Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Right To Motherhood? Race, Class, And Reproductive Services In The Jim Crow South, Cynthia Edmonds-Cady

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research examines birth control and sterilization practices aimed at low-income black women in the United States from 1939-1950, within the framework of specific race- and class-based constructions of motherhood in the Jim Crow South. How these social services aimed at reproductive health were grounded within differential ideals about family, childbirth, and motherhood for White versus African American women is explored. Evidence is presented from archival collections containing records for Planned Parenthood’s Negro Project, The Association for Voluntary Sterilization’s programs, and The American Social Health Association’s public health programs. Birth control services in the South were delivered within a framework …

Gender Differences In Health Service Utilization Among Veterans With Acute Kidney Injury, Freneka Fronsha Minter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) studies on acute kidney injury (AKI) have focused on defined procedures and outcomes but not on gender differences. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in health services utilization by gender and other predisposing factors (age and race) among hospitalized veterans with AKI during a 5-year period from 2008 to 2013. The study included a retrospective cohort design and the behavioral model of health services utilization as the underlying theoretical framework. Secondary data were collected from an existing VA cohort. Data from 1,636 hospitalized AKI veterans were subjected to t tests …

Determinants Of Academic Success Of Cambodian American Students, Chanthol Oung

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Cambodian Americans' (CAs) children still exhibit the second lowest rate of academic achievement in the United States, despite the tenets of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 that promote equality in American education. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between the academic success of Cambodian American students (CASs) and the parents' and the children's factors. Using a structural strain theory of deviance of functionalism theory, this correlational study (a) explored whether education, income, birthplace, and gender of parents and age at immigration and gender of children the determinants of academic success of CASs …

Content Area Teacher Perspectives On Integrating Literacy Strategies, Lynette Smith Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Common Core State Standards recommend that all educators prepare students with the literacy skills needed for college and careers. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine 7th and 8th grade content area teachers' perspectives towards teaching literacy. The research questions addressed teachers' capabilities in the role of literacy instructor as well as the actual application of literacy. The conceptual framework included Bruner's constructivist, Bandura's self-efficacy, and Knowles's andragogy theories. These theories informed the investigation of adult learners' perspectives regarding the way they learn and gain confidence to provide literacy instruction. Eleven English, math, science, and social …

Spirituality Among African American Christian Women Who Have Contemplated, Marilyn Wiley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that African American women had the lowest recorded number of suicide completions among all ethnic and gender groups in the United States. In addition, the number of suicides among African American women continued to soar without a clear reason or understanding of their lowest completion rates. Further research in the area of spirituality among African American women may be critical in understanding why African American women's rates of completed suicides are statistically lower than other ethnic groups and how to prevent future rate increases. A phenomenological framework was used to examine the …

Trust In Union Leaders And Decline In Union Membership, Seth Ellery Francois

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2015, public opinion of the ethical and honesty standards of labor union leaders was low, with 36% of the public reporting a low or very low rating, and only 18% reporting high or very high ratings. Grounded in leadership behavioral theory, the purpose of this correlation study was to examine the relationship between union members' perceptions of union leadership consideration, union members' perceptions of leadership initiation of structure, and union members' perceptions of leadership trust. Forty-four union members completed a brief demographic survey, the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire XII, and the Trust and Employee Satisfaction Survey. The results …

The Octofoil, January/February/March 2017, Ninth Infantry Division Association

The Octofoil

The Octofoil is the offical publication of the Ninth Infantry Division Association, Inc., an organization formed by the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order to perpetuate the memory of fallen comrades, preserve the esprit de corps of the Division, promote peace and serve as an information bureau about the 9th Infantry Division. The Association is made up of 9th Infantry veterans from WWII and Vietnam, spouses, widows and lineal descendants.

Improving Performance Portability And Productivity Of Parallel Scientific Applications For Exascale, Hadia M R M Ahmed

All ETDs from UAB

The continuous emergence of new hardware architectures and software libraries create new opportunities and challenges for existing applications. While they promise better performance for applications, most of the times these applications' source code have to be modified to achieve the promised improvements. These modifications are labor intensive, error prone, and costly. Hence, users of applications either abandon the use of newer hardware and/or software and lose potential improvements, or abandon their application to build new one and lose time and effort spent on building them. Many tools are built to aid users in adapting their current application, in particular HPC …

The Evaluation Of Perampanel As A Neuroprotective Pharmacotherapy In Traumatic Brain Injury, Virginia Aida

All ETDs from UAB

In the United States, 2.5 million people experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year and an estimated 5.3 million are living with a TBI-related disability. A TBI alters the function of the brain and the brain pathology often resulting in long-lasting cognitive impairment, motor function impairments, and emotional changes. In conjunction with the physical changes a victim of TBI experiences, the injury can take a financial toll. It is estimated that 76.3 billion dollars is attributed to the direct and indirect costs of sustaining a TBI every year in the United States. Despite improvements in managing TBI, there are …

Neon Nature, Jessamy G. Mcmanus Ms.

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this work is to explore my painting of nature in our contemporary time, considering the current geological epoch termed the Anthropocene, an era I think of as postnatural. Neon Nature is a collection of portraits of hypernatural creatures I call “pseudo-specimens”. These pseudo-specimens symbolize hypernature, which describes manufactured nature as better than authentic nature. These specimens are painted in vanitas-inspired still life scenes to act as a reminder of our changing nature, or new-nature.

Influenced by living in suburbia where nature is manicured and controlled, I am interested in the divide between the “born” and the “made,” …

Rotten Bananas, Hip Hop Heads, And The American Individual: Teaching Eddie Huang’S Memoir Fresh Off The Boat And Its Tropes Of Literacy, Wilson C. Chen

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

This essay focuses on Fresh Off the Boat as an eminently teachable coming-of-age story, provides critical contexts and directions for teaching this ideologically suggestive text, and sets forth the interpretive argument that the structures and themes of the memoir are fundamentally shaped by the literacy narrative at its core. As such, the text enters into conversation with other literacy narratives that have become so foundational in the teaching of multiethnic literature in the U.S. Moreover, Huang’s tropes of literacy draw from enduring, mythified Americanist discourses that are suggestive of a masculine individualism that, while not unique, is recognizable, instructive, and …

"It's Oil And Water": Race, Gender, Power, And Trauma In Vu Tran's Dragonfish, Quan-Manh Ha, Chase Greenfield

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

ABSTRACT: This article analyzes in-depth the interplay between race, gender, power, and trauma in Vu Tran’s debut novel, Dragonfish. We argue that Dragonfish focuses on the relationships, desires, and conflicts among its three protagonists—Robert, Suzy, and Sonny—to highlight how their postwar interactions complicate race, gender, trauma, and remembrance. The three protagonists engage in an intense socio-political struggle for dominance and control, which is riddled with irony, heart-wrenching pain, and misleading appearances. They experience hardship and loss, but they rely on each other for recovery from past and present trauma, and to advance their own varying personal priorities and agendas: …

Language, Immigration And Acculturation In The Short Stories Of Ha Jin, Louis J. Parascandola, Rajul Punjabi

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

"The Problems of Acculturation: Flushing, Queens, in the Short Stories of Ha Jin"

Abstract:

Noted author Ha Jin is often thought of as a Chinese author despite the fact that all of his writing has been written in English. Two of his later works, A Free Life (2007) and A Good Fall (2009) are set among the Chinese community in Flushing, Queens. This essay examines three short stories "An English Professor," "A Pension Plan," and "Temporary Love" from A Good Fall. In these works, Jin discusses the problems of acculturation these immigrants face, including learning English, finding employment, and dealing …

Calliope, Armstrong State University

Calliope Magazine

Volume 34

(Volume 33 was left out of the volume number sequence and does not exist.)

Ecumenism: Rapprochement Through Co-Working To Reconciliation, Cyril Hovorun

Theological Studies Faculty Works

This paper explores some forms of interaction between the Catholic and Orthodox churches in different contexts. Some of these forms are helpful, but not always efficient, and some are not helpful. Theological dialogues belong to the former category of interactions: they are helpful, but not efficient. Alliances on an ideological basis, for instance on the basis of “traditional values,” are unhelpful, because they polarise the churches internally. This article instead proposes a collaboration in the public domain as an alternative way of rapprochement between the two churches. The Ukrainian Maidan (the revolution of 2014) exemplifies a co-working space, which proved …

Contemplative Pedagogy: A Descriptive Account Of Two Approaches To Student Engagement At Loyola Marymount University, Jane Brucker, Christopher Key Chapple

Theological Studies Faculty Works

In this article the alternating voices of colleagues and collaborators Jane Brucker and Christopher Chapple describe their way of using contemplative pedagogies to bring Engaged Learning to their students at Loyola Marymount University. A requirement of the curriculum for all undergraduate students, these courses integrate study and reflection beyond the classroom. As a professor of studio arts, Brucker has developed techniques of awareness that utilize a contemplative approach with students engaged in drawing and creative activity in a studio or off-campus setting. As a professor of comparative theology, Chapple has designed course requirements for meditation experience and field visits that …

Bonaparte's Dream: Napoleon And The Rhetoric Of American Expansion, 1800-1850, Mark Ehlers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1800 and 1850, the United States built a continental empire that stretched from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean. As scholars have come to realize over the past three decades, this expansion was not a peaceful movement of American settlers into virgin wilderness. Instead, it involved the conquest and subjugation of diverse peoples in Louisiana, Florida and the northern provinces of Mexico, and forced the United States to interact aggressively with the European empires of Great Britain, France, Spain, and eventually Mexico. My work helps to explain how Americans in the early republic reconciled this militant expansion with …

In Support Of Nikolai Medtner: An Examination Of Five Of His Art Songs, Daniel J. Liebeskind

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The music of Nikolai Medtner was neglected during his lifetime and has remained so after his death. While his piano sonatas and fairy tales receive occasional exposure, his 106 art songs are almost never heard. This monograph examines five of the 27 songs that he, himself, recorded. It is hoped that these analyses will convince readers that his most neglected genre is worthy of study and performance. A biography of the composer lays out possible reasons for his neglect, including his principled avoidance of the commercial aspects of the music business, writing in a post-Romantic style during an era that …

Exploring The Leadership Experiences Of Minority Women In A Black Greek Letter Sorority, Ashley Nichole Jennings

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological research study was designed to explore and reveal the lived experiences of minority women in Black Greek Letter Sororities and their understanding of sorority membership and leadership development following graduation. Data collection was completed using two qualitative streams: online questionnaire and one-on-one interviews. This study will contribute to the discussion of leadership development for Black Greek Letter Sorority members. More specifically, this study focused on the role that a Black sorority has in developing minority female leaders as they matriculate and develop within higher education and simultaneously in the sisterhood. This research study provided suggestions on opportunities …

Breaching The Citadel Of Slavery: Condorcet, The Abbé Grégoire, And The Assault On Racial Hierarchy In The Colonial Disputes (1788-1791), Jeffrey D. Waller

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Issues affecting France’s colonies came to the fore through critiques of social, political, and economic matters during the Late Enlightenment and French Revolutionary era of the late 1780s and early 1790s. Of all the questions France faced during this period, the colonial issues of slavery’s abolition and civil equality for the free people of color in the French Caribbean were among the most contentious. These two matters are most often characterized in the historiography of French abolitionism as separate issues. However, while the analysis of works by Condorcet and Grégoire on slavery and civil equality for the free people of …

"Goo-Prone And Generally Pathetic": Empathy And Irony In David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, Benjamin L. Peyton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Critical considerations of David Foster Wallace’s work have tended, on the whole, to use the framework that the author himself established in his essay “E Unibus Pluram” and in his interview with Larry McCaffery. Following his own lead, the critical consensus is that Wallace succeeds in overcoming the limits of postmodern irony. If we examine the formal trappings of his writing, however, we find that the critical assertion that Wallace manages to transcend the paralytic irony of his postmodern predecessors is made in the face of his frequent employment of postmodern techniques and devices. Thus, there arises a contradiction between …

The American Pastoral Tradition And The Stories Of Breece D'J Pancake, Christopher Blackburn

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In the late twentieth century, Breece Pancake carried on the American pastoral tradition by both featuring and modifying characteristics of early American pastoral literature. Breece Pancake does not directly imitate his predecessors, but instead brings the spirit of the nearly 200-year-old tradition in which he participates to a twentieth-century audience. Part of the enduring relevance of the literature in the American pastoral tradition, including The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake, is that at the heart of these stories is a theme that has defined and continues to shape the American experience: the struggle with living in liminal spaces.

Playing God: Sub-Creation, Rules, And Role-Playing Games, George Simeon Evans

All ETDs from UAB

Role-playing games can allow for extreme creative freedom where world building is concerned. In this sense, they inherit much of their structure from Tolkien’s idea of sub-creation. However, along with this creative freedom, RPGs contain rote rules and restrictions that must be followed. This paradox creates an intrinsic tension that players are forced to deal with. Rather than casting off restrictions, or punishing players that do not submit, gamers need to understand the purpose and necessity of rules, and be empathetic towards other players when they have difficulty following the dictates of a gaming manual. If these principles are followed, …

Neuroanatomical Correlates Of Antisocial Traits In Adolescent Males, Emma Sartin Goodman

All ETDs from UAB

Prior research suggests that antisocial traits and behaviors often found in psychopathy are also present during childhood and adolescence. Thus, understanding the neurobiology of children and adolescents who are displaying early-signs of antisocial behavior can enhance the pace of diagnosis, allow for earlier and more effective intervention, and allow for researchers to record the developmental trajectory of these traits more accurately. This project used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) to examine the neuroanatomy of gray and white matter in 25 adolescent males, which were further analyzed using a regression model and the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory …

Non-Markovian Investigation Of An Autonomous Quantum Heat Engine, Ketan Goyal Goyal

All ETDs from UAB

A systematic study of a quantum heat engine is presented in this thesis. In particular, we study heat conduction through a two-two level composite system, which is then connected to a photon cavity to extract work, forming an autonomous quantum heat engine. The question as to what extent quantum effects such as quantum coherence and correlations impact thermodynamic properties of such a system is addressed. The investigated heat engine has been previously studied using the popular Born-Markovian quantum master equation under weak internal coupling approximation. However, we show that the used approach is quite limited in addressing such problems as …

Fabrication, Structure, And Transport Properties Of Alumina Nanofiber-Based Materials, William Anthony Brayer

All ETDs from UAB

One of the most promising nano-materials is nanofibrous alumina (Al2O3) but current production methods are too slow and too inconsistent for applications outside of laboratory proof of concepts. Alumina structures were fabricated from aluminum nitrate/polyvinylpyrrolidone precursor nanofibers prepared using a novel free-surface alternating current (AC) electrospinning method. Precursor fibers were generated at the rates up to 6.4 g/h and collected as 100–300 m thick sheets suitable for direct conversion into the nanofibrous alumina structures. A computational model of the surrounding electric field was constructed to compare to experimental observations. The effects of process conditions and annealing temperature on the nanofiber …

Patterns Of Cerebellar Connectivity With Intrinsic Connectivity Networks In Autism Spectrum Disorders, Haley Bednarz

All ETDs from UAB

This study investigated the patterns of functional connectivity between three intrinsic connectivity networks (default mode, executive, salience) and the cerebellum in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There is substantial evidence of cerebellar pathology in ASD, and recent evidence implicates cortico-cerebellar connectivity in the disorder. Three intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs) of the cortex have particular relevance to the conceptualization of cognitive processing in ASD: the default mode, executive control, and salience networks. In typically developing (TD) adults, the cerebellum is functionally connected with each of these networks. The contributions of the cerebellum to these three ICNs may differ between ASD …

A Comparison Of Novice And Experienced Drivers With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Haley Johnson Bishop

All ETDs from UAB

According to recent estimates, only 33% of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) successfully achieve licensure compared to nearly 84% of the general population. Despite this decreased number of individuals driving in the ASD population and the importance of driving in increasing independence and quality of life, research in transportation safety among drivers with ASD is limited. Many of the impairments associated with ASD such as anxiety, processing speed and executive function may negatively impact driving performance. This study is among the first to objectively assess possible demographic, cognitive and simulated driving performance differences in individuals with ASD who are …

Connectivity Of The Striatal Resting-State Networks In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Thomas Patrick Deramus

All ETDs from UAB

Social deficits and repetitive behaviors and are core features of autism. Structural and functional alterations in the striatum, brain regions highly involved in movement planning, regulation, and motivation, may underlie these core features. However, few studies have examined functional connectivity (FC) of the striatum in autism; and fewer have examined anatomical connectivity despite hypotheses of structural alterations influ-encing FC autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). To address these gaps, the current study examined FC of resting-state brain networks in the striatum in 19 typically developing and 19 children with autism (ages 7-17 years) from the Autism Brain Imaging Database Exchange II. The …

Factors Guiding Cd4 T Cell Fate Bifurcations, Daniel Francis Ditoro

All ETDs from UAB

Naïve CD4 T cells differentiate into a variety of phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets uniquely tailored to the specific inflammatory context. Despite the extraordinary heterogeneity of potential fate outcomes, two distinct but related functional bifurcations appear common to all inflammatory contexts. Following activation, CD4 T cells either home to the site of inflammation and influence peripheral events or remain in the secondary lymphoid tissue to modulate central processes. Similarly, activated cells either drive or suppress inflammation. These functional bifurcations are coincident and sufficiently independent to allow for the simultaneous generation of all four potential outcomes. Pro-inflammatory cells retained in the …