bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Πέρα απ’ το ουράνιο τόξο (Beyond the rainbow)
Authors: Σταθάκη Ελευθερία-Ειρήνη , Φρέρη Άννα-Μαρία , Μπαρίμη Μαρία-Ελένη
Published: January 2025

Η ταινία μικρού μήκους «Πέρα απ’ το ουράνιο τόξο» δημιουργήθηκε στο πλαίσιο του ΔΠΜΣ «Εκπαιδευτικός Σχεδιασμός για Διαδικτυακή Εκπαίδευση» και εστιάζει στην πρόσφατη ψήφιση του νομοσχεδίου υπέρ του γάμου των ομόφυλων ζευγαριών στην Ελλάδα, αναδεικνύοντας τις αντιδράσεις και τις απόψεις των πολιτών. Μέσα από συνεντεύξεις με ομόφυλα ζευγάρια και άτομα από το κοινό, η ταινία παρουσιάζει τις δυσκολίες, τις κοινωνικές προκαταλήψεις και τις διακρίσεις που βιώνουν τα άτομα της ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ κοινότητας, καθώς και την ανάγκη τους για ελευθερία και ισότητα. Κύριος στόχος είναι η ευαισθητοποίηση, η προώθηση της ενσυναίσθησης και η καταπολέμηση της ομοφοβίας και του κοινωνικού ρατσισμού. Επιπλέον, η ταινία χρησιμοποιείται ως εκπαιδευτικό υλικό για μαθητές λυκείου, με σκοπό να καλλιεργήσει τον σεβασμό, την ενσυναίσθηση, τη δικαιοσύνη, την αλληλεγγύη και την κριτική σκέψη απέναντι στις ανισότητες και τις κοινωνικές διακρίσεις που βασίζονται στο φύλο.
Εναλλακτική Τεχνική Ακτινολογικής Απεικόνισης της Σκολίωσης - Παρουσίαση Μεθόδου
Authors: Μπουντούρη Δήμητρα
Published: January 2025

Σκοπός: Παρουσίαση εναλλακτικής μεθόδου ακτινολογικού ελέγχου για τον προεγχειρητικό σχεδιασμό ασθενή που θα υποβληθεί σε χειρουργική διόρθωση σκολίωσης.
Μέθοδος και Υλικό: Μετά από σύντομη αναφορά στις χρησιμοποιούμενες τεχνικές οι οποίες είναι διαθέσιμες, παρουσιάζεται η τεχνική που εφαρμόζουμε στο νοσοκομείο μας.
Αποτελέσματα: Η συγκεκριμένη τεχνική αποτελεί αποδεκτή λύση και σε συνδυασμό με συμπληρωματικές δυναμικές ακτινογραφίες, όπου αυτές απαιτούνται, προσφέρει στον θεράποντα ιατρό επαρκή στοιχεία προκειμένου να προχωρήσει σε σωστό προεγχειρητικό σχεδιασμό.
Συμπεράσματα: Η λύση που προτείνεται μπορεί να υποκαταστήσει τις προτεινόμενες τεχνικές στις περιπτώσεις που αυτές δεν είναι διαθέσιμες, ενώ παράλληλα μειώνει δραματικά το βαθμό έκθεσης του ασθενή σε ακτινοβολία, το οποίο είναι ιδιαίτερης σημασίας δεδομένης της μικρής σχετικά ηλικίας των ασθενών.
Μια Νέα Εποχή για το Ελληνικό Επιστημονικό Περιοδικό «ΑΚΤΙΝΟΤΕΧΝΟΛΟΓΙΑ»
Authors: Γεωργιάδης Κωνσταντίνος , Δρακουλίδου Στέλλα , Malamateniou Christina , Κωνσταντινίδης Κλεάνθης
Published: January 2025

Δεν υπάρχει διαθέσιμη περίληψη
Ανάπτυξη συστήματος ανίχνευσης νοητικής κόπωσης κατά την οδήγηση με τεχνικές μηχανικής μάθησης
Authors: Γιαννακοπούλου Ολυμπία
Published: January 2025

Η νοητική κόπωση κατά την οδήγηση αναφέρεται στην γνωστική επιβάρυνση που βιώνουν οι οδηγοί κατά τη διάρκεια παρατεταμένων περιόδων, επηρεάζοντας την προσοχή, τους χρόνους αντίδρασης και τη συνολική τους απόδοση. Η κόπωση κατά την οδήγηση εγκυμονεί σημαντικούς κινδύνους για την οδική ασφάλεια και απαιτεί ακριβείς μεθόδους αξιολόγησης για τον μετριασμό των πιθανών κινδύνων. Η παρούσα διατριβή επικεντρώθηκε στην ανάπτυξη και αξιολόγηση καινοτόμων μεθόδων ανίχνευσης νοητικής κόπωσης κατά την οδήγηση, δίνοντας έμφαση στις εξατομικευμένες προσεγγίσεις και στη χρήση προηγμένων τεχνικών ανάλυσης εγκεφαλικών δικτύων. Μέσω της αξιοποίησης των σημάτων EEG και του Δείκτη Καθυστέρησης Φάσης (PLI), σε συνδυασμό με τους αλγορίθμους μηχανικής μάθησης, η έρευνα ανέδειξε τη σημασία της κατανόησης των ατομικών μοτίβων συνδεσιμότητας για την πρόβλεψη της κόπωσης. Η ενσωμάτωση των τεχνικών εντοπισμού πηγών προσέφερε λεπτομερή χαρτογράφηση συγκεκριμένων περιοχών του εγκεφάλου που εμπλέκονται στη νοητική κόπωση, δίνοντας ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στη ζώνη συχνοτήτων άλφα. Επιπρόσθετα, οι αναλύσεις επιπέδου των αισθητήρων απέδειξαν την αξία τους ως πρακτικές λύσεις για εφαρμογές σε πραγματικό χρόνο λόγω της απλότητας και της ταχύτητάς τους. Τέλος, τα αποτελέσματα αναδεικνύουν τη σημασία της ενσωμάτωσης των νευροεπιστημονικών γνώσεων και προσεγγίσεων που εστιάζουν στις απαιτήσεις των πρακτικών εφαρμογών.
Μεταρρυθμίσεις και ανθρώπινο δυναμικό της δημόσιας διοίκησης
Authors: Κορμικιάρη Στυλιανή
Published: January 2025

Το πρόγραμμα ‘Καλλικράτης’ το 2010 αποτέλεσε ορόσημο στην προσπάθεια εκσυγχρονισμού του αποκεντρωτικού συστήματος και της τοπικής αυτοδιοίκησης, επιφέροντας το μετασχηματισμό της διοικητικής δομής του κράτους με την μετατροπή των κρατικών περιφερειών σε αυτοδιοικητικές. Οι αλλαγές είχαν άμεσο αντίκτυπο στον εργασιακό βίο των υπαλλήλων που στελέχωναν τις αποκεντρωμένες υπηρεσίες και την τοπική αυτοδιοίκηση πριν την εφαρμογή του προγράμματος. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν η διερεύνηση της επίδρασης του προγράμματος «Καλλικράτης» στον εργασιακό βίο του προσωπικού των περιφερειών. H έρευνα απευθύνθηκε σε πέντε (5) περιφέρειες από τις δεκατρείς (13) συνολικά της Ελλάδος ενώ ως κύριες υπηρεσιακές μονάδες επελέγησαν οι Γενικές Διευθύνσεις και οι υπάλληλοι που τις στελεχώνουν ανεξαρτήτως ιεραρχικού επιπέδου. Το ερευνητικό εργαλείο που χρησιμοποιήθηκε στην έρευνα αποτελείτο από πέντε (5) ξεχωριστά τμήματα τα οποία διερευνήσαν τα επίπεδα της επαγγελματικής ικανοποίησης των εργαζομένων στις περιφέρειες, της σύγκρουσης και ασάφειας ρόλων που βιώνουν στους οργανισμούς που εργάζονται, τις οργανωτικές αλλαγές που συντελέστηκαν μετά την εφαρμογή του προγράμματος « Καλλικράτης» , τα επίπεδα του εργασιακού φόρτου των υπαλλήλων καθώς και τα δημογραφικά χαρακτηριστικά τους. Για την επεξεργασία και τη στατιστική ανάλυση των δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκε το στατιστικό πρόγραμμα SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), ν 22.0. και το σύνολο του δείγματος ανήλθε στα 420 άτομα (Ν=420)Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας έδειξαν πως οι υπάλληλοι των περιφερειών φάνηκαν μετρίως ικανοποιημένοι από την εργασία τους και τα επίπεδα της ασάφειας ρόλων στην εργασία τους ήταν χαμηλά. Η σύγκρουση ρόλων κυμάνθηκε σε μέτρια επίπεδα ενώ η υπερφόρτωση ρόλου σε σχετικά υψηλά επίπεδα.
Volunteering in Ensuring Sustainable Development of Agriculture
Authors: Gorlova N.
Published: January 2025

The article presents the current state of the volunteer movement in the agricultural sector as a widespread and popular area of gratuitous practices. The state of the sphere of implementation of volunteer labor is considered from the point of view of the emergence of a need for its application. The concepts of “agricultural volunteer” and “volunteer agrotourism” have been clarified. Contains a brief excursion into the history of the formation of agricultural volunteering; the standards of the thematic area of gratuitous practices are analyzed, regulating labor activity, the rights and responsibilities of volunteers and agricultural producers — organizers of volunteer activities. The influence of voluntary labor activity on the sustainable development of agriculture and organic production is analyzed. Successful foreign volunteer thematic projects are presented, using examples of which an analysis is given of the wide range of types of work performed by volunteer assistants in the agricultural sector: from harvesting, caring for animals to introducing farmers to new farming methods. The experience of national and international non-profit organizations (AgriCorps, Kibbutz Volunteer, Go Volunteer Africa, Volunteers Initiative Nepal, etc.) that contributed to the formation of the general ideology and philosophy of the volunteer movement in agriculture is considered. Taking into account the experience of developing a specialized volunteer movement is currently relevant in the process of solving both modern and future problems in the Russian agricultural sector and will be in demand by the domestic volunteer movement in the context of the implementation of voluntary agrotourism programs, public initiatives and socially significant projects in the field of promoting sustainable development of agriculture, organic production and food security.
The Main Problems and Prospects of Venture Financing Development in Russia
Authors: Kookueva V , Davaeva A.
Published: January 2025

The article reflects the main problems of venture financing and investment in modern conditions in Russia and in foreign practice. The advantages and disadvantages of venture financing are highlighted and the trends of recent years are evaluated. A SWOT analysis was performed. The application of instruments to support the venture financing market in Russia in comparison with international practices is analyzed. The directions of improving venture financing in order to develop the activities of companies are proposed.
Religiosity and Family Relationships During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Research Results in Poland
Authors: Tykarski Sławomir , Zarembski Zbigniew
Published: January 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic that globally affected humanity in 2020 paralyzed the current functioning of the world. This has led to consequences not only in the economic or business sphere but also in the psychological and relational dimensions. The situation also affected families, whose members were forced to coexist due to the nationwide quarantine restrictions imposed by governments that limited individuals’ ability to leave home. Certainly, there are many factors that could help families live through the difficult time of the pandemic. Since religiosity and faith are precisely such factors, the subject of this study is to find out whether faith and its practice helped spouses and families to cope positively during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and how they shaped marital and intra-family relationships. To this end, an online survey was conducted among 200 respondents in Poland. The results confirmed the existence of a relationship between faith in God and families’ ability to weather the pandemic. There were no arguments or acts of aggression or violence in married couples. Religiosity also contributed to strengthening family relationships and lowering anxiety in children during the pandemic. In addition, the beneficial effect of the religious factor in the form of worship was noted to strengthen the psychological resilience of the respondents, thus increasing their overall well-being.
Diverging Perceptions of Emotional Black and White Female Leaders
Authors:   , Briggs Madasen
Published: January 2025

Stereotypical beliefs about emotion have been shown to influence perceptions of competence. While emotional White women are often presumed to be generally less competent, emotional Black women receive variable competence ratings due to the intersecting stereotypes concerning both their race and gender. However, it is unclear how perceptions of competence fluctuate in response to anger, a stereotypically male emotion, in comparison to sadness, a stereotypically female emotion. The project at hand utilized participants' responses to a scenario of White and Black leaders engaging with subordinates in their workplace expressing either neutral, angry, or sad responses to an interaction. We aimed to identify if a Black woman leader's expression of anger garnered a more favorable response than a White woman leader's expression of anger in addition to whether both leader's expression of sadness would garner similarly low ratings of competence. Results reveal that perceptions of a woman leader's competence can be influenced by race alone with no significant influence from emotional expression. Specifically, a Black woman leader's competence can on average be rated lower than a White woman's competence regardless of emotional expression. This study provides further evidence that group stereotypes manifest differentially based on context.
A Safe and Fast Deworming Procedure for Horses
Authors:   , Ward Jessica Lauren
Published: January 2025

Most horse owners administer oral deworming medication to their horses on a set schedule, often six times per year. The deworming process involves using a plastic syringe to inject a thick paste into the horse's mouth. Most horse owners do not specifically train their horses to accept this procedure. Consequently, many horses resist the procedure and some horses engage in behaviors, such as head shaking, pulling away, or even rearing, that may be dangerous to humans or to themselves. This study used a negative reinforcement shaping procedure to train six horses to accept dewormer medication. The procedure consisted of a food sampling phase followed by three shaping phases that simulated the deworming task, first using only the experimenter's hand, then a small syringe, and finally a large syringe. Once the horse was acclimated to the syringe, the horse's preferred liquid food was delivered through the syringe at the end of each trial. By the end of the study, all participants successfully completed the procedure and were able to stand still with no or minimal head movements while being dewormed.
Tuning of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties in Additively Manufactured Metastable Beta Titanium Alloys
Authors:   , Nartu Mohan Sai Kiran Kumar Yadav
Published: January 2025

The results from this study, on a few commercial and model metastable beta titanium alloys, indicate that the growth restriction factor (GRF) model fails to interpret the grain growth behavior in the additively manufactured alloys. In lieu of this, an approach based on the classical nucleation theory of solidification incorporating the freezing range has been proposed for the first time to rationalize the experimental observations. Beta titanium alloys with a larger solidification range (liquidus minus solidus temperature) exhibited a more equiaxed grain morphology, while those with smaller solidification ranges exhibited columnar grains. Subsequently, the printability of two candidate beta titanium alloys containing eutectoid elements (Fe) that are prone to beta fleck in conventional casting, i.e., Ti-1Al-8V-5Fe (wt%) or Ti-185, and Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al (wt%) or Ti-10-2-3, is further investigated via two different AM processing routes. These alloys are used for high-strength applications in the aerospace industry,
Exploring the Effects of Cultural Consequences Identified through a Ranking Task on the Interlocking Behavioral Contingencies of Ethically Self-Controlled Responses with Participants with Pre-Existing Relationships
Authors:   , Elwood Chelsea Christina
Published: January 2025

This study explored the effects of cultural consequences identified through a ranking task on the selection of interlocking behavioral contingencies and aggregate products constituting ethically self-controlled responses when participants had pre-existing relationships. Two experiments were conducted to explore these effects. Experiment 1 had two triads of three participants each recruited from a university-based autism center. Experiment 2 had three triads of three participants each; participants in Triads 3 and 4 were recruited from a university-based rock-climbing club while participants in Triad 5 were recruited from the same university-based autism center as in Experiment 1. All participants were exposed to a task that involved choosing odd or even rows from a matrix displayed throughout the experimental session. Individual contingencies were programmed in all conditions while metacontingencies were programmed in some conditions. Participants selected the topography of the cultural consequence through a pre-experimental ranking task prior to the onset of the experimental session. A change was made to the experimenter's verbal behavior in all operant and metacontingency conditions for Experiment 2. The results of both experiments indicate that identification of the cultural consequence through a ranking task with participants having pre-existing relationships did have an effect on the continued selection of the cultural consequence across all triads with quicker selection occurring during Experiment 2. This study extends the current literature on ethical self-control and provides new procedures and designs to further understand the variables involved in the selection of cultural consequences when there is competition with an immediate operant consequence.
An Analysis of Compressive Sensing and the Electrocardiogram
Authors:   , Molugu Shravan
Published: January 2025

As technology has advanced, data has become more and more important. The more breakthroughs are achieved, the more data is needed to support them. As a result, more storage is required in the system's memory. Compression is therefore required. Before it can be stored, the data must be compressed. To ensure that information is not lost, efficient compression is necessary. This also makes sure that there is no redundancy in the data that is being kept and stored. Compressive sensing has emerged as a new field of compression thanks to developments in sparse optimization. Rather than relying just on compression and sensing formulations, the theory blends the two. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the concept of compressive sensing and to study several reconstruction algorithms. Additionally, a few of the algorithms were put into practice. This thesis also included a model of the ECG, which is vital in determining the health of the heart. For the most part, the ECG is utilized to diagnose heart illness, and a modified synthetic ECG can be used to mimic some of these arrhythmias.
An Exploration of Coping Mechanisms, Motivations, and Treatment Strategies Among Those with an Opiate Use Disorder
Authors:   , Jarrett Zachary Mical
Published: January 2025

The opioid epidemic is an issue that has ravaged much of the United States, and specifically Appalachia. Many different academic disciplines have attempted to provide a solution to no avail. This ethnographic study investigates the social nature of addiction & recovery related to problematic opiate use. Through semi-structured interviews and participant observation with clients at a drop-in mental health and addiction services center, the study explores the social conditions which facilitate problematic substance use in addition to vetted strategies to reach and maintain active recovery from opiate misuse. The conclusion focuses on how addiction and recovery are inherently social exercises that are heavily influenced by one's social network and the social contexts they live or have lived in. Using an anthropological perspective, this study shows the value that social science and an anthropological perspective in particular, can provide on such a pervasive and unsettling issue.
Awareness, Inclusivity, and Action in Western Historical Museums
Authors:   , Brown Sonia Renee
Published: January 2025

Dominant narratives in western historical museums often evoke a nostalgia for a Western Frontier that did not actually exist in the United States. Many Western historical museums, in particular, preserve nostalgia of an imagined Western Frontier through narratives of white masculine heroism, by featuring objects and artifacts symbolizing American exceptionalism and conquest, and by developing a sensory experience in exhibits to recreate an idealized time in history. As our understandings of history evolve, it is increasingly more evident that there is a significant need for Western historical museums as knowledge producers to shift narratives in exhibits from the dominant white-settler perspective. An integration of different value systems, cultures, practices, and beliefs in exhibits is possible by incorporating a diversity of thought in the frameworks used to interpret history, through the inclusion of diverse stories, and through creating accessible exhibits to reach a broader public audience.
The Relationship of Bullying and Cyberbullying to Social and Emotional Learning and the Impact on Student Engagement
Authors:   , Larson Sandy Dawn
Published: January 2025

At a time where technology is easily accessible, emotions are high, and students are dealing with more and more as they earn a basic education, in-person and cyberbullying add to students' stress. As 21st century students have easy access to technology, adolescents have multiple ways to encounter bullying and cyberbullying. The purpose of this study was three-fold: (a) to identify the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying and student engagement; (b) to identify the impact of school culture and climate on the incidences of bullying and cyberbullying; and (c) to identify how the integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into the curriculum could mitigate the negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying. The five SEL core competencies are self-regulation, self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. In this mixed methods study, district discipline data, a culture and climate survey, and focus groups were utilized to examine how each SEL competency impacted classroom engagement and school climate and culture and mitigated any negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying. Findings showed that a positive school culture and SEL can increase student engagement. In addition, SEL was shown to improve classroom engagement as well as mitigate the negative effects of bullying and cyberbullying among the studied participants.
Digital Equity in K-12 Education: Conceptualization and Analysis of Students' Digital Opportunity
Authors:   , Jim Cary Ka Wai
Published: January 2025

Although digital equity is a recognized challenge in our K-12 school system, there is little research in using a holistic framework to investigate pre-conditions necessary for K-12 students to participate in digital learning and online processes. A conceptual framework of students' digital opportunity (SDO) is developed to represent the essential components of digital connectivity. The four key components are broadband internet availability, broadband usage, digital device ownership, and speed quality. A composite measure of SDO was created to quantitatively represent and measure the differences across 3,138 counties in the United States. Furthermore, spatial autocorrelation was applied to evaluate if the distribution of the SDO score is associated with geographical characteristics at the county level. The result showed the presence of significant county-level clusters with concentrations of high or low SDO scores. While the spatial analysis provided evidence of where the gaps in digital opportunities are located, there are underlying factors at the micro level that would need further investigation. This study suggests a collective approach between private and public entities to address the K-12 digital equity issue. The necessary conditions presented in the SDO model must be addressed first in order to bring change to K-12 students and schools in terms of obtaining high quality and reliable broadband internet and digital devices for learning with technology. Two research outputs are available from this research to allow others to further evaluate digital equity among K-12 schools and students.
Synthesis and Characterization of Vanadium and Cobalt Oxynitride Surface Chemical and Electronic Structure for Electrochemical Reduction of N2 to NH3
Authors:   , Osonkie Adaeze
Published: January 2025

Cobalt oxynitride films formed by magnetron sputter deposition of a Co target in N2 or NH3 plasma or, alternatively, by NH3 plasma nitridation of a Co film deposited on Si(100), show a divergence of properties arising from (a) N and O interactions for N and O atoms bonded to each other or through a common metal center and (b) the oxophilicity of the metal center itself. Core and valence band X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and plane wave density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to probe chemical and electronic interactions of nitrogen-rich cobalt oxynitride CoO1-xNx (x > 0.7) films. DFT-based calculations supervised by the Cundari group show the zinc blende (ZB) structure is found to be energetically favored over the rocksalt (RS) structure for x > ~ 0.2, with an energy minimum observed in the ZB structure for x ~ 0.8 - 0.9. There is also agreement with experiment for core level binding energies obtained for DFT calculations based on the ZB structure and this forms the basis of a predictive model for understanding how N and O interactions impact the electronic and catalytic properties of these materials. Vanadium oxynitride films were deposited in a mixture of O2/Ar/N2 environments on α-Al2O3(0001) or SiO2/Si(100) substrates to obtain films with varied N/O stoichiometries via magnetron sputter deposition using a vanadium target. Films deposited on the Al2O3(0001) substrates generally, though not always, exhibited a (111) orientation, which is consistent with a rock salt structure. The enhancement of the surface properties of vanadium oxynitride was explored to improve its catalytic properties.
A Performance Guide to Eight Chinese Songs and Arias: Selected Repertoire for Soprano Voice
Authors:   , Wang Yi
Published: January 2025

Over the past century, the widespread popularity of Western art music, in particular that of the standard operatic repertoire, has gradually expanded the development of opera in China. In order to bolster a broad range of classical music genres and help promote the development of Chinese opera, opera houses and opera companies have been built in several major Chinese cities. Moreover, a series of first-rate international vocal competitions have been established to promote original Chinese operas and art songs. Nonetheless, performing this modern repertoire can represent a novel and demanding experience for both Chinese and non-Chinese speaking singers. This dissertation examines eight representative works of Chinese music: four arias and four art songs for soprano. These pieces challenge the singer both in terms of their musical style and their singing techniques. The purpose of this study is therefore to provide a detailed performance guide for sopranos that can assist them to successfully perform these works. In addition, this research will supply relevant background information on the selected compositions, an overview of their historical significance, the origin of the source poem or drama, and acquaint the reader with the key features of the main characters. Furthermore, to better understand the original Chinese Pin Yin characters, the International Phonetic Alphabet is provided, as well as the corresponding English translation and transliteration in the musical scores. The dissertation also incorporates stylistic analyses, as well as an assessment of the vocal demands and singing techniques that appear in all eight pieces. This information has the purpose of helping the performer attain a more accurate rendition of these works. In turn, this study may be used as a research model for future studies of Chinese vocal art music.
Attaining Team Psychological Safety to Unlock the Potential of Diverse Teams
Authors:   , Chen Victor H.
Published: January 2025

Team psychological safety fosters interpersonal risk-taking and constructive debate. Yet, how psychological safety develops in diverse teams needs to be explained. I apply collective regulatory lenses to shed light on how collective prevention focus (status quo) and collective promotion focus (growth) uniquely affect team psychological safety. I believe promotion focus makes it easier to attain psychological safety, while prevention focus makes it harder. Under a collective promotion lens, teams seek growth. Under a collective prevention lens, teams desire protection and not making things any worse. A pilot study of 76 students in 17 student project teams provided initial support for individual relationships in my model. In Study 2, an experiment, I manipulated team regulatory foci in three tasks (building towers, selling a house, negotiating a salary). I did not find significant mean group differences in psychological safety between promotion (n = 17) and prevention (n = 15) teams; yet, promotion teams experienced greater team viability in the final activity. In Study 3, I employed an experimental vignette method that suggested leadership conditions (e.g., leader humility vs transactional leadership) created differences in regulatory foci and subsequent differences in psychological safety with 343 working professionals in 7 scenarios.
"Dear Bone Mother"
Authors:   , Macheret Minadora
Published: January 2025

This dissertation begins with a critical preface that examines the haunted present and its impact on writing for third and fourth generation Holocaust survivors. Then follows a collection of poetry and prose that examine themes of intergenerational trauma, experiences of the Shoah, grief, and chronic illness.
Survive or Thrive? 10th Graders' Parental Involvement and Its Influences on Early Adult Life
Authors:   , Zhu Ping
Published: January 2025

To find out how adolescents' individual and environmental factors impact adulthood education and employment outcomes, this longitudinal study examined 10th graders' individual (such as math scores, intrinsic motivation, and school engagement) and environmental (i.e. parental involvement) factors through their education and employment outcomes in emerging adulthood. The current study examined the differentiated effect of parental involvement being autonomy-supportive or control on adolescents' academic achievement in high school and also young adulthood educational and occupational outcomes 10 years later. This research is based on an analysis of data drawn from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), which is a nationally representative longitudinal study that follows adolescents at four main timelines: the base year of students in 10th grade (Time 1), the first follow up at 12th grade(Time 2), the second follow up two years after the expected high school of high-school, and the third follow up when students who may have gone on to post-secondary education would complete their postsecondary education (Time 3). 5,439 students and their parent(s) were included in the study. Overall, the final model supported the majority of the hypotheses and revealed how differentiated parental involvements and students' previous academic performance influence their math scores at Time 2 (r = .80), and both educational (r = .32) and career (r = .27) outcomes at emerging adulthood.
What Type of Follower Will I Be? Leader Behavior and the Motivational Processes Underlying Follower Role Orientation
Authors:   , Maxie Jamila S
Published: January 2025

In a society fixated on leaders, where does that leave followers? Followership highlights the follower in the leadership process, examines who are followers, and explores how and why people follow. Much of the existing literature on followership has focused on classifying followers into follower types. However, less is known about why an employee might enact a particular follower role. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand how leaders influence the likelihood that followers to enact a particular follower role orientation, either coproducing or passive. Specifically, this research contributes to understanding the impact of transformational leadership on follower motivation and follower role orientation. An additional contribution of this dissertation is to establish the theoretical mechanism that explains the connection between leader behavior and follower role orientation by integrating self-determination theory (SDT) into the process of followership. Through SDT, we gain understanding of the origins of these roles by explaining their underlying motivation. Study 1 consisted of sequential experiments with a between-subject design that used distinct vignettes for transformational leadership and work-based need satisfaction. Findings support the causal relationship between transformational leadership and follower needs satisfaction; however, the casual relationship between follower need satisfaction and follower role orientation was not significant. Study 2 was a two-wave field study of full-time employed adults located in the United States. Results from Study 2 indicated that transformational leadership relates to coproduction follower orientation through competence need satisfaction and to passive follower orientation through autonomy/relatedness needs satisfaction. These findings contribute to our understanding of how different follower role orientations develop.
Re-Envisioning the Future: A Research Study about Increased Plastic Pollution from Desalination Plants and Environmental Education in Texas
Authors:   , Gutierrez Gabriela L.
Published: January 2025

This study examines the relationship between proposed desalination plants and increased plastic pollution along the Texas Gulf Coast. It specifically focuses on their expected impact on communities in the area and was conducted for Society of Native Nations. The goal was to gather information about environmental ideologies and experiences from different environmental experts and scientists to educate community members and inform policy recommendations. The study relied on semi structured interviews and archival research to understand how environmental experts and scientists envision the future, how they interpret the impact of desalination plants as related to plastic pollution. Ideas that guided this research include decolonial methodologies, political ecology, Indigenous research agendas, environmental justice and knowledge, cultural hybridity, and the anthropology of the borderlands. This research provides actionable steps and recommendations to improve environmental education in Texas Gulf Coast communities on the U.S./Mexico border and to reduce plastic pollution in order to ensure that these communities have ample amounts of water supply without relying on desalination plants.
Metacommunity Dynamics of Medium- and Large-Bodied Mammals in the LBJ National Grasslands
Authors:   , McCain Wesley Craig Stade
Published: January 2025

Using metacommunity theory, I investigated the mechanisms of meta-assemblage structure and assembly among medium- to large-bodied mammals in North Texas. Mammals were surveyed with camera-traps in thirty property units of the LBJ National Grasslands (LBJNG). In Chapter II the dispersal and environmental-control based processes in community assembly were quantified within a metacommunity context and the best-fit metacommunity structure identified. A hypothesis-driven modelling approach was used in Chapter III to determine if the patterns of species composition and site use could be explained by island biogeography theory (IBT) or the habitat amount hypothesis (HAH). Islands were defined as the LBJNG property unit or the forest patch bounded by the property unit. Forest cover was selected as the focal habitat for the HAH. Seasonal dynamics were explored in both chapters. Metacommunity structure changed with each season, resulting in quasi-nested and both quasi and idealized Gleasonian and Clementsian structures. Results indicated that the anthropogenic development is, overall, not disadvantageous for this assemblage, that community assembly receives equal contributions from spatial and environmental factors, and that the metacommunity appears to operate under the mass effects paradigm. The patterns of species composition and site use were not explained by either IBT or HAH. Likely because this assemblage of generalist, dispersal-capable mammals are utilizing multiple habitat types both in the protected land and in the private land. This research highlights the versatility of these species and the potential value of rural countryside landscapes for wildlife conservation.
Fabrication and Testing of Polymeric Flexible Sheets with Asymmetric Distributed Magnetic Particles for Biomedical Actuated Devices
Authors:   , Bakaraju Megha Ramya
Published: January 2025

This thesis explores a method to fabricate magnetic membranes with asymmetric distribution of particles and their testing as actuators. Focus of this research is to fabricate thin polymeric sheets and thickness range of 120-125µm, with asymmetric distribution of magnetic nano particles, employing micromagnets during the fabrication. The micromagnets are used to localize the magnetic particles during the curing process at selected locations. The effect of the asymmetric distribution of magnetic particles in the membrane is used for the first time. Magnetite (Fe3O4) is used as the magnetic particles that is embedded into a polymeric membrane made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS); the membrane is then tested in terms of deflection observed by using a high-resolution camera. From the perspective of the biomedical application, PDMS is chosen for its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, and Fe3O4 for its non-toxic nature. Since magnetic actuation does not require onboard batteries or other power systems, it is very convenient to use in embedded devices or where the access is made difficult. A comparative study of membranes with asymmetric and randomly distributed particles is carried out in this thesis. The asymmetric distribution of magnetic particles can benefit applications involving localized and targeted treatments and precision medicine.
No Escape from Modality: Impact of Video vs. Text on Perceived Credibility and Engagement with Misinformation
Authors:   , Tran Jacinta T
Published: January 2025

Misinformation remains pervasive in digital platforms, shaping how individuals receive news online. Prior work suggests that credibility perceptions of misinformation can differ based on the modality of the misinformation message. Informed by the MAIN model, this quantitative study conducted two separate 2 (Modality: video or text) x 2 (Social endorsement cues: high vs. low) between-subject experiments to assess the influence of message modality and social endorsement cues on misinformation credibility judgments. The experiments reviewed two different topics of misinformation: artificial intelligence technology malfunction (N = 296) and a cure for cancer (N = 306). Results for Study 1 on artificial intelligent technology malfunction misinformation indicated that participants who viewed the video modality judged a higher perception of source expertise and message credibility. The results of Study 2 suggested that the text presentation of health misinformation prompted higher message elaboration relative to the video conditions. Findings suggest that modality does influence how people judge misinformation messages depending on the subject matter. In addition, source credibility influences how people judge message credibility. The paper concludes with a discussion of theoretical implications and practical applications.
To Constrain or Tame: Aristotle and Machiavelli on Demagogy
Authors:   , Graham Sebastian R
Published: January 2025

What defines demagogues and what sort of threat do they pose to democracy? Contemporary politics has recently witnessed a rise in demagogic leaders around the globe. Following this trend, many notable scholars have sought to better define the ancient term and to provide politics with advice on how to handle them. However, demagogy is hard to define, and research is divided over what truly makes for a demagogue. Scholars tend to either focus on the intention, the tools, or the effects of leaders to categorize demagogy. While they might disagree over which aspect of demagogy is most salient, they are more unanimous in their claims regarding the threat that demagogy poses to democracy. Before we outright condemn demagogy, I argue that we should better understand the phenomenon and its relationship to democracy. This dissertation turns to Machiavelli and Aristotle in order to better grasp and better define the phenomenon of demagogy. I first build a concept of demagogy through Aristotle's Politics and then use that concept to detect a similar phenomenon within the work of Machiavelli. In many ways Aristotle and Machiavelli affirm the claims of contemporary scholars, especially regarding the threat that demagogy poses to democracy. According to both thinkers, demagogy involves the use of factions, class enmities, and the corruption of law. Possibly more troubling, both show how the methods of demagogy remain an ever-present possibility to democratic rule. Nevertheless, Aristotle and Machiavelli disagree with contemporary scholarship on how to address the problem of demagogy. Rather than seek out ways to constrain the demagogue, the two philosophers dedicate themselves to providing an education to demagogues. Even more surprisingly, this dissertation argues that both have covertly tried to persuade others to adopt the methods of demagogy for the sake of better preserving democracy and perhaps even to improve upon it.
A Sensitive and Robust Machine Learning-Based Framework for Deciphering Antimicrobial Resistance
Authors:   , Sunuwar Janak
Published: January 2025

Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine in manifold ways. However, the misuse and over-consumption of antibiotics or antimicrobials have led to the rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Unfortunately, robust tools or techniques for the detection of potential loci responsible for AMR before it happens are lacking. The emergence of resistance even when a strain lacks known AMR genes has puzzled researchers for a long time. Clearly, there is a critical need for the development of novel approaches for uncovering yet unknown resistance elements in pathogens and advancing our understanding of emerging resistance mechanisms. To aid in the development of new tools for deciphering AMR, here we propose a machine learning (ML) based framework that provides ML models trained and tested on (1) genotypic AMR and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) data, which can predict novel resistance factors in bacterial strains that lack already implicated resistance genes; and (2) complete gene set and AST phenotypic data, which can predict the most important genetic loci involved in resistance to specific antibiotics in bacterial strains. The validation of resistance loci prioritized by our ML pipeline was performed using homology modeling and in silico molecular docking.
Cognitive States while Mind Wandering and Associated Alterations in Time Perception
Authors:   , Kelly Megan Erin
Published: January 2025

Time perception is a fundamental aspect of consciousness related to mental health. One cognitive state related to time perception is mind wandering (MW), defined as having thoughts unrelated to the current task. Little research has directly assessed the relationship between these two constructs, despite the overlap in clinical significance and the shared importance of attention for healthy functioning. In the present study, I addressed this by having a sample of 40 adults in the United States complete an online sustained attention to response task remotely while answering thought probes related to thought type and time perception. Multilevel modeling results indicated that cognitive factors were related to the judgements of passage of time (JOPOTs; the feeling that time is passing quickly or slowly) while they had little relation to the estimated duration or the accuracy of those estimations. Specifically, JOPOTs were related to attention to task and emotional valence, and the addition of MW, intentionality, and fixed/dynamic thoughts to the models explained additional variance. Duration estimations and JOPOTs were unrelated to each other, suggesting JOPOTs and duration estimations have different relationships to cognitive factors and should be studied as separate constructs. Additionally, results suggested that the heavy use of dichotomization in the MW literature should be shifted in favor of conceptualizing attention to task as a continuous variable. The difference in effects of MW on estimation durations and JOPOTs specifically is novel finding. This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between MW and both duration estimations and JOPOTs, thus it may advance mechanistic and phenomenological understanding of MW which could in turn inform clinical theories of time perception in disorders including ADHD and depression.
Structural Affordances and Framing Methods in Animal Rescue Facebook Posts
Authors:   , Muns Karan Elizabeth
Published: January 2025

The overpopulation of domestic animals has become an ongoing problem across the United States. Approximately 1.5 million animals are being euthanized in the United States every year. In fact, shelters euthanize about 23 % of the animals they take in. However, the euthanasia rate would be much greater without animal rescues, which are different than animal shelters. Animal rescues are unique from shelters because they are not government-funded, and they do not usually have a physical location. Because of these factors, animal rescues rely on volunteers to care for the animals they save and donors to fund their operations. Animal rescues heavily depend on social media to fulfill many of their needs, including fundraising and volunteer recruitment, which makes the nonprofits particularly vulnerable to failure without a social media following. This research combined a content analysis of animal rescues' Facebook posts with a survey of the rescues to determine which Facebook affordances and message frames animal rescues used online were positively related to online and offline success metrics. The content analysis focused on analyzing posts for message frames, and the survey provided information about annual success. The combination of a content analysis and a survey uncovered relationships between Facebook characteristics, online message frames, and offline success metrics.
Helping Students with Upper Limb Motor Impairments Program in a Block-Based Programming Environment Using Voice
Authors:   , Okafor Obianuju Chinonye
Published: January 2025

Students with upper body motor impairments, such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, ALS, etc., face challenges when learning to program in block-based programming environments, because these environments are highly dependent on the physical manipulation of a mouse or keyboard to drag and drop elements on the screen. In my dissertation, I make the block-based programming environment Blockly, accessible to students with upper body motor impairment by adding speech as an alternative form of input. This voice-enabled version of Blockly will reduce the need for the use of a mouse or keyboard, making it more accessible to students with upper body motor impairments. The voice-enabled Blockly system consists of the original Blockly application, a speech recognition API, predefined voice commands, and a custom function. Three user studies have been conducted, a preliminary study, a usability study, and an A/B test. These studies revealed a lot of information, such as the need for simpler, shorter, and more intuitive commands, the need to change the target audience, the shortcomings of speech recognition systems, etc. The feedback received from each study influenced design decisions at different phases. The findings also gave me insight into the direction I would like to go in the future. This work was started and finished in 2 years.
Microgravity Vortex Phase Separator for Liquid Amine CO2 Removal System
Authors:   , Sarvadi Alexander Armstrong
Published: January 2025

The present study investigates vortex phase separator (VPS) technology as a new approach for a liquid amine CO2 removal system. Experimental results obtained using a 99.99% pure CO2 stream and liquid amine with varying concentrations demonstrate the VPS' ability to decrease CO2 volume at its gas outlet. Operating parameters such as CO2 flow rate, relative humidity (RH), and temperature were systematically varied during experimental procedure, as well as working fluid temperature, volume, and flow rate. The subscale design for a VPS with a 3" inner diameter, 3.5" outer diameter, and 3.63" height removed a maximum of 84% of CO2 from a CO2 stream at 3.7 SCFH flow rate, 14°C temperature, and 82% RH, using 100 mL of 100% amine circulated at 1.52 LPM flow rate. The designed VPS also showed to be effective in removing relative humidity of the CO2 stream by up to 26% for the stated parameters. Regeneration of liquid amine in the VPS system is also proposed to allow for continuous CO2 removal. The results obtained in this work characterize the VPS system for CO2 removal in terms of various operating parameters for the gas (CO2) and liquid (liquid amine) phases, as well as provide initial insights into how a VPS sized for stability and applied to CO2 removal performs. This work demonstrates VPS technology as an effective, alternative CO2 removal technology that could be scaled and used to support human exploration of space.