Digital Commons Network^™

In The Cities, There Is Violence : Do Higher Levels Of Police Militarization Correlate With Police Use Of Lethal Force?, Brennan B. Sumner

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Police violence has become a pressing issue in the United States. The topic of police militarization, as a consequence, has entered the public consciousness, and its effects have become a topic of concern. This paper will examine whether there is a correlation between higher levels of police militarization and higher rates of police use of lethal force from multiple perspectives. This paper will utilize a mixed methods research approach, combining historical analysis, critical literature review, and data analysis from thirty American cities. This paper will also discuss the public policy implications of police militarization and offer critiques therein.

Effect Of Soil Conditions On Invasive Purple Loosestrife Compared To Native Species, Madeline Ruth Baum

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an invasive plant that has degraded many wetland habitats since its initial introduction to the United States in the early 19th century. To aid in managing purple loosestrife, it is important to study how purple loosestrife grows under variable environmental conditions compared to common native species, which can help managers understand which habitats are most at-risk of invasion. High or low salinity and pH are often barriers to plant growth, and the stress caused by these environmental conditions can cause plants to deplete their starch reserves. If native species are more negatively affected by stressful …

“Don’T Call Me A Crouton” : A Case Study On The Use Of Humor In Organizational Relationships On Twitter And Facebook, Hannah Grinberg

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

An organization using humor on social media can potentially engage in dialogue through participatory boundary-work that creates an in-group between themselves and their online user publics. The ability for an organization to use humor to form that in-group, where dialogic communication is achievable, is based on the organization’s ability to produce an instance of shared mirth with their online publics. The shared experience of mirth not only determines if the organization reaches shared meaning with their receiver publics, but also indicates who the humor is intended for, and who will be left out of the in-group created. To determine the …

Green Tea Polyphenols Egcg-S And P-Egcg Containing Formulations Effectively Inhibit Growth And Biofilm Formation Of Eskape Bacteria, Calvin William Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The field of medical microbiology has prospered for decades, finding treatments and cures for a multitude of bacterial infections. While success has been found in certain areas, challenges have arisen along the way. One of those challenges being the group of bacteria known as ESKAPE. The ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) have developed their multidrug resistance through adaptation to excessive drug use or prescription, unnecessary antimicrobial utilization, and substandard pharmaceuticals. They are the major cause of nosocomial infections throughout the world. With the ever-growing concern of antibiotic resistance in treating …

Evaluation Of Ranavirus Major Capsid Protein Gene Sequence Mutations In United States East Coast Frog And Tadpole Populations, Erin Marie Tyll

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Infectious disease is a leading cause of death in ectothermic taxa including amphibians, reptiles, and bony fish. Frog Virus 3 (FV3) Ranavirus is a prominent pathogen that infects frog and tadpole populations with lethal consequences, especially for pre-metamorphosed individuals. Wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) are particularly susceptible to FV3 infection and mortality events. Conservation of this animal is a critical effort for the maintenance of these ecologically significant animals. Amphibians contribute to the regulation of insect pest levels, energy transfer between aquatic and terrestrial habitats, algae community productivity and function, and vertebrate biomass. Understanding genetic variations of FV3 is crucial to …

Leadership Style On Shared Leadership And Team Performance Via Followership Style, Pasquale Alexander Tosto

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Recent work has demonstrated a strong link between shared leadership and team task performance. Despite these findings, there is still yet to emerge research on the degree to which leadership style on the part of a designated leader predicts the emergence of shared leadership in the established relationship between shared leadership and team performance. The present study aims to address this literature gap by manipulating leadership style in a teamwork study in order to observe the effect of directive versus participative leadership on the emergence of shared leadership, and its subsequent impact on team performance. Furthermore, the present study also …

Isolation And Analysis Of Single-Stranded Dna Aptamers For The Detection Of Ranavirus, Stephanie Zapata

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The current molecular diagnostic methods for detection of deadly pathogens within a population can be time consuming and expensive. When surveying a population for the presence of a disease, time is a valuable resource. Therefore, a rapid pathogen test to use in the field will allow for faster detection of disease that can lead to determining a course of action for conservation of a species. Ranavirus is a double-stranded DNA virus that can cause mass mortality events in amphibian, reptile and fish populations. The disease can have the potential to wipe out entire populations or species if not controlled, having …

The Impact Of Social Controls And Vaccination On The Spread Of Covid-19 In New Jersey, Ariel J. Bonneau

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 has led to a global pandemic (COVID-19) which continues to cause enormous public health and economic challenges around the world. It is therefore important to improve our understanding of the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 as well as to investigate how one might contain or stop the spread of COVID-19 via different control measures. In this thesis, we consider a COVID-19 model based on an SEIR compartmental model. The model includes susceptible, vaccinated, exposed, pre-symptomatic, symptomatic infectious, asymptomatic infectious, hospitalized, recovered, and deceased compartments, each of which is sub-divided into …

Modeling The Dynamics Of Excitable Cells, Asja Alić

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

We consider an electrical parallel conductance membrane model which is an extension of the classical Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal model of excitability. This extended model describes the formation of the resting membrane potential and conductance, and the formation of action potentials in nodose A-type excitable cells. The model consists of a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are numerically solved using the Python programming language. The results show that the model is capable of accurately describing experimental results including resting membrane potential and conductance, duration and form of action potentials, amplitude of the spike, oscillations, and activitydependent changes in [Ca^{2+ …}

Forecasting Electricity Load In New Jersey With Artificial Neural Networks, Erik W. Raab

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Load forecasting is an important tool for both the energy and environmental sectors. It has progressed hand-in-hand with machine learning innovation, where recurrent neural networks, a type of artificial neural network, is primarily used. This thesis compares progressively complex, feed-forward artificial neural networks using a mix of weather and temporal data. We demonstrate that electrical load in New Jersey can be reliably predicted using memory-less algorithms with minimal predictors drawn from preexisting public data sources. The methods used in this thesis could be used to build competitive load forecasting models in other states, and if included in diverse model ensembles, …

Development And Validation Of The Muslim Identity Socialization Scale (Miss), Mamona Butt

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Racial ethnic socialization (RES) practices are the messages youth receive on race, racism, and prejudice. This paper aimed to extend racial-ethnic socialization (RES) literature to Muslim American families to understand youth identity development. In Study One, focus groups (k = 3, n = 15) were conducted to understand common RES practices in Muslim young adults and create initial items for the scale. Thematic analyses revealed parents promoted their Muslim American youth to have other Muslim friends, however there was a consensus that parent did not prepare them for bias. Additionally, participants varied on cultural socialization and egalitarianism practices. Study two …

Community-Based Programs As Spaces For Critical Consciousness, Not Containment : Exploring The Perspectives Of Black Youth, Carrie Bergeson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Historically Black youth have been labeled as needing to be “saved” and “fixed” because they are “at-risk,” “broken,” and more likely to subscribe to deviant behavior. This deficit rhetoric frames community-based education programs (CBEPs) that serve Black youth as vital spaces that must prevent and save Black youth from subscribing to undesirable behaviors. Therefore, this study builds on the paucity of literature regarding CBEPs as spaces that view Black youth as valuable and worthy and encourage youth to critically examine the world around them, often withholding opportunities and resources. With critical consciousness (Freire, 1968) as the framework, this qualitative study …

Mediation Of Intergenerational Trauma Transmission By Family Variables In Children Of Rwandan Survivors Of The 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi, Jessica L. Bonumwezi

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Twenty-eight years after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, children of survivors are being increasingly documented to show increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes. However, no studies in Rwanda have empirically explored psychosocial factors underlying this intergenerational transmission of trauma. We investigated family factors that could underlie this transmission in 285 adult Rwandan children of survivors (mean age = 23.31; 50.2% female) who completed an online survey. We found that 42.2% of participants had clinically significant secondary PTSD symptoms and 37.8% had clinically significant symptoms of depression or anxiety. For participants with survivor mothers (n = 187), …

Good Science Teaching In An Urban Middle School Context : An Examination Of The Relationship Between Science Teachers And Their Students, William J. Brown

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Good science teaching within an urban middle school context was examined in this qualitative methods study. This research also examined what middle school science teachers prioritized in an urban science classroom and uncovered ways in which culturally responsive teaching showcased itself among inservice teachers. Good science teaching and culturally responsive teaching strategies have been investigated, but its impact on urban middle school science classrooms with marginalized students is where the research is minute.

The data from the study revealed that the following culturally responsive teaching strategies are prioritized to have an impact on marginalized students in urban middle school classrooms: …

Investigating The Collaboration Of Teachers Of Students With Disabilities And Teaching Assistants In The Classroom, Sa-Qwona S. Clark

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative dissertation study examined the complex dynamics and structures (i.e., people and/or explicit/implicit classroom-, school-, and district-wide behaviors and practices and school-wide structures) that influence collaboration between teachers of students with disabilities (TOSD) and teaching assistants (TAs). Specifically, I wanted to learn: (1) What are the complex dynamics (i.e., people and/or explicit/implicit classroom-, school-, and district-wide behaviors and practices and school-wide structures) that interact to influence collaboration between teachers and teaching assistants? (1a) What role does each participant stakeholder (i.e., teacher, teaching assistant, and principal) play in those complex dynamics? (1b) How do participants develop their understandings about the …

The Relationship Between Racial Microaggressions, Mental Health, And Academic Self- Efficacy In Black College Students : Is A Supportive Mentor Protective?, Devanté J. Cunningham

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Racial microaggressions are daily, often subtle, verbal, environmental, and behavioral slights and insults targeted at a person or their race. Racial microaggressions can have deleterious effects on the mental health and academic outcomes of Black college students. As research on this relationship increases, it is essential to assess factors that may moderate, or lessen, the impact of racial microaggressions. There is evidence that mentoring, a form of social support, may attune the adverse effects of racial microaggressions on mental health and academic outcomes. The current study explored the relationship between racial microaggressions and mental health and academic outcomes (social anxiety, …

Multiple Risk Factors For Schizotypy In A Non-Clinical Population : Exploring The Continuum Of Psychosis Two Years Later, Jill Del Pozzo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct that refers to a collection of cognitive and personality traits, impairments, and experiences thought to lie on a continuum for psychosis, which place an individual at increased risk for developing schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The expression of schizotypy varies along this continuum of psychosis (i.e., from healthy, to subclinical and prodromal symptomatology, to clinical and severe psychosis) and is dependent on several biopsychosocial factors and their interactions. Accordingly, it is important identify factors that correlate with higher levels of schizotypy over time, toward ascertaining knowledge about developmental pathways of risk and resilience for psychotic disorders. To …

Teacher Activism For Emergent Bilingual Learners : A Qualitative Study, Cyrene A. Crooms

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This qualitative dissertation study explored what informed the pedagogical moves of four teacher activists of emergent bilingual learners (EBLs). Quijano’s (2000) theory of coloniality of power served as a theoretical lens to examine the historical underpinnings of current education language legislation and policies impacting EBLs. There is a growing body of literature on teacher activism, but very few studies center teacher activism for linguistic justice. Picower’s (2012) framework for teacher activism was used to create data sources, which included interviews, artifacts, field visits, and personal communication. Data were analyzed using open and axial coding strategies. Findings were presented in four …

Telecommuting Antecedents And Outcomes Within A Turbulent Global Context : The Incremental Explanatory Utility Of Technostress And Role Strain, Renata Garcia Prieto Palacios Roji

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Due to a confluence of pre-existing trends, legislative action, and global health considerations, the nature of work arrangements is transitioning toward greater worker accommodation in the form of telecommuting. The current study focused on explaining telecommuter outcomes (job satisfaction, intent to quit, and general well-being) via retention of a general input-process-output (IPO) model. Within this framework the effects of role strain were explored as potential mediators of the relationships between telecommuting attitudes, networks of support, workload, and telecommuter outcomes. As an additional novel contribution, the presence and prevalence of technostressors was further specified as a potential moderator of these associations. …

Exploring Vowel Space Metrics And Quality Of Life Measures In Adolescents With Typical Speech, Residual Speech Sound Disorder, And Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, Michelle Turner Swartz

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a complex neurological speech sound disorder (SSD), involving impaired speech motor planning and programming. Speech characteristics of CAS include difficulty in sequencing motor speech movements in the absence of muscle weakness resulting in segmental (e.g., vowel/consonant distortions) and suprasegmental (e.g., inappropriate lexical stress) speech deficits. Acoustic analysis offers a robust objective diagnostic measurement of CAS for lexical stress and consonant accuracy/consistency. However, other reported CAS features, such as vowel errors and distortions, have yet to be extensively validated using acoustic analyses. This study will acoustically analyze vowel inconsistencies for corner vowels (/i, u, æ, …

For The Culture : Using Ethnographic Interviews To Describe The Attempts And Strategies Used By Black, First-Generation, Female, College Students To Combine Family, Community, And College Life, Fatimah Turner

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Using qualitative methodology, 10 Black, first-generation female college students were studied at Predominately White Institution in Northern New Jersey. The study examined how Black, female, first-generation college students combined the diverging aspects of their home and school lives and the strategies they used to do so. The theoretical perspectives used in this study were Black Feminist and Life Course Theory. Combining these theoretical perspectives revealed how Black women used agency and linked lives to navigate college and renegotiate family and societal expectations. Analysis of 10 individual ethnographic interviews highlighted two major themes and several sub-themes. The major themes were: 1) …

Black First-Generation Professionals : Leaders That You Never Heard Of Before, An Exploratory Study Of Lived Experiences, Duane A. Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Black First-Generation Professionals (BFPs) represent groups of individuals who were the first in their families to attend and complete a college degree; they are also first in their families to attain White-collar professional careers. This qualitative study sought to understand the lived experiences of BFPs in the workplace; complexities of upward mobility, identity development and family relationships were also explored. The success stories for all participants came at a cost, a burden, a toll, or some sacrifice for a greater good. Upward mobility in the Black community can be viewed from two opposing ends of a gains-loss spectrum. On one …

Reconsidering Professional Development Nnd Its Impact On Teacher Learning : An Examination Of Teacher Motivation In A Self-Directed Model Of Teacher Professional Development, Douglas M. Walker

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study is to understand teacher perceptions of a self-directed professional learning model named Go Time. I examined the factors that influenced teacher learning and motivation to sustain learning in this model. This study contributes to the research on teacher professional development by examining a model that is self-directed and rooted in reflective practice. The study utilized a basic qualitative design in which 10 participants from a single school district participated in two rounds of semi-structured interviews. The purpose of the data collection was to understand teacher’s prior perceptions of professional development and their more current perceptions …

Arsenic : Risk, Exposure, Policy And Management, Nadia Binte Jamil

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Arsenic (As) contamination in drinking water is a global concern. About 150 million people from 70 countries in the world are at risk to health hazards associated with As contamination. In this study, we compared four As mitigation approaches practiced in Bangladesh and their costs. Our results show that intervention that is associated with the lowest cost of exposure reduction is testing and switching ($3/person), followed by intermediate wells ($28/person), deep tube wells ($143/person), and piped water supply system ($158/person). We then prioritized affected villages to reduce exposure and facilitate mitigation using three criteria: weighted exposure (mean As concentration x …

Metaphor Detection In Poems In Misurata Arabic Sub-Dialect : An Lstm Model, Azza Abugharsa

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Arabic is witnessing an increasing interest in investigating different topics in the field. One of the topics that have drawn attention is the automatic processing of Arabic figurative language. The focus in previous projects is on detecting and interpreting metaphors in comments from social media as well as phrases and/or headlines from news articles. The current project focuses on metaphor detection in poems written in the Misurata Arabic sub-dialect spoken in Misurata, located in the North African region. The dataset is initially annotated by a group of linguists, and their annotation is treated as the …

Impact Of Family Expectations On The Marital Practices Of Haitian-American Couples, Kencia Mele

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper analyzes how family expectations from the Haitian culture manifest in the marriages of middle-aged Haitian-American couples. This study emphasizes that the evolution to biculturalism is a major factor in the adjustments of cultural expectations. Four middle-aged Haitian-American couples were interviewed via Zoom individually. They were asked to describe how they believed Haitian culture and family expectations influenced their family and marriage life. The results indicate that the middle-aged Haitian-American couples adhere to explicit and implicit family expectations set out by their families of origin; these expectations were influenced by Haitian culture. The major themes from the study were: …

The Lived Experiences Of Traditionally Aged College Women In Abusive Relationships, Kelly Gentry

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) has been well established in the literature, but most of the research is focused on the rates, risk factors, and consequences of IPV among adults (Hamby, 2014; Jennings et al., 2017). However, IPV is most common among women (ages 18-24), which is also the age of the traditionally aged college student. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 12 women who were abused by an intimate partner during their college years. The goal was to understand the unique experiences of college women who experience IPV; Hearing directly from survivors allows for capturing a …

A Study On Wind Farms In New Jersey : Life Cycle Assessment And Acceptance Of Wind Farms By The Tourists, Nawal Shoaib

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

New Jersey has taken steps to and aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. In order to achieve that a part of its Energy Master Plan focuses on building the wind energy sector. First part of this thesis presents a life cycle assessment on a hypothetical offshore wind farm 15 miles from the coast of New Jersey and compares the benefits of recycling the offshore wind farm at the end of its 20-year life cycle. The results indicated that 1) floating turbines cause less emissions than fixed turbines 2) recycling rotor will have a negative impact of 17% on the …

"Online Learning: Steps Taken, Lessons Learned", Matthew Strandmark

Library Presentations

This presentation details the creation of digital learning objects for use in the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center education program during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in following semesters. It discusses the origins of the online learning modules, how they were created, how they are advertised, and how they are assessed.

Ce 432 Syllabus: Stress Management, Anquinetta V. Calhoun

Counselor Education Syllabi

This course will provide an introduction to important concepts, issues, skills, and interventions related to the identification and management of personal stress.