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This thesis offers three empirical essays on the effects of structural reforms. Although these essays can be regarded as three self-contained studies, they are linked by the idea that structural reforms are characterised by significant interactions. Chapter 1 studies the interplay of trade openness, capital account liberalisation, and reform of the banking sector in a panel of 90 countries for the period 1973-2005. The estimation of flexible functional forms through nonlinear least squares, as well as of linear equations based on Taylor expansions and other related specifications, consistently produced a meaningful result. It is suggested that these three policies are complementary; the very same reform may generate very different growth outcomes depending on how policies are advanced in the other domains. Chapter 2 looks at financial deepening in the same group of countries by analysing the interaction between banking liberalisation and capital account liberalisation. The two reforms have a significant effect on domestic credit to the private sector when they coexist concurrently. In methodological terms the paper makes use of a standard multiplicative interaction term; in addition a more flexible version of the term is introduced. A supermodularity test is also implemented. Chapter 3 revisits the period of early post-communism transition to study the implications of the interplay between privatisation and liberalisation of prices for economic growth (more specifically, for the attenuation of the so-called "transformational recession"). It is suggested that privatisation should be implemented in a context of totally freed prices. Privatising in a context where an important share of prices is still the object of administrative decisions is associated with a negative contribution to economic performance.

Strain differences have previously been observed in the anxiolytic effect of the Angiotensin Type I receptor (AT1 R) antagonist losartan in mice. Structural variation in key binding sites, AT1 receptor binding, AT1 expression, the effect of a microsatellite in the promoter region of the gene and the influence of angiotensin receptor associated protein (ATRAP) were investigated for association with this observed behavioural variation.

Navigating parental biases within White affluent homes assumes family dynamics as yet unexplored within family therapy praxis. This dissertation examines parental biases directed toward domestic laborers employed in affluent White homes and how these biases might affect the parent-child relationship and the emerging values of children in these homes. Research from other fields demonstrates that domestic laborers experience social bias within the workplace; what this highlights is the likelihood that children in these settings are navigating unspoken subtleties of racism and classism in the context of developing socio-emotional maturity and family relationships. The first article within this dissertation critically reviews relevant literature to illuminate for the reader the lives of children in the care of domestic laborers in affluent White families. Themes from this review discussed in detail include social hierarchy and the symbolic boundaries of race and class, narrative cloaks to racial and class biases, parental attitudes about race and class and the effects of these on the socialization of their children, and the significance of the relationship between the child and the domestic laborer in the home. The literary review portion of this dissertation succeeds in emphasizing the value of continued research on this underexplored context of racial and class tension and the nuanced interactions that affect family relationships and the socialization of affluent White children.The second article within this paper incorporates evidence from two rounds of data collection–an open-ended questionnaire and a Likert scale questionnaire–surveying a panel of White adults (n = 9) who grew up in affluent White households employing domestic laborers. Items endorsed by participants within the study reveal that parents’ views on race and class affect the parent-child relationship and the children’s emerging values about race and class. The findings indicate that perceptions of a parent’s treatment of domestic laborers inform adult beliefs about race and class. Further, study findings indicate that White adults who grew up in affluent White families employing domestic laborers experience difficulties in their relationships with their parents and that these difficulties are in part due to parental displays of racist and classist values, biases, attitudes, and relationship behaviors. Overall, the study confirms a significant relationship between family demographics, employment of domestic laborers, and parent-child relationships and children’s developing perceptions of race and class. The discussion of the study results offers clinical implications for MFTs and other clinicians working with affluent White families as well as directions for future research. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

The Marcellus Formation, a large shale gas reservoir located within in the Appalachian basin, produces the energy that fuels the economy across the United States. Well data and rock core for the Coastal 1H well, found in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, provides the basis to understand reservoir characteristics and depositional processes of the Marcellus Formation across the basin. The well is located near along the eastern edge of the productive fairway and adjacent to the Allegheny mountain front. We used characteristics, such as total organic carbon (TOC), geomechanical properties, and lithology, to integrate with ten other available wells across the basin. Specifically, MIP3H is the nearest well and used in conjunction with the Coastal 1H. The wells fall into 3 groups which are near, far, and outliers. The near group is comprised of the Coastal 1H, MIP3H, Boggess 17H, and the Poseidon 8M. The far group of wells encompasses the Dunham 4H, Armstrong 1, and Goff 5. Lastly, the outlier group utilizes the Tippens 6HS, St. Whipkey, and Coldstream 1MH. The Marcellus Formation was divided into five informal units - three shale layers (upper, middle, and lower), separated by two limestone beds. Ternary diagrams visualize the mineralogical composition of the Marcellus Formation. Consistently they indicate that carbonate and silica content increase with depth and clay decreases. These minerals can indicate the quantity of organic content present. Total organic carbon, however, increases with depth in only certain wells. Geomechanical properties vary the most when looking at the individual units of a well and brittleness decrease upwards with increased clay content. Overall, the Marcellus Formation is weak, and brittle compared to adjacent units. The Coastal 1H shares similar lithological properties with the nearby wells, however, it is less organic rich and less brittle in comparison to the other study wells. In general, it seems that the lower Marcellus is the optimal unit for hydraulic fracturing, as it is the most brittle and organic rich.

This research study focused on perceived role behavior expectations for Full-Time Work-Study Program Coordinators in Ohio Secondary Schools. The major thrust of the study was directed at distinguishing between possible incongruencies in role behavior expectations for the position of Full-Time Coordinator as perceived by the four selected reference groups. The purpose of this research was to determine significant differences in role expectations for the Full-Time Work-Study Program Coordinator as perceived by the incumbent, the Professional Staff of the Division of Special Education, State Department of Education in Ohio, Professional Staffs of Departments or Divisions of Special Education at institutions of higher learning in Ohio, and Supervisors and Directors of Special Education Programs in secondary schools in Ohio. The design of this study made possible the determination of the role behavior expectations for the Full-Time Coordinator from responses of the four reference groups. This was accomplished by the use of a sixty-three item instrument, that measured behavioral expectations within the dimensions of community, school and business-industry. Responses to the FullTime Coordinator's Behavior Scale were analyzed using the chi square statistical technique. Tests for significant differences were computed at the .05 level of significance. Data analyses revealed that the respondent groups differed in their responses to four of the sixty-three role behavior expectations. On the basis of these data, the hypothesis as stated: Role expectations for Full-Time Work-Study Program Coordinators, as perceived by the Professional Staff of the Division of Special Education, State Department of Special Education in Ohio, Professional Staffs of Departments or Divisions of Special Education at selected institutions of higher learning in Ohio, Supervisors and Directors of Special Education programs in selected secondary schools in Ohio, and FullTime Work-Study Program Coordinators in selected secondary schools in Ohio will reveal no significant differences, was rejected for the four significantly different role behavior expectations only, not for the entire instrument. Therefore, within the limitations of this study and the data collected the major hypothesis was affirmed.