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Homelessness is a global social justice concern. Social work staff at homeless shelters have high turnover and burnout rates, and have little to no experience with the homeless population. In this study, a professional development training on self-awareness was given to social work staff using social justice theory, a disaster resilience education framework, and gamification to maintain interactive, empowering, and self-reflective lessons. Twelve social work staff were participants in a 1-day training. Semistructured interviews were used to create themes. Six themes were found to be significant: unconscious bias, self-reflection, self-care, and identifying self-awareness, effective communication, and personal development. The findings suggest that empathy and self-awareness were gained, and there was a reduction in bias toward the homeless population. The significance of the training program indicates that training for self-awareness can aid social workers in building better relationships with their team members, as well as the population served. More education is needed on the homeless population for social workers, and training in wellness practices should be provided for social workers to reduce bias, gain empathy, and gain self-awareness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, social and emotional learning and the safety of students were a concern for educational leaders (DeArmond, 2021). The Department of Education introduced metrics under the Every Student Succeeds Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2015), and social and emotional learning initiatives rose to the top of districts' priorities. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended that administrators consider a review of their multi-tiered interventions (MTSS) for social and emotional learning to address students' increased social and emotional needs (Minkos & Gelbar, 2020). The purpose of this mixed-methods, explanatory study was to investigate how educators rate students' social and emotional skills and examine referral rates returning from interrupted instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research explored the amount of professional development educators have received and are currently needing in social and emotional learning. Phase One utilized quantitative survey data investigating educators' perceptions of students' social and emotional abilities and examined referral rates during 2021-2022. Phase Two explored educators' perceptions of students' social and emotional learning skills and what professional development staff is needing in social and emotional instruction. The study addressed the following research questions: (1) How do educators rate their students' social and emotional learning skills following COVID-19? (2) Is there a significant difference reported in the number of student referrals for social and emotional learning to the multi-tiered system of support prior to and returning from COVID-19? (3) How do educators describe students' application of social and emotional skills since returning from distance learning? (4) How do educators describe the support they currently need within the area of social and emotional instruction? The results revealed that students are struggling with social and emotional competencies and educators are seeing an increase in negative behaviors returning from COVID-19. The data suggests that educators had concerns about students' social and emotional learning and did not refer the students for intervention. The data also suggests that educators need professional development within social and emotional instruction. The results may support educators' and students' social and emotional learning returning to school following the COVID-19 pandemic. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is increasing annually and the disease pathophysiology remains to be completely understood. The current understanding suggests a complex interplay of genetic factors, environmental factors and the immune system that ultimately converge to cause selective destruction of the pancreatic beta cells. As part of this process immune cells (e.g. cytotoxic T-cells), infiltrate the islets and release pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ) which cause beta cell dysfunction and cell death. Increasing evidence suggests that there is an imbalance between the levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines at the islet site in T1DM and this may contribute to beta cell death. Anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-4, IL-13 and IL-10) are reported to be protective in certain animal models of the disease, but their roles in pancreatic beta cells have been less extensively studied. The work in this thesis primarily examines the pathway stimulated by the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-13 and IL-4 and its role in mediating the cytoprotectivity in beta cells. Particularly, we examine whether STAT6 is central to these protective effects. It was confirmed that STAT6 plays a crucial role in IL-4 and IL-13 mediated protection of beta cells against a range of cytotoxic stimuli (pro-inflammatory cytokines, palmitate and serum withdrawal). Additionally, It was shown that IL-13 and IL-4 induce the upregulation of anti-apoptotic genes such as MCL1, BCLXL and SOCS1, in a STAT6 regulated manner in beta cells. Surprisingly, we observed the STAT6-dependent upregulation of a gene not previously associated with this pathway, SIRPα. This was further investigated as a regulator of beta cell viability and the results revealed that knockdown of SIRPα resulted in beta cell apoptosis, implicating this protein as a novel regulator of beta cell viability. Taken together, this work shows that loss of STAT6 renders beta cells vulnerable to cell death and suggest that therapeutic targeting of this pathway may offer a potential treatment for T1DM.

This study examined the impact of 4 months of leadership training seminars and participation in a youth advisory council on the civic awareness and leadership development of members of the Saint Croix Foundation Youth Advisory Council (SCFYAC). The 16 members of the SCFYAC, between 14 and 21 years of age, participated in this study, which took place in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The instruments used in the study included the Civic Measurement Models: Tapping Adolescents' Civic Awareness and individual interviews; both were administered at the beginning and end of the study. Results from the survey did not indicate significant growth for members; however, analysis of the in-depth interviews demonstrated that participants had a greater understanding of leadership and civic engagement at the end of the study. The theme that suggested this understanding included knowledge of skills that leaders exhibit. Data also indicated an increase in SCFYAC members' perception that civic engagement by citizens improves the community. Another theme was the pivotal experiences of SCFYAC members throughout the study, which included learning leadership skills through experiential activities, being encouraged to engage in civic activity, being supported by peer SCFYAC members in their development as leaders, and participating in discussions at meetings. SCFYAC members anticipated that they would be engaged in civic activities in the future and they envisioned specific roles in which they planned to serve their community. The results suggested that participation in SCFYAC increased participants' civic awareness and plans for future engagement. Canonical correlations from the survey instrument led to further understanding of what influenced the participants' civic awareness and engagement. Parental involvement in civics and having political conversations at home, coupled with discussions among peers, seemed to encourage greater awareness than did exposure to media or even classroom lessons. It was recommended that facilitators and educators who wish to encourage adolescents in the area of civic engagement integrate experiential learning exercises into their instructional programs and training to help adolescents to develop confidence in their civic engagement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Research indicates that approximately 70% of college students engage in some form of cheating (Austin, Simpson, & Reynen, 2005; Bowers, 1964; Leming; 1978; McCabe & Trevino, 1993, 1996; McCabe, Trevino, & Butterfield, 2001a). College students overwhelmingly agree that cheating is morally wrong; yet, their actions are not reflective of this belief (Bowers, 1964; McCabe & Trevino, 1996; Semerci, 2006). There is currently widespread research on reasons for cheating and personal characteristics that may predict cheating behavior; however, very little research exists emphasizing the role moral development plays in cheating. This study sought to fill the gap in the literature regarding how cheating incidences and perceptions of cheating correlated with the moral development level of college students, based on Kohlberg's (1958) theory of moral development. Utilizing a quantitative, correlational research design, N = 453 traditional-aged undergraduate students at a public, mid-sized, research university in New England completed the James Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT) (1979) and McCabe's Academic Integrity Survey (2003) to measure the students' moral development levels, cheating incidences, and perceptions of cheating. More than 90% of respondents reported cheating on at least one of the cheating behaviors. The study revealed the mean moral development P score of respondents (M = 26.13) was more than 10 points below that of the national norms (M = 36.67). There was a significant relationship between moral development level and cheating incidences (r = -0.125, r2 = 0.016, p = 0.008) with those having a higher moral development level cheating fewer times. The more seriously students perceived cheating behaviors the less often they engaged in the behaviors (r = -0.326, r2 = 0.106, p = 0.000). Women perceived cheating behaviors (t(450) = 3.24, p = 0.001, M = 3.11) as more serious than men ( M = 2.93). By gaining a better understanding of the factors that impact cheating, university leaders can create an environment in which cheating is socially unacceptable. Administrators need to clearly articulate the expectations of students regarding cheating and confront cheating via an educational process. Students should be involved in the implementation and adjudication of any campus policies regarding academic integrity. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This work is intended to introduce a database design method to resolve the two-dimensional complexities inherent in the relational data model and its resulting performance challenges through abstract multidimensional constructs. A multidimensional constraint is derived and utilized to implement an indexed Multidimensional Key (MK) to abstract a logically partitioned subset by reading a single overriding index on a relation (table), without the need to traverse the domain (path) hierarchy. The Multidimensional Key can then be utilized for the purposes of improving the efficiencies and performance in both production and data warehouse environments, often mitigating the need for commonly used denormalization techniques. The results of this research demonstrate a performance increase that outweighs the cost of the MK index can be obtained in circumstances where the query execution is frequent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This dissertation is the first in-depth study focusing solely on Kodak Picture Spots — signs placed into the landscape that highlight particular views and promote specific subjects to photograph. Eastman Kodak Company placed these branded markers along the roadside beginning in the 1920s, in several World’s Fairs from mid-century through the 1980s, and at various Disney parks from the late 1950s until Kodak’s bankruptcy in 2012. These picture-taking signs encouraged and mediated sightseeing in order to spur photographic activity, sell product, and equate places with pictures. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the dissertation examines the roles these little-studied photographic objects and their vernacular corporate-controlled views, settings, and activities play in the acquisition and distribution of images, real and ideal. Recommended views have a long history, dating back to eighteenth-century British pre-selected vistas and lasting into twenty-first-century digital culture. Picture Spots promote what Nathan Jurgenson calls “conspicuous photography,” a unique set of expectations and actions tied to corporate culture and technology. Chapter One explores Picturesque-era precursors related to gardens, tourism, and accoutrements such as maps and optical devices, including the Claude Glass and stereoscope, in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England and America. Chapter Two examines early American tourism and the initial Kodak campaign of an estimated 5,000 metal signs placed along new roads between 1920 and 1925. Chapter Three charts Kodak’s long-standing association with international expositions, concentrating on the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair where Kodak installed nearly 50 signs. Chapter Four considers the partnership of Kodak and Disney, starting with the debut of Picture Spot signs at Disneyland circa 1959 and subsequent incorporation into all U.S. Disney parks. The dissertation concludes with developments in smaller venues as well as contemporary corporate viewing via social media and camera phones. Selfie sticks and other accessories also aid in reifying conspicuous photography in new and interrelated ways. Due to the ubiquity of photographs today, further aggregated on the internet by enthusiasts using hashtags, picture-taking signs have developed into nostalgic objects and tourist destinations unto themselves.

The phrase, "I can't do math" is a common one heard by math teachers all over the country. It was this phrase that inspired me to investigate mathematics anxiety. So many times I have helped students in math class who become anxious and believe they are unable to do a math problem. It is this anxiety that causes them to give up on problems without even trying. This is becoming an issue in this country due to a higher emphasis being placed on standardized tests and grade point averages. The high likelihood of a student exhibiting symptoms of anxiety towards mathematics leads to fewer students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) careers in higher education. This topic was investigated through interviews that were designed with a qualitative approach. A total of 19 students who attended suburban Midwestern high schools were asked four main questions to gain an understanding of the mathematics anxiety they exhibit as well as potential causes and strategies for alleviation. It was concluded that students experience the most anxiety in math class when taking tests or quizzes and are most comfortable asking teachers for help as long as the student perceived the teacher as being comfortable in their own subject. Finally, it was concluded that the strategies that students found most helpful were general stress-relief strategies such as deep breathing or taking a break. These results are limited to the population studied but open the door for future research.

Interest group scholars have struggled to document whether and how interest groups impact policy outcomes. At the same time, large, powerful vested interests like teachers’ unions have been accused of getting in the way of policy change, despite a lack of consistent evidence. This dissertation uses the case of education reform to disentangle the role of different types of interest groups in U.S. state policymaking. Through four essays, this dissertation shows that interest group power comes in multiple forms, that interest groups benefit where they have legislative allies, and that interest competition impacts policy. Bucking the conventional wisdom that, as the strongest interest group in education, teachers’ unions’ preferences dictate education policy outcomes, I show that teachers’ unions most strongly impact those policies that affect them organizationally. For other policies, however, other groups matter more. I show that education reform groups use information and assistance, while philanthropic foundations use funding to state bureaucracies to further policies that teachers’ unions oppose. The first essay revives the classic “two faces of power” insight, which proposed that power involves not just the ability to impact policy decisions, but also influence as a result of controlling the agenda. This study examines how the two types of interest group power shape policymaking. Using the case of teachers’ unions, it tests the proposition that setting the agenda (the second face of power) has a stronger relationship with policy outcomes than engaging in open contestation (the first face of power). It finds that the second face of power is associated with policy influence, while open contestation, measured with campaign contributions, is less related to influence and increases with threats. When groups cannot set the agenda, open contestation is instead associated with group competition. This helps explain the null finding for campaign contributions and policy influence in the literature. How do interest groups shape the diffusion of policies they oppose across the states? The second essay explores this question using a novel dataset on charter, voucher, and performance pay policies spanning 1992 to 2013. I find evidence that teachers’ unions’ strength decreases the likelihood that performance pay policies are enacted and that the size of this impact decreases with more Democratic control of the legislature. This finding suggest that vested interests most strongly shape the policies that most fundamentally threaten their organizational strength and that this effect is conditioned on the party in power; sympathetic allies represent the views of vested interests, lessening their effect. The third essay argues that policymakers enact policies against the preferences of powerful vested interests when they delegate the costs associated with challenging those vested interests to advocacy groups. Using a fifty state analysis of teacher evaluation policymaking in 2010 and 2011 and case studies of teacher evaluation policymaking in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I find evidence that where advocacy groups provide information and capacity to policymaker allies, they can enact policy change despite the opposition of groups with greater organizational strength. The final essay explores the role of foundations in policymaking. Foundations have historically behaved like background patrons, advancing their priorities by supporting other organizations rather than explicitly advocating for specific goals. However, a new generation of foundations has been more vocal and targeted in its grantmaking, pushing for particular education reforms. This study argues that new foundations behave like interest groups when they fund state departments of education. I examine grants to state education agencies from the largest 1,000 foundations, in addition to grants from the Gates and Wallace Foundations. I find that new, but not old, foundations tend to support states with auspicious political conditions for the enactment of education reform. As part of this “new philanthropy,” states that are poorer, have weaker teachers’ unions, and possess education reform groups are more likely to get funded and receive bigger grants.

During what became known as the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) established alternative temporary summer "Freedom Schools" in communities throughout the state. SNCC was a civil rights organization led by young, mostly African American college students and ex-students that worked against racial discrimination during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, they were poised to lead Freedom Summer, a massive effort that aimed to transform the brutal white dominated power structure of Mississippi, a stronghold of extremely violent southern racism. During the planning for Freedom Summer, SNCC field secretary Charles Cobb suggested that the summer project add Freedom Schools as a component for Mississippi's underserved black youth to go along with the mass voter rights and anti-discrimination efforts being planned. The unique aspect of the Freedom Schools would be that the curriculum went beyond the traditional school subjects by utilizing discussion as a way to form critical questions about Mississippi's social, political and economic structure. The questioning attitude would then be utilized to motivate the students to participate in voter registration drives and civil disobedience with the purpose of exposing them to their own importance in the fight for social change. This dissertation focuses on capturing the narrative story of the Freedom School's origins, planning, and daily operations as they relate to servant leadership, group-centered leadership, and leadership while under extreme duress. The narrative story will then be used to identify the Freedom School's legacy as a model for contemporary youth leadership development programming in school-aged out of school (after school) settings. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

Scope and Method of Study:

Hutson, Leslie K. M.S. Department of Chemistry, Wright State University, 1999. Synthesis of Benzoxazoles Containing Allyl Crosslinking Sites via Claisen Rearrangements. The reaction of diethyl 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate with allyl bromide/K2CO3 in DMF followed by hydrolysis provided 2,5-di(allyloxy)terephthalic acid. The conversion of 2,5-di (allyloxy)terephthalic acid to 1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)-2,5-di(allyloxy)benzene in PPSE was unsuccessful. However, the reaction of 1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)-2,5- dihydroxybenzene with allyl bromide/K2CO3 provided 1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)-2,5- di(allyloxy)benzene. DSC analysis indicated that 1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)-2,5- di(allyloxy)benzene undergoes a Claisen rearrangement to the corresponding diallyl product. The synthesis of 2-allyloxy-1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)benzene was carried out using 2-hydroxy-1,4-di(2-benzoxazolyl)benzene as starting material. DSC analysis was inconclusive with respect to a Claisen rearrangement. The reaction of 2-allyloxybenzoic acid with 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane in PPSE was unsuccessful but the reaction of 2,2-bis(2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5-benzoxazolyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane with allyl bromide/K2CO3 in DMF provided 2,2-bis(2-(2- allyloxyphenyl)-5-benzoxazolyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane. DSC analysis of 2,2- bis(2-(2-allyloxyphenyl)-5-benzoxazolyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane was inconclusive as to the presence of a Claisen rearrangement.

This research project was designed to study the relationship between the heart rate and trait anxiety of intercollegiate athletic coaches, as measured by telemetry and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The concept of determining the degree of emotional and psychological stress undergone by college coaches as reflected in the heart rate and trait anxiety level, has been an area of little consideration within the exercise physiology, psychology or medical fields... The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between the heart rate and the trait anxiety level of college coaches of intercollegiate athletic teams, as measured by telemetry and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, respectively. The following subpurposes were also established: (1) to determine the mean resting heart rates of each coach under morning (11:00 A.M.) and competition time (P.M.) conditions; (2) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under training session conditions; (3) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under pre-competition conditions; (4) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under competition conditions; (5) to determine the mean and maximum heart rates of each coach under post-competition conditions; (6) to determine the percent rank score of the trait anxiety inventory administered to each coach.

Tropical adapted maize inbreds were studied over two locations/seasons with the Dry Matter Accumulation (DMA) rates and Grain Filling Period (GFP) durations calculated and analyzed for future breeding qualities. Assessment of the inbreds response to variations in solar radiation and temperature was also evaluated. Over 100 varieties were selected from a wide resource base of the Maize Inbred Resistance program at the U. of Hawaii. Inbreds were harvested at 4 different dates after pollination (14, 21, 28, and 35 DAP) in addition to a final maturity harvest in order to map the accumulation of dry matter. Linear regression analysis was performed for each variety to determine the DMA rate and GFP duration. The DMA rates significantly decreased from summer to winter, and the GFP durations were significantly extended for the majority of inbreds. Six inbreds were then selected on the basis of fast, slow, and average rates and durations then crossed in diallel form to produce fifteen hybrids. The parents and hybrids were grown and harvested in the previous fashion with the DMA rates and GFP durations assessed. General and specific combining abilities were assessed using Griffing's Method II of diallel analysis on a Lotusl23 spreadsheet. Broad sense heritability was determined to be 83.5% for kernel dry weight at final maturity, 96.8% for rate of dry matter accumulation, and 67.7% for grain filling period duration. Analysis of variance conducted on the parent and hybrid materials indicated that increasing the rate of DMA may have a more significant effect on grain yields than trying to extend the grain filling period. Data implied that effects from breeding for the DMA rate may be easier to determine than selecting for extensions in the filling period. Further studies should be conducted to verify and expand on knowledge gained through these trials and analyses.