Digital Commons Network^™

The Experience Of Sibling Death In Childhood: A Qualitative Analysis Of Memoirs, Katrin Neubacher

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study explored the experience of the death of a sibling in childhood. Seven memoirs written by individuals who lost a sibling in childhood were analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Themes focused on the child’s lived experience of sibling loss, parental and familial function, and factors identified as supporting the child’s grieving and functioning. Where relevant, an in-depth review of the existing literature of relevant psychological research and theories supported and expanded on the themes identified in the narratives. As the purpose of this research was to inform a model for understanding the life and grief of a bereaved …

Asperger's Syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder And Marital Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study, Kim L. Bolling

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Few empirical studies exist that examine adult Asperger-affected relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which at least one partner has Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), differs in some significant way from the marital satisfaction of individuals in relationships in which neither partner has AS/ASD. Participants were 126 adults in relationships in which at least one partner had a diagnosis of AS or ASD, recruited from Asperger- and autism-related websites, social media, and organizations from English-speaking countries. Couples consisted of heterosexual and same-sex couples, couples with …

Women Between The Ages Of 65 And 75: What Is Their Subjective Experience Of How Their Sexuality Is Portrayed In American Society?, Rebecca E. Gilda

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation focused on capturing and describing the experience of sexuality for women between the ages of 65 and 75 as they live in American society. The main research question asks how these women gain awareness, perceive, and react to the stereotypes, assumptions, expectations, and negative images associated with their sexuality. The participants completed a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview with the principal researcher. Information was gathered about age, relationships, family history, employment, and sexuality. In the interview general and specific questions were asked relating to sexuality in order to answer the research questions. The data from these was analyzed …

The Effects Of Baby Sign On Child Development, Joanna Scott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Although the popular media supports the use of baby sign for enhanced developmental outcomes of children, empirical research verifying the actual effects of baby sign on the areas of communicative, cognitive, social, and physical development, is limited. Advocates of baby sign suggest pre-lingual symbolic communication may result in accelerated development whereas critics claim definitive conclusions cannot be drawn because of flawed methodology in the research. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to explore whether baby sign has an impact on the developmental growth of children. Methods: Using a between groups research design, assessment data were obtained from …

Predicting Protracted Recovery From Sports-Related Concussion Using Computerized Neurocognitive Test Scores And Symptom Cluster Scores, Amanda Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: A previous study showed that symptom evaluation, in conjunction with computerized neurocognitive testing, improved predictions of protracted recovery in a group of male high school football players. The determination of prognosis following sports-related concussion can be used to facilitate return-to-play and academic decision making in concussion management.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research in determining the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of computerized neurocognitive test scores and symptom cluster scores in predicting protracted recovery following sports-related concussion.

Study Design: Systematic replication, Cohort study (prognosis)

Methods: 30 concussed collegiate athletes were followed …

A Comparison Of Maze Frequency And Type Across Language And Speaker: A Look At English And Spanish Narrative Retells, Melissa Silver

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Mazes, as they are referred to in the language literature, are disfluencies that do not add meaning to an utterance including filled pauses, whole word revisions, part word revisions, part word repetitions and whole word repetitions. Extensive research has been conducted on mazes in monolingual and bilingual children, yet the research has not been extended to adults' narrative retell production.

Aims: The current study analyzes monolingual English, monolingual Spanish, and bilingual English and Spanish narrative retells to compare the percent of maze use and type of maze use amongst groups.

Methods & Procedures: The narrative retells of thirty-nine bilingual …

Cleansing The Common: A Narrative-Intertextual Study Of Mark 7:1-23, Eike Arend Mueller

Dissertations

The conflict story of Mark 7:1–23 between Jesus and the religious leaders over the issue of defilement is the meeting point of a variety of disciplines: Purity studies, Jewish studies, exegetical studies, Historical Jesus studies, and studies on Jesus and the law. The crux of the passage, the meaning of the parable in v. 15 and the ensuing “cleansing” in v. 19, has been interpreted very differently. Scholars doing exegetical studies and studies on the relationship between Jesus and the law have maintained that the Gospel writer correctly reflects in 7:19 the meaning of Jesus’ parable (7:15), abrogating the clean/unclean …

An Analysis And Response To The Fear Of Evil Spiritual Forces Among Kamba Christians In The Light Of Biblical And Ellen G. White Teachings, Joseph Mutune Ndisya

Dissertations

This research aimed to discover whether there are any reasons from the Scriptures and writings of Ellen G. White regarding fear of evil spiritual forces. Thus research aims to understand the historical, cultural and religious reasons Kamba Christians frequently live in fear and dual allegiance. Biblical solutions will be suggested to permanently eliminate that fear. Fear is often so great that born-again Christians carry protective devices and practices which they believe will ward off the invading evil spiritual forces.

The Old Testament writings were examined to see how God wanted His people to relate to any evil power. The Old …

The Use Of Fantasy Theme Analysis To Describe The Group Communication And Creative Problem-Solving Skills Of University-Level Students As They Prepare For Destination Imagination Global Finals Competition, Elizabeth Morgan Armstrong

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

In order to meet the growing needs for efficiency in the workplace, industry is turning to group-work and collaboration. Successful teams are in demand because they not only meet the efficiency needs, but also provide the kind of bonding that creates convergence in the members. The chemistry or recipe for this kind of success is difficult to pinpoint, however, and several aspects of group communication and skills, need to be re-examined using communication theory. The purpose of this study is to describe one of those aspects—group creative problem-solving—in order to see how the communication used in that …

The Induction Process Of Newly Hired Teachers Into The Existing School Culture Of Niles Community Schools, Zechariah Matthew Hoyt

Dissertations

Problem

Schools, like other organizations, provide capital resources and experiences that promote the professional development of their employees. Professional learning and skill development are essential for educators as they work to improve student achievement. However, conventional professional development often fails to provide a collaborative social construction of knowledge that supports educators in transforming their schools into a strong culture of shared learning. This is especially evident when induction programs do not provide collaborative environments for new teachers to work with each other and other experienced teachers. This study explored the induction of newly hired personnel within a district located in …

Detecting Enzootic Leishmaniasis And American Trypanosomiasis In Stray Dogs In El Paso County, Texas And The Potential For Autochthonous Transmission To Humans, Evan James Kipp

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cutaneous leishmaniasis and Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) are two vector-borne, protozoal zoonoses whose emergence into the southern United States is a public health problem of increasing significance. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by several species of intracellular protozoa in the genus Leishmania and is most often characterized by the formation of large, ulcerative skin lesions that can result in considerable scarring and permanent disfigurement. Infection with Leishmania is prevalent throughout the world in tropical and sub-tropical regions and in areas where people are regularly exposed to the hematophagous sand fly vectors that transmit the disease. Chronic infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the …

Use Of Passive Samplers To Detect Organochlorine Pesticides In Air And Water At Wetland Mountain Region Sites (S-Se Brazil), R. O. Meire, M. Khairy, A. C. Targino, P. M.A. Galvão, J. P.M. Torres, O. Malm, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) passive samplers were deployed in upland surface waters and the overlying atmosphere during May and June 2012, to determine the transport and trends of freely dissolved and gaseous organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) along altitudinal gradients in mountain regions in south and southeast Brazil. Gaseous OCP concentrations were dominated by hexachlorobenzene (3.0 to 29 pg.m^-3) and endosulfans (Ʃ= α-endosulfan + β-endosulfan + endosulfan sulphate, 170 to 260 pg.m^-3), whereas freely dissolved endosulfans were significantly higher than all other OCPs (p < 0.001). The presence of some target pesticides at the highest elevation sites indicated their efficient high-altitude transport from regional sources. Air-water exchange gradients indicated net deposition of most volatile and recently banned OCPs (e.g., HCB, endosulfan) over Brazilian mountains. Moreover, the exposure of these sites to large-scale continental airflows with varying source contributions may partly explain the atmospheric deposition of selected OCPs over upland freshwaters at tropical and subtropical mountains sites in Brazil. These findings, couple with LDPE passive air and water sampling measurements, point out the potential inputs from distant sources of semi-volatile chemicals to the two high-altitude sites.

Gaseous And Freely-Dissolved Pcbs In The Lower Great Lakes Based On Passive Sampling: Spatial Trends And Air-Water Exchange, Ying Liu, Siyao Wang, Carrie A. Mcdonough, Mohammed Khairy, Derek Muir, Paul Helm, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Polyethylene passive sampling was performed to quantify gaseous and freely dissolved polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the air and water of Lakes Erie and Ontario during 2011–2012. In view of differing physical characteristics and the impacts of historical contamination by PCBs within these lakes, spatial variation of PCB concentrations and air–water exchange across these lakes may be expected. Both lakes displayed statistically similar aqueous and atmospheric PCB concentrations. Total aqueous concentrations of 29 PCBs ranged from 1.5 pg L^–1 in the open lake of Lake Erie (site E02) in 2011 spring to 105 pg L^–1 in Niagara (site On05) …

Predicting Irrigation Efficiency In The Rio Grande Project, Gerardo Melendez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Surface water losses in the Bureau of Reclamation’s (USBR) Rio Grande Project have become more prevalent within the past few years of the drought of the 2000’s. Simple regressions were performed in order to find correlations and determine factors that may affect the flows within the Rio Grande Project. Correlations were found in the difference between Rio Grande below Caballo flows and Rio Grande at El Paso flows, and between the diversion ratio and groundwater levels. Caballo Reservoir release amounts were found to be fairly well correlated with the difference between the Rio Grande below Caballo and the Rio Grande …

Alternative Fatigue Cracking Resistance Assessment Criteria Of Asphalt Mixtures With Overlay Tester, Alejandro Miramontes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The accumulation of damage due to cracking of hot mix asphalt (HMA) layers under repeated loading along with the climatic effects is known as fatigue cracking. The Overlay Tester (OT) has been implemented or considered by several highway agencies as an index to evaluate the cracking susceptibility and resistance to cracking of asphalt mixtures in the laboratory. The performance indicator used to measure the quality of the HMA mixes is the number of cycles that a specimen may resist during the test until the crack appears and fully propagates to the top of the specimen. The repeatability of the number …

Effects Of Controlled Whole-Body Vibration Training On Reducing Risk Of Falls Among Young Adults With Obesity, Jose Jesus Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Among people with obesity, several factors increase the risk of falls: an abnormal body mass distribution, muscle weakness, and postural instability. Although standard exercise-based training could change these factors, a significant portion of people with obesity may be unable or unwilling to comply with long duration and high intensity training programs. Therefore, alternative training methods are highly demanded. Growing evidence supports that controlled whole-body vibration (CWBV) training can reduce risk of falls among older adults. No study has yet investigated the potential effect of CWBV training on reducing risk of falls among obese populations. The purpose of this study …

El Momento En Que..., Donna Lynn Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

We’ve all experienced moments that move us in some way, moments that we’ve memorized for the rest of our lives. Some we can’t ever forget, and some we wish we could. Nonetheless, these moments are ingrained in the forever of our minds. My collection, El Momento En Que… is a compilation of snapshots of the life of a fictional character named Graciela, who is fourteen and has experienced the tremendous loss of family, sense of place, and sense of self. It is a collage of moments where she questions her life, her parents’ decisions, her relationships with those around her, …

E-Quality Design Of Experiments For Structural Electronics, Oscar Murga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a technology utilized for creating complex parts by adding layers of material in order to create a three dimensional functional part. This technology has been pushed to a new level of functionality where mechanical parts are combined with electronic components to create Three-Dimensional Structural Electronics (3DSE) systems. This new technology has been used to replace Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), for 3D SE are light weight and can be created in any desired shape. Computer Aided Design (CAD) software is used to design the part and a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machine is used to 3D print …

Mechanical And Optical Characterization Of Tungsten Oxynitride (W-O-N) Nano-Coatings, Oscar Roberto Nunez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aation and cation doping of transition metal oxides has recently gained attention as a viable option to design materials for application in solar energy conversion, photo-catalysis, transparent electrodes, photo-electrochemical cells, electrochromics and flat panel displays in optoelectronics. Specifically, nitrogen doped tungsten oxide (WO3) has gained much attention for its ability to facilitate optical property tuning while also demonstrating enhanced photo-catalytic and photochemical properties. The effect of nitrogen chemistry and mechanics on the optical and mechanical properties of tungsten oxynitride (W-O-N) nano-coatings is studied in detail in this work. The W-O-N coatings were deposited by direct current (DC) sputtering to a …

Halliburton Ii: It All Depends On What Defendants Need To Show To Establish No Impact On Price, Merritt B. Fox

Faculty Scholarship

Rule 1Ob-5 private damages actions cannot proceed on a class basis unless the plaintiffs are entitled to the fraud-on-the-market presumption of reliance. In Halliburton II, the Supreme Court provides defendants with an opportunity, before class certification, to rebut the fraud-on-the-market presumption through evidece that the misstatement had no effect on the issuer's share price. It left unspecified, however, the standard by which the sufficiency of this evidence should be judged.

This Article explores the two most plausible approaches to setting this standard. One approach would be to impose the same statistical burden on defendants seeking to show there was …

A Methodology For Use Of Digital Image Correlation For Hot Mix Asphalt Testing, Estefany Ramos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a relatively new technology which aids in the measurement of material properties without the need for installation of sensors. DIC is a noncontact measuring technique that requires the specimen to be marked with a random speckled pattern and to be photographed during the test. The photographs are then post-processed based on the location of the pattern throughout the test. DIC can aid in calculating properties that would otherwise be too difficult even with other measuring instruments.

The objective of this Thesis is to discuss the methodology and validate the use of DIC in different hot …

Stigma Towards Hiv Positive People In The El Paso Community, Evdokia Romanova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Stigma and discrimination towards individuals living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a serious issue. The stigma experienced by people with HIV relates to how the virus has been primary associated with so-called deviant behaviors (e.g. promiscuity and homosexuality). Stigma may isolate infected individuals from society and create barriers when accessing medical care and seeking social support. Conducted in El Paso, Texas, this study aims to better understand the issue of stigma through the life stories of individuals living with HIV and to test an exploratory model of a community-based intervention for fighting self-stigma. This research project is divided into …

Constructing Negotiated Meaning And Knowledge For The Sol Y Agua Project's Role-Playing Adventure Game Focused On Sustainability Problems In The El Paso-Rio Grande Area, Claudia Chihiro Santiago

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Video games that address environmental sustainability issues could engage students. However, video games make simplifications and establish idealistic expectations that do not resemble real life sustainability challenges and settings. Game developers and scholars believe that depicting the complexity of the real world could help video games become effective educational tools. They call for additional procedures that incorporate information from actual settings and real life situations. Furthermore, scholars have argued that video games addressing sustainability issues can be improved or made more meaningful with the participation of youth from underrepresented populations, e.g., Latinos. The Sol y Agua project at The University …

Recent Developments In Administrative Law: The Tremors Of Two March 9, 2015 Supreme Court Decisions, Part Ii: Association Of American Railroads, Peter L. Strauss

Faculty Scholarship

Two decisions of the United States Supreme Court announced March 9, unanimous in reversing what had been surprising and potentially disruptive administrative law decisions by the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, could themselves portend rather striking changes in American administrative law. This essay considers Department of Transportation v. Association of American Railroads, which opens for decision on remand important constitutional questions about the structures Congress employs for hybrid public private bodies like AMTRAK, the United States Postal Service, and the Federal Open Market Committee. (See p. 4 above for analysis of Perez, Secretary of Labor …

A Rapid Approach For Considering Nonlinear Response Of Flexible Pavements Under Fwd And Estimation Of Remaining Lives Of Pavements, Shahabaldin Shirazi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Most mechanistic empirical pavement analyses are based on the layered elastic models where the stress sensitivity of geomaterials and their nonlinearity are either ignored or accounted for indirectly. Advanced numerical models, such as finite element models, are required to consider the nonlinear nature of the geomaterials. Existing pavements are often tested with the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) to estimate the input moduli to the layered elastic models in order to estimate remaining life and structural capacity of pavements. It has been more than 30 years that FWD tests are being performed to measure structural adequacy of pavements. Backcalculation is the …

Cultural Diplomacy Strategies For Mexico In The Xxi Century, Alejandro Siqueiros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis analyzes cultural diplomacy (CD) and how the utilization of the strategies of inserting Mexico into foreign cultures, using cultural activities based on similarities and differences, and expanding CD into other areas, may have the ability to positively influence Mexico`s political, economic, social and cultural foreign policy objectives.

Estimates Of Micro-, Nano-, And Picoplankton Contributions To Particle Export In The Northeast Pacific, B. L. Mackinson, S. B. Moran, M. W. Lomas, G. M. Stewart, R. P. Kelly

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The contributions of micro-, nano-, and picoplankton to particle export were estimated from measurements of size-fractionated particulate ²³⁴Th, organic carbon, and phytoplankton indicator pigments obtained during five cruises between 2010 and 2012 along Line P in the subarctic northeast Pacific Ocean. Sinking fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and indicator pigments were calculated from ²³⁴Th–²³⁸U disequilibria and, during two cruises, measured by a sediment trap at Ocean Station Papa. POC fluxes at 100 m ranged from 0.65 to 7.95 mmol m⁻² d⁻¹, similar in magnitude to previous results at Line P. Microplankton pigments …

Upper Tropospheric Ozone Production From Lightning NoX‐ Impacted Convection: Smoke Ingestion Case Study From The Dc3 Campaign, E. C. Apel, R. S. Hornbrook, A. J. Hills, N. J. Blake, M. C. Barth, A. Weinheimer, C. Cantrell, S. A. Rutledge, B. Basarab, J. Crawford, G. Diskin, C. R. Homeyer, T. Campos, F. Flocke, A. Fried, D. R. Blake, W. Brune, I. Pollack, J. Peischl, T. Ryerson, P. O. Crounse, A. Wisthaler, T. Mikoviny, G. Huey, Brian G. Heikes, D. O'Sullivan, D. D. Riemer

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

As part of the Deep Convective Cloud and Chemistry (DC3) experiment, the National Science Foundation/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Gulfstream‐V (GV) and NASA DC‐8 research aircraft probed the chemical composition of the inflow and outflow of two convective storms (north storm, NS, south storm, SS) originating in the Colorado region on 22 June 2012, a time when the High Park wildfire was active in the area. A wide range of trace species were measured on board both aircraft including biomass burning (BB) tracers hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and acetonitrile (ACN). Acrolein, a much shorter lived tracer for BB, was also …

Nurturing The Aesthetic: Learning To Care For The Environment In A Waldorf School, Melissa A. Grella

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of the study was to explore the aesthetic foundation of the Waldorf pedagogy in order to understand how art and aesthetic experiences may develop care toward the environment. A form of humanistic education developed by Rudolf Steiner in the early twentieth century, Waldorf education is a learning model envisioned as a framework for moral education. Waldorf education is known for its intentional use of art and aesthetic experience as well as its focus on developmentally appropriate curriculum and teaching methods. As in other forms of holistic education, Waldorf educators focus on the head, heart and hand of every …

Unstable Constitutionalism, Mark Tushnet, Madhav Khosla

Faculty Scholarship

One of the most significant developments in the study of constitutional law in recent years has been the comparative turn in the field. Although debates continue over whether and how domestic courts should rely on (or even refer to) foreign law in domestic legal disputes, the appropriate methodology for comparative analyses, and the potential and limits of comparative constitutional studies, many scholars and practitioners – including well-known judges – no longer believe that the task of constitutional law is solely domestic in nature. Yet, despite the enthusiasm for comparative constitutional law and the emerging systematization of comparative work, the field …