Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Effect Of Disability Microaggressions On Sense Of Belonging And Participation In College Classrooms, Lynsie Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Microaggressions are a form of interpersonal discrimination towards marginalized groups that are often ambiguous in nature and delivered unintentionally. The subtleness of these attacks on identity can make them difficult to recognize and address.

Emerging research reveals that the targets of microaggressions are experiencing negative effects on their wellbeing; however, the bulk of existing literature on this topic only addresses microaggressions perpetrated towards racial minority or LGBT individuals. Little is known about pervasiveness and potential impact of microaggressions directed towards people with disabilities- particularly in academic contexts.

This study pilots a measurement tool, the Microaggressions Towards Students with a Disability …

Stillbirth: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Clinical Encounter For Couples, Michael Q. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With approximately 65 stillbirths occurring each day in the United States, a significant number of parents are left to navigate a difficult grieving process. An event like stillbirth presents many individual and relational challenges. For this study, researchers focused on the hospital experience for couples following notification of stillbirth. Interviews were held with 8 couples that had experienced stillbirth within the past 10 years. Researchers wanted to know what similarities and differences existed in how mothers and fathers described the clinical encounter.

The data for this study were collected through interviews. Couples were encouraged to share as much or as …

Changing The World Through The Word: Developing Critical Consciousness Through Multicultural Children’S Literature With Critical Literacy In An Elementary Classroom, Hyekyoung Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to explore how fifth graders develop critical consciousness regarding the self and the world through critical literacy approaches using multicultural children’s literature. I employed Lewison, Flint, and Van Sluys’ four dimensions of critical literacy. I used a qualitative case study to design, frame and conduct this study in order to collect data and examine students’ cultural patterns including values, beliefs, behaviors, and language that they enacted in the critical literacy practices. I collected data through classroom observations, semi-structured students and teacher interviews, informal conversation, researcher’s reflective journal entries and field notes, and student-made artifacts. …

Evidence-Based Practices For The Design Of Inclusive Playgrounds That Support Peer Interactions Among Children With All Abilities, Courtney L. Fernelius

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Play is necessary for the social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development of all children. Although playgrounds are designed to support the play of children, children with disabilities are often unable to fully participate in play on playgrounds. In part due to the lack of awareness of evidence-based practices supporting the play of children with disabilities, playground designers continue to perpetuate this disparity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the evidence-based practices for inclusive playground design that support peer interaction between children of all abilities, and to demonstrate how they can be implemented into a playground design.

A …

Language Proficiency And Cultural Intelligence In Distance English-Language Learning, Jared Marcum

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore the viability of an international distance English-language program in the development of language and cultural proficiency. Students participated in tests at the beginning and at the end of the course to determine how well they developed both language and cultural proficiencies. The measures included (a) the computer-administered Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) from theAmerican Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), (b) ACTFL-aligned assessments of reading, listening, grammar, and vocabulary skills, and (c) the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). In addition, course activities surveys provided additional information about student perceptions of course activities. …

Integrating Social And Ecological Methods To Assess And Inform Park Monitoring And Management, Kelly A. Goonan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Managing outdoor recreation requires that managers do the following: (1) consider the user experience, environmental and cultural resources, and type and intensity of management actions; (2) specify desired conditions to be maintained, monitor conditions, and take appropriate action if unacceptable impacts occur; (3) adapt to new conditions and information; and (4) exercise good judgment based on their professional experience and the best information available to them. Social science studies of visitors and studies of significant recreation resources like campsites are important sources of information for managers and are commonly used in parks and protected areas to support planning and decision-making. …

Relationship Between The Built Environment, Physical Activity, And Chronic Disease Among Individuals With Disabilities In Rural Communities, Nicholas F. Tanner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increased risk for chronic disease is closely associated with individual nutrition, tobacco use, and physical inactivity. This thesis focuses on physical activity as a means of preventing select chronic diseases. A major barrier preventing engagement in physical activity is the built environment. Populations residing in rural environment are not afforded the abundance of opportunities for physical activity prevalent in most urban networks. Of the demographic living in rural environments, individuals with disability face additional barriers to physical activity than those without disability. This leads to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases associated with sedentary lifestyles among populations with disability. Few …

Targeted Temperature Management Effectiveness In The Elderly: Insights From A Large Registry, Timothy J. Mader, Lauren M. Westafer, Brian H. Nathanson, Nadia Villarroel, Ryan Coute, Bryan F. Mcnally

Student Publications

Targeted temperature management (TTM) is recommended for all comatose adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with shockable first documented rhythm. However, studies examining the use and benefits of TTM among patients aged 75 and older are lacking. Using the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) dataset registry from 2013 to 2015. Study criteria included being 75 years of age or older, survival to hospital admission, and known in-hospital mortality and CPC (Cerebral Performance Categories Scale) Scores. The study outcomes were in-hospital mortality and poor neurologic outcomes (CPC Scores 3 or 4) at hospital discharge among survivors. Hierarchical logistic regression …

Foundations Of Translational Ecology, Carolyn Af Enquist, Stephen T. Jackson, Gregg M. Garfin, Frank W. Davis, Leah R. Gerber, Jeremy A. Littell, Jennifer L. Tank, Adam J. Terando, Tamara U. Wall, Benjamin Halpern, J. Kevin Hiers, Toni Kyn Morelli, Elizabeth Mcnie, Nathan L. Stephenson, Matthew A. Williamson, Connie A. Woodhouse, Laurie Yung, Mark W. Brunson, Kimberly R. Hall, Lauren M. Hallett, Dawn M. Lawson, Max A. Mortiz, Koren Nydick, Amber Pairis, Andrea J. Ray, Claudia Regan, Hugh D. Safford, Mark W. Schwartz, M. Rebecca Shaw

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Ecologists who specialize in translational ecology (TE) seek to link ecological knowledge to decision making by integrating ecological science with the full complement of social dimensions that underlie today's complex environmental issues. TE is motivated by a search for outcomes that directly serve the needs of natural resource managers and decision makers. This objective distinguishes it from both basic and applied ecological research and, as a practice, it deliberately extends research beyond theory or opportunistic applications. TE is uniquely positioned to address complex issues through interdisciplinary team approaches and integrated scientist–practitioner partnerships. The creativity and context-specific knowledge of resource managers, …

Developing A Translational Ecology Workforce, Mark W. Schwarts, J. Kevin Hiers, Frank W. Davis, Gregg M. Garfin, Stephen T. Jackson, Adam J. Terando, Connie A. Woodhouse, Toni Lyn Morelli, Matthew A. Williamson, Mark W. Brunson

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

We define a translational ecologist as a professional ecologist with diverse disciplinary expertise and skill sets, as well as a suitable personal disposition, who engages across social, professional, and disciplinary boundaries to partner with decision makers to achieve practical environmental solutions. Becoming a translational ecologist requires specific attention to obtaining critical non-scientific disciplinary breadth and skills that are not typically gained through graduate-level education. Here, we outline a need for individuals with broad training in interdisciplinary skills, use our personal experiences as a basis for assessing the types of interdisciplinary skills that would benefit potential translational ecologists, and present steps …

The Effects Of Family Stressors On Depression In Latino Adolescents As Mediated By Interparental Conflict, Jenny Carolina Mondragon

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive literature suggests that Latino youth experience higher levels of depression when compared to youth from other ethnic backgrounds yet relatively little is known regarding why this particular population is especially susceptible to depression. This study focused on family level stressors and the link between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms in Latino families. The sample consisted of 400 girls and 290 boys, they were distributed into four groups based on gender and family structure. Written surveys were completed in their respective English classes measuring the aforementioned variables. Results indicated a significant relationship across all four groups between family stressors …

An Obstacle Avoidance System For The Visually Impaired Using 3-D Point Cloud Processing, Evan Justin Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

The long white cane offers many benefits for the blind and visually impaired. Still, many report being injured both indoors and outdoors while using the long white cane. One frequent cause of injury is due to the fact that the long white cane cannot detect obstacles above the waist of the user. This thesis presents a system that attempts to augment the capabilities of the long white cane by sensing the environment around the user, creating a map of obstacles within the environment, and providing simple haptic feedback to the user. The proposed augmented cane system uses the Asus Xtion …

Phosphate Signaling Through Alternate Conformations Of The Pstscab Phosphate Transporter, Ramesh Krishna Vuppada

Theses and Dissertations

Phosphate is an essential compound for life. Escherichia coli employs a signal transduction pathway that controls the expression of genes that are required for the high-affinity acquisition of phosphate and the utilization of alternate sources of phosphorous. These genes are only expressed when environmental phosphate is limiting. The seven genes for this signaling pathway encode the two-component regulatory proteins PhoB and PhoR, as well as the high-affinity phosphate transporter PstSCAB and an auxiliary protein called PhoU. As the sensor kinase PhoR has no periplasmic sensory domain, the mechanism by which these cells sense environmental phosphate is not known. This paper …

How President Barack Obama Reshaped The Rhetorical Presidency By Slow Jamming The News, Preston Haycock Wittwer

Theses and Dissertations

The rhetorical presidency encompasses all the ways a president communicates and acts. These rhetorical elements of the job are not prescribed in the Constitution and as a result it is the presidents themselves who help shape the cultural understanding of presidentiality, of what it means to be president. When President Barack Obama participated in a "Slow Jam the News" comedy sketch on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2012, he took the rhetorical presidency to a place it had never been before. This choice established a new genre of presidential rhetoric that President Obama would rely on throughout his time …

Using Remote Cameras To Estimate The Abundance Of Ungulates, Jace C. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Many wildlife populations globally are experiencing unprecedented declines, and without accurate and precise estimates of abundance, we will not be able to conserve these vulnerable species. Remote cameras have rapidly advanced as wildlife monitoring tools and may provide accurate and precise estimates of abundance that improve upon traditional methods. Using remote cameras to estimate abundance may be less expensive, less intrusive, less dangerous, and less time consuming than other methods. While it is apparent that remote cameras have a place in the future of wildlife monitoring, research, and management, many questions remain concerning the proper use of these tools. In …

Capacity Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Targeting Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells To Eliminate Follicular Dendritic Cells Bearing Human Immunodeficiency Virus Immune Complexes, Matthew T. Ollerton

Theses and Dissertations

An important obstacle to a functional cure for HIV/AIDS is the persistence of viral reservoirs found throughout the body in various cells and tissues. Reservoirs can be latently infected cells, or in the case of follicular dendritic cells (FDC), non-infected cells that trap infectious virus on their surface through immune complexes (HIV-IC). Although several strategies have been employed to target and eliminate viral reservoirs, they are short-lived and ineffective. In an attempt to provide a long-term approach, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells were designed to eliminate native HIV on FDCs. Although effective at eliminating HIV-infected cells, and halting spreading …

Implementation Fidelity And Outcomes Of School Discipline Policy: Three Studies From Arkansas, Kaitlin Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, exclusionary discipline, including out-of-school suspension (OSS) and expulsion, is disproportionately administered to students of color and special education students. Exclusionary discipline is associated with lower academic achievement and higher risk of dropout, grade retention, and involvement in the juvenile justice system, but there is little causal evidence on this topic.

This dissertation reports on three analyses on school discipline, using administrative data from Arkansas public schools. The first study estimates racial disproportionalities in the use of exclusionary discipline. Controlling for reported behavior and student characteristics, my co-author and I find that Black students are 2.4 times …

Funder Collaborations — Flourish Or Flounder?, William Porter, Kelly James, Robert Medina, Barbara Chow

The Foundation Review

Funders regularly collaborate to leverage their influence, channel their funding, and mobilize grantees in the same direction. Our sector’s default assumption is that more collaboration is better — even as too many collaborations end with a whimper instead of a bang. Why do some funder collaborations flourish, and others flounder?

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Education First participated in a half-dozen joint funding efforts to support the success of the Common Core State Standards in the nation’s K–12 public education system. Looking critically at these efforts, we learned lessons about why some collaborations are more effective.

Funder collaborations …

Transforming Coalition Leadership: An Evaluation Of A Collaborative Leadership Training Program, Jung Y. Kim, Todd Honeycutt, Michaella Morzuch

The Foundation Review

Effective coalitions need leaders who are able to reach beyond individual, group, and sectoral boundaries to advance a shared vision for healthy and thriving communities. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation partnered with the Center for Creative Leadership to create a one-year pilot, the Community Coalition Leadership Program, to test a new approach to providing training in collaborative leadership.

This article discusses the program, whether and how it improved participants’ individual and coalition leadership skills, and the implications for foundations and other entities seeking to increase interdependent leadership capacity within community coalitions. This article does not, however, intend to describe progress …

Book Review: Generation Impact: How Next Gen Donors Are Revolutionizing Giving, Elenore Garton

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Looking In The Mirror: Equity In Practice For Philanthropy, Ashlee Young, Jaime Love, Nancy Csuti, Christopher J. King

The Foundation Review

Philanthropy still needs to be reminded that there is no such thing as a post-racial America, and that systemic racism continues to underlie the problems foundation funding attempts to address. While many foundations have found it challenging to address equity in their grantmaking, they have found that process far more comfortable than addressing equity within their own organizations.

This article will describe the efforts of three foundations in various stages of seeing themselves through an equity lens: the Consumer Health Foundation, The Colorado Trust, and Interact for Health. This article will discuss why these foundations are on this journey, what …

Predictive Maneuver Planning And Control Of An Autonomous Vehicle In Multi-Vehicle Traffic With Observation Uncertainty, Qian Wang

All Dissertations

Autonomous vehicle technology is a promising development for improving the safety, efficiency and environmental impact of on-road transportation systems. However, the task of guiding an autonomous vehicle by rapidly and systematically accommodating the plethora of changing constraints, e.g. of avoiding multiple stationary and moving obstacles, obeying traffic rules, signals and so on as well as the uncertain state observation due to sensor imperfections, remains a major challenge. This dissertation attempts to address this challenge via designing a robust and efficient predictive motion planning framework that can generate the appropriate vehicle maneuvers (selecting and tracking specific lanes, and related speed references) …

Acceleration Of High-Fidelity Wireless Network Simulations, Madhabi Manandhar

All Dissertations

Network simulation with bit-accurate modeling of modulation, coding and channel properties is typically computationally intensive. Simple link-layer models that are frequently used in network simulations sacrifice accuracy to decrease simulation time. We investigate the performance and simulation time of link models that use analytical bounds on link performance and bit-accurate link models executed in Graphical Processing Units (GPUs). We show that properly chosen analytical bounds on link performance can result in simulation results close to those using bit-level simulation while providing a significant reduction in simulation time. We also show that bit-accurate decoding in link models can be expedited using …

Getting Connected: Understanding How Digital Tools Support The Collaborative Practices Of Elementary Teachers, Elizabeth Demastes Haun

All Dissertations

This phenomenological study investigated how six elementary teachers are utilizing digital tools and how they perceive these tools can meet their needs for professional collaboration. The study was designed using the theoretical framework of social constructivism and the belief that knowledge is created through social interactions, meaningful experiences, and collaboration with others. Teachers' perceptions about the importance of collaboration and how they utilize technology to access resources, knowledge, and engage in critical dialogue with other professionals were investigated throughout the study. Data analysis using Moustakas' (1994) modification of the Stevick-Colizzi Keen method revealed three overarching themes. Teachers are often choosing …

A Comprehensive Model And Modulation Of Cellular Signaling Involved In Early Mammary Development And Aggressive Cancer Using A Novel Recombinant Protein Of The G3 Domain Of Laminin-5, Kathryn Adrian Elliott

All Dissertations

The mammary gland is a unique and specialized epidermal organ; mammary organogenesis begins in the embryo but is not fully complete until puberty. As such, formation of the mammary gland depends on temporally and spatially regulated developmental steps that require coordination of multiple biological and cell signaling processes; many of which have parallels with cancer development. Research describing the events that occur between birth and puberty is lacking and little is known about human breast development of youth. Since mammary gland development requires a coordinated balance between cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis, it is critical to understand which signaling pathways …

In Vitro Diabetic-Hypertensive Cellular-Response Evaluation Model For In-Stent Restenosis, Varun Chawla

All Dissertations

Drug-eluting stents have revolutionized the field of interventional cardiology and with the advent of their second-generation, percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents is the clinically preferred method. These stents have shown remarkable performance in reducing neointimal hyperplasia and thus, clinical manifestation of restenosis. Despite significant technological advances in DES, high-risk patient populations are still affected by in-stent restenosis. Diabetes and hypertension are the two most common patient-specific complications that result in the development of restenosis even in DES era. Currently, percutaneous interventional approaches are not designed specifically to address the pathophysiological progression of restenosis in diabetic and hypertensive patients and …

Putting Your Best Face Forward: The Influence Of Facial Cosmetics On Structured Employment Interview Ratings, Skye K. Gillispie

All Dissertations

Employment interviews are ubiquitous in modern selection systems. Although interviews are extremely common, there is evidence that interview ratings are subject to rating errors and biases. For example, previous research has found that higher physical attractiveness of the candidate is linked to increased interview ratings. Physical attractiveness is largely considered to be a fixed characteristic that cannot be controlled, however this may not be entirely true as research has consistently linked women's use of facial cosmetics to increased ratings of physical attractiveness. An experimental three (no cosmetics, low cosmetics, high cosmetics) by three (low performance, intermediate performance, high performance) design …

Philanthropy: Evidence In Favor Of A Profession, Heather L. Carpenter

The Foundation Review

Philanthropic employees have been cautious in implying that they are pursuing a career in philanthropy. Karl Stauber (2010) presented an argument in support of such caution: that philanthropy failed to meet all seven standards posited by Burton J. Bledstein, that when met, define a profession.

This article presents a literature review and findings from a survey of 500 members of the Council on Foundations that offer evidence for the counterargument that philanthropic work requires specialized education and training to master a set of core competencies.

While this article does not argue for or against the question, determining whether philanthropy as …

Generative Philanthropy: Long-Term Investments In Economic Opportunity, Bob Giloth

The Foundation Review

Generative philanthropy is a collaborative investment practice that tests prototypes and identifies new opportunities that, over time, can focus direction and generate momentum for change. It is an incremental, decentralized approach to investment in communities.

This article’s purpose is to clarify the theory and practice of generative philanthropy and contrast it with other approaches. It provides an in-depth discussion of the meaning of generative philanthropy, offers five examples of the approach related to economic opportunity, and draws lessons for future practice.

Generative philanthropy offers a framework for understanding and enriching philanthropy’s long-term role and collaboration with partners from a developmental …

Drip Irrigation Scheduling System Using Sensor Network, Zeena Mohammed, Muayad Sadik Croock

Iraqi Journal of Computers, Communications, Control and Systems Engineering

The agriculture is vulnerable and sensitive to climate changes. These changes reduce the production while encouraging the growth of bush, which lead to water consumption extravagantly. In this paper, we proposed an automatic drip irrigation system based on calculating the required crop water and irrigation depth. The aim of the proposed system is to automatically compute irrigation scheduling of certain crop according to a crop type and climatological conditions. This system includes two parts: hardware and control center. The sensors send their real-time readings of the soil moisture and climatic information to the monitoring part of the system wirelessly and …