Digital Commons Network^™

Screen Media Use Among Children And Adolescents – Applications Of Supervised And Unsupervised Machine Learning And Sentiment Analysis, Yifan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Screen media has become increasingly pervasive in our everyday lives and has profoundly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. However, we are still unclear about the long-term influence of screen media use on our physical health, mental health, and social wellbeing. Children and adolescents are in an important stage of brain development and are susceptible to the environmental influence that screen media possess. This dissertation pursued three aims to address research gaps related to screen media use among children and adolescents: 1) identify topics and knowledge gaps in screen media use research among children and adolescents …

Exploring Cyberterrorism, Topic Models And Social Networks Of Jihadists Dark Web Forums: A Computational Social Science Approach, Vivian Fiona Guetler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This three-article dissertation focuses on cyber-related topics on terrorist groups, specifically Jihadists’ use of technology, the application of natural language processing, and social networks in analyzing text data derived from terrorists' Dark Web forums. The first article explores cybercrime and cyberterrorism. As technology progresses, it facilitates new forms of behavior, including tech-related crimes known as cybercrime and cyberterrorism. In this article, I provide an analysis of the problems of cybercrime and cyberterrorism within the field of criminology by reviewing existing literature focusing on (a) the issues in defining terrorism, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism, (b) ways that cybercriminals commit a crime in …

Effects Of Depression And Stress On Oral Self-Care Among Perinatal Women In Appalachia: A Longitudinal Study, Jeongwi An

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oral health during the perinatal period has an impact on the health of women and their offspring. Oral self-care behaviors are preventive methods that can be employed to maintain or improve oral health but may be compromised during the perinatal period. Identifying factors affecting oral self-care behaviors might provide direction on how to intervene in oral health during and after pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate independent and interactive effects of depression and stress on oral self-care behaviors of perinatal women in Appalachia, given the burden of oral disease in this region. A total of 1,172 women …

“The Illusion Of Collaboration”: An Integrated Examination Of The Antecedents, Processes, And Consequences Of Online Group Work, Jill Cathleen Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) presents postsecondary educators with a conundrum: how to design and support small-group activities without stifling deep and meaningful learning. The literature indicates that students are not consistently practicing higher-order cognitive activities, educators are not reliably designing or facilitating them, and/or researchers are not locating or identifying them where they are occurring. The aim of this dissertation is to explore these deficits by identifying the antecedent conditions that most affect collaboration. Specifically, I answer the question, how do learner’s prior knowledge, characteristics, and experiences manifest in their collaborative processes. Addressing a gap in the literature, this study …

Examining The Spatial Relationship Between Maternal Morbidity, Access To Health Care, And Community Characteristics In West Virginia, Sarah E. Woolard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal-related morbidity rates in the United States have risen almost three fold since the early 1990’s. Issues related to rurality, socioeconomic disparities, and pre-existing health conditions increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and introduce barriers to accessing advanced maternal health care. West Virginia (WV) has higher maternal morbidity rates than many other states in the United States (US), and is considered to be driven by all 55 counties being classified as Appalachian, possessing the highest prenatal smoking rate in the US, and having disparities in access to health care. Despite this, no previous studies have evaluated maternal morbidity in …

Factors Associated With Service Utilization In Injured Workers In West Virginia, Brandy Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Minimal research has been conducted on healthcare utilization among injured workers residing in rural areas. These workers are often at high risk for work-related injury due to the industries in which they work and commonly experience barriers to accessing healthcare. The first study in this dissertation series explored general characteristics of injured workers receiving care at occupational medicine clinics in West Virginia (WV). The second and third studies explored the moderating effects of rurality, pain medication, and psychiatric medication on sociodemographic and health status factors and number of medical encounters.

Methods: Each study used a cross-sectional design with data …

An Examination Of Fraud From Three Perspectives: The Perpetrator, The Whistleblower, And The Examiner, Ali Abdullah Alhasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is made up of three studies that look at fraud from three different perspectives. The first study looks at fraud from the perspective of the perpetrator. The second study examines fraud from the whistleblower’s perspective. The third study studies fraud from the perspective of the investigator (internal auditor).

Study one utilized an online experiment via Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk) to look at whether technology has a psychological distancing effect on humans, and how that may affect individuals to commit fraud. In addition, the study also examines how one’s familiarity with technology, measured via iPhone screen time, can moderate …

Appalachian Broadcast News Coverage Of The Coronavirus: A Content Analysis Of Media Framing In The Midst Of A Health Crisis, Jensen M. Mills

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Media framing of broadcast news is more than identifying an issue, but rather interpreting and explaining the issue for others to better understand. Previous framing scholarship in broadcast news, as well as COVID-19 specifically, has focused mostly on national or international news, so this research explores broadcast coverage from a local perspective in a rural location. During the health crisis of COVID-19, the specific use of media frames can impact how people made sense of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 165 newscast scripts from five different local news stations in Appalachia, this study contributes to the understanding of …

The Bigger Picture: Wrongful Conviction Documentary Thematic Vs Episodic Framing, Alecsandra N. Vac

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

True crime documentaries have gained popularity in the past decade, but those focusing on wrongful conviction cases have been on the rise (Doughty, 2018). Advocates against wrongful conviction, such as the Innocence Project, have been utilizing entertainment media to increase awareness on the issues present in the criminal justice system. However, the framing of wrongful conviction causes and cases (ex: focusing on extreme accusations of police misconduct and intentional forensic evidence tampering) could lead to a bias in how the viewers understand how miscarriages of justice occur. The primary research question being investigated here is, how are these advocacy-recommended documentaries …

Medicaid In The Orthodontic Community: Provider Trends And Perceptions, Miranda L. Fabrega

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives: Medicaid is a federal and state insurance program aimed at helping economically disadvantaged individuals and families with gaining access to health care. Lack of provider participation in the Medicaid program leaves many Medicaid-eligible individuals with the inability to obtain certain medical services, such as orthodontic care. The objective of this study was to use an electronic survey to better understand the beliefs and behaviors of orthodontists in regard to participation in the Medicaid program, and to determine if differences exist between Medicaid providers and non-Medicaid providers. Experimental Design and Methods: Survey: Requests to participate in an electronic …

A Shock To The System: Analyzing Ethnocentric Populist Support Before And After Crises, Kyu Chul Shin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using the question of what is driving the support for populists in the mid-late 2010s in Western Europe and the United States as the starting point, this dissertation attempts to answer a number of different questions related to populists: Were the reasons behind support for populists in countries that saw an increase in support for populisms similar to those that saw a decrease in support? Are the reasons for supporting right-wing populists different from more general ethnocentric populists? Are the reasons that Americans supported Donald Trump similar or different from the reasons behind support for Western European populists? Following migration-related …

Zonulin As A Mediator Of Psychological Stress And Periodontal Disease, Casey D. Wright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of chronic inflammatory diseases is on the rise. Some have posited the permeability of tight junctions in gastrointestinal epithelium tissues as a potential mechanism for precipitating inflammatory processes throughout the body. Zonulin is the only known modulator of tight junction permeability and has been implicated in numerous chronic inflammatory processes (e.g., proinflammatory cytokine production) and diseases, more generally. The role of zonulin in oral inflammation, however, has yet to be explored. Periodontal disease is the most common oral inflammatory condition and primary perpetrator of tooth loss. Periodontal disease also is associated with a number of other health problems …

Electronic Cigarette Dependence: User And Device Characteristic Predictors, Ashley E. Douglas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the dependence potential of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) is critical to informing prevention and regulatory efforts. Extant work on ECIG dependence is limited, in part due to the vast number of products that differ on their ability to deliver nicotine. Further, existing research is based largely on former/current cigarette smokers, and thus confounds dependence on nicotine via ECIGs versus cigarettes. This study evaluated ECIG device/liquid characteristics and use behaviors as predictors of ECIG dependence in a sample of experienced ECIG users who never smoked cigarettes. Participants completed an online survey that assessed ECIG device/liquid features, use behavior, and ECIG dependence. …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Alcohol Use Trajectories In College Students, Rebekah Lynn Damitz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Heavy alcohol use during college can result in numerous negative outcomes (e.g., accidents, worse academics, risky sexual behaviors, etc.). Understanding the risk-factors associated with elevated alcohol use in college are needed so prevention and/or interventions can be implemented to inhibit such dangerous behavior. Adverse childhood experiences have been identified as one key factor in the initiation and escalation of alcohol use, but there is limited research on samples that are in emerging adulthood. Specifically, the transition to college is a time when many students escalate drinking and can form the basis for longer term drinking patterns. It is not yet …

Psychosocial Influences On And Behavioral Characteristics Of Young Adult Food Addiction, Rachel A. Wattick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction. Research on food addiction has increased in recent years, but there are few studies focusing on college-attending young adults, who may be at risk of developing food addiction due to the stress of the college environment. Additionally, causes and characteristics of food addiction are under-explored.

Aim. This dissertation aims to 1) determine the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and other early life influences on the development of food addiction in college-attending young adults and 2) determine the psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of young adults with food addiction.

Methods. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used for aims 1 …

Investigating The Marketing Language Among Online Retailers Of Violin Strings To Determine The Implied Aesthetic, Kira Kay Browning

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this research is to determine if language in the advertising of violin strings is acting as an exclusionary tool in favor of a Western art music “sound” produced by “classical” violinists. It posits that the marketing of strings to violinists is a topic laden with unacknowledged biases and values of musicians within Western art music. The aesthetic values attached to playing Western art music for the violin in the United States are passed on through pedagogic practice and acculturation of language. Product descriptions for strings in the United States employ language which adheres to these cultural values …

Incidence Of Cancer, Depression, And Economic Burden Of Prescription Nsaids Among Older Adults With Osteoarthritis: Statistical And Machine Learning Approaches, Nazneen Fatima Mohammed Umer Shaikh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the role of chronic inflammation among older adults is critical because of its implications on chronic inflammatory conditions as well as its interaction with anti-inflammatory medications. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous multi-faceted joint disease with multi-tissue involvement of varying severity, and increasing evidence demonstrates a key role of chronic inflammation in its pathogenesis. Approximately 30 million adults in the United States have OA, and it is reported that a large proportion (43%) of them are older than 65 years. OA is typically treated using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for minimizing pain and reducing inflammation. NSAIDs have consistently shown clinically …

Healing Gardens For Assisted Living Facility At Cortland Acres, Thomas, Wv, Pooja Keshav Pawar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The affection humans feel for nature is called biophilia. Connecting with nature helps in healing. The connection with nature can be established by incorporating biophilic elements like air, water, plants, and views of nature into the design. (Kellert,2018). According to Kaplan’s Attention Restoration theory, exposure to nature improves focus and the ability to concentrate. (Kaplan,1989)

Connecting with nature provides to be helpful in health care facilities for frail elderly, people with Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias, Hospice care facilities, Mental and Behavioral Health Facilities, and Assisted living facilities. (Marcus,2013)

The aim of this project is to create comfortable, safe, and accessible …

What Is The Perceived Self-Efficacy Of Defined Job Competencies For West Virginia University Extension Faculty?, Lacey Dawn Seckman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The central mission of the Extension Service is to diffuse knowledge and resources developed by teaching and research experts at land grant universities to clientele within local communities (Cummings, et al., 2015; Hall & Broyles, 2016; Seevers & Graham, 2012). Making sure faculty are prepared to carry out their roles in all aspects to serve their clientele is key to quality Extension programs. Extension faculty can come from various backgrounds, interests, and expertise, all of which are influencers of self-efficacy. Having defined competencies for employees in Extension can help express what to expect in this job day-to-day. McClelland (1973) described …

Essays On Clean Water Act And Safe Drinking Water Act, Sharaban Tahura Anica

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation empirically examines three issues related to CWA and SDWA: 1) Financial Assistance and Environmental Compliance; 2) Financial Assistance Priorities from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund; and 3) Drinking Water Compliance during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Using the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System compliance and the Clean Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF) data for wastewater treatment plants in nine states between 2010 and 2018, chapter 2 examines a) the effect of non-compliance on the distribution and size of awarded CWSRF loans, and b) the effects of the CWSRF provision and award size on post-funding compliance. Funded facilities are found to …

A Narrative Inquiry Into Veterans In Engineering, Miracle David Solley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much research has been conducted on student veterans, in general; however, research on student veterans in engineering majors is very sparse. There is national recognition of the importance of student veterans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields as evidenced in the passage in 2020 of a bill investigating the lack of veteran students in these fields. This study adds to the literature by answering the following two research questions: What are the experiences of veteran engineering students? How has military service impacted those experiences? Twelve students and five professors from a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity in …

The Process And Case Study Approach To Implementing A Nutrition-Specific Dissemination And Implementation Science Training In Appalachia, Ayron E. Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Nutrition professionals face implementation challenges due to their lack of knowledge to incorporate D&I science into intervention design. To improve intervention outcomes, nutrition professionals must be trained in D&I science, which are currently absent in the field.

Aims: To identify and assess nutrition educators and practitioners perceived motivations, self-efficacy, and attitudes in using D&I science to inform the educational design and strategies of a nutrition-specific D&I curriculum for nutrition educators. Then to test feasibility of the nutrition-specific curriculum in increasing knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes by a case study approach, pre/post intervention design.

Methods: First, scoping review methodology involved the …

“I Lost Everything I Owned… Now I’M Growing That Back”: Narratives Of Redemption After Meth Immersed Lives, Danielle M. Stoneberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is a lack of knowledge on how the process of desisting (i.e., maintaining abstinence) works for those leaving immersed drug lifestyles, leaving a need for a better understanding of the role and impact of identity in drug desistance. Through secondary analysis of interview data from a sample of 33 former methamphetamine manufacturers, this study examines the applicability of Maruna’s (2001) redemption narrative framework and identifies other aspects featured in their narratives that signaled identity change. Results found all participants discussed at least one component of the framework in their interviews. Their narrative identities changed over time to recognize that …

Essays In Urban And Health Economics, Allyssa Ann Wadsworth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chapter 1 analyzes the impact new hospital construction has on neighboring residential real estate prices. In 2017, the Oishei Children’s Hospital was built in downtown Buffalo, New York, representing a new era for women and children’s medical facilities. Individuals working at the old facility now faced the decision of whether to move closer to the new hospital or have a longer commute. Using property sales data, I analyze how Oishei impacts residential property prices with a difference-in-differences hedonic price model while utilizing three unique time treatments and two distance treatments. The opening of Oishei generated a statistically significant percentage increase …

Freeze! The Impact Of A Guided Imagery Intervention On Looming Vulnerability And Subclinical Contamination-Ocd Symptoms, Amber Lynn Billingsley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Looming vulnerability (LV) refers to the tendency to appraise and perceive potential threats as dynamic and increasing in risk. Research suggests that contamination-fearful individuals may have an increased tendency to interpret contamination as growing or spreading (i.e., “looming”), which may hinder habituation to contamination and play a role in the maintenance of contamination-OCD symptoms. Studies have shown that engaging in imagery in which one mentally freezes contamination in place decreases state levels of fear, though little is known about its longer-term effects (e.g., after one week). The present study aimed to experimentally manipulate LV using freeze imagery in a subclinical …

Embodied Energy Geographies: An Exploration Of Fracked Landscapes In The Ohio River Valley, Rachael L. Hood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Methane gas production has boomed across the United States as a result of the development of fracking technology and its associated infrastructures, including pipelines. This production has provoked resistance over a litany of environmental and social concerns at both global and local scales. These concerns are compounded by a history of extractive economies and degradation in the Marcellus shale region of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley. To date, there has been limited research at the intersection of extractive industry and emotional geography, especially around pipelines. This research draws on feminist, emotional, and energy geographies and uses semi-structured interviews and …

Evaluating Dro With Asymmetrical Magnitude Of Reinforcement, Lindsey M. Hronek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a reinforcement schedule used in behavior analytic procedures aimed at decreasing various forms of challenging behavior. DRO commonly includes a reinforcement component and an extinction component; a reinforcer is delivered on an interval-based schedule dependent on the omission of a target behavior and the reinforcer is withheld following the occurrence of the target behavior (i.e., extinction). Although interventions using DRO can be effective for challenging behavior, procedures that include extinction can at times be impractical or lead to undesirable side effects. A DRO schedule can be implemented without extinction, but previous research has …

The Impact Of Perceived Daily Racism And Racial Identity Development On Body Dissatisfaction Among Asian American Female College Students, Mary E. Burkhart Polk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Eating disorders pose a significant health problem for a diverse group of people. However, knowledge regarding their origins and appropriate treatments has not expanded, more specifically for Asian Americans. This study aimed to increase the knowledge surrounding an essential component of disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and potential factors in its development. Specifically, the impact of experiences of daily racism and racial identity development on body dissatisfaction among Asian American college women were examined. Using a non-experimental, quantitative survey design, this study assessed the relationship between perceived daily racism and the racial identity schema Internalization on the endorsement of body dissatisfaction …

Athlete Attachment Style With Coaches As A Predictor Of Athlete Disordered Eating And Body Image Anxiety, Taylor Allen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The coach-athlete relationship has been established as an important and significant relationship within athletes’ lives (Davis & Jowett, 2010; Jowett, 2008). There is also literature that demonstrates the impact of the sport culture environment and the quality of the coach-athlete relationship on disordered eating and body image anxiety in athletes (Galli et al., 2011; Petrie & Greenleaf, 2012; Reel et al., 2010; Shanmugam et al., 2013). However, much of the current literature does not examine this significant coach-athlete relationship from an attachment framework. Current literature supports the significance of the coach-athlete relationship and more recent research supports viewing coaches as …

Beyond What's Missing: Silence In Women-Authored Novels From Wollstonecraft To Shelley, Kelli Wilhelm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation responds to and intends to subvert binary interpretations of silence, particularly women’s silences, as representing either submission or resistance to oppressive institutions and societal expectations. I examine five women-authored novels from British Romanticism. The first half of this dissertation focuses on three radical works of the 1790s, Mary Wollstonecraft’s The Wrongs of Woman, Mary Hays’s The Victim of Prejudice, and Charlotte Smith's The Old Manor House. The second half discusses two well-known early nineteenth-century novels, Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). Through examinations of these novels, I discuss how silence functions …