Digital Commons Network^™

The Human Journey As Work In Progress, Kymberly Day

All Theses

Sampling gesture, form, and monumentality from Classical figure sculpture, art history becomes an avenue for exploring tropes of the parallels between man and animal. Raw construction and shipping materials comprise these figures, interrupting conventions of display, archive, transport, and institution. Species are spliced and integrated into the human figure in each of the compositions. Traditionally, the animal is used as metaphor for different human conditions, emotions, and behaviors; our relationships to animals is one that stands the test of time in art. The animal becomes an extension of the figure's human-ness, while also acting as mere prop for the figure. …

Locker Room Talk: Dialogic Navigations Of The Discursive Arena Of Campus Sexual Assault, Sarah Beach

All Theses

This creative Master's thesis project records a set of experiences of a graduate teaching assistant's engagement with student, faculty, and staff activists in sexual assault on a Southeastern university campus during the academic years of 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. Using literature, interviews, dialogic engagement, and participant observation, I document, discuss, and analyze discursive norms and campus interventions, specifically in the context of campus rape culture. I outline my philosophical commitments, relate my experiences meeting with members of the university community, and offer my findings and reflections in a thematic report. The implications make a strong case for the importance of dialogic …

Training Personal Information To Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Diana C. Carlos

Theses and Dissertations

For many children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning emergency information such as their parents’ names, contact information, or important health information may be useful in case of elopement, getting lost, or abduction. In the present study, I evaluated the use of video self-modeling (VSM) to facilitate acquisition of personal information in comparison to echoic prompts using a parallel treatments design with children with ASD. Components of the intervention included: a test, followed by the prompt (e.g., echoic or VSM) for no response given or for an incorrect response. The use of VSM involves the learner viewing a video of …

Evaluation Of A Tool To Identify The Variables Responsible For Poor Parent Treatment Implementation: The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Parent, Jamie Villacorta

Theses and Dissertations

In applied behavior analysis, parents are often taught to implement treatment programs in order to decrease their child’s problem behaviors and increase appropriate behaviors. Unfortunately, many parents have trouble implementing these programs correctly. It has been suggested that higher treatment integrity for a specified treatment program may be associated with higher levels of its success. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the use of an assessment tool (i.e., the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Parent, or PDC-P) to develop a treatment specifically targeted to address the variables responsible for poor program implementation by parents. First, the PDC-P was administered to …

A Strategic Communication Plan For The Florida Tech Wellness Committee, Anushka Karina Boyd

Theses and Dissertations

With rising healthcare costs, it is critical for corporate wellness to be prevalent in the workplace in order to assist employees and their family members to make healthy lifestyle choices. The materials provided in the following design project serve as a guide for the Florida Institute of Technology Wellness Committee in the form of a strategic communication plan. For the Wellness Committee to succeed and have a more profound presence on campus, missions, goals, and objectives must be set in place. In addition, to efficiently make use of their time, the Office of Human Resources staff members should set tasks …

Effective Parental Cooperation And Communication As Protective Factors For Adult Offspring Of Divorce, Damla Til Ogut

Theses and Dissertations

Research and society have focused attention on how divorce affects family dynamics for decades. The clinical literature points to significant discrepancies in psychological variables between offspring from divorced versus intact families, suggesting that divorce contributes to negative psychosocial outcomes. Accordingly, investigations have revealed the adverse effects of co-parental conflict and antagonistic communication on divorce offspring’s psychological outcomes. Although parental cooperation and communication are suggested to serve as protective factors, more research is needed, given the current literature’s reliance on measures of psychopathology, yet making conclusions on psychological wellness. Among 244 college students, results indicated that divorce offspring reported lower levels …

Two-Week Test-Retest Reliability Of The Scale Of Accurate Personality Prediction, Lisa Dawn Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

The Scale of Accurate Personality Prediction (SAPP) is a measure derived from the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF Fifth Edition) with the objective of assessing one’s level of self-knowledge. The SAPP measures self-knowledge by appraising the extent to which individuals are able to accurately predict their personality traits. Previous research on the SAPP has provided support for its construct validation. The present study served as a replication of prior reliability studies to further assess the SAPP’s temporal stability. Test-retest reliability data of the SAPP was obtained by comparing SAPP scores from 34 individuals across two testing sessions that were two …

Flight Testing Angle-Of-Attack Warning Combinations On Part 23 Aircraft, Jennifer Grey Geehan

Theses and Dissertations

The high number of accidents involving General Aviation (GA) aircraft leads to a need for improved methods to warn pilots of high angles of attack (AOA) and impending stall. Such methods must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 regarding their effectiveness in preventing departures from controlled flight. Therefore, methods of compliance must be developed to certify Part 23 aircraft equipped with AOA warning or limiting systems. The research objectives were to (a) determine methods for the evaluation of AOA warning and limiting systems and to (b) evaluate the effectiveness of baseline combinations …

Metasurface-Assisted Phase-Matching-Free Second Harmonic Generation In Lithium Niobate Waveguides, Cheng Wang, Zhaoyi Li, Myoung Hwan Kim, Xiao Xiong, Xi Feng Ren, Guang Can Guo, Nanfang Yu, Marko Lončar

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The phase-matching condition is a key aspect in nonlinear wavelength conversion processes, which requires the momenta of the photons involved in the processes to be conserved. Conventionally, nonlinear phase matching is achieved using either birefringent or periodically poled nonlinear crystals, which requires careful dispersion engineering and is usually narrowband. In recent years, metasurfaces consisting of densely packed arrays of optical antennas have been demonstrated to provide an effective optical momentum to bend light in arbitrary ways. Here, we demonstrate that gradient metasurface structures consisting of phased array antennas are able to circumvent the phase-matching requirement in on-chip nonlinear wavelength conversion. …

Co-Parenting For Successful Kids: Impacts And Implications, Jeong-Kyun Choi, Holly Hatton-Bowers, Gail Brand, Lisa M. Poppe, Jaclynn Foged

Journal of Extension

We examined the impacts of the Co-Parenting for Successful Kids program offered by University of Nebraska Extension. Using a sample of 2,622 parents who participated in the program in 2015, we measured their knowledge change and ability to perform cooperative coparenting behaviors. Results suggest that the program effectively improved participants' coparenting knowledge and ability to use behaviors such as understanding and supporting children in developmentally appropriate ways, enhancing communication skills, and developing parenting plans. In examining group differences, we found that parents of infants and toddlers benefited the most from the program. Suggestions on program development and evaluation are discussed.

The Contribution Of Urban 4-H To Social Capital And The Implications For Social Justice, Nia Imani Fields

Journal of Extension

The idea that equal education exists in the United States is a misconception, and positive youth development programs are a proposed response to inequitable education. Youth development programs have the potential to increase one's social capital, particularly for youths who are marginalized by inequitable access to quality education. The study described here focused on the contribution of urban positive youth development to social capital and social justice. Findings indicate that 4-H initiatives related to social capital are reaching marginalized youths. However, barriers are preventing 4-H from reaching these youths adequately and/or consistently.

Exploring Employee Readiness For Change In A State Extension System, Kirk Bloir, Scott D. Scheer

Journal of Extension

Understanding factors that influence employee readiness for change is essential for successful organizational change. We examined variables linked to employee readiness for change in one state's Extension system. Results revealed high-quality employee-supervisor relationships, neither high nor low levels of resistance to change, and somewhat high levels of readiness for change. Respondents with more years of service, more time working for their current supervisors, and greater resistance to change reported lower levels of readiness for change. We share implications in an effort to help increase successful organizational change efforts.

Ecology Of Hatchling Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii), Sarah J. Spangler

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Little is known about the first year of life for many of the world’s freshwater turtles. This is due in part to their cryptic nature and the difficulty of locating hatchlings in the wild. The lack of information about this demographically important age group has led researchers to draw conclusions from indirect inferences about survival rates and ecological roles of hatchlings that may or may not be accurate. To begin filling in some of these gaps, I focused on the first year in an alligator snapping turtle’s life. I studied: (1) circadian and circannual patterns of activity, (2) growth rates …

A Qualitative Study Of Group Therapy Incorporating Rap Music With Inmates, Abigail V. Richards

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This study aims to explore the lived experiences of inmates who participate in group psychotherapy incorporating elements of rap music. Rap music includes elements such as emotional expression, songwriting, community building, freestyling, and beat, which can be beneficial for individuals experiencing typical symptoms of incarceration such as anxiety, self-discovery, and difficulties regulating emotion. Ten inmates of a Missouri county justice center (50% male) were recruited on a volunteer basis to participate in a five-week psychotherapy group. The study involves psychoeducation, group-drumming, self-expression, and improvisation. Qualitative data were collected through an interview process with participants, including inmates, facilitators and supervisors. Results …

A Comparison Of Traditional, Trial-Based, And Synthesized Contingency Trial-Based Functional Analyses, Kaitlin S. Curtis

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Researchers have developed functional analyses (FAs) to improve efficiency and correspondence that still use core components of the traditional format. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the correspondence between the trial-based FA and the traditional FA. I also evaluated the correspondence between the synthesized-contingency trial-based FA and the traditional FA. Within this study, I determined that by combining methods, I was able to reduce false negatives for escape found within the trial-based FAs and false-positives found within the synthesized contingency FAs.

A Mixed-Reality Approach For Cyber-Situation Awareness, Tapas Dipakkumar Joshi

Theses and Dissertations

As the proliferation and adoption of smart devices increase, there is an unprecedented amount of data being released into the network every second. Computer networks are the carriers for the movement of this ever generating amounts of data, but are dumb in a way that they do not distinguish between suspicious data traffic and valid data traffic. Also, for however secure a computer network be, suspicious network traffic activities are bound to happen. These suspicious traffic activities have to be detected, analyzed and stopped before it compromises the entire network and leaves the information and data security of an organization …

A Heuristic Method For The Determination Of Assembly Network And Line Design For Discrete Manufacturing Processes, Ismael Hernan Naranjo Velez

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents with a proposed alternative precedence algorithm which is determined by the Solid surfaces of the product design. The representation address in this paper address the manufacturing planning from all manufacturing levels of the product. Sequence is introduce to this paper in order to proof the propose precedence network alternatives. Both manufacturing level solutions are heuristic. This thesis explores the connection of the precedence and the sequence, as it introduces physical manufacturing constraints and its relationships to the station process planning. Precedence network are usually determine by the designer principal point and assembled connections. The proposed algorithm avoids …

Model Based Systems Engineering High Level Design Of A Sustainable Electric Vehicle Charging And Swapping Station Using Discrete Event Simulation, Obinna Henry Ginigeme

Theses and Dissertations

In line with the spate of technological advances, the transportation industry has also witnessed an increase in the adoption of Electric Vehicles (E.Vs). However, there has been and are still some underlying negating factors to the wide spread acceptance of these electric vehicles; one of note is the unavailability and inaccessibility of adequate charging infrastructure, long charging times, limited driving ranges, costs of the vehicles etc. These and many more characteristics lead to a trend popularly known as “range anxiety”. One of the major strengths of electric vehicles are their ability to be powered by electric energy via stored chemical …

Effects Of Spatial Ability And Three-Dimensional Interactive Computer-Assisted Instruction On Functional Anatomy Learning, Kelly Michael Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of spatial ability (SA) and three-dimensional (3D) interactive Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on college student academic achievement (ACH). The study was a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, control group mixed methods design. Participants were assessed for spatial ability via the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R), Yoon (2011). Participants were instructed to identify, locate and visualize human skeletal muscles and muscle actions. During laboratory sessions, control groups studied plastic anatomical 3D models and experiment groups utilized 3D interactive CAI. ACH was measured by the Human Skeletal Muscle Assessment (HSMA) difference …

The Effects Of Teaching Middle School Students Math Using The Gifted Supplementary Curriculum “Mawhiba” On Students’ Academic Achievement And Attitude Toward Math In Public Schools In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed M. Alreshidi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of a supplementary math curriculum, “Mawhiba,” that was designed for gifted students, would be appropriate for regular students in a mixed-abilities classroom. The researcher investigated the effects of implementing the Mawhiba enriched supplementary math curriculum on students’ achievements in mathematics and on students’ attitudes toward mathematics in Hail State, Saudi Arabia. The research design was an experimental randomized subject pretest, post-test, control group design. Two schools were chosen (a female middle school and a male middle school). The sample consisted of 121 students (60 males and 61 females). The …

Investigating The Influence Of Functional And Nonfunctional Requirements On Change And Change Propagation, Nathaniel Conde Voris

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this thesis investigates the nature of change and change propagation in requirement documents as they are influenced by requirement type, that is, “Functional” or “NonFunctional,” and how an understanding of these types may refine utilization of the Automated Requirement Change Propagation Prediction (ARCPP) tool when used by design teams. Functionality is determined by asking the question “Does the requirement prescribe something for the project to accomplish?” This question separates the requirements into their requisite types. Using the ARCPP, the relationship and propagation scores were determined for each requirement. Furthermore, the number of relationships were determined for …

World Transit Research December 2017 Newsletter, Institute Of Transport Studies Monash University

World Transit Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Patients’ Willingness To Participate In Rapid Hiv Testing: A Pilot Study In Three New York City Dental Hygiene Clinics, Susan H. Davide, Anthony J. Santella, Winnie Furnari, Petal Leuwaisee, Marilyn Cortell, Bhuma Krishnamachari

Publications and Research

Purpose: One in eight people living with an HIV infection in the United States is unaware of their status. Rapid HIV testing (RHT) is an easily used and accepted screening tool that has been introduced in a limited number of clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate patient acceptability, certainty of their decision, and willingness to pay for screening if RHT was offered in university-based dental hygiene clinics.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 426 patients at three dental hygiene clinics in New York City over a period of four months. The survey questionnaire was based …

Two-Photon Excitation, Fluorescence Microscopy, And Quantitative Measurement Of Two-Photon Absorption Cross Sections, Fredrick Michael Dearmond

Dissertations and Theses

As optical microscopy techniques continue to improve, most notably the development of super-resolution optical microscopy which garnered the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014, renewed emphasis has been placed on the development and use of fluorescence microscopy techniques. Of particular note is a renewed interest in multiphoton excitation due to a number of inherent properties of the technique including simplified optical filtering, increased sample penetration, and inherently confocal operation. With this renewed interest in multiphoton fluorescence microscopy, comes an increased demand for robust non-linear fluorescent markers, and characterization of the associated tool set.

These factors have led to an experimental …

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy For Children With Autism, Tiffany Thomas

Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive lifelong developmental delay with a prevalence of 1 in 68 children. This growing epidemic occurs for unspecified causes and researchers continue to explore evidence-based treatments available. Parent–child interaction therapy (PCIT) is a parent training program, initially developed for implementation with typically-developing children. PCIT has shown effectiveness in increasing child compliance, minimizing disruptive problem, improving parent-child relationship satisfaction, and communication. The present study investigated the efficacy of PCIT as an evidence-based practice (EBP) for children with ASD by implementing a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across three participants. Results indicated socially significant increases in child …

Developing A Clinical Guideline With Embedded Algorithm For The Dosing Frequency Of Amoxicillin In Pediatric Group A-Beta Hemolytic Streptococcal Pharyngitis, Derek R. Doorn

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Group A-beta hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) pharyngitis, commonly called “strep throat,” is a commonly seen diagnosis in primary care--most commonly seen in individuals aged 5-15 years. Worldwide, 616 million estimated cases of GABHS pharyngitis occur annually. Rheumatic heart disease, which might be a consequence of GABHS pharyngitis, is estimated to cause about 6 million years of life lost annually. In spite of the wide prevalence of the disease, in the current literature, there are differing guidelines regarding treatment of GABHS pharyngitis, specifically with regard to the dosing frequency of amoxicillin. Amoxicillin is a frequently recommended and utilized drug in the treatment …

Creating A Clinical Practice Guideline For Women Who Have Had A First Trimester Miscarriage: A Psychological Aspect Of Care, Natalie Marie Sheehan

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

One in four women will experience a miscarriage in the United States alone (Geller, Psaros, & Kornfield, 2010). Miscarriages can cause an increased distress to the women experiencing the loss and her partner (Nikčević, Kuczmierczyk, Tunkel & Nicolaides, 2000). This type of loss is not usually talked about, leaving women in great distress and suffering alone. Currently, no clinical practice guideline exists dealing with the psychological aspects of a miscarriage and how to properly care for this population. The PICOT question that guided this capstone was: (P) In women, who have had a first trimester miscarriage, (I) does an established …

Evaluation Of A New Surgical Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Core Team In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Megan Rose Stephany

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

The healthcare workforce is moving from a traditional physician-only model to a multi-level medical provider model. Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have come to rely on neonatal nurse practitioners due to the decrease in resident physician hours and the lower cost of hiring a neonatal nurse practitioner. Studies have found advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) can provide benefits in the areas of communication, patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost. An increasing number of critically ill infants are requiring specialized pre- and postoperative care in one Level IV NICU, which has led to continuous quality improvement in communication and continuity of …

Lost In Translation: Social Media Outreach, Concerns, And Responses To The Potential Decommissioning Of Diablo Nuclear Power Plant, Madison O'Hare Salvati

Journalism

The following study investigated the process in designing a social media campaign the effectively conveys a large corporation’s, like Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), essence online during a significant event that will impact the entire community that corporation serves. The trend in social media campaigns to reach a greater audience during events like the potential decommissioning of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant (DCPP) is important and becoming a more efficient approach in keeping the public informed. The campaign’s focus was to restore PG&E’s online presence by taking down real-life concerns of those who will be impacted by the decommissioning of …

Depression In Stroke Patients; A Cross Sectional Study Highlighting The Association Of Stroke On Age And Gender Basis., Saira Abbas, Naila Naeem Shahbaz, Muhammad Amir Umer, Sumera Rafat Umer, Asfia Irfan, Adnan Anwar

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Stroke is the second leading cause of death. Depressive disorder is characterized by period of sad mood and anhedonia occurring for two consecutive weeks. Among stroke survivors, the consequence of physical and psychological changes can be devastating. One of those psychological changes is post-stroke depression (PSD). Stroke itself has debilitating morbidity and superimposed PSD further decreases the quality of life of patients and impairs recovery. This study leads us to know the magnitude of post stroke depression.