bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Relationship of Social Support, Self-Compassion, and Resilience to Psychological Well-Being in NCAA Male Athletes during COVID-19
Authors:   , Drew Megan Joy
Published: October 2024

Collegiate athletes experienced all the general changes caused by universities' implementation of increased safety regulations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also were subjected to unique stressors that arose from the NCAA decision to cancel all remaining sport seasons. Psychosocial resources, such as social support, self-compassion, and resilience, may have impacted how intensely and extensively athletes coped with the stress of COVID-19. I used structural equation modeling to explore the relationship between the psychosocial resources of social support, self-compassion, and resilience in relation to male collegiate athletes' (N = 1,974) psychological distress (i.e., depression and general psychological stress) in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the more supported, self-compassionate, and resilient the athletes reported being, the less psychological distress they reported experiencing (resilience to psychological distress (β = -.12, p < .001), self-compassion to psychological distress (β = -.41, p < .001), and social support to psychological distress (β = -.08, p < .001)). Additionally, self-compassion and social support were related indirectly (and inversely) to psychological distress, to the extent that they contributed to the athletes perceiving themselves as more resilient (Self Compassion → Resilience → Psychological Distress: β = -.08, 90% CI [-.15, -.04]; Social Support → Resilience Psychological Distress: β = -.06, 90% CI [-.10, -.03]). The total effects, which included the direct and indirect effects, were significant for social support (β = -.14, 90% CI -.20, -.08]) and self-compassion (β = -.49, 90% CI [-.60, -.38]). The supported relationships have application beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and can guide how sports medicine professionals intervene with athletes and their general mental health concerns.
Let's Talk About It: Highlighting People of Color's Experiences of Race Talk through Directed Content Analysis
Authors:   , Moore Everrett D.
Published: October 2024

Race talk, conversations about race, racism, and white privilege, have been popularized in empirical literature and in popular press. These difficult dialogues, in alignment with intergroup contact theory, boost participant's critical consciousness, reduce endorsement in prejudicial beliefs, and assist in dispelling racial stereotypes . Despite compelling evidence of benefits, many individuals report race talk as anxiety-provoking, and tend to avoid discussions of race when possible. While the bulk of research and popular press has focused on the reactions of white participants, the present study builds upon this extant literature and exploratory work to further examine and quantify evidence that people of color's level of comfort in race talk is predicated by the race of the other person in the conversation. Utilizing directed content analysis of open-ended survey responses, this project identified key initiators of race talk among a sample (N = 126) of people of color and offered mixed support for hypotheses related to variable levels of comfort in race talk among them. Results are contextualized by critical race theory, intersectional frameworks, and the burgeoning field of intergroup dialogue.
"Somewhere Wild": The Creation, Promotion, and Perseverance of an Independent Album
Authors:   , Bostwick Alden Christine
Published: October 2024

This paper is an artistic reflection and business plan for my album Somewhere Wild.
Longitudinal Links between PTSD and Physical Activity in 9/11 World Trade Center First Responders
Authors:   , Shteynberg Yuliya Aleksandrovna
Published: October 2024

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) continues to burden a significant number of 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) first responders years after the tragedy. Research suggests that physical activity is negatively related to PTSD symptoms in diverse samples, but most of this work has relied on self-report rather than more objective actigraphy, has not had long follow-ups (e.g., > 1 year), and has rarely assessed this relationship among WTC responders, a unique first responder population. To redress gaps, the present study examined the relationship between physical activity measured through actigraphy and PTSD symptoms in a sample of WTC first responders (N = 461), who participated in four yearly waves of data collection. The relationship between physical activity and PTSD (total and individual symptoms) was assessed concurrently via ecological momentary assessment (EMA), from one day to the next, and across years. Analyses found that total physical activity and number of daily steps were significantly associated with reduced PTSD symptoms from one year to the next, while short-term and symptom cluster-level effects were less clear. Significant effects disappeared after controlling for depression, further supporting the presence of a general distress factor in PTSD. No support was found for the role of intensity or time of day of physical activity. Findings from this study highlight the clinical utility of physical activity, which is generally accessible and flexible, as an adjunctive treatment for PTSD, particularly in the long term.
Inclusive Political Systems, Transborder Ethnic Kin, External Intervention, and the Containment of Ethnic Conflict
Authors:   , Shliek Ibrahim
Published: October 2024

I have been puzzled over understanding the relationship between political institutional arrangements, ethnically divided societies, and conflict for some time. I have also wondered about the relationship between the characteristics of power-sharing political institutions, ethnicity, transborder ethnic kin (TEK), and ethnic conflict, i.e., why countries such as Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, the former Soviet countries, and other nations experience civil conflict and unstable political systems while others do not. It has always fascinated me how specific power-sharing arrangements can sometimes bring peace and stability, but in other cases do not. For example, the minority ethnic Russians in Ukraine engaged in ethnic conflict and secessionism, and this process appears to have been affected by the presence of a TEK state (Russia). At the same time, ethnically, Russian groups in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which also share the same TEK state have not engaged in secession. The Kurds in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran, Albanians in the former Yugoslavia, and Armenians in Azerbaijan are involved in significant fighting with active support from their TEK groups. What explains these variations in ethnic civil conflict among these groups, and under what conditions are groups with TEK more likely to experience ethnic conflict?
Convolutional Neural Networks in the Domain of Non-Lexical Audio Signals
Authors:   , Johnson Violet Isabelle
Published: October 2024

Herein I document my exploration into the intersection of convolutional neural networks and raw non-lexical audio signals by detailing the development and results of four projects, each representing a unique problem in this domain: mutation detection, upscaling, classification, and generation. Convolutional neural networks, within the class of computational models which approximate a functional relationship between spaces of data expressed through a bio-inspired structure of modular interconnected neural nodes, are a subcategory suited to data with features that are spatially correlated while variable in absolute position. Dilated convolutional neural networks are of particular interest for operating on audio signals, as the exponential dilation stack both greatly expands the receptive field and extracts features at a progression which reflects the logarithmic properties of human hearing. More generally, I seek to study at a granular level the application of convolutional neural networks to any discrete temporal signals with dense periodic features, though the primary focus is on music and components of audio composition for music and video game production.
Artifex Patriae: The Specter of Augustus in Petronius' "Satyrica"
Authors:   , Mitchell Jordan David George
Published: October 2024

Petronius' Satyrica is uniquely situated as the Roman literary work most concerned with performance, theatricality, and the disconnect between perception and reality. Throughout the Satyrica, Petronius conjures the specter of the first princeps, Augustus. Augustan resonances are a constant occurrence in the Satyrica as Petronius' characters continuously reenact Augustan moments significant to the foundation of the principate. Such reenactments destabilize and alter any meaning essential to Augustan foundational moments leading to their subversion and thus a subversion of the principate in general. Thus, by emphasizing performances of ideological, moral, and social contradictions inherent in the princeps, Petronius presents a critique of the figure that created that role and the continuation of his legacy: that the position of princeps is a farce, that Nero was a byproduct of Augustus' creation, and that the principate had been theater from the very beginning.
Assessing the Readiness for Implementing Linked Open Government Data: A Study on Indonesian Government Agencies' Library
Authors:   , Irhamni Irhamni
Published: October 2024

The main purpose of this study is to assess the factors of library readiness in Indonesian government agencies for implementing and using linked open government data (LOGD). The studies investigated readiness factors in the context of TOE framework: technology, compatibility, complexity, relative advantage, organization: top management support, internal readiness, environment: competitive pressure, external support, peer pressure. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, encompassing surveys and interviews, to gather data from a representative sample of libraries inside Indonesian government organizations. The quantitative research design results indicates that compatible technology, external support and peer pressure are significant factors in the readiness level to implement LOGD in Indonesia perceived by librarians. The qualitative design research employed to explore the quantitative research design found that in the technological perspective are data quality policy, metadata standard policy, privacy and security policy are the main factors to make LOGD compatible in the library. From the environmental perspective are government agency libraries in Indonesia needs law and legal policy and technical policy in LOGD for bibliographic data. The external support also needs commitment and support engagement to ensure the government agencies library in Indonesia is ready to implement LOGD. Indonesian government librarians should consider the peer communication among other librarian as essential factors in LOGD implementation. To increase readiness of LOGD implementation in the government agencies library across Indonesia, the Indonesian government should create compatible technology policies for government agencies library, creating national policy to support LOGD in technical aspect, and creating peer partnership among government agencies library in Indonesia.
A Performer's Guide to Two New Electroacoustic Euphonium Solos
Authors:   , Weis Justin Kimball
Published: October 2024

In the modern euphonium repertoire, a rapidly expanding medium of accompaniment is the use of electronics, and especially live electronics. While the use of electronics can be daunting to new performers, this document aims to build on the established research surrounding electroacoustic solo euphonium works. The first part of the document will familiarize readers with some history and terminology surrounding electroacoustic music and the foundational research for this project. The second part is a performance guide to two commissioned live electroacoustic works: Bitruncation by Lucy Pankhurst, and Shape Shifter by Andrew May. The performance guides include theoretical analyses, an ideal hardware/software set up, and performative suggestions. An updated repertoire list is included in an appendix for performers who wish to discover more electroacoustic music. This list contains publishing or contact information in hopes that performers can more easily access these works.
Exploring Usability and Accessibility in Learning Management Systems: An Empirical Study in Human-Computer Interaction Heuristics
Authors:   , Algamdi Shabbab Ali S
Published: October 2024

This research comprises three interconnected studies, all anchored in the usability evaluation of mobile education applications, with guidance from the well-established Jakob Nielsen factors to heuristic evaluation. The first study delves into the analysis of mobile application reviews using a deep learning model and machine learning to unearth usability issues. In the second study, we examine the usability of two prominent educational applications, Canvas and Blackboard, integrated within Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU) and at the University of North Texas (UNT) from a student-oriented perspective. Through the synthesis of findings and insights from antecedent studies, we seek to augment the current body of knowledge and offer realistic recommendations for the enhancement of mobile education application usability. Our findings have the potential to improve the efficacy of platforms, offering developers a roadmap to refine application features and optimize the learning experience for both educators and learners.
Partisan Abortion Coverage After the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Authors:   , Sledge Erin Marguerite
Published: October 2024

This study looks at the coverage of the mifepristone abortion drug legislation that took place during the summer of 2023. Using framing theory, a qualitative content analysis was performed using 91 articles from local newspapers in various states to determine what frames are used in the coverage, and if frames used in the coverage are different based on whether the paper is in a politically red, blue, or swing state. Then, the study examines how reproductive rights and gender are reflected in the coverage of abortion, which is generally considered a "women's issue," rather than a human rights issue. This study identified six overarching frames: business-as-usual, the new norm, limit our suffering, combative opposition, beacon of hope, and actions speak louder. I found that the overall political climate of the states seemed to affect frames more than their geographic region and that states with anti-abortion legislation had more coverage than states that did not. My findings highlight that reproductive rights are still not considered rights by a large percentage of the population, they are considered a political issue, and that more diverse voices are needed in newspaper coverage, especially when it comes to the politics sections.
Aiming at Apposite Artworks: An Aggregating of Alain Locke's Aesthetics
Authors:   , Lobstein Jamie Wayne
Published: October 2024

Do works of art exert their influence on us across time and culture? The so-called "godfather of the Harlem Renaissance," Alain Locke, argued that Black artworks would lead to racial uplift, so he thought art crossed cultural boundaries, at least. In fact, Locke argued again and again for a universal appeal in art while at the same time expounding a thoroughgoing psychological approach to value theory, including aesthetic value. The two seemingly disparate aesthetic theories adverted by Locke have not been aggregated into a unified system. This work sets out to do just that with a review of Locke's early aesthetics as evidenced by his value theory, and his later popular writings that adumbrate his insistence on a universal appeal in art.
International Student-Athletes' Self-Compassion and Psychological Distress: The Moderating Roles of Resilience and Social Support
Authors:   , Lue Cachet Evelyn
Published: October 2024

The COVID-19 global pandemic caused the cancellation of all sports and disrupted the lives, workout regimens, academic assistance, team social support systems, athletic identity, and mental health of athletes. International student-athletes (ISAs) were a particular population affected and understudied. This study explored the psychological distress level experienced by ISAs during the early stage of the pandemic and examined the effects of self-compassion, resilience, and social support on their distress. Data were collected in April and May 2020 from a larger parent study which included 514 ISAs from all three NCAA Divisions, 74 countries, and 22 different sports. Results suggested ISAs were experiencing similar levels of distress as domestic student-athletes, non-athletes, and other international populations but there was a significant gender difference where ISA women reported significantly higher psychological distress than ISA men. Findings also indicated that self-compassion, resilience, and social support negatively predict psychological distress of ISAs. Although resilience and social support did not moderate the relation between self-compassion and psychological distress when examined separately, a significant interaction effect between resilience and self-compassion on psychological distress (p = .0497) was found when exploring the double moderator model. Specifically, ISAs high in resilience and low in self-compassion were the most distressed. Counseling and preventive interventions to enhance self-compassion, resilience, and social support of ISAs are discussed. Limitations, DEI implications, and future research directions of this study are outlined.
Human Interpretable Rule Generation from Convolutional Neural Networks Using RICE (Rotation Invariant Contour Extraction)
Authors:   , Sharma Ashwini Kumar
Published: October 2024

The advancement in the field of artificial intelligence has been rapid in recent years and has revolutionized various industries. For example, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) perform image classification at a level equivalent to that of humans on many image datasets. These state-of-the-art networks reached unprecedented success using complex architectures with billions of parameters, numerous kernel configurations, weight initialization and regularization methods. This transitioned the models into black-box entities with little to no information on the decision-making process. This lack of transparency in decision making and started raising concerns amongst some sectors of user community such as the sectors, amongst others healthcare, finance and justice. This challenge motivated our research where we successfully produced human interpretable influential features from CNN for image classification and captured the interactions between these features by producing a concise decision tree making accurate classification decisions. The proposed methodology made use of pre-trained VGG16 with finetuning to extract feature maps produced by learnt filters. A decision tree was then induced on these extracted features that captured important interactions between the features. On the CelebA image dataset, we successfully produced human interpretable rules capturing the main facial landmarks responsible for segmenting males from females with the use of a decision tree which achieved 89.57% accuracy, while on the Cats vs Dogs dataset 87.55% accuracy was achieved.
Examining Gender Role Conflict in Strong Black Women's Romantic Relationships Using a Mixed Methods Approach
Authors:   , Gaskin-Cole Gabriella Jacinta
Published: October 2024

The strong Black woman (SBW) schema is a racialized gender role characterized by emotional control, independence, and self-sacrifice. Little is known about how internalization of the SBW schema may influence Black women's romantic relationships. The current study explored the link between endorsement of the SBW schema and relationship flourishing through gender role conflict (the discrepancy between societally prescribed and personally enacted gender roles) and considered how these associations may vary based relationship type (queer or non-queer). One hundred eighty-eight Black women (Mage = 32.28, SD = 11.52 years) completed measures assessing SBW schema endorsement, gender role conflict (GRC), and relationship flourishing, as well as opened-ended questions about their romantic relationship. A mixed-method approach was used, and data was analyzed using a mediated moderation analysis utilizing PROCESS Macro and the thematic analysis method. Results revealed a significant negative correlation between the SBW schema and relationship flourishing. Additionally, GRC did not mediate the association between SBW schema and relationship flourishing, nor was that association moderated by relationship type. However, post-hoc analyses demonstrated that external GRC moderated the association between SBW schema and relationship flourishing. Themes revealed that participants experienced gender role conflict in their relationships both interpersonally (i.e., desire for boundaries, feeling disregarded, feeling prioritized, causing disagreements, and providing support) and intrapersonally (i.e., feeling unsupported, feeling emotionally and physically depleted, and feeling disconnected).
The Impact of Stored Color Knowledge on Learning and Cognitive Load in a Multimedia Context
Authors:   , Knox Anita Marie
Published: October 2024

This quantitative study examined the effects of stored color knowledge on learning achievement and cognitive load using a randomized pretest-posttest control group design. Social media was used to recruit 60 adult participants, randomized into control and experimental groups. A multimedia lesson was presented where the control group viewed images with congruent colors applied, and the experimental group viewed images with incongruent colors applied. Lessons applied seven of Mayer's principles for computer-based instruction for optimal design. Principles used include the spatial contiguity principle, temporal contiguity principle, coherence principle, modality principle, redundancy principle, and the individual difference principle. Learning achievement was measured using a pretest and post-test, and cognitive load was measured using the standard Leppink et al. subjective survey. Multiple paired-sample t-tests were used to analyze the pretest and post-test, and a MANOVA was used to analyze cognitive load. Findings showed that the control group had significantly higher learning achievement and higher germane load than the experimental group.
A High-Throughput Study of the Tribological Properties of MoN-Cu Coatings in Low Viscosity Fuels
Authors:   , Caldwell Slater Leigh
Published: October 2024

The aim of this thesis is to develop a tribocatalytically active solid coating that exhibits strong wear resistance, while also inducing the formation of carbon-based tribofilms when used in a hydrocarbon environment. By using tribocatalytic MoN-Cu synthesized through combinatorial DC reactive magnetron co-sputtering, a gradient between MoN and Cu is deposited and used to determine an ideal Cu composition exhibiting high wear resistance and the formation of a carbon-based tribofilm. To determine the properties of the thin film, various characterization methods were used before and after wear tests from an Anton-Paar pin-on-disk tribometer in a decane or ethanol bath. XRD, SEM, and EDS determined the phase structures and compositions. Nanoindentations and optical profilometry found hardness, Young's modulus, and wear rates. Raman analysis saw carbon presence on the surface of the wear tracks, confirming the formation of carbon tribofilms. For the wear rates, it was found that each fuel had different reactions to the changing Cu at%. From the Raman data, carbon presence, wear rates, and Cu at% did not reveal a strong correlation between the three sets of information. Specifically for the ethanol tracks, the was a connection between a high carbon amount and lower wear rate. It was inconclusive if there was one Cu at% that afforded the most ideal conditions. The information found here has developed the knowledge of MoN-Cu as a solid protective coating, and for using combinatorial DC reactive magnetron co-sputtering as an aid for materials development.
"Set Fire to the Rodeo": A Novel
Authors:   , Zimmerer Joshua Anthony
Published: October 2024

Original novel detailing the fall of a Mid-Western mall and its effects on the local population, including a critical preface.
Alternative Estimation Approaches Predicting College Retention amongst African American Students
Authors:   , Turner Christal-Joy Jewell
Published: October 2024

This quasi-experimental study explored African American student's sense of belonging (SOBE), academic self-efficacy (ASE), parents' educational attainment (PEA), and academic success (GPA) at historically Black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions. The purpose of the present study measured how the factors influenced the rate of persistence to see how colleges and universities could assist to retain African American students in the pursuit of full matriculation through an independent samples t-test, multiple regression analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modeling with the results from methods such as item parceling, factor scoring, and sum scoring being compared. Results indicated that the second-order SEM, item parceling, and factor score regression approaches were found to have consistent results in terms of significant predictors. Parental educational attainment was found to not have an effect on academic achievement or collegiate persistence, but sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy were found to be significant predictors of GPA and CP with ASE being the strongest indicator for collegiate persistence and academic achievement. Implications for future research suggest additional schools be included and higher education institutions should seek further assessment to ensure their African American students feel included in an effort to increase overall persistence amongst African American students.
Subjective Aging in Activities of Daily Living among Older Adults: Moderation by Healthcare Access and Mediation by Healthcare Resources
Authors:   , Udoh Idorenyin Imoh
Published: October 2024

This study examined the role of health care access and health care resources in the association between subjective aging and activities of daily living among older adults. We examined subjective aging in the context of subjective cognitive decline (SCD) relationships in three studies: (1) a scoping review of healthcare access (HCA) and resources (HCR) on dementia and COVID-19 among African American older adults; (2) subjective cognitive decline in basic activities of daily living (bADL) across age cohorts, older adults and (3) subjective cognitive decline in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) across older adults' moderation by HCA and mediation by HCR. For the scoping review, we utilized the population, concept, and context inclusion and exclusion criteria for study admissibility for articles published on dementia and COVID-19 studies in English language journals that published from January 2019 to December 2022. The two empirical studies utilized the 2021 round 11 of the National Health and Aging Trends dataset of older adults aged 70 to above 90 funded by the National Institute for Aging. We employed multiple regression and the bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap with 5000 samples using standard path-analytic approaches for the moderated-mediation approach for the two empirical studies. Findings from the scoping review indicated racial and age disparities affected older African American adults with dementia and COVID-19, associated with lower HCA and marginal HCR. Results of mediation–moderation analysis showed SCD, lower HCR, and HCA predict a decline in bADL to be higher among the older-old age (80-89) compared to the middle-old age (70-79) or oldest-old (90 years +) cohorts. We observed similar effects for IADL. The findings from the two empirical studies suggest a "doughnut" effect by which the older-old age cohort of 80-89 may be coping less well with their bADL, as well as IADL, while the oldest-old may have adapted to functional loss in their everyday living and/or comprises adults who may have passed a mortality selection despite a more significant burden of comorbidity.
Social Connectedness and Social Well-Being Resources: Indicators among Assisted Living Facility Residents
Authors:   , Pudur Rekha
Published: October 2024

This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of social connectedness and well-being resources among assisted living facility residents, focusing on three primary components. Firstly, a scoping review synthesizes emerging evidence on the preferences of older adults in assisted living for social connectedness resources. Secondly, an empirical study explores residents' preferences for social engagement, facility staff involvement, and resource access. Lastly, another empirical study investigates the utilization of community-based resources by assisted-living older adults for social well-being. The scoping review scrutinized 134 titles and abstracts, identifying eight pertinent studies encompassing 2482 older adults across 233 facilities in the USA. Results highlight preferences for facility-based activities among older adults, with community involvement also valued for social connectedness. Preferences vary based on age, facility size, and activity levels. The empirical studies, involving 146 and 92 participants, respectively, underscore the influence of facility-related factors on social engagement levels and the mediating role of individual preferences. Family support emerges as crucial for social well-being, alongside the impact of age and gender on the efficacy of community resources. The findings emphasize the nuanced interplay between resources, preferences, and social interactions in shaping older adults' well-being. Assisted living facilities can enhance social well-being by offering personalized support tailored to residents' needs and effectively leveraging facility and community resources.
Design Exploration of Polymers for Magnetically Activated Drugs
Authors:   , Jensen Jesse Lee
Published: October 2024

This study aims to introduce a systematic procedure for identifying potential novel drug-polymer combinations suitable for a magnetic field-assisted drug delivery system. Specific details of the design exploration exercise will be presented but the physics will only be addressed conceptually. This design process uses response surface design exploration used extensively in engineering fields that statistically predict optimal fluid, electrical, and mechanical designs. Although drug development is a very unique field, it is perhaps even better suited for the design exploration process than the fields that are currently using it. In this workflow, a variety of simulation tools work in tandem to predict the chemical makeup of a polymer that is effective at helping keep the drug stable and inert but also released from the drug when triggered so the cancer drug can be active. The workflow consists of a fixed set of initial input parameters that serve as the guides to this investigation. These inputs are fed into, a design of experiments table, a solver, and then output into a response surface. The response surfaces generated can then be used to alter the parameters of the test to further optimize the drug candidate list. At the end of this procedure, there will be a list of polymer candidates, for a variety of given drug types. Those drugs can then potentially be synthesized. Through this approach, the study aims to enhance the efficacy and specificity of magnetic field-assisted drug delivery systems, contributing to advancements in cancer treatment.
Metamorphosis: Musical Healing in Five Phases
Authors:   , Choi Insun
Published: October 2024

For film music composers, effective communication with others, understanding the story, recognition of emotional changes in the character, and the ability to connect and express these things through one's own music are crucial. Typically, composers convey their emotions and thoughts through the music they compose, deeply engaging with their inner selves in this creative process. Building on the works of Paul Ekman, Robert Plutchik, John D. Mayer, and Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, this paper explores the basic and complex emotions experienced by humans, focusing on the emotional and behavioral changes that occur during the grieving process. This thesis delves into how to overcome depression in personal grief experiences and transition into a healing process that accepts death through emotional intelligence. Additionally, the process of transforming personal grief experiences into music that expresses each emotion is described in detail. This process of confronting and expressing emotional changes through music serves as a healing journey for individual composers, offering insights on finding comfort through music for those who have shared similar experiences. Moreover, this thesis proposes that the awareness and in-depth management of one's feelings can serve as a vital tool for film music composers to understand and empathize with the emotions of others.
Filling in the Gaps: A Survey of Three Bassoon Concertos between Vivaldi and Mozart
Authors:   , Ridge Caden Wyatt
Published: October 2024

This dissertation explores the breadth of underperformed early bassoon concertos available to the 21-century bassoonist. This is done through a survey of three bassoon concertos from the late 18th century: Concerto in C Major by Antonin Reichenauer, Concerto in B-flat Major by J.C. Röllig, and Concerto in B-flat Major by Capel Bond. The dissertation includes the analysis of the ritornello form, the interaction between tutti and solo, and pedagogical implications for early bassoon concertos.
Occupational Health Problems of Violists: An Epidemiological Study
Authors:   , Dzierzanowski Hollie Renee
Published: October 2024

This research is the first known large-scale, instrument-specific, epidemiological study on the occupational health problems of violists. An online survey was developed based on a biopsychosocial framework to assess demographics, pain, musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal problems, music performance anxiety, and musician identity. Additionally, this is the first study known to investigate violists' perceptions and attitudes regarding viola jokes and negative stereotypes associated with viola players and their effects on violists' occupational health. Validated tools used to measure violists' health problems included the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and the Musician's Identity Measurement Scale (MIMS). Results: This survey yielded a cohort N = 324 that was diverse in age, education, and professional involvement. The overall prevalence for violists that experienced musculoskeletal pain in the past year was 79%. For violists in pain, 51% reported being reluctant to inform others of their playing-related pain. In the past year, 89% of violists experienced music performance anxiety. 49% of violists reported having negative thoughts about viola jokes, with 23% indicating they experience music performance anxiety because of viola jokes. The prevalence rates for non-musculoskeletal problems, perceived factors that influence pain, and the influence of viola jokes suggest that high levels of biopsychosocial stressors are often associated with the classical music genre and playing the viola. The results from this research can be used to enhance music teacher-training programs, inform performance practice and viola pedagogy, and educate clinicians about the health risks of playing the viola.
"In The Field Well Past the Golden Hour"
Authors:   , Barnhart Graham Charles
Published: October 2024

The project approaches a medical case report I authored as a US Army Special Forces Medic titled "Prolonged Field Care of a Casualty With Penetrating Chest Trauma." Despite my authorship, the report is one of DeLillo's "millions of components stamped out, repeated endlessly." Millions of these types of reports exist, and while the specific details vary, the report's voice remains uniform. The voice is mine and not mine. It is the voice of the Army, the state, and the hospital speaking through me. In its objectivity, it reflects the emotionally compartmentalized mindset soldiers train to adopt in order to function effectively under extreme stress. The report describes a combat patrol in Afghanistan during which an Afghan soldier was wounded with a gunshot wound to the chest. I provided medical care in the field for roughly thirteen hours until transfer to a coalition hospital where he underwent surgery and made a full recovery. In the report, I describe one of the most intense experiences of my life in precise, objective, medical detail. It was the first time I had been shot at, the first time I treated a casualty under fire. It is an accurate but partial depiction of myself experiencing and managing trauma. Now, years later, I work to unrepeat this document through a series of poetic erasures and individual poems that respond to, adapt, and transform the language of the report.
Preparation for George Crumb's "Makrokosmos" I and II (1972 and 1973): A Pedagogical Guide to Extended Piano Techniques Suitable for Beginning and Intermediate Piano Students
Authors:   , Kim Hyojeong
Published: October 2024

George Crumb sought to expand the sounds and techniques of modern pianism in his solo and chamber works for piano. His greatest contribution to the piano repertoire is Makrokosmos I and II for amplified piano. Although the work is widely known; it is typically only performed by specialists in advanced modernist repertoire because of the unfamiliar and demanding techniques that it requires. It is possible, though, for more pianists to learn this work by first mastering the techniques through preparatory pieces. The thirteen such pieces discussed in this dissertation come from different decades of the twentieth century and are in various styles, but they can all be mastered by beginner and intermediate-level students. These include Samuel Adler's Bells and Harp; Béla Bartók's Mikrokosmos Vol. IV, No. 102; Seymour Bernstein's "Phoenix," No. 9 from Birds II; John Cage's "Prelude for Meditation" from Prepared Piano Music Volume 2, 1940–47; Paul Cooper's Cycles, II; Henry Cowell's Aeolian Harp and his "Time Table" from Five Encores to Dynamic Motion; George Crumb's "Berceuse for the Infant Jesu," No. 2 from A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979; Marti Epstein's "Inside the Piano" from American Etudes; Ross Lee Finney's "Black Notes and White Notes" from 32 Piano Games; Alan Hovhaness's Midnight Bell; Lajos Papp's Forte-Piano; and Jean François Proulx's "Scale Practice" from A Pedagogical Guide to Extended Piano Techniques.
Collaboration of the School Librarian and Teachers of Life Skills Services
Authors:   , Milburn Stacie Marie
Published: October 2024

School librarians are trained to service a diverse population of students. Despite this training, school librarians do not always have the opportunity to service students who are severely and cognitively disabled or who receive special education services within a resource classroom. Many of these students receive special education services that are referred to as Life Skills Services (LSS). There is limited literature about the collaborative efforts of school librarians and special education teachers who teach LSS. This study used a mixed-methods approach to determine why school librarians and teachers of LSS do not collaborate to support students who receive LSS. A survey was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data from participants. A Chi-square Test of Independence was conducted on survey questions that were designed with a Likert scale. Free response questions were hand-coded and analyzed for emergent themes. The quantitative and qualitative data were cross-referenced to validate findings. After distributing the survey to certified school librarians and teachers of LSS in K-12 US schools, the results indicated that there were multiple variables that contributed to a lack of collaboration between the two educators. In fact, 19 themes emerged as to why school librarians and LS teachers do not collaborate. A framework for collaboration between school librarians and teachers of LSS was developed. Future research can expand upon the findings, develop much needed training materials for school librarians and LS teachers, as well as investigate the effectiveness of the proposed conceptual framework.
Approaches, Methods and Techniques for Acoustic Voice Placement: An Empirical Analysis of the Methods of Weston Noble, James Bass, and Joe Miller
Authors:   , Brady Matthew Donald
Published: October 2024

Acoustic Voice Placement has been in use in the United States choral ensembles since the mid-twentieth century, yet research on the topic is limited. Beyond the techniques of Weston Noble (1922-2016), who championed the practice in the United States from 1948 until his death in 2016, there is little known about methods of Acoustic Voice Placement. The purpose of this research is not only to deepen the information available for the reader, but to create a pathway for future research and debate which expands the knowledge about and the practices within the field of Acoustic Voice Placement. Drawn from multiple source types, an empirical analysis of the approaches, methods, and techniques of Acoustic Voice Placement used by three prominent North American choral conductors was conducted. The methods of Weston Noble, James Bass, and Joe Miller were observed and analyzed intent on capturing exemplary practices and detailed methodologies. When compared to Weston Noble's foundational techniques, modern Acoustic Voice Placement techniques showed both convergent and divergent trends.
Culture Exploration and Youth Identity: Exploring Identity and the Role of a Youth Program in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors:   , Ellis Steven Douglas
Published: October 2024

Young people in regional areas of Indonesia are attending school longer, aspiring for degrees and jobs outside of their home community, and learning less about their cultural traditions. In Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, a youth program called Jelajah Budaya, or Culture Exploration, aims to reconnect young people with regional cultural values, motivating them to become actors in preserving their traditions and for positive development. This paper examines the impacts of this program, along with Poso youth identity and aspirations more generally. The project explored these issues with young people in Poso through focus group discussions and Photovoice workshops. Interviews were also conducted with parents, cultural and local leaders, and youth program staff. Participants shared appreciation for how Jelajah Budaya has brought together youth from a wide range of Poso communities, building pride and awareness about regional cultural values. Still, insights from youth participants suggest that building awareness about cultural traditions may not directly translate to community-oriented aspirations or youth seeing their own role in their community's future. The project suggests that Jelajah Budaya should look to engage more directly with youth identities, including as individuals, and to demonstrate the relevance of the region's cultural traditions. Poso youth articulate their identities primarily through communal connections. While they are influenced by the normative ideals of becoming educated and modern, many also have ambitions related to entrepreneurship and some aspire to create jobs in their communities. These insights also echo other studies which demonstrate that regional identity should receive greater attention.
Towards More Robust Metagenome Profiling: Modeling and Analysis
Authors:   , Pusadkar Vaidehi
Published: October 2024

With the large-scale metagenome sequencing data produced currently, alignment-free metagenomic profiling approaches have demonstrated the effectiveness of Markov models in addressing the limitations of alignment-based techniques, particularly in handling unclassified reads. The development of POSMM (Python Optimized Standard Markov Model), employing SMM (Standard Markov Model) algorithm, initially showcased competitive performance when compared to tools such as Kraken2. However, when subjected to simulated damages present in ancient metagenomics data, shortcomings emerged, leading to false positives or misclassified sequences that compromised overall classification accuracy. To address this problem, we developed a segmental genome model (SGM) algorithm based on the generation of the ensemble of models representing distinct classes of DNA segments in a genome. SGM incorporated a recursive segmentation and clustering approach to segregate regions of distinct composition in a microbial genome. An ensemble of higher-order Markov models is trained on DNA clusters generated for each genome. A database of models of genomes, with each genome represented by multiple Markov models are then queried to infer the origin of reads from a metagenome. SGM was benchmarked using diverse synthetic metagenome datasets of varying composition, read lengths, and error profiles. The comparative assessment showed that SGM consistently outperformed SMM. SGM brings in significant advances in alignment-free profiling, offering a new promising avenue for metagenomic exploration through its integration in the next version of POSMM. Furthermore, leveraging the power of integration of alignment-free and alignment-based approaches and highlighting the versatility and practicality of these methods in addressing critical public health challenges, we developed a statistical analysis and machine learning pipeline to identify candidate microbes associated with COVID-19. This involved a meta-analysis of the whole genome sequencing data of COVID-19 patients' samples and its predictive modeling to discern the distinctive microbial features. We improve and explore alignment-free metagenome profiling to raise the bar in metagenome profiling in complex real-world samples.
Geography, Access to Public Services, and the Executive in Peru
Authors:   , Garcia Daniel P.
Published: October 2024

The third wave of democracy accelerated democratization within various regions of the world, particularly in Latin America. While previously autocratic regimes made great leaps in democratizing, most countries in Latin America were unable to fully consolidate. Scholars accounted for this in their new classification of "hybrid" regimes, featuring democratic and autocratic attributes on the institutional level. However, in much of the literature, the perspective of the people is largely ignored. I theorize that "would-be" autocratic regimes utilize redistributive policies to demobilize efforts for democratic consolidation, which shape public support for the regime. If the regime ensures a quality public education, justice system, healthcare service, and income to Latin American citizens, they are inclined to support the regime, and therefore, the executive. How does this effect change when resources are not ensured? Using the case of Peru and data from 2023 LAPOP, I find that geographical location poses a threat to the distribution of public services. Thus, contrary to the literature, indifferent attitudes toward the executive may emerge in the rural areas.