Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Episodic Memory And Hippocampal Volume Predict 5-Year Mild Cognitive Impairment Conversion In Healthy Apolipoprotein Ε4 Carriers, Margaret Abraham, Michael Seidenberg, Dana A. Kelly, Kristy A. Nielson, John L. Woodard, J. Carson Smith, Sally Durgerian, Stephen M. Rao

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Objective: The Apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4 allele increases the risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, but not all carriers develop MCI/dementia. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if early and subtle preclinical signs of cognitive dysfunction and medial temporal lobe atrophy are observed in cognitively intact ε4 carriers who subsequently develop MCI. Methods: Twenty-nine healthy, cognitively intact ε4 carriers (ε3/ε4 heterozygotes; ages 65–85) underwent neuropsychological testing and MRI-based measurements of medial temporal volumes over a 5-year follow-up interval; data were converted to z-scores based on a non-carrier group consisting of 17 ε3/ε3 homozygotes. Results: At follow-up, …

Willing White Flag: Voluntary Militia Disarmament In The Lebanese Civil War, Daniella Maria Khoury

Masters Theses

This study examines the conditions under which militias embroiled in civil war choose to disarm. This study argues that militias more invested in domestic politics rather than engaging in regional rivalries, are more likely to choose to disarm voluntarily. The results show that after examining seven different militias in the context of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), religious affiliation is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition to cause the drastic difference in the outcome of voluntary disarmament. The theory is proven correct when accounting for domestic and international relationships and militia commitment to operating within a particular level of analysis.

Employed Mothers’ Satisfaction With The Breastfeeding Provisions In The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act, Rebecca A. Penders

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: Guided by the Conceptual Model for Nursing and Health Policy (CMNHP), the purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which employed mothers perceived satisfaction in their breastfeeding experiences after enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) breastfeeding provisions. Methods: The participants (N=507) were employed mothers who returned to work after the birth of their infants and reported hourly pay. Convenience sampling was used to recruit women via La Leche USA Facebook account (LLL USA). Participants completed the Penders Breastfeeding Survey in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). The survey consisted of 39-items; including five …

An Exploration Of Social Networking Use And Mental Health In Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Gender Non-Binary, And Gender Fluid Persons, Jennifer Trimpey

Doctoral Dissertations

Social networking sites (SNS) allow for rapid information sharing in online spaces. Research in the general public suggests that extended SNS use corresponds with poor mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety. Research regarding SNS use in LGBT populations seems to promote interpersonal connectedness. While such studies tend to include gender non-conforming persons (GNC), this group often represents a minimal proportion of participants. This study sought to explore SNS and mental health in persons identifying as GNC. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data to develop a substantive theory regarding SNS and mental health in this …

Documenting A Pandemic From Your Living Room: Preserving And Making Accessible The Born Digital Records Of The University Of San Francisco Covid-19 Response Collection While Sheltering In Place, Annie Reid

Gleeson Library Faculty and Staff Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Role Of Correlation And Statistical Distribution For Multi-Objective Conservation Investment, Young Gwan Lee

Masters Theses

A growing body of literature suggests a need to incorporate both correlation- and distribution-related information into conservation investment decisions with multiple benefits. This study identifies optimal spatial targets and their budget distributions of payments for ecosystem services (PES), as well as the tradeoff relationships under multiple-objective scenarios of maximizing forest-based carbon sequestration, maximizing forest-dependent biodiversity, and maximizing economic impact. Specifically, this study investigates how the spatial targets, their budget distributions, and tradeoff relationships are affected by correlations among multiple objectives and their statistical distributions in terms of return on investment (ROI) by focusing on 231 counties in the eight states …

Clusters Of Individuals Experiences Form A Continuum Of Persistent Non-Symbolic Experiences In Adults, Jeffery A. Martin

CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century

Persistent forms of nondual awareness, enlightenment, mystical experience, and so forth (Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience) have been reported since antiquity. Though sporadic research has been performed on these experiences, the scientific literature has yet to report a large-scale cognitive psychology study of this population. Method: Assessment of the subjective experience of 319 adult participants reporting persistent non-symbolic experience was undertaken using 6-12 hour semi-structured interviews and evaluated using grounded theory and thematic analysis. Results: Five core, consistent categories of change were uncovered: sense-of-self, cognition, affect, perception, and memory. Participants’ reports formed phenomenological groups in which the types of change …

Predictors Of Urban Homeless Rates., Andrew John Bates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the differences among homeless rates in urban and suburban “continuums of care” (service areas for homelessness in the United States) over the period of 2014-2018. The purpose is to determine which variables are useful to predict the rates of two definitions of homelessness: the more extreme “Category One” homelessness as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): those unsheltered or living in homeless shelters; and the broader Department of Education definition of homelessness: families with children that are homeless, including those in Category One but also those living in hotels, staying temporarily with …

Connecting Right-Wing Authoritarianism To Environmental Beliefs And Behaviors: A Pilot Study., Rebecca Halpryn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is an urgent situation that may be alleviated by a dramatic transformation in individual’s lifestyles. Right-wing authoritarianism relates to a wide variety of beliefs and behaviors, yet little is known about its relationship with environmental beliefs and behaviors. An online survey utilizing the 18-item ACT scale, the revised NEP scale, the PEB scale, and background questions as conducted; 60 college students enrolled in introductory sociology courses responded. Multiple regression and backwards stepwise statistical methods were employed on the survey data to investigate the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and pro-environmental beliefs and the relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and pro-environmental …

Gun Ownership As An Expression Of Whiteness And Masculinity., Michael Daugherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public discourse on the topic of gun ownership in the U.S. is polarized, with the debate framed as a binary between unquestioned gun rights versus a complete ban. Gun ownership can have grave consequences: guns are used to commit acts of violence and suicide. Interviews with white male gun owners explore the influence of white backlash, masculinity, and racial identity development in their decisions to own guns. This project explores the extent these reasons are related to race on the part of white males, starting with these two questions: How much does race play a factor in the action and …

Fatalism As A Cultural Influence On Correlates Of Anxiety And Worry In Latino/A Adolescents., Judy Mier-Chairez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evidence that Latino/as in the United States experience lower rates of anxiety disorders as compared to the non-Latino/a White population has not yet led to the identification of the sources of these differences. Higher rates of anxiety disorders among more acculturated Latino/a individuals compared to those lower in acculturation suggest there are influential cultural variables relevant to anxiety, specifically that there is a loss of a protective Latino/a cultural factor in the acculturation process. Fatalism, an often-cited Latino/a cultural characteristic, emerges as an intriguing candidate for exploration in relation to anxiety due to the shared elements of future orientation and …

The Sidewalk Less Traveled: Evaluating Change In Community And Police Perception., Jennifer Lee Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a police department to provide efficient and effective services to the community, they must obtain the support of the public, continuously cultivating and maintaining positive perceptions from the citizens being served. Various methods, such as walking patrols, have been implemented to increase public support and trust in police, which, in turn, contributes to a cooperative relationship between community and law enforcement. When opinions of law enforcement are precarious or police departments fall out of favor with the surrounding community, police officers can feel isolated if their work is unsupported. This often leads to the development of a strong bond …

Changing Faces, Changing Places: Understanding Immigration, Housing Market And Native Out-Migration In Established And New Destinations In The United States., Anqi Xu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation concerns residential incorporation and the socioeconomic impact of immigrants primarily from Latin America and Asia with their rapid geographical dispersal in the U.S. I adopt econometrics methodologies and GIS techniques to examine how immigration affects housing price changes and white out-mobility in established and new destinations, utilizing datasets from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The first part examines the effects of immigration into the U.S. established and new immigrant destinations on housing prices using county-level data that span 2011 to 2017. Using the global and local Moran’s I statistics, I demonstrate …

A Comparison Of Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Teams And Leadership Attitudes Of Nci-Designated And Non-Nci-Designated Cancer Centers In The United States From 2009-2018, Joseph Chen

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Background: Interdisciplinary palliative care (PC) teams (IDTs) are essential to improving patient outcomes while cancer center executives have a key role in defining the future of PC. Objectives: To compare PC team compositions and executives’ attitudes towards PC between NCI (National Cancer Institute)-designated cancer centers (NCI-CCs) and non-NCI-designated cancer centers (non-NCI-CCs) in 2018 and to compare changes in team composition and executives’ attitudes and beliefs between 2009-2018. Methods: PC program leaders (PL) and cancer center executives at all 62 NCI-CCs and a random sample of 60 of 1252 non-NCI-CCs were surveyed from April-August 2018. The PL survey examined team composition …

Disparities In Patient Safety Events For Hospitalized Patients, Nnabuchi Anikpezie

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Background: Twenty years post IOM’s landmark publication, “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System”, still no consensus on case definition for patient safety events (PSEs). Available data on incidence and magnitude of PSEs are more than 10 years old, while data on disparities are ambiguous. Objective: To examine the racial and socioeconomic disparities in reported patient safety events (PSEs) among hospitalized individuals. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cross-sectional study of patient safety events using the 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). A total of 6,753,100 discharges were identified as being at risk …

Causal Analysis Theory And Application To Alzheimer’S Disease (Ad) And Heart Failure (Hf), Shudi Li

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and heart failure (HF) are two complex diseases that are caused by the combination of genetic and epigenetic, environmental and other lifestyle factors. Understanding the relationships between genetic and epigenetic variants and other factors of such complex diseases could assist researchers discover disease mechanisms and develop targeted therapies. Much of the research in genetics/epigenetics studies regarding AD and heart diseases have been focused on association analysis. Many researchers have identified genetic/epigenetics variants and phenotypes that are significantly associated with disease pathology. While most of these studies utilize association analysis as the analytical platform, the signals identified by …

Atitiudes Tow Ards Computer Games For Learning And Pl.A Yer Archetypes: An Exploration Of Measures On Preintervention Player Characteristics For Serious Game-Based Interventions, Benjamin Lee

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Serious game-based interventions offer promising health outcome results with the aid of pre-intervention player tailoring and the development of measurements that evaluate pre-intervention player characteristics and subgroups. Video gaming measures can potentially provide helpful tailoring information that discerns individual video gaming preferences which could influence their overall user experience. It is critical that measures that target adolescent video gaming be psychometrically validated. There is a gap in the literature with psychometrically validated measures evaluating adolescent attitudes towards computer games for learning and gaming archetypes. Therefore the aims of this dissertation were to 1) evaluate the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability and …

Semiparametric Methods To Improve Risk Assessment And Dynamic Prediction, Wen Li

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Incorporating promising biomarkers to improve risk assessment and prediction is the central goal in many biomedical studies. Cost-effective designs and longitudinal designs are often utilized for measuring biomarker information, but they pose challenges to the data analyses. Statistical analyses for these kinds of data are routinely performed using parametric models. When the model assumptions are violated, parametric models may lead to substantial bias in parameter estimation, risk evaluation and prediction. In this dissertation, we will develop robust, exible statistical methods for risk assessment for matched case-control, nested case-control, and case-cohort designs, as well as a dynamic prediction tool for longitudinal …

Heat Stress Related Symptoms And Pulmonary Function In Oil Spill Response And Cleanup Workers Following The Deepwater Horizon Disaster, Yiyou Li

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The objective of this study was to estimate the relationship between heat stress and pulmonary function among OSRC workers following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster. Methods: Pulmonary function test results were analyzed from a cohort of oil spill response and cleanup workers 1-3 years following the DWH disaster (N=5,131). Proxies for heat stress was employed by using information on heat stress-related symptoms as well as a questionnaire on stopping work due to heat reported during a structured telephone enrollment questionnaire. Associations between heat stress proxies and lung function were estimated using multivariable linear models and binomial logistic regression models while …

The Multilevel Factors Facilitating Or Impeding Healthcare Access Among Refugees Residing In Bexar County Texas, Howaida Werfelli

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The goal of this study was to increase understanding of healthcare access among refugees by investigating the multilevel factors that facilitate or impede healthcare access among refugees who have resettled in Bexar County, Texas. The multilevel factors facilitating or impeding access to healthcare for refugees resettled in Bexar County were identified as follows: health literacy, level of educational attainment, proficiency (reading, writing and, speaking) in English, proficiency (reading, writing and speaking) in native language, translation services, public transportation, income level, a shortage of healthcare providers, navigation of the healthcare system, the fragmentation of the healthcare system, insurance status, staff shortages …

Walking Through Smoke: Implementation Of The 5a'S For Smoking Cessation Counseling In Rural Virginia, Cristina Maria Minotti

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Tobacco use represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and is a contributing risk factor for multiple pulmonary, cardiovascular, and oncologic diseases. Despite documented evidence of these health hazards, use of tobacco products remains high, particularly in rural America. While providers may frequently question patients regarding tobacco use and inform patients of associated health hazards, a standardized, structured process for delivering smoking cessation counseling (SCC) is rarely established in practice settings. One such method for standardization of SCC is the 5A’s (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) model which has a robust body of evidence to support …

The Remediation Of Paralinguistic Features For The Construction Of Epistemic Stance In Online Vegan Communities, James R. Shepard Iii

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I examine how members of online vegan communities construct and perform epistemic stance through exploiting the affordances of alphabetic computer-mediated communication (CMC) to remediate paralinguistic features. The data are taken from two exchanges across two different online platforms: Facebook and Reddit. Working within the constraints of alphabetic CMC and the affordances of their respective platforms, interactants discuss vegan activism in ways that mimic traditional oral communication. Utilizing unique linguistic constructions and features of CMC such as emoji and emoticons, interactants are able to clearly perform their affective and epistemic stances as well as demonstrate what McCulloch calls …

Exploring The Effects Of Response Type In A Visual Working Memory Task: An Fnirs Study, Rachel Eddings

Masters Theses

Visual working memory (VWM) allows us to hold visual information in mind to be manipulated for a task. Previous research shows that performance varies based on factors such as stimulus modality and number of distractors. This study aimed to explore the effect of response type on VWM performance in 4.5- and 5.5-year-olds. A single-item probe color change detection task and a cued recall with labeling task were administered. The tasks were identical in structure until the response phase of the trial. Neural data were collected using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Both tasks used set-sizes 1-3 and six canonical colors (red, orange, …

The Experiences Of African American Men At Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Education, After Successfully Transferring From A Community College, Keenan King

Dissertations

African American men complete post-secondary education among the lowest rates of any other subgroup in higher education (Brooms & Davis, 2017; Farmer & Hope, 2015; Palmer, Wood, Dancy, & Strayhorn, 2014; Warde, 2008). This study focuses on addressing this problem by attempting to understand the experiences of African American men who successfully navigate a higher education pipeline from community college to a four-year, predominantly White institution (PWI). Half of all African American men enter higher education at the community college level (Villavicencio, Bhattacharya, & Guidry, 2013); therefore, community college plays a key role in shaping their experiences in higher education …

Establishing Auditory Discrimination And Echoic Stimulus Control With An Auditory Matching Procedure, Clare Christe

Dissertations

A generalized auditory matching repertoire is considered an early milestone in the development of verbal behavior (Greer & Keohane, 2006). Previous literature has demonstrated that the auditory matching (AM) protocol can improve echoics in individuals with developmental delays (Brown, 2005; Choi, Greer & Keohane, 2015; Du, Speckman, Medina, & Cole-Hatchard, 2017). However, some children experience difficulties with the match-to-sample (MTS) format of the AM protocol, if they are unable to perform delayed MTS tasks.

One alternative to MTS is the go/no-go procedure (Serna, Dube, & McIlvane, 1997), which requires the student to make a simple discrimination (i.e., same/different) between two …

Manuscript Submission Guidelines, Alexa Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

No abstract provided.

The Development And Validation Of A Personal Agency Scale Based In The Community Capitals Framework, Abigail Borron, Kevan W. Lamm, Keith Atkins

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Used in a variety of community contexts and needs, the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is an analytical tool to holistically examine the complex and unique characteristics that exist at the local level. While CCF—which focuses on social, human, cultural, political, natural, financial, and built capitals—has been used to collect community information to identify and assess suitable programming efforts, a gap currently exists in the literature providing agricultural and extension educators with the tools necessary to examine CCF characteristics, both at the community and individual levels. Designed as a pilot study targeting six counties in [STATE], this research developed a personal …

Awakening Transformative Learning: A Comparison Of The Dissonance Experienced By Agriculture Majors During Study Abroad Courses To Costa Rica And Thailand, Janiece Pigg, Morgan A. Richardson, Richie Roberts, Kristin S. Stair

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

Students who have participated in study abroad courses exhibit an improved capacity for citizenship, emotional growth, and global competence. However, achieving such requires that study abroad courses be designed to allow students to question their underlying beliefs and values – a concept called dissonance. When individuals reflect on dissonance, it has been reported to spur a process in which their previously held perspectives are transformed. As such, this investigation sought to compare the dissonance experienced by agriculture majors (N =21) at Louisiana State University during study abroad courses to Costa Rica and Thailand. We bounded cases by academic college, degree …

A Typology Of University Agriculture Students’ Projected Motivations To Study Abroad: An Application Of Q Methodology, Ritchie Roberts, Shelli D. Rampold, Raegan Ramage, Benita Komunjeru

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The study’s purpose was to understand Louisiana State University freshman agriculture students’ projected motivations to study abroad. To achieve this, we used a Q methodological approach. When viewed through the lens of the expectancy-value model of achievement motivation, findings suggested students’ motivations could be interpreted through three typologies: (1) Goal-Oriented Students, (2) Social-Oriented Students, and (3) Learning-Oriented Students. In particular, the Goal-Oriented Students expressed they were motivated to enroll in a study abroad course because they perceived it could enhance their educational and career-related ambitions through personal growth. Meanwhile, Social-Oriented Students articulated that the social dimensions of study abroad courses, …

Introduction Pages, Alexa Lamm

Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education

The Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education is the official refereed publication of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education (AIAEE). Its purpose is to enhance the research and knowledge base of agricultural and extension education from an international perspective.