Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Ingroup Threat On The Anchoring And Adjustment Heuristic, Mattie V. Hedgebeth

Theses and Dissertations

Since its introduction in 1974, the anchoring and adjustment heuristic has been a topic of interest within the field of decision making. Although much work has examined factors that affect the process of the anchoring and adjustment heuristic, very little has been studied about the self-processes that may influence how individuals anchor. More specifically, self and ingroup motivations have yet to be explored. This research sought to identify whether an individual’s magnitude of adjustment from an anchor can be affected by either an enhancement or threat of the individual’s ingroup. I hypothesized that ingroup enhancing information would induce a smaller …

Evaluation Of Smear Layer Dissolution By Alternative Chelating Solutions, Raymond Pandez

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To evaluate in vitro smear layer dissolution using alternative chelating solutions in comparison to EDTA.

Methods: Nine extracted human anterior teeth were sectioned into dentin discs. Test solutions included: peracetic acid (PAA) at various concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 1%, 2%) for 60sec, 17% EDTA for 60sec, 18% 1-hydroxyethane 1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP)+NaOCl for 5min, HEDP alone for 5min and QMix for 60sec. SEM and a 4-point scale were used to evaluate smear layer removal.

Results: EDTA for 60sec had significantly better scores in dissolving the smear layer than all other groups. There was no significant difference between HEDP and HEDP+NaOCl …

Impact Of Student’S Gender And Perceived Skin Tone On Educators’ Disciplinary Decisions, Kierstyn K. Johnson-Wigfall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this proposed dissertation is to examine the relationship of students’ skin color and gender to school disciplinary decisions for African American children. While skin tone bias or colorism is frequently studied, limited research has been completed about its prevalence in American public schools during the discipline process. For example, school suspension leads to higher rates of absenteeism, lower academic achievement and higher chances of incarceration. Even students who receive an office referral and return to c lass minutes later miss pertinent instruction time. This study aims to: 1) add to the body of literature about this topic, …

Exploring The Use Of A Mindfulness Based Yoga Intervention For Children With Severe Asthma, Sharon Lack

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: A diagnosis of severe asthma greatly impacts the physical and psychological health of children. Often experiencing increased stress, decreased physical activity, and increased exacerbations, children with severe asthma frequently exhibit poor health outcomes. Mindful yoga is a complementary health approach that may improve the physical and psychological well-being of children with severe asthma. The aims of this research were to evaluate the tolerability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a mindful yoga intervention in children with severe asthma. A novel theoretical framework encompassing concepts from three vulnerability nursing theories guided the research.

Methods: A mixed methods pilot …

Analysis Of Teaching Styles, Adult Learning Theories, And Factors Influencing Teaching Style Preferences In Adult Education Instructors: Implication For Practice, Beatrice Chemaiyo Lele

Theses and Dissertations

The teacher is the most influential and important variable in the classroom for student achievement. Therefore, the need for teachers to identify and utilize best teaching practices is fundamental to a progressing society. Despite the literature advocating and proposing the student-centered approach as the preferred method of teaching in adult education, most empirical studies indicate that teachers employed the traditional teacher-centered approach. The purpose of this study was to examine the teaching style preferences of adult education instructors and the influence of gender, age, participation in professional development in adult education, years of teaching experience, teaching subject, and levels of …

Negative Urgency As A Risk Factor For Intimate Partner Aggression: The Untold Story Of Maladaptive Interpersonal Emotion Regulation, Alexandra M. Martelli

Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal conflict frequently occurs in daily life, especially within intimate relationship contexts. The strategies people use to respond to conflict can either bring couples together or push them further apart. Furthermore, impulsive traits, such as negative urgency, leave individuals vulnerable to conflict. Individuals high in negative urgency have difficulty regulating their emotional reactions to negative experiences, often failing to employ adaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) strategies. No research to date has examined the link between negative urgency and the use of negative IER. Fifty-four couples completed self-report measures of negative urgency, effective interpersonal regulation of negative affect, and intimate partner …

Effects Of (R,S)-Ketamine And (2r,6r)-Hydroxynorketamine: A Preclinical Study, Remington Rice

Theses and Dissertations

In 2017, 7.1% of US adults were diagnosed with depression, and 50% of patients received medication to treat their depression. Depression can cause severe interruptions in an individual's cognitive functioning and behaviors like sleeping, eating, working, and socializing. Unfortunately, approximately 40% of patients do not respond to treatment with monoaminergic medications (e.g. Prozac) and therapeutic effects may be delayed 2-8 weeks. Due to these therapeutic shortcomings, faster acting and more efficacious treatments are needed. Recent preclinical findings indicate potential for glutamatergic drugs like (R,S)-ketamine and (2R,6R) hydroxynorketamine to produce more rapid and longer-acting therapeutic effects. The antidepressant effectiveness of (R,S)-ketamine …

Molecular And Behavioral Mechanisms Mediated Paclitaxel-Induced Changes In Affect-Like Behavior In Mice, Julia Meade

Theses and Dissertations

Paclitaxel and oxaliplatin are two chemotherapeutics that cause acute neurotoxicity and chemotherapy-induce peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in 70-90% of cancer patients. Chemotherapy-induced sensory changes are correlated with depression and anxiety. We characterized the effects of these drugs on sensation and various mood-related behaviors in mice, to determine if changes in sensation are associated with depression-like behavior, to explore putative mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced depression-like behavior (Aim 1), and to develop a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced operant responding deficit (Aim 2). In Aim 1, we observed that a cumulative dose of 32 mg/kg paclitaxel induced mechanical hypersensitivity and transiently reduced preference for sucrose …

The Correlation Between Maternal Postpartum Depression And Child Psychopathology, T'Keyah I. Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a phenomenon that affects nearly 10-15% of pregnancies in the US. It is characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia and lasting for more than 2 weeks. PPD changes how moms interact with family members and child-rearing behavior. Depression is a phenomenon that is also known to affect the psychopathology of children. However, the specifics of how postpartum depression impacts children remains controversial. Many studies do not control for major depressive disorder which makes it difficult to disentangle the impact depression has within the first year of life. Furthermore, other PPD risk factors may be confounding …

Repeat Full Mouth Dental Rehabilitation Under General Anesthesia For Medicaid Eligible Healthy Children Who Are High Caries Risk, Lajoi E. Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To evaluate the treatment of healthy children who are high caries risk and of low socioeconomic status and who require repeat full mouth dental rehabilitation (FMDR) under general anesthesia (GA).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed on healthy Medicaid eligible patients who were initially between 18 months - 6 years of age who underwent FMDR under GA in the OR more than once at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry from January 2008 to December 2018. Biographical information for each patient was gathered into a REDCap™ Survey. Statistical analysis, chi-squared test with …

Exploring The Heteromeric Interface Of The 5-Ht2a-Mglu2 Receptor Complex, Mohamed Aarif Abdul Kareem

Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characteristic of several neurotransmitters including dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate being in imbalance. Early therapies focused solely on dopamine antagonism and second-generation antipsychotics focused on the dopamine and serotonin systems and their respective G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) proteins. Although debate for dimerization of certain classes of GPCR exist, the establishment of an mGlu2-5-HT_2A heterocomplex, which is implicated in schizophrenia is of interest. Previous studies have used a mutation-based approach to identify transmembrane domain 4 (TM4) as the domain responsible in mGlu2 for mediating heteromerization before narrowing down the individual amino acids responsible for …

Sleep Behaviors And Thoughts As Links Between Social Rhythmicity And Mental Health Outcomes, Sahar Sabet

Theses and Dissertations

Social rhythmicity refers to the regularity with which one engages in social and lifestyle activities. Considerable research has recognized that social rhythms have important implications for health and well-being. For example, disturbances in social rhythms are one potential factor that may contribute to the development of anxiety and depressive disorders. Existing research on social rhythm irregularity has heavily focused on its link with bipolar disorder and, to a lesser extent, with depression. Less is known about the association of social rhythms with anxiety or with subclinical levels of depression. Furthermore, it is unclear how social rhythms are tied to mental …

Three Studies Of Research-Based Pedagogy In Physical Chemistry: Development Of A Zno Thin Film Experiment, Analysis Of Student Discourse By Graph Theory And Cognitive Engagement, Building A Physical Chemistry Faculty Network., Dilhara Liyanage

Theses and Dissertations

Three research projects, each focusing on a different aspect, development of a ZnO thin film experiment, student’s cognitive engagement behavior, and building of a faculty network, are presented in this dissertation.

In the first project, a physical chemistry laboratory experiment was developed to answer the question, “How do electrons move in a solid?”. The experiment structure follows the POGIL-PCL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning - Physical Chemistry Laboratory) model. Students begin by using the PhET “Quantum Bound States” animation to compare energy levels for single atoms to energy levels of a lattice containing many potential wells, and they incorporate that …

Adjusting For Dropout In Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials, Katharine Stromberg

Theses and Dissertations

Dropout is a common issue in randomized controlled clinical trials and can negatively impact the internal validity of a study and potentially bias the treatment effect. When subjects discontinue study participation, they are not being given the opportunity to gain from the investigational therapy as if they had remained in the study, defeating one of the main purposes of clinical trials, providing treatment. Specifically in unblinded studies, such as the wait-list control (WLC) design, dropout is often due to group membership. Subjects allocated to the control group often dropout at higher rates than in the treatment group. Adaptive designs have …

Internalizing Data Collection: Personal Analytics As An Investigation Of The Self, Neal R. Swisher

Theses and Dissertations

Personal analytics, aka self-tracking, is the practice of using a digital device to track aspects of behavior, such as exercise habits, heart rate, sleep patterns, location, diet, and a host of other data points. This dissertation is an exploration of “self” in self-tracking, informed by theories of subjectivity, autonomy, power and knowledge. As a technological intervention, self-tracking devices change how we experience our own body and behavior. They also serve as methods to digitize human behavior. This data is combined with other data and processed using computational methods. Self-tracking devices are both personal and bureaucratic. They are devices used for …

A Theoretically-Based Mixed Methods Approach To Examining Mental Health Disorders And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among University-Enrolled African American Men, Kofoworola D.A. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies show that African American men in college are disproportionately experiencing high levels of psychological distress, increasing their risk of developing mental health symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Despite being at higher risk for developing mental health symptoms, university-enrolled, African American men are not seeking help even when experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety, impacting their academic performance. The evidence base describing mental health symptom prevalence and evidence-based prevention strategies among university-enrolled, African American men is limited. To that end, this dissertation work utilized a concurrent, mixed methods approach, theoretically-based in the Social Ecological Model (SEM), to …

Profiles Of Adjustment Among Children In Institutional Care In Ghana: Predictors Of Positive Functioning, Anna W. Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, approximately 2-8 million children reside in institutional care, which can lead to developmental setbacks. Given the need for institutional care persists, it is important to continue investigating which improvements can be made to provide optimal care. The current mixed-methods study included participants from Accra, Ghana. Study 1 involved cluster analyses to determine patterns of adjustment for 100 children in institutional care (CIC) (M age = 13.31 years, SD = 3.14; 40% female) and 100 children in families (CIF) (M age = 13.37 years, SD = 3.08; 40% female) across several domains. ANOVA was used to evaluate whether …

Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge Park: Using Private-Public Infill To Create A Destination Waterfront Park In The City Of Bismarck, North Dakota, Austin M. Schmidt

Landscape Architecture Theses

This study focuses on the preservation of the Bismarck-Mandan rail bridge and surrounding 200-acre site as a catalyst to transform the waterfront of North Dakota’s capital city into a 21st-Century urban park. Announced by the National Historic Trust for Historical Places, the iconic community structure has been listed as one of “America’s 11 most Most Endangered Historic Places” in 2019. With the backing of the Historic Trust, Preservation of North Dakota, community members, and the non-profit group, Friends of the Rail Bridge, the historic truss bridge has gained traction to be repurposed as a pedestrian bridge linking the parks and …

From Brownfield To Permaculture City: Converting A Brownfield Site By Creating A New Community Through Increased Density And Sustainable Permaculture., Kaylee Pierce

Landscape Architecture Theses

Sustainable, permaculture living is a recurring trend in residential design. Society is becoming more aware of the impact humans have on the environment, along with learning ways to minimize an ecological footprint while living a happier and healthier life. Vegetable gardens, fruit orchards, and even chicken coops are becoming more popular to find in a backyard, especially in urban environments. As cities begin to feel the impact of diminishing untouched real estate, developers have turned to brown-field land for residential developments to assist with growing populations. Cities such as Salt Lake City, Utah are experiencing tremendous growth but the city …

Fargo: Growing Upward: A Neon Living Wall, Benjamin Kumpula

Landscape Architecture Theses

There is an emotional connection humans have with plants and the aesthetics of natural elements that can directly influence our mood, productivity, and overall happiness. Emotional factors can directly impact and change a person’s attitude, direct our perspective of the world, and can affect the people around us. The aesthetics of plants have an emotional impact that is amplified in the built environment and can be used to develop a solution to improve current methods of introducing living walls. Living walls have been a way to introduce natural elements into urban settings that would otherwise have limitations by environmental factors, …

Spectrum 2020, Saint Mary's College Of California

The Undergraduate Spectrum

No abstract provided.

Astrocytic Response To Neural Injury Is Larger During Development Than In Adulthood And Is Not Predicated Upon The Presence Of Microglia, Andrew J. Riquier, Suzanne I. Sollars

Psychology Faculty Publications

While contributions of microglia and astrocytes are regularly studied in various injury models, how these contributions differ across development remains less clear. We previously demonstrated developmental differences in microglial profiles across development in an injury model of the gustatory system. Nerves of the rat gustatory system have limited capacity to regenerate if injured during neonatal ages but show robust recovery if the injury occurs in adulthood. Using this developmentally disparate model of regenerative capacity, we quantified microglia and astrocytes in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNTS) following transection of the gustatory chorda tympani nerve (CTX) of neonatal and …

The Effect Of Perceived Values On Negative Mentoring, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, And Perceived Career Success, Marcy Young Illies, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

This study addresses how perceived mentor and protégé values affect negative mentoring, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and perceived career success. Results indicate that protégés with mentors perceived to have self-enhancement values experienced more negative mentoring while protégés with mentors perceived to have self-transcendence values experienced less negative mentoring. Those who experienced negative mentoring had less organizational commitment, job satisfaction and perceived career success. It was also found that negative mentoring indirectly mediated between perceived mentor values and the protégé outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and perceived career success).

Reprograming Neuronal Cells By Overexpression Of Fibroblast-Specific Transcription Factors, Abdulmohsen Alanazi

Masters Theses

In mammals, a complex system of regulatory signals distinguishes tissues, structures and functions. Combinations of transcription factors and co-factors regulate activation and repression of genes that result in cellular differentiation. Whole genome arrays allow the monitoring of genomic expression in specific tissues. Fibroblast microarray studies have shown candidate genes that may be involved in fibroblast identification, including genes that express transcription factors Prrx1, Snai2 and Twist1. A previous study showed that the Prrx1 and Snai2 could reactivate a fibroblast phenotype in hybrid cells that had lost fibroblast identity. Furthermore, overexpression of these factors in liver-derived cells strongly repressed liver gene …

The Transitional Experiences Of International Students Studying In The United States, Philip Fennell

Masters Theses

This study sought to explore the real-life experiences of two international students and the impact on their transition to a United States college. A narrative qualitative approach was used to incorporate the stories of international students as shared by their own words. Their stories were used to identify similarities and differences including resources they utilized and their interactions with others. International students all share different cultural backgrounds and characteristics. Nonetheless, they will each have their own unique experiences, as well as have different ways of reacting and responding to those experiences. We must put in the effort of listening to …

The Determinants Of Sectoral Employment In Nepal, Thaman P. Bastola

Masters Theses

This paper uses the data from 1991 to 2019 to analyze the determinants of employment in agriculture, industrial, and service sectors of Nepal. The data are gotten from the world development indicators (WDI), human development indicators (HDI) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). The results show that significant determinants of employment in Nepal areeducation, health, population growth, interest rate, inflation rate and political conflict.The education, health, population growth, and inflation are inversely related to the employment of agricultural sectors employment. Likewise, the industrial sector employment is positively affected by the health and political conflict, and negatively affected by the level of …

Adjustment To Life In America: Black African Graduate Level Students, Denver Daniels

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine what challenges Black African graduate students face when adjusting to life in the United States. A secondary concern was to examine what coping strategies were used during the transition. A qualitative approach was used to interview the participants and through coding, develop themes related to their time as graduate students.

This study concluded that there were a number of issues that Black African graduate students face. The students reported that they experienced homesickness, culture shock, and discrimination during their time at school. Specific themes also emerged as to how they coped with …

Panhellenic Women's Leadership Development And Self-Efficacy, Caitlyn Gastfield

Masters Theses

Substantial research has been done on self-efficacy as well as a growing amount of research on women in leadership. This qualitative study examined the perceived relationship between leadership development opportunities given to Panhellenic women and their perceived level of self-efficacy. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted at a regional, mid-sized institution in the Midwest with undergraduate women holding leadership positions in their respective Panhellenic organizations. The results found in this study support many of the previous findings in research in relation to the importance of leadership development and self-efficacy. Many types of leadership development opportunities emerged, from informal peer support to …

The Path To Persistence: How Highly-At-Risk Students Persevere To Graduation Day, Alexis Kaine Straub

Masters Theses

This phenomenological study looked at highly-at-risk college seniors who exhibited four out of the eight risk factors defined by the institution where the study took place. The purpose was to gain insight into how highly-at-risk college seniors persist to graduation by discovering what protective factors they utilized in their college career as well as the role resiliency and/or grit may have played. The participants were five undergraduate students who were enrolled at a mid-sized, public university in the rural Midwest. They responded to questions in one semi-structured interview designed to capture their experiences about college starting from high school until …

Important Factors Influencing Attendance At Northwoods League Games, Ryan Eiche

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of various factors as they related to attendance at Northwoods League baseball games. This league was an ideal fit for the study as little research has been conducted on this level of baseball. A survey was sent out via the Facebook page of the Lakeshore Chinooks to gather responses from fans on what factors encouraged attendance. Fans were asked to then rate how important each factor was on a five-point sliding scale. The research revealed that situational factors such as convenience, day and time, and weather of the game were …