Digital Commons Network^™

The Shades Of Immigration: How Skin Tone Shapes Attitudes Towards Venezuelan Immigrants In Latin America, Madison Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Venezuela is currently home to one of the most profound economic crises in modern-day Latin America and the most severe in any non-war-ridden country in recent years. Due to this, mass amounts of Venezuelan immigrants have left to countries such as Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. This immigration within Latin America, with similar culture and language, leads to the question of if and how does skin tone predict attitudes towards Venezuelans in several Latin American countries? This study uses data from the 2018/19 LAPOP data survey to assess the link between skin tone and support for Venezuelan immigrants. Results of …

George Whitefield Chadwick And Robert Ayres Barnet’S Tabasco, John-Peter Springer Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Until recently George Whitefield Chadwick’s burlesque opera Tabasco (1894) had been largely forgotten. In 2018, however, conductor Paul Mauffray completed a reconstruction of Tabasco that has brought renewed attention to this seldom heard work. Set to a libretto by Robert Ayres Barnet, Tabasco was commissioned as the third in a series of comic operas by the Boston Men’s Army Cadets as fundraiser for the construction of a new armory. This thesis explores the history of Tabasco from its inception through the national tour produced by Thomas Q. Seabrooke’s Comic Opera Company, which would eventually lead to the withdrawal of the …

The Epistemic Obligations Of The Ideal Citizen: A Neo-Aristotelian Solution For Truth-Decay In Democratic Societies, Dakota Shane Layton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary democratic societies are currently encumbered by the problem of truth-decay. Truth-decay is defined as the following set of interrelated trends:

Blues Is My Business (And Business Is Good?), David N. Larson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work focuses on the social, political, and economic trends that govern the blues music scene in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Clarksdale is seen as a sort of “ground zero” in the blues world, it is often referred to as, “the land where blues began.” This claim is not without merit but it is not strictly historically accurate. Many of the town’s spokespeople use euphemisms that distort the troubled history of race relations in the town and its music spaces.

This investigation centers around the economic state of the town’s tourism industry, the individuals who act as the town’s promoters, and the …

Speech Fluency Changes Following Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Subthalamic Nucleus In Parkinson’S Disease: A Meta-Analysis, Emily Morphis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Speech fluency changes following deep brain stimulation are one aspect that is crucial to consider when exploring treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation, specifically of the subthalamic nucleus, has been linked to a decrease in speech fluency despite improved bodily motor control. This acquired dysfluency is referred to as “neurogenic stuttering.” The purpose of the current study is to determine the incidence and severity of speech fluency decline following deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. A meta-analysis was conducted with 7 studies (239 subjects) that recorded changes in speech fluency. All studies used a quantitative assessment, …

Race, Religion, And Politics: An Analysis From A Conjoint Experiment, Joseph Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building on existing research, I seek to understand how both religious and racial identities can shape the religious and ideological perceptions of voters in low-information environments. Using a conjoint experiment, I test the effects of multiple identity traits on respondents’ religious and ideological evaluations of political candidates, as well as the willingness to support the candidate. Consistent with previous research showing the importance of perceptions on voting behavior, I find evidence that candidate identities can shape the ideological and religious perceptions of voters, and influence the willingness of respondents to vote for the candidate in a low-information setting.

Effects Of Working Memory And Fatigue On Decision-Making In People With Traumatic Brain Injury, Dennis John Tirri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are the leading cause of injury related death and disability for children and young adults, with an estimated 50 million TBIs occurring annually. Post-traumatic cognitive fatigue, or the perceived lack of mental energy needed to accomplish a goal, is a debilitating symptom of TBI, preventing many survivors from returning to work or enjoying their pre-injury quality of life. The mechanisms underlying TBI often cause executive function deficits, such as compromised ability to make adaptive decisions. Although decision-making and fatigue share portions of the same neural network, no literature to date has examined the potential mediating …

The Impact Of The Good Behavior Game On Adolescent Student Behavior In Restrictive And Inclusive Learning Environments, Allison Nicole Oliver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three articles investigating the effects of the Good Behavior Game to increase academic engagement and decrease disruptive behaviors in students who have behavior disorders. Previous literature examined the effects of the Good Behavior Game on student populations in elementary and mainstream settings. Unfortunately, there is a lack of investigation with use of the Good Behavior Game in secondary settings with students with disabilities, especially behavioral disorders. Collectively, these three articles will determine the impact of the Good Behavior Game in secondary settings with students with behavior disorders in mainstream, inclusive and restrictive learning environments. This dissertation …

The Impact Of Ethnicity Within The Field Of Speech-Language Pathology, Maliah Wilkinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The estimated racial/ethnic diversity within the field of speech-language pathology is considered to be less than 10% despite population trends predicting that over half of the United States’ population will be identified as a racial/ethnic minority by 2044 (Projections of the Size and Composition of the U.S. Population: 2014 to 2060, 2014). The limited diversity is likely to be coupled with inclusion and equity barriers in higher education (i.e., barriers related to financial and educational demographics, graduate school preparedness/support, etc.). In the field of speech language pathology, little is known about the impact of these challenges experienced by students from …

Face Detection Using Web Images, Chris Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current facial recognition algorithms struggle with accuracy on real world cases. Haar cascade based algorithms are fast, but require fine tuning per image in order to achieve the best results. When tasked with images where there are multiple faces at different locations, the current algorithms seem to underreport the number of faces. This study attempts to produce a more accurate classifier through the use of taking the maximum result of multiple Haar cascade classifiers with differing parameters. To do this, a web image scraper was written to gather real world images from Google images and Flickr. These images were …

Closing The Opportunity Gap In Mathematics Education, Candies Nicole Winfun-Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shifting our attention from the achievement gap (standardized test results) to the opportunity gap (unequal opportunities and experiences among students of differing socioeconomic and racial backgrounds) is necessary to shrink gaps in the American educational system. Although previous studies have focused on the achievement gap in terms of students’ success on standardized tests, there has been limited research on the missed opportunities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in high school mathematics classrooms. This qualitative study revealed the lived experiences of BIPOC students as participating in college and career mathematics readiness activities in a single high school …

Understanding Classroom Engagement For Middle School Students, Jason W. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the dynamics of student engagement and motivation in middle school students. The action research method involves collecting quantitative data through a student survey first and then explaining the quantitative results with in-depth qualitative data through interviews and focus groups. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, the motivation and engagement scale data will be collected from middle school students in the fifth through eighth grade of Regents School of Oxford to test the motivation and engagement of these students to assess whether intrinsic motivations relate to classroom student engagement. The second …

She Owns It: A Study Of White Women Landowners, Hannah Bullock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Southeast Missouri is home to some of the nation's most valuable farmland per acre on average. Just twenty-four percent of this agricultural land is in possession of female landowners. This study investigates the experiences of these female producers using Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping in order to understand their decision making process and the barriers that they are confronted with in their social field, as well as their relationship to capital, as women in agriculture. The findings of this study can serve as a needs assessment for this community and can be used to develop solutions that can help this community achieve …

Naloxone Accessibility Across Mississippi, Emily Gravlee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Objectives

Despite widespread standing orders allowing pharmacies to dispense naloxone under protocol or without a prescription, there is substantial variation in naloxone availability and cost geographically. This study geospatially assessed naloxone availability and cost across community pharmacies within Mississippi. Additionally, this study examined the association of county-level characteristics, including rurality, race, household income, overdose numbers, and percent uninsured, with naloxone availability. This study aims to inform health policymakers about effectiveness of current naloxone standing orders, and to guide potential interventions for improving naloxone accessibility at the community-level.

Methods

This study was a “mystery shopper” telephone census of naloxone availability and …

Going Green – The Relationship Between Medical Marijuana Policy Implementation And Opioid Prescribing Patterns, Tyler James Dunn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives

The objectives of this dissertation are: 1) To measure the prevalence of medical marijuana use in the U.S. and to identify predictors of medical marijuana use; 2) To measure opioid prescribing patterns among Medicare beneficiaries within states following the implementation of medical marijuana policies and to compare opioid prescribing patterns among Medicare beneficiaries residing within these states compared to individuals within states without medical marijuana policies in place; and 3) To determine if racial disparities exist in the effect of medical marijuana policy implementation on opioid prescribing patterns among Medicare beneficiaries.

Methods

A retrospective secondary database analysis was conducted …

Teacher Perceptions Of Practices Which Impact Job Satisfaction And Retention, Chiqueta Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifying teachers’ reasons for leaving the field of education and monitoring retention indicators to address and remedy the problem is critical for school leaders and policymakers in recruiting and retaining high-quality educators. Understanding teachers’ experiences and opinions can facilitate practices and protocols to increase retention. The study aimed to investigate perceptions of successful and departing teachers on school leadership practices, which impact teacher retention in rural public schools in Mississippi. By conducting a research study on teachers’ lived experiences, school leaders can explore options and construct recruitment, mentoring, and collaboration practices to encourage retention, which gives teachers a sense of …

The Impact Of Blended Classroom Pedagogy On Student Gpa In A Community College Stem Course, Sarah Mattox Holt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

America is facing a shortage of STEM workers and colleges must meet the demand by educating qualified graduates. However, attrition rates are high in STEM classes, particularly in minority groups. Blended learning has increased in popularity in higher education over recent years and has the potential to improve current teaching practices. Yet, limited research centers on the success of blended learning implemented in a community college STEM course. This quantitative research study (N=1264) was designed to evaluate student success in the blended learning environment versus traditional environment in an introductory community college biology course for science majors. The study indicated …

Using Adaptive-Choice Based Conjoint Analysis To Explore Attributes Important In Performance For Division 1 College Football Players, Michaela Marie Slatniske

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interdisciplinary teams are essential in the care of collegiate athletes. However, interdisciplinary teams may be composed of members who place utility in key athletic attributes differently. To better understand the differences in utilities various members place on athletic attributes, this study explored the relative importance of attributes in wide receivers (WR), and part-worth utilizes among levels of an attribute through an Adaptive Choice Based Conjoint (ACBC) study. Interdisciplinary team member involved in the care of college football players, including athletic trainers (ATs), ball coaches (BCs), strength and conditioning coaches (S&C), and sports dietitians (SN) were identified from 131 D1 collegiate …

Interval Delivery Of 5ht2a Agonists Using Multilayered Polymeric Films, Mehjabeen Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an urgent unmet medical need to develop therapeutic options for the ~50% of depression patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression, which is difficult to treat with existing psycho- and pharmaco-therapeutic options. Classical psychedelics, such as the 5HT2A agonists, have re-emerged as a treatment paradigm for depression. Recent clinical trials highlight the potential effectiveness of 5HT2A agonists to improve mood and psychotherapeutic growth in treatment-resistant depression patients, even in those who have failed a median of four previous medications in their lifetime. Moreover, microdosing could be a promising way to achieve long-term alleviation of depression symptoms without a hallucinogenic experience. …

The Impending Battle For The Soul Of Odr: Evolving Technologies And Ethical Factors Influencing The Field, Oladeji M. Tiamiyu

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Legal professionals and disputants are increasingly recognizing the value of online dispute resolution ("ODR"). While the coronavirus pandemic forced many to resolve disputes exclusively online, potentially resulting in long-term changed preferences for different stakeholders, the pre-pandemic trend has involved a dramatic increase in technological tools that can be used for resolving disputes, particularly with facilitative technologies, artificial intelligence, and blockchains. Though this has the added benefit of increasing optionality in the dispute resolution process, these novel technologies come with their own limitations and also raise challenging ethical considerations for how ODR should be designed and implemented. In considering whether the …

What Happens Before The First Mediation Session? An Empirical Study Of Pre-Session Communications, Roselle L. Wissler, Art Hinshaw

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Mediator, lawyer, and party preparation in advance of the first formal mediation session is widely seen as important for the effectiveness of the mediation. Communications between the mediator and the mediation participants before the first mediation session, along with the submission of case information and documents to the mediator, are two primary means of information exchange to aid preparation. Few studies have looked at what occurs during these early stages, despite their centrality to mediation. The present Article reports the findings of a study of more than 1,000 mediators in different mediation settings and dispute types across eight states that …

Ransomware Warfare: Exploring Global And Private Negotiations To Help U.S. Victims Respond To The Threat, Karina Nad

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

By weaponizing technology, now more than ever before, cybercriminals are transforming the cyberworld into their new hunting ground. Almost daily, news headlines alert us to a new malicious cyber threat or major data breach. The evolution of cybercrime has created a malicious online environment, or "malspace," that is now inhabited by hacker groups and espionage units from all over the world. As a global concern, the use of powerful online capabilities by hacker groups has led to the "militarization" of cyberspace. Closer to home, critical infrastructure, valuable personal data, and access to medical care has been compromised at alarming rates …

Conflicts With Religious Or Worldview Dimensions: Why They Matter And How To Engage Them, Michelle Lebaron, Maged Senbel

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Article discusses conflicts with religious or worldview dimensions, and why creative approaches are uniquely suited to intervening in them. Conflicts centered around identity, cosmology, and other aspects of worldviews need tools that reach beyond presenting logic and traditional conflict intervention approaches to parties' "grammars of being." "Grammars of being" refer to structural ideas and values below the surface of conscious awareness that influence beliefs, opinions, and actions, just as grammar organizes written or spoken language. Arts-based strategies are promising because they offer aesthetic, embodied pathways that are often missed in more traditional interventions. Case examples drawn from our and …

Twenty Yards From The End Zone: Adr, And The Potential For Greater Levels Of Gender Equality In Professional Sports Employment, Elan Kirshenbaum

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

This Note will highlight the specific instances of gender-based employment discrimination in professional sports and then consider how alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) provides the best avenue to address and correct these imbalances. In particular, this Note will analyze the benefits and drawbacks of ADR and litigation, while simultaneously applying this analysis to the discussion of the gender gap in professional sports employment. Part II will outline several examples of this discrimination, while also briefly detailing the general hiring and wage gaps that exist between men and women. In doing so, this section will examine the hiring practices of three of …

Religious Mediation As A Tool To Resolve Disputes Between Religious Universities And Their Lgbt Students, Isaac Altman

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Though the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) rights movement has made immense strides in recent years, there are many people who have been left behind in the sprint towards LGBT equality. Some of those are students or prospective students at religious schools, who can face discriminatory attitudes or be rejected outright by these institutions. While religiosity is generally associated with positive mental health outcomes, research shows that LGBT people who experience religious identity conflict are at significant risk of suicide. Religious institutions, for their part, are scrambling to adjust to the new reality in which their positions on LGBT …

Making Sex Work Safe: Using A Consensus-Based Approach To Create Meaningful Policy For Sex Workers, Alexandra Sandler

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Sex work has been described as the world's oldest profession, yet it has remained nearly unchanged in the U.S., largely due to the conflation between sex work and sex trafficking. The term "sex worker" refers to a person who willingly works in the industry to make a living. Sex trafficking, though, is a form of modern-day slavery, in which an individual performs commercial sex as a result of force, fraud, or coercion. The conflation of sex work and sex trafficking in the U.S. has resulted in oppressive policies that undermine the rights and safety of sex workers. With the exception …

The "End" Of Neutrality: Tumultuous Times Require A Deeper Value, Carol Pauli

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

American political talk has grown so fragmented and polarized that some observers say that "[w]e are no longer in any 'public conversation." Accusations of "fake news" are followed by disheartening discoveries that providing people with accurate information may only serve to further entrench their erroneous beliefs. One longtime journalism professor worries aloud that "what's at risk is the idea of a public that is even 'inform-able."' Putting the problem in terms familiar to mediation, can we get the parties back to the table? This essay will focus on journalists, whose ideal has been to maintain a neutral position from which …

Hospitality At The Center Of Dispute Resolution, Peter Block

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

My intent here is to amplify and give voice to the transformative importance of the work described in three of the Articles being published in this edition of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. The Articles discuss restorative answers to this culture's dominant narrative of retribution. Each of these social innovations represents a form of hospitality, which is akin to the welcoming of strangers. The Articles form a strategy, in alliance with the alternative dispute resolution movement and addressing the violence against the self and others, which forms the headlines of our daily news consumption.

Every Reasonable Chance Plus Two: How The Red Hook Community Justice Center Bridges The Gap Between The Community And The Justice System, Se Won Park

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

The following is excerpted from an article published by Fordham Law News:

Standing before Judge Calabrese is Sean Johnson (his name has been changed to protect his privacy). Over the years he has been in and out of Rikers Island and has been arrested multiple times, most recently for shoplifting.

Today, Johnson has come before Judge Calabrese not for arraignment or sentencing but to do his part to solve some of the problems that have kept him cycling in and out of prison. On this afternoon, he has tested drug-free after months of counseling and treatment.

"Mr. Johnson," Judge Calabrese …

From Conflict To Co-Creation Three Powerful Stories Of Transformational Change, Payton Silket, Cheryl L. Epps

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In our communities today, too often, the end goal of dialogue is to develop methods that allow people to coexist, but this is not enough. If left at that, our society will increasingly become more segmented and stratified, where groups of people are able to reside in the same vicinity but only interact when absolutely necessary or safe. This is no way to live, and, in fact, it is a recipe for polarization and the eventual death of dialogue.