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Heterosexual Male Sexual Assault Victims Experience Of Challenges In Reporting Their Victimization, Jessica Lynn Rundle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the gender specific challenges male sexual assault victims face when they report their victimization. Researchers can use their knowledge of these challenges reduce the stigmatization that is correlated with being a male sexual assault victim. The theoretical basis for this study was Joseph Pleck’s sex role strain paradigm, also known as the gender role strain paradigm. The research questions pertained to the psychological challenges that male sexual assault victims encounter when they begin seeking out services. The sample for this study consisted of eight heterosexual male participants who are sexual assault …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Instructional Coaching, Judith Salazar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Instructional coaching focuses on increasing the effectiveness of instructional practices. However, little is known concerning the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the role of instructional coaching related to student performance. This basic qualitative study was conducted to analyze the perceptions of administrators and teachers within one region in Texas. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 participants—eight administrators and eight teachers—using a researcher-designed questionnaire regarding the effectiveness of instructional coaching in addressing achievement gaps among African American, Hispanic, and European American students. Fullan’s coherence framework provided the basis for data analysis. Data collected from the interviews were analyzed and four …

Enrollment In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Courses After Enactment Of Texas' House Bill 5, Carlana Cla'shette Allen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) have been an education concern in the United States for years. In 2013, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 5 (HB5) to support increases in STEM awareness, particularly among ethnic minority and female students. To date, no studies have been conducted on the impact, if any, of HB5 on Texas high school students’ course selections in STEM areas. Further, it is unknown whether the impact that does exist is equally distributed across socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, and gender groups. The purpose of this nonexperimental correlational quantitative study was to determine …

Disparate Access To Medical Coverage Associated With Type 2 Diabetes Care In Low-Income And Rural Communities In Georgia, Crystal Alexis Symone Edwards

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disparate access to diabetes care in rural and low-income communities among older adults has been an ongoing issue among Americans. Type 2 diabetes in low-income and rural communities has continuously burdened many residents due to age, costs of care, income, geographic location, and education levels. Researchers have demonstrated that providing resources and tools to rural and low-income communities would assist in decreasing type 2 diabetes and increase education and awareness. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study using secondary data was to examine the relationship between health insurance status and lack of access to health care resources and delay of …

Writing As Transformation: An Action Research Study On Trauma-Informed Curriculum, Nena L. Weinsteiger Guzman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Trauma exposure is endemic, and this study seeks to address childhood trauma in a compassionate and restorative manner. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are serious childhood traumas that manifest as toxic stress which can damage the developing brain of a child and affect overall health. The implications are expressed dualistically: academic performance of youth is subdued & diminished, and behavioral interactions can range from unreceptive to erratic and aggressive. Trauma exposure is a predictor of adverse outcomes, which range from higher rates of suspension, expulsion, and incarceration, to dire outcomes, such as lower life expectancy and quality of life. Streamlining trauma-informed …

Molecular And Enzymatic Resistance Of Culex Tarsalis To Pyrethroid And Organophosphate Insecticides, William Mortola

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Culex tarsalis, a vector for diseases like West Nile virus, is evolving resistance to pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides used for agriculture and vector control in Northern California. Common mechanisms of resistance in other Culex species include the target-site mutations kdr and ace-1 and increased levels of detoxification enzymes (esterases, GSTs, and oxidases). This study contained two parts: Pyrethroid Individual study and an Organophosphate Preliminary study. For the Pyrethroid Individual study, the goal was to compare the prevalence of kdr mutations and detoxification enzymes between pyrethroid susceptible and resistant Cx. tarsalis individuals in Northern California. For the Organophosphate Preliminary study, the …

The Effects Of Gonoodle Engagement On Mathematics Skills Of Middle School-Aged Students With Autism, Cheryl D. Barrett

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

THE EFFECTS OF GONOODLE ENGAGEMENT ON MATHEMATICS SKILLS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL-AGED STUDENTS WITH AUTISM

Abstract

By Cheryl D. Barrett

University of the Pacific

2023

Academic achievement of students with disabilities has long been a concern in special education, and this work addresses the academic achievement gap between students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their typically developing peers. This study aimed to increase mathematical achievement in fluency and calculation skills for students with ASD using GoNoodle. Additionally, this study intended to extend evidence about existing research on the efficacy of GoNoodle as an appropriate academic intervention tool for students with …

A Qualitative Study Examining The Literacy Experiences Of Male Middle School Students Inside And Outside Of School, Ari Raymond Colondres

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

A literacy gap is a difference between a person’s ability to read for understanding and meaning-making and their anticipated ability to read for their grade level. A larger proportion of males are at least one or more years below grade level in reading ability compared to their female peers. This reading difference is called the gender literacy gap. Students over one year below grade level are at an increased risk of dropping out of high school and face the possibility of diminished lifetime earnings. Gender, low levels of motivation, low socio-economic status, low engagement, and school perceptions of literacy are …

Relationships Between K-12 In-Service Teachers’ Personal Environmental Education Teacher Efficacy, Environmental Identity, And Concern For Implementation Of California’S Environmental Principles And Concepts, Dean Matthew Reese

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Significant environmental impacts such as climate change, reduction in biodiversity, increasing food scarcity, impacts on water supply and availability, and exacerbation of human health problems are occurring and are expected to increase. Despite these environmental challenges the teaching of California’s environmental literacy standards, the California Environmental Principles and Concepts (CA EP&Cs), in the K-12 public education system is infrequent and inadequate. The purpose of this study was to use a mixed methods approach to examine relationships between environmental identity (EI), personal environmental education teacher efficacy (PEETE), and peak stage of concern (SOC) for implementing CA EP&Cs for K-12 in-service teachers …

Singing In The Key Of Life, Georgia Braun Mcbride Agerton

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Singing is often used in music therapy sessions. It can provide physiological, psychological, and interpersonal benefits, and music therapists use it to address clinical goals including improved blood oxygenation, emotional expression, and increased interpersonal engagement between clients and their family members. Singing uniquely combines musicality, the body as the instrument, and meaningful words. Furthermore, the voice is a personal instrument, which makes musical engagement accessible to many people. Though singing can provide various benefits, many people experience singing negatively, especially when singing with an exposed voice, i.e., when others can hear their singing voice. Whidden (2015) found that one can …

Role Of Cysteine Redox State In Altering The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition In Lung Cancer, Md Anisur Rahman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a process by which cancer cells increase their capability for metastasis. EMT involves conversion of epithelial cells into a mesenchymal phenotype which makes cancer cells more invasive and motile. Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate among different types of cancers globally. Lung cancer exists in various types, the most prevalent of which is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several factors, including oxidative stress, can induce EMT in cancer cells. However, the mechanism of how reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced changes in cysteine redox state affect EMT remains elusive. Our studies aim to understand this mechanism by inducing …

Investigating Bzip Recognition Of Dna Sequences Through A Knob-Socket Perspective, Aaron Tran

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

To investigate whether higher order packing interactions confer protein-DNA specificity, a modified Knob-Socket (KS) model was used to analyze the interface of bZIP-DNA crystal structures. The KS analysis identified a nine-residue quadripartite recognition core consisting of four contiguous KS pockets P1, P2, N3, and N4 that each pack one of the four DNA half-site bases in the target sequence. Only one base per base pair packs, and these interactions are split across the DNA strands: the first two positive strand positions 1p and 2p pack into P1 and P2 while the last two negative strand positions 3n and 4n pack …

Evaluation Of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons In 2d And 3d Cultures For Neurodevelopmental Studies, Epilepsy Disease Modeling And Drug Discovery, Hamed Salmanzadeh-Dozdabi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Human stem cells have revolutionized the study of early neural development, offering a powerful tool to investigate the complex processes involved in the formation of the nervous system. In this study, the human pluripotent stem cell line, TERA2.cl.SP12, was utilized to derive neuroglial cells and to determine their differentiation and functional maturation up to one year in culture; this model was then investigated as a new tool for the study of neurodevelopmental toxicity, for seizure modeling and as a screening method for the investigation of new anticonvulsants. Immunocytochemistry experiments determined that non-differentiated cells expressed the stem cell marker Oct-3/4 and, …

Targeting Ribonucleotide Reductase For Breast Cancer Treatment, Nahid Sultana

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the world. Hormone receptor (HR) positive breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent disease accounting for approximately 2 million new cases globally. Almost 70-80% of breast cancer patients are women with a positive score for the estrogen receptor (ER). Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) which have a negative score for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) is considered an aggressive histological breast cancer subtype with limited treatment options.Frequently, doxorubicin (DOXO)-based chemotherapy is utilized in this patient population due to the lack of …

Resilience Of The Black Woman: Thriving Through Storytelling, Kimberly R. Miller

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The study explored how storytelling develops resilience in Black women, enabling them to thrive after overcoming adversity. Storytelling can be conducted in a variety of ways, such as through writing, interaction with others, and self-analysis, however, this study will focus on the value of informal oral storytelling through the interactions with others. Studies reveal that Black women are disproportionately impacted by inequities concerning equal rights, employment, equal pay, education, discrimination, affordable healthcare and housing, criminal justice, and voting rights. Despite these inequities, Black women are significant contributors to the workforce, economy, and society, demonstrating resilience. There is limited research that …

“I’M Listening, Auntie” A Study On The Experiences Of Black Women Earning A Doctorate Degree In Education At A California State University, Parker Rugeley-Valle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Black women face barriers to higher education that include systemic racism and sexism that lead to self–doubt, discrimination, and familial and community support. They battle barriers to and within academia through the intersectionality of their sex and racial identity groups. As a response to the barriers they face in higher education, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black women navigating a doctoral program in education at a California State University. To explore the experiences of the participants, I used a qualitative study with a Heideggerian phenomenological approach and a Black feminist lens. A three­–question interview, …

A Dnak Chaperone System Connects Type Iv Pilus Activity To Polysaccharide Secretion In The Cyanobacterium Nostoc Punctiforme, Heather J. Mcdonald

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Type IV pili (T4P) systems are widely utilized among bacteria to power and direct surface motility. The production and secretion of a viscous polysaccharide to provide friction and resistance to the extended pilus structure is seen in several species of cyanobacteria including Nostoc punctiforme. The complex coregulation of polysaccharide secretion and T4P motor activity is not fully understood, although studies indicate a consistent relationship between functional motility and intact pathways of polysaccharide secretion and pilus extension in cyanobacteria. Using a combination of protein-protein interaction analysis, cytological studies, and comparative genomics this study proposes a theoretical mechanism for T4P motor influenced …

Enhancing The Half-Life Of Interleukin 2 By Conjugation To The Transthyretin Ligand, Tlhe And Enhancing The Efficacy Of Peptides That Inhibit Covid 19 Viral Entry, Arjun D. Patel

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The central dogma of biology states that genetic information describes the flow ofinformation from DNA to RNA and then finally resting in proteins. The fundamental aspect that underlies all aspects of life is the expression and modification of proteins. One can even argue that there is no life without proteins. As such, many human diseases are either directly or indirectly related to dysfunction of proteins and can potentially be solved through protein therapeutics. Consequently, scientists have begun to harness the diversity of proteins to treat the diseases which plague man in the form of protein therapeutics such as clotting factors, …

The Degradation Mechanisms Of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor In Human Lung Epithelial Carcinoma A549 Cells, Rui Xiong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a cytosolic ligand-activated transcription factor, has been acknowledged as a critical regulator of xenobiotic-induced toxicity and carcinogenesis. In the absence of ligand, the AHR is cytoplasmic in a complex with Hsp90, p23, XAP2, and Src. The AHR complex translocates to the nucleus upon ligand binding. After releasing its chaperones, it forms a heterodimer with ARNT, which subsequently binds to a dioxin-responsive element (DRE) for target genes transcription. Multiple aspects of cells are altered by the substantial expression of AHR target genes. Even without the AHR ligand, the cytoplasmic AHR plays a critical role in tumor …

Association Between Self-Reported Polycystic Ovary Syndrome With Chronic Diseases Among Emiratis: A Cross-Sectional Analysis From The Uae Healthy Future Study, Nirmin F. Juber, Abdishakur Abdulle, Abdulla Aljunaibi, Abdulla Alnaeemi, Amar Ahmad, Andrea Leinberger-Jabari, Ayesha S. Al Dhaheri, Eiman Alzaabi, Fatma Al-Maskari, Fatme Alanouti, Habiba Alsafar, Juma Alkaabi, Laila Abdel Wareth, Mai Aljaber, Marina Kazim, Michael Weitzman, Mohammad Al-Houqani, Mohammed Hag-Ali, Naima Oumeziane, Scott Sherman, Syed M. Shah, Wael Almahmeed, Youssef Idaghdour, Tom Loney, Omar El-Shahawy, Raghib Ali

All Works

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) among Emiratis and examine bi-directional associations of PCOS with self-reported chronic diseases, namely: diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed using the UAE Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS) data collected from February 2016 to April 2022 involving 1040 Emirati women aged 25–67 years from recruitment centers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The bi-directional associations between self-reported PCOS and self-reported chronic diseases were evaluated by establishing temporality based on reported age-at-diagnoses. Firstly, the associations between PCOS (diagnosed at …

Context-Dependent Data-Envelopment-Analysis-Based Efficiency Evaluation Of Coastal Ports In China Based On Social Network Analysis, Yu Yu, Dai-Peng Ma, Guo-Ya Gan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

An emerging trend in performance evaluation is combining social network analysis methods with data envelopment analysis (DEA) models and using network centrality methods to distinguish DEA results. One study employed an input-oriented variable-returns-to-scale DEA model to address referent decision-making units and the corresponding lambda values to construct a network. This study referenced the literature and improved on the use of DEA weight sets to construct a network. We employed a context-dependent DEA model to delineate multiple effective frontier planes, aggregate the reference set relationships on each frontier plane to construct a network relationship matrix, and assess the influences of the …

Research On Improving The Salary Structure Of Port State Control Officers In Taiwan, Te-Yi Chang, Wen-Chih Ho, Chung-Ping Liu, Yung-Wei Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The implementation of port state control (PSC) has been challenging in Taiwan due to the lack of port state control officers (PSCOs), and foreign ships berthing at ports in Taiwan that cannot be effectively inspected. PSCOs of Taiwan are subordinate to the public service system and restrained by the number of personnel by the Executive Yuan. Compared with similar professions, their salaries are significantly different from those of the industry, making recruiting and retaining PSCOs a difficult task. Accordingly, this study improved the salary structure of PSCOs by conducting field interviews with existing PSCOs in Taiwan and applying the Fuzzy-AHP …

Numerical Analysis Of Silencer With A Coiled Tube And Straight Perforated Tube Using Fem, Min-Chie Chiu, Ho-Chih Cheng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Marine diesel engine is essential on a ship, but emits extremely loud noise harmful to human hearing. Therefore, it is mandatory to use silencers to reduce the venting noise of the marine diesel engine. An advanced silencer with a new acoustical element of a curved tube, along with perforated holes, is presented to suppress the noise wave. To predict the silencer's acoustical performance for high-order waves, a finite element model was built using COMSOL. The influence of the silencer's noise reduction ability was investigated by exploring sensitivity using acoustical simulations on COMSOL, regarding the silencer's geometric factors. The results proved …

Abundance And Distribution Of Fish Larvae In The Central Coast Of The Algerian Sea, Etsouri Mohamed, Khames Ghollame Ellah Yacine, Seridji Rabea

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study was conducted on a seasonal basis in five (5) stations along the central Algerian coast between April 2013 and April 2014 aboard professional fishing boats. Horizontal plankton tows with a WP2-type net were used to collect ichthyoplankton samples. At each station, temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a levels were measured. We identified the larvae of 18 species from 11 different families by sorting ichthyoplankton (Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Gobidae, Gonostomatidae, Mugilidae, Myctophidae, Scombridae, Sparidae, Carangidae, Labridae, Blennidae). Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to determine the relationship between the abundance of harvested larvae and environmental variables. The results show a clear dominance of …

Effects Of Direct Water Injection On The Nitrogen Oxide Emission Characteristics Of Marine Diesel Engines, Mahmoud Abdelnaser Saadeldin, M. M. Elgoharya, Maged Abdelnaby, Mohamed R. Shouman

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study examines the issue of diesel emissions from vehicles and vessels and their impact on environmental degradation with a focus on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and their contribution to air pollution-related deaths worldwide. The novelty of this work is the use of computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate the effectiveness of water addition for reducing NOx emissions. This study considers two methods of water addition, i.e., injection of water and air into a combustion chamber and mixing of water with fuel before injection. Adding water to air systems at 10% and 20% ratios reduces NOx emissions by 5% and …

Predefined-Time Neural Sliding Mode Control Based Trajectory Tracking Of Autonomous Surface Vehicle, Han Xue, Shulin Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

With the progress and development of modern industry, it is urgent to develop a more general and mature predefined time control theory system for uncertain nonlinear systems and apply it to practical engineering systems. Therefore, a novel predefined-time sliding mode control is designed to improve the slow convergence speed of asymptotically convergent controllers and finite-time convergent controllers affected by the initial state of the system. The proposed control approach is proved to converge from the initial value to the balance position using Jensen's inequality and Liapunov theorem. The proposed control method can deal with the ship motion system having six …

Methanol As An Eco-Environmental Alternative Fuel For Ships: A Case Study, Samar K. Sallam, Mohamed M. Elgohary, Ibrahim S. Seddiek

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Global emissions of Green House Gases and air pollutants are significantly influenced by shipping. Diesel fuel use for energy production is primarily responsible for these emissions. The substitution of traditional marine diesel oil with methanol as a marine fuel is recommended in this study. Moreover, the methanol-diesel dual-fuel engine's environmental and financial benefits are investigated numerically. A cruise passenger ship named Costa Toscana has been evaluated as a case study. Based on the data, the suggested dual-fuel engine reduces emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx, and PM by 25.7%, 38.46%, 45%, and 45%, respectively, with a cost-effectiveness of 286.5, 6645, 268403.4, …

Collision Risk Prediction For Small Ships In South Korea Via Optimization Of Wireless Communication Period, So-Ra Kim, Myoung-Ki Lee, Sangwon Park, Dae-Won Kim, Young-Soo Park

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Since the emergence of COVID-19, there has been a global surge in demand for marine leisure activities. In Korea, the population using marine leisure has risen approximately 192% to 20,406 people, compared to 6,966 people in the year 2000, indicating a continuous growth over the past two decades.. Maritime transportation has become increasingly intricate worldwide due to the development of increasingly autonomous, larger, and faster ships. To effectively address potential hazards in such complex traffic environments, it is imperative to anticipate future scenarios and respond rapidly. However, small vessels account for the highest proportion of marine accidents, exhibit movements that …

Path Planning Of Uav Navigation Mark Inspection Using A K-Means Clustering Aca, Jiaqi Li, Weifeng Li, Wenting Zhang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

With increasing speeds and application of artificial intelligence in the shipping industry, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has been applied to navigation mark inspections to improve the inspection efficiency and safety. Aimed at the UAV path planning problem of navigation mark inspection, this paper proposes an improved K-means clustering ant colony algorithm (KCACA) to design the shortest route for UAV navigation mark inspections. First, the K-means algorithm and the UAV maximum flight distance were used to cluster the navigation marks, which were then split into several secondary clusters. Each cluster was regarded as an independent traveling salesman problem to be …

Coastal Traffic Safety Index Based On Marine Accident And Traffic Records, Joohwan Kim, Sang-Lok Yoo

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

In this study, a comprehensive index for evaluating the degree of coastal traffic safety by simultaneously considering marine accident frequency, severity, and traffic volume was considered. To do so, the concept of Equivalent Property Damage Only (EPDO), which is widely used in the road transportation industry, was benchmarked to assess both frequency and severity of accidents. In addition, the total sailing distance of ships was chosen as a variable to explain traffic volume. Finally, a composite performance indicator called "M-EPDO per nautical mile" was built up, enabling the safety performance score for each type of ships in three criteria: on-board …