Digital Commons Network^™

New Teachers’ Mentoring Expectations And Experiences: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study, Preston Maurice Blakely

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how the expectations of new teachers, about their mentoring program and their mentoring experiences can be used to improve the structural design and procedures of mentoring programs to better support new teachers. Socio-historical and sociocultural theories were used to guide the study and purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit five participants who were in the first years of teaching. Based on a rich set of data sources which included a pre-interview and a post- interview, the findings revealed that despite the existence of mentoring programs in the participants’ …

Individual Differences Matter: Examining The Relationship Between Transfer Students’ Identity And Social Presence In Online Learning, Le Quanda L. Boldin-Cole

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigates the relationship between transfer students’ perceptions of identity and their social presence within online learning environments, addressing a gap in research on this underexplored population. Drawing on Erikson's (1968) psychosocial development theory and Marcia's (1966) identity status model, the study explores how identity formation influences both the perception and manifestation of social presence in the online learning environment. A sequential explanatory design (Creswell & Poth, 2025) was employed, combining quantitative data from a web-based survey on identity status and social presence perceptions, followed by content analysis of students' discussion posts to examine social presence indicators. The findings …

Voices Of Leadership: The Perceptions And Lived Experiences Of Principals Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jeri Johnson

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in schools. The purpose of this research is to explore the phenomenon and lived experiences of principals as they led their schools during COVID-19. This qualitative research will explore how principals navigated the complexity of leadership to sustain academic achievement. Principals will share how the three levels of crisis, danger and opportunity created a pathway for principal actions of effectiveness. Additionally, this research explored how principals made sense of the crisis to promote community, collaboration and compassion. Principals were asked to describe their perceptions of leadership and to share their lived experiences from March …

A Cultural Pluralistic Reading On The Afro- And Chinese-Cuban Communities In Memorias De Una Cubanita Que Nació Con El Siglo (1964), Francisco Chen-López

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

This article deploys the cultural pluralism theory, which focuses on how minoritized groups integrate while preserving their cultural identities instead of assimilating into the dominant culture. In her memoir, Renée Méndez Capote describes how Black and Chinese people coexisted in twentieth-century Cuba while maintaining their own cultural identities and were in the process of integrating into the definition of the cubanidad. Via this theoretical framework, this research provides a different approach to studying the literary representation of Afro-Asian relationships in Cuba, aiming to contribute to the constantly growing field of Afro-Asian studies in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Futurismo Cósmico: Sonic Dislocation Under The Fifth Sun, Rodrigo Martínez Torres

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Futurismo Cósmico is a text in which I tune into the interstices of my sonic practice: popular musical styles, alternative tuning systems, and different, contrasting epochs of my experience as Mexicano and Latino. I discuss three projects of mine that engage with sound, time, and space in different ways. The journey concludes by looking at my practice in the context of a culturally dislocated space I inhabit, in my own psyche. However, understanding that I am a social being, this same practice is what provides a drive and a sense of purpose in an otherwise loosely articulated identity.

Towards The Signed Decomposition Of Young Quasisymmetric Schur Functions Into Dual Immaculate Quasisymmetric Functions, Gavin Butts, Joshua Hallam

Honors Thesis

We introduce a family of descent-preserving, sign-reversing involutions on encodings of standard immaculate tableaux which, in the two-row case, identifies pairs standard immaculate tableaux, leaving exactly those satisfying the conditions of standard Young composition tableaux fixed. Using this result, we derive the first explicit signed decomposition of the Young quasisymmetric Schur functions into dual immaculate quasisymmetric functions, confirming the conjectured decomposition, by Allen-Hallam-Mason, in the two-row setting. Along the way, considering the number of descent elements, we obtain counted refinements of standard immaculate tableaux and standard Young composition tableaux with shapes (n,n+1) and (n+1, …

Peripheral Neuroimmune Mechanisms Of Chronic Back Pain, Aleyah Esther Goins

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Chronic back pain (CBP) affects 1 in 10 people worldwide, reducing mobility, productivity, and quality of life. Despite its prevalence, non-addictive treatments remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of chronic pain mechanisms. This dissertation examines peripheral neuroimmune interactions in CBP using a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)-induced mouse model (uPA-CBP). uPA, a pro-inflammatory serine protease, was injected into the L2/L3 lumbar spinous ligament, inducing prolonged mechanical and cold hypersensitivity. Flow cytometry of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) showed increased CD45+CD11b+ myeloid cells in males and CD45+CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes in females. DRG neurons from male uPA-CBP mice exhibited heightened action potential firing. Pharmacological …

Cover And Contents

Turkish Journal of Botany

No abstract provided.

2025.05.15 - Academic/Student Affairs, Enrollment, And Technology Committee Meeting Minutes, Northeastern Illinois University Board Of Trustees

Board of Trustees - 2025

Meeting materials for the NEIU Board Trustees

Independent- May 15, 2025, Leslie Lozada

The Independent (1988-present)

No abstract provided.

St6galnac-I Regulates Tumor Cell Sialylation Via Nectin2/Muc5ac-Mediated Immunosuppression And Angiogenesis In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Muthamil Iniyan Appadurai, Sanjib Chaudhary, Ashu Shah, Gopalakrishnan Natarajan, Zahraa W. Alsafwani, Parvez Khan, Dhananjay D. Shinde, Subodh M. Lele, Lynette M. Smith, Mohd W. Nasser, Surinder K. Batra, Apar Kishor Ganti, Imayavaramban Lakshmanan

Journal Articles: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Glycosylation controls immune evasion, tumor progression, and metastasis. However, how tumor cell sialylation regulates immune evasion remains poorly characterized. ST6GalNAc-I, a sialyltransferase that conjugates sialic acid to the glycans in glycoproteins, was overexpressed in an aggressive-type KPA (KrasG12D/+ Trp53R172H/+ Ad-Cre) lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) model and patient samples. Proteomic and biochemical analysis indicated that ST6GalNAc-I mediated NECTIN2 sialylation in LUAD cells. ST6GalNAc-I-deficient tumor cells cocultured with T cells were more susceptible to T cell-mediated tumor cell killing, indicating a key role for NECTIN2 in T cell dysfunction. Mice injected with St6galnac-I-knockdown syngeneic cells showed reduced lung tumor incidence and Nectin2/Tigit-associated immunosuppression. …

Lower Limb Loss Related Physical Therapy Outcome Measures: A Scoping Review, Cassandra Evergreen, Harrison Hess, Ryan Orton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This scoping review aims to explore the use of performance-based outcome measures (PBOMs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in assessing the function of individuals with lower limb loss (LLL). The review identified common PBOMs, such as the 6- and 2-minute walk tests, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP), which evaluate mobility and overall physical function. PROMs, like the Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ), focus on the prosthetic experience, including comfort, satisfaction, and quality of life. Both PBOMs and PROMs assess patient function, yet with differing emphases; PBOMs primarily evaluate physical performance while PROMs capture broader health attributes, …

Specters Of Change: A Rhetorical And Qualitative Analysis Of Environmental Ghost Stories From Las Vegas Locals, Rachel J. Wuester

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis explores “environmental ghost stories,” a term created to represent narratives that blend emotions and memories of ecological loss to make sense of environmental change. This project utilizes a mixed-methods approach that blends narrative theory, environmental rhetoric, and qualitative interviews to examine the narratives of chronic and acute changes experienced by long-term residents of Las Vegas, Nevada. Participants (N = 15) were required to have resided in the Las Vegas valley for a minimum of twenty years in order to have had the opportunity to witness both chronic and acute changes to their environment. Using a phronetic iterative approach …

Prevalence Of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Stages In Us Adolescents And Relationship To Social Determinants Of Health, Carissa M. Baker-Smith, Abigail M. Gauen, Lucia C. Petito, Sadiya S. Khan, Norrina B. Allen

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease begin in youth. Knowledge of the prevalence of cardio-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome in adolescents and its risk factors is critical to understanding the cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk burden.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2017 to 2020 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data and determined the prevalence of each CKM stage in adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. We then assessed the relationship between the family income-to-poverty ratio, health insurance, routine health care access, food security, health behaviors, and CKM stage. We quantified associations between social factors, behaviors, …

Connecting With Our Creator: How Experiences In Nature Enable Closeness With God, Elsa Longhurst

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Experiences in nature allow individuals to connect with God powerfully. Many researchers have considered the benefits of nature (Fredrickson & Anderson, 1999; Louv, 2008; Unsworth et al., 2016), but few have studied the potential for nature to help individuals connect with Deity (Naor & Mayseless, 2020). The present study seeks to understand how nature can help people have a deeper connection to God, considering both vertical and horizontal spirituality (Krauss & Silver, 2021). Participants felt that spending time in nature strengthened their conviction that God is the creator of all things. Many participants shared that being outside allowed them to …

Assessment Of The 3-30-300 Standard In New London, Connecticut: Gis Analysis And Systematic Literature Review On Urban Tree Cover, Natalie Michele Reilly

Honors Scholar Theses

Cecil Konijnendijk’s 3-30-300 standard allows cities to monitor their current urban forestry conditions and progress toward improvement. The standard is met if individuals can see three trees from their home, have 30% canopy cover in their neighborhood, and are within 300 meters of a green space. I conducted a systematic review of relevant literature and an assessment of whether New London, Connecticut meets the standard. My goal was to evaluate the benefits of urban forestry standards, the feasibility of implementation, and whether cities tested adhered. The 30-component of the standard was the most difficult part to meet due to a …

Role Of Enhanced External Counterpulsation In Long Covid, Sachin A. Shah, Quy Phan, Joshua A. Radel

Pacific Faculty Work

No abstract provided.

Empowering Nurses, Enhancing Mobility: A Qi Initiative Using Plof And Clof To Promote Patient Ambulation, Kaela Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

The quality improvement project involves the intervention of implemented mobility educational flyers about the mobility tools, Clinician Reported Level of Function (CLOF) and Patient Reported Level of Function (PLOF) and aims to increase patient mobility post surgery. The quality improvement project was conducted in two medical surgical units in a San Francisco hospital. To address unmet mobility goals, during change of shift, in-services on the educational flyers about the mobility tools (CLOF and PLOF), were utilized to provide education about the importance of mobility, how to utilize the mobility tools, and correctly document ambulation. More than twenty flyers were posted …

Passive Envelope Retrofits As Climate Justice Infrastructure Against Extreme Heat: A Gis-Guided Approach For Outdated Single-Family Homes In Urban California, Mert Oztekin Mr.

Master's Projects and Capstones

I examined the opportunities to enhance equity in energy performance, climate resilience, and environmental adaptation through climate-resilient envelope retrofitting and spatially guided implementation strategies (via mappings of the Urban Heat Island -UHI- and socio-economic vulnerability indicators). Passive envelope retrofits of attic insulation; high-performance windows; cool roofs; and green roofs / walls, are examined across multiple climate zones of California' aged single-family housing stock, focusing on the Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). Through spatial analysis, strong overlap between Urban Heat Island(UHI) exposure; pre-1980 housing; socioeconomic disadvantage, and thus the need for spatially-directed action is underlined. The policy landscape analysis provides confirmation of the …

Shifting Us Strategies: Preventing China’S Continued Military Aggression Through Unrestricted Warfare Tactics Targeting Supply Chains, Andrew P. Downs

Master's Projects and Capstones

Strategic competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC) has developed into a complex multi-domain struggle encompassing military, economic, and trade aspects. This research demonstrated that the current U.S. deterrence strategy is mismatched in its ability to engage with the PRC and its use of asymmetric tactics. While the US continually depends on technological advantage through expensive platforms, the PRC is developing more subtle ways in which to subvert the US' ability to respond to an expanding China. While the US response has focused on conventional means, the PRC has adopted Unrestricted Warfare as a counter …

The Hidden Logic Behind Migration And Success, Elsa Russom

Master's Projects and Capstones

This research paper explores the hidden drivers of financial success among Eritrean migrants navigating uncertainty, displacement, and limited institutional access. Drawing on original survey data collected from diaspora communities across East African host countries, I apply a mixed-methods framework combining ordinal and binary logistic regression, random forest classification, bootstrapping, and Bayesian causal mediation; to identify the structural and cultural variables most predictive of financial stability. The findings reveal that participation in Ekub, a traditional rotating savings association, and engagement in communal support systems are the strongest predictors of financial success, outperforming conventional factors such as age, education, or employment status. …

Ethical Considerations In Lgbtqi+ Clinical Care, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

Much recent attention has focused on the emerging area of LGBTQI+ health care and evidence-based best practices for professionals providing physical and mental health services to clients from this community. Advocacy and politics have also received a great deal of press attention that might impact the delivery of much needed professional health care services. Issues related to non-binary, transgender, and gender affirming health care have received perhaps the most attention and can be polarizing in some communities with politicians and state legislators weighing in and micromanaging access to available treatment as well. Psychologists and other health care professionals must be …

2025 Revised Draft Final Unreclaimed Sites Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Targeting The Beiging Of Muscle-Associated Adipose Tissue To Promote Muscle Regeneration, Jacob C. Parson

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

The expansion of intra-muscular adipose tissue (IMAT) between myofibers and epi-muscular adipose tissue (EMAT) outside of the muscle boundary accompanies numerous pathologies including diabetes, muscular dystrophy, and aging. IMAT and EMAT are anatomically juxtaposed to myofibers. Some evidence supports that IMAT and EMAT impede muscle function. This is potentially due to paracrine factors that are secreted by IMAT/EMAT. Different adipose depots can be classified in numerous ways including where they are located anatomically as well as the factors in which they secrete. Unlike classical white fat, adipose depots classified as brown or beige, noted by the marker uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) …

Constructing The Soliton Wave Structure And Stability Analysis To Generalized Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff Equation Using Improved Simple Equation Method, Mina Fahim, Hamdy Mohamed Ahmed, Islam Samir Soliman, Mohamed Elsaid, Kamal Hassan Eldib

Basic Science Engineering

In this work, we investigated the (3+1)-dimensional generalized Calogero–Bogoyavlenskii–Schiff equation, which models long wave propagation in shallow water and plays a significant role in fluid mechanics and plasma physics. Using the improved simple equations method, we obtained various solutions, including dark, bright, and singular solitons, and combinations of singular periodic solutions and exponential rational solutions. Additionally, we performed a linear stability analysis to examine the stability properties of these wave solutions. To further illustrate their characteristics during propagation, we provided 3D and contour plots for some opted wave solutions.

The Argument For Lobbyists: How Lobbying Brings Policy Experts Back Into The System, Luke Cambra

Washington Semester Program

No abstract provided.

Quick And Easy Method For The Determination Of Cocaine And Six Metabolites In Postmortem Hair, Samantha C. Mulkeen

Student Theses

Hair testing is increasing in popularity in toxicology because of its long window of detection and ease of collection and sample storage. However, it has its limitations largely due to external contamination of drugs. In particular, cocaine (COC) is a common offender of this as it has several routes of consumption. Analyzing metabolites of COC may be the key to distinguishing between consumption and external contamination. The aim of the present study was to develop a quick, easy, and sensitive method for the detection and quantification of COC, benzoylecgonine (BE), norcocaine (NCOC), cocaethylene (CE), anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), meta-hydroxy-cocaine (m-OH-COC), …

The Jack Pine And Four Other Solo Piano Works Composed By Five Canadian Women In The Twenty-First Century, Huanwen Wang

Dissertations, 2020-current

This document aims to shine a light on five distinctive piano works by five twenty-first century Canadian women composers. The pieces are Minute Etudes (Book Two) (2002) by Emily Doolittle, From Wapta Ice (2003) by Diana McIntosh, The Jack Pine (2010) by Jocelyn Morlock, Smoke Darkened Sky (2021) by Kelly-Marie Murphy, and …our inner lives were entwined… embroidered with the same pattern... (2021) by Karen Sunabacka. The main objective of this document is to identify stylistic traits in the selected pieces, discuss the source of inspiration of each piece and illustrate how the musical elements reflect the source of …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding Athletic Training Preceptorships Through Measuring Situational Leadership, Jordan R. Dawson

Dissertations, 2020-current

Athletic Training preceptorships play a crucial role in student education as they heavily influence student learning and progression in the academic program (Mazerolle et al., 2015). The problem that arises from preceptorships is the inconsistencies athletic training students experience in leadership. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate athletic training student perceptions of situational leadership as it relates to student satisfaction with the development of a measurement tool. An exploratory mixed methods design composed of a qualitative phase one, pilot testing quantitative phase two, and quantitative phase three. The qualitative phase provided insightful perspectives on preceptor leadership from …

A Discussion Of Rodion Shchedrin’S Ten Piano Pieces, Op. 20, Wei Mo

Dissertations, 2020-current

Russian composer and pianist Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932) is considered one of the most successful contemporary Russian composers. He established his reputation at a young age. This document will discuss Shchedrin’s early musical style as reflected in his Ten Piano Pieces, Op. 20, a collection of ten pieces composed between 1952 and 1961. By analyzing the structure, harmony, and character of these pieces, this document aims to explore the commonalities among them and explore the distinctive appeal of Shchedrin's music.