Digital Commons Network^™

Essays On Monopoly Power In Housing Rental Markets, Goncalo Filipe Pessa Figueiredo Costa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation consists of three chapters on market power in housing rental markets. It introduces the concept of dynamic monopoly power in housing rental markets, develops methods to estimate that form of market power, and uses its analytical lense over the New York City (NYC) housing rental market.

In the first chapter, I formulate a search model in which market frictions give landlords rent-setting (dynamic monopoly) power. This model incorporates search frictions in the spirit of Manning’s (2003) monopsonistic labor market framework. In this setting, the demand faced by individual landlords (i.e., residual demand) results from an equilibrium between tenants’ …

Integrating In Vitro And In Silico Approaches To Gain Insight Into The Mechanism Of Amyloid Fibrillogenesis, Marvin M. Bilog

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Amyloid fibril formation, the hallmark of numerous amyloid-related diseases, has been the subject of a vast number of scientific studies due to its pathological implications. Since the fibrillization process exhibits a certain level of intricacy, its investigation requires a multidisciplinary approach that integrates both experimental and computational methods. In vitro techniques involve biophysical assays and imaging tools for characterizing the structural and kinetic aspects of amyloid fibril formation. In parallel, in silico techniques offer programs for predicting atomistic details and behaviors of amyloidogenic proteins and peptides at the nanoscale level. Serum amyloid A (SAA), human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), and …

Fornix Integrity And Reaction Time To Novel Scenes And Objects In Visual Recognition Memory, Melissa Elder

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The fornix of the hippocampus may play an important role in working and long-term visual recognition memory. Data from a study on the role of hippocampal subfields in visual recognition memory was used here in conjunction with diffusion tensor imaging of the fornix to assess the relationship between the fornix integrity and behavioral performance, including percentage correct and reaction times. Two tasks were employed to separately evaluate working and long-term visual recognition memory, using a combination of indoor and outdoor naturalistic scenes and everyday objects. The subjects included 32 healthy adults, aged 18-44 years whose tensor imaging tractography was obtained …

Chipping The Blue Wall: The Effect Of Dogs On Police Officer Receptivity To An Employee Assistance Program, Kenneth M. Quick

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

There is substantial evidence that demonstrates the negative impact of stress on police officer mental health is increasing due in large part to perceived societal shifts in support for the police and trends in criminal justice reform efforts. While employee assistance programs (EAP) are the dominant mechanism for police agencies to address officer mental health, officers are reluctant to use them due to a combination of mental health stigma and organizational distrust. This dissertation studied police officer perceptions of an employee assistance program (EAP) and the effect of exposure to professionally trained dogs during an outreach session on indicators of …

Electoral Competitiveness And Legislator Responsiveness, Joseph Donza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Members of the United States Congress have a wide array of concerns when representing their respective districts and this includes re-election to office. Legislator responsiveness, a fundamental component to all democratic systems of government, plays a major role in the interaction that occurs between legislators and their constituents. However, many have argued that legislators are not responsive to their constituents when making legislative decisions. This study focuses on the election motives of members of Congress, with a special emphasis on competitiveness of a district as a driving force of legislator responsiveness. A quantitative analysis is conducted to search for correlation …

An Evaluation Of Peripheral Nerve Stimulation When Monitoring Icu Patients Requiring Chemical Paralysis, Justin Moscone, Tomas Gibbons, Anna Walker

Nurse Residency

In ICU patients receiving infusions of vecuronium or cisatracurium, is a clinical assessment-based titration model compared to a train-of-four titration model more effective when monitoring paralysis?

Psychometric Properties Of The Positive Thinking Skills Scale Among Undergraduate Nursing Students, Ruth A. Engbers, Abir K. Bekhet, Teresa Jerofke-Owen, Norah L. Johnson, Maharaj Singh

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Increasing the resilience of undergraduate nursing students is essential for the individual student's well-being and the healthcare system dealing with a looming nursing shortage. Undergraduate nursing students have reported that positive thinking and positive reframing are ways of coping with exposure to suffering, but measurement of these skills remains limited in this population. This is the first study to examine the psychometric properties of the Positive Thinking Skills Scale specifically in undergraduate nursing students and in a sample that includes students from both public and private universities. Internal consistency was demonstrated with a Chronbach's alpha of 0.824, convergent validity was …

Telehealth Resources And Utilization Interest Among Women Who Sell Sex: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Jessica L. Zemlak, Randi Beth Singer, Jacqueline Christianson, Madeline Stenersen, Maharaj Singh, Stacee M. Lerret

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

Among a sample of women who sell sex (WSS), we examined unmet health needs, resources for telehealth, utilization interest, and attributes associated with interest in using telehealth.

Study design

Explanatory sequential mixed methods.

Methods

WSS (N = 52) completed a fixed choice survey and focus group (N = 6, 26 individuals) from drop-in centers serving WSS. Chi-square/t-tests and results from the survey data informed the semi-structured focus group interview guide. Thematic analysis of focus group data was conducted to identify themes.

Results

Over half (58%) of participants expressed interest in using telehealth; however, some lack the necessary resources for …

Principals As Instructional Leaders: Supporting New Middle School Principals To Implement Systems Allowing For Instructional Leadership, Jason Kaiz

Dissertations

This study is a collection, interpretation, and, eventually, recommendations based on data collected through interviews with current middle school principals. The research questions examine how middle school principals can increase their effectiveness as an instructional leader within the building. The research begins by examining the factors contributing to the principal being an instructional leader and what systems can be implemented to support this goal. These systems should include the ability for principals to facilitate learning for staff, just as staff facilitate learning within their classroom. Policy implications and recommendations highlight the need to look at resources available for principals as …

Professional Learning Communities: Structures And Implementation For Small Middle Schools And Singleton Teachers, Gerrie Aulisa

Dissertations

Professional Learning Communities are essential to building interdependent collaborative teacher teams to elevate teaching and learning for students. One struggle with implementing PLCs comes about when you have singleton teachers who do not have a colleague who teaches the same grade and content as them. This study reviewed the research-based PLC implementation strategies used at one small middle school. The main research question was: How can PLCs work effectively for small middle schools and singleton teachers? Other related questions were:

● How can PLCs feel relevant to our elective area teachers?

● What determines a successful PLC?

● Should middle …

Undergraduate Student Sense Of Belonging And Edtech Tool Engagement: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Virtual Campus Experience, Veronica Wilson

Dissertations

The contemporary postsecondary learning experience is heavily mediated by educational technology (EdTech) tools and yet little is known about the ways in which these tools impact student engagement and sense of belonging, two indicators which are important to student persistence and graduation. Using Strayhorn’s (2023) critical socioecological sense of belonging framework, this convergent mixed methods study offers insights into these relationships by examining student engagement with EdTech and student sense of belonging and the impact of student traits on the relationship between EdTech and sense of belonging. This study was conducted at a private, broad access Hispanic-Serving Institution in the …

Implementing And Evaluating Social-Emotional Learning Through Inquiry Research And Best Practice, Nada Abid

Dissertations

Previous research has provided insight into the benefits of incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) into the classroom, such as in the area of academic performance. As Jones et al. (2018) explained, “Children who can effectively manage their thinking, attention, and behavior are also more likely to have better grades and higher standardized test scores” (p. 15). I designed this research to examine the implementation of an SEL program and evaluate its effectiveness. The school’s multi-tiered system of supports(MTSS) team worked to implement the SEL program in the classrooms and chose two classrooms in which to pilot the program. The evaluation involved …

First In My Family: Overcoming Obstacles And Utilizing Resources To Successfully Complete The Educational Journey, Milana Tarbuk Migic

Dissertations

First-generation college students encounter many hardships when trying to persist throughout their educational journey. They are expected to be successful in navigating their careers, family life, and school – all without anyone else’s experience to reference. When a student is the first in their family to go to college, they are expected to succeed with a lack of understanding the process. This qualitative study explores what assets first-generation students have and apply in their college experience that contribute to their persistence. This research is guided by Dr. Tara Yosso’s Cultural Wealth Model which examines many forms of cultural capital that …

Understanding Latino Students' Perspectives On Their High School Experiences And Post-Graduation Options, Rubi Ortiz

Dissertations

Projections from the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics indicate Latinos will constitute 30% of the school-aged population in the United States by the year 2030. Enhancing the quality of education for this demographic becomes increasingly crucial. Such improvements not only benefit Latino communities but also hold significant implications for the progress and future prosperity of our nation. The focus in this study was to understand Latino students’ perspectives on their high school experiences and post-graduation options, as well as to explore the influence of high school programming on their experiences. This qualitative study was conducted with …

Shake Ya Ass, But Watch Yourself: An Intersectional And Decolonial Approach To Exploring The Sexualization Of Female Recording Artists And The Empowerment Of Women In The United States, H.B. Rebeka

Dissertations

This dissertation, titled Shake Ya Ass, But Watch Yourself: An Intersectional and Decolonial Approach to Exploring the Sexualization of Female Recording Artists and the Empowerment of Women in the United States, critically examines the phenomenon of sexualization of women in the music industry and its impact on female empowerment. Through an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens, the study delves into the historical and socio-cultural contexts that shape the portrayal and perception of female recording artists in the United States.

The research traces the roots of feminism and the commodification of racial stereotypes through music, exploring how female empowerment has been …

The Emotional Intelligence Of Elementary Principals And The Impact On Culture, Colleen Conway

Dissertations

This study involved examining the emotional intelligence (EI) of elementary principals and then comparing their EI to their ratings on the Illinois 5Essentials survey. The main questions were: Is there a relationship between principal EI and school culture? How do principals create a positive working environment? What is needed to build and maintain a positive school atmosphere? Throughout this qualitative research, more specific questions centered around principal relationships and trust, creating supportive environments, having strong communication and accountability, professional development, and overall school atmosphere. Though the surveyed population was small, the results showed principals who were high in the relationship …

Determining Factors For Improved Uptake Of Harm Reduction Services In The United States: A Study Of Inclusive, Culturally Sensitive Messaging, Lauretta Ekanem Omale

Dissertations

Harm reduction refers to public health policies and programs aimed at decreasing the adverse consequences associated with drug use. While harm reduction services (e.g., syringe exchange programs) can mitigate health risks, marginalized groups face barriers to service access and utilization, partially due to ineffective messaging approaches that fail to align with cultural values and experiences. A one-size-fits-all approach to messaging can negatively impact service utilization, health outcomes, and health disparities. Ineffective communication can lead to poor adherence to treatment, poorer health outcomes, and increased adverse events.

Culturally insensitive communication contributes to stigma, mistrust, and lack of perceived relevance, discouraging service …

Teaching Writing With The Digital Feedback Protocol: A Peer-To-Peer Intervention To Increase Elementary Student Writing Motivation, Karyn Keenan

Dissertations

Writing is a complex task, especially for elementary school writers; motivation in writing leads to greater writing performance and writing quality. Teachers enter their careers underprepared to teach writing and have to seek out professional development on writing for themselves. Technology can be leveraged in the elementary writing classroom, but it is an under researched area. The Digital Feedback Protocol is a case study dissertation study with an embedded professional development opportunity that supports teachers to implement a protocol for students to provide digital feedback to each other’s writing. The study was conducted with four third grade teachers and their …

A Program Evaluation Of 3de Schools By Junior Achievement, Audra Lewis-Hoesch

Dissertations

3DE Schools by Junior Achievement is a framework for instruction designed to reshape the instructional ecosystem through a high school model that uses project-based learning and case-study methodology to help students acquire core competencies. The context of this inquiry includes various states in America where 3DE Schools are implemented. I utilized a mixed methods approach to collect data and gauge the influence of the 3DE instructional framework on students' readiness for college and career pursuits. Key outcomes showed that students in 3DE cohorts scored higher in math and English than the national average, contributing to an overall higher graduation rate …

Unsafe Sleep Practices, Hillary Nash Rn, Bsn, Caitlin Rouselle Rn, Bsn, Sabrina Schleh Rn, Bsn

Nurse Residency

In newborns does enhanced verbal and visual education given to their parents/guardians related to unsafe sleep practices help to lower the incidence of unsafe sleep reported on our unit?

Discrimination Experiences Among Asian American And Pacific Islander Adults During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Their Association With Mental Health Outcomes: Updated Findings From The Compass Study, Marcelle M. Dougan, Marian Tzuang, Bora Nam, Oanh L. Meyer, Janice Y. Tsoh, Van M.Ta Park

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Background: Reports of escalated discrimination experiences among Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) continue. Methods: Using the original and follow-up surveys of the COVID-19 Effects on the Mental and Physical Health of AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders) Survey Study (COMPASS I and COMPASS II) (n = 3177), we examined changes over approximately a 1-year period in discrimination experiences attributable to being AAPI and factors associated with worse mental health outcomes. Results: Experiences of discrimination remained high in COMPASS II with 60.6% (of participants (compared to 60.2% among the same people in COMPASS I) reporting one or more …

Soil Saturation Limits Early Oak Establishment In Upland Pastures For Restoration Of Atlantic Oak Woodlands, Thomas R. Murphy, Mick E. Hanley, Jon S. Ellis, Paul H. Lunt

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

With woodland expansion providing a nature-based solution to help tackle anthropogenic climate change, the persistence and regeneration of fragmented Atlantic oak woodland is a critical feature of the wilding of uplands and conservation of Temperate Rainforests in Western Europe. Predicted shifts in precipitation with climate change are likely to be a major determinant of tree recruitment here, yet our understanding of the threshold effects of high soil moisture on oak establishment is limited, particularly at early-life-history stages when trees are most vulnerable. We address this gap in knowledge by investigating the effect of soil saturation states on; 1) the capacity …

Technology Selection In A Rural School District: A Case Study, Stephnie J. Helton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the steps taken to select technology devices, applications, and websites to be used in the classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic. As schools shut down around the world and transitioned to alternative methods of educational delivery, there was an increased need to analyze the selection process educators used to select technology devices, applications, and websites. Literature indicates that teachers could be overwhelmed with the many technology hardware and software choices available and end up making less-than-sufficient selections. This case study investigated what the technology director, administrators, and teachers deemed important and necessary in selecting educational applications and devices …

Safety Project To Prevent Unintentional Retained Surgical Items, Sherri Bobo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Fifty million surgeries are performed annually in the United States with an estimated 5,000 patients affected by unintentionally retained surgical items (RSIs) due to errors in the operating room. Surgical items inadvertently left inside patients may include sponges, instruments, needles, or small miscellaneous parts. It is not well understood why the surgical counting process fails to prevent the incidence of unintentional RSIs. The proposed educational curriculum was intended to enhance the knowledge and self-efficacy of surgical nurses and technicians to minimize errors and eliminate RSIs. Evidence-based strategies to complement existing knowledge of unintentional RSIs were introduced through didactic and …

Standing And Probabilistic Injury, Curtis A. Bradley, Ernest A. Young

Michigan Law Review

Standing to sue often turns on questions of probability. For example, public law plaintiffs must show that they are likely to be affected by allegedly unlawful government surveillance or environmental policies, and consumers may wish to sue private defendants over false credit reporting or data breaches that may or may not cause them financial or reputational harm in the future. This Article offers a framework for resolving a wide range of these “probabilistic standing” issues. Our core claim is that courts and commentators ask too much of standing doctrine in probabilistic cases. First, scholars sometimes seek a unified theory of …

Speaking Authorship: Honoring Indigenous Language Sovereignty In Joint Authorship Doctrines, Nancy Fu

Cardozo Law Review

In 2022, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council unanimously voted to banish the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC) and its two European founders from the reservation. The LLC began working with the Tribe in the early 2000s to document the Lakota language and created numerous recordings of Lakota elders, a Lakota dictionary, and many other educational materials. However, the LLC registered those works’ copyrights solely under its own name, so Tribe members must now seek the LLC’s permission to use or access them, which may require payment and may not be granted at all, even for recordings of the requestor’s own …

Bound To Misfortune: Protecting Juvenile Abortion Through The Right To Travel, John H.C. Hughes

Cardozo Law Review

On July 1, 2022, the Indianapolis Star reported that a ten-year-old Ohio girl, who had been raped and was six weeks pregnant, had sought an abortion in Indiana. Abortion had been outlawed in Ohio mere hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but it remained legal ˙in neighboring Indiana. The Ohio girl was able to cross the state border, get the abortion, and—presumably—return home safely. But if lawmakers like those in Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, and a handful of other states have their way, pregnant© children in abortion-restrictive states will be unable to avail themselves of neighboring …

Protocol: Factors Influencing The Implementation Of Non-Pharmacological Interventions For Behaviours And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia In Residential Aged Care Homes: A Systematic Review And Qualitative Evidence Synthesis, Hunduma D. Ayeno, Gizat M. M. Kassie, Mustafa Atee, Tuan Nguyen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review. The objectives are as follows. This paper aims to describe a protocol for a systematic review that will synthesise the qualitative evidence regarding factors influencing the implementation of non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) management in residential aged care homes (RACHs). The planned systematic review aims to answer the research question: ‘What are the factors influencing the implementation of NPIs in the management of BPSD at RACHs?’. Additionally, the planned systematic review also aims to generate recommendations to guide stakeholders (e.g., clinicians and aged care staff) and …

Identification Of Sleep Phenotypes In Copd Using Machine Learning-Based Cluster Analysis, Javad Razjouyan, Nicola A Hanania, Sara Nowakowski, Ritwick Agrawal, Amir Sharafkhaneh

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Disturbed sleep in patients with COPD impact quality of life and predict adverse outcomes.

RESEARCH QUESTION: To identify distinct phenotypic clusters of patients with COPD using objective sleep parameters and evaluate the associations between clusters and all-cause mortality to inform risk stratification.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A longitudinal observational cohort study using nationwide Veterans Health Administration data of patients with COPD investigated for sleep disorders. Sleep parameters were extracted from polysomnography physician interpretation using a validated natural language processing algorithm. We performed cluster analysis using an unsupervised machine learning algorithm (K-means) and examined the association between clusters and mortality …

Assessing The Correlation Between The Degree Of Tricuspid Regurgitation And Pulmonary Hypertension: A Comprehensive Study, Jamilah S. Alrahimi, Yasser M. Ismail, Noor A. Aljubairi, Nawal W. Kutob, Ghadi S. Bakulka, Ruqayyah A. Ahmed, Fatima A. Ahmed, Ali A. Haneef

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and pulmonary hypertension. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 118 patients with pulmonary hypertension was carried out at a single center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 2018-2021. Patients who had pulmonary or tricuspid valves organic diseases, previously undergone tricuspid or pulmonary valve surgeries, had permanent pacemakers or critically ill were excluded. Results: A high proportion of patients were women (n=100, 85%) and obese (n=57, 48%). Patients with more than mild TR had higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) than those with trivial or mild regurgitation ( p <0.001). There was a significant association between severity of TR ( p <0.001) and right chambers size ( p =0.001). Furthermore, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was significantly higher in patients with mild right ventricular impairment ( p =0.001). Conclusion: Increase in degree of TR and right atrial size were predictors of elevated sPAP. Our findings highlight the interplay among TR, right heart size, ventricular function, and PAP. Understanding these associations can aid in risk stratification, monitoring disease progression, and potentially guiding treatment in those patients.