Digital Commons Network^™

Well Water Quality In Southern Butler County, Pennsylvania, Scott Mayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increase in unconventional shale gas extraction in Pennsylvania has resulted in an increased number of groundwater contamination claims. Well water quality was investigated in southern Butler County, PA where 387 unconventional gas wells have been drilled since 2006. A total of 121 households participated in a survey and 238 well water samples were tested. Specific conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen in these samples were measured in the field and seven anion concentrations and thirty metal concentrations were measured in the lab. A subset of 91 water wells was also tested for light hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, ethylene, propylene, propane, butane). …

Sin And The Story Of Salvation: The Theology Of Atonement In Light Of Biblical Narrative Theology, Mark Ortwein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary atonement theology offers three general conceptions of the cross: objective, subjective, and dramatic, which corresponds to Gustaf Aulén's classic tripartite typology. Although these different views are important since they contribute to a rich soteriology, when addressing the topic of atonement, or reconciliation proper, the objective type, promoted in satisfaction and penal substitution theories, are by comparison more compatible with Scripture when considering its larger narrative structure. This compatibility is attributable to the seriousness with which they construe the problem of sin that alienates humanity from God and places them in a predicament from which they are unable to extricate …

Microbial Arsenic Transformation In Near Subsurface Environments, Robert James Reiter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the first part of this study, environmental bacterial arsenic transformation was investigated in anthropogenically arsenic contaminated subsurface sediments from the former Vineland Chemical Company in Vineland, NJ. Subsurface sediments from the vadose (371 mg/kg arsenic) and aquifer (81 mg/kg arsenic) zones and an off-site surface sediment (0.7 mg/kg arsenic; control) were used as inocula for enrichment cultures with selective media to assess for microbial arsenic metabolic activity. Arsenite (As(III)), monomethyl arsenic acid (MMA) and dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA) were provided as electron donors, while arsenate (As(V)) was provided as an electron acceptor. An anion exchange chromatography method with conductivity …

Online Multimedia Learning: Predicting Learner Media Selections In The Visual And Verbal Domains, Natalie Toomey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate visualizer-verbalizer tendencies through the prediction of learner selection of online, multimedia learning options based on the characteristics of cognitive ability, spatial ability, cognitive style, and learning preference. These characteristics were used to predict the selection of text only, labeled image, and image and narration learning options in two, multimedia learning behavior tests via multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results of this study found that the factor of spatial ability influenced multimedia learning options such that as spatial ability increases, the likelihood of choosing labeled image learning option increases while the likelihood of choosing …

A Constructive Account Of Children's Moral Agency Drawing On Thomas Aquinas's Theory Of Emotions, Ann Vinski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation makes the case that children are moral agents engaged with the morality of their communities without being morally accountable as adults. Contemporary Christian theological anthropology holds that children are fully human and in the image of God, and that they are already encountering good and evil in the world. Childhood is viewed as an essential part of human life and as something that perdures throughout a person's existence. Through their emotions, children are able to engage with, make meaning of, and respond to their surroundings, and these early emotional experiences help to shape each person for the whole …

Rethinking Ethics Assessment In Health Technology Assessment: A Nonlinear Approach, Aimee Zellers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary question this dissertation aims to answer is how ethics can be meaningfully integrated into health technology assessment (HTA). The contribution of this dissertation is two-fold. The first is to provide an honest and critical evaluation of current HTA practices, including those that involve ethics assessments and that do not. This evaluation will identify gaps and deficiencies in current HTA practices. The second contribution of this dissertation is to propose an approach for meaningful ethics assessment. The nonlinear approach contains five methodologically sound phases aimed to support both ethics assessment and scientific progress. The approach will be applied to …

"I Love My Children... But I Hate Being A Mom" : Exploring Narratives Of Maternal Ambivalence In Anonymous, Digital Spaces, Christine M. Lacy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore narratives of maternal ambivalence displayed on an anonymous, digital discussion forum. This investigation based on an analysis of 341 written discussion posts shared on a message thread of a public website, which became an anonymous platform for mothers expressing negative feelings about mothering. This central questions of this study focus on how mothers' described their maternal ambivalence, what factors impact their ambivalence, whether they discuss guilt, shame, and social stigma associated with maternal ambivalence, and what participants reported gaining from their use of the site. The findings of this study suggest …

Substance Abuse And Music Use : Exploring Relationships Through Recovery, Andrew Culler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study considered the questions 'what is the relationship between music and substance abuse?', and 2) 'what is the role of music in treatment for/recovery from substance abuse?', through analysis of spoken interviews with 11 people in recovery from substance abuse—how they describe music's functioning in their lives and how they experience substance use/abuse, and recovery, as connected to music. The findings of this non-generalizable study suggest people seek out music as an outside object to alter, augment, or otherwise regulate self-states within changing environmental contexts, and that such a relationship becomes a continuity across descriptions of relationships between …

Ecotherapists' Perceptions About The Efficacy Of Their Work, Fiona C. Lundy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative, exploratory study sought to answer the question, what do ecotherapists think makes their nature-based therapy (NBT) work effective and for whom? Twelve American mental health clinicians who practice NBT's (including animal-assisted therapy (AAT), horticultural therapy (HT), nature-reconnection practices (NRP's), and wilderness therapy (WT)) regularly in their professional work were recruited using snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews revealed that practitioners explain NBTs' effectiveness by citing the biological, psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic power of the natural world, the different ways that NBT's are structured, and additional factors that are unknown. Participants shared varied views about whom ecotherapies best serve; some stated …

The Role Of Self-Compassion In Alcohol Use Disorders : An Exploratory Study : A Project Based On An Investigation At Servicenet, Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts, Kaitlyn M. Janicki

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The goal of this study was to replicate prior research that has examined differences between self-compassion, depression, anxiety and stress in adults with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). This is the first study that has compared levels of self-compassion by whether or not participants are in sober recovery. A clinical sample of 69 adults, who were currently in sober recovery or in treatment for an AUD, were administered a quantitative survey to assess various characteristics, which included: current depression, anxiety and stress levels; current alcohol use and related problems; and how they treat themselves during difficult times. Major findings were that …

Client Perceptions On The Therapeutic Quality Of Care When Disclosing Spiritual And Religious Beliefs : A Mixed Methods Study, Maia Nikitovich

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The spiritual and religious life of clients is an important clinical factor in therapy; it holds significant meaning and may support therapeutic outcome. This study explored client perceptions of the quality of care they received in therapy when disclosing their spiritual/religious life to their therapists as well as the factors that might contribute to their perceptions of care and disclosure. A total of 75 respondents participated in an online survey tool composed of quantitative and qualitative questions. Qualitative responses were coded and data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings showed that most clients (73%) shared some or all of their …

Gould Farm : Outcomes At A Psychosocial Therapeutic Community Reexamined : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, With Permission Of The Gould Farm, Monterey, Massachusetts, Frances Huberman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study reexamined the data on outcomes of programming with clients at Gould Farm, a psychosocial therapeutic community located in Monterey Massachusetts. The methods of treatment currently utilized at Gould Farm were explored and evaluated through this reexamination as well. The data was analyzed to determine if there was a positive change in client satisfaction scores on the Quality of Life Scale between the intake interview and the discharge interview, and additionally from the discharge interview to the six month follow up interview. The data was also analyzed to determine if there was a relationship between the length of stay …

Pregnancy, An Opportunity For Empowerment : A Trauma And Attachment Informed Approach To Creating A Corrective Relationship For Mothers With Trauma Histories And Subsequent Substance Abuse, Judith W. Kamara

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis examined how the capacity of a healthy pregnancy and birth and positive attachment could be a corrective experience for mothers with histories of trauma and subsequent substance use. Socratic questioning was used to help trauma and attachment-informed clinicians approach mothers in this population as an asset to their infants rather than viewing them as a risk, hopefully challenging the socially prevalent belief that these mothers should be treated punitively rather than receive treatment. The phenomenon also focused on this population of mothers rather than their infants as primary victim, examining individual and systemic factors that contribute to …

The Implementation And Acceptance Of Yoga Techniques For Children With Complex Trauma Among Practicing Clinicians, Danielle S. Martineau

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-method study was undertaken to determine acceptance and utilization rates of yoga techniques in treatment with children ages 5-17, with complex trauma among practicing-clinicians. Secondly, it was to explore beliefs of effectiveness and barriers of implementation of yoga in a therapeutic milieu. An online survey was sent through mass emails of local agencies, online social media sites through groups associated with trauma and mental health to determine practicing therapists' interests, utilization, beliefs of effectiveness, and barriers of implementation of yoga techniques in therapeutic practice with children with complex trauma. To qualify to participate in this study, one had to …

Macrophage Cox-2 As A Target For Imaging And Therapy Of Inflammatory Diseases Using Theranostic Nanoemulsions, Sravan Kumar Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Personalized medicine can be an approach to address the unsatisfactory treatment outcomes in inflammatory conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. A common feature of chronic diseases is the infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages at the disease loci. Infiltrating macrophages have been previously utilized for disease diagnosis. These features suggest that macrophages can be broadly applicable targets for simultaneous therapy and diagnosis. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of a lipid inflammatory mediator, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), is over expressed in macrophages infiltrating the pathological site. Inhibition of PGE2 leads to reduced inflammation, pain and macrophage infiltration. To utilize …

Computational Characterization Of Carboxyphosphate, Traci M. Clymer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carboxyphosphate (CP) is an important intermediate involved in reactions catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase, pyruvate carboxylase, N5-Carboxyaminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase, propionyl-CoA carboxylase, urea amidolyase, and carbamoyl phosphate synthetase. Despite its important role, properties for CP have never been reported due to its short estimated half-life (t1/2 70 ms). Thus, the high level ab initio methods, MP2 and CCSD(T), along with the DFT functionals: B3LYP, BB1K, M05-2X, M06-2X, and MPW1K were used to investigate the structure and energetics of CP in both vacuum and the PCM continuum solvation model of water. It was found that CP adopts a novel pseudo-cyclic structure featuring an …

Topographical Differences In Stress Vulnerability In Experimental Parkinson's Disease, Jessica M. Posimo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson's disease is characterized by the progressive spread of protein misfolding stress, or proteotoxicity, across the brain. During this protracted process, the allocortex of the temporal lobe develops protein inclusions before the neocortex in the frontal and parietal lobes. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that the staged appearance of proteotoxicity in allocortex followed by neocortex is the result of intrinsic vulnerability differences. We microdissected the neocortex and multiple subregions of the allocortex from rat brains and plated the primary neo- and allocortical neurons for parallel in vitro studies. Cells were then exposed to a number of Parkinson's …

Imaging Beneath Standing Bodies Of Water In Karst Terrain, Abdulrahman Masfer Alotaibi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Side scan sonar and down scan sonar, sub bottom profiling, electrical resistivity tomography profiling (underwater cables), and continuous resistivity profiling (towed cable) surveys were conducted to characterize the lake sediments (rock and soil) beneath the man-made Little Prairie Lake, in central Missouri. Sub bottom profiling and electrical resistivity (with marine cables and towed cable) were used to determine variability in the lithology and thickness of sediments (soil and rock) beneath the lake, while side scan sonar was used to map the variations in the lithology/nature of exposed lakebed sediments and to locate the potential hazard of trees. Down scan sonar …

Effects Of N-Acetylcysteine Amide In Preventing/Treating Cataracts, Sri Krishna Yasaswi Maddirala

Doctoral Dissertations

"Cataract, the opacification of an eye lens, is a common pathological abnormality of the lens accounting for approximately 50% of all blindness. The only effective treatment currently available for a cataract is the surgical removal of the affected lens and replacement with an artificial lens for the restoration of vision. Although, cataract surgery is considered to be a very successful procedure in terms of visual outcome, the cost of surgery, need for trained personnel and surgeons, and postsurgical complications, limit the worldwide availability and accessibility of this procedure. Hence, alternative preventive and treatment procedures are worthy of investigation. The lens …

Occurrence, Monitoring And Removal Of Drinking Water Contaminants By Advanced Technologies, Danielle Marie West

Doctoral Dissertations

"In order to maintain drinking water primary standards compliance under the USEPA Stage 2 Disinfectant Disinfection Byproducts Rule, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are switching from free chlorine (FC) to chloramines (MCA). Concerns are raised as MCA disinfection has been linked N-nitrosamine formation. N-nitrosamines are a group of nitrogenous DBPs (N-DBPs) which are highly carcinogenic in comparison to regulated DBPs (THMs and HAAs, generated by FC disinfection). Also in the forefront of drinking water concerns are other emerging drinking water contaminants such as perchlorate. Perchlorate is a contaminant which can enter drinking water from natural deposits or through introduction by …

Maximum Entropy Modeling Of Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis) Maternity Roost Habitat, Joseph Robert Lemen

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Since 1967, the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) has been on the U.S. Endangered Species list due to disruption of hibernating bats in caves, summer habitat degradation, and more recently, the onset of White-nose Syndrome. The purpose of this study is to evaluate landscape variables associated with Indiana bat maternity roost trees in an attempt to better understand what factors play a role in their distribution in north central Missouri. I tracked reproductive female Indiana bats to 20 different primary and secondary roost trees; these are roosts that had multiple bats visit them on multiple occasions. GPS location data for these …

Nesting Success And Parental Behavior Of The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria Citrea) In Southwestern Missouri, Kathryn Marie Siverly

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The breeding biology and singing rates of Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) were studied in southwestern Missouri in 2014 and 2015, using wooden nesting boxes. Data were collected on clutch and brood sizes, the numbers of young fledged, parental care and male singing rates. Five pairs were studied over the course of the two summers. Of 28 eggs laid, 14 young fledged. In 2015, significant flooding resulted in the loss of all young and eggs for that year. First clutches were larger than second clutches. Observations suggest females may contribute more to the care of offspring, in terms of foraging and …

Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Promotes Peripheral And Central Trigeminal Sensitization, Lauren Elise Cornelison

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Temporomandibular joint disorder is characterized by peripheral and central sensitization of trigeminal nociceptive neurons. Although CGRP is implicated in the development of central sensitization by stimulating glial activation via its receptor, the mechanism by which CGRP promotes and maintains sensitization of trigeminal nociceptive neurons is not well understood. The goal of my study was to investigate the role of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) on the initiation and maintenance of a nocifensive withdrawal response to mechanical stimulation following activation of primary trigeminal sensory neurons. For my studies, I used adult male Sprague Dawley rats that were injected with CGRP alone or …

Archaeological And Historical Research To Establish The Jasper County, Missouri Civil War Museum And Park, Christopher Dennis Dukes

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In May, 1863 a group of Confederate guerillas led by Major Thomas Livingston attacked Union troops at William Rader’s farm in western Jasper County Missouri. The guerillas killed eighteen Union troops, who were unarmed at the time, and mutilated their bodies. Most of them were from the first African American regiment of the civil war. The following day Union troops retaliated by burning the town of Sherwood, Missouri and multiple homesteads in the area. These events caused an increase in the brutality of the civil war in Southwest Missouri. To commemorate these conflicts and provide a “living history” site for …

The Effects Of Phosphorus And Nitrogen Fertilization On Tall Fescue Nutrient Content, Yield And Baleage Quality, Cheyenne Adele Arthur

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is a cool season perennial grass commonly used in year-round forage production systems. Producers often wrap large round bales of tall fescue in plastic. The fermented product of this practice, termed baleage, allows the forage to be stored for later feeding. During periods of rapid growth in the spring and the fall, the nutrient content of tall fescue can be imbalanced and cause nutritional disorders in grazing animals. To improve the nutrition of tall fescue, it is known that fertilization of phosphorus (P) can help improve leaf nutrient content of P, magnesium (Mg), and calcium …

Sisters Before The Fall, Heather Lanae Captain

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This thesis comprises the first fourteen chapters of a fiction entitled "Sisters Before the Fall", which brings to the forefront extreme, yet, real abuses faced by women in the Middle East and the northeastern countries of Africa. Those abuses are the result of social, political, and cultural influences, and include general repression of women and girls, female genital mutilation, marriage of prepubescent girls, and the slave trade. A female American volunteer and a female Hispanic doctor meet these women in a humanitarian compound in western Sudan. As they work together to overcome challenges brought on by war, they realize they …

Safe And Sound: How Adr Can Protect Aquatic Life And National Security, James Diskint

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Part I of this Note examines the background of the LFA conflict, introducing the reader to the parties involved in the litigation, the nature of LFA sonar technology, the applicable statutory laws, and the litigation history. Part II outlines ADR procedures and proposes that ECR mediation would serve as an ideal forum for the LFA dispute. ECR involvement would help protect both aquatic life and national security by empowering the parties to collaboratively find creative solutions to complex problems and reach closure from the unending cycle of litigation.

Fitting The Forum To The Pernicious Fuss: A Dispute System Design To Address Implicit Bias And 'Isms In The Workplace, Elayne E. Greenberg

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This paper proposes a dispute system design to address workplace discrimination caused by implicit biases so that employees and employers involved in such disputes can secure a more responsive justice than existing legal processes are able to provide. Workplace discrimination caused by implicit bias continues to contaminate our work environment despite our focused legal efforts to combat such overt "isms" as sexism, racism, ageism, and ableism. Although overt expressions of bias have significantly decreased in recent years, expressions of implicit bias, the primary cause of workplace discrimination, persist.

This discussion takes place in three parts. Part One describes implicit bias, …

Evidence For Distinct Coastal And Offshore Communities Of Bottlenose Dolphins In The North East Atlantic., Machiel G. Oudejans, Fleur Visser, Anneli Englund, Emer Rogan, Simon N. Ingram

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Bottlenose dolphin stock structure in the northeast Atlantic remains poorly understood. However, fine scale photo-id data have shown that populations can comprise multiple overlapping social communities. These social communities form structural elements of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) [corrected] populations, reflecting specific ecological and behavioural adaptations to local habitats. We investigated the social structure of bottlenose dolphins in the waters of northwest Ireland and present evidence for distinct inshore and offshore social communities. Individuals of the inshore community had a coastal distribution restricted to waters within 3 km from shore. These animals exhibited a cohesive, fission-fusion social organisation, with repeated resightings …

Farm Work As Treatment For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Mindy L. Walls

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory, descriptive study assessed what, if anything, is beneficial about engaging in agricultural work, or, farm work, for individuals living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An anonymous, online survey was utilized, asking a series of multiple choice and open ended questions about the participants’ farm work history, PTSD experience, and demographic information. Thirty-nine participants responded with varying identities and work history, but many shared experiences of PTSD. Almost all of the participants found farming to be beneficial for managing PTSD. Specifically, four themes arose from the data that explained what about farming was beneficial for individuals with PTSD: farming …