for which a fraction of the inputs are canalizing, while the remaining non-canalizing inputs obey a complementary threshold Boolean function. Past studies have considered the stability of fully or partially nested canalizing functions paired with random choices of the complementary function. In some of those studies conflicting results were found with regard to the presence of chaotic behavior. Moreover, those studies focus mostly on ergodic networks in which initial states are assumed equally likely. We relax that assumption and find the …

Using Economic Instruments To Develop Effective Management Of Invasive Species: Insights From A Bioeconomic Model, Shana M. Mcdermott, Rebecca E. Irwin, Brad W. Taylor

Economics Faculty Research

Economic growth is recognized as an important factor associated with species invasions. Consequently, there is increasing need to develop solutions that combine economics and ecology to inform invasive species management. We developed a model combining economic, ecological, and sociological factors to assess the degree to which economic policies can be used to control invasive plants. Because invasive plants often spread across numerous properties, we explored whether property owners should manage invaders cooperatively as a group by incorporating the negative effects of invader spread in management decisions (collective management) or independently, whereby the negative effects of invasive plant spread are ignored …

Moderate Alcohol Use And Cardiovascular Disease From Mendelian Randomization, Shiu Lun Au Yeung, Chaoqiang Jiang, Kar Keung Cheng, Benjamin J. Cowling, Bin Liu, Weisen Zhang, Tai Hing Lam, Gabriel M. Leung, Mary Schooling

Publications and Research

Background
Observational studies show moderate alcohol use negatively associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, healthier attributes among moderate users compared to never users may confound the apparent association. A potentially less biased way to examine the association is Mendelian randomization, using alcohol metabolizing genes which influence alcohol use.

Methods
We used instrumental variable analysis with aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotypes (AA/GA/GG) as instrumental variables for alcohol use to examine the association of alcohol use (10 g ethanol/day) with CVD risk factors (blood pressure, lipids and glucose) and morbidity (self-reported IHD and CVD) among men in …

Purification And Characterization Of Enzymes From Yeast: An Extended Undergraduate Laboratory Sequence For Large Classes, Kelly E. Johanson, Terry J. Watt, Neil R. Mcintyre, Marleesa Thompson

Faculty and Staff Publications

Providing a project-based experience in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory class can be complex with large class sizes and limited resources. We have designed a 6-week curriculum during which students purify and characterize the enzymes invertase and phosphatase from bakers yeast. Purification is performed in two stages via ethanol precipitation and anion exchange chromatography, and students perform both direct and coupled enzyme assays. By completion of the experimental series, students are able to identify which enzymes they have purified and have obtained kinetic parameters for one. This experimental series requires minimal instructor preparation time, is cost effective, and works with multiple …

Suicide Attempts Among Emotionally And Behaviorally Disturbed Adolescents Removed From The Home, Faith M. Wanja

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between adolescent suicide behavior and the age of removal from home amongst children with emotional and behavioral disturbance. The study aims to determine whether a child�s removal from home can be counted as a viable basis for the development of suicide prevention programs and an expansion for evidence based practices. The study was conducted using archived de-identified data collected and provided by a private not-for-profit behavioral health treatment facility located in rural Kansas. The participants included male and female adolescents between the ages of thirteen to eighteen years old that were admitted …

Assessment In Secondary Environments: How Co-Teachers Navigate The Competing Demands Of Theory, Policy, And Practice, Sylvia Martinez Spruill

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The purpose of the current study was to examine how co-teachers in an inclusive environment perceive assessment as well as how they navigate and balance the challenges of a co-taught secondary classroom with assessment mandates from local and state levels. In this current era of accountability and assessment mandates, teachers have unprecedented pressure placed on them to effectively use assessment in the classroom. The literature suggests that teachers’ perceptions influence their instructional decisions, which includes the planning and implementation of assessment in the classroom. Also, co-teachers in secondary, inclusive classrooms have a particularly challenging task as ability levels in their …

Revenge Or Reconciliation? A Rejection-Based Model Of Firm-Induced Relationship Termination, Lucas Hopkins

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This study is the first to examine the effects of firm-induced relationship termination on customer rejection perceptions and firm-related outcome behaviors. A research model is developed that focuses on several key issues with respect to the post-termination process. First, the study explores how direct versus indirect termination styles influence a consumer’s feelings of relational evaluation. The author hypothesizes that indirect termination strategies lead to lower levels of rejection upon the dissolution of the relationship. Second, the author examines how the level of perceived rejection experienced by customers affects their subsequent emotions. Specifically, as a result of this rejection, customers may …

Do Open Access Electronic Theses And Dissertations Diminish Publishing Opportunities In The Social Sciences And Humanities? Findings From A 2011 Survey Of Academic Publishers, Marisa Ramirez, Joan T. Dalton, Gail Mcmillan, Max Read, Nancy H. Seamans

Library Scholarship

An increasing number of higher education institutions worldwide are requiring submission of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) by graduate students and are subsequently providing open access to these works in online repositories. Faculty advisors and graduate students are concerned that such unfettered access to their work could diminish future publishing opportunities. This study investigated social sciences, arts, and humanities journal editors’ and university press directors’ attitudes toward ETDs. The findings indicate that manuscripts that are revisions of openly accessible ETDs are always welcome for submission or considered on a case-by-case basis by 82.8 percent of journal editors and 53.7 percent …

Not Guilty By Reason Of Gender Transgression: The Ethics Of Gender Identity Disorder As Criminal Defense And The Case Of Pfc. Chelsea Manning, Madeline Porta

City University of New York Law Review

No abstract provided.

He Made The Books And He Died: The Fiftieth Anniversary Of Faulkner's Death, Philip M. Weinstein

English Literature Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Using Writing Assignments With Calibrated Peer Review To Increase Engagement And Improve Learning In An Undergraduate Environmental Science Course, Dana Ruggiero, Jon Harbor

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Learning outcomes for introductory college-level science classes include content knowledge and a range of critical thinking and analysis skills. In this context, rich writing assignments that engage students in researching content, constructing arguments, and critiquing other students’ work are highly desirable but unwieldy due to large enrollment. Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) is a web-based program that engages peers in writing and in reviewing each other’s writing. The authors explored whether students saw CPR as simply a way to improve writing skills, or if they also thought the process had other educational benefits. The researchers gathered student perspectives using open-ended qualitative …

Randomized Comparison Of Two Internet-Supported Fertility Awareness Based Methods Of Family Planning, Richard J. Fehring, Mary Schneider, Kathleen Raviele, Dana Rodriguez, Jessica E. Pruszynski

Randomized Comparison of Two Internet-Supported Methods of Natural Family Planning

Background: The aim was to compare the efficacy and acceptability of two Internet-supported fertility-awareness-based methods of family planning.

Study design: Six hundred and sixty-seven women and their male partners were randomized into either an electronic hormonal fertility monitor (EHFM) group or a cervical mucus monitoring (CMM) group. Both groups utilized a Web site with instructions, charts and support. Acceptability was assessed online at 1, 3 and 6 months. Pregnancy rates were determined by survival analysis.

Results: The EHFM participants (N=197) had a total pregnancy rate of 7 per 100 users over 12 months of use compared with 18.5 for the …

The Bioarchaeology Of Changes In Social Stratification, Warfare, And Habitual Activities Among Iron Age Samnites Of Central Italy, Vitale Sparacello

Anthropology ETDs

This study uses a bioarchaeological approach to investigate the behavioral and social correlates of changes in skeletal properties during the Iron Age of central Italy. This was a period of demographic growth, increase in sociopolitical complexity, and social stratification. Early states were developing from simpler forms of social aggregation, and expansionistic, large-scale warfare was beginning. I analyzed the mechanical properties of Iron Age human skeletons (844 individuals) from 11 necropoleis belonging to the Oscan ethno-linguistic group (Samnites). The analysis of grave goods allowed for a division of individuals by status categories. Iron Age samples show an increase in stature compared …

Tcap And Parcc Student Tests, Tennessee. Comptroller Of The Treasury.

Office of Research and Education Accountability

No abstract provided.

Nonspecific, Reversible Inhibition Of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels By Camkii Inhibitor Ck59, Andrew S. Kahrls, Michelle Mynlieff

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Investigation of kinase-related processes often uses pharmacological inhibition to reveal pathways in which kinases are involved. However, one concern about using such kinase inhibitors is their potential lack of specificity. Here, we report that the calcium–calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor CK59 inhibited multiple voltage-gated calcium channels, including the L-type channel during depolarization in a dose-dependent manner. The use of another CaMKII inhibitor, cell-permeable autocamtide-2 related inhibitory peptide II (Ant-AIP-II), failed to similarly decrease calcium current or entry in hippocampal cultures, as shown by ratiometric calcium imaging and whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology. Notably, inhibition due to CK59 was reversible; washout of …

Substance Abuse Via Legally Prescribed Drugs: The Case Of Vicodin In The United States, Wendy K. Caldwell, Benjamin Freedman, Luke Settles, Michael M. Thomas, Anarina Murillo, Erika Camacho, Stephen Wirkus

Faculty Articles

Vicodin is the most commonly prescribed pain reliever in the United States. Research indicates that there are two million people who are currently abusing Vicodin, and the majority of those who abuse Vicodin were initially exposed to it via prescription. Our goal is to determine the most effective strategies for reducing the overall population of Vicodin abusers. More specifically, we focus on whether prevention methods aimed at educating doctors and patients on the potential for drug abuse or treatment methods implemented after a person abuses Vicodin will have a greater overall impact. We consider one linear and two non-linear compartmental …

Evaluation Of Post-Residency Treatment Protocol Changes: A Web-Based Survey, John B. Gilbreth

Master's Theses

Clinical decision making in dentistry is multifactorial. Few studies have evaluated the influence of residency training on clinical treatment practices in dentistry. This study sought to explore the impact of resident training on post-graduate clinical protocol and the practitioner's rationale when making these decisions. Following IRB approval, a survey of 87 graduates from the Division of Endodontology at the University of Connecticut Health Center from 1978 to 2012 was administered. The method of temporization following nonsurgical endodontic therapy, dilution of sodium hypochlorite, instrumentation, treatment planning and endodontic sealer choice were evaluated and compared to the respondent’s residency training. The results …

Comparison Of Microbial Colonization And Periodontal Status Between Clear Aligners, Self-Ligating Brackets And Conventional Brackets-A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial., Aditya Chhibber

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Neural Correlates Of The Extreme Male Brain Theory In Adolescents With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorders, Audrey Meyer Carson

Dissertations (1934 -)

The Extreme Male Brain (EMB) theory (Baron-Cohen, 2003) is a behavioral theory of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), suggesting that the triad of behavioral impairments in ASD can be conceptualized psychologically as impairment in empathizing, coupled with a superior capacity for systemizing. Despite studies of the behavioral manifestations of this theory, it lacks neurological findings, specifically evidence of less coordinated activity between the left and right hemisphere in ASD (i.e. more lateralized activity). This study attempted to investigate neural correlates of the EMB theory utilizing EEG coherence, an index of neural connectivity, to determine if a more lateralized profile exists in …

Gold & Blue, Summer 2013, St. Mary's University- San Antonio, Texas

Gold & Blue

This is the Summer 2013 edition of Gold & Blue which is St. Mary's University's official school publication.

Sacred Heart University Magazine, Summer 2013, Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University Magazine

No abstract provided.