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Essays On Health, Labor And Public Economics, Ahmad Reshad Osmani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This Dissertation consists of three essays on health, labor, and public economics. The first essay investigates how gender-specific cancers affect the labor market outcomes of cancer survivors. Using a theoretical construct of labor supply and health capital, this essay exploits a nationally representative dataset, the 20082015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), for estimating the correlated random effects (CRE) and over-dispersion empirical models to capture the job market effects for cancer survivors. After addressing the potential endogeneity of cancer and controlling for the number of years after cancer diagnoses, the estimated CRE model detect substantial male-female differences in the labor market …

Investigating The Impacts Of The Fungal Pathogen, Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis, On Growth, Behavior, And Reproductive Investment In Salamanders, Bailey Patillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Amphibians are declining globally, with the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) implicated as a contributing factor. Bd infects keratinized tissue of amphibians, including the skin of post-metamorphic individuals. Susceptibility to Bd varies among species, with many carrying sublethal infections, which can alter growth, behavior, and reproduction. The goals of these experiments were to determine the impact that Bd has on growth and body condition, feeding behavior, performance, and reproductive investment in salamanders with sublethal infections. The impacts of Bd infection on growth were assessed in post-metamorphic spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum). They were monitored for 12 weeks, and the amount of …

Targeting Self-Critical Thoughts In The Treatment Of Non-Sucidal Self-Injury In Adolescents: Accentuate The Positive, Eliminate The Negative, William Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The primary purpose of this investigation was to examine the added benefit of directly targeting self-critical thoughts in the treatment of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in youth undergoing Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A). This was a randomized study of 40 adolescents with recent engagement in NSSI at a partial hospitalization program using DBT-A. This study utilized an additive component treatment design with randomization to either DBT-A or DBT-A Plus. All study participants received the full DBT-A protocol, and those randomized to the DBT-A Plus condition received a brief cognitive intervention developed to decrease self-critical thoughts in adolescents. Of the 40 …

The Relation Among Phonological Processing, Oral And Silent Reading Fluency, And Reading Comprehension For Students With Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Investigation, Melissa Fetterer Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among phonological skills, oral and silent reading fluency, and reading comprehension for a longitudinal sample of students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Only two studies to date have modeled the relation between oral and silent reading fluency and comprehension, of which only one addressed phonological processing. No studies to date have modeled these relations in students with dyslexia. Participants in this study were 104 students in grades 2-5 with dyslexia, who were administered oral and silent reading fluency and comprehension assessments and selected phonological processing measures at the beginning …

Sleep Matters For Adolescents To Rise And Thrive: A Brief Motivational Intervention For Short Sleep Among Adolescents With Large Bodies, Kristina Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Sleep plays an essential role in health and well-being throughout the lifespan. Short sleep duration (< 8 hours/night) is highly prevalent among adolescents and is associated with a myriad of problematic psychosocial and physical health outcomes including obesity. There are a number of mutable, behavioral predictors known to be associated with short sleep; however, interventions targeting these behaviors to increase sleep duration are either limited or yield inconsistent findings. Researchers suggest that Motivational Interviewing (MI) interventions may be a feasible and acceptable means to improve sleep duration, yet no known research has examined MI to improve sleep duration among adolescents with large bodies. The purpose of the current study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a brief, individually-delivered, MI intervention that utilized tailored feedback and values-based strategies to improve sleep among adolescents with large bodies. Thirteen adolescents (aged 13-18; 62% female; 77% Black; Mage=15.2) with large bodies and self-reported short sleep participated in an MI intervention incorporating personalized sleep feedback generated from weeklong monitoring via sleep diary and Fitbit. The present study employed a one-group design with pre-test/post-test assessment to examine the feasibility and acceptability of this brief MI intervention. Session attendance was feasible given high retention from baseline to post-intervention (100%) and follow-up (92%, N=12). Monitoring sleep via Fitbit was acceptable and moderately feasible, while sleep diary completion was neither. Regarding intervention content, teens found personalized sleep feedback helpful and activities easy to understand. From baseline to six-week follow-up, teens reported improvements on perceived importance of sleeping more as well as increased confidence in their ability to get more sleep and readiness to sleep more. Findings support the feasibility and acceptability of an MI intervention for short sleep among teens with large bodies and will be used to inform future intervention development and adaptation for use in a randomized controlled trial. The brevity and practicality of this intervention also enhances long-term sustainability and ease of integration into busy multidisciplinary clinics.

Crisis Intervention Team Training For Law Enforcement: Analyzing The Factors That Influence Verbal De-Escalation Skills Knowledge Attainment In The Memphis Model, Paul M. Dunaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Crisis intervention team (CIT) training has been proven to be effective at increasing officers knowledge of mental health, improving attitudes toward those with a mental illness, and reducing use of force rates and arrest leading to incarceration of mental health consumers. Prior research has been primarily limited to outcome evaluations of CIT programs. The current study had 105 participants and examined officer-level variables identified in the literature that may affect verbal de-escalation skills knowledge attainment in the Memphis Model of CIT training. This was accomplished through the use of a hierarchal regression analysis. Results of the study found that officers …

Computational Thinking Self-Efficacy In High School Latin Language Learning, Dennis Clark Dickerson, Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Research suggests that computational thinking is a necessary skill exercised in STEM courses, non-STEM fields, and in everyday life. However, very little research has investigated the potential transfer of computational thinking self-efficacy available through classical Latin courses. This causal comparative study contrasted the computational thinking self-efficacy of computer science students with no exposure to Latin to computer science students with exposure to Latin at a Memphis all-boy high school. The independent variables were Latin language learning experience, i.e., up to 6 years total of Latin language learning (n = 33), versus 0 years of Latin language learning experience (n = …

Atomistic Models To Study Thermodynamics And Kinetics Of Solid-Liquid And Solid-Solid Transitions In Binary Metals, Seyed Alireza Alireza Etesami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Design of novel materials and novel manufacturing process requires understandingthermophysical properties of materials during their process and working conditions.Microstructure of materials, which is usually, consists of grains, phases, and defectsdetermines the overall physical and mechanical properties of materials. Specifically inmetals, the formation of solid crystal from liquid is considered as one of the most importantfactors during the solidification, which can elucidate the final formation of microstructureof materials. The experimental study of the phenomena related to the coexistence of solidliquid phases is generally arduous, because the experiments are needed to be carried out atthe melting points of the materials. Thanks to …

The Impact Of Task Difficulty On Reading Comprehension Intervention With Computer Agents, Ying Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

According to Vygotskys zone of proximal development (ZPD), students benefit from tasks that are difficult but can be achieved with the guidance of a skilled partner. This concept has often been implemented during the development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs), but there remains a need to empirically investigate the validity of this concept in reading comprehension interventions. Individual differences need to be considered in order to assign tasks to individual students with the right level of difficulty. Mixed results have emerged from previous research that specifically investigated the potential interaction between student attributes and ITSs on learning in the domain …

Implications Of Functional Limitations In Older Cancer Survivors A Medicare Beneficiary Survey, Prachi Chavan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate the impact of physical and functional limitations among older cancer survivors and its effect on healthcare utilization and mortality among them. The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is nationally representative longitudinal study of older Medicare beneficiaries. Physical Limitations (PL), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) were measured on a five-point scale. MCBS data from 2005 to 2013 were used in this study. Propensity score weighting was developed using logistic regressions. Design-based descriptive analysis and logistic models with adjusted survey weights were performed. Logistic and Poisson regression …

Novel Perspectives Of The Iraq War, Olivia R. Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

My dissertation, "Novel Perspectives of the Iraq War," explores literary representations of the American occupation of Iraq. Responding to Roy Scrantons argument that the prevailing narrative of the traumatized veteran returning home from war with experiential knowledge (what David Buchanan calls combat gnosticism) has overshadowed other important perspectives, this project interrogates the manner in which cultural representations can both sustain and challenge national mythologies. Each of my chapters responds to a specific problem in our cultures popular narratives of war and argues that solutions to extant misperceptions are available via counternarratives. What connects these problems are their prevalence in the …

Examining How Parent Child Interaction Therapy (Pcit) Skills Influence Childrens Eating During A Structured Eating Task, Tiffany Mary Rybak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Early childhood is a critical period for the development of healthy eating behavior. This study aimed to examine how mothers behaviors during an eating scenario align with evidence-based parenting skills (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) skills) and to determine how these skills influence childrens eating. This study observationally coded videos of dyadic parent-child interactions for 50 mothers and 50 children (ages 4 to 7 years old) from a primarily low-income population using Noldus Observer XT software. It examined interactions during a structured eating task (e.g., taste testing of foods) by first, applying and modifying the PCIT coding scheme to determine …

Making In The Moment: The Dynamic Cognition Of Musicians-In-Action, Kevin J. Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Watching highly-skilled experts in the midst of improvised performance can be a source of mystification and wonder. Understanding this mystery in more detail, especially for music, is a major motivation for my dissertation. Moreover, while there are multiple avenues through which one could explore improvisation, I will primarily utilize the tools of embodied cognitive science to help better understand it in general and bebop jazz improvisation in particular. I furthermore consider possible ways to define improvisation as an essential precondition of my project.In what follows, I will not defend one type of embodied approach over all alternatives. Instead, I will …

Building Self-Efficacy And Persistence Through Stem E-Mentor Training: A Multi-Site Case Study, Kathryn Marie Sharpe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The limited number of women persisting in STEM degree programs and pursuing STEM careers is concerning, particularly when one considers the absence of minority women in this field. One way of addressing this issue is to explore avenues that build womens STEM self-efficacy. Providing connections with other more experienced women involved in STEM through e-mentoring is one approach that could give women the support and experience they need to feel confident in their ability to succeed in STEM fields. Highly qualified mentors are a key component in the mentoring process and, therefore, need focused training that prepares them to support …

Reading Strategies Implemented By Teachers Whose Students Successfully Passed The Third Grade Reading Summative Assessment In The State Of Mississippi, Sebrina Shantell Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The low income and poverty-stricken areas of Mississippi have historically suffered from low-test scores, low graduation rates, and a high concentration of special education students Additionally, poor, Black Mississippians have performed lower, have lower graduation rates, and score lower in college readiness than do students in the rest of the nation. Similar, Mississippi continues to rank last or near the bottom on national measures of reading achievement. To reverse this trend, in 2013 the Mississippi State Legislature passed the Literacy- Based Promotion Act to improve the literacy skills of students beginning in kindergarten and extending through third grade. The law …

More Is Better: A Meta-Analysis Of Dose And Efficacy In Face-To-Face Psychological Treatments For Gambling Disorder, Rory A. Pfund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The dose-response relation is a well-established finding in the general psychotherapy literature. Investigators from this literature define the dose-response relation as how much face-to-face treatment is needed to realize a statistically reliable improvement in psychological symptoms. However, there is presently mixed evidence on the presence of a dose-response relation in the literature on face-to-face psychological treatment for gambling disorder. In the present study, meta-regression was employed to synthesize results from past studies on the efficacy of psychological treatment for gambling disorder to determine the possible presence of a dose-response relation in those treatments. The hypothesis was that there was no …

Supervision Satisfaction: What Impacts Masters Level Supervision When Reviewing Supervisor Category And Student Concentration?, Leigh Pitre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this study is to examine the satisfaction ratings of masters counseling students with their group, doctoral, and off-site supervisors. The researcher hypothesized that doctoral students supervisors and clinical mental health would demonstrate higher levels of overall student satisfaction. Two-hundred and ninety-eight supervisor evaluations were utilized for this study. A regression was initially run to test for satisfaction ratings, but no power or significance was found after running the statistical analysis. Therefore, the researcher ran a one-way ANOVA (after categorizing the type of supervision into two subgroups: faculty and nonfaculty). The results were as follows: the faculty yielded …

Considering Cytonuclear Interactions In The Face Of Heteroplasmy: Evidence From Daucus Carota (Apiaceae), A Gynodioecious Plant Species, Adam Joseph Ramsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Cytonuclear interactions in plants are the complex result of coevolution between the nuclear, mitochondrial, and plastid genomes. After several billion years of coevolution, metabolic activities are now tightly coordinated. Organellar genomes were believed to be under regulation by the nuclear genome, resulting in uniparental inheritance of small, non-recombining, and haploid organellar genomes. Apparent deviations from this coordination have often been perceived as deleterious to organismal fitness and not tolerated by natural selection. Recently, this assumption has been challenged. Although cytonuclear interactions are indeed highly coordinated, deviations are common. Across species, organellar genomes are cytoploid. They vary in size, recombine, and …

Politics, Governance, And Leadership: What Can We Learn From The Academy Of Management’S Response To Eo13769?, Gerald Davis, Michel Anteby, Forrest Briscoe, P. Devereux Jennings, Samina Karim, Aseem Kaul, Sergio Lazzarini, Banu Ozkazanc-Pan, Paul Donnelly, Andreas Rasche, Anne S. Tsui, Thomas A. Wright, Todd R. Zenger

Articles

Organization design seeks to balance potentially conflicting objectives while achieving a broader mission. EO13769 created a challenge for the president of the Academy of Management in leading through these conflicts, as President Anita McGahan describes: how to be true to her own moral values while leading an organization with well-established design constraints, and members with diverse opinions. This article shares the perspectives of 12 scholars on the lessons we can learn from Professor McGahan’s leadership of a constraining organization through a challenging time.

Emotional Intelligence And Conflict Management Styles, Helen Chen, Xuemei Xu, Patrick Phillips

Articles

Purpose – This paper aims to use a multi-level approach to examine the effects of emotional intelligence (EI) components on conflict management styles of Chinese managers when the respondents were in conflicts with their subordinates, peers or superiors.

Design/methodology/approach – The primary research was conducted in Dalian, China, via a personal survey resulting in 885 usable observations for analysis. EI was measured using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS; Wong and Law, 2002), which is made up of 16 questions measuring four dimensions. The conflict management component was measured via Rahim’s (1983) five conflict management styles, which are …

Investigate The Rheological Behavior Of High Viscosity Friction Reducer Fracture Fluid And Its Impact On Proppant Static Settling Velocity, Mohammed Ba Geri, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Andrey Bogdan, Lingjuan Shen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The recent and rapid success of using high viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) in hydraulic fracturing treatments is due to several advantages over other fracture fluids (e.g. linear gel), which include better proppant carrying capability, induce more complex fracture system network with higher fracture length, and overall lower costs due to fewer chemicals and less equipment on location. However, some concerns remain, like how HVFRs rheological properties can have impact on proppant transport into fractures. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the influence the rheological characterization of HVFRs have on proppant static settling velocity within …

In Situ Mechanical Characterization Of The Mixed- Mode Fracture Strength Of The Cu/Si Interface For Tsv Structures, Chenglin Wu, Congjie Wei, Yanxiao Li

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In situ nanoindentation experiments have been widely adopted to characterize material behaviors of microelectronic devices. This work introduces the latest developments of nanoindentation experiments in the characterization of nonlinear material properties of 3D integrated microelectronic devices using the through-silicon via (TSV) technique. The elastic, plastic, and interfacial fracture behavior of the copper via and matrix via interface were characterized using small-scale specimens prepared with a focused ion beam (FIB) and nanoindentation experiments. A brittle interfacial fracture was found at the Cu/Si interface under mixed-mode loading with a phase angle ranging from 16.7° to 83.7°. The mixed-mode fracture strengths were extracted …

The Erosion Of Democracy: Gerrymandering In The United States, Matthew P. Ruiz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Every ten years in the United States, we redraw our congressional districts that elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives after the decennial census data has been collected and organized. Politicians around the country have taken to using these map revisions for their party’s own political gains and have been doing so since the time even before the United States Constitution was ratified. This process where politicians draw district lines to favor their own party and expand their political power is called gerrymandering (Trickey, 2017). The purpose of this mixed method study is to understand the impact gerrymandering …

Aut Is Love, Nathan Selove

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This performance project argues for an alternative view of Autistics and romance. This is done from the perspective of a young adult man on the Autism Spectrum who tells the story of himself and his Autistic wife. The author makes the following arguments with the intent to educate neurotypicals about Autism and to empower Autistics: (1) Autistics are capable of romantic relationships and, as such, Autism is not a barrier to love; (2) Autistics are capable of empathy, especially with other Autistics; and (3) the romantic stories of Autistics must be heard

Chapter one introduces the main arguments and the …

An Investigation Into The Prediction Of Double-Skin Penetration Within Chromite Molds And Cores In Heavy Section Steel Casting Using Process Simulation Software, Nathaniel Bryant

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This investigation was conducted in response to a commercial steel foundry approaching the University of Northern Iowa for assistance with a recurring defect they experienced on a production casting. The defect was described as a mass of metal that penetrated and consumed the interstices of their chromite molds and cores, and it was determined to consist of fayalite. After an extensive literature review, it was concluded that the foundry experienced the double-skin defect, a niche quality issue that most commonly occurs in heavy-section steel casting with chromite molding materials

After it was determined that the double-skin defect was occurring, a …

An Investigation Of Pre-Service Teacher And Faculty Knowledge On Rti, Nichole M. Beckman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Response to Intervention (RTI) is being used in schools more often and continues to be a more accepted way to help students prior to the need for special education services. RTI is a three-tiered system of support that provides an opportunity for teachers to look at their instruction and curriculum and adjust based upon student progress and needs. The RTI framework, when implemented with fidelity, has been shown to effectively assist students get academic help early and limit the number of special education referrals (VanDerHeyden, Witt, & Gilbertson, 2007).

Although RTI has been shown to promote positive change in student …

Investigation Of The Changes Of Preservice Teachers' Efficacy Beliefs In Teaching Students With Special Needs, Pujaningsih Pujaningsih

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to examine preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in teaching students with special needs during student teaching and to explore potential influential factors contributed to its change. The efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977) was applied as the theoretical frameworks of this study. This framework guided this study for a deeper understanding of how preservice teachers interpreted their experiences when teaching students with special needs.

The participants were preservice teachers in one of a university in the Midwest who enrolled in the student teaching program in Spring 2018 and taught students with special needs in their classroom(s). Collecting data, this …

Analysis Of A Paleoglacier Reconstruction Model For Valley Glaciers Of The Wind River Range, Wyoming, Taylor Rae Garton

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Various approaches, ranging from in-field morphological reconstructions to more technology-based modelling practices allow us to reconstruct and understand the long-term geomorphic evolution of landscapes. The study of paleo-environments by reconstruction can also give us profound insight into paleo-climate. A new model, GlaRe (Glacial Reconstruction), has been introduced into the alpine glacier modeling community to facilitate glacier reconstruction. In this research the mathematical equations representing the basal shear stress parameter are tested to determine the applicability of the GlaRe model to alpine glaciers in the American West. Known ages and extents of past glacier advances were used to test the reconstructions …

Therapist Self-Doubt When Facing Severe Psychopathology In Adolescent Males, Zachary Mark Meehan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Achieving expertise in psychotherapy is a complex task, fraught with obstacles that impede progress (e.g., cognitive and information processing, accuracy of self-appraisals; Tracey, Wampold, Lichtenberg, & Goodyear, 2014). Contrary to popular opinion, years of experience does not make for an expert therapist. Research indicates that more seasoned therapists are not necessarily more effective than less seasoned therapists in terms of client outcomes. Expertise requires not only time, but also an intention to improve; and the use of appropriate feedback systems. Certain therapist characteristics can reliably predict therapy process and outcome. For example, the degree to which therapists feel uncertain regarding …

The Effect Of Cold Stratification And Perigynia Removal On The Germination Of Three Prairie Carex Species, Christina M. Boeck Crew

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Sedges (Carex spp. Linneaus. [Cyperaceae]) are a major component of Midwestern U.S. tallgrass prairie and prairie wetland plant communities, yet they are often lacking in restoration projects because they can be difficult to germinate. Cold-wet stratification and perigynia removal have been shown to increase germination in some Carex species. The germination response of 3 native species, plains oval or shortbeak sedge (C. brevior (Dewey) Mack.), field oval or troublesome sedge (C. molesta Mack.), and prairie or Bicknell’s sedge (C. bicknellii Britton.), was tested to cold-wet stratification (28d) and perigynia removal in stored seed (10 months). Seed treatments …