Digital Commons Network^™

Using Centered Kernel Alignment For Understanding And Pruning Neural Networks, Alex Lachance

Open Access Master's Theses

Understanding neural networks has been challenging since their inception. Neural networks are non-linear and learn representations without the user defining them, making the internal workings obscure. Methods for understanding networks have been researched for many years. This study uses centered kernel alignment (CKA) to measure the similarity between the representations of data between layers in a network. The method is invariant to invertible orthogonal transformation, invariant to isotropic scaling, and exhibits behavior demonstrating its superiority over other methods.

The similarity results enable understanding of how architecture choices impact learning and network representations. Depth and width changes of MLPMixer, a neural …

First Destination Survey 2022: For Degrees Awarded December 2021-August 2022, Hart Career Center, Illinois Wesleyan University

First Destination Survey

[from the email sent by Warren Kistner]

The Hart Career Center is responsible for producing an annual First Destination (graduate) survey that tracks the post-graduate activity of our students within a six-month window of commencement. Following this collection period, we work to produce a report that provides our university community with vital information about the success of our graduates and allows us to address questions posed by prospective students and families. I am pleased to share our report for the class of 2022. Based on data obtained for 88.1% of our graduates, 97.3% are either employed or in graduate/professional school …

Disordered Eating Among Sex Trafficking Survivors: An Application Of Objectification Theory To Experiences Of Extreme Objectification, Lauren Hayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

While precise prevalence rates are not available, it is expected that there are many survivors of sex trafficking within the United States. Substantial evidence demonstrates the physical, mental, and social health disparities experienced by sex trafficking survivors (STS). The limited exploration of disordered eating symptomology in STS is a notable gap in understanding their health needs, especially considering the known link between exposure to trauma and disordered eating. One purpose of this study was to document the occurrence of disordered eating in a sample of STS. The current study also examined the unique effect of the sex trafficking experience, separate …

Financial Market Liquidity, Informed Trading, And Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence From Corporate Tone, Exchange Competition, And Corporate Culture, Rasheek Irtisam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Prior literature documents a temporary spike in information asymmetry between sophisticated and unsophisticated traders around corporate disclosures because the former process new information faster. In Essay 1, using advances in textual analysis, we show that when management issues more uncertain financial statements, the resulting spike in information asymmetry is significantly lower than for firms which use less uncertain text. Furthermore, textual uncertainty measures of the disclosures are negatively associated with Intermarket Sweep Order (ISO) volume, an order type commonly used by sophisticated traders. This suggests sophisticated traders and algorithms are less able to extract value-relevant information from financial disclosures when …

The Development And Validation Of The Transgender Resilience Measure (Trm), Allison Schimmel-Bristow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Research has repeatedly shown that transgender people face disproportionally higher rates of discrimination, mental health related issues, homelessness, and general disconnection (Bockting et al., 2013; Matsuno & Israel, 2018; Testa et al., 2014). Resilience has been identified as what helps individuals overcome adversities and buffer the potential negative consequences of stress (Masten, 2015; Meyers, 2015; Singh, 2018). This paper describes the development and validation of the Transgender Resilience Measure (TRM), an instrument designed to reliably and validly assess unique resilience factors for transgender individuals. The author presents two studies outlining the development and validation of the TRM. Study 1 revealed …

Consumers' Adoption Of Connected And Autonomous Vehicles (Cavs) Based On Their Social Network, Ishant Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The recent advancements in communication, digital, and automobile technologies have the potential to revolutionize the transport sector, especially the way we travel. Such advancements include the advent of mobility-on-demand services, electric and connected, and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). Recent research indicates their imminent market penetration, but their widespread consumer adoption is still uncertain because of several anticipated barriers like giving up conventional vehicles, safety concerns, accident liability problems, cybersecurity issues, and many more. A potential consumer’s decision to purchase a vehicle is greatly influenced from information received from multiple sources, especially peer-to-peer communication. To the best of our knowledge, limited studies …

High School Teachers' Perceptions And Application Of Robert Stahl's Decision-Making Materials In The Social Studies Classroom, Alisha Milam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study investigated high school social studies teachers’ perceptions of Robert Stahl’s decision-making materials within their content area and the relevance of curricular implementation. The primary questions addressed in this study focused on high school social studies teachers’ perception of current instructional practices, inquiry-based learning, state standards, and national frameworks regarding content and classroom instruction. The participants included seven rural high school social studies teachers selected through two-stage random sampling. Participant selection was reduced to rural areas due to the overwhelmingly disproportionate number of rural districts in the state of study. However, to gain a diverse perspective from across the …

Mask On, F*Ck It, Mask Off: Assessing The Role That Hip-Hop Plays In The Identity Development Of Young Black Professionals, Re'sean James Jetson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Young Black professionals are faced with unique challenges in navigating their ethnic and professional identities, especially in the workplace. They are underrepresented in high-status professional jobs and often assume they must adhere to behavioral and linguistic norms associated with the dominant culture in order to be accepted in predominately White workspaces. The process of adjusting one’s style of speech or behavior based on the social setting is known as code-switching. This study examined the experience of code-switching for young Black professionals in non-diverse workspaces with particular attention to the role of Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop has served as a tool for identity …

Pastors' Readiness To Change Their Physical Activity Behavior: A Qualitative Study Based On The Transtheoretical Model, Nathan T. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Engaging in the recommended amounts of physical activity (i.e., 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/week) has many health benefits; yet only half of the United States (US) adult population meets this recommendation. Low physical activity engagement may be partially attributable to individual, social, and environmental barriers and factors. Barriers to meeting physical activity recommendations have been found among Christian clergy (i.e., clergy). In addition, clergy report a high prevalence of obesity, some non-communicable diseases and mental health problems. However, only a few studies have examined physical activity among clergy using a theory- guided approach, which limits our understanding of perceptions …

Understanding Anger And Psychosocial Functioning In A Sample Of Post-9/11 Veterans Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Rebecca J. Zakarian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Anger is an important aspect of the negative emotion associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and difficulties with anger regulation are implicated in more severe PTSD trajectories as well as associated problems such as aggression perpetration. Anger is also known to erode social relationships and is implicated in poorer psychosocial functioning and having fewer close relationships. From a diagnostic conceptualization, anger is included in both the hyperarousal symptom cluster (e.g. irritability and angry reactions) and the negative alterations in cognitions and mood symptom cluster (e.g. negative emotions like anger, fear, shame, etc). Although anger is included in the diagnostic symptoms …

Dyadic Differences In The Perception Of Stress-Related Reactions Among Black Youth With High Body Weights, Kaytryn Doreese Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Black youth with high body weights (BYHW; BMI ≥ 95th percentile) endure unique stressors that may contribute to psychopathology, but more research is needed on factors associated with fewer stress-related reactions among these youth. Utilizing linear regression modeling and controlling for youth BMIz scores, the current study examined how resilience and weight-related quality of life were associated with stress-related reactions as reported by 32 treatment-seeking BYHW (Mage = 14.19; MBMIZ = 2.59) and one of their primary caregivers (N = 64). Findings showed that dyadic differences exist in what BYHW and their caregivers perceive as associated with youth stress-related reactions. …

Longitudinal Examination Of Psychosocial Factors, Diabetic Ketoacidosis, And Urinary Albumin-To-Creatinine Ratio Trajectories Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes, Katherine Semenkovich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Vascular complications result in significant morbidity and mortality in individuals with type 1 diabetes. Certain measures such as the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio can assess risk for later diabetes complications by determining the amount of protein leaking from the kidneys (an early sign of kidney damage). Based on a conceptual framework, this study used growth curve and latent variable mixture modeling to evaluate individual and family characteristics, psychosocial responses, individual and family responses, and metabolic variables (hemoglobin A1c and DKA hospitalizations) that predict urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) trajectories over the span of three years. Adolescents (N = 142) 12-18 years old …

Ecology Of Individuality In Behaviors Of Meadow Voles, Microtus Pennsylvanicus, Karl Nicholas Rohrer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Evolution works on the variation present in a population and that variation is the individual. But, what makes an individual? Part of this is the physical and genetic individuality, but for animals a large part of their individuality comes from the consistent behaviors that they express that are different from others. These behaviors can be developed innately, such as those that are considered ‘personality,’ or learned through their experiences. These effects compound each other and will impact the fitness of each animal. Additionally, the individuality of other organisms can be vital information. If individuals vary in behavior, then the appropriate …

Voices From The Classroom: Perspectives Of Elementary Teachers On Teacher Absenteeism, And The Related Factors Of Leadership Behaviors And Teacher Preparation, Amanda Brabham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Employee absence can arise in any organization or institution; however, in education, teacher absenteeism place burdens on schools and hinders the ability of schools to provide quality and consistent instruction to students. Teacher absenteeism has been a topic of discussion in the West Tennessee study school district for many years. School and district leaders have pondered over what can be done to improve the attendance behaviors of teachers. Research asserts that teachers are the most important in-school determinant of student success, and for this reason, school and district leaders in the West Tennessee study district must gain an understanding of …

Proactive Interference During Multiple Text Comprehension: Can Readers Intentionally Forget Information That Is No Longer Relevant?, Rebecca Mccabe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of the current research was to explore the detrimental effects of proactive interference during multiple text comprehension and whether it could be reduced by intentionally forgetting the interfering information using the directed forgetting paradigm. In Experiment 1, a subset of participants read 10 argumentative texts on the same topic (control condition), whereas others read 20. Of those who read 20, some were instructed to remember all texts (proactive interference condition), whereas others were instructed after reading the first 10 texts to forget them and remember only the next 10 (directed forgetting condition). On final recognition tests of the …

Attributes Of Organic Food Products: What Matters To The Us Consumers In Their Purchasing Decision?, Rohini Daraboina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Green research in marketing is a rich field with multiple financial and brand implications to the firms and their stakeholders including consumers. This three-essay dissertation examines two important research streams in green marketing, organic food product attribute importance, and food safety transgressions. The first essay applies bibliometric methods to analyze the literature on green research in marketing. Based on the keyword analysis and literature review the essay identifies several gaps in green marketing research and offers potential research opportunities. Guided by the first essay’s insights, the second essay focuses on the relative importance of the organic food product attributes that …

Operatic Becomings: A Narrative Exploration Of Singers' Personal And Professional Development, Joseph Phaten Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Prior research has demonstrated that the highly competitive professional environment faced by musicians and music students can increase risk for a variety of mental health concerns. However, therapists know relatively little about this population, the stressors they face, or how musicians and music students navigate and make meaning of the diverse stressors they encounter personally and professionally. The present narrative inquiry (NI) study, explored the experiences of five advanced classical operatic trainees as they navigated diverse personal, professional, and mental health concerns while pursuing education and employment in this highly competitive discipline. Narrative analysis of collected interview data was grounded …

Social Support As A Moderator Between Maternal Mental Health And Child School Engagement Among Families Exposed To Adversity, Kari Nicole Thomsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

School engagement is a positive, malleable aspect of youth functioning. The present study examined the direct and interactive relations between social-ecological factors (i.e., maternal depression, maternal anxiety, youth social support) and youth school engagement among families exposed to adversity. Participants were 117 youths (Mage = 9.96, SD = 1.40; 51% female; 88.89% Black), and their female primary caregivers. Hierarchical linear regression modeling revealed a direct, positive relation between child social support and child school engagement. No direct relations were found between maternal anxiety or maternal depression and child school engagement. Social support moderated the relation between maternal anxiety and school …

Coaches' Attitudes Toward Transgender Athletes, Danielle Sample

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Transgender athletes face discrimination based on negative societal attitudes in many life arenas; they particularly confront prejudice in the arena of sport. This study examined the attitudes of some of the most influential people in an athlete’s life, coaches. The study examined coach gender, conformity to masculinity norms (particularly hegemonic masculinity norms of power over women and heterosexual self-presentation), and level of physical contact in sport as related to negative attitudes toward transgender athletes. In light of the recent spate of anti-transgender legislation focusing on transwomen athletes, attitudes toward directionality of transition within transgender athletes were also investigated. Data were …

Exploring Moderation Effects Of Humor Styles On The Relationship Between Racial And Ethnic Microaggressions And Work Volition In Black Working Men, Daniel Lattimore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study examined the relationship between racial and ethnic microaggressions and work volition and whether humor styles moderated that relationship. Participants were 216 employed Black men who completed measures of work volition (WVS-V), racial and ethnic microaggressions (REMS-45), and humor styles (HSQ-32). Data were analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS (Model 1, moderation) and supported the hypothesis that racial and ethnic microaggressions (REMS) frequency were directly related to work volition. Aggressive humor style moderated the racial microaggression – work volition relationship such that using an aggressive humor style at high levels of microaggressions was associated with lower work volition. …

In Search Of Our Mothers' Garden: A Womanist Witnessing Of Black Motherhood And Mental Health, Dorothy'e Gott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

It is reported that 7.5 million African Americans are diagnosed with mental illness, and up to 7.5 million more may be affected without formal diagnosis (Davis, 2005). Acknowledging a 2:1 gender ratio of depression, women may be over-represented in this population (Immerman & Mackey, 2003). African American women’s lower rates of utilization of mental health services, which has been suggested to be impacted by stigma surrounding mental health, serves as an additional barrier for the attainment of optimal mental health. Thompson-Sanders et al. (2004) suggested that Black women who believe that living with psychological pain is part of her role …

Black-Male Imagos And Counternarrative Resistance: An Africana Existentialist Framework For Black-Male Analysis, Corey Neill Reed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

James Baldwin describes the Black male in the White gaze as a “fixed star,” meaning that there is only one way that Black males can be, and that way is deviant. However, we often do not examine what happens in Black-male psychology because of the social ascription of criminality, via tropes like the “Myth of the Black-Male Rapist” and “thug.” In this project, I investigate what this does to Black-male freedom and self-recognition. I make the argument that narratives influence one’s concept of self and that the political negotiation one must do in return impedes their freedom. To help solve …

How I Got On (Or Off) The Wagon: Self-Identified Factors Contributing To Drinking Changes In A Diverse Emerging Adult Sample, Youkyung Hwangbo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Introduction: Binge drinking is a risk factor for the development of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), which can result in chronic and severe health and social problems throughout adulthood (Addolorato et al., 2018; Olsson et al., 2016). The majority of emerging adults who report binge drinking gradually decrease their drinking behavior without participating in an intervention. Research on “maturing out” or “natural recovery” suggests that social and role transition variables contribute to reductions, but relatively few studies have directly asked diverse community-residing young adults about factors that influence both increases and decreases in their drinking patterns. This exploratory and descriptive research …

Individual Differences In The Comprehension And Categorization Of Sarcasm, Megan Boatman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The present study investigated whether exposure to sarcasm can predict a person’s categorization of sarcasm. Participants (N = 44) were asked to complete a picture matching task. In this task, they would listen to a sentence and look at two images. Sentences had pause durations along a six-point continuum scale. One image was a sarcastic interpretation of the sentence, and one was a literal interpretation. They were asked to choose the image they felt best fit the sentence they heard. Afterwards they were asked to fill out a sarcasm self-report scale. It was predicted that stimuli would follow a linear …

The Relations Among Academic Grit, Growth Mindset, School Engagement, And Academic Achievement In Middle School Students, Rachel Younger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations among three psychosocial factors (i.e., Academic Grit, School Engagement, and Growth Mindset) and Academic Achievement among a cross-sectional sample of middle school students (N = 141). Participants were administered the Academic Grit Scale, Multi-Dimensional School Engagement Scale, and Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale via an online survey, and i-Ready Reading and Math benchmarks and student’s GPA assessed academic achievement. Factor analysis was used to confirm the measurement of these constructs, which resulted in a post-hoc measurement model combining indicators of Academic Grit with two indicators of School Engagement. Structural equation …

In Vitro Evaluation Of Chitosan Membranes Stabilized With Varying Acyl Lengths For Release Of Therapeutics For Burn Wound Coverage, Infection Prevention, And Pain Relief, Landon Choi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Adherence of complex bacterial biofilm communities to burned tissue creates a challenge for treatment, with infection causing 51% of burn victim deaths. This study evaluated release of therapeutics from wound care biomaterials and their antimicrobial activity against pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Electrospun chitosan membranes (ESCMs) were fabricated and acylated with chain lengths ranging from 6-10 carbons then loaded with anti-biofilm cis-2-decenoic acid (C2DA) (0.15 mg/membrane with average weight of 4.68 mg) and local anesthetic bupivacaine (0.5 mg/membrane). Combinations of therapeutics released from modified ESCMs at a cumulative amount of 45-70% of bupivacaine and less than 20% …

The Role Of Oxytocin Receptor Activation In The Nucleus Accumbens On Dopamine Release, Patricia Nalan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The neuropeptide oxytocin alters the salience of rewards and is being investigated as a treatment for substance use disorder; however, the effects of oxytocin on reward-related neural circuits are not understood. The detection of rewarding stimuli is regulated in part by the mesolimbic dopamine system, with dopaminergic cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The current study aimed to determine the effect of oxytocin receptor activation in the NAc on mesolimbic dopamine release. Fixed potential amperometry was used to measure stimulation-evoked dopamine release in the NAc of anesthetized C57BL/6J mice before and …

Counseling At The Intersections: Comparing Trainee Multicultural Competency, Laura J. Condon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study addressed facets of counselor trainee cultural competency (e.g., perceived attractiveness, assessments of clinical severity and treatment planning, self-efficacy) when working with Black bisexual clients as compared to White bisexual or Black or White heterosexual clients. Due to a paucity of literature addressing Black bisexual clients (Ghabrial & Ross, 2018; Muñoz-Laboy, 2019), complexity of client needs due to balancing intersecting identities (Mays et. al, 2002), and the discrimination clients with multiple diverse identities encounter (Castro & Carnassale, 2019), it is important to assess counselor trainees’ multicultural counseling competence with Black bisexual clients to increase the likelihood they receive competent …

Olfactory Communication Among Conspecifics And Alteration Of Habitat And Social Preference Due To Food Deprivation And The Threat Of Predation In Meadow Voles, Sarah Stacey Garris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Animals must be able to collect and utilize information from their environment, such as olfactory cues, to make decisions that impact their fitness. Meadow voles make excellent experimental subjects for studying the functional aspects of olfactory communication. While several body sources of meadow voles were previously observed to communicate the vole’s sex, I aimed to determine whether each source also communicates information distinct from other sources. This was accomplished by utilizing a habituation-test method. I found that scent marks from three body sources of a female meadow vole communicated information that was both redundant and distinct from one another. In …

An Assemblage Of Becomings: Affective Connections Between Spiritual Experience And Objects, Clarie Jo Koehn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This study follows the affects that flow between spiritual experience, humans, and objects and conjure transformations of subjectivity. Informed by affect theory and Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of becoming, I used postqualitative methods to interview six women and femmes about their spiritual experiences, the objects associated with their experiences, and the shifts in selfhood that their experience-object assemblages produced. Transcription and analysis was led by affect, involving attunement to hot spots that served as jumping off points for writing stories connecting participant to participant and participant to researcher. Analyses revealed the presence of affect in relation to objects that serve …