6834 research outputs found
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Noises down the hall : three poems.
No full textThe more I read about the concept of the “self,” the almost singular focus of contemporary literature, the less I understand what it means. This, largely, because it has no meaning, and, in many cases, that’s the point. Once a person begins to stare within themselves, they discover the ability to stare forever, and this apparent infinity bound within the mortal breast imparts a sense of a private divinity, a unity of existence and essence which necessitates the subordination of the external to meaninglessness and death. In my creative thesis, I consider this idea in three narrative poems set respectively in Ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, and modernity in a synthesis of styles from each period. In each piece, characters smitten by despair wrestle with themselves, meaning, and God in my attempt to articulate the hell of the self-sufficient soul, the infuriating silence of the heavens, and the extraordinary gift of the Incarnation as the sole promise of liberation from the irredeemable darkness of the self
Beyond the stereotypes : an analysis on the impact of gender on political communication
No full textThis thesis explores the gender gap in politics and its influence on media portrayals of male and female politicians. Existing research presents a debate among scholars regarding the impact of gender bias and whether stereotypes affect electability and public perception. In the era of politics today, voters are surrounded by soundbites, viral moments and social media algorithms, candidates are evaluated not just on policy, but on how they align with broader societal themes. These platforms amplify gendered narratives and intensify scrutiny of female politicians’ appearance, tone and demeanor, reinforcing identity-based biases. Through my analysis of Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice-presidential nominee for a major party, and Sarah Palin, the first female Republican vice-presidential nominee, this thesis examines how gender bias shaped the media coverage of their campaigns. By analyzing their speeches, it shows how both women navigated the gender expectations of their time. I argue that the gap in politics is still present today, within the different portrayals of female politicians. Politics is no longer solely focused on policy but increasingly defined by identity. When identity is embraced as a leadership strength rather than a barrier, it opens the door to a more inclusive political system and challenges traditional leadership norms. This comparative study of Ferraro and Palin reveals how gendered media portrayals have both evolved and endured, offering new insight into the ongoing discourse on gender and political communication
A literature review on bibliotherapy interventions for children and adolescents and an exploration of AI-generated bibliotherapy texts for youth.
No full textBibliotherapy, the use of written materials as a tool within psychotherapy, has been theorized and supported by academics and mental health professionals. Children and adolescents specifically have seemed to benefit from this form of therapy. A literature review was conducted to summarize studies on therapist-administered bibliotherapy interventions for children who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition or
experienced a trauma or stressor. Six databases were searched for literature on bibliotherapy for children, and 1,101 studies were imported into Covidence. After screening, 13 studies were included in this review. These studies 4 content analyses, 8 empirical studies and 1 study that evaluated perceptions on bibliotherapy for children. Overall, there remain many directions for future research for bibliotherapy for children. One area of research is using AI-generated bibliotherapy, which is explored in the current study using Microsoft Copilot
Girls can too : a qualitative single holistic case study exploring manufacturing as a career choice for recent high school female graduates in Central Louisiana.
No full textThe manufacturing industry is crucial to the United States economy, constituting more than 10% of the gross domestic product (National Association of Manufacturing [NAM], 2022). However, the sector faces challenges such as a shortage of skilled labor and underrepresentation of women, which threaten its sustainability (NAM, 2023). Various researchers advocate for solutions like upskilling existing workers, improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) proficiency, enhancing recruitment strategies, and bridging gender gaps to address these issues (Combs, 2019; Faitar & Faitar, 2013c; Manufacturing Institute [MI], 2022a; Skevi et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2017). To investigate the skill and gender gaps in manufacturing careers, I conducted a qualitative single holistic case study grounded in social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al., 1994) with five female high school graduates. I explored the cultural and cognitive factors that impacted the participants' career choices and perceptions of the manufacturing industry using online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Using a thematic analysis, I uncovered two thematic statements associated with cultural factors, four thematic statements associated with cognitive factors, and two thematic statements associated with perspectives of the manufacturing industry. Regarding cultural influences, participants emphasized the crucial role of support and encouragement from parents and teachers in shaping their career aspirations. Participants highlighted the negative impact of gender stereotypes on their perception of manufacturing careers. For cognitive factors, participants expressed self-efficacy in succeeding in manufacturing, emphasized the importance of teamwork and career growth expectations, challenged gender stereotypes, and advocated for workplace equality and inclusion. Participants' perspectives on the manufacturing industry revealed gender disparities but they believed in their ability to succeed in these careers. These findings provide insights into the decision-making processes of young females and offer recommendations for females and key collaborators, including educational institutions, parents, teachers, industry employers, policymakers, and manufacturing associations. Understanding these factors can help develop targeted strategies to attract and retain skilled workers, fostering a more diverse and sustainable manufacturing workforce
Understanding choice : a qualitative multiple-case study exploring Texas families' experiences accessing high-quality childcare and early childhood education.
No full textSome families experience inequitable access to high-quality childcare and early childhood education (CECE). Systemic factors, including affordability, childcare deserts, and policy and program constraints, can limit families' access. When these systemic barriers go unaddressed, they can negatively affect families' work experiences and limit children's exposure to the high-quality experiences they might receive in CECE. This qualitative multiple-case study explored families' experiences accessing and choosing CECE in a tri-county area in central Texas. This study included three cases: center-based care, family child care, and relative, friend, and neighbor care. The participants were families living in Williamson, Hays, and Travis counties who recently sought CECE for their early childhood-age children. I captured participants' experiences using three data sources: a semi-structured interview, photo-elicitation activity, and mind-mapping activity. I analyzed the data using thematic analysis. The six key components of Elder's (1994, 1998) life course theory guided this study. This study had six key findings. The first finding was families described connections between their own early childhood experiences and the CECE they chose for their children. The second finding was becoming a parent made the process of searching for CECE more complex. The third finding was families made informed decisions about CECE by seeking input from a variety of network sources. The fourth finding was families made sacrifices to place their children in CECE they described as high-quality. The fifth finding was families encountered availability challenges that caused them to broaden and prolong their search. The last finding was families found and developed resources to support the process as they searched for CECE. This study's findings aligned with and expanded on the existing literature about families' experiences accessing and choosing CECE and added to the scholarship by including perspectives from all three CECE types. This study has implications for policymakers, program administrators, organizations that support children and their families, and researchers about ways to minimize limiting factors and better support families as they find and choose CECE
Stratigraphic and depositional controls on reservoir quality within the Early Triassic Coquina Dolomite member of the Montney Formation, Kaybob South Triassic Field, Alberta Canada.
No full textKaybob South is a hydrocarbon-bearing field in western Alberta, Canada that includes prolific oil and gas production from the Early Triassic Middle Member (Coquina Dolomite) of the Montney Formation. The Coquina Dolomite is a thick, dolomitized reservoir that is dominated by marine bivalve skeletal grains. There are three main depositional facies recognized within the Middle Member. The bivalve “coquina” dolograinstone facies has the highest reservoir quality which is attributed to the coarse grain size and associated porosity. The Kaybob South Field is separated geographically into two separate pools owing to a paleo-topographic high formed by differential compaction over the underlying Devonian Beaverhill Lake reef complex. The Coquina Middle Member is subdivided into three major aggradational depositional cycles composed of individual flow units that include both interchannel and channel-fill deposits. Detailed mapping of depositional cycles and associated flow units demonstrates a close correlation between depositional facies, reservoir quality and hydrocarbon production
Utilizing enzymatic response profiles as an alternative approach for early-stage toxicity assessment.
No full textHumans are continually exposed to an ever-growing number of synthetic chemicals, with thousands of new compounds introduced into commerce each year. This widespread and increasing chemical burden underscores the urgent need for efficient and reliable toxicity screening to safeguard public health and the environment. Traditionally, animal models have served as the cornerstone of toxicological evaluations. However, the use of animal models is increasingly challenged due to ethical considerations, high financial costs, and the time-intensive nature. In response, there has been a significant global shift toward developing and adopting new approach methodologies (NAMs) designed to provide more rapid, cost-effective, and ethically responsible alternatives for toxicity assessment.
This dissertation explores enzymatic response profiles as surrogate indicators of chemical toxicity. Enzymes are essential biomolecules, and biochemical alterations such as changes in enzyme function, structure, or binding behavior following chemical exposure can serve as early mechanistic indicators of toxicity. Such changes may initiate molecular cascades leading to downstream adverse effects, disrupting critical physiological pathways. This work aims to address four aspects related to enzymatic responses following chemical exposure: (1) utilizing enzymatic activity assays as mechanism-based indicators of chemical toxicity in a cell-free model; (2) comparing enzyme responses in cell-free systems with those observed in a cellular model to assess translational relevance; (3) investigating chemical-induced changes in enzyme structure and binding interactions using spectroscopic and computational techniques; and (4) assessing the differential effects of structurally related chemicals on key enzymes and complementary toxicity biomarkers. The findings of this research demonstrate that monitoring enzymatic response profiles following chemical exposure offers a promising and mechanistically relevant alternative approach for assessing chemical toxicity in a high-throughput manner. Although some differences were observed between enzymatic responses in cell-free and cell-based models, in silico modeling and computational tools can facilitate the extrapolation and integration of findings across both systems. Overall, this work highlights the potential of enzyme-focused alternative methods to enhance early-stage toxicological evaluation and chemical safety assessment
Business builders : a quantitative study to examine the drivers of high recruiting performance for direct sellers in a single U.S. direct selling company.
No full textRecruiting, a critical business health indicator for the direct selling industry (Coughlan et al., 2016), is declining for many U.S. direct selling companies (Direct Selling Association, 2023c). After historic growth in 2020 and 2021 (Direct Selling Association, 2022), many direct selling organizations (DSOs) now find the influx of new direct sellers and customers insufficient to offset attrition. This study aimed to provide insights into the possible antecedents of direct seller recruiting performance as measured by the number of personally enrolled recruits, team size, and team sales volume. This quantitative correlational study used Verbeke et al.'s (2011) conceptual framework of sales performance to examine the statistical and predictive relationship between selling-related knowledge, degree of adaptiveness, role ambiguity, work engagement, months as an independent consultant, and recruiting performance for direct sellers. The research design used systematic random sampling to identify and invite direct sellers to complete a cross-sectional online survey incorporating four validated instruments. Multiple linear regression analysis found that interpersonal skills, salesmanship skills, and months as an independent consultant were statistically significant predictors of number of personally enrolled recruits, team size, and team sales volume, with salesmanship skills, months as an independent consultant, and work engagement having the strongest influence on number of personally enrolled recruits and months as an independent consultant and salesmanship skills having the strongest influence on team size and team sales volume. The results of this study inform implications and recommendations for improving direct sales recruiting performance. Direct sellers and DSOs may benefit from increasing salesmanship skills and direct seller tenure. Industry executives may benefit from bolstering industry-wide engagement to help fuel retention and enthusiasm for recruiting outreach. More sales performance research specific to direct selling would provide a better understanding of what could produce the best results for direct sellers, direct selling organizations, and the direct selling industry
Methodological variations in measuring sex-based associations between childhood trauma and illicit substance use : a systematic review.
No full textChildhood trauma and illicit substance use have a demonstrated association, theorized to occur due to stress vulnerability or self-medication. Multiple factors may impact this relationship, including sex, population, and culture. Such theoretical frameworks as the diathesis-stress model and the self-medication hypothesis provide evidence for an expected difference in the relationship between childhood trauma and illicit substance use between the sexes. A systematic review methodology was employed to assess these relationships in sex-specific articles that used either the Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire or the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results demonstrate heterogeneity of the literature as well as evidence for stronger associations for female populations than for male populations. Childhood trauma-, illicit substance-, and population-specific associations are discussed. Caution should be taken in making blanket statements about the association between childhood trauma and illicit substance use. Implications regarding treatment, prevention, and screening are discussed
Superwoman syndrome amongst women in public relations.
No full text"Superwomen Syndrome" is prominent amongst women with multiple roles and responsibilities, in and outside of their careers. This study examines how "superwomen" in public relations perceive their identity as a "superwoman" and the balancing of many roles that come with it, work-life conflict, stress and well-being associated with maintaining their many roles. A survey was sent out to women in the public relations sector, or a related field. The study examined the impact of age and management levels in relation to work-life conflict, stress and well-being. Being an employee/manager was the role most identified with by participants, which related to stress and strain surrounding work, family, and outside responsibilities conflicts