bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Depth in Supervision: The Role of Relational Depth and Supervisory Working Alliance in Predicting Counselor Self-Efficacy
Authors:   , McCullough Rachel Folsom
Published: January 2025

This study aimed to explore supervisee and supervisor experiences of relational depth (RD) within the supervisory relationship and its association with supervisee level of counselor self-efficacy (CSE). Participants in the study were master's level counseling students and their doctoral supervisors in a practicum course. A total of 52 supervisees (aged 22-57; 19.2% male, 80.8% female) and 18 supervisors (aged 25-46; 16.7% male, 83.3% female) participated in the study. Results demonstrated that supervisee perception of the relationship explained approximately 15% of the variance in supervisee CSE. Specifically, supervisee perception of supervisory working alliance (SWA; β = .406, rs2=.997, p = .025) was found to be a significant predictor of CSE while supervisee RD was not a significant unique predictor (β = -.033, rs2=.370, p = .850), with most of the variance explained by RD being shared with SWA. Results also demonstrated that the supervisor perception of the relationship did not significantly explain variance in supervisee CSE. From these results, one may tentatively conclude that the supervisory relationship contributes to CSE, and that RD, as it is currently being measured, may not able to account for variance above or beyond that of the SWA. Extended results are described and summarized using text, tables, and figures. The study has practical and research implications for counselor educators, supervisors, and researchers in the RD field.
Exploring the Efficacy of Percentile Schedules with the Amplitude of Muscular Contractions
Authors:   , Goodhue Rob
Published: January 2025

Percentile reinforcement schedules have been used to systematically alter inter-response times, behavioral variability, breath carbon monoxide levels, duration of social behaviors, and various other properties of behavior. However, none of the previous studies have examined the effectiveness of percentile schedules in relation to the magnitude of muscular contractions. This control over magnitude of muscular responding has important implications relating to the strengthening of muscles and correct movements for patients receiving physical rehabilitation. There would be great utility in percentile schedules that can be implemented in rehabilitation situations by physical therapists and patients themselves to improve treatment outcomes – all of which could be possible without any behavioral training if the procedure is implemented via body sensors and smartphone applications. Using healthy adults and the aforementioned technology, this thesis focused on the design and testing of three percentile reinforcement schedule procedures to increase the strength of the vastus medialis muscle. Results indicate that the magnitude of muscular responses can be shaped using body sensors and contingent feedback, and the percentile schedule procedures have promising applications in the domain of physical therapy.
Spatial Strings: An Analysis of the Visual and Musical Elements in Dieter Schnebel's Spatial Sound Composition "String Trio"
Authors:   , Newton Kourtney Grace
Published: January 2025

Dieter Schnebel's String Trio from 2007-2009 is a spatial sound composition that features unique visual components within a traditional string trio setting. This research provides performers and audiences a more thorough understanding of the String Trio and its evocative aesthetic qualities, by identifying and organizing the ways in which the visual and musical material interact. To provide context for String Trio, a brief overview of Schnebel's compositional style and influence on avant-garde musical trends of the latter half of the twentieth century is provided in chapter 2. Special consideration is given to his instrumental chamber music and works for string instruments. In chapter 3, the prior musical analysis and aesthetic context provides a basis for the many conceptual implications resulting from the incorporation of theatricality into a typically non-theatrical genre. The performers' roles within the ensemble and the ways in which they relate to one another as well as their audience, are illuminated and ultimately contribute to a deeper, enhanced experience of the piece. Expectations and traditional notions concerning formal, classical music etiquette are also explored through Schnebel's complex directional changes in orientation and unconventional utilization of the performance space.
Social Networking Sites Usage Behavior: Trust and Risk Perceptions
Authors:   , Mekala Nithin Kumar Reddy
Published: January 2025

This dissertation addresses research questions related to defining user's trust and risk perceptions associated with social networking usage behavior in relation to the repeated privacy and security breaches. The general research question is explored in the dissertation via the conduct of three related studies. The finding from these three investigations are presented in the results section as 3 essays that collectively examine the social networking sites usage behavior. Essay 1 proposes a conceptual model based on the review of multiple breaches. The review provides a conceptual model which is further analyzed using a quantitative survey in the second essay. Essay 2 measures the trust and risk perceptions associated with different sources of information when presented with multiple breaches. This portion of the research used a quantitative method that included surveying of college students from University of North Texas (UNT) to understand the relation between user's trust and risk perceptions. Essay 3 examines the social networking usage behavior on account of repeated privacy and security breaches. This essay uses the insights from the other two essays to identify the usage behavior and how it is affected. The proposed model was tested using a survey questionnaire method. Results show a significant relationship between the positives, negatives, technology usage, repeated breaches that impacts usage behavior. The dissertation concludes with a summary of how the three essays make a cumulative contribution to the literature as well as providing practical guidance that identifies social networking usage behavior.
"Somehow Holier"
Authors:   , Jones Joshua
Published: January 2025

Somehow Holier ruminates playfully on the problem of suffering and our responses to it. These poems take as their subjects theology, history, art, my wife's struggle with chronic migraines, and gardening. "Res Gestae Variorum," a crown of sonnets at the center of the book, recounts the lives of would-be Christian saints, like the third-century theologian Origen, whose penchant for suffering obstructed them on the path to holiness. In "Mater Misericordiae" I flip through a calendar filled with famous depictions of Mary while my wife consults with a doctor. These poems blend humor and pathos, striving at once to laugh in the face of pain and account for its awful cost. Throughout, I'm in conversation with the poets who've influenced my voice as a writer: Charles Wright, Phillip Larkin, and Seamus Heaney.
"Patterns": Stories
Authors:   , Glenn Brittany Rose
Published: January 2025

A collection of short stories exploring patterns that play out in people's lives and relationships.
Developing Ogolevets's Doubly Augmented Prime: Semitonal Voice Leading in the Music of Shostakovich
Authors:   , Hatch Amy M
Published: January 2025

In this dissertation, I develop and apply an original voice-leading method to the music of Shostakovich. Between the years of 1926 and 1948, his music involved extreme chromaticism that required analytical views from both Russia and the West. In the mid-twentieth century, Russian theorists such as Lev Mazel' and Alexandr Dolzhansky wrote about the modal language of Shostakovich's works, but their writings lacked how to identify them within extremely chromatic passages. In the West, scholars describe his music as both tonal and atonal, sometimes combined within one work. I unify these two views with my voice-leading system consisting of an intervallic resolution of the doubly augmented prime (DAP), which appears seemingly random on the musical surface, but occurs for specific compositional reasons. First mentioned by name in Aleksei Ogolevets' 1946 "An Introduction into Contemporary Musical Thought," the DAP served no harmonic or modal purpose. While Ogolevets mentions and includes examples that show this interval, he does not discuss its resolutions nor how it functions in musical contexts. This structure, however, has broader conceptual and analytical implications. Therefore, I develop a method based on the voice leading and semitonal resolutions of the DAP, which I apply to the music of Shostakovich. The DAP contributes to his compositional style by functioning in three ways: 1) identifying one mode or two simultaneous modes, 2) completing traditional triadic harmonies, and 3) facilitating both tonal and modal modulations.
Information Communication Technology Efficacy in Reducing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Community Living Older Adults
Authors:   , Harllee Heath D
Published: January 2025

This study will extend the current body of knowledge about how accessible and affordable information communication technologies (ICT; smartphones, tablets, and computers) can foster social interaction and reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults aged 55 plus. The first study is a systematic literature review of existing studies on ICT and the willingness of older adults to use technology. The second study is quantitative research that investigates the trust and reasoning of older adults using ICT, like smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction and the level of technological ownership. The second study is conducted using research data through surveys conducted by Pew Research Center on behalf of Princeton University. Finally, the third study explores the level of ownership of technology and methods to reduce social isolation using ICT. The effectiveness of smartphones, tablets, and computers that foster social interaction were reviewed to create a sense of community to reduce social isolation.
A Study on High Pressure-Induced Phase Transformations of a Metastable Complex Concentrated Alloy System with Varying Amounts of Copper
Authors:   , Reynolds Christopher
Published: January 2025

Complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) offer the unique ability to tune composition and microstructure to achieve a wide range of mechanical performance. Recently, the development of metastable CCAs has led to the creation of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) CCAs. Similar to TRIP steels, TRIP CCAs are more effective at absorbing high strain rate loads when TRIP is activated during the loading process. The objective of our study is to investigate the effect of copper on the critical pressure for activating TRIP and the high pressure stability of a Fe(40-X)Mn20Cr15Co20Si5CuX TRIP CCA, where x varies from 0 to 3 at.% Cu. To achieve this goal, diamond anvil cell testing during in-situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction was performed using both a monochromatic wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) beam and, for the first time ever, a polychromatic Laue diffraction beam on a CCA. Laue diffraction allows for real-time phase evolution tracking of the γ-fcc → ε-hcp transformation in a high pressure environment. Based on the results, a new method for processing and preparation of high pressure samples without changing the microstructure of sample was developed. This new method can be used to prepare any CCA samples for high pressure testing.
"Portal"
Authors:   , West Kevin
Published: January 2025

A collection of poems and critical introduction.
Design and Performance of Metal Matrix Composite Composed of Porous Boron Carbide Created by Magnetic Field-Assisted Freeze Casting Infiltrated with Aluminum (A356)
Authors:   , Gamboa Gerardo
Published: January 2025

Magnetic field-assisted freeze-casting was used to create porous B4C ceramic preforms. An optimum slurry consisted of a mixture of B4C powders with 6 wt.% Er2O3 powder in an H2O-PVA solution and was cooled at a rate of 1 °C/min from room temperature to -30 °C resulting in porous green state ceramic preform with vertical channels. The Er2O3 powder was added to improve the magnetic response of the slurry. The preform was then sublimated to remove H2O and then sintered. The sintered ceramic preform was then infiltrated in the most vertically aligned channel direction with molten Al (A356) metal through a vacuum-assisted pump to create the metal matrix composite (MMC). Finite element analysis simulations were used to analyze and predict the anisotropic effect of B4C channel alignment on mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the composite were then experimentally found via compression testing, which was compared with rule-of-mixtures and finite element modeling simulations, to analyze the effect of anisotropy due to magnetic field-assisted freeze-casting. This study reinforces the viability of cost-effective magnetic field-assisted freeze-casting as a method to create highly directional ceramic preforms, which can be subsequently metal infiltrated to produce MMCs with highly anisotropic toughness.
From Juno to the Virgin of Guadalupe: Gender and Race in Colonial Mexico
Authors:   , Garza Jesus Mauricio
Published: January 2025

This thesis examines the changes Spain was forced to make toward their colonial patterns due to Nahua resistance. Each chapter assesses different periods during the colonial era, tracing how the Virgin of Guadalupe's meaning changed according to Spanish colonial needs.
Characterization and Chemical Analysis of Fundamental Components for Lead Acid Batteries
Authors:   , Wall Michael T
Published: January 2025

Although markets for alternative batteries, such as Li-ion, are growing, Pb-alloy batteries still dominate the market due to their low cost and good functionality. Even though these Pb-alloy batteries have been around since their discovery in 1859, little research involving advanced characterization techniques, such as synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD) and transmission electron diffraction (TEM) have been performed on Pb-alloys and sulfation, a failure mode in lead acid batteries, with regards to thermally- and electrochemically-induced changes at the atomic and microstructural scale. Therefore, there is a need to close this scientific gap between research and the application of Pb-alloy battery material. The main objectives of this research are to examine the process of sulfation and its growth mechanisms as well as to study the effects of minor alloying additions in Pb-alloy material. In the first case, nucleation and growth mechanisms of PbSO4 nano- and micro-particles in various solutions are examined using TEM to potentially reduce or control the buildup of PbSO4 on battery electrodes over time. The time dependency of particle morphology was observed using various reaction conditions. This insight can provide avenues to reduce unwanted buildup of PbSO4 on battery electrodes over time which can extend battery life and performance. This is followed by in situ SR-XRD studies of the grain growth and phase evolution associated with adding minor alloying elements, a varying combination of Sb, As, Ca, Sn, Al, In, Ba, and Bi, in Pb-alloy grid material during isothermal holds and thermal cycling. Additionally, sulfation studies were performed in H2SO4 solutions, and the Pb-alloys underwent cyclic voltammetry. Through this research, knowledge of elemental effects on Pb-alloys and corresponding sulfation effects provide insight into ways to extended the life and increase the efficiency of Pb-alloy batteries.
"The military unlocked that door for me": Collegiate Experiences of Women Veterans in STEM Majors
Authors:   , Adams Lisa Dawn
Published: January 2025

Institutions of higher education are a key pathway for supplying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. Military service members have been identified as STEM-ready and a potential pool for STEM as they transition into civilian careers. Furthermore, women are the fastest growing subpopulation of veterans and may decrease the gender gap within STEM. Higher education researchers are interested in understanding the characteristics and experiences of students who select STEM majors and then persist to graduation. Literature related to women veterans is limited and a qualitative case study approach was utilized to achieve an in-depth understanding of their college experiences. This study examined four women who were successfully navigating STEM majors at one institution and revealed their varying motivations for enrollment and persistence. Three themes generated from this study included: self-awareness, success is personal, and military experience matters. Subsidiary themes included starting over; strategy; salience of age; stage of life; self-advocacy; standards; personal attributes; past experiences; personal responsibility for learning; procuring resources; career path (STEM) reinforced or introduced; creditable and credible; and cultivated soft skills. Veteran critical theory, multiple dimensions of identity and intersectionality were useful frameworks to reference as participants expressed the influence of their identities on their life and military experiences. The findings illuminate ways institutions of higher education can facilitate women veterans' success as students, supplying much needed diversity to the STEM pipeline.
Elite Management Strategies under Dictatorships and Their Determinants
Authors:   , Kim Taekbin
Published: January 2025

This dissertation attempts to uncover systematic patterns regarding elite management in dictatorships. To do so, it describes how dictators manage their elites and what factors determine the outcomes of their decision. Although considerable literature has examined the various structural features of dictatorships and has identified different elite management strategies to explain the persistence of dictatorships, few, if any, have empirically tested any of the theoretical propositions generated by this increasingly large body of literature. This dissertation is the first empirical attempt to explore the elite management strategies of various dictatorships, ranging from the individual case of the most extreme dictatorship (North Korea) as well as different kinds of military dictatorships (South Korea), and global patterns of autocratic regimes. To address the main research question, "what determines the choice of the dictator's elite management strategies?" this dissertation identifies three key factors - dictator, elites, and structure. The relationship between dictators and elites is basically hostile. Conflicts between actors over power acquisition often emerge in violent ways. Nevertheless, dictators do not always treat elites with repression. They sometimes make efforts to embrace and cooperate with the other elites. The variation of their strategies toward elites is determined by various conditions. The results of this dissertation indicate that three factors of dictators, elites, and the environments surrounding them significantly affect the elite management strategies under dictatorships. The main theoretical arguments of this dissertation are supported by the evidence in the three empirical chapters of this dissertation.
Stabilization and Performance Improvement of Control Systems under State Feedback
Authors:   , Yao Lisha
Published: January 2025

The feedback control system is defined as the sampling of an output signal and feeding it back to the input, resulting in an error signal that drives the overall system. This dissertation focuses on the stabilization and performance of state feedback control systems. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the feedback control protocol approaching in the multi-agents system. In particular, the global regulation of distributed optimization problems has been considered. Firstly, we propose a distributed optimization algorithm based on the proportional-integral control strategy and the exponential convergence rate has been delivered. Moreover, a decentralized mechanism has been equipped to the proposed optimization algorithm, which enables an arbitrarily chosen agent in the system can compute the value of the optimal solution by only using the successive local states. After this, we consider the cost function follows the restricted secant inequality. A dynamic event-triggered mechanism design has been proposed. By ensuring the global regulation of the distributed proportional-integral optimization algorithm, the dynamic event-triggered mechanism efficiently reduces the communication frequency among agents. Chapter 5 focuses on the feedback control protocol approaching the single-agent system. Specifically, we investigate the truncated predictor feedback control of the regulation of linear input-delayed systems. For the purpose of improving the closed-loop performance, we propose a design of the truncated predictor feedback method with time-varying feedback parameters and give the potential range of choosing the time-varying feedback parameters to replace the traditional constant low gain parameters.
The Mutant Database: Media Franchise Authorship, Creators' Rights, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Authors:   , Cardenas Jen
Published: January 2025

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a massive ongoing franchise that began as a 1984 self-published comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Its history is intertwined with the creators' rights movement and the Creator's Bill of Rights (CBR), which rejected work-for-hire contracts, wherein creative laborers—creative authors—cede authorial control of their labor. Because the production of comic books and their franchises is highly collaborative, intellectual property (IP) rights are often consolidated in a single rights holder—a corporate author—via work-for-hire contracts. Eastman and Laird, as both creative and corporate authors, initially maintained strict control of TMNT licensees, but allowed their employees to retain IP rights over creative contributions to TMNT. However, in 1992, Eastman and Laird sent retroactive work-for-hire contracts to all current and former employees. This TMNT case study illustrates how the CBR represented the conflicting interests of publishers and creative laborers and ultimately reinforced the individualistic view of authorship that undergirds work-for-hire doctrine. Additionally, because IP legal infrastructure uses individualistic discourse to consolidate control of media franchises in one entity that allows authorized individuals access to a shared database of creative expressions that workers can borrow from or add to, media franchises resemble folklore and are made via a database mode of production. The romantic vision of authorship (and authorial control) upon which the CBR was founded ultimately went on to serve publishers rather than creators working for media properties, repeating a pattern that has existed since the inception of copyright and authorship.
Exploring the Narrative and Family Identity Constructions of Adult Children with Visible Disabilities
Authors:   , Lyssy Kendal
Published: January 2025

Using communicated narrative sense-making model and discourse-dependence, the present study examined the retrospective narratives parents told their adult children with visible disabilities in order for them to make sense of their disabilities in their families and to build personal identity. Eleven participants ages 18 to 30 with visible disabilities participated in the study and told retrospective narratives while also relying on internal boundary management strategies to communicate in the family about disability. The results indicated that two narrative content themes emerged: limiting narratives and positive/normalizing narratives. Additionally, a narrative shift was found in narrative structure as some participants got older. Implications for family communication and disabilities, as well as for CNSM and discourse-dependence, are discussed. Finally, future research directions are discussed.
Using Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Precursor Fire Safety Evacuation Skills to Children with Autism
Authors:   , Foxman Amy
Published: January 2025

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have challenges with communication, changes in routine, and processing social information and communication that can affect their ability to learn and respond successfully to safety threats. When given behavioral skills training (BST), children with and without ASD have demonstrated gains in safety responding skills. Although the prevalence of ASD has risen, few studies exist on the acquisition of fire safety skills for children with ASD. This study built on current literature by utilizing a multiple probe design across participants to teach a precursor fire safety evacuation procedure using BST. Additionally, it evaluated if the behaviors gained generalize to another environment and maintain over time, as generalization and maintenance are critical for real-world application of the safety skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if an intervention using BST for teaching a precursor fire alarm evacuation procedure was effective for children with ASD in acquiring, maintaining, and generalizing the procedure. The study showed that the BST procedure for teaching precursor fire safety skills was effective for three of four participants. Only 50% of participants demonstrated generalization of skills learned to an alternate location and fire alarm sound, and 75% of participants maintained skills after 4 weeks. According to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) single-case design standards, the study met standards without reservations and demonstrated moderate evidence of a causal relation.
Autonomic Zero Trust Framework for Network Protection
Authors:   , Durflinger James
Published: January 2025

With the technological improvements, the number of Internet connected devices is increasing tremendously. We also observe an increase in cyberattacks since the attackers want to use all these interconnected devices for malicious intention. Even though there exist many proactive security solutions, it is not practical to run all the security solutions on them as they have limited computational resources and even battery operated. As an alternative, Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) has become popular is because it defines boundaries and requires to monitor all events, configurations, and connections and evaluate them to enforce rejecting by default and accepting only if they are known and accepted as well as applies a continuous trust evaluation. In addition, we need to be able to respond as quickly as possible, which cannot be managed by human interaction but through autonomous computing paradigm. Therefore, in this work, we propose a framework that would implement ZTA using autonomous computing paradigm. The proposed solution, Autonomic ZTA Management Engine (AZME) framework, focusing on enforcing ZTA on network, uses a set of sensors to monitor a network, a set of user-defined policies to define which actions to be taken (through controller). We have implemented a Python prototype as a proof-of-concept that checks network packets and enforce ZTA by checking the individual source and destination based on the given policies and continuously evaluate the trust of connections. If an unaccepted connection is made, it can block the connection by creating firewall rule at runtime.
Computational and Statistical Modeling of the Virtual Reality Stroop Task
Authors:   , Asbee Justin M
Published: January 2025

The purpose of this research was two-fold: (1) further validate the Virtual Reality Stroop Task HMMWV [VRST; Stroop stimuli embedded within a virtual high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle] via a comparison of the 3-dimensional VRST factor structure to that of a 2-dimensional computerized version of the Stroop task; and (2) model the performance of machine learning [ML] classifiers and hyper-parameters for an adaptive version of the VRST. Both the 3-D VRST and 2-D computerized Stroop tasks produced two-factor solutions: an accuracy factor and a reaction time factor. The factors had low correlations suggesting participants may be focusing on either responding to stimuli accurately or swiftly. In future studies researchers may want to consider throughput, a measure of correct responses per unit of time. The assessment of naive Bayes (NB), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), and support vector machines (SVM) machine learning classifiers found that SVM classifiers tended to have the highest accuracies and greatest areas under the curve when classifying users as high or low performers. NB also performed well but kNN algorithms did not. As such, SVM and NB may be the best candidates for creation of an adaptive version of the VRST.
"Rein of Renegades"
Authors:   , Ulery Sarah
Published: January 2025

Rein of Renegades is an introduction to the young adult contemporary fantasy novel of the same name. It is prefaced with an explication of various drafts written throughout adolescence. I am trying to reclaim things I've misplaced or dropped. Over the past few years, I've had much too many trinkets to carry. There went the melodramatic allegations from my teenage writing voice, cracked on a classroom floor. There went the ability to sit, stomach deep, so steadily grounded in another world, this escape blurred with the strawberry ice cream I dripped onto the campus concrete. Writing the ideal love becomes complicated, jaded, too realistic when the hands writing it are always reaching for someone who never reaches back at the right time
High-Immersion Virtual Reality for Language Learning
Authors:   , Kucher Tetyana
Published: January 2025

This manuscript-style dissertation consists of three publications interconnected in their focus on the dynamically evolving use of immersive virtual reality technologies for language education. The manuscripts included in this dissertation were adapted from three research papers published or submitted for publication in scientific journals and book chapters. The first manuscript provides an overview of immersive technologies of different levels of immersion, ranging from 2D displays on a flat screen to highly immersive interactive experiences rendered in virtual reality using head-mounted displays. The second manuscript is a systematic review, and it narrows down the scope of immersive technologies outlined in the previous publication by exploring existing research on the technologies related to the highest level of immersion for language learning, namely the high-immersion virtual reality technologies. The third manuscript continues to investigate the application of those technologies for language learning, but the focus is shifted from examining virtual reality applications to exploring language teachers' beliefs about using those technologies. This dissertation offers a comprehensive overview of high-immersion virtual reality use for language learning which may serve as an ideal starting point for researchers and educators interested in learning more about the current state of virtual reality integration in schools from the perspectives of both language learners and teachers.
Examining the Role of Emotion Dysregulation and Rumination in the Relationship between PTSD Symptom Severity and Sleep Disturbances
Authors:   , Dolan Megan A.
Published: January 2025

Emotion dysregulation and rumination are involved in the development, maintenance, and treatment of both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disturbances. We examined if and how these factors influenced the nature of the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and subjective sleep disturbances among trauma-exposed individuals. Using data gathered from a community sample of 199 trauma-exposed individuals (Mean age = 35.48; 59.80% female), we examined whether there were stronger significant associations between greater PTSD symptom severity and poorer sleep quality/lower sleep quantity at higher (vs. lower) levels of (1) negative emotion dysregulation and positive emotion dysregulation (both included in the same model) and (2) rumination. Participants recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk completed the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, Brief Version of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale – Positive, Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire, and sleep quality/quantity items from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results of simple and additive multiple moderation analyses showed that neither negative/positive emotion dysregulation nor rumination moderated the relationships between PTSD symptom severity and sleep quality/quantity. Exploratory analyses showed that negative emotion dysregulation (when examined independently) moderated the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and sleep quality. There were also significant associations between poorer sleep quality/lower sleep quantity and greater PTSD symptom severity at low to average levels of negative emotion dysregulation coupled with any level of positive emotion dysregulation. Findings inform theoretical perspectives on the PTSD-sleep relationship and clinical applications of targeting emotion dysregulation and rumination in the treatment of PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbances for trauma-exposed individuals.
Cross Validation of the Juror Questionnaire of Values and Viewpoints: Sentencing Decisions and Impression Management in Eligible Capital Jurors
Authors:   , Hartigan Sara E
Published: January 2025

The current dissertation had three primary objectives, categorized into two MTurk studies with capital juror-eligible community members: (a) cross-validate the psychometric properties of the JQVV, (b): explore the role of legal attitudes via the JQVV in mock capital sentencing decisions, and (c): examine the JQVV's ability to detect juror social desirability in capital voir dire. Impressively, Study 1 (N = 552) and Study 2 (N = 313) provided strong and consistent evidence for the JQVV's reliability and construct validity. In the mock juror paradigm, punitive legal attitudes on the JQVV (i.e., Crime-Neg, Convict, and Death-Pos), did not directly affect sentencing decisions, however they indirectly influenced the perception of nearly all other legally relevant variables (e.g., evidence type). For example, participants with more punitive criminal justice attitudes evaluated aggravating evidence more favorably which, in turn, increased death sentence verdicts. Study 1 also underscored the concerningly low levels of comprehension jurors have regarding judicial instructions and other relevant legal knowledge (e.g., the definition of aggravating). In Study 2, the support-life and support-death groups evidenced divergent patterns of social desirability, although support-death participants did not dramatically alter their scores between the genuine and social desirability condition. Additionally, the JQVV Pros-Cyn and Justice-Pos scales were moderately effective at identifying social desirability, marking the first ever questionnaire to examine juror response styles. Implications for research, professional practice in capital jury selection, and legal policy are discussed.
Black Male Collegiate Football Players' Experiences of Racial Mistreatment and Its Effects: A Qualitative Analysis
Authors:   , Walsh J. Andy
Published: January 2025

Research examining how these athletes, specifically football players, are racially mistreated in revenue sports in Power Five conferences, as well as the effect of this mistreatment on their health and well-being, has been sparse. Thus, the purpose of my study was to examine current Black male college football players' experiences of racial mistreatment within their lives in general, and their collegiate sport experiences in particular, and to learn how these experiences have affected their health and well-being across their academic, athletic, and social spheres of functioning. Through reflexive thematic analysis, I gathered that (a) the athletes believed that football defines and limits them, (b) they felt misunderstood and isolated on campus, (b) they were dehumanized and criminalized, and (d) they were physically and psychologically exhausted from chronic racial mistreatment. Despite the NCAA making positive strides toward addressing mental health concerns within collegiate athletics, there remains a clear need for more support and nourishment regarding the mental health of Black male college athletes, particularly football players. Further results and implications are discussed.
Effects of Enculturation in Neuropsychological Test Performance on the African Neuropsychological Battery in African Americans and First-Generation Sub-Saharan African Immigrants to the United States
Authors:   , Braggs Princess S
Published: January 2025

This study used an archival data set of 26 healthy adult immigrants from a sub-Saharan African country to the United States (Mage 39.0, SD = 11.36; Meducation 16.33, SD = 2.88; 40.7% male). Additional archival data was used for 32 healthy African American adults (Mage 34.06, SD = 11.18; Meducation 16.16, SD = 2.49; 53.1% male). A bivariate correlation indicated that acculturation to African culture, as measured by the mBIQ (M 49.29, SD = 8.66), was significantly positively correlated with ethnicity, r = .632, p = .000, ηp2 = 0.399. Two-way ANOVAs revealed that African Americans were able to name more animals than African immigrants (F(1, 54) = 4.82, p = 0.32, ηp2 = 0.82) and exhibited greater organizational skills during a task of cognitive set shifting and problem solving than African immigrants, regardless of level of acculturation (F(1, 54) = 4.47, p =.039, ηp2 = 0.078). In contrast, African immigrants scored higher than African Americans on indigenous fruit (F(1, 54) = 7.60, p =.008, ηp2 = 0.123) and object naming (F(1, 54) = 5.59, p =.022, ηp2 = 0.094). Results of the study concluded that there are small variance effects in language tasks as well as strategy-based approaches to tasks of novel problem solving. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to future research as well as clinical practice in the assessment of culturally dissimilar people across a racially homogenous population by pushing the field forward with diversified approaches to neuropsychological testing.
Voices from the Field: What Special Education Teachers Want Their Principals to Know
Authors:   , Stephens Jennifer Elaine
Published: January 2025

Special education in the public-school setting is designed to support students with disabilities by providing them specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs. This cannot be achieved without special education teachers who undergo specialized training to enable students with a disability to reach their maximum potential. Special education teachers' job duties differ greatly from that of a general education teacher, and they require specialized supports from their administrators. This qualitative study was designed for three purposes: (a) to understand the current teacher evaluation system along with the state and local policies from which the evaluation system is created; (b) to define the unique roles and responsibilities of the special education teacher that the current evaluation process may be failing to identify; and (c) to give special education teachers a voice to describe their experiences with the current teacher evaluation system. A document review of the current Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) evaluation rubric and of current state and local teacher evaluation policies preceded focus groups of high school special education teachers from three special education settings: inclusion, self-contained, and resource. Findings showed that teachers across all three settings agreed that T-TESS is not a true reflection of their job and was not created with diversity in mind, thereby failing students with disabilities. When evaluating the T-TESS rubric, only two out of the 16 dimensions uses language that acknowledges diverse learners in the teacher performance grading standards while no dimension mentions working with students with disabilities. This indicates that across all areas of T-TESS, even the most distinguished teacher is not being evaluated on their ability to work and support students with disabilities.
Topological Conjugacy Relation on the Space of Toeplitz Subshifts
Authors:   , Yu Ping
Published: January 2025

We proved that the topological conjugacy relation on $T_1$, a subclass of Toeplitz subshifts, is hyperfinite, extending Kaya's result that the topological conjugate relation of Toeplitz subshifts with growing blocks is hyperfinite. A close concept about the topological conjugacy is the flip conjugacy, which has been broadly studied in terms of the topological full groups. Particularly, we provided an equivalent characterization on Toeplitz subshifts with single hole structure to be flip invariant.
Through the Eyes of a Teacher: Reflections on Preparedness to Teach Special Population Students
Authors:   , Whitworth Misty Kay
Published: January 2025

Teacher preparation programs are varied in their approach to preparing teachers for the realities of the classroom, particularly when working with special population students. School districts and leaders utilize mentoring and professional development opportunities to help teachers bridge the knowledge and skills gap between what they learned in their preparation programs and what they need to know in their current position for instructing special population students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide K-12 general education teachers an opportunity to voice their perceptions about how they were prepared to instruct special population students and what they need for increasing their level of confidence when teaching special population students. Thirteen participants were chosen for a semi-structured interview and four were chosen for a focus group. To identify future initiatives general education teachers hope their education leaders will incorporate, data were collected through stories pertaining to the successes and challenges general education teachers face when instructing special population students. Findings showed that general education teachers are overwhelmed with the increase in special population students in their classrooms and are lacking the time to fully differentiate instruction. Teachers expressed a need for training about mental illness awareness due to the number of students returning from in-patient facilities. Findings also showed that co-teaching professional development was successful due to the direct instruction method of delivery. In summary, general education teachers continue to make connections with their special population students because they believe all students are capable of success.
A Comparison of Plaintiff and Defense Expert Witness H-Index Scores in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Civil Litigation
Authors:   , Victor Elise C
Published: January 2025

This study examines the background and qualifications of plaintiff and defense experts using the H-Index score as quantification of expert background and qualifications. The goal is to better understand the similarities and differences among the professionals offering paid expert witness testimony in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) civil litigation. In this quantitative study, descriptive statistics include the mean and standard deviation scores for the data to support examining measures of central tendency and variance, respectively. The study includes the use of logistic regression and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and their statistical assumptions were tested to determine whether they would be used or if it was more appropriate to use a non-parametric test. The study included two research questions: How do the qualifications of plaintiff and defense expert witnesses in mild traumatic brain injury civil litigation compare? and to what extent does a higher h-index correlate with a favorable litigation outcome in a mild traumatic brain injury case? The findings for the hypothesis tests associated with the research questions led to the acceptance of the null hypothesis in each test. There was a lack of asymptotic significance in Hypothesis 1 and a lack of significance in Hypothesis 2. The findings from these tests shall support the discussion of the implications of this research and the direction of future research.
Executive Functioning Processes in Simple and Complex Theory of Mind Tasks
Authors:   , Shamji Jabeen Fatima
Published: January 2025

Using a multimethod-multimodal approach, this study compared the contributions of executive function (EF) abilities (Go No-Go, Visual Search, 2-Back task, and Task Switching) to narrative comprehension tasks (False Belief, Strange Stories, Self-Reported Theory of Mind Inventory [TOMI-SR]) and a narrative production task (interpersonal decentering) in a sample of young adults. Separate regression models were conducted for each theory of mind (ToM) measure with EF measures as predictor variables and empirically selected demographic variables controlled. As expected, in this college student sample (N = 110), False Belief demonstrated a ceiling effect and was not associated with any EF ability. Task Switching and 2-Back accounted for significant variance in Strange Stories. No EF task significantly predicted performance on TOMI-SR or interpersonal decentering. Both story comprehension tasks (False Belief and Strange Stories) were significantly associated, but these tasks were not correlated with either self-reported ToM or interpersonal decentering. Several unanticipated demographic associations were found; having more siblings and English proficiency accounted for significant variability in Strange Stories; education, presence or absence of self-disclosed autism diagnosis and mental health diagnosis explained a large portion of variance in TOMI-SR; interpersonal decentering maturity differed significantly between cisgender men and cisgender women. Lastly, interpersonal decentering number of interactions demonstrated an advantage for individuals without diagnosed or suspected autism diagnosis. This study raises critical concerns regarding measurement method error variance and variability of task demands in explaining cognitive mechanisms relevant to social cognitive processes.
A Guide to the Performance and Study of "Dialogue de l'ombre double" (1985) by Pierre Boulez (1925-1916)
Authors:   , Miller Brooke Laurie
Published: January 2025

Pierre Boulez (1925-2016) composed Dialogue de l'ombre double for clarinet and live electronics in 1985. This same year, Alain Damiens of Ensemble InterContemporain premiered and recorded the work with the help of Andrew Gerzso of Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM). The piece alternates between pre-recorded and live sections that are performed with varied levels of amplification and reverberation creating a dialogue between the parts. Boulez also includes detailed instructions for the spatialization of the pre-recorded tracks that play through six equidistant speakers that surround the audience. Furthering the complexity of this work, it is available in two published versions: version aux chiffres arabes (Arabic numeral version) and version aux chiffres romains (Roman numeral version). Each version includes much of the same musical material, but arranged in a different order. Performance of Dialogue de l'ombre double requires extraordinary technical facility and musical understanding from the clarinetist, the dedicated involvement of a highly qualified sound technician, and the use of a spacious, technologically equipped performance venue. This performance guide aims to facilitate greater accessibility and understanding of this challenging work, in order to encourage widespread performance of this extraordinary piece.