Digital Commons Network^™

Federal Assistance To Youngstown: Evidence From The Paycheck Protection Program, Iryna Demko, Georgina Guadalupe Figueroa,

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This presentation examines trends in federal assistance to Youngstown businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in 2020 and 2021. During this time, the Youngstown region received 13,061 PPP loans totaling $1 billion, reaching at least one small business in every Youngstown’s zip code. Most approved loans covered employees’ wages, helping to keep 130,170 workers on payroll during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, PPP loans reached smaller businesses, with an average of 5 employees per business, compared to 17 employees in 2020.

Elementary Public School Teachers’ Coping Mechanisms Used During The Covid-19 Pandemic In North Texas: A Phenomenological Study, Timothy Michael Eastman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe elementary public school teachers’ experiences coping with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping theory, the study answered the central research question: How do elementary public school teachers describe their experiences coping with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic? The sub-questions addressed: What psychological, physical, and emotional mechanisms are elementary public school teachers using to cope with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic? Purposeful sampling and maximum variation sampling were used to select 14 elementary public school teachers’ who experienced teaching during the COVID-19 …

Childhood Trauma: Nobody Told Me It Would Impact My Marriage Too, Charles Matthew Houston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis project addressed the couple’s ministry life group class at Ridgeville Church of God, as it intends to address how childhood trauma affects married couples. The purpose was to provide proper tools and resources through an education process such as a marriage conference. Chapter One introduces the church’s historical context, mission statement, vision statement, the possible limitations of implementing such a class, and the pastor’s professional background. The literature review in Chapter Two highlights the powerful effects of childhood trauma, especially in individuals’ marriages, more specifically, couples’ intimacy. Survey-style data was the selected method used in this research due …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Mental Health Symptoms And Awareness In The College Student Population, Stephanie Ann (Hare) Wallace

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand mental health concerns and the services provided within the college population located at an on-ground campus in the United States. The theories guiding this study were Schlossberg’s transition theory and self-efficacy theory, which play a major role in understanding the concerns and heightened symptoms students faced when transitioning into the college setting. The transcendental phenomenological study focused on gathering data from sophomore students enrolled at Rose College who have recently faced the transition from high school or undergraduate settings. The setting took place virtually due to restrictions and limitations of …

Common Attributes Among Highly Effective Middle School Teachers, Stacey Dejean-Bowie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Effective classroom management and delivery of quality classroom instruction is a complex task that every teacher has to face. It is not enough to have well thought out, planned lessons. To be a highly effective teacher, an educator must inspire, motivate and captivate their students all while delivering quality information and rigorous assignments that equip students with the skills and abilities needed in the twenty-first century. At the heart of student achievement is effective teaching. A teacher's effectiveness has been traditionally measured by the level of classroom control, delivery of quality instruction, and student achievement scores. Classroom management has consistently …

Pandemics And United States Pharmaceutical Stocks’ Rates Of Return, Ronald Franklin Burnette Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Understanding the stock market in the 21st century is very important to investors as well as company executives. All publicly traded companies get most of their financing by issuing stock on the various stock markets of the world. These stocks are then brought and sold to investors. The research in this dissertation used the event study methodology to evaluate the United States stock market rate of return for pharmaceutical stocks impacted by pandemics in 2009 and 2020. Using the stocks' historical data before and after the announcement of a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this event study will see …

Protestant Prison Chaplaincy: Teaching Common Theology To Mature Inmates, John J. Caudle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Recent literature and studies concerning prison ministry focus more on relationships, the overarching work, and the day-to-day mission. Even then, this study acknowledges that the impact of prison chaplaincy still needs further studying. Few studies focus on Protestant chaplains' theological boundaries, maintaining diverse denominations. While attempting to understand the value of chaplaincy in the prison setting, the predominant group involved in prison ministry are Protestant prison chaplains. Protestant prison chaplains come from a diverse background of core theological beliefs and denominationally tied doctrine. This thesis looks at the theological views of 15 Protestant prison chaplains who previously or currently serve …

Human Resource Strategy In Times Of Disruption, April R. Kinchen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study sought to obtain knowledge relating to human resources during crisis and disruption. To obtain a deeper understanding of the material, I conducted a qualitative case study using a structured interview process, an anonymous survey process for triangulation. The interview process comprised 15 interviews to achieve saturation, as well as 135 survey respondents. During the participant interview process, I obtained the data to attribute to the current body of research regarding human resources during times of crisis and disruption. Interview participants comprised of individual contributors, people leaders, and human resource professionals. Participants felt strongly that open communication, infrastructure, and …

Current Targeted Interventions For Adult Patients With Comorbid Obesity And Depression: An Integrative Review, Meredith Lawson Parnell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Obesity and depression share a bidirectional relationship when they exist as comorbidities in addition to individually posing complex public health challenges. Evidence from recent years suggests that there is a benefit to treating these illnesses with an integrated approach when they co-occur, but no current clinical guideline exists for this approach. The purpose of this integrative review is to synthesize existing literature and report current interventions targeting the management of comorbid obesity and depression in adults. The Whittemore and Knafl methodology for integrative review is the framework used to conduct this synthesis. A systematic search was conducted of nine computerized …

Toward Transformative Christian Education That Facilitates Spiritual Formation At Miracle Temple Church Of God In Christ, Devale A. Hodge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The discipleship or Christian education ministry at Miracle Temple Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is not fostering intentional spiritual formation within its congregants. Spiritual formation intentionality is missing within the congregation. The lack of spiritual formation intentionally naturally leads to a discipleship deficit. And this deficit is seen and felt within this project’s context. Yet the call to return to deep and transformative disciple-making, which produces Christlikeness is vital and commonplace. This thesis project attempts to examine and address the struggle of discipleship and spiritual formation intentionality at Miracle Temple COGIC. To address the problem the researcher implements a …

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: An Integrated Review, Mary M. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Healthcare providers, especially those working in emergency and intensive care settings, are frequently exposed to traumatic experiences. These experiences affect their emotional, physical, psychological, or spiritual well-being. This integrated review analyzed the effectiveness of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) as an intervention for emergency healthcare providers secondary to exposure of traumatic events in their clinical practice. Fifteen (15) articles and journals using the PRISMA model searching for evidence supporting the application of CISD in managing the effects of traumatic experiences by emergency healthcare providers were reviewed. The research showed that emergency healthcare workers mitigate stress in multiple ways. The non-mandatory …

Fire Prevention Education For Boys And Girls Who Misuse Fire: A Quasi-Experimental Mixed Methods Analysis Of Effective Intervention Programming, Matthew B. Ferdock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A child referred for an assessment following fire misuse (e.g., setting a fire intentionally) triggers an intervention strategist who constructs a program that almost universally includes fire safety education (FSE). While FSE media tailored by age and grade is available from the U.S. Federal Government, most youth fire misuse intervention educational programming differentiates children by age. However, program designers rarely consider gender, racial differences, and socioeconomic factors during education design and delivery. Limited research demonstrates efficacious FSE. However, since almost no FSE accounts for differences beyond age, no empirical evidence exists examining its efficacy by demographic or socioeconomic differences. Using …

The Role Of Environmental Racism In Federal Handling Of Toxic Waste Sites Near Communities Of Color: How Are Journalists Covering These Issues? Case Study: Northeast Carbondale, Illinois, Clarissa Cowley

Research Papers

Toxic waste sites in the United States of America disproportionately impact low-income communities of color amid an reckoning in news reporting on environment and race. These communities have historically received questionable attention, treatment and communication from government agencies and offices, and journalists concerning hazardous pollution near their homes. This creative multimedia work uses in-depth investigative reporting presented on a digital platform to amplify the voices prominent in Northeast Carbondale, Il. The article series featured in the work explores examples of environmental pollution, contamination and racial injustice. These stories explain how and why cases such as this can happen over extended …

A Phenomenological Study On Teachers' Lived Experience With Self-Efficacy Teaching Face-To-Face Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, James Scott Phillips

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe teachers’ lived experiences with self-efficacy teaching face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic in a public school district in South Georgia. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy which was used to answer the following central research question: What are teachers’ lived experience with self-efficacy teaching face-to face-instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic? Twelve teachers from two schools provided a description of their lived experiences teaching in-person instruction amid the pandemic. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, teacher journals, and a focus group. Data analysis followed Moustakas’ (1994) …

Applying Biblical Teaching To Resolve Power Struggles Between The Pastor And Deacons In A Southern Baptist Church, Jason Oneal Sweeton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the Body of Christ, each person within the church must know their role and responsibility, especially the leadership. The Bible teaches that there are pastors, elders, and bishops referring to one office who have been given the authority to shepherd, or lead as it were, the church. The Bible teaches that deacons are an integral part of the church. They are to be servants in the church and minister to the needs of the congregation. The purpose of this project lies in the misconceptions surrounding the roles and biblical responsibilities of both deacons and pastors. Many churches simply follow …

A Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Single Parents Who Are Rearing Elementary-Aged Children Enrolled In A Public School In A Rural Community, Jenine Lavonne Cotman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of single parents who are rearing elementary-aged children enrolled in a public school in a rural community. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development was used to guide this study. Vygotsky’s theory focuses on cognitive development being fundamentally framed by social interaction. Vygotsky also believed that cognitive development is strengthened when a child is encouraged to learn within their zone of proximal development, which refers to a person’s current cognitive space that can be further developed with social interaction and help from a teacher, peer, or parent. …

A Phenomenological Study Of Trauma, Creativity, Resilience, And Artistic Inspiration, James William Teachenor Ii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the perceived resilience of creativity derived from childhood trauma for professional creatives employed in the Nashville music industry. The theories guiding this study were Masten’s resiliency theory and Vygotsky’s theory of creativity as they informed the literature on my topic by understanding the link early childhood, especially trauma, had on creativity and the link trauma had on resilience and the life courses of individuals. The qualitative design of this study was hermeneutical phenomenology. The purposive sample consisted of 10 participants who qualified from a purposive sample pool of 117 occupational creatives …

The Experiences Of Elementary School Teachers Teaching In A Virtual Learning Program Who Have Established Presence In The Classroom: A Phenomenological Study In The Southeastern U.S., Amy Tyler Stevenson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the shared experiences of teachers who have established presence in online classrooms after transitioning from face-to-face to online elementary classrooms in a virtual program developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theory guiding this study was the community of inquiry (CoI) framework, developed by Garrison et al., as it specifically relates to distance and online learning and provides a context for research. In this qualitative study, data was collected through interviews, documentation, and a focus group with 11 online teachers (OT) representing several grade levels in an online program. Data was …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Teacher Perceptions Of The Effects Movement Strategies Have On Student Learning, Mary Catherine Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand teachers' use of movement strategies to improve students' learning. The theory guiding this study was Shapiro's embodied cognition theory, which asserts that the body plays a significant role in cognitive processing. The study attempted to answer the central research question: How do teachers perceive and understand movement and learning in the classroom? The teachers who participated in the study came from a private school in the Southern United States and were chosen using purposeful criterion sampling to ensure their familiarity with movement as a strategy. Data was collected through in-depth …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Teachers In Addressing The Social And Emotional Learning Needs Of Students, Justin Allen Whittenbarger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of teachers related to social and emotional learning (SEL) in a rural public school district in Tennessee. This study examined individual, explicit experiences of educators related to addressing the SEL needs of students. Bandura’s social cognitive theory primarily guided this study as it relates closely to the behavioral, personal, and environmental factors that all play a role in the way a teacher responds to professional learning. The data collection involved a qualifying survey, a questionnaire, interviews with participants (novice teachers and veteran teachers), and a focus group. Data …

Arkansas Rice: Herbicide Resistance Concerns, Production Practices, And Weed Management Costs, Thomas R. Butts, K. Badou-Jeremie Kouame, Jason K. Norsworthy, L. Tom Barber

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

An online survey to better understand current weed management practices and concerns in Arkansas rice was distributed in the fall of 2020. A total of 123 respondents from across the Arkansas rice growing region returned the survey covering a total of 236,414 rice hectares, representing about 40% of the planted Arkansas rice hectares in 2020. The most problematic weeds were Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. (ECG), Cyperus spp., and Oryza sativa L. (weedy rice), respectively, in flooded rice, and ECG, Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats., and Cyperus spp., respectively, in furrow-irrigated rice. Most respondents (78%) reported high concern with herbicide-resistant weeds, …

Estimation And Inference Of Predictive Discrimination For Survival Outcome Risk Prediction Models, Ruosha Li, Jing Ning, Ziding Feng

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Accurate risk prediction has been the central goal in many studies of survival outcomes. In the presence of multiple risk factors, a censored regression model can be employed to estimate a risk prediction rule. Before the prediction tool can be popularized for practical use, it is crucial to rigorously assess its prediction performance. In our motivating example, researchers are interested in developing and validating a risk prediction tool to identify future lung cancer cases by integrating demographic information, disease characteristics and smoking-related data. Considering the long latency period of cancer, it is desirable for a prediction tool to achieve discriminative …

2022 Spring Vol. 39 No. 1, Alumni Affairs School Of Medicine

Medicinews

No abstract provided.

"Insanity Is Smashing Up Against My Soul": The Fifth Circuit And Competency To Be Executed Cases After Panetti V. Quarterman, Michael L. Perlin, Talia Roitberg Harmon

Articles & Chapters

One of the open secrets of death penalty law and policy is the astonishingly high percentage of individuals on death row with serious mental disabilities. This is well known to lawyers who represent this cohort (and presumably, equally well known to the district attorneys who nevertheless prosecute them and the judges who try and sentence them), but is not generally discussed in the press nor, certainly, in political discourse. In the aggregate, this is far beneath society’s radar.

It is now over 14 years since the US Supreme Court decided a case that clarified the underlying issues. In Panetti v. …

Host Diversity And Behavior Determine Patterns Of Interspecies Transmission And Geographic Diffusion Of Avian Influenza A Subtypes Among North American Wild Reservoir Species, Joseph T Hicks, Kimberly Edwards, Xueting Qiu, Do-Kyun Kim, James E Hixson, Scott Krauss, Richard J Webby, Robert G Webster, Justin Bahl

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Wild birds can carry avian influenza viruses (AIV), including those with pandemic or panzootic potential, long distances. Even though AIV has a broad host range, few studies account for host diversity when estimating AIV spread. We analyzed AIV genomic sequences from North American wild birds, including 303 newly sequenced isolates, to estimate interspecies and geographic viral transition patterns among multiple co-circulating subtypes. Our results show high transition rates within Anseriformes and Charadriiformes, but limited transitions between these orders. Patterns of transition between species were positively associated with breeding habitat range overlap, and negatively associated with host genetic distance. Distance between …

Sober Thoughts On Drunken Consent: Intoxication And Consent To Sexual Relations, Samuel Director

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Drunken sex is common. Despite how common drunken sex is, we think
very uncritically about it. In this paper, I want to examine whether drunk individuals
can consent to sex. Specifically, I answer this question: suppose that an individual,
D, who is drunk but can still engage in reasoning and communication, agrees to have
sex with a sober individual, S; is D’s consent to sex with S morally valid? I will argue
that, within a certain range of intoxication, an individual who is drunk can give valid
consent to have sex with an individual who is sober.

Clinical Impact Of A Highly Sensitive Next-Generation Sequencing Measurable Residual Disease Assay In Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Nicholas Short

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Measurable residual disease (MRD) is highly prognostic for relapse and overall survival (OS) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), although many patients with apparent “MRD negativity” by standard assays still relapse. We evaluated the clinical impact of a highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) MRD assay in 74 adults with ALL undergoing frontline therapy. Among remission samples that were MRD negative by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC), 46% were MRD positive by the NGS assay. At the time of complete remission (CR), MRD negativity by MFC at a sensitivity of 1x10^-4 and NGS at a sensitivity of 1x10^-6 was achieved in …

Birth Defect Co-Occurrence Patterns In The Texas Birth Defects Registry, Renata H Benjamin, Angela E Scheuerle, Daryl A Scott, Maria Luisa Navarro Sanchez, Peter H Langlois, Mark A Canfield, Hope Northrup, Christian P Schaaf, Joseph W Ray, Scott D Mclean, Han Chen, Michael D Swartz, Philip J Lupo, A J Agopian

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The population-level landscape of co-occurring birth defects among infants without a syndromic diagnosis is not well understood.

METHODS: We analyzed data from 40,771 infants with two or more major birth defects in the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR; 1999-2014). We calculated adjusted observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios for all two, three, four, and five-way combinations of 138 major defects.

RESULTS: Among 530 patterns with the highest adjusted O/E ratios (top 5% of 10,595 patterns), 66% included only defects co-occurring within one organ system and 28% were suggestive of known patterns (e.g., midline developmental defects). Of the remaining patterns, the combination of …

Development Of Training Curriculum To Improve Patient Communication Skills And Social Support Among Community Health Workers, Jennifer Holcomb, Gayla M Ferguson, Logan Thornton, Linda Highfield

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Effective provider communication skills are important for patient decision-making and understanding, particularly for those with low health literacy. A gap exists in training methods and curriculum for community health workers (CHWs). Brief description of activity: Through a clinical and academic partnership, pilot training curriculum focused on patient communication skills was developed to align with CHW scope of work.

IMPLEMENTATION: The curriculum was implemented in three 2-hour training sessions over WebEx with seven state-certified CHWs. The goal was for CHWs to understand the key elements and application of active listening, Teach Back, and action planning in a clinical setting. The …

Teachers’ Lived Experiences And Perspectives Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Plans, Susanna J. Brice

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this case study was to examine how teachers from Title 1 elementary schools implemented school-wide positive behavior plans in Northeast Florida. This qualitative study was founded on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). According to TPB, an individual’s behavior can be predicted by attitude and purposes for the behavior. The research participants were six Title 1 elementary school teachers with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the data. Themes that emerged were professional development, consistency, teacher buy-in, administrative support, and the effectiveness of the plan. Participants indicated the importance of continued support through check-ins, collaborations, professional …