Digital Commons Network^™

Gender Diversity In U.S. Adolescents: An Exploration Of Multidimensional Survey Measures Of Gender And Their Associations With Health And Social Outcomes Using A National Sample Of Adolescent-Parent Dyads, Christopher Hansen

Dissertations

The measurement of gender is an evolving area of survey research. Extant research has assessed different approaches for measuring gender identity and expression among adults; however, comparatively less research has evaluated their use among adolescents who are developing their gender identity and expression. This dissertation uses data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. teens and their parents to evaluate multidimensional measures of gender in adolescents. Three research questions represent separate empirical chapters of the dissertation. The first research question examines the measurement of femininity and masculinity in adolescents based on a comparison of different survey scales. The second research …

Reconceiving Virtue: A Mengzian Adaptation Of Eudaimonic Virtue Ethics In Response To Contemporary Criticisms, Gina Elizabeth Lebkuecher

Dissertations

The primary question my dissertation aims to answer is: how might eudaimonic virtue ethics be reimagined to respond to contemporary criticisms from disability scholars, feminists, and empirical psychology? To answer this, I introduce the Eudaimonic View of Virtue, or EV, and propose a Mengzian adaptation of the EV (EV-M) in response to these criticisms. The EV captures the four core claims to which eudaimonic virtue ethical theories are committed: (i) virtues, in the sense of excellent character traits or dispositions, are the foundation of ethics or ethical action (i.e., aretaicism); (ii) virtue is at least partially constitutive of human well-being/flourishing …

Neurogenomics Of Competition And Parental Care In A Socially Polyandrous Shorebird, Tessa Mathur Patton

Master's Theses

Despite sharing largely similar genomes, females and males of the same species exhibit morphological, physiological, and behavioral differences. Sex-role reversal stems from a unique case of sexual selection in which females compete for mates and males conduct the majority of parental duties. We examined the extent to which aggression and parenting may be mediated by different neurogenomic mechanisms by comparing females versus males in the northern jacana (Jacana spinosa), a sex-role reversed shorebird. We hypothesized that sex differences in neural transcriptomic profiles explain sexual dimorphism in behavior. We conducted RNA-Seq in two brain regions within the social behavior network: the …

2024-06-20 Non-Tenure Track Ad Hoc Committee Report, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

A report from the Non-Tenure Track Ad Hoc Committee submitted to the Faculty Senate on June 20, 2024.

Loverboy Rules: A Transtheoretical Exploration Of Andy Bernard's Failed Masculinity, Jessie Marta Olstad

Master's Theses

NBC's U.S adaptation of The Office is one of the most well-known sitcoms to come out of modern television, surpassing its original British counterpart’s two seasons with its own nine. It is a representation, as well, of the time it aired (2005-2013), reflecting on the modern American workplace and the everyday person. Within it, The Office also reflected how society was constructed at the time with its humor surrounding gender, homosexuality, and race – as a tolerant but not welcoming atmosphere to people who were not white, heterosexual, men. More specifically, The Office presents multiple adaptations of masculinity to teach …

Effects Of A 10-Week Footstrike Transition Programme On Tibial Stress Fracture Probability; A Randomized Controlled Intervention Using Finite Element And Probabilistic Modelling, Jonathan Sinclair, Paul J. Taylor

Baltic Journal of Health and Physical Activity

Introduction: The aim of this study was to undertake a randomized control trial examining the effects of a 10-week footstrike transition program on tibial stress fracture risk compared to control. Material and methods: Twenty habitual rearfoot strike runners were randomly assigned to either footstrike or control groups. The footstrike group undertook a graduated 10-week program which allowed them to convert their habitual rearfoot strike pattern, whereas the control group maintained their normal training regime without any alterations to their strike pattern. Running biomechanics were collected using an eight-camera motion capture system, and ground reaction forces using a force plate. Tibial …

Towards Automating The Nautical Chart Generalization Workflow, Tamer Nada, Christos Kastrisios, Brian Calder, Christie Ence, Craig Greene, Amber Bethell

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Current nautical chart generalization methods are notably labor intensive, requiring significant levels of human intervention to compile, update, and maintain chart products. The ideal situation would be a fully automated solution for generating nautical charts seamlessly from a comprehensive database, on demand, at the appropriate scale, at the point of use, and respecting the product constraints. However, regardless of the various research efforts and advancements in technology, including those involving AI, nautical chart generalization tasks are still performed manually, or semi-manually, where a likelihood of human error is expected. This manuscript presents a research effort toward automated chart compilation through …

Why Expanding Access To Algebra Is A Matter Of Civil Rights, Liza Bondurant

CoE Publications

No abstract provided.

Robot Lawyers Don’T Have Disciplinary Hearings—Real Lawyers Do: The Ethical Risks And Responses In Using Generative Artificial Intelligence, Hon. John G. Browning

Georgia State University Law Review

In the summer of 2023, the misuse of ChatGPT by two New York attorneys who filed briefs citing fabricated cases made national headlines. This cautionary tale quickly had company, as incidents of other lawyers whose use of artificial intelligence (AI) went horribly wrong filtered in from around the country, including incidents in Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and California. But it was not just errant legal research that was to blame: the cases involved everything from a faulty criminal habeas brief to flawed, mass-generated eviction pleadings by a landlord’s law firm to a high-profile white collar criminal case, in which the convicted …

Changes In Colonial Perspectives On Native Americans And Native-Christian Hybridity, Thomas Kelly Hassani

Masters Theses

The American West of the late nineteenth century is too often exhibited by scholars who study it from the point of view of the westward expansion of European settlers on to Native land. However, the nuance of this short period should be examined with careful consideration. With westward expansion came the proselytization of Christianity to the Native populations who retained their own religious ideology. Historians and anthropologists have studied extensively the viewpoints of Christians and practitioners of Native faiths on topics of faith, prayer, and spirituality. However, similar examinations have yet to examine the more accepting and permissive attitudes that …

Ai Diversity And The Future Of “Fair” Legal Ai, Rachel Beithon, Jonathan Germann

Georgia State University Law Review

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative moment for the legal profession. This Article examines the increasing likelihood of AI reshaping the legal practice, highlights the critical issue of bias, and describes how a multisystem approach to AI can assist in mitigating issues of bias and ultimate fairness. This issue is especially crucial when incorporating AI in automating judicial decision-making. An open, multisystem approach serves as a strategy in mitigating potential biases embedded in AI systems. This Article posits that the thoughtful integration of AI, underpinned by a commitment to diversified systems, will ultimately lead to more …

Bridging The Gap To Every American: How A National Regulatory Sandbox Can Prompt Radical Collaboration To Adopt Legal Artificial Intelligence Tools, Samuel Hoy Brown Vii

Georgia State University Law Review

The United States of America is at a crossroads. The foundational promises of the American dream—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—have been thrust into public pessimism as the nation’s most economically vulnerable populations find themselves outsiders in their own communities, unable to access the legal tools and services required to resolve even the most rudimentary of legal disputes. In the wake of groundbreaking studies by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System and the American Bar Association’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services, the need for alternative legal service providers is more prevalent than ever. …

A(I)Ccess To Justice: How Ai And Ethics Opinions Approving Limited Scope Representation Support Legal Market Consolidation, Hon. C. Scott Maravilla

Georgia State University Law Review

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing our society and bringing the legal profession with it. The use of Generative AI (GenAI) in legal proceedings has received negative publicity from high profile mishaps in court filings. In one case, attorneys used the publicly available online GenAI tool, ChatGPT, to write a legal brief in which ChatGPT proceeded to make up its own citations. Following this, among other instances of the misuse of GenAI, courts have begun to require disclosures and limit the use of GenAI technology. These prohibitions, however, are the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of the appropriate use of GenAI …

Optical Imaging To Investigate Neurovascular Injury, Repair, And Disease, Ryan Michael Bowen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Local neural circuitry and global neural networks in the brain are often investigated using mesoscopic, hemodynamic imaging such as optical intrinsic signal (OIS) imaging or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), relying on oximetric signals as proxies of neural activity. However, the tight neurovascular coupling that ties regional changes in blood flow to changes in neural activity in normal states can be severely disrupted in disease states. I show that neurovascular coupling is significantly interrupted in mouse models of Cantu syndrome, a rare disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Such marked disruptions in neurovascular coupling in disease …

Advancing Adversarial Audio: Human-In-The-Loop Black-Box Attacks, Rui Duan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adversarial audio attacks pose significant security challenges to real-world audio applications. Attackers may manipulate speech to impersonate a speaker, gaining access to smart devices like Amazon Echo. In audio applications, there are two key areas: music and speech. In music, most attackers create a small noise-like perturbation on the original signal to evade copyright detection. However, this method degrades music's perceived quality for human listeners. In the speech, creating an adversarial example often requires many queries to the target model, a process too cumbersome for practical use in real-world scenarios, like interacting with smart devices numerous times.

In this dissertation, …

A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Analysis Of Cross-Race/Cross-Ethnic Academic Advising First-Generation Latina/O Students Attending A Predominantly White Institution, Aisha A. Alvarez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of first-generation Latina/o students with non-Latina/o academic advisors at a Predominantly White Institution, Pink Ivy University. It is important to identify policies and practices for academic advising that can strengthen the relationship between first-generation Latina/o students and non-Latina/o academic advisors. Miller’s relational-cultural theory (RCT) guided this study. RCT was used to shape the sub-research questions and was used to frame the data analysis. First-generation Latina/o students over 18 who have completed at least one full year at the selected PWI and have used the services of their non-Latina/o …

Voices Unveiled: Exploring Americans' Perspectives On Social Media Censorship And Advocacy For Reform Through A Qualitative Lens, Vail Forbeck

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study explored social media users’ perceived experience of censorship on social media communication platforms to better understand the effects of censorship on users. The study relied on a qualitative questionnaire with open-ended questions to collect initial data from 115 participants in the United States. Of the questionnaire respondents, 12 participated in an in-depth interview. The questionnaires and interview answers gathered information about users’ perceived experiences of censorship on social media platforms to determine whether there is a need for changes in current social media practices and policies. The study found that Black males between the ages of 25 …

Evangelicals As Zionists And Peacemakers In Arab And Israeli Peacemaking Through Track Ii Diplomacy, Johnnie Moore

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study contributes to the literature at the intersection of religion and foreign policy by focusing on one of the modern era's most protracted and relevant foreign policy issues (the conflict between Israelis and Arabs), the influence of one of America’s most powerful religious constituencies (evangelicals), and one of the most widely used tools of non- governmental diplomacy (Track II diplomacy). It provides original research related to the relevancy of Track II diplomacy by evangelicals, specifically pro-Israel or “Zionist” evangelicals, in Israeli and Arab peacemaking. The study analyzes three relevant case studies to answer the research question: “How are …

Trust And Its Implications For Trauma, Casidhe C. Daniels

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Trust presents as a complex and frequently misunderstood building block. While people often demonstrate an inherent belief that trust is naturally engrained in others, adverse life events and traumatic experiences can alter a person’s level of trust. Trust has the ability to change and become redefined. This can occur in a negative manner when trauma is incurred. While the individual’s is often innocent because of the challenges they have experiences, successes, failures, and traumatic events develop an ability to trust others and to what degree they face the lingering implications and diagnoses result.

Examining How Sexual Trauma Has Affected Women In Their Education: Creating A Community Of Awareness In The Educational System, Tyeasia Dorsey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual Trauma can have debilitating effects on women’s lives. The goal of this study was to focus on one aspect: how sexual trauma affects women’s academic performance, whether continuing education, a decrease in grades and grade point average (GPA), or the continuation of further educational studies. The underlying rationale for the study was the lack of research on the topic, especially in rural communities. This research utilized a qualitative study approach by conducting semi-structured interviews. This study was conducted to examine the mental health components of sexual trauma in women: a lack of support versus having a supportive environment and …

Mass Incarceration: Racial Disparities Within The U.S. Criminal Justice System, Crystal Nichole Pugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The United States incarceration rate has remained steady at over two million people incarcerated within their criminal justice facilities. Among the U.S. criminal justice system incarcerated populations, African Americans are disproportionately represented contributing to its overwhelming numbers and overcrowded facilities nationwide. Studies have shown racial disparities experienced within the correctional system have been credited as a direct result of decision-making at various points throughout the criminal justice process. Previous and even current research on racial disparities within the criminal justice system have attributed much of its data to disproportionate minority contacts in the juvenile population and a heavy police presence …

Effect Of Incarceration On Prisoners Diagnosed With Mental Health Conditions: Trauma, Treatment, And Transitioning, Ingria S. Haywood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A mental illness is a medical disorder that affects a person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions. It also has an impact on social and cognitive functions. Misuse of substances, biological factors, or abuse, whether as a victim or a bystander to repeated abuse, are all variables that contribute to mental illness. The prevalence of mental illness among incarcerated prisoners is alarming, and it is nondiscriminatory in that it affects both men and women. Several variables contribute to inmates’ susceptibility to mental health problems. Anxiety disorders, depression as a mood disorder, dementia, and schizophrenia are examples of these. A diagnosis of mental …

Comparing The Academic Self-Efficacy Of English Language Learners Taking College Prep Esl, English Composition I, Or English Composition Ii Courses At A U.S. Community College: A Quantitative Causal-Comparative Study, Shada Aweina

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative, causal-comparative study investigated the academic self-efficacy of English language learner college students. The main objective was to determine whether there were differences in academic self-efficacy among English language learners enrolled in different English course levels: college prep ESL, college English composition I, and college English composition II. The study aimed to understand how confident English language learners feel about their abilities to perform various academic behaviors at different English course levels and how they perceive their ability to transfer and utilize language and academic skills within different levels of English courses. Using the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, data …

Pastoral Prose And Civic Engagement: Crafting The Call To The Public Square, Christopher Ian Thoma

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This thesis explores the relationship between creative writing techniques employed by pastors and congregational engagement in the public square. The central thesis posits that if pastors incorporate creative writing methods in extended weekly communications with congregants, then the necessary factors for engagement in the public square will be fostered, leading to attitudinal shifts demonstrated by increased congregational interest or participation in civil affairs. Through an extensive literature review, the thesis fairly examines historical and contemporary views of church and state, the Two Kingdoms doctrine, concepts relative to public square participation, Christianity’s waning cultural influence, communication science, developmental theory, literature familiarity, …

Plunging Children Into An Unconstitutional Purgatory: Why Texas Should Raise Its Standard Of Proof For Placing Children In Foster Care, Meagan Corser

Texas A&M Law Review

Texas currently allows Child Protective Services to remove children and place them in foster care for up to two years based only on probable cause of abuse or neglect. Removal itself is traumatic for children and foster care puts children at an unconstitutional risk of harm. Allowing courts to put children through the trauma of removal and foster care for years based only on probable cause departs substantially from the national norm for standards of proof, enables Texas to terminate parental rights at a high rate, and subjects children to a risk of harm for which the child welfare system …

Leveraging Integrated Rna Sequencing To Decipher Adrenomedullin's Protective Mechanisms In Experimental Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Subarna Palit, Amrit Kumar Shrestha, Shyam Thapa, Sandra L Grimm, Cristian Coarfa, Fabian Theis, Lukas M Simon, Binoy Shivanna

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease commonly affecting premature infants, with limited therapeutic options and increased long-term consequences. Adrenomedullin (Adm), a proangiogenic peptide hormone, has been found to protect rodents against experimental BPD. This study aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which Adm influences BPD pathogenesis using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced model of experimental BPD in mice. Bulk RNA sequencing of Adm-sufficient (wild-type or Adm+/+) and Adm-haplodeficient (Adm+/−) mice lungs, integrated with single-cell RNA sequencing data, revealed distinct gene expression patterns and cell type alterations associated with Adm deficiency …

Robots, Markets, And The Value Of Deal Lawyers, Heather Hughes

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

Emerging forms of automation using artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed ledgers are raising transformative questions for the practice of law. Deal lawyers are well-situated to understand the convergence of various modes of automation and their implications for their clients and the markets they facilitate. This Article contends that digesting threats and leveraging opportunities associated with new technologies calls for granular, context-specific assessment. It presents one instance of automation in one predominant market—the market for asset-backed securities (ABS)—by comparing securitization to a blockchain-based analog, tokenization. It considers how lawyers support the ABS market and how automation of lawyers’ functions could intersect …

Neuroecological Links Of The Exposome And One Health, Agustin Ibanez, Lucia Melloni, Paweł Świeboda, William Hynes, Burcin Ikiz, Rym Ayadi, Massamba Thioye, Consuelo Walss-Bass, Bahar Güntekin, Jyoti Mishra, Mohamed Salama, Sarah Dunlop, Claudia Duran-Aniotz, Harris A Eyre

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This NeuroView assesses the interplay among exposome, One Health, and brain capital in health and disease. Physical and social exposomes affect brain health, and green brain skills are required for environmental health strategies. Ibanez et al. address current gaps and strategies needed in research, policy, and technology, offering a road map for stakeholders.

Charter School Music Programs In The Southwest: Innovation Or Isomorphism, Joseph Justo Ulibarri

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The school choice movement is gaining popularity in the American education system, with supporters touting innovation and improvement in educational outcomes. Research on school choice efficacy—particularly comparisons between charter and traditional public schools (TPS)—is in its infancy. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare the incidence of nontraditional music courses in secondary charters and TPS in the Southwest. Secondly, the study utilized the Climate for Innovation Measure (CIM) to quantify teachers’ perceptions of organizational innovation. This research collected a randomized sample (N = 30) of secondary charter school music teachers (n = 15) and TPS music teachers (n …

Exploring Chaplains’ Lived Experience Concerning Mental Health Stigma And Suicidal Thoughts In The Military Context, Eric T. Victorino

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The empirical inquiry at the heart of this qualitative phenomenological research revolves around the identification of mental health stigma and suicidal ideation within the military context. This study delves into the lived experiences of military chaplains as they interact with service members grappling with thoughts of suicide and dealing with the associated mental health stigma. By examining the viewpoints of United States Army chaplains, we aim to gain a deeper insight into the perceived mental health stigma and its consequences for service members who are contending with suicidal thoughts. Chaplains’ unique viewpoints will contribute to an enriched comprehension of mental …