Digital Commons Network^™

Strategies For Mitigating U.S. Banks’ Risks From Exposure To Derivatives And The Underlying Assets, Othman Abdelmoumen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many banks’ executives lacked strategies to mitigate the risk of default on subprime mortgages and their linked derivatives to prevent bank insolvency. This led to severe financial losses and insolvency of many banks in 2008-2009. Grounded in the corporate governance agency problem and stewardship theories, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore (CG) strategies some bank executives implemented to mitigate the risk of default of subprime mortgages and their linked derivatives to prevent bank insolvency. The participants were four bank executives who worked for federally insured banks in Colorado. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and …

Sexual Orientation, Age, And Race: An Intersectional Approach To Health Disparities, Laura E. Bernstein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sexual orientation, age, and race are all identity-based variables that can contribute to health disparities (Dannefer, 2020; Meyer, 2003; Forde et al., 2019). The minority diminished returns (MDR) theory states that marginalized identities (i.e. race and sexual orientation) dampen the positive impact education has on physical and mental health (Assari, 2018). Some evidence suggests that health disparities narrow in older sexual minority adults (Nelson & Andel, 2020a) but this question has not been asked with nationally representative data, and research with older sexual minorities is limited. The present study explored whether 1) age dampens or exacerbates disparities in self-rated health …

Nobody’S Perfect! The Effect Of Manipulating Perfectionism On Social Anxiety Symptoms, Anishka Jean

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social anxiety is a common experience that ranges from mild, temporary distress to excessive, persistent, and impairing fear. The current study tested whether perfectionism is causally related to social anxiety symptoms and post-event processing using a contract-based manipulation to shift perfectionism. Participants (N = 67) completed measures of social anxiety and perfectionism prior to delivering a speech. Next, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 contract conditions: High Personal Standards (High PS), High Personal Standards with Evaluative Concerns (High PS+EC), and Low Personal Standards (Low PS). The following day, participants completed the measures of social anxiety and perfectionism again, …

Confluence: Evaluating The Individual Learning Outcomes Of A Combined Citizen Science And Environmental Education Project, Evan A. Harms

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Citizen Science has moved beyond a methodological tool for ecologists to crowdsource data to a novel platform for environmental and informal science education. However, few studies document the individual learning outcomes of citizen science as an educational tool, particularly in youth or extension education. This quantitative study focused on evaluating the individual learning outcomes of an environmental education and citizen science non-formal learning experience about water quality.

In this study, an existing lesson plan using four sequenced activities was adapted for use with West Virginia 4-H summer camps in 2022. Potential outcome areas were first identified from foundational environmental education …

Developing Collaborative Skills In Piano Students, Linxi Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper explores how to develop collaborative skills in piano students at the college level. It offers a brief history of collaborative study and performance, describes the specifics of working with singers and instrumentalists in duo, chamber and large ensemble repertoire, and includes musical examples and selected resources. This paper is intended to enrich the activities of teachers and collaborative pianists through the description and application of specific skills and to provide pathways for effective professional collaborations.

On The Role Of Task Preference And Work Removal For Identifying Escape Functions, Brian Patrick Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

On the Role of Task Preference and Work Removal for Identifying Escape Functions

Brian P. Long

Students within the public school system may exhibit severe challenging behavior to escape from academic demands. Procedures to identify the reinforcers that maintain challenging behavior, such as functional analysis, may improve the probability of treatment success. Functional analysis involves manipulating contingencies to determine if positive (e.g., attention following challenging behavior) or negative (e.g., escape from aversive events such as task demands) reinforcers may maintain challenging behavior (Iwata et al., 1982). The absence of evocative tasks could produce inaccurate results when testing for effects …

Retention Strategies For Managers Of Generation Y Employees, Michael Askari

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employee turnover may lead to increased business costs, degradation of employee mental health, and more taxes on social programs. Managers of Generation Y employees are concerned with turnover because Generation Y employees tend to leave within 12 months of being hired. Grounded in the job embeddedness theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore management retention strategies to reduce Generation Y turnover. The participants were six managers of Generation Y employees from six retail businesses who successfully retained employees for more than 12 months. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, journal notes, and a review of public …

Predicting Project Success By Project Manager Competencies And Personality Traits Moderated By Work Experience, Jasmine H. Kirby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractProject manager competencies and personality traits can make the difference between project success or failure. However, it remains unclear which is the strongest predictor of project success when moderated by work experience. The purpose of this quantitative study was to provide information about the relationship between project manager competencies, personality, and project success by (a) investigating the relationship between project manager competencies, personality traits, and project success; and (b) identifying whether project competencies or personality traits was the strongest predictor of project success among project managers at different work experience levels. Data were collected from 272 project managers. Instruments to …

The Effects Of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula In The Lives Of Women In Southeastern Nigeria, Chioma Esther Amutaigwe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) is a maternal health problem faced by women in developing countries. VVF is one of the most devastating consequences of prolonged obstructed labor and is still prevalent in resource-poor countries like Nigeria where fertility is high, the status of women is low, and obstetric services are often inadequate. The objective of this study was to enrich our understanding of the effects of VVF as it relates to women’s experiences in southeastern Nigeria. I adopted the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping in this study; this theory posits that people, when contending with any kind of stressors, are …

An Examination Of Counselor Turnover And Its Impact On Quality Behavioral Health Services, Leslie M. Beale

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Behavioral health organizations often face the challenge of high employee turnover rates, which can critically affect their ability to treat mental illnesses successfully. High counselor turnover at one such organization, BHOX, threatens the provision of timely access to quality mental care. This qualitative case study examined counselor turnover and its impact on the quality of behavioral health services. The Baldrige Excellence Framework was used to guide this descriptive case study of a nonprofit behavioral health organization on the East Coast of the United States, which serves men and women struggling with mental health disorders and substance abuse addictions. The data …

Using Extended Two-Step Floating Catchment Area To Map Children’S Level Of Access To Physical Books In West Virginia, Heather A. Maxey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The state of West Virginia lacked a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the availability of physical books across the state. Access to reading material is vital to a child’s educational development as well as lifelong learning beyond childhood. To guide policy decisions and planning for outreach which addresses reading levels and beyond, I mapped levels of access stemming from socioeconomic barriers, spatial barriers, and an integrated index of both types of barriers. To map spatial access, I utilized a modified Extended Two-Step Floating Catchment Area model, deriving techniques from Hong et al’s 2023 article addressing access for health care in WV. …

Influences On Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities Regarding Services And Supports Rendered At Their Collegiate Institution, Taylor Leanne Mikalik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past several generations numerous policies and laws have been established that have allowed people with disabilities to further their education. Students with disabilities enter higher education with varied experiences, which allow for a wide array of perceptions of the services and supports provided on this level. The purpose of this dissertation was to study what these perceptions are and how these perceptions were formed; in hopes to encourage more students with disabilities to self-disclose and access beneficial services in the future. A semi-structured narrative interview was conducted with 8 students willing to self-disclose and who received services and …

Effects Of Brief-Signal Number And Location On Responding Maintained By Delay Of Reinforcement, Firdavs Khaydarov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the present series of experiments was to examine the effects of the number, type, and location of brief signal(s) occurring during, but not throughout, a delay period, on responding maintained by the delay of reinforcement. In each experiment, a tandem variable time (VT) 60-s fixed interval (FI) 9-s schedule was used as a baseline condition of an immediate reinforcement against which delay conditions were examined. For the delay conditions, a chained variable interval (VI) 60-s fixed time (FT) 9-s (delay period) schedule was used, and the imposition of the brief signal (blackout) during the delay period was …

Pedagogical Piano Works By Four Contemporary Composers: Emma Lou Diemer, Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Karen Tanaka And Chee-Hwa Tan, Manuel Alejandro Molina Flores

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document aims to help diversify the pedagogical piano repertoire by featuring four contemporary composers living in the United States: Emma Lou Diemer, Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee, Karen Tanaka, and Chee-Hwa Tan. Their commitment to the creation of pedagogical works at the elementary, intermediate, and early-advanced levels gives students the opportunity to develop their piano technique while learning beautifully crafted pieces. The present document covers the life, formal education, important influences, and the compositional style of each composer. Additionally, it includes selected pieces at the late-elementary and early-intermediate levels where a discussion about their pedagogical benefits is included. Lastly, a …

"No, Not There": The Literary Precarity And Profundity Of Queer Spatiality, Samuel James Aftel

Theses and Dissertations--English

Love, broadly defined, needs space to grow. For love to materialize and sustain itself (in both literature and society), it must find hospitable geosocial, institutional, and psychic terrain. This is especially true for queer intimacies beyond heteronormative relationality, for the prospect of love’s radical––or reactionary––possibilities is contingent upon the more general sociality in which it develops. Yet love is often a worldmaking and, sometimes, historic mechanism unto itself. Love and its concomitant sexualities must therefore be understood within and without normative structures of hegemony; the workings of (neo)colonialism and capitalism––as well as patriarchy, white supremacy, and heterosexism––dictate to love, and …

Stick With Me: Essays, Clay Shields

Theses and Dissertations--English

A small-town Appalachian deviant confronts the frequent, recurrent grief of the opioid crisis and its mortal, psychological, and communal consequences. This collection endeavors to explore substance use, addiction, geopolitical exploitation of Kentucky, central Appalachia, and surrounding areas, while also celebrating the lives of individual loved ones lost to deaths by suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholism. Here, the common narrative of depravity surrounding addiction is challenged through the rendering of full characters capable of love, trust, friendship, humor, mental health management, and personal growth. Time and place factor fundamentally into the stories told here—whether based in central Kentucky or central Appalachia, …

Economic Comparison Of The Relative Costs And Efficiency Of Using Thermo Fisher Scientific Rapidhit™ Id System Versus Traditional Dna Laboratory Analysis, Paul J. Speaker

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

With the emergence of any new technology, economic questions arise regarding the efficacy of the new technology in comparison to existing analytical techniques. While the question of ultimate interest concerns the return on investment (ROI) of the new technology, that ROI requires both an evaluation of the net benefits of the technology and an examination of the costs to implement the technology. In this report, we examine the full-loaded cost structure of traditional DNA analysis using fiscal year 2021 data from Project FORESIGHT and compare the cost per sample with the price structure of the Thermo Fischer Scientific RapidHit technology. …

“A Plague Broke Out Among Them”: Reflections On The Bible And The Pandemic, Joel Kaminsky

Religion: Faculty Publications

This essay seeks to utilize ideas and texts found in the Hebrew Bible in order to historically contextualize the COVID-19 pandemic and to illuminate various existential, religious, political, and ethical issues raised by the current pandemic and our responses to it.

Editorial: Perspectives On Ptsd And Its Treatment, Jacklynn M. Fitzgerald, Ashley A. Huggins

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Editorial: Insights In Neurocognitive Aging And Behavior: 2021, Kristy A. Nielson, Ian M. Mcdonough, Anja Soldan

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

In recent years, exceptional scientific achievements have led to major advancements in the fast-growing field of neurocognitive aging and behavior. In this inaugural collection, Insights in Neurocognitive Aging and Behavior: 2021, we sought to highlight the latest advancements and challenges for the current state of knowledge and future directions in aging neuroscience in the neurocognitive arena. Here we outline the contributions and implications for future research of the 15 papers in this topic collection across four important research areas: (1) novel approaches to identifying and tracking brain aging and impending cognitive decline; (2) neurocognitive markers of risks for Alzheimer’s disease …

Large-Scale Network Connectivity And Cognitive Function Changes After Exercise Training In Older Adults With Intact Cognition And Mild Cognitive Impairment, Junyeon Won, Kristy A. Nielson, J. Carson Smith

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Background:

Despite growing evidence regarding the association between exercise training (ET) and functional brain network connectivity, little is known about the effects of ET on large-scale within- and between-network functional connectivity (FC) of core brain networks.

Objective:

We investigated the effects of ET on within- and between-network functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and salience network (SAL) in older adults with intact cognition (CN) and older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The association between ET-induced changes in FC and cognitive performance was examined.

Methods:

33 older adults (78.0±7.0 years; 16 MCI and 17 …

Implementation Of Extra Credit Quizzes As A Teaching Tool In General Chemistry, Eric Johnson

SoTL Commons Conference

No abstract provided.

High Impact Practices: Faculty Perceptions And Barriers To Implementation, Virginia (Ginger) B. Wickline, Rami Haddad, Padmini Shankar, Karelle Aiken

SoTL Commons Conference

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Teaching And Learning In Art And Design: Results And Reflections On Two Sotl Projects Within A New Master Of Art, Rebecca Layson, Diana Gregory

SoTL Commons Conference

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Qualitative Analysis Of Anti-Abortion Discourse Used In Arguments For A 6-Week Abortion Ban In South Carolina, Victoria C. Lambert, Emily E. Hackworth, Deborah Lynn Billings Phd

Publications

Background: On June 24, 2022, The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion legislation entirely up to states. However, anti-abortion activists and legislators have organized for decades to prevent abortion access through restrictive state-level legislation. In 2019, South Carolina legislators proposed a bill criminalizing abortion after 6 weeks gestation, before most people know they are pregnant. The current study examines the anti-abortion rhetoric used in legislative hearings for this extreme abortion restriction in South Carolina. By examining the arguments used by anti-abortion proponents, we aim to expose their misalignment with public opinion on abortion and demonstrate that their …

Legitimate State Interest Or Educational Censorship: The Chilling Effect Of Oklahoma House Bill 1775, Jennie A. Hill

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rights, Power, And Inequality, Bryan H. Druzin

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Britney’S Prerogative: A Critical, Constitutional View Of Conservatorships, Devraat Awasthi

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Critical Erase Theory: The Assault On Public School Curriculum, Brooks R. Cain

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Work-Life Virus: Working From Home And Its Implications For The Gender Gap And Questions Of Intersectionality, Tammy Katsabian

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.