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The Effect Of Music Attention Control Training (Mact) For Pre-Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vienna Sa

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are to investigate the effect of the Music Attention Control Training (MACT) on three types of attention (sustained, selective, switching) in pre-adolescents (10-14 years old) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to identify the impact of the level of severity (mild, moderate, severe) on changes in attention scores. This modified replication study included 23 participants randomly assigned to treatment and control group stratified based on severity of ASD. Significant results via two-tailed paired-sample t-test (p< .10) indicated significant positive trends with the treatment group for the 3 out of 4 subtests of selective attention: Hector Cancellation, Hector-B Cancellation, and Hecuba Visual Search; 1 out of 4 subtests of sustained attention: Sustained Attention Response Test (SART); and the single subtest of switching attention: Red & Blues, Bags & Shoes (RBBS). Results call for modifications to further support the role of MACT on attention skills with pre-adolescents with ASD. Implications for future research and contributions to clinical practices in music therapy are discussed.

Exercise Training As Adjunct Therapy For Substance Use Disorder, Emily Lynn Roessel

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Exercise training for clients at out-patient drug rehabilitation centers likely helps with coping skills. However, a better examination of the mechanisms producing changes may help identify effective interventions. PURPOSE: To test the effect of a vigorous exercise prescription on drug abstinence in voluntary rehabilitation patients. METHODS: 25 surveyed participants in a male drug treatment program underwent a 12-week minimum training program. The program included moderate-rigorous exercise and psychotherapy. Three days per week all subjects participated in EP for 90 minutes. Subjects also participated in ABIT 3 days per week where each session lasted 2 hours. Subjects also participated in ESM …

Multicellular Spheroids Of A549 And A549-Irfp As An In Vitro Model Of Lung Cancer, Xinyu Pei

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women around the world, and 85% of it is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is estimated that in 2020, there will be 228,820 cases of lung cancer and 135,720 deaths from lung (American Cancer Society, 2020). The prognosis of lung cancer is poor (

Traditionally, the most commonly used in vitro method for screening therapeutic drugs is monolayer cell cultures, which are reproducible, convenient and of low cost. However, monolayer cell culture models are unable to reproduce many properties of in vivo solid tumors such as the …

Listener Responses Can Influence The Presentation Of Restricted Interest Topics To Individuals With Asd, Sadaf Fakharzadeh

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The behavior of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can influence caregiver responses that lead to countertherapeutic outcomes. However, there are few experimental evaluations of variables that can cause potentially undesirable interactions between those with ASD and their caregivers. Specifically, little is known about the effects of listener interest on the restricted topics presented by caregivers. We evaluated the influence of listener responses exhibited by a confederate acting as a person with ASD on the topics presented by three undergraduate students who were interested in working with individuals diagnosed with ASD. Each session consisted of a 5-min conversation, during …

A Probabilistic Machine Learning Framework For Cloud Resource Selection On The Cloud, Syeduzzaman Khan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The execution of the scientific applications on the Cloud comes with great flexibility, scalability, cost-effectiveness, and substantial computing power. Market-leading Cloud service providers such as Amazon Web service (AWS), Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offer various general purposes, memory-intensive, and compute-intensive Cloud instances for the execution of scientific applications. The scientific community, especially small research institutions and undergraduate universities, face many hurdles while conducting high-performance computing research in the absence of large dedicated clusters. The Cloud provides a lucrative alternative to dedicated clusters, however a wide range of Cloud computing choices makes the instance selection for the end-users. This thesis …

Encountering The Living God: The Integral Formation Of Teachers As Witnesses In Catholic Elementary And Secondary Schools, Amy E. Roberts

Theses

An examination of the Catholic Church’s documents on Catholic schools shows that the Church holds the primary mission of Catholic schools to be making disciples of Jesus Christ. Because the fulfillment of the mission of Catholic schools depends upon the teacher, teachers need ongoing formation as witnesses, just as they need professional formation. This thesis contends that in order for teachers to be the witnesses that Catholic schools need to fulfill their mission of making disciples, they themselves need an integral formation that puts every dimension of their human nature – body, heart, and mind – in ongoing communio with …

The Importance Of Environmental Interventions In Eliminating Trachoma Infection In Africa: The Case Of Gashoho Health District, Burundi, Desire Ndisabiye

Theses

Gashoho Health District, Burundi, has not achieved the World Health Organisation (WHO) target of elimination of the blinding infectious disease, trachoma, by 2020. The work in this thesis addresses this problem using three different approaches.

Firstly, a cross-sectional study was undertaken to establish the current trachoma prevalence in Gashoho and whether poor sanitation was a risk factor for infection. 468 individuals from 117 households across four villages were clinically examined for signs of trachoma infection, and completed a questionnaire about environmental risk factors. The current prevalence of trachoma in Gashoho was 7.9% (95 % CI 5.0 - 10.6%). Children under …

Synchrony: An Aspect Of The Abilities Of Steppe Horse Archers In Eurasian Warfare (525 Bce – 1350 Ce), Chris Hanson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Animals moving in unison as a group are quite intriguing to observe. Horses can run across terrain and change directions without jostling each other. They appear to move as if they know how to avoid crashing into others and run fluidly through their environment. This ability to maneuver without hindering herd is called synchrony and also extends to other animals including fish in schools and birds in flocks. Humans, on the other hand, need to create orderly formations in battle to move without interfering with adjacent warriors. For example, the Romans, Greeks, Persians, Chinese, and Byzantines trained their infantry and …

Diet-Breadth Analysis In The American Southwest: Metabarcoding Method With Coprolites, Paige Nicole Plattner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Molecular analysis of coprolites is proposed as new means of studying bio-archaeological remains that aids in the ability to capture diet breadth from past populations. This research utilizes the targeted PCR method, known as metabarcoding, to study dietary elements preserved in the coprolites from three greater Southwest sites. The Illumina MiSeq technology was used to sequence the samples after multiple rounds of targeted PCR using two primers (16s and 12s) proven successful for taxonomic identification with animal DNA and one primer specific to plant DNA (Rias et al 2011).

The sequencing data was then run through two different bioinformatics pipelines …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of An Electronic Environmental Education Curriculum With Applied Use Of Trail Camera Photographs, Lucas Martin Coccoli

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Place-based conservation education programs are continuously adapting to ever evolving technological advancements to remain effective and connected to K-12 schools and students. One response to this challenge was an inquiry based, learner centered pedagogy which teaches science-based concepts via real life images captured on trail cameras.

This paper will describe the benefits of a distance learning program which teaches students about wildlife science using trail camera photos and associated lessons. In a time when students are more disconnected from the outdoors than ever. The use of trail cameras, based on these experiences, has the potential to reconnect students to the …

School Counselor Self-Advocacy And Trait Emotional Intelligence As Predictors Of Professional Quality Of Life In School Counselors, Kindle Dawn Lewis

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

School counselors are integral to the holistic success of students and are needed now more than ever as high rates of youth mental health issues, traumatic events at schools and global crises have become part of every school year. Unfortunately, as with most helping professions, many school counselors are struggling with maintaining a healthy professional quality of life due to chronic stress work environments. School counselors who have higher levels of compassion fatigue (burnout and secondary traumatic stress) and lower levels of compassion satisfaction are more likely to have decreased quality of care for students, decreased self-efficacy, decreased overall wellbeing …

Epigenetic Alterations In Response To Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes And Dha Diet Modification, Elizabeth Michelle Cole

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are a class of engineered nanomaterials that pose airborne exposure risks to human health. Immense variations in physical properties such as size and shape complicate understanding the underlying mechanisms and consequences of MWCNT exposures. There are concerns that exposures can lead to chronic pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis diseases, as is the case with other more known ultra-fine respirable materials with similar physical properties, such as crystalline silica and asbestos. Pro-inflammatory diseases can be regulated by epigenetic changes, which can be influenced by environment, including diet. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that may promote …

Developing A Decision-Making Framework For Assisted Migration: Applying This To The American Pika And Whitebark Pine, Mia Kimya Hedayat-Zedah

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ABSTRACT

Hedayat-Zadeh, Mai Kimya, Degree, May 2020 Environmental Studies

Developing a Decision-Making Framework for Assisted Migration: Applying this to the

American Pika and White Bark Pine

This paper analyzes a novel conservation strategy: assisted migration (AM). AM is the practice of moving a highly vulnerable (i.e., endangered) species impacted by climate change and other exacerbating factors (e.g., land use), out of its historic range to a recipient site. Ideally, this site would be one where the species would have migrated, were there no barriers to dispersal or anthropogenic stressors. The paper is concerned with the readiness of the conservation community—particularly …

Buffalo Renaissance: The Northern Plains Tribes' Path To Self-Determination, Elizabeth Louise Johns

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This long-form journalistic story and photo essay is about the Blackfoot Tribes in the United States and Canada and their efforts to restore bison to their land, their diet, and their culture. In 2014, ten tribes from the United States and Canada came together at Blackfeet Nation in Browning, Montana to sign the Buffalo Treaty, a commitment to bringing wild buffalo back to parts of their historical range. The Treaty signing marked the first time in more than 150 years that a diverse group of tribes, some historical enemies, came together in the name of restoring the animal they evolved …

Addressing Long-Standing Water Contamination Issues In Diné Communities Using Indigenous And Western Scientific Approaches, Ranalda Lynette Tsosie

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The intent of this study was multifaceted and based on a research framework that incorporated the Diné worldview and Diné Science. Diné Science describes a holistic approach to conducting scientific research. It encompasses Diné foundational concepts and philosophies and applies them to the scientific method and western scientific approaches. The four major philosophies, Nitsáhákees (Thinking), Nahat’á (Planning), Iiná (Implementing/Living) and Siih Hasin (Reflection/Assurance), were applied to this research process.

The main motivation is first and foremost to improve the quality of life of the Diné people especially those living in close proximity to abandoned mines and who are continuing to …

Comparing Fence Modeling And Mapping Approaches To Support Wildlife Management And Research In Southwest Montana, Simon Albert Buzzard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Fences pose significant challenges to wildlife movement, but their effects are difficult to quantify because fence location and fence type data are lacking on a global scale. We developed a fence location and density model in southwest Montana, USA to provide data to researchers and managers, and test whether previous models could be applied to a new region and retain suitable levels of statistical accuracy. Our model used local expert opinion to inform how road, land cover, and ownership spatial layers interacted to predict fence locations. We validated the model against fence data collected on random 3.2 km road transects …

Informative Speech Guidelines And Rubric, Angela Elbanna

Open Educational Resources

An informative speech is a speech where the goal is to inform the audience about a topic. The audience may already have some knowledge of this topic or they may not know anything at all about it. This speech is based on facts and research, not opinion. The speaker should be unbiased and simply present the information to the audience, not attempt to influence or persuade them in any way. Speakers may choose any topic.

Characterization Of A Conserved Transient Receptor Potential Channel Supporting Spermatogenesis In Planarian Flatworms, Haley Nicole Curry

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The molecular processes underlying the control of external stimuli on development of the reproductive system remain to be understood. The Transient Receptor Potential superfamily of proteins (TRPs) consists of cation channels that respond to external stimuli and are abundant in the somatosensory as well as reproductive systems. Mammalian TRP-Melastatin 3 (TRPM3) channels are activated by heat and the neurosteroid pregnenolone. Here we characterize an ortholog of TRPM3 in the planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea (Smed-TRPM3). Smed-TRPM3 was hypothesized to play a role in germline development due to enriched expression in the reproductive system of sexual planarians. In situ hybridization analysis revealed …

Variation In Available Habitat Impacts The Spatiotemporal Interactions Of A Great Lakes Carnivore Community, Mackenzie E. Rich

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Interactions between carnivores play a crucial role in regulating lower trophic levels. In order to examine interspecific interactions among Great Lakes carnivores, I used occupancy models to examine habitat selection patterns and quantify interactions between species. I determined temporal patterns of activity for each species and quantified interspecific activity overlap using kernel density estimates. To generate these models and analyze the patterns displayed, I placed 25 cameras across 25 km2 of diverse northern Wisconsin forest. I extracted habitat data from the National Landcover Database using GIS to inform my occurrence models for each detected carnivore species. The only significant influence …

Scalable, Pluggable, And Fault Tolerant Multi-Modal Situational Awareness Data Stream Management Systems, Michael Partin

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Features and attributes that describe an event (disasters, social movements, etc.) are heterogeneous in nature. For virtually all events that impact humans, technology enables us to capture a large amount and variety of data from many sources, including humans (i.e., social media) and sensors/internet of things (IoTs). The corresponding modalities of data include text, imagery, voice and video, along with structured data such as gazetteers (i.e., location-based data) and government and statistical data. However, even though there is often an abundance of information produced, this information is fragmented across the various modalities and sources. The DisasterRecord system aims to provide …

Characterization Of Proteins Found In Serum And Sputum Samples From Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Patients, Hima Priya Yenuga

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection leading to increased mortality in ICU patients. The main goal of this project was to evaluate and analyze a number of different biomarkers of disease that may be involved in the transition to pneumonia in patients on ventilators. Patients in this study were in the ICU, required greater than or equal to 48 hours of mechanical ventilation, and had a Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score greater than or equal to 6. For this study we recruited 16 subjects who were on ventilator for more than 48 hours, obtained serum and sputum …

Determining Effects Of The Paf-R And Anti-Hypertensive Drugs Mediated Microvesicle Particle Release In Modulating Anti-Tumor Response Of Lung Cancer, Andrew Stephen Forino

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer is one of the world’s leading causes of cancer-related deaths with poor prognosis, and difficult to treat malignancy. Several genetic, and environmental factors including cigarette smoking and hypertension have been linked as the common risk factors for lung cancer. To that end, multiple mechanisms have been proposed in regulating tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis, as well as the efficacy of cancer therapy in experimental lung cancer models. Importantly, studies including ours, have shown that exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating stimuli such as cigarette smoking, and cancer therapy produced oxidized lipids with platelet-activating factor (PAF) agonistic activity from …

Discovery And Characterization Of Pathways Involved In Fus And Tdp43-Induced Toxicity In Yeast, Weston Joseph Shaw

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

High-throughput genome-scale studies are becoming increasingly common as a means to discover genetic interactions. This methodology is particularly efficient when performed in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we (1) overexpress a large human gene library in yeast to assess how many of them are toxic, and (2) use the list of genes generated above to refine and analyze human genes previously identified to enhance toxicity of two ALS-associated proteins, FUS and TDP-43. By introducing each of 13,500 human genes into yeast, we demonstrated that the majority of these genes (about 97%) are not toxic to yeast when overexpressed. These …

Early Childhood Educators And Students Lived Experience With Conscious Discipline: Taming The Wild Things, Sierra Rosa Dinges

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the essence of student and teacher perceptions of relationships through the implementation and exposure to the program and curriculum Conscious Discipline. The methods used were student interviews, teacher interviews, and a focus group. Participants were video and audio recorded and interviewed, and the focus groups were transcribed. The researcher looked to find themes between the interviews. The study found that teachers’ perspectives of relationships included understanding that behavior is a form of communication of an unmet need. Student perspectives showcased that their perspective of their teacher was positive. Three themes were …

The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Forensic Accounting And Testimony--Congress Should Amend "The Daubert Rule" To Include A New Standard, Victor Nicholas A. Metallo

Emory Law Journal Online

This Essay attempts to address the current issues and legal implications surrounding the use of artificial intelligence by forensic accounting experts and its importance to forensic accounting research. It reviews existing law, proposes changes to the Federal Rules of Evidence for using artificial intelligence in the courtroom, and covers emerging technology a forensic accountant may encounter, such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, “smart contracts,” machine learning, and algorithmic entities. Finally, the Essay concludes that the changes to the rules should encompass standards to account for artificial intelligence reliability and argues forensic accounting experts and all forensic experts are needed even more in …

The Use Of Technology To Continue Learning In Palestine Disrupted With Covid-19, Khitam Shraim, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examined how decision-makers and teachers have responded to offer education for all Palestinian students at the immediate onset of the COVID-19 outbreak and how technology is being used to continue education online. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants from parents, teachers and decision-makers in Palestine. Interview transcripts were coded using a grounded theory design with a constant comparative method. The findings show that participants identified that technologies such as mobile devices, social media and cloud computing would be useful for design and delivery of educational materials as well as raising safety awareness, and communication during the …

Counter Narratives Of Black Female Educators In Exurban Schools, Monisha Douglas Moore

All ETDs from UAB

This study explored how three Black female educators characterized their personal narratives regarding their teaching experiences. Guided by a social justice framework, this study attempted to show how Black women’s identities have been co-created, how their perceptions of success have been formulated, and how perceptions of academic success have helped them frame their pedagogy for diverse students. Because limited research has examined how Black female educators in exurban areas situated their perceptions and pedagogy to facilitate the needs of diverse students, this study added to the limited knowledge. Purposeful sampling was conducted at the site and participant level. The research …

Contribution Of Adaptive Immune Responses In Chronic Lung Diseases, Thi Kim Tran-Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

Immune dysregulation is a hallmark of various chronic lung diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Previous studies in our lab have shown evidences of autoimmunity such as increases in autoantibodies, abnormal T cell profile, immune complex deposition and the presence of ectopic lymphoid structures in the lung of these patients. This thesis consolidates two separate projects about various aberrant immune responses in these diseases. The first project identified Glucose-Regulated-Protein 78 (GRP78) as the common autoantigen in COPD and characterized how GRP78 autoantibodies may increase COPD mortality via its atherogenic effects. I demonstrated that …

Assessment Of Emergency Department High Utilizer Program In Public Health System Setting, Michael Malaise

All ETDs from UAB

is study examined whether a case management model designed to reduce emergency department utilization among patients described as super-utilizers in a public health system could also reduce the per patient cost of those super-utilizers. The setting for this study was a large public health system in a major metropolitan area. The study focused on a low-income, urban population. Given the program’s stated desire to improve the self-efficacy of patients over time so that they could take more ownership of their own health status, this study reviewed the program within the framework of self-efficacy theory. This research predicted that the case …

The Viper Pit, Brett Hurst

All ETDs from UAB

he Viper Pit was born out of a writing prompt from Jim Braziel’s fiction writing class. We had to write a short story based on a photo from The American Photobooth. On page 174 of that book, a photo on the far right corner sparked my interest last year. It was the type of picture you see and automatically do a double-take. The man in the photo held the snake so close to his face like a newborn baby. The connection between the man and the snake ignited something in my imagination. On that day, I gave that man a …