Digital Commons Network^™

Dimension Theory Of Conformal Iterated Function Systems, Sharon Sneha Spaulding

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is an expository investigation of the conformal iterated function system (CIFS) approach to fractals and their dimension theory. Conformal maps distort regions, subject to certain constraints, in a controlled way. Let $\mathcal{S} = (X, E, \{\phi_e\}_{e \in E})$ be an iterated function system where $X$ is a compact metric space, $E$ is a countable index set, and $\{\phi_e\}_{e \in E}$ is a family of injective and uniformly contracting maps. If the family of maps $\{\phi_e\}_{e \in E}$ is also conformal and satisfies the open set condition, then the distortion properties of conformal maps can be extended to the …

Punishment Vs. Rehabilitation: A Discourse On American Prison Reform & Comparative Analysis To Swedish Incarceration, Lauren Hipplewitz

Honors Scholar Theses

The infrastructure of the United States prison system continues to evolve through a series of policy changes and reforms. Throughout these developments, however, the institution continues to remain rooted in the philosophy of harsh penalization. This thesis incorporates a comparative analysis between the concept of perpetrator punishment within the American federal prison system to the concept of rehabilitative justice found in the Swedish system. I conceptualize the underlying “goals” of imprisonment within the United States and Sweden and examine how they serve as an operational foundation for both institutions. I analyze American prison reform that took place during the “War …

A Systemic Model To Augment Consulting Competencies For Success In A Remote And Multicultural Work Environment, Sagar Sharma

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to identify gaps in the consulting core competencies and challenges faced in remote and multicultural work environments. The survey research method was utilized to gather consultants' input on core competencies and challenges based on their experiences. This research was only applicable to those consultants who could perform their roles and responsibilities in a remote and multicultural work environment. Based on the research analysis, a core competency framework is shared to enhance consultant’s core competencies to make them successful. The shared framework can help understand some of the industry’s critical problems and provide valuable knowledge that will help …

Ai-Informed Approaches To Keyword Generation, Text Summarization, And Document Clustering For Improved Resource Discovery, Charlie Harper, Anne Kumer, Shelby Stuart, Evan Meszaros

Researchers, Instructors, & Staff Scholarship

Academic and cultural institutions are grappling with problems of how to organize, label, and search disparate bodies of texts. As aggregators, preservers, and disseminators of substantial repositories of digital texts, research libraries are naturally situated at the heart of these problems. This chapter explores how unsupervised machine learning may be used to capture and simplify the complexity and nuances of text. Traditional approaches to improving discoverability and accessibility of text through metadata and controlled vocabularies have time-tested strengths. As the volume of digital data explodes, the obstacles and limitations of traditional approaches become more pronounced, and machine learning “show(s) the …

Seasonal Trends In Adult Apparent Survival And Reproductive Trade-Offs Reveal Potential Constraints To Earlier Nesting In A Migratory Bird, Kathleen R. Callery, John A. Smallwood, Anjolene R. Hunt, Emilie R. Snyder, Julie A. Heath

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Birds aim to optimize resources for feeding young and self-maintenance by timing reproduction to coincide with peak food availability. When reproduction is mistimed, birds could incur costs that affect their survival. We studied whether nesting phenology correlated with the apparent survival of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) from two distinct populations and examined trends in clutch-initiation dates. We estimated apparent survival using multi-state mark-recapture models with nesting timing, nesting success, sex, age, and weather covariates. Nesting timing predicted the apparent survival of successful adults; however, the effect differed between populations. Early nesting kestrels had higher apparent survival than later nesters in …

2022-May-01-Etsus Online Mpa Program Provides Flexibility Networking Opportunities, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – For Katie Gouge, a 2020 University of Tennessee graduate, there were plenty of factors she considered when applying to graduate school. 

Ultimately, she chose East Tennessee State University’s Master of Public Administration program – a decision she is glad she made.  

“The program offers small class sizes and employs professionals from the field to instruct many of their classes,” said Gouge. “The program is also extremely affordable and offers financial resources to most of its students. I was also really able to tailor my classes around my work schedule.” 

Growing and increasingly marketable, ETSU’s online MPA …

Solving For Law Firm Inclusion: The Necessity Of Lawyer Well-Being, Katrina Lee

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Chances are, in a room of one hundred law firm partners in the United States, at most, one Black woman would be present. Statistically, if there were a Black, Latinx, or Asian woman in that room, she would be the only one. Women of color make up only 3.79 percent of all partners, counting equity and nonequity partners. The percentage of Black women among all partners has remained solidly under one percent—0.57 percent in 2009 and 0.80 percent in 2020. And so, women of color lawyers starting at law firms inevitably enter spaces that are overwhelmingly white and male—spaces where …

My Journey To Create A Space For Young Adults To Grow In Community, Chelsea Simmeth

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project focuses on the development of a safe space for young adults to come together, create community and engage in activities. There is a gap in college-age students’ ability to find community outside the university. This project focuses on creating a place where they would be able to meet new people, play sports, and board games, and do arts and crafts. The development of marketing strategies, event planning checklists, and locations for holding events are outlined for the Young Adults (YA)- UNITE (Upbeat, New, and Inviting Transformational Environment) program.

Adolescent Dating Violence: Attachment Style And Parents' Unhealthy Marital Relationship As Possible Predictors, Karli Spann

Psychological Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study tests whether insecure attachment style and parents’ modeling of unhealthy relationships predict adolescent dating violence (ADV) victimization. Also tested was the possible moderating role of secure attachment on the relation between parental modeling of unhealthy relationships and ADV victimization. It was hypothesized that insecure attachment and parental modeling of unhealthy relationships would individually be associated with increased ADV victimization, and secure attachment would attenuate the predicted positive association between parental modeling of unhealthy relationships and ADV victimization. Participants were adolescents (N = 152, M age = 15.61 years, SD = 1.086, 74.3% girls), who completed a survey …

Properties Of 25cr7ni Stainless Steel Fabricated Through Laser-Powder Bed Fusion., Arulselvan Arumugham Akilan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stainless steel is a low carbon high alloyed system with higher concentrations of Cr& Ni, which impart high corrosion resistance to them. Alloys with approximately 25% Cr & 7% Ni in their chemical composition are commercially referred to as ‘Super Duplex Stainless Steel’. They have a unique phase composition of approximately 50% ferrite & 50% austenite, yielding a robust combination of high mechanical strength & corrosion resistance. They find extensive interest & application in the fields which demand a longer service life under intense mechanical / corrosive environment such as offshore oil rigs & pipelines in nuclear power plants. Traditional …

Examining Adolescent Voices In Urban Montessorianism Within The Third Plane Of Development., Raymond Edward Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although there is a significant body of research surrounding Montessori education, little research has sought to capture the voices of adolescents, specifically high school students in urban settings (Dr. Montessori’s third plane of development) learning through the Montessori Method. Problem: Legislators, policy writers, district and school-level leaders mandate and implement reforms with minimal to no adolescent input. Further, adolescents are not part of the reform implementation process or identifying desired outcomes of said reform initiatives. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine adolescent’s perspective of their urban high school Montessori education, and their role in helping to develop …

Hiv And The African American Church: Millennial Faith Leader's Perspectives., Kelsey Leann Burton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are disproportionately impacted by HIV compared to other racial groups. Stigma surrounding HIV has created challenges for effective HIV prevention and stigma reduction programs. The African American church has been criticized for its slow and stigmatizing response to the HIV epidemic. Despite this, African American faith leaders play significant roles in guiding the perspective of the community. Numerous studies examine African American pastors’, faith leaders’, and ministers’ perspective about HIV and other HIV-related topics. However, there is no research that specifically examines young African American pastors’ perspectives of addressing HIV, stigma, and prevention. The purpose of this dissertation …

Findings And Understandings Of 'Home': An Ethnographic Study Of How Homeless People And Displaced Persons Negotiate The Word 'Home'., Abby F Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of various meanings of the word ‘home’ and how the word ‘home’ is used by homeless, evicted, and displaced persons, and by the researcher of the study, to negotiate boundaries and relations of power to achieve goals, both moral and material.Scholarly research on home in urban studies and sociology has produced many definitions and meanings of the word ‘home’ and concepts of home, but often neglects to consider the way the word itself is experienced, personally, by individuals and how to make sense of the way these personal experiences relate to official meanings of …

“I Think It's Male Privilege”: A Qualitative Study Of Personal, Behavioral, And Socio-Environmental Factors Influencing High Risk Sexual Behavior And Hiv Transmission Among Heterosexual Adult Males In Ghana., Nana Ama Aya Erzuah Bullock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are roughly 340,000 adults and children living with HIV. Despite the progress in the global response and the lowing of infections, HIV rates in Ghana remain stable. Cultural and societal norms that exist at a given time and place influence masculine socialization and behavior. These norms promote heterosexual men’s engagement in high-risk sexual behaviors which result in HIV infections. Factors such as HIV knowledge, risk perception, male condom use, HIV testing, and counseling which minimize the risk of HIV, are also influenced by these norms. Men have been identified as assets and advocates for behavior change and social responsibility …

As Above, So Below: Magical Poetics And Queer Alchemy & A Planetary Spell.., Robert Eric Shoemaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Words have power": no more obvious statement has perhaps ever been made in an essay. However, the nature of that power is quite complicated, with a long and contentious history. I think of poetry as magic. Poetry is magical in the sense that it has ineffable qualities to it that enable readers to experience new thoughts and feelings when experiencing poetry, but when I say magic I mean that I think of poetry as actual, practical magic. As I will argue, poetry has magical qualities to it regardless of who is weaving the words, while intentional use of a self-aware …

Sustainable Nanocatalysis In Water For C–C And C–N Cross-Couplings., Tharique Ahammed Ansari Nalakath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development and application of various micelle-enabled nanopalladium-catalyzed organic transformations are discussed in this dissertation. These methodologies primarily harness the “micellar effect” imparted by the custom-designed amphiphile PS-750-M. Modern spectroscopic and imaging techniques were employed to systematically study the metal-micelle interactions and answer the fundamental questions regarding the operational nature of micellar catalysis. Chapter 1 reviews the history and evolution of organic synthesis, providing a critical outlook regarding the alarming inefficiency of contemporary synthetic practices indicating an inevitable transition to more sustainable synthetic techniques. In this context, the development of micellar catalysis is discussed, emphasizing its basic principles, applications, and …

Structural And Functional Myocardial Adaptations To Task-Specific Epidural Stimulation In Chronic Spinal Cord Injury., Harley D. Ledbetter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality, and this is especially true in individuals with spinal cord injury. Decreased systemic blood pressure leads to cardiac deconditioning, thought to be related to the increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in this population. This study investigates effects of myocardial loading from epidural stimulation in a group of individuals with spinal cord injury to understand how changes in preload and afterload could lead to beneficial myocardial remodeling. The study conducted echocardiograms to describe the myocardial changes after training with two different types of epidural stimulation intervention: one designed to facilitate movement (Voluntary) and …

Black Ads Matter: An Analysis Of Black Representation In Advertising., Elyssa Quinn Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the summer of 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) became a rallying cry throughout the United States and the world. At that time, many individuals and organizations reflected on how they could better support the movement for equality, equity, and inclusion, but some of the results were ingenuine, perceived as virtue signaling or woke washing. In this thesis I explore the Black representation in advertising from three prominent car brands from both pre- and post-summer 2020. I analyze ads from Acura, Buick, and Lincoln to determine if they are synergistic and include multi-dimensional Black representation, criteria Burgess et al.’s (2020) …

A Content Analysis Of The Female Tiktok Influencer: How Smis Alter Their Image And Self-Presentation Based On Their Communities., Sydney R Dotson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influencer marketing is a growing industry on social media platforms, like TikTok. Influencers have the power and authority to control the purchases and habits of their audiences, however, the communities of these followers can be just as influential. According to TikTok For Business (2021), “part of the excitement of [TikTok] is derived from people having the power to choose the spaces they want to be part of, and the content they want to interact with.” The purpose of this study is to determine if social media influencers alter their image and self-presentation based on their community. The study examines the …

A Decade Of Car-Cyclist Collisions In Louisville: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis., Elizabeth Ferguson Greenwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis has considered factors of the built environment to discover if cay-cyclist collisions display any patterns that could be used to improve cycling safety. This thesis contains an introduction, a literature review, an overview of the study area and data, a description of the methods, results, and discussion and conclusion section. This thesis is significant because it has been the first study to consider cyclist volume as an explanatory variable of the spatiality of car-cyclist dependence for Louisville, Kentucky. Through descriptive and spatial statistics, trends in car-cyclists were identified. Collisions occur more frequently in the summer, during commute hours, …

A Mesonet-Based Analysis Of Severe Convective Winds In West Texas., Quint Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multiple studies have investigated the occurrence of severe convective-related winds and have increased our understanding of the forces driving severe winds and their spatial and temporal patterns. Data for these studies have come from airport stations maintained by the National Weather Service. Their standardization across the United States makes them ideal for research, but they are limited in their distribution. This study aims to create a similar climatology of severe surface level winds using a mesoscale network (“mesonet”). Like their ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) and AWOS (Automated Weather Observing System) counterparts, these stations are standardized and well maintained. This …

Automatic Testing Of Organic Strain Gauge Tactile Sensors., Brian P. Goulet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human-Robot Interaction is a developing field of science, that is posed to augment everything we do in life. Skin sensors that can detect touch, temperature, distance, and other physical interaction parameters at the human-robot interface are very important to enhancing the collaboration between humans and machines. As such, these sensors must be efficiently tested and characterized to give accurate feedback from the sensor to the robot. The objective of this work is to create a diversified software testing suite that removes as much human intervention as possible. The tests and methodology discussed here provide multiple realistic scenarios that the sensors …

The Effects Of Previous Traumatic Experiences On Learning Outcomes: Perceptions Of Black Men Who Are Attending Community College, Willie Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic underachievement among Black students, particularly Black male students, is a troubling trend that has long attracted scholarly attention. The prevailing consensus is that the shortcomings of some Black male students in academic achievement may be attributable to traumatic experiences arising from environments of violent, inner-city poverty that disproportionately affect Black men. Traumatic experiences have been shown to negatively affect Black men’s self-perception, emotions, self-image, and social and cognitive skills, with consequences in the form of measured shortfalls in retention and graduation rates. My qualitative, phenomenological study sought to explore how previous traumatic experiences of Black men affected their academic …

Positive And Negative Deviant Counties: Identification Of Factors Associated With Health Outcomes, Olivia Egen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural counties in the United States vary drastically on metrics related to socioeconomic status and dominant economic industry as well as health behaviors and outcomes. This study sought to understand the underlying structural reasons why some rural counties have better or worse than expected health outcomes using a positive deviance (PD) approach. The study aimed to: 1) create an area deprivation index and divide counties into quartiles using the index; 2) identify positive, negative, and non-deviant counties using health outcome metrics; 3) analyze differences between deviance on a variety of local public health system metrics; and 4) analyze differences between …

Examining The State Of Substance Use Treatment Among Youth And Adults In The United States, Esther Adejoke Adeniran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States (US), substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders are significant public health problems. Additionally, the difference between needing substance use treatment (SUT) and receiving treatment is becoming more pronounced. Therefore, the aims of this dissertation include, 1) to synthesize evidence of barriers and facilitators to integrating SUT into mainstream health care (MHC) after the Affordable Care Act was nationally implemented in 2014, 2) to examine the rate of treatment completion and dropout, along with its associated factors, among youth who received Medication-Assisted Opioid Therapy (MAT), 3) to determine the relationship between prior treatment episodes and length …

“The Mount Atlas Of Independence”: Forgotten Founder Roger Sherman, Kaitlyn Kenney

Masters Theses

Roger Sherman is perhaps the most important forgotten founder of the United States. Best known for creating the Connecticut compromise which reconciled the VA and NJ plans by having the House of Representatives be based on population and having each state have one vote in the Senate, he also was instrumental throughout the founding. He was the only man to sign and help draft every major founding document of the United States, one of a select group of self-taught founders and a man who served in practically every civil service position imaginable. Born in Massachusetts, Sherman would move to Connecticut …

A True American Citizen: The Intellectual History Of U.S. Indigenous Policy From 1890-1968, Ariel Kate Norris

Masters Theses

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Indigenous Americans witnessed a significant national change in both their political and social status. Despite the persisting belief that Native Americans belonged to a “race destined to fade into the inevitability of progress” and the ongoing categorization of Indigenous individuals as wards of the federal government, by the end of the 1900s, tribes across the nation were deemed to be sovereign entities and were allowed to determine the paths of their own people. This autonomy did not happen overnight, but instead was a direct result of pivotal legislative decisions; struggles such as the assimilation …

The Met Costume Institute: Evolution, Metamorphosis, And Cultural Phenomenon, Shelby Kanski

Research Papers by TMD Undergraduate Students

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is much more than just a stagnant collection of historic dress artifacts – it’s a living, breathing cultural entity that has served as a gateway into the history of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children. Unlike other museums that house these historic fashion items, the Met Costume Institute has evolved into a cultural phenomenon with its connection to Vogue, the Met Gala, and the thematic exhibitions that are displayed once or twice a year. By investigating the evolution and metamorphosis of the Met Costume Institute, this research aims to …

Down The Misinformation Rabbit Hole: Falling Or Jumping In?, Alex Siebenmorgen

Philosophy Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary goal of this paper is to determine in which cases, if any, an individual is culpable for adopting, expressing, or acting upon a misinformed belief. To determine this, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which individuals select beliefs and the biases or mistakes that lead them to adopt false ones. I will compare and evaluate the views of Neil Levy and Dan Kahan, who offer opposing viewpoints on the source of misinformed beliefs. I will also consider the attempts to model belief adoption and expression through signaling theory. Finally, I will propose a particular standard to …

Assessing The Role Of Biology Undergraduates' Metacognitive Calibration And Neural Activity During Model-Based Reasoning, Mei Grace Behrendt

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Metacognition refers to the critical awareness of or ability to monitor, regulate, control, and sequence of one's thoughts and performance. There is limited research that examines the relationship between metacognition and (a) academic performance and (b) general cognition among undergraduates. Moreover, there is an even greater paucity of literature that focuses more specifically on undergraduate biology students’ neural activity in relation to their metacognition.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between undergraduate life sciences students' metacognitive calibration, i.e., their capacity to self-evaluate their own performance, and their behavioral performance and brain activity during a biological error reasoning task. Thirty-four …