Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Digital And Print Text Experiences Of Adolescent Readers, Melissa Brown

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Digital and print texts, as well as the efficiency of reader engagement with them, have long been of interest in scholarly literature. Most of the studies undertaken in this connection seek to compare reader comprehension of these two text media. But what are the lived experiences of reading digital versus print? And how do those who are still expected to be growing in their reading skills experience immersion and distraction in either medium? This study utilizes a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate high school students’ experiences of digital texts in order to examine how their experiences with digital texts differ …

A Different Kind Of Shot: The Covid-19 Vaccination Behavior Of College Students, Alexandra Maria Mccann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 and its mitigation through social distancing, masking, and preventative vaccination have impacted societies worldwide, leading to controversy regarding public health policy. This dissertation investigates the determinants of the vaccination behavior of 18-24-year-old college students in four-year public institutions in the United States, specifically concerning coronavirus. Of interest are reasons “why” or “why not” students would opt for or against the COVID-19 shot. Findings could aid in messaging public policy targeted toward a desired audience. Concepts related to policy, public health, beliefs, and their effects on the willingness to receive the coronavirus shot are explored. Prospect Theory – decision-making under …

Application Of A High-Resolution Climate Model Dataset To Assess Habitat Suitability For Spotted Wing Drosophila In Southwest Idaho, Elizabeth Padian

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

As global climate change continues to produce large deviations from the normals of the 19th and 20th centuries, the agricultural sector will need to adapt to these changes in order to maintain yields and feed the global population. Crop selections, yield amounts, and pest management techniques may need to be adjusted to adapt. The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a small fruit fly-like bug that can infest berries and stone fruit crops by burrowing into the fruit (at most points in the fruit’s lifecycle) and laying its eggs. These eggs will hatch and the larvae will burrow back out of …

Investigating The Petrogenesis Of The Naifeh And Plumeria Seamounts: Insights Into The Geochemical Diversity Of Seamounts Adjacent To The Hawaiian Seamount Chain, Geoffrey Montour

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Naifeh and Plumeria seamount clusters, which consist of 10 submarine volcanoes located ~220km north of the Northwest Hawaiian Ridge, were mapped and sampled by the E/V Nautilus expedition NA101 in 2018. The origin of these seamounts is unknown, but their unique orientation and location imply several possible mechanisms of formation. Four possible mechanisms of formation include: 1) off-axis upwelling of the Hawaiian mantle plume, 2) ancient arch volcanism, 3) intraplate extension and deformation, 4) hotspot volcanism. Investigating the origin of these seamount clusters will better constrain the composition of the underlying mantle, as well as the depth and extent …

Owed Work Ahead: Public Service Motivation, Corporate Social Responsibility, And The Deconstruction Of Davis-Bacon Noncompliance In Transportation Contracting, Jasmine Platt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Noncompliance with the Davis-Bacon Act (1931)—the accidental or intentional disregard of a federal prevailing wage law—is among the most unethical crimes committed against a business’s own workforce. With the threat of sanctions unpersuasive to preventing fraud, a more forbearing eye may be required to understand the understudied construction companies pressed to ‘serve two masters’ in public-private partnerships. This dissertation uses nested data from 26,903 highway and bridge construction- and construction-adjacent firms, funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and contracted by 28 state Departments of Transportation between 2010-2019, to answer the overall question: do firms that feel like government comply …

Using Nmr Chemical Shift Perturbations To Map Interactions Between Acyl-Acyl Carrier Proteins And Acyl Homoserine Lactone Synthases, Madison N. Rizzo

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A pandemic of antibiotic resistance is underway and affecting multiple industries, including veterinary, agricultural, and healthcare. High bacterial population density is a major form of defense for bacterial cells against drugs, contributes to antibiotic resistance, and is one of the requirements for the formation of biofilms. Quorum sensing is a form of cell-to-cell communication that both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria use to account for density behavior. When the population density of bacteria reaches a certain level (a “quorum”), there is an observed coordinated shift in gene expression that leads to optimized growth or virulence. Acyl carrier proteins (ACP) and the …

Interruptions And The Novice Emergency Nurse: A Focused Ethnography, Lisa Ann Winchester

Dissertations

The emergency department is a unique, unstudied, chaotic environment where novice emergency nurses are frequently interrupted. Novice emergency nurses’ impressions, values, beliefs, and attitudes attributed to interruptions were unknown. No prior research has explored the phenomenon of interruptions for the novice emergency nurse. A qualitative, focused ethnographic study was undertaken to understand novice emergency nurses’ impressions, values, beliefs, and attitudes about interruptions within the emergency department. Eleven nurses participated in semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis revealed three main themes (Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes) and 11 subthemes. Novice emergency nurses learn within a …

Bangkokscape: An Original Composition For Ensemble, Attakorn Sookjaeng

Dissertations

Bangkokscape is a piece in three movements for an ensemble comprising flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, alto saxophone, French horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, percussion, and double bass. The composition aims to suggest sceneries and senses of the capitol city of Thailand, Bangkok, inspired by the composer’s personal experience. The movements are titled: “Sacred” “Acronychal,” and “Awakening,” respectively. My compositional approach is the result of an exploration of the influence of Japanese aesthetics in contemporary classical music and elements of Thai traditional music. The concept of ma—a silent space, Buddhism, the influence of nature and culture, pentatonic collections, and polyphonic stratification are …

Characteristics Of Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Mentoring Relationship Practices In Secondary Education Settings: A Case Study, Bonnie Jeanne Palmer

Dissertations

The use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mentors in public school systems and other organizations has grown comparably with our economy’s increasing demand for STEM industry professionals. However, inspiring students to pursue STEM careers by using STEM industry professionals as mentors requires an understanding of effective mentor practices. Limited research exists that focuses on the mentoring practices students respond to as they make academic and career plans. The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify practices that promote STEM careers among youth. The study sought to answer the question, “What STEM mentor practices, behaviors, and roles …

An Eye-Tracking Investigation Of Consumer’S Real-Time Behaviors In Professional Minor League Hockey, Alicia B. Romano

Dissertations

Minor league hockey provides a unique setting to investigate consumers’ marketingcontrolled activities in a natural environment. Consumers’ visual attention to sponsorship information has been shown to influence their explicit memory of sponsor brands and their purchase intentions. The current research builds on the sponsorship information processing framework of previous scholars by examining consumers’ real-time behaviors to sponsorship information in a natural setting. To analyze consumers’ behaviors at minor league hockey sporting events, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 16 participants. The qualitative data related to the patterns and observations of consumers’ visual attention behaviors. The quantitative data measured consumers’ …

Considerations And Pedagogical Approaches For Transitioning From Soprano To Mezzo-Soprano, Caitlin Hammon Moore

Dissertations

Within the operatic and classical music realms, Fach is an identifier based on voice classification, as well as non-vocal factors such as acting style and physical appearance. For singers, stating one’s Fach is a way to advertise oneself for suitable operatic roles and concert solos. However, not all singers fit perfectly into a Fach, and some choose to switch between Fach categories over the course of their careers. Although such choices require careful consideration with the potential to impact a career, many have found success after transitioning to a lower Fach. While several studies have investigated singers transitioning to higher …

Effects Of Exercise Training On Objective Measures Of Sleep Quality And Markers Of Peripheral Circadian Rhythm In Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment, Luke Michael Krynski

Dissertations

Poor sleep quality is a common side effect among cancer survivors, which could lead to a decrease in quality of life and worsen a variety of clinical outcomes for cancer patients including risk of infection and cancer recurrence. The detrimental effects of poor sleep quality are correlated with a disruption in circadian rhythm, which is a vital component of essential physiological processes. Exercise could improve sleep quality and circadian rhythm in an apparently healthy population but evidence was lacking in the cancer population. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the effects of individualized, prescribed, supervised exercise on …

The Effects Of Puberty Blocking Treatment (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Agonist) On Physical Activity And Reproductive Health In Young Female Rats, Brandon Creed Jones

Dissertations

The number of adolescents identifying as transgender has been increasing with many transgender youth receiving treatment with a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) that suppresses sex hormone production (i.e., puberty blocker). Transgender individuals taking a GnRHa to block puberty have reported improved mental wellbeing, but the physiological impacts need to be examined. Purpose: To investigate the effects of puberty blocking treatment using GnRHa on physical activity, reproductive morphology, and reproductive function in young female rats. Methods: Four-week old female Sprague Dawley rats were given daily subcutaneous injections of the GnRHa triptorelin or saline as control. One group of rats was …

Elementary Principals’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of The Coronavirus Pandemic On Their Professional Identities, Melissa Gibson-Steiner

Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) triggered a pandemic, caused schools to close, and created a crisis for school leaders. They led during unprecedented times and negotiated an unfamiliar environment. School principals managed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their schools for nearly two years. As principals led through the pandemic, the question arose as to what influence this experience had on their professional identity. Scholars such as Burke and Stets (2009) identified that changes in professional identity are generally gradual over time. However, when a situation does not match how an individual identifies as a leader, …

Jardín De Anjelita: Utilizing Arts-Based Methods To Inform Interculturalization In The Third Space, Amanda Jeanne Bucher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to clarify characteristics of the intercultural classroom across three K-12 public-school sites. The relationship between intracultural conscientização and intercultural curriculum among multiracial educators was of particular interest to this study. Auto criticism methodology that housed arts-based methods was utilized in order to address the theoretical tension between multicultural absorption and post-colonial discourse of hybridity as it manifests in curriculum and ensuing classroom interaction operating as the third space. In this arts-based auto criticism, I explored the relationship between intracultural conscientização among four multiracial educators having one white parent and one parent of color and …

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Science Practices And Science Identity, Alaina Buchanan

Dissertations

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have become more commonly incorporated in laboratory courses in undergraduate education. Because CUREs incorporate research within the context of a course, the benefits of mentored research (self-efficacy, science identity, persistence, and more) are extended to each student enrolled. CUREs are designed with five key components: discovery, relevance, iteration, collaboration, and science practices. However, the term science practices is broad and includes a diversity of student activities which can make it difficult to compare student outcomes across different CUREs. The first part of this work reviews the components and specific science practices included in all CUREs …

Talking About Talking About Surrogacy, Michael Boucai

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Progressive State Constitutionalism, Jorge M. Farinacci-Fernós

Buffalo Law Review

Unlike the U.S. Constitution, many state constitutions are truly modern documents that address important social, economic, and political issues from a progressive perspective. This is due to the combination of several key features, including: socially oriented historical circumstances; democratic creation processes; significant substantive content guided by ideas of social justice; and adequate judicial enforcement that takes into account these crucial normative elements. As a result, these progressive state constitutions can become powerful allies in the search for a transformative constitutionalism in the United States that facilitates the goals of social justice and collective prosperity.

The constitutional processes in California (1880), …

Table Of Contents, Buffalo Law Review

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tort Reform & The Takings Clause, Bailey D. Barnes

Buffalo Law Review

The United States tort reform movement has capped noneconomic damage awards in many jurisdictions, thereby preventing the most injured plaintiffs from being fully compensated for their suffering. While litigants have asserted numerous state constitutional challenges to these tort recovery limits, with varying degrees of success, aggrieved plaintiffs have underutilized the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause. This Article advocates that judicial reduction of a jury’s noneconomic damage calculation after the court has informed the successful plaintiff of the full verdict is a regulatory taking in violation of the federal Takings Clause, as incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

A Takings …

Patriarchal Violence, Rona Kaufman

Buffalo Law Review

For over a century, feminist theorists and activists have sought equality for women. They have aimed their efforts at the many distinct and related causes of women’s inequality, among them gendered violence, sexual violence, domestic violence, and violence against women. Recognizing the need to understand problems in order to solve them, feminist theorists have devoted decades to conceptualizing various manifestations of such violence, ranging from private acts, such as sexual assault and intimate partner abuse, to public acts, such as the incarceration of mothers and the criminalization of pregnancy. In this article, I argue in favor of conceptualizing the many …

Frequency, Form, And Function Of Dyadic Questions In Children With Autism: A Childes Corpus Study, Rhiannon Luyster, Isabella Leiwant, Sudha Arunachalam

Emerson Authors, Researchers, & Creators

Children’s questions to their caregivers – and caregivers’ questions to their children – play an important role in child development. For children on the autism spectrum, who often experience cognitive, linguistic and social difficulties, prior research on questions has resulted in inconsistent and incomplete findings. The present study characterized the frequency, form, and function of queries posed by children on the autism spectrum (n = 12), non-spectrum peers (n =20), and parents using the Nadig ASD English Corpus in the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES). Results suggested that children on the autism spectrum and their caregivers produced fewer questions …

Ranking Highway Transportation Asset Criticality Through Stakeholder Input Using The Analytical Hierarchy Process (Ahp), Kwadwo Amankwah-Nkyi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The transportation system is especially vulnerable to natural and human-made disasters which can have effects on mobility, safety, and the economy. This thesis presents a method to rank transportation assets based on their criticality to the transportation system by uniquely gathering stakeholder input on criticality criteria weights. This serves as a typical first step in vulnerability and resilience assessments. Six criteria were used to estimate asset criticality: Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT), roadway classification, freight output, tourism output, Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI), and redundancy. Then, the criteria are combined via stakeholder input using a weighted ranking scheme called the Analytical …

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2023), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Join us for our First Friday writing retreat of the semester!
• Faculty Days 2023
• Publication Spotlight
• Reminders

Museum Of The Mechanical Eye: The Phenomenology Of Perception In Architecture, Isabel Sierra

Architecture Senior Theses

Since ancient tines, philosophers have tied knowledge to clear vision. Sight has been deemed the most important sense to mankind. Plato said vision was "humanity's greatest gift." It is human nature to make optical conclusions, to reify, to totalize, to control. What is seen is assumed to certain because of the uncontested and unexplored optical gray areas upheld by our rational and technological culture. We solidified our ocular-centric society by creating vision-generated understandings of knowledge, truth, and reality. Architecture, along with art and film, deals directly with human existence in space. Architecture is the construction of human perception.

The universe …

One Step At A Time: Duquesne University’S Tenth Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Brianna Marks, Maria Mlinarcik

Duquesne University Greenhouse Gas Inventories

The tenth greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory was conducted for fiscal year 2022 (FY22), which began on July 1, 2021, and ended on June 30, 2022. Assembled by graduate assistants Brianna Marks and Maria Mlinarcik at the Center for Environmental Research and Education (CERE), these findings were compared with those derived from the previous inventories to assess trends in Duquesne University’s GHG emissions. Furthermore, this inventory discusses options for reducing Duquesne’s carbon footprint in future years.

This inventory found that, compared to FY21, FY22 GHG emissions increased by 1.55%. FY21 experienced a 1.57% increase in total emissions when compared to …

The Witness Of The World, Katarina Hope Von Kühn Murray

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

Setting Tables: The Hope Of Communing Bodies In Theological Education, Ashley Vi Lynk

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

The Ethical Domain Of The Chalcedonian Christological Confession, Jesse Gerard Alker

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

Sin And Sign: Reading Disability In The Gospels, Helena L. Martin

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.