Digital Commons Network^™

Redefining Ceremony And The Sacred: Short Stories From The Dinétah, Stacie S. Denetsosie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This is a creative thesis comprised of three short stories centered on the experiences of three Navajo protagonists living on the Navajo reservation. The short stories fit within the field of Native American Literature and highlight issues of mortality, sexuality, and ceremony. The stories illustrate the experiences of modern-day Navajo youth grappling to understand how to connect traditional knowledge with modernity. The three stories featured within this thesis are offered as a way to understand these challenges. Each protagonist is faced with an issue of morality, sexuality, or ceremony, and each reach differing conclusions about these topics within their lives. …

Developing, Adopting, And Executing 100% Net-Renewable Electricity Resolutions At The Local Level, Emily E. Skill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the absence of national leadership on climate policy, municipalities are adopting resolutions to reduce their carbon footprint and transition to clean energy. However, what leads to successful adoption of these resolutions and how to effectively implement climate goals at the community level needs further exploration. To investigate these questions, this thesis examines the resolutions adopted in Salt Lake City, Park City, and Moab, Utah to transition to 100% renewable electricity by 2032. Data was collected through documents, such as city reports and newspapers, and interviews with government officials, city staff, and community members involved with the resolution process. A …

The Determinants Of Municipal Minimum Wage Ordinances: An Analysis Of 100 Large Cities From 2012-2017, Nicholas S. Hilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The city of Seattle, Washington made headlines in 2014 when its city council enacted the highest minimum wage in the history of the United States. The ruling appeared to begin a trend as similar policies began diffusing in cities across the country. In reality, however, municipal minimum wage ordinances have existed since the early 1990’s. Yet, despite over two decade’s worth of data on the subject, little research has been conducted to understand the characteristics that influence cities to enact minimum wages in the first place. This study contributes to our understanding of the predictors of minimum wage ordinances by …

Evaluating Relationships Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Perception Between Ranchers And Bureau Of Land Management Professionals, Calee L. Garn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages approximately 245 million acres in the U.S., the majority of which are in the western half of the country. There have been several conflicts in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona, since 2010 that have resulted in a fatality, armed militias, several incarcerations, and lawsuits facing the federal government. Following a preliminary needs assessment conducted in Box Elder County, Utah, and a comprehensive review of the literature, further research was needed to understand BLM professional (BLM managers or BLM specialists) and rancher perceptions regarding BLM policies and procedures. The study specifically looked at attitudes, …

Wildfire In The West: An Initial Analysis Of Wildfire Impacts On Hydrology And Riverbed Grain Size In Relation To Salmonid Habitat, Natalie J. Gillard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Historically wildfires have been beneficial to forests, however, human developments have encroached on forests when wildfire was artificially suppressed by federal and state agencies. The area burned by wildfire each year has increased twenty-fold in the past three decades. Large, high severity fires pose increased threats to human and aquatic communities within and downstream of the burned area due to post-wildfire effects on flooding and sedimentation. We need to understand the impacts of wildfires to be able to mitigate their damages and to recognize their potential benefits. This research addresses the questions: 1) Do wildfires impact rural and urban economies …

The Farm As Place In A Changing Climate: Capturing Women Farmers' Experiences In Idaho, United States And Victoria, Australia, Tagen Towsley Baker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In Australia and the US, women play a vital role in the agricultural sector. However, historically farmwomen’s contributions to agriculture as well as their individual knowledge and social resilience to stressors like climate and climate change have been unrecognized and rendered invisible. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship from geography and the humanities, this dissertation explores the farm as place in a changing climate, drawing on women farmers’ experiences, under three distinct themes: identity, place, and photography. The dissertation research includes three distinct parts. First, incorporating non-fiction writing and photography, I explore my agricultural and religious heritage, as well as familial connections …

Expression Systems For Synthetic Spider Silk Protein Production, Michaela R. Hugie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider silk is a biodegradable and biocompatible natural material that is stronger than steel and more elastic than nylon. These properties make spider silk a desirable material for many commercial products, ranging from textiles to biomedical materials. Due to spiders’ cannibalistic and territorial nature it is impossible to farm them to produce spider silk at a high enough yield to meet product demands. Therefore, a bioengineered synthetic process is necessary to produce spider silk. Synthetic spider silk has been produced in bacteria, goats, yeast, plants, mammalian cells and silkworms, but none of these processes provided a commercially viable yield or …

Rewriting Eden With The Book Of Mormon: Joseph Smith And The Reception Of Genesis 1-6 In Early America, Colby Townsend

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The colonists living in the new United States after the American War for Independence were faced with the problem of forming new identities once they could no longer recognize themselves, collectively or individually, as subjects of Great Britain. After the French Revolution American politicians began to weed out the more radical political elements of the newly formed United States, particularly by painting one of the revolution’s biggest defenders, Thomas Paine, as unworthy of the attention he received during the American War for Independence, and fear ran throughout the states that an anarchic revolution like the French Revolution could bring the …

Dry Heat Among The Red Rocks: Risk Perceptions And Behavioral Responses To Extreme Heat Among Outdoor Recreationists In Southeastern Utah, Kirsten M. Goldstein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Communicating the risks related to extreme heat is important and essential for saving lives. This study looks at how tourists think about extreme heat in a hot and dry environment. It looks at relationships between an individual’s local climate, their thoughts about the current weather conditions, and demographics. The results from this study are intended to help tourist agencies, emergency managers and emergency planners, and policymakers in creating and carrying out communication strategies for extreme heat.

Thoughts about and physical responses to weather are different for everyone and shaped by personal experiences. How one thinks and feels about the weather …

An Evaluation Of An Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Instructors How To Respond During An Active Shooter Situation, Lorraine A. Becerra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Active shooter events in the U.S. are occurring more often in commercial environment and schools. In these emergency situations educators must quickly decide to complete actions that will protect themselves and their students. Typically, during these situations, the educator should complete in a run, hide, or fight sequence of behaviors. The educator must also consider challenges for their student’s particular disabilities during these situations. Interactive computerized training (ICT) may be one easy method to teach educators these procedures. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of interactive computerized training to help educators learn how to respond during …

Parent Knowledge Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Kandice J. Benallie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parent knowledge of ASD may be relevant to early identification and intervention services for children with ASD. By understanding how knowledgeable parents of young children are about ASD, researchers and practitioners can intervene and educate this population. This study sought to determine the knowledge base of ASD among parents with children five years and younger and if developmental, behavioral, and autism-related concerns predict knowledge of ASD. The sample of parents consisted of 167 mothers and fathers. All participants completed a knowledge questionnaire (i.e., ASKSG) and reported their level of developmental, behavioral, and autism-related concerns of their oldest child between the …

Navigating Adulthood: Exploring The Impact Of A High School Life-Skills Course On Adulthood Transition Experiences, Lacee R. Boschetto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to explore the adulthood transition experiences of Utah high-school graduates, with heightened focus on the application value of educational content from the course, Adult Roles. The purpose of the study was identified through experiential interactions with high-school graduates, and was supported by research on 21st century adulthood transitions shown to divert away from traditional adulthood markers. The inconsistency between modern adulthood transition behaviors and traditionally held adulthood assumptions lead to negative perceptions about young adult’s capability to adapt to adulthood. The researcher was motivated to investigate opportunities that may provide increased preparation for the transition into …

Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Preferentially Infected The Apical Surface Of Primary Endometrial Cell Monolayer, Muttarin Lothong, Suphot Wattanaphansak, Chatsri Deachapunya, Sutthasinee Poonyachoti

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The underlying mechanism of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causing reproductive failure and re-circulation in herds has remained unclear. Endometrial cells primarily infected with PRRSV may serve as a significant target for PRRSV eradication. Primary endometrial (PE) cells from the porcine uterus were isolated and cultivated to pursue this possibility. Immunocytochemistry analysis revealed the protein expression of classical estrogen receptors (ER-and ER-), but not PRRSV receptors, CD163 and sialoadhesin in PE cells. PE cells were apically/basolaterally inoculated with PRRSV type I/type II isolated from PRRSV infected lungs or mock infection. Cytopathic effects (CPE) and PRRSV-GP5 positive cells were …

Strategies To Assist Distance Doctoral Students In Completing Their Dissertations, Janine M. Lim, Duane Covrig, Shirley Freed, Becky De Oliveira, Mordekai Ochieng Ongo, Isadore Newman, Isadore Newman Phd

Faculty Publications

Completing doctoral dissertations is difficult work and may be harder for distance students physically separated from institutional and collegial supports. Inability to complete independent research contributes to doctoral student attrition. Factors impacting completion include institutional factors, student characteristics, and supervisory arrangements (Manathunga, 2005). This paper shares proactive strategies used by a Midwestern university in the United States to support distance doctoral students. Strategies and technology tools are described that (a) cultivate a shared culture of responsibility and commitment, (b) increase effective communication between researchers, and (c) grow departmental and institutional services and technologies for faculty and students. This paper suggests …

The Political Personality Of Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Anne Marie Griebie, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Note: The paper whose abstract appears below, titled "The Political Personality of Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden" has been replaced on the 'Download' tab with an updated paper containing a more thorough personality assessment and a more detailed leadership style analysis, titled "The Political Personality of 2020 Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden." The earlier paper has been archived and may be uploaded at the bottom of this page from the hyperlink under 'Additional Files.'

This working paper presents the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of former U.S. vice president Joe Biden — a contender for …

Aku Research 2019, Office Of Research And Graduate Studies

Office of Research and Graduate Studies

Content

- Messages

- AKU: Leadership in aligning research with the SDGs

- Nutrition survey highlights stunting crisis in Pakistan

- KITAB project: using machine learning on ancient texts

- Analysing policy to address the burden of NCDs

- ECD interventions for marginalised communities

- Gut bacteria: exploring new avenues in malnutrition

- Uncovering the expression of Islam in popular culture

- Identifying at-risk fetuses through artificial intelligence

- Detecting and combating XDR typhoid in Pakistan

- Reducing maternal and newborn deaths in Kenya

- Assessing the impact ofteachers’ low status on education

- High impact research

- Facilitating research …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Ut Extension Program Assistants' Use Of Communication Technology In The Workplace And Their Ability To Successfully Communicate With Coworkers And The Community, Izetta Slade

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between the level of communication technology use in the workplace by University of Tennessee Extension program assistants and their interpersonal communication skills. There were seven quantitative research questions and one qualitative question. The main research question explored whether a significant difference existed in employees’ reported levels of communication skills in the workplace, as measured by the sociocommunicative orientation (SCO) scale, based on employees’ reported levels of communication technology use. Other questions explored whether there was a significant interaction between employees’ reported levels of communication technology use and their job positions on their levels of communication …

Marine Pollution From Pyroplastics, Andrew Turner, Claire Wallerstein, Rob Arnold, D. Webb

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Safer Future With Clues From Earthquakes Past, L Menegon, I Stewart

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding the short- and long-term mechanical behaviour of the lower crust is of fundamental importance when trying to understand the earthquake cycle and related hazard along active fault zones. In some regions some 20% of intracontinental earthquakes of magnitude > 5 nucleates in the lower crust at depth of 30-40 km. For example, a significant proportion of seismicity in the Himalaya, as well as aftershocks associated with the destructive 2001 Bhuj earthquake in India, nucleated in the granulitic lower crust of the Indian shield. Earthquakes in the continental interiors are often devastating and, over the past century, have killed significantly more …

E-Government In The United Arab Emirates: A Study Of The Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre, Hessa Mohammed Aleisaei

Theses

In this current age of information technology (IT), electronic government (e-government) has transformed the interaction between the government and the citizens. To make this transformation contextually and locally relevant, this research examines the efficiency of e-government in Abu Dhabi by undertaking a case study of the efficiency of the electronic contact channels at the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Center (ADGCC). It, also, identifies the challenges faced by the ADGCC and provides recommendations to overcome the challenges accordingly. The study model for this research is developed by reviewing the key concepts related to the implementation of the e-government. The primary research …

Understanding The Role Of Epstein-Barr Virus Encoded Rna-1 (Eber-1) In The Cell Proliferation, Yasmeen Atta Ali Abdelmowla

Theses

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a human herpes virus that infects and persists in > 90% of human adults, generally without causing disease. However, EBV has oncogenic properties and is associated with several malignancies of epithelial and lymphoid origin. The details of the molecular steps leading to these different malignancies are poorly understood. It is believed that some of the EBV latent gene products are involved. Two small EBV-encoded RNAs referred to as EBER1 and EBER2 have been shown to be expressed in all forms of EBV latent infection. These non-polyadenylated and non-protein-coding RNAs are by far the most abundant transcripts expressed …

Of Promoting Networking And Protecting Privacy: Effects Of Defaults And Regulatory Focus On Social Media Users’ Preference Settings, Hichang Cho, Sungjong Roh, Byungho Park

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Privacyresearch has debated whether privacy decision-making is determined by users'stable preferences (i.e., individual traits), privacy calculus (i.e.,cost-benefit analysis), or “responses on the spot” that vary across contexts.This study focuses on two factors—default setting as a contextual factor andregulatory focus as an individual difference factor—and examines the degree towhich these factors affect social media users' decisionmaking when usingprivacy preference settings in a fictitious social networking site. Theresults, based on two experimental studies (study 1, n = 414; study 2, n =213), show that default settings significantly affect users' privacypreferences, such that users choose the defaults or alternatives proximal tothem. Study 2 …

Policing The Painted And Powdered, Anthony Michael Kreis

Cardozo Law Review

Is homophobia also sexism?

This question was the focus ofpioneering scholarship nearly three decades ago and has been the subject ofreignited controversy because of litigation over marriage rights, employment discrimination, educational opportunities, fair housing, religious exemptions, and military service. Even though some courts, federal agencies, and state employment commissions have recognized that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are subsets ofsex discrimination, including the landmark Title VII decisions Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College and Zarda v. Altitude Express, academics, judges, andpublic administrators have been unable to articulate a plain theory ofsexual orientation discrimination as sexism. Without a straightforward theory …

From Decarceration To E-Carceration, Chaz Arnett

Cardozo Law Review

Each year, millions of Americans experience criminal justice surveillance through electronic ankle monitors. These devices have fundamentally altered our understanding of incarceration, punishment, and the extent of the carceral state, as they are increasingly offered as moderate penal sanctions and viable solutions to the problem of mass incarceration. They purportedly enable decarceration, albeit with enhanced surveillance in the community as the compromise. Proponents of the devices tout the public safety and cost benefits while stressing the importance of depopulating prisons and returning individuals to theircommunities. In recent years, an oppositional movement has developed, focused on highlighting the social harms of …

Taṭbīq Ṭarīqat “Students Teams-Achievement Divisions” Li Tarqiyat Mahārat Al-Qirā’Ah Wa Al-Kitābah Fī Al-Madrasah Al-Mutawassiṭah, محمد صالح الدين, محمد عين, نورهداية نورهداية

Al-Arabi: Journal of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

This study aims to describe the implementation of Student Teams - Achievement Divisions (STAD) to improve the reading and writing skills of students in grade VII Madrasah Tsanawiyah Darul Falah Singosari and describe the improvement in students' reading and writing abilities with the Student Teams - Achievment Divisions (STAD) method. This study uses a qualitative approach to the type of Classroom Action Research (CAR) which is carried out with several cycles. Each cycle is carried out in two meetings consisting of 4 stages, namely (1) planning, (2) implementation, (3) observation, and (4) reflection. Data analysis of the application of this …

Advocating At The State Capitol: Experiences Of Master’S Level Counseling Students, Jacqueline M. Swank, Alisa Houseknecht, Kathryn M. Williams

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counseling students need to develop competency in advocacy. In this article, the researchers explore students’ legislative advocacy experiences at a state capitol by analyzing transcripts from 8 interviews and 17 written reflections, using a phenomenological approach. The researchers discuss five themes, including (a) learning process, (b) being an advocate, (c) influence, (d) empowerment and future advocacy, and (e) improvements; and present implications for counselor preparation.

Leadership And Gender: School Counselors’ Experiences Of Girls’ Leadership In Secondary Schools, Jennifer H. Greene, Cheryl L. Fulton, Maria Haiyasoso, Sarah M. Blalock

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

There has been a proliferation of girls’ leadership programs to stymie the leaking pipeline of women’s leadership and resulting gender leadership gap. School counselors are advocates and change agents in the schools and play a key role in student development and leadership programming. School counselors’ training in their counseling programs may impact their support and assessment of girls’ leadership programming. This phenomenological research utilized the open-ended questions of an online survey to understand school counselors’ experiences of girls’ leadership. The themes, (a) Formal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (b) Informal Approach to Girls’ Leadership, (c) No Girls’ Leadership, and (d) Non-Gender …

Preparing 21st Century Counselors And Healthcare Professionals: Examining Technology Competency And Interprofessional Education Comfort, Kaprea F. Johnson

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Healthcare professionals are expected to work in interprofessional teams while also communicating distantly with these team members through telehealth platforms to improve patient care. This study sought to understand how comfort with technology, interprofessional education, and collaboration was perceived by graduate students in counseling, dental hygiene, nursing, and physical therapy. A quantitative investigation with N=111 students resulted in comfort with technology among all groups but there were significant differences among the allied health professions regarding positive professional identity and willingness to engage in teamwork and collaboration. The data revealed that both preparation, rationale for interprofessional work, and placement of interprofessional …

Counselor Educators’ Experiences Of Gatekeeping In Online Counselor Education Programs, Amy Gilbert, Anita A. Neuer Colburn, Sherry Todd, Kathie Erwin

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Counselor educators serve as gatekeepers by ensuring that only those students who meet standards of competence enter the counseling field. This qualitative study explored the gatekeeping experiences of seven counselor educators in online Master’s-level counseling programs. The resulting themes offer implications for counselor education, administration, and research.

Belt And Road: Disrupting The Lines Of Global Cooperation, Jose Jowel Canuday

Social Transformations Journal of the Global South

Excerpt: As a worldwide plan of development, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) unveiled by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2013 has implicated the Global South in economic, political, sociocultural, and discursive terms. The idea of the BRI generated critical, agreeable, and dispassionate conversations that disrupt the current politics of global development and cooperation in the postcolonial order.