Digital Commons Network^™

None Of Us Are Safe: How Leaders Sustain Culturally Responsive Elementary And Middle School Improvement Planning, Jerry B. Michel

Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, school leaders, school boards, and teachers faced challenges beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, finding themselves under attack for the perceived applications of critical race theory in school curriculum. These conditions made active engagement in equity-focused school improvement planning more challenging. School leaders and leadership teams may benefit from using an established framework to identify strengths and areas for growth around culturally responsive pedagogy for effective school improvement planning. This article explores the use of Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor Framework as a tool for identifying prioritizing which conditions for culturally responsive pedagogy …

Establishing A Health-Based Social Hierarchy, Akila Salaam Raoul

Dissertations

Social dominance theory (SDT) proposes a basic human nature to form social hierarchies based on social group membership with dominant and subordinate social groups. These social hierarchies are maintained through legitimizing myths, or beliefs that work to frame the existing social system as fair by suggesting that individuals receive the social status they deserve based on their actions and contributions to society as opposed to their group membership. The level at which an individual wants to maintain social hierarchies is indicated by their Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). SDT has been extensively studied in the context of race, gender, and age …

Takamiya Ms 23, Its Exemplar, And The Editio Princeps Of Piers Plowman, Ian Cornelius, J. Eric Ensley

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

New Haven, Beinecke Library, MS Takamiya 23 is a mid sixteenth-century copy of the B Version of Piers Plowman, distinguished by pervasive linguistic modernization. The manuscript derives from a source very similar to that used by Robert Crowley for the editio princeps, a textual affiliation that remains unexplained. In their critical edition, George Kane and E. Talbot Donaldson collated Takamiya 23 in full but did not print its unique variant readings and the manuscript has not figured in recent textual scholarship on Piers Plowman. This neglect has led to some conclusions that should be revisited, particularly regarding …

Evolution Of Winning Solutions In The 2021 Low-Power Computer Vision Challenge, Xiao Hu, Ziteng Jiao, Ayden Kocher, Zhenyu Wu, Junjie Liu, James C. Davis, George K. Thiruvathukal, Yung-Hsiang Lu

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Mobile and embedded devices are becoming ubiquitous. Applications such as rescue with autonomous robots and event analysis on traffic cameras rely on devices with limited power supply and computational sources. Thus, the demand for efficient computer vision algorithms increases. Since 2015, we have organized the IEEE Low-Power Computer Vision Challenge to advance the state of the art in low-power computer vision. We describe the competition organizing details including the challenge design, the reference solution, the dataset, the referee system, and the evolution of the solutions from two winning teams. We examine the winning teams’ development patterns and design decisions, focusing …

An Analysis Of Federal Aviation Administration Enforcement Actions Against Suas Operators, Trevor Simoneau, Ryan J. Wallace, Tyler B. Spence, Jonathan Rupprecht

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has promulgated regulations to govern the commercial operation of small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS). Compliance with these regulations is essential for maintaining safety in the National Airspace System. And if sUAS operators fail to comply with applicable federal aviation regulations, the FAA has been granted the authority to enforce these regulations. This study explores how the FAA has been exercising its enforcement power in the context of sUAS operator regulatory noncompliance. Using data obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request, this study examines 62 FAA enforcement actions levied against sUAS operators from 2012 until …

Investigating Opportunities For Sustainability Behaviours Within Paramedic And Ambulance Service Practice, Peter Allum

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

The National Health Service (NHS) is under increasing pressure to adopt radical strategies for change, in order to meet UK national targets of net zero emissions by 2050. This thesis aimed to explore and investigate sustainability behaviours of UK ambulance service personnel and how they contribute to a reduce, re-use, recycle (RRR) ethos. Phase one, a systematic literature review (n=114 studies) explored sustainability in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Phase two phenomenological study explored the role and experiences of NHS ambulance strategic managers (n=6 participants) in England, when implementing their organisational Green Plans. Phase three ethnographical observation explored the sustainability activities, …

Accounting For Disability In International Humanitarian Law, Janet E. Lord

All Faculty Scholarship

The adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

represents an important and (potentially) progressive development in the protection

framework under international humanitarian law (IHL). Article 11 of the CRPD

specifically obliges States to protect persons with disabilities from harm in

situations of risk, including armed conflict, consistent with IHL and human rights

law. The CRPD framework signals the need to address the traditional framing of

disability under IHL and to draw from human rights concepts in the CRPD in

order to inform the protection accorded to persons with disabilities in armed conflict.

This article is …

Consolidating Port Decarbonisation Implementation : Concept, Pathways, Barriers, Solutions, And Opportunities, A.S. Alamoush, D. Dalaklis, F. Ballini, A.I. Ölcer

Articles

No abstract provided.

Examining An Information System (Is) Solution To Increase Uk University Students’ Engagement During Lecturing Activities, A. Dalaklis, A. Dalaklis, D. Dalaklis

Articles

No abstract provided.

A Critical Analysis Of The Working Memory Model Of Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing, Adam Stewart

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the foremost interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Treatment aims to desensitise and reprocess trauma memories by combining imaginal exposure to the trauma with concurrent bilateral stimulation, usually in the form of eye movements (EMs). Multiple explanations have been proposed to account for therapeutic effect of EMs in EMDR. This thesis examined a leading theoretical account: the working memory (WM) hypothesis. To investigate the theory that EMs desensitise negative imagery in EMDR by taxing visuospatial WM, a series of experiments were conducted in which healthy subjects formed a visual image depicting …

Mathematical Analysis Of Convolutional Neural Networks, Daniel Mccarter

Dissertations and Theses

In this thesis, the main topic is convolution as a mathematical operation and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN’s). While convolution is classically defined as a function, it can also be defined as an operator from Lp(R) to itself for 1 ≤ p ≤ 2 where Tw(f ) = f ∗ w given some w ∈ L1(R). CNN’s use convolution in its convolutional layers. Defining a neural network to be the composition of layer maps, we find that the neural network is, by necessity, Lipschitz. While CNN’s can be very powerful for image classification, slight changes to an image can completely fool …

A Study Of Verbal Rumination, Relationships, Stress And Identity On Health Communication In Collegiate Athletics, Landon Mary Ellen Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

College athletes are a unique group of individuals as they face many positive and negative challenges when competing in a collegiate sport. Verbal rumination is repetitive talk about a particular issue, accompanied by adverse effects for an individual. Verbal rumination is a common strategy athletes use to cope with difficulties along with managing challenging situations in their athletic program. To explore factors that might inspire or impede verbal rumination in collegiate athletics, the present study examines the quality of coach and teammate relationships, perceived stress and athlete identity. Results revealed the impact of relationships between coaches and athletes in respect …

Application Of Hierarchical Species Distribution Models To Avian Species Of South Dakota And The Upper Missouri River Basin, Reza Goljani Amirkhiz

Dissertations and Theses

Recognizing the distributional patterns of species can inform management actions and increase scientific knowledge about species. Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) are valuable tools in modeling species’ niches and effects of climate change and anthropogenic and natural disturbances on species’ distributions and abundances. In this dissertation, I expanded the application of hierarchical HSMs for a rare bird (Virginia’s warbler) and an economically valuable bird (ring-necked pheasant) in South Dakota. Also, we developed multiscale HSMs for grassland birds in the Upper Missouri River Basin (UMRB) to quantify current habitat associations and predict the influences of climate and landcover change associated with the …

Chemistry Of Fluorinated Functional Groups: Impact On Molecular Packing, Optoelectronic Properties, Electrochemical Polymerization, Photochemistry, And Reagent Development, Shankar Gairhe

Dissertations and Theses

Fluorinated functional groups have attracted great interest in various aspects of chemistry applications including pharmaceuticals, organic electronics, and polymers. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of fluorinated functional groups on 1) optimization of crystal structures and electronic properties of organic semiconductor molecules, 2) electrochemical polymerization of fluorinated aromatics, 3) photochemical reactivity of carbonyl compounds, and 4) generating new nucleophilic fluorination reagents. Our initial work demonstrates that long fluoroalkyl side chains on planar aromatic systems give rise to fluorine-fluorine (F---F) attractive interactions, assisting formation of lamellar packing motif in the solid state. Surprisingly, introducing shorter perfluoroalkyl side …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Social Skills Training Program For Children With Asd Generalized To A P.E. Setting, Anissa Johns

Dissertations and Theses

ASD is a developmental disability, or group of conditions which begin during the developmental period and impact day-to-day functioning, which can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges (CDC, 2019). According to the CDC (2014) Autism Spectrum Disorder occur in every 1 in 36 children. ASD is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts (American Psychiatric Association, 2020). The diagnosis also requires the presence of restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Among the number of social skills training modalities used to promote positive social skill development for children with ASD, the Superheroes …

Graduate Catalog 2023-2024, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Abortion, Medieval Christianity, And The Christian Far-Right: The Harms Of Rhetoric And Misconstruing The Past, Madison Givens

Master's Theses

This research explores the intersection of abortion, Medieval Christianity, and the Christian far-right, with a focus on the harms of rhetoric and the misconstruing of history. The study argues that a selective reading of history is being used by the Christian far-right to justify violence against reproductive rights activists, including police brutality and mass shootings, as well as to promote forced sterilization and other forms of reproductive control. This thesis examines the harms of rhetoric and misconstruing the past in the abortion and medieval Christianity debate. By analyzing the role of language, symbols, and history in shaping the abortion debate …

Physical Activity, Self-Determination, And Self-Conscious Emotions In Adolescents And Young Adults With And Without Autism Symptomatology, Dakota Morales

Master's Theses

Previous literature suggests that autistic individuals engage in physical activity less frequently compared to typically developing peers (Bandini et al., 2013; Jones et al., 2017). This is noteworthy because exercise interventions for autistic individuals have found that engaging in physical activity can improve motor, social, and behavioral skills (Anderson-Hanley et al., 2011; Duffy et al., 2017; Nicholson et al., 2011; Oriel et al., 2011). Thus, the present study seeks to understand what factors may promote physical activity engagement, such as self-determination motivation regulations and body-related self-conscious emotions, in adolescents and young adults with and without autism symptomatology. Participants included 51 …

How To Build A Cortex: Coordinated Assembly Of Cortical Septins And Actomyosin In The Leader Bleb, Asia Marie Paguntalan

Master's Theses

In confined spaces, migrating cells can undergo mesenchymal-to-amoeboid transitions by altering their cortical dynamics and adhesion with the environment. Septins frequently associate with cortical actin and non-muscle myosin (NMII), but the functional nature of these interactions remains unclear. Upon non-adhesive confinement and NMII enrichment, fibroblasts can switch to a fast, leader bleb-based mode of motility, characterized by the absence of adhesions and stress fibers and formation of a single, elongated leader bleb. During this transition, cortical actin remodeling and polarized NMII contractility drive leader bleb stabilization by generating long-range cortical flows, in coordination with changes in septin localization and assembly …

Moral Formation In A Culture Of Relativism: Correlates Of Universalism And Relativism In The Moral Outlooks Of Emerging Adults, Steven Crawford Hayward

Journal of Catholic Education

This study explores some of the demographic, personal, and experiential factors of emerging adults that correlate to a spectrum of moral outlooks ranging from moral universalism to moral relativism. Data was gathered from 466 volunteer undergraduate students. Respondents’ demographic, experiential, and personal factors served as independent variables. The relativism index score form Forsyth’s Ethics Position Questionnaire (1980) served as the dependent variable. Results suggest several conclusions: First, adults in the life of youth are a significant factor in moral outlook, exerting influence in both universalistic and relativistic directions. Second, religious practice and involvement contribute to a universal moral outlook. Third, …

Changing Vaccine Hesitant Attitudes Of Parents Using Moral Persuasion, Max Vitro

Master's Theses

In the fight against Covid-19, overt, science-based messaging is not enough to persuade everyone to get vaccinated no matter how encouraging the data. Recent studies on attitudes toward vaccines and other health-promoting measures have provided clues as to why so many are still opposed, suggesting many who were resistant had reasons that were rooted along moral grounds. This process of moralization occurs when a belief becomes a moral matter of ‘right and wrong’ rather than a means to an end. Because moral beliefs are more entrenched, they’ve proven much more difficult to change. There is one approach that could increase …

Incorporating Sex Chromosomes In Transcriptome Prediction Models And Improving Cross-Population Prediction Performance, Daniel S. Araujo

Master's Theses

Transcriptome prediction models built with data from European-descent individuals are less accurate when applied to different populations because of differences in linkage disequilibrium patterns and allele frequencies. We hypothesized multivariate adaptive shrinkage may improve cross-population transcriptome prediction, as it leverages effect size estimates across different conditions - in this case, different populations. To test this hypothesis, we made transcriptome prediction models for use in transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) using different methods (Elastic Net, Matrix eQTL and Multivariate Adaptive Shrinkage in R (MASHR)) and tested their out-of-sample transcriptome prediction accuracy in population-matched and cross-population scenarios. Additionally, to evaluate model applicability in …

Examining The Potential Of Generative Language Models For Aviation Safety Analysis: Case Study And Insights Using The Aviation Safety Reporting System (Asrs), Archana Tikayat Ray, Anirudh Prabhakara Bhat, Ryan T. White, Van Minh Nguyen, Olivia J. Pinon Fischer, Dimitri N. Marvis

Mathematics and System Engineering Faculty Publications

This research investigates the potential application of generative language models, especially ChatGPT, in aviation safety analysis as a means to enhance the efficiency of safety analyses and accelerate the time it takes to process incident reports. In particular, ChatGPT was leveraged to generate incident synopses from narratives, which were subsequently compared with ground-truth synopses from the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) dataset. The comparison was facilitated by using embeddings from Large Language Models (LLMs), with aeroBERT demonstrating the highest similarity due to its aerospace-specific fine-tuning. A positive correlation was observed between the synopsis length and its cosine similarity. In a …

Parental Autonomy Support And Children’S Stem Engagement During An At-Home Tinkering Activity, Bianca Martins Aldrich

Master's Theses

Parents play an important role guiding children’s learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in informal educational contexts. In this project, we considered the ways in which parents use autonomy supportive or controlling language to encourage or discourage children's independence in problem solving, as well as their feedback to children’s ideas and behaviors. We looked at the association between autonomy support and children’s behavioral, STEM, story, and emotional engagement during an at-home tinkering and storytelling activity. Parents and their 4- to 10- year old children were observed at home via Zoom. We coded parents’ and children’s behaviors using a …

Is This Antiracist?: An Autoethnographic Evaluation Of Professional Development, Allison Nava-Holstein

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Communities of color have been fighting for equal rights in society throughout history, resulting in the development of different social movements. In 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement was founded and protests erupted across America as Black lives were lost at the hands of law enforcement. In the summer of 2020, the protests continued, serving as a catalyst for schools to begin interrogating their practices and curricula, moving towards efforts to be pro-Black and antiracist.

Grounded in Critical Social Theory and Critical Race Theory, this autoethnographic study explores the experiences of me, a Latinx teacher in diversity, equity and inclusion …

Contagion, Causality, And Circumspection In A Late-Mamluk Digest Of Natural Philosophy, Joseph Leonardo Vignone

History Faculty Scholarship

Like many men born to scholarly families at the turn of the fifteenth century, ʿAbd Allāh Ibn Ayyūb al-Qādirī moved from Damascus to Cairo as a young adult to pursue a career in law. Though this legal career soon foundered, Ibn Ayyūb gained a reputation in Cairo for perfectly embodying the pietistic and professional ideals of the Islamic learned elite, or ulama. In this article, I introduce this hitherto unstudied figure of the late Mamluk era with reference to his treatise on a major scholarly debate of his day: the extent to which natures, or the elemental composition of celestial …

A Portrait Of The Leadership Of Women In Early Christianity: An Archaeological Study In Light Of The Historical And Socio-Cultural Contexts, Carina Prestes

Dissertations

Problem

The participation of women in the Early Christian communities is widely accepted. Nevertheless, there is no consensus on what was their role in these communities. Until now the study of women in the Early Christian communities has focused mostly in the writings of some ancient authors and a few biblical texts. These studies have been done mostly by theologians and historians. Such studies rarely take a deep look at the Greco-Roman background and at the historical, socio-cultural contexts. This contextualization can be quite fruitful and should be informed by recent archaeological discoveries of the first centuries of Christianity. Thus, …

Supporting Learners Through Effective Communication: Student Teachers’ Communication Strategies To Address Learner Behaviour, Jirina Karasova, Gabriela Kleckova

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ communication skills are integral to classroom management skills. If teachers implement effective communication skills and appropriate communication strategies, they are more likely to support learner autonomy, engagement, self-concept, well-being, or responsibility and succeed in behaviour management. This study examines student teachers’ awareness and use of communication strategies to address common disruptive learner behaviours. Although the participants showed limited ability to support learners through communication, they were more likely to identify effective communication responses than to produce them themselves. The study unveils that student teachers in the last year of a graduate program cannot respond to disruptive behaviour without communication …

Transformative Learning Experiences Of The Vocationally Interested And Vocationally Disinterested Pre-Service Teachers In Teacher Training Colleges In Zimbabwe, Esnati Macharaga, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on some of the findings from a doctoral research project that explored how the vocationally interested and vocationally disinterested pre-service teachers in selected teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe experienced transformative learning. Through multiple-site case study and qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm, guided by Mezirow’s ten-phase Transformative Learning Theory, the study sought to understand the pre-service teacher transformative learning experiences. The study employed a multi-modal approach which involved focus group discussions, individual face to face interviews and continuum drawing and discussions to generate data from a purposive sample of 40 participants. Findings suggest that, both vocationally interested …

Teachers' Views On The Nature Of Science: An Epistemological Analysis, Rafael Amador Rodríguez, Natalia Ospina Quintero, Agustín Adúriz Bravo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article presents results of research analysing the views on the nature of science (NOS) among primary and secondary teachers working in state schools in two different cities in Colombia. Previous studies have reported that science teachers maintain ‘eclectic’ epistemological perspectives on science; in this article, we test if such hypothesis holds when teachers’ ideas are ‘anchored’ in specific periods and topics of the philosophy of science. Thirty-five teachers attending a postgraduate teaching course with emphasis on the natural sciences at the Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia) were assessed with the use of quantitative, descriptive and parametric research methods. The …