Digital Commons Network^™

Transformative Leadership: Possibilities And Contradictions In The Lives Of Four Early Childhood Directors, Sara Jill Wasserman

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the ideas of transformative leadership when applied to the context of early childhood education, creating opportunities and challenges for the directors who lead the schools. More specifically, to better understand how ECE directors, who were trying to be transformative, interpreted their experiences and constructed corresponding realities as leaders. Through a series of individual and group interviews, I tried to answer the guiding research question about how ECE directors, working in private, preschool settings, navigate the tensions between a neoliberal system of schooling and the practices of transformative leadership. While there …

Betrayal As A Moderator Of Covid-19 Exposure And Ptsd Symptoms, Karly Sara Weinreb

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been interest in understanding how individuals have fared regarding their mental health symptoms, such as symptoms of PTSD. Prior studies have established a link between COVID-19 and PTSD without considering how COVID-19 may relate to the four PTSD symptom clusters. Further, those who feel betrayed by either an individual or institution tend to have more severe PTSD (Martin et al., 2013). It is possible that individuals felt a level of both interpersonal and institutional betrayal towards other individuals or institutions for exposing them to environments in which there was a risk of …

Vulnerability Of Semantic Networks In Multiple Sclerosis: An Analysis Of Verbal Fluency Data, Sophia Lall

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Word finding difficulty is a frequently reported subjective cognitive concern among persons with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). Word-finding relies on several information retrieval processes, including search and retrieval from the conceptual store, the phonological store, the syllabary, as well as other stores of information. Neuropsychological assessments, including the semantic verbal fluency measure, can be used to measure word retrieval abilities. Despite this, the MS research literature shows that neuropsychological assessment of semantic verbal fluency yields mixed results in detecting word-finding difficulties. While some studies report finding statistically lower semantic fluency scores in pwMS relative to healthy controls (HC), others found no …

Ideal Expectations And Realities At Hbcus: Examining Counselors' Lgbt Competence, Dae'quawn Landrum

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

There is a dearth of literature about counselor training at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This quantitative study used a multiple regression to examine how graduates of counseling programs at HBCUs report their competence in working with LGBT clients and to what extent LGBT training, years of experience, and religiosity affect counselors' competence. The study consisted of 93 participants that graduated from counseling program sat HBCUs. The results revealed that each variable significantly affected various aspects of competence (knowledge, clinical preparedness, and attitudes). More specifically, counselors’ years of experience were positively associated with knowledge, LGBT training in master’s programs were …

The Nature Of Undergraduate Calculus I Students' Participation In The Parallel Spaces Of Coursework And Peer-Led, Cooperative, Inquiry-Oriented Complementary Instruction, Karmen T. Yu

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Calculus has long been known as a “gateway course” to STEM fields in postsecondary education. To moderate this gatekeeping effect, Montclair State University researchers developed a peer-led, inquiry-based instructional support (IBIS) to run parallel to Calculus classes. The design of the IBIS model was informed by an instructional approach called Complex Instruction (CI) and two other peer-led, cooperative learning models, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and Supplemental Instruction (SI). While the literature on peer-led models of cooperative learning confirms their effectiveness on undergraduate students’ academic outcomes in mathematics, this multiple-case study set out to address the following: What is the nature …

A Global Analysis Of Carbon And Nitrogen Stocks In Natural And Anthropogenic Soils, Shih-Chieh Chien

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In terrestrial biomes, soils possess the highest amount of carbon and nitrogen stocks that regulate biogeochemical processes and provide ecosystem services. The amount of carbon and nitrogen stored in soils, as a balance of nutrient influxes and outfluxes, is controlled by various environmental and soil factors, while at the same time soil carbon and nitrogen stocks can be subject to anthropogenic impacts, like nutrient storage in urban soils. To inform a better, general understanding of carbon and nitrogen distribution in urban soils, the present dissertation gathers four articles (from Chapters 2 to 5, respectively) addressing different aspects of the issue, …

Evaluation Of Heavy Metal Pollution, Water Quality, And The Effectiveness Of Remedial Sediment Dredging In The Lower Passaic River, New Jersey, Oluwafemi Soetan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Toxic metal pollution is a leading environmental concern for aquatic systems globally and remedial dredging has been widely employed to mitigate its harmful impacts. In terms of the short-term impacts of remedial dredging, mixed results are reported in several studies. Despite its immediate negative impacts including saturation of water with toxic metals, increased turbidity, and sediment resuspension, positive impacts can be recorded over a stabilization period of 6 – 24 months after dredging. Nevertheless, the sustainability of these recorded positive effects cannot be ascertained as some studies have reported long-term regression in remediated sites’ conditions. Evaluation of success determinants, site-measure …

Enacting Disability Studies In Education: Pedagogical Reasoning During Lessons About Disability, Ashley Pollitt

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In some U.S. states, student learning standards mandate that teachers engage students in lessons about disability, yet there is a notable lack of disability-related curricular content in P–12 schools. There remains a particular need for natural studies in the field to investigate how teachers do teach lessons about disability. In this qualitative research study, I applied a Disability Studies in Education (DSE) lens to lessons about disability in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classes. I examined the ways three ELA teachers of students with and without disabilities with expressed interest in DSE used pedagogical reasoning to make sense of and …

Camus In A Post-Covid World: A Bibliotherapeutic Approach To Coping With Crisis, Jessica Titterington

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This thesis examines the usage of absurdist literature, particularly a selection of works by Albert Camus, and their relevance to bibliotherapy. The three selected works are his novels The Plague and The Stranger, as well as his essay The Myth of Sisyphus. By analyzing these works through a psychoanalytic lens and with the consideration of generational theory, utilizing absurdist literature as an alternative “medicine” in times of crisis, especially in instances where immediate medical aid is not available, is shown to be beneficial. This thesis also uses the recent COVID-19 pandemic as a model for global crises and explores the …

Peritextual Elements In Chinese Nonfiction Picturebooks, Sunah Chung, Jongsun Wee, Sohyun Meacham

Faculty Publications

The present work is a comparison of the peritext typology found across various nonfiction picturebooks focusing on Chinese people, including Chinese Americans. Nineteen nonfiction books were chosen following selection methods described in previous literature. Books were individually analysed to see which of five categories they fit under, and insider/outsider status for each author and illustrator was recorded as well. All five types were found in the surveyed Chinese nonfiction picturebooks; however, none of the books encouraged readers to take action for social change. We also found slight variation in peritext usage between the insiders and outsiders for authors and illustrators. …

Stock Market Predictions With Machine Learning ., Daniel Bezerra Martellini

ICT

The focus of this project is developing a tool that can be used in conjunction with other methods to help an investor and/or financial analyst in making an informed decision when making an investment choice taking into consideration stock data.

The project has three main goals which are to try predicting buy and sell signals with the use of a classification model, and to predict the approximate value for next day’s closing price of a stock of our choice with the use of a regression model.

My last goal with this project is to create models easy to use and …

The Adultification Of African American Girls: Perceptions, Experiences, And Impact On Behavior, Sherie Sara Sam

All Dissertations

Adultification occurs when adults treat children like they are more mature than they are. This is particularly likely to happen to African American children (Pope, 2022). Adultification in homes is the result of deficits in the adult figures; however, adultification outside of the family, cemented with implicit biases, has negative consequences for young African American children (Cooke & Halberstadt, 2021). These biases can negatively impact their self-concept. Furthermore, it may jeopardize their health, education, experiences with discipline, and likelihood of contact with the justice system (Koch & Kozhumam, 2022).

This qualitative descriptive study utilized focus groups of primarily young adults …

Sexism, Religion, And Politics: An Examination Of Rape Myth Acceptance, Danielle E. Wetuski

All Dissertations

The literature is inconclusive about the relationship between religion, politics, sexism, rape myth acceptance, and the behavioral implications of the latter. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an understanding of the relationship between religion, political affiliation, sexism, and rape myth acceptance. The study utilized primary data collection through surveys of youth using MTurk. The survey involved the administration of the Faith Activities Scale, Moral Foundations Scale, Religious Fundamentalism Scale, Modern Sexism Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Scale, Gender Stereotypes Scale, and the Gender Inclusive Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling to indicate which political …

An Examination Of Risk Factors For Suicidality Among Adolescents In The United States, Kaviya Shankar

All Dissertations

Suicide is considered a significant public health issue, identified as the second leading cause of early mortality in the United States among adolescents (CDC, 2023). The National Institute of Mental Health (2023) defined it as “death induced by self-directed destructive behavior with intent to die” (p. 4). For youth aged 10-14 suicide increased by 36% from 2000 to 2021 in the United States. In recent decades, suicide among adolescents has increased despite estimates of stable or dropping suicide rates in developed countries. Every year, 703,000 youth worldwide commit suicide, and many more attempt (WHO, 2022).

This study used a nationally …

Are “10 Grams Of Protein” Better Than “Ten Grams Of Protein”? How Digits Versus Number Words Influence Consumer Judgments, Marisabel Romero, Adam W. Craig, Milica Mormann, Anand Kumar

Marketing & Supply Chain Faculty Publications

Numerical information can be communicated using different number formats, such as digits (“5”) or number words (“five”). For example, a battery product may claim to last for “5 hours” or “five hours.” And while these two formats are used interchangeably in the marketplace, it is not clear how they influence consumer judgments and behavior. Via six experimental studies, two online ad campaigns, and one large secondary dataset analysis, we find that digits, compared to number words, positively affect consumer behavior. We refer to this phenomenon as the number format effect. We further show that the number format effect occurs because …

Forage News [2024-05], University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Tribes, States, And Sovereigns’ Interest In Children, Emily J. Stolzenberg

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Land And Love For God: Agrarian Life In Benedictine Women’S Communities In The United States, Mother Maria Evangelista Fernandez Osb

Yale Divinity School Theses

Using qualitative research within the discipline of Practical theology, this study explores the agrarian practices of five Benedictine women’s communities in the United States: the Abbey of Regina Laudis, Our Lady of the Rock Priory, the Abbey of St. Walburga, Immaculate Heart of Mary Abbey, and the Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus. I focus on the interconnected nature of communal land cultivation and prayer while creating a conspectus of agrarian life for American Benedictine nuns in 2024. The paper unfolds in three parts: the first situates the research context and interpretive framework drawing on hermeneutic phenomenology within Practical theology. …

Topographies Of Desire: On Becoming The Other In Urban Crime Fiction, Nina Dies

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This thesis incorporates psychoanalysis in an exploration of the dynamics of body, identity, motion, and desire throughout urban crime fiction. Starting at the very origins of the genre with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Man of the Crowd” (1840), working its way to Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train (1950) and Megan Abbott’s contemporary Dare Me (2012), to finally culminating with the film Saltburn (2023). The examination of subjectless subjects within these texts reveal the ways in which homoeroticism coalesces against the sexualized modern landscape.

Client Treatment Preferences In Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy For Depression In Participants With Depressive Symptoms, Alyssa B. Oliva

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Research on psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT), a promising treatment option for major depression, has not revealed if potential clients show preferences about the demographic characteristics of providers comparable to those common in other forms of psychotherapy. Previous work suggests that honoring comparable client preferences can enhance therapeutic outcomes. This study aims to investigate the importance ratings for a same-gender and a same-race therapist in both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and PAT.

Wretched Refuse: Garbage And The Making Of New York City, Tina Peabody

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Wretched Refuse: The Making of New York City. is a social and economic history of waste management in New York City from the late nineteenth century through the 1990s. This dissertation uses waste management as a lens to examine the city’s social and economic life over the long twentieth century, and especially its class and racial hierarchies. Wretched Refuse argues that waste management was a critical part of New York City’s physical and economic growth over the course of the twentieth century. Sanitation was a public health problem that needed to be solved in order for New York to grow …

School Resource Officers: History, Efficacy, And Unintended Consequences, Alysha Gagnon May

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

There have been police and school partnerships in the United States for as long as public schools have existed, dating to the early- to mid-1800s. These partnerships have formalized as educational philosophies have changed, particularly in the context of school safety and discipline practices. In this dissertation, I explore the impact of implementing a School Resource Officer (SRO) program on school safety and I contribute to the national conversation about disparities in exclusionary discipline practices related to the presence of SROs. There have been several key turning points in these police and school partnerships, notably the Flint, Michigan, school liaison …

The (Dis)Obedience Politics Of Victorian Literature, Audrey Peterson-Mccann

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The (Dis)Obedience Politics of Victorian Literature argues that Victorian children learned thesocial valuation of themselves and others through the figure of the animal, and while this learning was often hegemonic, some Victorian authors subverted this form of didacticism, creating alternative pedagogies that extended subjecthood to those who were often excluded. While it is well-known that animals have historically been enlisted as teaching symbols, I contend that literary animals in Victorian fiction were used to critique, expose, and otherwise provide commentary and context for the potentially widespread disciplinary practice of childrearing as these practices defined and qualified subjectivity and objectivity. To …

Comprehensive Current Flow Modeling And Circuit Parameter Analysis For A Brushed Dc Motor Regenerative Braking System, Caleb Nathaniel Bondy

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The literature surrounding regenerative braking systems deals heavily with control system analysis and less to do with the electrical analysis of the circuitry itself. This thesis develops a step-by-step current flow model for a single-phase brushed DC motor regenerative braking system using the RL unit step-response equation as a starting point. This model and the equations derived from it will be analyzed to see what limitations arise from the circuitry on the overall performance of the system, such as non-ideal resistances, switching delays, and affects from current draw of accessory circuitry. The efficiency will be calculated in the context of …

Determining The Roles Of Whib-Like Transcription Factors In Mycobacterium Abscessus, Charity Lynn Mcmanaman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Mycobacterium abscessus is a non-tuberculous mycobacteria that causes lung infections or skin and soft tissue infections. M. abscessus is innately resistant to antibiotics, requiring a long multi-antibiotic treatment regimen, with a low 45% cure rate for lung infections. The WhiB-like transcription factors are limited to the actinomycete class, which includes Mycobacteria. These proteins regulate multiple cellular processes, including growth and division, responses to oxidative, nitrosative or pH stress, and antibiotic resistance. Our work describes three WhiB-like transcription factors: WhiB7, which regulates antibiotic resistance, WhiB2, with a role in cell division, and Mab1756, an unstudied regulator similar to WhiB2. We used …

Comparative Population Genomics Of Bloodstream-Derived Staphylococcus Aureus From Disparate Geographic Origins In The United States, Milan Pfister

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and an opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of diseases in humans, from minor skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening invasive diseases. The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) complicate treatment options, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality of patients. In this study, we compared the clonal lineages and genomic features of bloodstream-derived S. aureus populations from different locations. We leveraged 957 previously published genomes derived from bloodstream infections across six hospitals located in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, and New York, USA. We carried out pan-genome analysis, …

Development Of Selective Rna Aptamers For Kainate Receptors, Samantha Ingenito

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) play a major role in mediating the excitatoryfunctions in the central nervous system (CNS). iGluRs are ligand-gated ion channels that are activated when glutamate binds to the extracellular ligand binding domain, thereby leading to the opening of the ion channels. Three subtypes of iGluRs include kainate receptors, α-amino-3- hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors, and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Abnormal and dysregulation of these receptors have cytotoxic effects for neurons and have been implicated in various neurological diseases. For instance, elevated expression of a key AMPA receptor subunit has been linked to conditions such as ALS, where cytotoxic levels …

A Multi-Century Reconstruction Of Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, And Density From A Northern Red Sea Coral., Daliza Nanette Rivera-Matos

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Red Sea Outflow Water (RSOW), an intermediate water mass formed in the northern Red Sea, is a primary Red Sea water circulation process. Understanding these water circulation processes gives us an insight into this region's climate dynamics. The intermediate water formation is one of the main processes of the water circulation in the northern Red Sea and feeds the Indian Ocean with saltier and colder water. Despite understanding the RSWO's association with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), its historical response to this climate mode remains unclear. There has not been a long-term record to analyze the relationship between the …

Prop-Oriented Make-Believe In Metaphor And Morality, Jordan Ray Alexander Corner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

“Bill is such a bulldozer.” How does this metaphor mean what it does? How are we to understand how metaphors work with respect to meaning. In this work, there is an exploration of both of the answers that have already been given to these questions, as well as some reasons to think that those answers are insufficient. Importantly, Kendal Walton has put forward a prop-oriented make-believe account of meaning in metaphor. This account succeeds where others fail, though it is not without its own detractors. Elisabeth Camp and Catherine Wearing both object to Walton’s accounts and their objections require responses. …

Species Distribution And Logistic Regression Analysis Of Nosocomial Legionella Detection And Infection In New York State, 2017 – 2023, Roxann Brna

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Healthcare facilities are high-risk areas for legionellosis infections, as they have large, complex potable water systems ideal for Legionella proliferation, and they host susceptible populations. New York State regulation 10 NYCRR § 4-2: Protection Against Legionella in Healthcare Facilities was implemented in July 2016 to reduce healthcare-acquired legionellosis. This regulation mandated environmental surveillance of healthcare facilities’ potable water systems via culture. Data from these environmental reports were paired with data for cases of healthcare-acquired legionellosis infections for the years 2017-2023. Using these data, geographic Legionella species and serogroup distributions were described, and logistic regressions evaluated facility attributes associated with potable …