Digital Commons Network^™

Resiliency Of Multiple-Placed Foster Youth Experiencing Emotional Competence: A Mixed-Methods Study, Audrey Murph-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to address the resilient processes of multiple placed foster youth to develop age-appropriate emotional competence. Adding texture to the study was the role played by race and culture. Inherent to the study were the voices of successful multiple-placed foster youth. The research attempted to respond to gaps in the literature regarding African American and Hispanic youth placed in foster placements that, if better understood, can positively impact the livelihoods of other multiple-placed foster youth. The minor participants, 10 to 17 years old, selected for this study were no longer wards of the state, having been …

Perceptions Of Recipients Of A Florida High School Dropout Prevention Program’S Scholarship About The Influence Of Mentoring And Student Advocacy On Success And Persistence In Higher Education, Tracy Lyn Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to help a specific Florida high school dropout prevention program better understand the factors that influence the postsecondary persistence rates of their scholarship recipients. The program administrators want to explore the scholarship recipients’ perceptions regarding the role of mentoring and student advocacy in his/her academic success or college persistence. To understand the scholarship recipients experience better, a mixed methods study was conducted with current program scholarship recipients to gain insight into the individual student’s perception of factors including mentoring and student advocacy that influenced student success and completion in college.

Information gained from the student …

The Impact Of Acculturation On Perceptions Of Elder Abuse And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Elderly Polynesians, Myra Halaevalu Te’O Aukusitino

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was conducted to determine whether or not acculturation affects the process of help-seeking patterns and behaviors for Polynesian victims of elder abuse. The researcher utilized a quantitative correlation design to employ structured survey measures to collect statistical data to determine the impact of acculturation on perception of elder abuse and help-seeking behaviors among elderly Polynesians. Acculturation was measured using the Polynesian Self-Identify Acculturation Scale and the 13 case scenarios developed by Moon and Williams. The study looked at the extent to which elderly Polynesians perceived that the scenarios depicted abusive situations, and to what extent they indicated …

Best Practices Of Actively Engaged Volunteers Within A Megachurch, John M. Chase

Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of churches, recruiting, engaging, and retaining volunteers is essential for

churches to thrive. This applied dissertation was designed to identify best practices for

recruiting, engaging, and retaining volunteers within a megachurch. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify those factors that draw people to volunteer, keep them volunteering, and lead to their work satisfaction while they volunteer in a megachurch. The effect of demographics on volunteer satisfaction and engagement were also identified. The final product of this study was a set of best practices for any church to use to improve its volunteer program.

The …

Analysis Of Attitudes, Gender, And Beliefs Of Adolescent Students Concerning Interactive Technology, Courtney L. Teague

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide insight about the perceptions of middle school students attending a Title I school about technology use and careers. Using a mixed methods approach, the researcher explored the beliefs and circumstances that affect attitudes and behaviors in technology usage by eighth-grade boys and girls. The research questions for this study included: 1) female Title I middle school students' perceptions of interactive technology, 2) male Title I middle school students' perceptions of interactive technology, and 3) gender differences towards interactive technology. Data were collected from six focus group participants and 226 students who completed a …

Weed And Water Law: Regulating Legal Marijuana, Ryan Stoa

Faculty Publications

Marijuana is nearing the end of its prohibition in the United States. Arguably the country’s largest cash crop, marijuana is already legal for recreational use in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC. Between now and election day 2016, an additional 14 states may place marijuana legalization initiatives on their ballots. In addition, 23 states and Washington DC have legalized medical marijuana, with up to seven states pending legislation. The era of marijuana prohibition is rapidly coming to a close.

At the same time, traditional doctrines of water law are struggling to cope with the modern realities of water scarcity. …

Promises Of Power: A Political Autobiography, Carl B. Stokes

Cleveland Memory

For a brief time in Cleveland, I was the man of power. I had what no black man in this country has had before: direct control of the government of a predominantly white population. That power came to me because I seized a situation that had made me seem like a savior to men who ordinarily look on blacks as an alien and vaguely dangerous force. –Excerpt from chapter 1 “Big Man, Little Man.” Other chapters include “How to Get Elected by White People,” Carl Junior,” "The Media,” “The Police,” and “The Future of Black Politics.” Carl B. Stokes …

Regulating Access To Traditional Knowledge And Genetic Resources: The Disclosure Requirement As A Strategy To Combat Biopiracy, Paul Kuruk

San Diego International Law Journal

The objective of this Article is to examine the disclosure requirement as a measure to enhance the protection of traditional knowledge and genetic resources. Section Two illustrates the negative effects of biopiracy drawing on selected cases from Africa, India and the Americas while Section Three describes the international regime governing access to genetic resources and related traditional knowledge including rules on prior informed consent, mutually agreed terms and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits. Section Four traces the evolution of the obligation to disclose from provisions in national model laws and a draft treaty on folklore prepared by WIPO, …

The Occupation Of Truth, John Dever, James Dever

MC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Three Rules For Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, Michael D. Cicchini

MC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Maintenance, Barbara J. Stark

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Parenting Styles And Their Relationship With Anxiety In Children, Alyssa Lungarini

Open Access Master's Theses

The current study aimed to determine the relationship between two aspects of parenting styles, demandingness and responsiveness, and the presence of anxiety in children. Additionally, this research aimed to identify differences between mothers and fathers in regard to how these aspects of their parenting styles affect child anxiety. Demandingness and responsiveness were explored as independent variables in order to determine how they relate to child anxiety, as well as how the relationships between the independent variables and anxiety differ by demographics including child gender, and parental age, race, income, and educational level. Results indicate differences in child anxiety reported by …

Playground Use And Executive Function Development During Preschool Years, Alyssa Francis

Open Access Master's Theses

The current research explores executive function (EF) development among the children at the University Of Rhode Island’s child development centers (CDCs). Specifically, the research explores the role of outdoor play in executive function development. Two samples, the Providence Child Development Center and the Kingston Child Development Center, are compared twice (time 1 and time 2) across 5 months to assess the role of an outdoor play structure in executive function development. The independent variable, playground type has two levels: a playground structure (Kingston CDC) and open outdoor space (Providence CDC). Executive function is assessed using three tasks, the Day/Night task, …

"Fresh And Fashionable Goods": The Daybooks Of Elijah Boardman, Connecticut Shopkeeper, 1784-1811, Johanna Tower

Open Access Master's Theses

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, store-bought textiles and dress-related goods played an important role in the material world of many Americans. Local and domestic manufacturing generally did not fulfill the demand for such goods; imports from Europe and Asia provided many of these products. Advancements in manufacturing technologies and the growth of American overseas trade during this time contributed to the expanding supply of consumer goods, among which textiles and dress-related items featured prominently. In rural regions, dry-goods stores provided the populace with access to a diverse assortment of these wares.

This study examines purchases made at …

Training And Source Code Generation For Artificial Neural Networks, Brandon Winrich

Open Access Master's Theses

he ideas and technology behind artificial neural networks have advanced considerably since their introduction in 1943 by Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts. However, the complexity of large networks means that it may not be computationally feasible to retrain a network during the execution of another program, or to store a network in such a form that it can be traversed node by node. The purpose of this project is to design and implement a program that would train an artificial neural network and export source code for it so that the network may be used in other projects.

After discussing …

Effects Of Intensive Speech Treatment For An Individual With Spastic Dysarthria Secondary To Stroke, Charlotte Purcell

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: This study investigated the impact of an intensive speech treatment on listener-rated communication success and functional outcome measures of communication for an individual with spastic dysarthria secondary to stroke.

Method: A single-subject A-B-A-A experimental design was used to measure the effects of an intensive speech treatment that incorporated principles of motor learning to drive activity-dependent changes in neural plasticity. The primary dependent variables were listener-rated communication success (comprehensibility transcription in two conditions and listener perceptual ratings of speech and voice), and functional outcome measures as rated by the participant and his spouse. Secondary dependent variables included acoustic …

Flourescence-Based Detection Of Pesticides Via Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles, William Talbert

Open Access Master's Theses

The use of synthetic pesticides has played a large role in increasing crop yields throughout the world, but their adverse effects on humans and non-target animals is of major concern due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment. Some of the more persistent examples are organochlorine pesticides, particularly dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites. Reported herein is the development of a detection scheme using organic nanoparticles for the fluorescence detection of a range of pesticides. The nanoparticles were fabricated from a synthetic conjugated fluorescent polymer, and fluorescence experiments were performed using both nanoparticle solutions and polymer thin films.

The large …

Take A Deep Breath: How Yoga Postures And Breathing Techniques Can Impact Ptsd Symptoms, Sophia E. Armington

Scripps Senior Theses

Yoga postures (asana) and yoga breathing techniques (pranayama) could be an effective method of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study investigates the importance of the style of yoga treatment (pranayama, asana, or both) and the frequency with which these interventions are conducted (two or five times per week). The participants in this study will be military personnel with diagnosed PTSD who are currently receiving CBT and pharmaceutical treatment. All participants will have their PTSD symptoms assessed before the study begins, and then once a week each of the 12 weeks of the study. Structured interviews will be administered …

A Call For Bioregional Governance In Cascadia: Shaping An Ecological Identity In The Land Of Falling Waters, Molly D. Freed

Scripps Senior Theses

In recent years, as globalization has taken a toll on North Americans’ “sense of place,” there has been a swelling interest in the identification of bioregions: spaces delineated by their natural borders and shaped by the cultures that arise within them. Bioregionalism, the movement that arose from this scalar shift, emphasizes the “reinhabitation” of bioregions through a deep understanding and attachment between residents and their watershed and habitat. This thesis argues for a shift to bioregional-scale environmental governance in the Cascadian bioregion (the Pacific Northwest) via an interstate compact. Using the Great Lakes bioregion as a comparable case …

Queer Content In Science Fiction Allegory And Analogue: Is It In Disguise?, Anna C. Marburger

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis performs a textual analysis of two for-profit science fiction texts in which the authors implanted queer content: Bryan Singer's X-Men films and James Robert's Transformers comic series, "More Than Meets the Eye". The argument incorporates queer (referring to attraction and gender variance) media representation and western identity politics lenses into its critique.

By interrogating reality through the masquerade of an impossible universe, science fiction affects how subversive a text can be. When authors designate the natural and the unnatural in a strange universe, they designate what and who belongs in our society. Whatever they imagine has an effect …

A Bayesian Zero-Inflated Generalized Growth Mixture Model For Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors, Si Yang

Open Access Master's Theses

Using longitudinal data to model change patterns of behaviors is a major interest in the field of developmental psychology and behavioral science. As het- erogeneity often exists in the population, researchers are more and more interested in a topological representation of the growth trajectories. That is, to identify distinct trajectories depending on their individual characteristics. Latent class models(LCM) are flexible methods of modeling unobserved heterogeneity in a population and it has been recently extended to analyzing longitudinal data. Latent class growth models(LCGM) assume individuals come from a finite number of latent classes and individuals share the same growth trajectory within …

Adaptable Monsters: The Past, Present, And Future Of The Vampire Narrative As A Metaphor For Marginalized Groups, Alexa Wei

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis paper gives a brief history of the vampire narrative and its role in representing the collective anxieties of an age as well as serving as a metaphor for oppressed peoples. It uses Bram Stoker’s Dracula and J. Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla as historical examples of how the vampire adapts to suit issues of the day such as reverse colonization and female sexuality, respectively. The latter part of this paper speculates on the future role of the vampire in literature and proposes that the vampire could be used to discuss transgender issues as well as challenge the gender binary. …

The Germ Theory Of Dystopias: Fears Of Human Nature In 1984 And Brave New World, Clea D. Harris

Scripps Senior Theses

This project is an exploration of 20^th century dystopian literature through the lens of germ theory. This scientific principle, which emerged in the late 19^th century, asserts that microorganisms pervade the world; these invisible and omnipresent germs cause specific diseases which are often life threatening. Additionally, germ theory states that vaccines and antiseptics can prevent some of these afflictions and that antibiotics can treat others. This concept of a pervasive, invisible, infection-causing other is not just a biological principle, though; in this paper, I argue that one can interpret it as an ideological framework for understanding human existence …

Shared Genetic Variance Between Obesity And White Matter Integrity In Mexican Americans, Elena A. Spieker, Peter Kochunov, Laura M. Rowland, Emma Sprooten, Anderson M. Winkler, Rene L. Olvera, Laura Almasy, Ravi Duggirala, Peter T. Fox, John Blangero, David C. Glahn, Joanne E. Curran

School of Medicine Publications

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder that may also lead to reduced white matter integrity, potentially due to shared genetic risk factors. Genetic correlation analyses were conducted in a large cohort of Mexican American families in San Antonio (N = 761, 58% females, ages 18–81 years; 41.3 ± 14.5) from the Genetics of Brain Structure and Function Study. Shared genetic variance was calculated between measures of adiposity [(body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) and waist circumference (WC; in)] and whole-brain and regional measurements of cerebral white matter integrity (fractional anisotropy). Whole-brain average and regional fractional anisotropy values for 10 major …

Army Support Of Military Cyberspace Operations: Joint Contexts And Global Escalation Implications, Jeffrey L. Caton Mr.

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

View the Executive Summary

Military cyberspace operations have evolved significantly over the past 2 decades and are now emerging into the realm of military operations in the traditional domains of land, sea, and air. The goal of this monograph is to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective staffs with a better understanding of Army cyberspace operations within the context of overall U.S. military cyberspace operations. It examines the development of such operations in three major sections. First, it looks at the evolution of Department of Defense cyberspace operations over the past decade to include the founding of …

Munchausen By Internet And Nursing Practice : An Ethnonetnographic Case Study, Cynthia Witney, Joyce M. Hendricks Phd, Vicki C. Cope Ms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper used Feldman’s clues to factitious illness behavior on the Internet (FIBI), to determine whether the online behaviour of one member of an online breast cancer support community www. breastcancerclick.com , moderated by a specialist breast cancer nurse (SBCN), could be Munchausen by Internet (MBI) and why identification of this behaviour is important for online nursing practice. This was a focused ethnonetnographic and qualitative research study whereby the online behaviour of one member was observed and compared with Feldman’s clues to factitious behaviour on the Internet. The online data showed that nine out of ten of Feldman’s clues were …

The Specialist Breast Care Nurse's Role In The Indentification And Minimisation Of Distress In A Members' Only, Breast Cancer Focused Online Support Community, Cynthia Witney, Joyce M. Hendricks Phd, Vicki C. Cope Ms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objectives: To show how a specialist breast care nurse (SBCN) can use the distress thermometer to determine an online community member’s distress level and then use the information in their posts and blogs to identify the cause(s) and deal with them appropriately. To highlight the use of a structured written emotional expression (SWEE) format online, as a way of minimising distress. Method: A survey of online community members together with analysis of the content of members’ posts and blogs to determine whether their distress thermometer score had decreased since the SBCN had been online to deal with member distress. Results: …

Attaining Automaticity In The Visual Numerosity Task Is Not Automatic, Craig P. Speelman, Katrina L. Muller-Townsend

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This experiment is a replication of experiments reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993) using the visual numerosity task. The aim was to replicate the transition from controlled to automatic processing reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993), and to examine the extent to which this result, reported with average group results, can be observed in the results of individuals within a group. The group results in this experiment did replicate those reported by Lassaline and Logan (1993) ; however, one half of the sample did not attain automaticity with the task, and one-third did not exhibit a transition from controlled to …

Global Measures Of Gender Empowerment: A Case Study Of Sri Lankan Export Processing Zone (Epz) Workers, Peter Hancock, Sharon Middleton

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This pape r focuses on global measures of gender empowerment released a n- nually by the UNDP and the World Economic Forum. It discusses and critiques these measures on a global level and juxtaposes this analysis against research conducted among women who work in Sri Lanka's Export Processing Zones (EPZs). Global measures of gender equality show that in Sri Lanka gender-based inequality is increasing, despite the nation dramatically improving its economy and poverty levels and meeting some of the Millennium Development Goals. To explain this contradiction, we sampled 2,304 women to explore how they experienced gender and empowerment and to …

Apoe Ε4 Moderates Abnormal Csf-Abeta-42 Levels, While Neurocognitive Impairment Is Associated With Abnormal Csf Tau Levels In Hiv+ Individuals - A Cross-Sectional Observational Study, Cysique A. Lucette, Timothy Hewitt, Juliana Croitoru-Lamoury, Kevin Taddei, Ralph Martins, Constance S. Chew, Nicholas N. Davies, Patricia J. Price, Bruce J. Brew

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers Aβ1-42, t-tau and p-tau have a characteristic pattern in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Their roles in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) remains unclear. Methods: Adults with chronic treated HIV disease were recruited (n = 43, aged 56.7 ± 7.9; 32% aged 60+; median HIV duration 20 years, >95% plasma and CSF HIV RNA /mL, on cART for a median 24 months). All underwent standard neuropsychological testing (61% had HAND), APOE genotyping (30.9% carried APOE ε4 and 7.1% were ε4 homozygotes) and a lumbar puncture. Concentrations of Aβ1-42, t-tau and p-tau were assessed in the CSF using commercial …