Digital Commons Network^™

Platform Pleading: Analyzing Employment Disputes In The Technology Sector, Joseph Seiner

Faculty Publications

The technology sector has created thousands of new jobs for workers across the country in an emerging multi-billion dollar industry. Many companies in this platform-based sector are attempting to characterize their workers as independent contractors rather than employees, thus stripping them of both federal and state workplace protections—including the right to bargain collectively, receive fair compensation, and avoid discrimination. The federal courts, which have always grappled with the question of worker classification, are now struggling to define employment with respect to these gig sector jobs. The result has been scattered court decisions with inconsistent and conflicting analyses.

This Essay seeks …

The State, Aerospace Multinational Corporations And Variegated Forms Of Corporate Capture In Regional Training Systems: A Cross-National Comparative Study Between Charleston, Sc, U.S.A. And São José Dos Campos, Sp, Brazil, Tiago Roberto Alves Teixeira

Dissertations - ALL

In today’s globalized world, the power of influence of multinational corporations over the state and society is significant. One particular area is related to how MNCs have influenced states and public educational institutions in order to shape their educational agendas and training initiatives. Many scholars have conceptualized such an influence as processes of corporate capture. In this dissertation, I examine and compare the existing processes of corporate capture related to Boeing and Embraer in the regional training systems of Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A., and São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil. I also investigate how their distinctive state forms and …

Knowing Leaders: Centering Gender And Identity Among Women Leaders In Higher Education, Meredith Harper Bonham

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation centered the experiences of women academic leaders – their backgrounds, educational experiences and leadership styles – to illuminate the intersection of identity and leadership. Using narrative inquiry as a methodological framework (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Creswell, 2013), the researcher conducted a qualitative study by interviewing seventeen women presidents and chief academic officers in a semi-structured format. In exploring and analyzing the stories of women leaders, the researcher avoided unidimensional characterizations and binary comparisons with male leaders. To incorporate the interlocking components of identity, the researcher considered the impact of race, class, gender, and first-generation status, as well as …

Regionalist Social Movements In Contemporary Chile: Production Of Space, Place, Territory, And Scale Through Collective Action, Miguel A. Contreras

Dissertations - ALL

In the last decade, the organization of several territorially based social movements in Chile has expressed a significant level of social discomfort about the political and economic system of the country. The central objective of this dissertation is to analyze how motivations, achievements, and failures of these movements have a dialectical relationship with the spatial features, specifically with the concepts place, territory and scale. Critical geography, political geography, and social movements’ studies provide the theoretical framework for the analysis, highlighting the significance of social movements as producers of collective knowledge. This research used a qualitative approach with a mix-methods design …

Sequential Methods For Non-Parametric Hypothesis Testing, Prashant Khanduri

Dissertations - ALL

In today’s world, many applications are characterized by the availability of large amounts of complex-structured data. It is not always possible to fit the data to predefined models or distributions. Model dependent signal processing approaches are often susceptible to mismatches between the data and the assumed model. In cases where the data does not conform to the assumed model, providing sufficient performance guarantees becomes a challenging task. Therefore, it is important to devise methods that are model-independent, robust, provide sufficient performance guarantees for the task at hand and, at the same time, are simple to implement. The goal of this …

Reimagining Technology Preparation For Pre-Service Teachers: Exploring How The Use Of A Video Self-Analysis Instructional Component, Based On The Evidential Reasoning And Decision Support Model, Impacts Pre-Service Teachers’ Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, James Jang

Dissertations - ALL

Teachers often teach on their own in their individual classrooms and thus have to mostly rely on themselves to reflect on their teaching practices and make improvements. This study explores how the use of a video self-analysis instructional component, based on the evidential reasoning and decision support model (ERDS), impacts pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). Using the explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the researcher first collected quantitative data. The collection of qualitative data then followed. This two-step process helped explain and elaborate on the quantitative results of this study. Participants in this study were 21 pre-service teachers enrolled …

Detection And Inference In Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Steven Daniel Reyes

Dissertations - ALL

We explore the detection and astrophysical modeling of gravitational waves de- tected by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (LIGO) and Virgo. We discuss the techniques used in the PyCBC search pipeline to discover the first gravitational wave detection GW150914, and estimate the statistical signifi- cance of GW150914, and the marginal trigger LVT151012. During Advanced LIGO’s first observing run there were no detections of mergers from binary neutron star and neutron star-black hole binaries. We use Bayesian inference to place upper limits on the rate of coalescence of these binaries. We use developments made in the PyCBC search pipeline …

Raising An Indoor Generation: Outdoor Environmental Education Impact On Adolescent Development, Daisy Elizabeth Bewley

Student Theses 2015-Present

In an increasingly digital world, children are growing up with less involvement and interaction with the environment. Hands-on and experiential learning is less popular in schools and a more test-oriented and numerical evaluation is increasingly popular. This thesis explores the decrease in outdoor environmental education and the impact that has on adolescent development and developmental milestones in children. This impact extends past just mental development and impacts the physical health development of children. Obesity, attention deficit disorders, and other behavioral issues are just a few of the signs of the problems that have arisen due to a decrease in environmental …

Designing The City, Sustainably: Sustainability And Climate Change Resiliency In New York City, Cosima Balletti-Thomas

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

This paper explores how New York City and especially Manhattan has integrated sustainability into its agenda as a coastal metropolitan nucleus. Secondly, it assesses the New York City’s resiliency strategies that utilize environmental policy and design to confront its vulnerability to changes in the environment on account of global climate change, which has primarily manifested in the Northeastern region in the form of sea level rise, storm surge, and frequent flooding. Chapter 1 uses quantitative climate data from a multitude of sources such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation'sreport on the “Impacts of Climate Change …

Preparing For Climate Change In New York City - Geographic Information Systems As A Valuable Tool For Natural Hazard Management, Amy Carrillo

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the impact of climate change in New York City. Chapter 1 focuses on details found in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report on the impact of climate change worldwide. At the city level, this paper analyzes New York City’s Risk Landscape: A Guide to Hazard Mitigation and New York City Panel on Climate Change 2019 Report, which provides data on how climate change will impact NYC, specifically. Chapter 2 explores the history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and its use in mitigation and conservation practices over time. Chapter 3 studies how GIS has been …

Delivery Of Small Molecule And Rna Using Synthetic Polymeric Micelles And Multifunctional Exosomes For The Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes, Yang Peng

Theses & Dissertations

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most challenging chronic autoimmune diseases. The destruction and dysfunction of insulin-secreting β cells are the results of inflammatory infiltration and the synergistic effect of multiple immune cells. The aim of this dissertation is to develop novel and reliable therapeutic approaches to advance the treatment of T1D: including chemical modification of a broad-spectrum immunosuppressant, co-application of small molecule based immune intervention and siRNA based β cell preservative therapy, and administration of a PI3K-δ/γ dual inhibitor to specifically target immune cells, utilizing synthetic polymeric micelles or natural produced multi-functional exosomes derived from human bone marrow …

Charge-Based Optimization Of Neurotensin For Neurotensin-Receptor-1 Targeting Utilizing A One-Bead One-Compound Peptide Library Approach, Trey Neeley

Theses & Dissertations

Neurotensin-receptor-1 (NTSR1) is regularly overexpressed in various cancers and contributes to the proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis of tumors. NTSR1-targeting vectors have demonstrated promise in both diagnostic and therapeutic aspects. Unfortunately, the relatively poor in vivo metabolic stability and high renal uptake and retention of NTSR1-targeted compounds have hampered the translation to the clinic. In this research, we utilized a one-bead one-compound (OBOC) peptide library approach to make targeted modifications at the naturally charged residues of an NTS (4-13) sequence to discover an NTS derivative with comparable affinity to NTSR1, acceptable in vivo stability, and tolerable renal retention. Subsequent …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Long Acting Darunavir Prodrugs, Mary Banoub

Theses & Dissertations

Patient adherence is critical for ART success to ensure adequate viral suppression, therefore, long-acting antiretrovirals are soon replacing current daily regimens. In recent years, two drugs were successfully transformed into long-acting injectables; CAB LA and RPV LA. These long-acting nanoformulations made it possible to abandon the daily pill burden, instead approximately a bimonthly injection of both drugs is enough to suppress and maintain viral load suppression. Our laboratory has been instrumental in transforming FDA-approved and experimental-HIV medications into long-acting slow effective release drugs, also known as LASER ART. LASER ART consists of slow drug metabolism and high permeability and retention …

Enhancing The Identification Of Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Lung Disease, Bryant England

Theses & Dissertations

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that predisposes afflicted individuals to reduced quality of life, physical disability, and premature mortality. While joint involvement is the primary manifestation of RA, extra-articular features including lung disease are responsible for a significant portion of the excess mortality. In this dissertation I demonstrate the contribution of chronic lung diseases to premature mortality in RA, contrasting with the more widely recognized comorbidity in RA of cardiovascular disease. Then, I establish that a novel serum biomarker, anti-malondialdehyde-acetaldehyde adduct (MAA) antibody, is associated with the presence of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in RA subjects. Further …

Orthodontically Induced External Root Resorption In Extraction Versus Non-Extraction Treatment Modalities – A Retrospective Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (Cbct) Study, Jaykishan Patel

Theses & Dissertations

Purpose of this study was to evaluate orthodontically induced external apical root resorption using cone beam computed tomography in patients receiving orthodontic treatment with or without extractions. Records of 188 consecutively treated patients who received orthodontic treatment with or without extractions were evaluated. Pre-and post-treatment root lengths of maxillary incisors, volumes of maxillary central incisors, and apex displacement of either right or left maxillary central incisors were measured using Invivo 5.4 or ITK-SNAP 3.8.0 software. After adjusting for initial length, treatment duration, tooth, sex, race, bracket type, and malocclusion, maxillary incisor reduction of root length in extraction group was 0.37 …

Efficacy And Efficiency Evaluation Of Real-Time Feedback For Caregiver Training, Elizabeth J. Preas

Theses & Dissertations

Children with an autism spectrum disorder often have deficits in completing activities of daily living skills independently, which then falls on the responsibility of caregivers to assist their child. Behavioral skills training is an efficacious method to train caregivers to implement various behavioral interventions that includes several training components, which can be time intensive. Alternative caregiver training methods that are effective and efficient are needed to train caregivers to implement activities of daily living skills with their child. The present study used two concurrent multiple-baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of real-time feedback and behavioral skills training to …

Role Of Astrocyte-Derived Extracellular Vesicles In Neuroinflammation Mediated By Drug Abuse, Ke Liao

Theses & Dissertations

Neuronal damage and neuroinflammation is a hallmark feature of HIV-associated neurological disorders (HANDs). Opioids abuse accelerates the incidence and progression of HAND; however, the mechanisms underlying the potentiation of neuropathogenesis by these drugs remain elusive. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are essential conduits in HIV and drug abuse-mediated synaptodendritic injury and neuroinflammation. Findings from our group have demonstrated that astrocyte-derived EV (ADEV)-miRNA-29b mediates HIV Tat and morphine-induced neuronal injury, thus underscoring the importance of such interactions in NeuroHIV.

Besides, HIV Tat and morphine-mediated synaptodendritic injury via ADEVs, we are also interested in whether ADEVs contributes to neuroinflammation. Microglia are critical players in …

Bringing The Theory Of Street-Level Bureaucrats Into The 21st Century: A Study Of Social Workers In Louisiana, Quian J. Lewis

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the applicability of Michael Lipsky’s (1980) concept of “street-level bureaucracy” to the profession of social work in 2019. Street-level bureaucrats are public service workers “who interact with citizens in the regular course of their jobs; have significant independence in decision making, and potentially have extensive impact on the lives of their citizens” (Lipsky, 1980:3). They are faced with uncertainties in their work related to inadequate resources, unclear policies, and caseloads/workloads that defy what may be possible to achieve by any one worker. Workers develop routines and “coping mechanisms,” to manage their environments. The routines that they develop …

All Trails Lead To Sterling: How Sterling Brown Fathered The Field Of Black Literary And Cultural Studies, 1936-1969, Amber E. Zu-Bolton

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Poet and professor Sterling A. Brown (1901-1989) played a significant role in the birth of black literary and cultural studies through his literary and academic careers. Brown helped to establish a new wave of black cultural and folklore studies during his time as the “Director of Negro Affairs” for the Federal Writers’ Project. As a professor at Howard University, Brown influenced black literary studies through his literary criticisms and seminars and his role as a mentor to literary figures of the next generations. Through letters to and from Sterling Brown and manuscripts, this thesis argues that Brown’s poetry, publications and …

Vertical Acoustic Propagation In The Non-Homogeneous Layered Atmosphere For A Time-Harmonic, Compact Source, Edward J. Yoerger Jr

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this work we study vertical, acoustic propagation in a non-homogeneous media for a spatially-compact, time-harmonic source. An analytical, 2-layer model is developed representing the acoustic pressure disturbance propagating in the atmosphere. The validity of the model spans the distance from the Earth's surface to 30,000 meters. This includes the troposphere (adiabatic), ozone layer (isothermal), and part of the stratosphere (isothermal). The results of the model derivation in the adiabatic region yield pressure solutions as Bessel functions of the First (J) and Second (Y) Kind of order $-\frac{7}{2}$ with an argument of $2 \Omega \tau$ (where $\Omega$ represents a dimensionless …

Consumer Attachment And Corporate Social Advocacy: Leveraging Political Behaviors To Bolster Organization-Public Relationships, Jonathan Borden

Dissertations - ALL

Corporations are increasingly weighing in to advocate for one side or the other in cultural and political debates. As these types of corporate social advocacy become increasingly common, much is still unknown as to how they affect consumer perceptions of the organization, attitudes regarding their relationship with the organization, and their future purchase or behavioral intentions.

This study aims to address this gap.

Utilizing a survey conducted in late spring-2019, this study assesses public perceptions of corporate political engagement/corporate social advocacy and their subsequent attitudes towards the organization and future behavioral intentions.

Analysis revealed that corporate social advocacy does have …

Network Sampling Through Crawling, Katchaguy Areekijseree

Dissertations - ALL

In recent years, researchers have increasingly used OSN data to study human behavior. Before such a study can begin, one must first obtain appropriate data. A platform, e.g, Facebook or Twitter, may provide an API for accessing data, but such APIs are often ratelimited, restricting the amount of data that an individual collects in a given amount of time. In order for the data collector to efficiently collect data, she needs to make intelligent use of her limited budget. Therefore, when collecting data, efficiency is extremely important. We consider the problem of network sampling through crawling, in which the data …

Locating People Of Interest In Social Networks, Pivithuru Wijegunawardana

Dissertations - ALL

By representing relationships between social entities as a network, researchers can analyze them using a variety of powerful techniques. One key problem in social network analysis literature is identifying certain individuals (key players, most influential nodes) in a network. We consider the same problem in this dissertation, with the constraint that the individuals we are interested in identifying (People of Interest) are not necessarily the most important nodes in terms of the network structure. We propose an algorithm to find POIs, algorithms to collect data to find POIs, a framework to model POI behavior and an algorithm to predict POIs …

: Examining How Factors Associated With Patients, Physicians, Hospitals, And Surrounding Communities Affect Primary And Repeat Cesarean Delivery Through A Social-Ecological Lens, Christina Ventura-Dipersia

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Childbirth is one of the most common reasons for hospitalization in the U.S., and Cesarean delivery (i.e., surgical childbirth) is costlier and has a higher likelihood of birth-related complications, maternal rehospitalization, and postpartum medical care utilization than vaginal delivery. The rate of Cesarean delivery in the United States (U.S.) has increased in recent years by over 60%, from 20.7% of all births in 1996 to 32.9% of all births in 2011. As Although this increasing trend of Cesarean delivery incidence has also been seen in other countries, the rate of Cesarean delivery has been rising more steadily within …

Leader At The Bedside: A Mixed Methods Study Establishing Clinical Staff Nurse Leadership Competencies, Sherron Denise Franks-Meeks

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Significance and Background

Leadership competencies were established for formal nursing roles (i.e. nurse executives), but not for informal nurse leader roles (i.e. clinical staff nurse leader). A set of comprehensive clinical staff nurse leader (CSNL) competencies would facilitate evaluation of the CSNL role in providing safe, quality, and efficient patient care.

Purpose

The purpose of this pilot was to establish a preliminary set of CSNL competencies with associated set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) for each competency identified through the CSNL’s voice. Theory & Design Underpinned by the Authentic Leadership Theory, this pilot was a multiphase sequential explanatory mixed …

Lifestyle Management For Vestibular Disorders, Michelle Pock

Student Capstone Papers

Individuals with vestibular disorders have concerns that impact lifestyle including limiting activities of daily living, limiting participation in social events, difficulty driving, and difficulty working (Cohen, 2014). Occupational therapists are able to help individuals with vestibular disorders by task analyzing symptom provoking activities, assessing the impact of symptoms on occupations, providing adaptations, and providing ways to modify environments (Gronski, Neville, Kannenberg, & Cohen, 2017). While occupational therapists are qualified to provide services to sustain and improve the occupational performance of individuals with vestibular disorders, occupational therapy is not well represented in this area particularly in addressing lifestyle components for vestibular …

The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor Tubacin Mitigates Endothelial Dysfunction By Up-Regulating The Expression Of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase., Jihui Chen, Jian Zhang, Noor F. Shaik, Bing Yi, Xin Wei, Xiao-Feng Yang, Ulhas P. Naik, Ross Summer, Guijun Yan, Xinyun Xu, Jianxin Sun

Center for Translational Medicine Faculty Papers

Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (eNOS) plays a critical role in the maintenance of blood vessel homeostasis. Recent findings suggest that cytoskeletal dynamics play an essential role in regulating eNOS expression and activation. Here, we sought to test whether modulation of cytoskeletal dynamics through pharmacological regulation of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)-mediated tubulin deacetylation affects eNOS expression and endothelial function in vitro and in vivo.Wefound that tubulin acetylation inducer (tubacin), a compound that appears to selectively inhibit HDAC6 activity, dramatically increased eNOS expression in several different endothelial cell lines, as determined by both immunoblotting and NO production assays. Mechanistically, we found …

Distinguished Professor Known For Enthusiasm; Scholarship, Micky Bedell

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Successful Campaign Establishes Cole Scholarship, Angela Atkins

University of Mississippi News

No abstract provided.

Burden And Risk Of Non-Aids Defining Cancers In Hiv-Infected Persons Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy, Brittney L. Dickey

Theses & Dissertations

The burden of cancers not previously associated with an HIV infection, called non-AIDS defining cancers (NADCs), have increased in the years since highly active anti-retroviral therapy has been introduced. The studies in this dissertation attempted to quantify this burden via incidence and mortality compared to the general population. Further, an assessment of risk factors and creation of a predictive risk model, a nomogram, were utilized to better understand how factors associated with demographics, lifestyle, and immune response affected risk for an NADC diagnosis once therapy was initiated and HIV better controlled. Standardized incidence and mortality ratios showed that burden of …