Digital Commons Network^™

‘If They Laugh They Will Love The Learning’: Experiences Of The Use Of Humor By Adult Education Practitioners In Egypt And The United States, Mohamed Serry

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative research studied the experiences of adult education practitioners from Egypt and the United States with the usage of humor. The problem was that humor is a commonly used communication and education tool, yet it is not studied enough within adult education contexts. The sample included three participants from Egypt and three from the United States. All six had adult education experiences in different contexts, including educational interventions in nonprofits, manufacturing contexts, and corporate office settings. The study aimed to determine the positive and negative results of humor on adult learners, also the practitioners' needs for a better usage …

“I Like People… Who Are Like Me:” Attitudes Of Southern White Conservative Males On Diversity, Kevin Patrick Schell Jr.

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In America, racism, discrimination, and white supremacy are systemic. In the South, this is seen more prominently given its history of intolerance. Leading to diversity training being ineffective towards Southern white conservative men in society and at the workplace. This research study aims to understand Southern white conservative men’s attitudes toward diversity to inform diversity training practitioners on better training methods. It also sought entry points and a path forward in diversity training for this demographic. Focus group studies were done with four individuals in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Data was collected and analyzed. It was found that their …

Identifying And Transforming Sites Of Power In Collaborative Community-Based Research, Jessa Dickinson

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

For this dissertation, I analyzed collaboration practices and power structures within three community-based participatory research (CBPR) studies I conducted for my Ph.D. I ask: 1) How do dominant power structures, epistemologies, and narratives manifest in HCI research and praxis? 2) How can we structure research to support our community partners' goals while resisting dominating and extractive practices in academic research? To respond to these questions, I conducted member checking interviews with my collaborators and a duoethnography with my dissertation advisor, Dr. Sheena Erete, about our experiences in the studies as a Black female professor and a white female graduate student. …

All The Rage: Assessing The Age/Rage Signaling Pathway’S Effects On Healthspan And The Physiological Processes Of Aging, Brandon Ashmore

Honors Theses

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are protein, lipid, or nucleotide molecules that have been combined with sugars through nonenzymatic, irreversible glycation and oxidation reactions. Their accumulation in the body has been associated with the natural aging process and a wide range of pathologies, including chronic inflammation, sustained oxidative stress, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, and cancer. Their interaction with the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has been linked to several proinflammatory signaling pathways associated with neurotoxicity and vascular lesions. While some research has been done on the possible health benefits of RAGE inhibition to extend lifespan, our study hopes …

Five-Year Follow-Up Of Zuma-1 Supports The Curative Potential Of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel In Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Sattva S Neelapu, Caron A Jacobson, Armin Ghobadi, David B Miklos, Lazaros J Lekakis, Olalekan O Oluwole, Yi Lin, Ira Braunschweig, Brian T Hill, John M Timmerman, Abhinav Deol, Patrick M Reagan, Patrick Stiff, Ian W Flinn, Umar Farooq, Andre H Goy, Peter A Mcsweeney, Javier Munoz, Tanya Siddiqi, Julio C Chavez, Alex F Herrera, Nancy L Bartlett, Adrian A Bot, Rhine R Shen, Jinghui Dong, Kanwarjit Singh, Harry Miao, Jenny J Kim, Yan Zheng, Frederick L Locke

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In phase 2 of ZUMA-1, a single-arm, multicenter, registrational trial, axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy demonstrated durable responses at 2 years in patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Here, we assessed outcomes in ZUMA-1 after 5 years of follow-up. Eligible adults received lymphodepleting chemotherapy followed by axi-cel (2 × 106 cells per kg). Investigator-assessed response, survival, safety, and pharmacokinetics were assessed in patients who had received treatment. The objective response rate in these 101 patients was 83% (58% complete response rate); with a median follow-up of 63.1 months, responses were ongoing in 31% …

Causes And Consequences Of Lasr Mutant Selection In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Populations, Dallas L. Mould

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Change is the only constant in life, and these changes, though random in nature, can have consequences. Quorum sensing is heterogeneous in phenotype and prone to negative selection. In P. aeruginosa, the regulator LasR is frequently non-functional in phylogenetically diverse isolates. Through repeated experimental evolution and mathematical modeling, we show that differences in growth enable lasR mutant evolutionary success and this requires a system enabling metabolic choices, known as carbon catabolite repression (or catabolite repression). The differences in catabolite repression between wild type and lasR mutants enable altered metabolite preferences, and the resulting differences in metabolic states enable intraspecies …

Factors Affecting Initiation And Retention Of Medication-Assisted Recovery (Mar) Within A Pilot Pharmacist-Involved Practice Model At A Federally Qualified Healthcare Center (Fqhc) During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tiffany Nguyen, Thomas Craig Cheetham, Souhiela Fawaz, Richard Beuttler, Sharon Xavioer

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid-related overdose deaths increased. Although Medication-Assisted Treatment or Recovery (MAT or MAR) is available, initiation and retention rates vary. The goal of this study was to evaluate clinical, demographic, and Social Determinant of Health factors affecting MAR initiation, on-time initiation of medications, and successful retention in the program. The secondary goal was to evaluate the impact of a novel interprofessional practice model incorporating pharmacists. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using electronic health record data from a pilot MAR Program initiated within a California Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. Results: From September 2019 to August 2020, …

Generalized Langer Correction And The Exactness Of Wkb For All Conventional Potentials, Asim Gangopadhyaya, Jonathan Bougie, Constantin Rasinariu

Physics: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this paper we investigate the exactness of the WKB quantization condition for translationally shape invariant systems. In particular, using the formalism of supersymmetric quantum mechanics, we generalize the Langer correction and show that it generates the exact quantization condition for all conventional potentials. We also prove that this correction is related to the previously proven exactness of SWKB for these potentials.

Spartan Daily, May 11, 2023, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2023

Volume 160, Issue 43

Grief Reimagined: A Comparative Analysis Of Vergil's Aeneid And St. Augustine’S Confessions, Catherine Parker

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This essay intends to comparatively analyze Vergil’s Aeneid and Saint Augustine’s Confessions to examine the shifting perspectives of grief throughout the ancient Mediterranean as the official Roman religion transitioned from Roman Paganism to Christianity following the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Funerary customs and traditions presented in both the Aeneid and the Confessions provide one mode of insight to explain how expressions of grief evolved over time. The other direction offered in these primary texts includes depictions of the afterlife itself. Vergil and Saint Augustine both served as heralds of their respective eras—the Augustan and Christian eras—and can therefore …

Examining The Factors That Influence High School Teachers’ Implementation Of Professional Development, Ellen Gianakis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This quantitative study investigates the aspects of professional development that have the greatest impact on teachers’ perception of and implementation of professional learning. This study explores the extent to which release time and financial compensation influence teachers’ perceptions of the resources available to support their professional growth as well as the extent to which the format and focus of professional development impacts teachers’ perceptions of professional development relevancy. This archival study examines teacher-level data from the 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Data collected from 14,460 teachers across the nation was used for …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of An Antibiotic Time-Out For Transition Of Iv Vancomycin To Oral Linezolid In Hospitalized Patients, Mary S. Vogel, Jefferson Cua, Erika Dittmar, Kelsey N. Williams

All Publications

Background: Oral linezolid is a broad-spectrum oxazolidinone antibiotic that offers advantages compared to intravenous (IV) vancomycin including no requirement for therapeutic drug monitoring, no need for home health or peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line placement, and opportunities for earlier hospital discharge due to the ease of continuing therapy outpatient. A medication use evaluation investigated if opportunities existed for oral linezolid over IV vancomycin among a randomized cohort of 100 patients initiated on IV vancomycin. Reviewers identified 15 patients who were candidates for transition to oral linezolid and calculated a potential cost avoidance of $125 per day of antibiotic therapy. …

The Impact Of Sleep Quality Combined With Physical Activity On Autonomic Function (24-Hour Hrv) In College Students, Meghan Peterson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Long-term poor sleep quality is associated with health outcomes that can lead to autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Both cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity (PA) are associated with improvements in autonomic function and heart rate variability (HRV). Markers of fitness and sleep were explored to determine the degree of contribution to autonomic dysfunction. A total of 15 subjects, (age = 20.6±0.5; BMI = 23.9±1.0) completed 7 days of physical activity and sleep assessment via accelerometry. Participants then completed a graded exercise test to determine cardiorespiratory fitness (VO_2max), followed by a 24-H HRV measurement. HRV through LF:HF ratio was negatively …

Utility Of Including A Verification Stage When Vo2max Testing In Normobaric Hypoxia, Brittany Roenker

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the utility of including a verification stage when assessing maximum oxygen consumption (VO_2max) in normobaric hypoxia (i.e., simulated high altitude), compared to sea level. A secondary aim was to assess the efficacy of primary and secondary criteria (VO₂ plateau, RER, maximum heart rate) traditionally used to confirm the attainment of VO_2max during the graded exercise test (GXT), in both normoxia and hypoxia. Methods: Twenty male (n=15) and female (n=5) subjects completed two separate cycling VO_2max trials, each consisting of a traditional GXT and a verification stage, …

Impact Of Creatine Supplementation On Repeated Sprint Performance In Normobaric Hypoxia, Anthony Russomano

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of creatine supplementation (CrS) on repeated sprint performance in both normoxia and normobaric hypoxia (simulated altitude ~3,000 m). Methods: Nineteen recreationally trained cyclists were randomly assigned to one of two groups; one received six days of either CrS (n = 12; 0.3 g/kg of body mass of creatine monohydrate) and the other received six days of placebo (PLA; n = 7; 0.3 g/kg of maltodextrin). All subjects completed separate trials in normoxia (inspired O₂ = 20.93%) and hypoxia (O₂ = 15%) before and after the supplementation …

In Search For A Better South: President Johnson’S Elementary And Secondary Education Act Of 1965 In The Lone Star State, Kade L. Kahanek

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Education before the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was inconsistent with the need for quality education in the United States. Extreme poverty and racial issues existed in the South. Texas was no different. Part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society was to reform education across the United States while targeting poverty in the South. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is regarded as the largest education reform program in U.S. history. Its irreversible impact on school systems across the nation led to societal and educational changes—which set new standards for education.

This thesis analyzes the impact …

Effects Of Beetroot Juice Supplementation On Cycling Performance In Normoxic And Hypoxic Conditions, Averi Firari

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on physiological responses and cycling performance in recreationally trained (RT; VO_2max = 44 ± 7 ml/kg/min), and highly trained (HT; VO_2max = 66 ± 5 ml/kg/min) cyclists in both normoxic (NO; 20.9% FiO2) and hypoxic (HYP; 15.2% FiO2) conditions. Methods: 13 cyclists completed 4 exercise trials over the course of 4 weeks. For 3 days prior to each trial, subjects consumed 12.8 mmol of supplemental nitrates [from 140mL/d of concentrated beetroot juice (BRJ)] or placebo (PLA; 140mL/d de-nitrated beetroot juice). Subjects completed trials …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Nascent Scientists’ Understanding Of Communication And Identity, Mercy Oluwabukunmi Faleyimu

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Communication is a central bridge for societal applications of scientific discoveries. As such it is important to explore of how nascent scientists adopt attitudes toward communication and learn how to effectively communicate their science with non-scientific and scientific audiences. This qualitative thesis seeks to understand student scientists’ experiences of communication both among scientists and with external audiences, specifically focusing on how they understand communication as central to their work as scientists and explores their talk about communication as important to their disciplinary identities and belonging in their lives and work as student scientists. The study is centered on the socialization …

Working For The Benefit And Advancement Of Women: Three Women's Organizations That Commemorated The American Civil War, 1880-1920, Annette F. Guild

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In the past forty years, scholars and members of the public alike have obsessed over the complex legacy of the American Civil War (1861-1865). As debates over Confederate monuments and the United States’ racial past have frequently emerged in politics, many Americans have disagreed as to how the Civil War should be remembered. In examining the evolution of Civil War memory in American society, numerous scholars have noted the important role that women’s organizations played in influencing the Civil War’s collective memory in the fifty years following the conflict. However, while scholars have noted the significance of these organizations for …

From One Tired Black Student To Another: The Understanding Of Blackness In Non-Formal Spaces, Kenique Brown

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Black students all over the world are at a disadvantage. They are misunderstood and oppressed. Black students do not receive an adequate intentional education in traditional educational spaces. Non-formal educational spaces have been supportive to Black students since slavery. Non-formal spaces have provided a space for Black people to feel seen and learn in a safe space. In this phenomenological qualitative study, four female Black Zambian gap-year students within a non-formal educational space were interviewed individually to describe the impact of a non-formal space on their understanding of Blackness. Through individual, semi- structured interviews, and additional data from the researcher’s …

Evaluating The Temporal Location Of Feedback On Performance, Brooklin Davis

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two temporal locations of feedback on performance of behavior specific praise and behavior descriptions. Temporal locations of feedback include feedback provided right before a session and feedback provided right after a session with a delay before the next opportunity to respond. An adapted alternating treatments design with a multiple baseline across participants was used to compare the two feedback conditions when implemented with two independent but equivalent dependent measures. Prior to baseline, participants were provided instructions on child-directed interaction skills. During baseline, participants were provided no feedback on child-directed …

A Survey Of Secondary Music Educators Regarding The Perceived Impact Of Integrating Non-Ensemble General Music Activities Within Secondary-Level Performing Ensembles, Brandon Morris

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to survey Commonwealth of Virginia middle and high school music educators concerning the impact of integrating non-ensemble general music activities within secondary ensembles. Specifically, the questions focused on integrating guitar/piano, composition, and music technology into (non-jazz) performance ensembles, as identified through the lens of the NAfME Performing Strand. For the purposes of this study, non-ensemble general music courses were defined as courses that are traditionally not viewed as performance classes. Throughout this study, the integration of general music activities in secondary performance ensembles was examined through the lens of the NAfME Performing Strand.

The …

Living Between Two Worlds: Learning About High School Immigrant Students’ Experiences In The United States: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Xixellonje Nebihu

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This phenomenological qualitative research study examined the experiences of two immigrant high school students in terms of adaptation, integration, academic performance, and challenges they encountered in U.S. schools. These participants have been in the United States for three years and come from Jordan and Honduras. Semi-structured interviews and the researcher’s journal served as the study’s primary data sources. Two interview sessions were conducted with the participants at their school. The findings revealed that a variety of elements, including school support, such as counselors and the option to select courses, teacher support, and a diverse student body had a positive impact …

Constructing Memories Of The Civic-Military Dictatorship In La Plata, Argentina, 1976 To The Present, Anna Neubauer

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis examines how different organizations constructed memories of the civic-military dictatorship in Argentina. Although Spanish language literature on this topic is very rich, not much English language scholarship is present in the historiography. Using a local history approach and by analyzing primary sources such as newspapers, memoirs, flyers, and police archives, this thesis demonstrates how two groups: the Unión de Estudiantes Secundarios (High School Students Union, UES) and the Montoneros in the city of La Plata drew on the history of their fallen comrades during the civic-military dictatorship to fight for a better future in Argentina.

The Effect Of Training Status On Exercise Performance And Oxygen Uptake Responses To Beetroot Juice Supplementation In Cyclists, Haley Mcvannel

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: To determine if cardiovascular fitness, assessed by peak oxygen consumption (VO_2peak),influences the physiological and performance effects of beetroot juice (BRJ) supplementation and to explore if recent training habits independently influence this response. Methods: Thirteen male and female cyclists completed two graded exercise tests to assess cardiovascular fitness and four, seven-day experimental phases. Five subjects were classified as high fitness (VO_2peak: 65.9 ± 4.5 mL∙kg^-1∙min^-1) and eight as lower fitness (VO_2peak: 44.2 ± 7.0 mL∙kg^-1∙min^-1). Subjects consumed 140 ml of concentrated BRJ or placebo the last …

Understanding Context Dependent Responses To Climate Change In Arizona Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma Mavortium Nebulosum), Kentrell Richardson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Future emissions scenarios project climate change to increase average global temperatures by at least two ℃ in the next 50 years resulting in changes in local climate and causing increased variability within microclimates. Ectotherms are especially sensitive to climate change due to their dependence on environmental temperatures to regulate physiological functions. Changes in temperature are likely to impact thermally cued processes within amphibians and result in changes in variable magnitudes and directions within local populations.

Salamanders were placed in cups and partially submerged in a water bath and heated at a rate of ~0.27℃/ minute. Once salamanders were unable to …

American Vibe Check: Based, Mid, Or Cringe? Measuring Gen Z’S Attitudes And Perceptions About American Democracy, Bethany Perryman

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Democracy is a concept, process, and practice, and American democracy is a specific flavor of it. Public opinion is influenced and shaped by mass media, and messages about American democracy emerge in a web of powers and among power dynamics. These messages include the actions and relationships of the American civic system with its citizenry and the world. Generation Z is a socially, culturally, economically, and politically unique population in American life, who form their own perceptions and attitudes about American democracy based on their experiences and with the ecosystem of communication and interaction they have with mass media messages. …

The Effectiveness Of Using Behavior Specific Praise Versus General Praise For One Elementary-Aged Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Angie Slusar

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The purpose of this study was to look at the effectiveness of general praise (GP) versus behavior specific praise (BSP) on increasing on-task behavior and decreasing the behavior of hitting in an elementary-age child with autism spectrum disorder. The researcher conducted a single function functional analysis to confirm that hitting was maintained by access to adult attention. The researcher used an alternating treatment design to compare GP and BSP as behavior change interventions. The researcher observed an educator working one-on-one with an elementary-aged child with autism. In each condition, the educator gave the praise that corresponded with the condition, to …

Effects Of A Commercially Available Acoustic Vibration Device On Nasal Symptoms, Pulmonary Function, And Exercise Performance, Catherine M. Cavallaro

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the SinuSonic acoustic vibration device influenced nasal symptoms and function, expired nitric oxide (eNO), pulmonary function, and exercise responses and performance in active individuals. Methods: Sixteen recreational exercisers (age 34.5 ± 16.0 y: VO_2max 41.1 ± 6.5 mL/kg/min) completed two exercise trials, each consisting of a 10 min warm up followed by a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer. In a randomized, counterbalanced design, participants used a SinuSonic device (or sham device) for 5 min, followed by 5 min of rest, before undergoing the graded exercise test. Nasal …

The Sounds Of The Shore: An Afrofuturistic Double Record Performed Through Vernacular Technology, Collin Bright

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Predominately white institutions are socially exclusive hostile environments that uphold white heteronormative patriarchal systems (Harper, 2013; Holliday & Squires, 2021; Razzante, 2018). The everyday task of existing on campus is a struggle for students of color as they are asked to enter spaces/places that are not diverse, inclusive, equitable, or accepting. To address the oppressive and dismissive forces of campus, my thesis uses Afrofuturism to reimagine what it means to exist as a student of color at a PWI. Afrofuturism is a “counter-imaginative cultur[al]” aesthetic-based practice that uses creative postcolonial critiques to reimagine future possibilities (Asante & Pindi, 2020; Pirker …