University at Albany, State University of New York
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Mindfulness and the making of meaning in the lives of teachers
Get PDFThis dissertation examines the effect of a Buddhist-based program of mindfulness, taught as part of the curriculum of a graduate program, on the relationship of teacher-practitioners with their work. Collecting data on the experiences of three cohorts over a nearly three-year period, this longitudinal case study examines the experiences of participants through the lens of the Mindfulness to Meaning Theory. The results of the study indicate that eudaimonic meaning, the importance of a life lived well, virtuously, and in a way that is perceived as suitable to one’s values, ideals and expectations (Ryff, 2014; Fowers, 2016) is important in both the work and home life of participants, and that eudaimonic disunity, a disconnect between the values and virtues of the individual and the values and virtues that they are required to assume for some other reason (i.e., work) may lead to less satisfaction in the lived experience of the individual. Results also indicate that study participants seemed to find a new or rekindled appreciation and meaning for their work as teachers through the practice of mindfulness and reflection. Finally, results pointed to the value of community as an important element in maintaining and strengthening mindfulness practices. This study contributes to the field of teacher education by describing the potential of eudaimonia as a substantial contributor to teacher job satisfaction and retention.Key words: mindfulness, eudaimonia, flourishing, Mindfulness to Meaning Theory, teacher educatio
Sexual reproductive health of Asian Indian American women
Get PDFAsian Indian Americans (AIA) represent the least understood ethnic minority regarding sexual health practices in the United States and the fastest growing population among all Asian groups. Public health practitioners face gaps in understanding communication styles and perceptions concerning sexual and reproductive health within the AIA community. Current researchers strongly associate transparency and openness in parent-child relationships as attributable to better and healthier sexual attitudes and choices in young adults (Romo et al., 2011). Sexual and reproductive health information traditionally stems from one\u27s parents. Little is known about parent-child communication regarding sexuality and reproductive health within the Asian Indian community other than the normative stance is to not discuss it. A qualitative approach was utilized to collect interview data from 22 Asian Indian American Women (AIAW) regarding communication and perception of sexual reproductive health. Qualitative questions, informed by culture were asked, and by extension, are intended to inform practice. Interview data was analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. The findings revealed how sociocultural and religious factors have influenced preventative health care utilization (i.e., cervical cancer screening via pap smears). Cultural motivations drove knowledge, perception, communication, and sexual and reproductive healthcare utilization. The findings indicated the necessity for public health professionals to be trained in Asian Indian sociocultural factors and how they influence sexual reproductive health behavior to increase healthcare utilization and develop culturally appropriate and targeted interventions. The results also pointed to low levels of communication and deprioritization of female sexual reproductive health in the AIA home
Public opinion on compensating different types of wrongful convictions
Get PDFPeople who are wrongfully convicted are a unique vulnerable group. However, not all exonerees get compensated for their time in prison. This research explores public opinion on compensating wrongful convictions from erroneously rejected affirmative defenses and from false guilty pleas. Using a randomized survey experiment of 1,000 US adults, this research found that (1) most respondents supported wrongful conviction compensation, regardless of wrongful conviction types and plea status. (2) Wrongful conviction types matter. People supported compensating exonerees in the self-defense case as much as in the wrong person case. The amount of compensation people gave in the mistaken self-defense case was smaller than that in the self-defense case, and larger than that in the insanity case. (3) People equally supported compensating the exonerees whether they falsely pled guilty or not. The findings could inform policymakers of an appropriate wrongful conviction compensation scheme and have implications for the intake policies of innocence organizations. The results also furthered the understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying the compensation decision-making process
Narrating trauma, developing resilience, and making policy : a comparative study of traumatized young adults caused by AIDS-related and post-disaster bereavement in China
Get PDFChildren can be affected by a variety of traumatic events as they grow up, but they still have the potential to show resilience. Along with the accumulation of research on trauma, resilience has also become an influential concept in the field of social welfare. Existing research has tentatively explored the socially constructed nature of trauma and resilience. From a social constructionist perspective, it is the narratives and interactions of people who have experienced traumatic events and other stakeholders that collectively shape the meaning of trauma and resilience. More importantly, these personal narratives, as well as larger social discourses, may have implications for social policies that address trauma and promote resilience. In particular, street-level bureaucrats, including social workers, play an important role in shaping social policies, based on their dual influence on the implementation and innovation of local-level policies. Based on two types of cases, children bereaved by an earthquake in Beichuan County and children bereaved by AIDS in Liangshan Prefecture, my dissertation attempts to explore the shaping of trauma and resilience in the Chinese context. Specifically, I first analyze the construction of trauma and resilience in the narratives of individuals who have experienced trauma, the narratives of street-level bureaucrats, and the larger political and social discourse. I also explore the impact of narratives and discourses about trauma and resilience on the implementation and innovation of social policy. Adopting a comparative ethnographic approach, I interviewed and surveyed 20 bereaved young adults and street-level bureaucrats in Beichuan County, and 18 bereaved young adults and street-level bureaucrats in Liangshan Prefecture. I also collected textual materials including government documents, news articles, archives, and more. The two types of cases in Beichuan and Liangshan demonstrate commonalities in shaping trauma and resilience. First, bereaved young adults in the two research sites defined trauma in multiple dimensions, describing the impact of bereavement events in terms of personal, family, and social relationships. Among them, the deterioration of academic performance, the decline of family economic status, and negative personality changes were the more prominent effects. In contrast, street-level bureaucrats in both sites were less aware of the long-term effects of trauma on children’s development, although they had more comprehensive observations on the personality changes caused by trauma. Regarding the macroscopic mass media and government discourse, the bereavement trauma of Beichuan children tended to be medicalized as “a long-term and serious shadow”, while the bereavement trauma of Liangshan children was materialized as a problem of poverty. Second, in both Beichuan and Liangshan, resilience has also been described by bereaved young adults as a concept formed in social ecology, encompassing risk factors and protective factors in personal, family, and social relationships. Based on their vocational training and expertise, street-level bureaucrats were inclined to incorporate a professional perspective into their descriptions of the resilience of bereaved children. However, they were not able to have a comprehensive understanding of the ecological systems that affected bereaved children. In terms of social and government discourse, both research sites tended to exert social control over bereaved children, by highlighting socially accepted signs of resilience, such as cheerfulness, sensibleness, and hard work. As for the social policies of the two research sites, although there were differences in policy content, coverage, and level of benefit, there were similarities in the mechanisms by which they were influenced by narratives and discourses. The spontaneously-formed narratives from bereaved people, street-level bureaucrats, government documents, and mass media determined the policy measures addressing the basic needs of bereaved children. The discourses of the mass media influenced high-level policy by selectively portraying the situation of bereaved children. Street-level bureaucrats played a central role in shaping lower-level policies. On the one hand, they were most aware of the needs of bereaved children so that they may adjust the way services were delivered. On the other hand, they could make up for the lack of high-level policy by mobilizing and using external resources. They would even develop small-scale policies limited to schools and communities to help bereaved children. Preliminary evidence also exists for the opposite effect of policy on trauma and resilience narratives. My research also highlights the differences between cases in Liangshan and Beichuan. Actually, the severity of trauma-related psychological problems, stigma, cultural influence, nature of resilience, and choice of coping styles differed significantly between bereaved children in the two research sites. Moreover, the social policies of the two places were also evidently different in terms of coordination level, content type, coverage of policy benefits, and placement methods for bereaved children. Based on the research findings, my policy and practical recommendations include de-medicalizing trauma, developing capability-oriented services, enhancing trauma-informed staff training, reducing social control, decentralizing the social policy system, etc
The field of international education: identifying discrete knowledge communities, 2000-2019
Get PDFThis study seeks to identify Knowledge Communities (KC) in the field of InternationalEducation (IE). Kuhn’s concept of research paradigms (2012), Crane’s theory of scientific communities (1988), and Linkvist’s theory of knowledge communities (2005) provide theoretical basis of this study. Using a novel, mixed methodology – bibliometrics and content analysis – this study identifies KCs among both IE researchers and practitioners. Researcher Knowledge Communities (RKCs) were identified using the research Community Model (RCM) developed by Klavand and Boyack (2009, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2020) and data from all journals and books published between 2000 to May 2019 and catalogued in Scopus. Practitioner Knowledge Communities (PKCs) were identified through NVivo coding and analysis of association conference programs taken from five major IE associations convening 2019. Twenty-three KCs were identified with a high degree of confidence among both researchers and practitioners, including 11 RKCs and 12 PKCs. Four KCs were shared by both groups. An important result of this study relates to the disconnect between researchers and practitioners, which has implications for the future development of the field. This study is the first attempt to systematically describe the various KCs in the field of IE. It is significant for both researchers and practitioners regarding presenting the current KCs and pointing out potential future emergent KCs in IE. These can offer a better understanding of IE development and provide reference for policy makers of associations and research
Post-synthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks and demonstration of their characteristics for chemistry education
Get PDFMetal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have risen in popularity in recent decades due to their applications in gas storage, separations, and catalysis. The vast potential of these materials is a result of the inherent characteristics and properties afforded by the composition and combination of ligand and metal clusters used to construct MOFs. In this dissertation, we explore the properties and capabilities of these frameworks from a variety of perspectives. First, we demonstrate the characteristics of MOFs in experiments designed to be suitable for integration in an educational environment. Inorganic chemistry derives many of its concepts from multiple facets of chemistry, which makes it ideal for teaching foundational topics for introductory chemistry courses. However, inorganic chemistry and materials science are rarely explored in these introductory courses for a variety of reasons, including lack of specialized equipment, complexity of materials synthesis, and safety concerns for the reagents used. We propose MOFs as a modern class of materials suitable for the demonstration of inorganic materials synthesis for introductory chemistry laboratory classes through the “green” synthesis of the MOFs HKUST-1 and AlF. Additionally, we have designed two laboratory experiments demonstrating the porosity and adsorptive properties of these materials which can be carried out with common, inexpensive laboratory equipment. Second, we dive deeper into the properties of MOFs that dictate preferences towards certain motifs and configurations. Structural design based solely on the choice of ligand and cation has been possible for some MOFs, but synthesis outcomes are more often difficult to predict due to the subtleties of phase selection during synthesis. This work focuses on the well-known family of 2D Zn MOFs based on terephthalate and capping N-donor ligands. Four of these MOFs are synthesized, two having the expected dinuclear Zn paddlewheel cluster, and two having a less commonly observed trinuclear Zn3 cluster. Factors influencing phase selection between paddlewheel and Zn3 cluster-based MOFs are discussed. The last two chapters of this dissertation focus on post-synthetic modification of MOFs. As mentioned above, predicting desired MOF structures based on ligand and metal choice is often not reliable for many frameworks. Post-synthetic modification (PSM) is presented as a viable option for obtaining structures that are usually difficult to synthesize directly via de novo methods, offering a viable alternative means to control the structure of the final material. Both ligand and metal exchange in a nonporous 2D paddlewheel MOF is demonstrated, the first instance of such an exchange observed in nonporous 2D paddlewheel frameworks as well as the first reported instance of metal exchange in nonporous MOFs. Finally, we report the successful deinterpenetrative synthesis of IRMOF-9 to IRMOF-10 via PSM. When synthesizing MOFs possessing large pores, the risk for interpenetration, or the formation of a secondary framework within the formed voids, increases. The interpenetrating frameworks subsequently diminish the accessible porosity and available surface area of the MOF, resulting in the efforts for synthesizing frameworks with large pores to have the opposite of the intended outcome. However, using a solution of ethylammonium bromide, we propose a method to selectively etch away the interpenetrating framework in IRMOF-9 to reveal the larger pores of the deinterpenetrated framework of IRMOF-10
Enhanced Market Timing: Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network For Optimal Entry And Exit In Stock Market
Get PDFThis thesis investigates applying a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Network for forecasting optimal times to enter and exit the stock market. Given the inherent imbalance in the dataset, where most days are not opportune for market actions, and the challenge of predicting such infrequent occurrences, we will employ a five-day window before and after the identified optimal market entry or exit time. A prediction is considered correct if it is within this five-day interval. The model was trained on historical S&P 500 data, using features such as exponential and simple moving averages of the closing price, the ten-day percentage change, the application of a smoothing function, and the calculation of the slope between each day and the preceding day, derived from the smoothing function. This approach aims to enhance the model\u27s ability to capture patterns and improve the prediction accuracy for optimal market timing
The Interpretation Of Measurement
Get PDFThe interpretation of measurement representations, such as blueprints and 3D models, has been debated in engineering offices and philosophical colloquiums alike. A resurgence has begun in the philosophical literature which focuses on the recent International System of Units (SI) change in the base unit definitions. Additionally, a recent revision in the form of ASME Y14.5-2018 has been adopted by prominent engineering firms in America. This revision limits the number of viable interpretations for the Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T) system of blueprint guidelines, which is meant to more effectively streamline communication between differing industries regarding part features and allowable extremities. However, despite these discussions and advances, the variations in interpretation continue to plague the production of parts and the communication between industry departments
Analysis of the introduction of Green Laboratory Certification Program at the University at Albany, State University of New York to increase sustainability in laboratories
Get PDFUniversities around the world are making changes to become more sustainable including lowering energy and water consumption, reducing waste production, and looking at procurement methods. At the University at Albany, State University of New York, there is an ongoing effort to increase sustainability and climate resiliency to align with state and international goals. One of the key areas needing improvement are scientific laboratories because they have a substantially larger energy consumption than other buildings. An analysis of current practices on campus was conducted and improvements suggested from research of similar programs. This included expanding and testing a campus specific “Green Labs Checklist” to measure and aid participating laboratories. Meetings with university officials and leading companies were conducted to increase participation and gather data. An audit was conducted of the Research Foundation procurement over one year for campus laboratories. To adopt sustainability practices the laboratories need additional education and support; including hiring employees to oversee implementation and continuously adapt the program to current standards. This needs to be a university wide effort with endorsement from key campus officials
The effects of EP and CP ENSO phases during different seasons on the first four dominant modes of the MJO
Get PDFEl Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an interannual climate mode that is dominant in tropical Pacific and affects regional and global weather and climate. Some may categorize ENSO into two types – eastern Pacific ENSO (EP ENSO) and central Pacific ENSO (CP ENSO). Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the most dominant intraseasonal mode in the tropics that impacts regional and global weather. Previous studies have established relationships between ENSO and MJO. An empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was performed to retrieve the principal components (PCs), instead of filtering atmospheric data, to approximately trace the MJO to analyze its relationship with ENSO. An ENSO index and ENSO index trend are used to determine the ENSO phases, which are categorized into 4 phases. The analysis is performed by season and ENSO phase. Even though the correlation between two whole-time PCs is about zero, it is not for a sub-period of the whole time-series. The correlations between a pair of the first four dominant modes of the MJO change with the season even though the coefficients are not large but statistically significant. Typically, the magnitudes of the correlations of a PC pair of the first four dominant modes of MJO during a particular season and ENSO phase are about 0.2 (0.4 is an absolute maximum value). The correlation between two PCs implies how their EOFs change together. When combining two EOFs during a positive correlation period, the combined amplitude of the MJO signals over a particular region could be enhanced if the same sign signals occur over the similar areas on both EOFs. However, the combined amplitude of the MJO signals could be reduced if the same sign signals are combined during a negative correlation period. Therefore, the changes in correlation between PCs imply the change in the MJO signals. Seasonality can alter the correlation from negative to positive throughout a year while ENSO phase had lesser impact on the correlation. These correlations influence how scatter plots between two PCs (biplots) of the MJO signal look like by elongating the plots along that correlation direction. Sometimes, the elongation would help increase the magnitude of the MJO over particular regions along the diagonals on a biplot. In addition, the mean PCs position on a biplot would tell the likelihood of strong MJO convection locations. The biplots of PC1 and any other PCs show a separation in the mean PCs between EP ENSO phase 1 (“El Niño like”) and phase 3 (“La Niña like”). However, during summer (JJA), the separation of the mean PCs is in different directions of the direction of the elongation on the biplots. It could suggest that one mechanism related to seasonality influences the correlation between 2 PCs of the first four dominant modes of the MJO signal, and another mechanism related to ENSO phase influences the shift in the mean PCs position on biplots. When linear regressing each of the 4 PCs of the MJO during a particular ENSO phase and season, the relationships are dynamic. For example, during EP ENSO phase 3, SST anomalies in the eastern Pacific are associated with only PC2 of the MJO during JJA, but they are associated with only PC1 of the MJO during SON. Moreover, SST anomalies in the central and eastern Pacific are projected differently to each of the first four dominant modes of the MJO during different seasons. Those spatial patterns based on each PC of the MJO during each ENSO phase and seasons could help explain some phenomena like the eastward extent of the MJO propagation during El Niño. Therefore, this could imply the importance of a particular MJO mode during a particular season and ENSO phase over a particular region