Digital Commons Network^™

The West As Fiction In First-Generation Arab Immigrant Literature, Rimun Murad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The West as Fiction in First-Generation Arab Immigrant Literature investigates the resemblance between the Arab immigrant experience, in first-generation Arab immigrant literature, and the experience of fiction reading. This dissertation analyzes Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North (1966), Waguih Ghali’s Beer in the Snooker Club (1964), Walid Al Hajjar’s trilogy The Search for the Self (1973, 1979, and 1984), Leila Aboulela’s The Translator (1999), Alaa Al Aswany’s Chicago: A Novel (2007), and Rabih Alameddine’s I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters (2001). Drawing from genre, postcolonial, and diasporic studies, this project argues that the West, for first-generation …

Local Embeddedness Matters: A Study Of Hip-Hop Artists' Interaction With Their Local Community, Castel Vette Sweet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study is an exploration of hip hop and rap artists’ embeddedness in local communities, and their interpretation of the connectedness between their work and their communities. I explore the influence of place and space in the identity development of artists, and how artist use those identities to guide their interactions with their local community. I also investigate the significance of artists’ interactions and relationship in the cultivation of social and cultural capital. In contrast to previous scholarship emphasising the negative influence rap and hip-hop artists have on their communities, I utilize in-depth interviews with artists to examine the …

Pre-College Credit And Examination Programs: One Size Fits All?, Guadalupe M. Lamadrid

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to utilize a comprehensive 9-16 dataset to quantitatively examine which pre-college credit programs are the most significant predictors of college achievement as defined by college GPA, first to second year retention, time to degree and graduation date. A qualitative analysis was conducted, which via the use of a survey allowed students to share their perceptions and feeling regarding their pre-college credit experiences. Data for this study was obtained from institutional sources and consisted of 9-16 detail high school record, admissions, financial aid, scholarship and enrolled student information. Univariate and Multi-variate statistical analyses …

A Performer's Guide To Joelle Wallach's A Revisitation Of Myth, Lauren Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to serve as a performance guide to Joelle Wallach’s A Revisitation of Myth, a song cycle containing four songs scored for viola, piano and medium voice. Discussed within this guide will be important characteristics found in the songs, overview and analysis of each song, as well as performance recommendations. According to Wallach, this cycle has never been successfully performed to completion. This document will include biographical information about the composer, Joelle Wallach, as well as commentary about the four poets, Luann Keener, Muriel Rukeyser, Denise Levertov, and Delmore Schwartz, whose texts are set in …

Disease, Bread, Efficiency: Rhetorics Of Victorian Education Reform, Vicki Jean Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Disease, Bread, Efficiency: Rhetorics of Victorian Education Reform arose from my observation that, historically speaking, Anglo-American schools have always been “in crisis.” I argue that the crisis of the “failing school” is a rhetorical problem rather than an economic problem as most scholarship suggests. Much like the cultural myth of “the One True Love,” education reform debates tend to position the school as an institution that can rescue the nation from all perceived social ills. Not only is this unrealistic, the patterns of language are inconsistent as ideas about the purpose of school are translated into policy. This causes further …

Joshua: Symphonic Suite No. 2 And James Aikman, The Violin Concerto, And The Principle Of Limited Economy, Chad Edward Hughes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to present an original work that represents this writer’s perspective as a composer and to examine the work, Violin Concerto No.1, by American composer and educator, James Aikman. The first component of this dissertation is this writer’s composition Joshua: Symphonic Suite No. 2. This work, which portrays the Old Testament Bible story of Joshua, son of Nun, is a neo-tonal ballet, which features the violin extensively. The ballet is divided into four movements, each of which corresponds to a segment of Joshua’s story, including “Joshua and Caleb,” “Rahab and the Spies,” “The River Jordan,” …

Viking Nobility In Anglo-Saxon England: The Expansion Of Royal Authority Through The Use Of Scandinavian Accommodation And Integration, Lauren Marie Doughty

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project seeks to understand the transformative period in Anglo-Saxon England between the ninth to eleventh centuries. During these centuries, Anglo-Saxon kings extended their royal power through the manipulation of Scandinavian ethnicity by using the mechanisms of accommodation, integration and appeasement as well as the incorporation of female royal power. Anglo-Saxon kings such as Alfred the Great, Æthelræd the Unræd, and Cnut were challenged by various hindrances from expressing their full royal authority, including the rise of an independent nobility, economic difficulties and invasions. Despite intrinsic limitations on their rule, kings such as Alfred, Æthelræd and Cnut sought to expand …

"In The School, Not Of The School": Co-Performing Critical Literacies With English Amped, Anna Catherine West

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibilities and limitations of “amplifying” critical literacy practices within an urban high school English and creative writing class. This action research project defamiliarized English education and created conditions for participants to imagine and perform alternative possibilities by bringing together critical research, community involvement, creative writing and performance in an extended class with high school, university, and community-based collaborators. Participants were high school juniors, partnering teachers, university-based student teachers, and community members who collaborated to form the English Amped program in the 2014-2015 academic year. Ethnographic methods were used to collect data …

The Machine Gun Hand: Robots, Performance, And American Ideology In The Twentieth Century, Benjamin Michael Phelan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Twentieth-century Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser argued in his famous essay “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses” that capitalism reproduces itself by interpellating individuals as subjects. For Althusser, the subject has a dual definition: a person who imagines him or herself to be a free subject who then “chooses” capitalism, and a person who, once they have “chosen” capitalism, gives up their free will to the Subject (Law, God, Authority, the State). This dual definition of the subject mirrors the dual definition of “robot.” A robot is both a mechanical being that moves on its own and a person who acts in …

Social Work Practitioners Working In End Of Life Care:Learning To Provide Culturally Appropriate Care To Clients Of Middle Eastern Descent, Laura Shafica Meiki

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilized an interpretive qualitative methodological approach to learn about the experiences of individuals with a Master of Social Work degree (MSWs) working in end-of-life (EOL) care with patients of Middle Eastern descent and their families. Specifically, it examined (1) how a sample of social workers obtained the skills necessary to provide culturally appropriate EOL care to clients and families of Middle Eastern descent; (2) the common intervention strategies social workers employ while providing this care; and (3) the recommendations they offer to others who anticipate encountering this population in their own practice. Data collection consisted of in-depth, semi-structured …

Examining The Role Of Ethnic Identity In The Relationship Between Characteristics Of Autism Spectrum Disorders And Eating Disorders, Ashley Bojorquez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present work provides a synthetic literature review investigating the potential role of ethnic identity in the relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and eating disorders (EDs). To date, there is no literature that directly examines the role that ethnic identity may play in the relationship between these two disorders. However, there is reason to believe it may; previous literature has shown that race/ethnicity plays a role in both of these disorders, and the role of ethnic identity has been more fully explored in the ED population. Notably, there is little research that examines the role of ethnic identity on …

The Complete Poems Of Anne Bannerman, Matthew Heilman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anne Bannerman (c.1780-1829) spent most of her life in Edinburgh, Scotland and published three volumes of poetry in the early nineteenth century. For my dissertation, I have prepared the first fully-annotated critical edition of Bannerman’s complete works, including Poems (1800), Tales of Superstition and Chivalry (1802), and Poems, A New Edition (1807). A comprehensive introduction provides information on Bannerman’s life and background, and examines her work in the context of British Romanticism, the Gothic, Scottish nationalism, and the ballad tradition. Close-readings of the poems examine the ways in which Bannerman’s female narrators challenge early nineteenth-century conceptualizations of gender, particularly in …

An Exploration Of The Relationships Among Cattell-Horn-Carroll (Chc) Theory-Aligned Cognitive Abilities And Math Fluency, Katherine D. Piselli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Math fluency, which refers to the ability to solve single digit arithmetic problems quickly and accurately, is a foundational mathematical skill. Recent research has examined the role of phonological processing, executive control, and number sense in explaining differences in math fluency performance in school-aged children. Identifying the links between these cognitive abilities and math fluency skills has important implications for screening, assessment, and intervention efforts in schools. As extant mathematics research in the context of Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory has evaluated either broad mathematics performance or math calculation skills, little is known about the specific relationships between math fact fluency and …

Occupational Profiles Of At-Risk Youth: A Multi-Case Study, Abigail Catalano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Occupational therapy’s work with at-risk and adjudicated youth is a practice area currently possessing a limited base of evidence. One significant need in this body of literature is for examination of evidence-based evaluation practices. This project describes implementation and results of an evaluation protocol, Primary Occupations for Work and Employment Readiness (POWER), designed to elicit comprehensive occupational profiles from participants. POWER consists of five assessment tools, supplemented by clinical observations and program data. The assessments included are the Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA), Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST), Double OT (DOT), Kawa River Model, and Role Checklist Version 3 (RCV3). …

Indirect Bullying And Conflict Management Skills In Childhood And Adolescence, Charles Albright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the Young Adult Social Behavior Scale (YASB) and Conflict Resolution Scale (CRS) measures were administered to students from three private middle and high schools in the mid-Atlantic US as part of a larger study regarding the effects of a group counseling curriculum in reducing forms of indirect bullying. Research questions were developed to evaluate differences according to student age and gender in relational aggression, social aggression, and interpersonal maturity, as well as relationships between relational aggression, social aggression, interpersonal maturity, and conflict resolution skills. These questions were evaluated using MANOVA, Chi-square, and multivariate regression analyses, respectively. Results …

A Systems Approach To Moral Distress In Long Term Care, Margaret Lemley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: The question that this dissertation seeks to answer is whether or not a Systems Approach to Moral Distress can serve to positively address issues of moral distress within the Long-Term Care setting. Because moral distress has largely been understood as a phenomenon of the individual, efforts to address and reduce incidents of moral distress have focused almost entirely on the individual and his or her reaction to specific triggers. Building upon the existing literature this dissertation argues that previous efforts to understand moral distress within the healthcare setting have been limiting in two very important aspects. The first …

Burden Of Illness And Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation Of Lumacaftor/Ivacaftor In Cystic Fibrosis, Pratyusha Vadagam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: (1) To estimate the burden of illness in cystic fibrosis (CF) using 2010-2014 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data, and (2) to conduct a pharmacoeconomic evaluation of lumacaftor/ivacaftor in the treatment of CF.

Methods: The study was conducted in two parts. Part 1 involved a retrospective analysis using individuals in MEPS database with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis code of 277.00 for a principal diagnosis of CF. Dependent variables were cumulative and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and independent variables included patient demographics and clinical characteristics. Unweighted and weighted estimates of expenditure in CF group, …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Sport And Fandom Through Hans-Georg Gadamer And Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Alexander Regina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to uncover the phenomenological and communicative roots of sport fandom from the fan perspective, taking into account the many ways in which fans come to contact sport and integrate corresponding experiences into their own lives and sense of being in the world. Hans-Georg Gadamer and Maurice Merleau-Ponty are used to understand the conventions of play that manifest in sport, leading not only to the co-creation of the game experience due to the intertwining of spectators and players but also to the interplay of temporal realms that leads to what Gadamer calls the fusion of horizons. Through …

Primate Proteomic Composition Of Seminal Plasma And Prostate-Specific Transglutaminase Activity In Relation To Sexual Selection., Amanda M.C. Zielen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans (Homo sapiens), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), and gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) have diverse mating systems with varying levels of sperm competition. Several seminal plasma genes have been claimed to evolve under positive selection, while others are altered or lost. This study aims to identify biologically relevant differences among seminal plasma proteomes of primates in relation to mating systems and previous genomic studies. Seminal plasma from three individuals of each species were run in triplicate in shotgun liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and confirmed with Western blots. Over 7,000 peptides were identified across all …

Molecular Analysis Of The Mating System Of A Population Of Fantail Darter (Etheostoma Flabellare) In Bates Fork, Greene Co., Pa, Ashley Seitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In May 2013, we examined the mating system of the Fantail Darter, Etheostoma flabellare, from a population inhabiting Bates Fork, a small tributary of the Monongahela River in Greene County, PA. Guarding adult male Fantail Darters excavate an area under a flat rock in moderately flowing rifles. Females select a male or his territory and deposit clusters of eggs on the underside of the nest rock. The guarding male provides all parental care. The locations of 23 nests were mapped over a 139m² stream segment before collecting embryos and attending males for a genetic parentage analysis. DNA was …

“Forming Ranks”: The Impact Of Negative-Destructive Leadership In The Aftermath Of Military Sexual Assault And Reporting, Jessica Payton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Military leaders play central roles in responding to sexual assault in the military social ecology, yet their impacts on victims’ post-assault and reporting experiences remain understudied. Using standpoint epistemology and a military-specific social ecological approach, this two-stage project investigated how military leaders impacted survivors’ post-assault and reporting experiences, as well as their experiences with military peers, community resources, and justice and separation processes. Data were gathered through an initial focus group with eight subject matter experts in advocacy, legal work, and policy reform, followed by subsequent in-depth individual interviews with eight female survivors of military sexual assault, seven of whom …

Hospitality In Communication: Applying The Rule Of Saint Benedict To The Home, Karen Fetter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hospitality is a tradition that has been immersed into all cultures for thousands of years. Philosophically and religiously, it has roots among ancient philosophers and in the Bible. Before the modern technologies and development of the tourism industry, hospitality was found in churches and monasteries. The reciprocal relationship between the host and the stranger give metaphorical meanings to life in general because it is how we treat each other that forms the moral balance in society and gives the human person what is necessary for a healthy and full life. St. Benedict was a man who experienced the benefits of …

An Organizational Ethics Framework To Balance Individual Privacy And Population Interests Regarding Genetic Technologies, Christine Trani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The American culture holds the right to privacy as one of the most esteemed rights for individuals. As such, the culture adamantly defends the right to privacy to ensure individuals have the opportunity to live freely. In the American healthcare system, the right to privacy is critical for individual autonomy. However, genetic science has pushed this boundary as it emphasizes the interdependency between individual and population health. Genetic technologies for healthcare have been increasing at an exponential rate since the early 2000s. Their implantation into clinical care has been a slower process due to ethical dilemmas. Specifically, ethical dilemmas revolve …

Improving The Practice And Culture Of Early Learning In Ohio, Diana Morello-Deserio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How can preschool programs situated in public schools “get better at getting better?” This dissertation suggests a framework based on the principles of Improvement Science as one-way school districts can include preschool in their continuous improvement efforts. Document Analysis, is the method used to examine a continuous improvement protocol used in Ohio school districts known as The Ohio Improvement Process (The OIP Guide was the document analyzed). Additionally, Portraiture as “lived” experiences including both early learning educators and traditional school age leaders were reflected upon. The following research questions guided the study: What are the key operational components of the …

Mammography Utilization In African American Women, April D. Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Breast cancer presents differently among women causing breast cancer health disparities with women of color disproportionally shouldering later-stage screening, incidence, and treatment, and greater mortality. This study assessed 10 predictors and rates of recent and long-term mammography utilization for women 43-79 years of age to better understand differences among age strata and races. This was the first study to use both the calculated Gail Risk scores (calculates absolute breast cancer risk over time intervals) from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and a temporary homelessness variable in predicting mammography utilization using national-level data.

Theoretical Framework: A modified Behavioral …

The Normative Approach Of The Catholic Tradition In The Ethical And Religious Directives For Resolving Ethical Dilemmas Regarding Medical Technology, David G. Garvis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation engages the Catholic Tradition enunciated in the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services to provide a normative approach for resolving ethical dilemmas regarding pivotal breakthroughs in medical technology.

This normative ethical approach has two components: a normative framework for Catholic health care ethics that adopts practical ethical principles as enunciated in the Ethical and Religious Directives (Chapter 2) and secular decision-making models in organizational and clinical ethics that are consistent with the Catholic Tradition (Chapter 3).

At the end of the theoretical analysis in these chapters, the conclusion to Chapter 3 explains how this normative …

Clients' Experiences Of Recovery-Oriented Care For Schizophrenia: A Qualitative Research Study, Sarah A. Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A recovery model of care has been widely accepted and instituted both in the U.S. and internationally, but research suggests that the model has not been employed uniformly. While existing research has focused on creating consensus regarding application of the model, the lived experience of those receiving the care has not yet been considered. In order to address this gap, the present study proposed a qualitative analysis of mental health consumers’ experiences of recovery-oriented care for schizophrenia. Potential participants were recruited through a Regional Mental Health Board and the author individually interviewed four participants in semi-structured interviews. A qualitative analysis …

Modeling The Binding Of Neurotransmitter Transporter Inhibitors With Molecular Dynamics And Free Energy Calculations, Bernandie Jean

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The monoamine transporter (MAT) proteins responsible for the reuptake of the neurotransmitter substrates, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, are drug targets for the treatment of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Small molecules that inhibit these proteins can serve as useful therapeutic agents. However, some dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitors, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, are highly addictive and abusable. Efforts have been made to develop small molecules that will inhibit the transporters and elucidate specific binding site interactions. This work provides knowledge of molecular interactions associated with MAT inhibitors by offering an atomistic perspective that can guide …

Retention And Attrition In Bariatric Surgery Research: A Qualitative Study, William F. Gourash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem: Longitudinal bariatric surgical research studies often lack information on retention and attrition of study participants and the strategies utilized to optimize these. The potential for attrition bias with adverse effects on validity, reliability, and generalizability increases over time. The many factors potentially affecting retention and attrition in research, have been under studied.

Purpose: The purpose was to explore factors affecting research participation of bariatric surgical patients who are subjects in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) study. The research questions explored research participants’ perceptions, motivations, and attitudes concerning participation in the study, specifically participation in annual in-person visits …

Parents Of Children Who Had Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Mixed-Methods, Exploratory Study, Natalene Kramer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: There is scant literature addressing the parents of children who had hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). therefore only inferences may be made as to issues of that experience affecting parents.

Purpose: The purposes of this study was to uncover the lived experiences of parents of children who had HIE, evaluate issues of stress, depression, coping, and impact of neurologic disability in order to better care for them and thus their families

Methods: A parallel, convergent mixed-methods design was used to explore experiences and perceptions of these parents regarding their experiences and life changes. The quantitative strand addressed four research questions which …