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Maintaining Sense of Self Identity in Dementia through Music Therapy: Personal, Social, and Social Identity
No full textMusic provides a link to our personal identity, as well as community and cultural dimensions of our lives. While people with dementia may gradually experience loss of personal identity, music has been shown to assist in accessing autobiographical and episodic memory. Musical preferences, most apparent in adolescence and early adulthood, have been linked to age, musical training, culture, cognition, and social groups. Music therapy offers opportunities for active/expressive and passive/listening experiences, providing a vehicle for recall of defining life events that helped to shape identity and sense of self. Utilizing preferred music may assist the person with dementia in reconnecting with social and cultural identity, as musical preferences develop contextually. Music therapy literature and clinical vignettes describe a basis for theoretically informed clinical approaches based upon human development, sense of self through the lifespan, and relevance to quality of life for persons with dementia. Recommendations will be made for culturally sensitive music therapy assessment, treatment planning, and implementation for recall of personal and sociocultural life events in the preservation of sense of self.M.A., Music Therapy and Counseling -- Drexel University, 201
The Role of a Digital Department at a Major Market Broadcast Television Station: A Case Study
No full textDue to both the speed at which societies communicate and consumers unwavering desire for content, technological advances continuously shape the ever-changing digital landscape. Social media has become a tool for broadcast station groups in an effort to keep up with consumer demands. Although consumer viewing habits have shifted from the more traditional way of consuming content, the change has not altered their desire to be entertained and/or enlightened. As technology continues to evolve, and smart devices enable viewers to consume content wherever and whenever they go, television stations have constructed digital departments in an effort to retain viewership while continuing to understand how to suit the viewer’s insatiable appetite for content. Having recognized that the viewing tendencies of their younger target demographics have shifted to social media, station groups have utilized media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube as a means of appealing to the vast viewing audience to deliver interactive content, retain viewership from industry-wide competition, all while gaining new viewers. This case study is the preferred method by which the researcher will examine the topic, with in-depth interviews with key digital department executives accompanied by social media analysis. The case study reveals how a digital department has attempted to provide exclusive content for viewers, as well as their ability to retain viewership, all while being one step ahead of competing content creators.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201
A Qualitative Grounded Theory: Exploring Factors That Influence Division II Collegiate Basketball Coaches When Implementing a Balanced Academic, Social, and Athletic Student-Athlete Experience
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative grounded theory was to explore what Division II collegiate basketball coaches understand a balanced academic, social, and athletic student-athlete experience to be, factors that support and hinder collegiate basketball coaches when implementing a balanced student-athlete experience, and how Division II collegiate basketball coaches respond to positive and negative factors influencing their athletic program to best support holistic student-athlete development. This research study took place in the southeast region of the United States of America. Six collegiate basketball coaches were interviewed to understand how the values of their coaching philosophy influenced their decision making when leading a Division II basketball program within the guiding principles of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Collegiate Model of Athletics. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Collegiate Model of Athletics mandates that each of its associated members provide a balanced academic, social, and athletic student-athlete experience. Three streams of literature pertaining to coaching philosophy, competition, and mental toughness served as a foundation for the research study. Data were collected through observations, one-on-one interviews, focus group interviews, and artifact collection to understand participant perceptions regarding the purpose of the research study. Several findings emerged based on outcomes that developed from the central research question and three sub-research questions. These findings consisted of the following grounded theories: Basketball is a tool to teach life lessons, Support systems promote holistic student-athlete development, Negative influences hinder holistic student-athlete development, and Team culture creates guiding principles. An integrated grounded theory emerged in this research study based on the four grounded theories associated with each research question. The integrated grounded theory was, A holistic development coaching approach is needed to provide a balanced academic, social, and athletic student-athlete experience. This integrated grounded theory warranted implications for coaching practices which suggest that collegiate basketball coaches should view their coaching responsibility as a multifaceted leadership role focused on the holistic well-being and overall development of student-athletes. Recommendations that emerged from this research study include strategies for optimizing the academic, social, and athletic student-athlete experience through coaching practices, future research, and coaching policy.Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
The Drosophila chromodomain protein Kismet epigenetically regulates ecdysone steroid hormone receptor expression to affect axon pruning in vivo
No full textAxon pruning is a critical part of proper synapse elimination which is necessary for sculpting precise neural circuits in all animals, from invertebrates to vertebrates alike. Although this vital process has been described in the literature for decades, relatively little is known about the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern axon pruning in vivo. Here, we show that the epigenetic chromodomain protein Kismet is required for developmental axon pruning in the mushroom bodies of the central brain of Drosophila melanogaster. Kismet binds to cis-regulatory elements of the steroid hormone receptor ecdysone receptor (ecr) gene in the central nervous system and is required for activating expression of EcR-B1. At the ecr locus, Kismet promotes the histone modifications H3K36 di- and tri-methylation and H4K16 acetylation which are associated with actively transcribed chromatin. We show that transgenic EcR-B1 can rescue the axon pruning and memory defects associated with loss of Kismet, and excitingly that pharmacological inhibition of histone deacetylases using SAHA can also rescue these phenotypes in vivo. EcR protein abundance is the cell-autonomous, rate-limiting step required to initiate axon pruning in Drosophila, and our novel data suggests that this step is under the epigenetic control of Kismet.Ph.D., Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics -- Drexel University, 201
Creative Mindfulness in Secondary Art Education: A Narrative Inquiry
No full textResearch has shown that practicing mindfulness and engaging in the creative process result in positive benefits, respectively (Semple, Droutman, & Reid, 2017; Holm, 2015). Mindfulness practice, grounded in the Buddhist wisdom tradition and adapted for secular implementation, has steadily emerged in several disciplinary areas as a method to promote wellness and nurture creativity (Broderick, 2015; Sharf, 2015). Mindfulness breaks into the K-12 setting as a tool to modify behavior, increase focus, and regulate emotion (Hornich-Liscaindro, 2013; Broderick, 2013). At the same time, artists explore the benefits of creating work as a mindful experience (Greenhalgh, 2017; Simon, 2016). In the classroom setting, art education nurtures risk taking, increases self-confidence, fosters creative problem solving, and reduces stress (Eisner, 2002; Silton, 2016). Mindfulness practice and creativity through art education gently converge and the potential role and benefit of creative mindfulness in secondary art education becomes evident (Greenhalgh, 2016; Patterson, 2015). Research on mindfulness, creativity, and adolescent needs have informed this narrative inquiry. The emerging concept of creative mindfulness illuminated a gap in the literature and a need for this research. The stories of former visual art students who experienced creative mindfulness in the art classroom with the researcher as teacher were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed. The study did not aim to focus on adolescent suicide, but the issue was revealed as a significant factor in the findings. Three themes are presented as a result of collapsing codes from verbatim transcription of interviews: mindful and creative classroom culture, the trauma of adolescence, and the power of creative mindfulness. Recommendations are provided for the consideration of classroom educators, educational administrators, and creative individuals, as well as direction for future research on the influences of creative mindfulness on students in the secondary art classroom and beyond. Keywords: mindfulness, creative mindfulness, creativity, wellbeing, adolescent, trauma, art education, self-care, awareness, present moment, central Pennsylvania, narrative, suicideEd.D., Educational Leadership and Management -- Drexel University, 201
Planning for Retreat: Artist Colony Business Modeling
No full textThis paper uncovers how rural artist colonies operate and challenges facing their efficacy. 8 case studies of colony style artist residencies across the continental US illustrate programs, staff structures, institutional finances and organizational change. This paper offers a snapshot of contemporary practices in a growing niche of cultural work- the artist residency program- from an administrator perspective. Conversations emerge pertaining to cultural exchange between rural communities and global participants, arts and culture funding in low population areas, and strategies to create community stories of organizational growth and change. Analyses discuss commonalities across programs, and pose questions raised by interview subjects for future research in the field of Arts Administration.M.S., Arts Administration -- Drexel University, 201
Early Extubation Wean Protocol Development in Cardiac Surgery with Expert Content Validation
No full textBackground: Cardiothoracic surgery patients remain intubated while transferred to the intensive care unit where ventilator weaning is initiated post-operatively. Prolonged intubation times can lead to patient complications and increased costs for the healthcare system. Wean protocols can be implemented to decrease ventilator times and meet quality measures set by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons while improving patient outcomes. Purpose: To: (a) evaluate current guidelines, standards, and trends in care for ventilator weaning and early extubation protocols in cardiothoracic surgery; (b) develop an evidence-based extubation protocol for cardiothoracic surgery patients; and (c) obtain expert content validation of the extubation protocol. Goal: Development of a content validated, evidence-based, early extubation protocol. Methods: Development of evidenced-based early ventilator wean protocol with expert content validation utilizing a two-step content validation technique. This single-center project was conducted in a community medical center with an internal and external multidisciplinary panel of ten experts. Selection of the expert panel was based on area of expertise, publications, and positions held. The protocol was distributed to the panel as an electronic survey with a four-point Likert Scale assigned to content relevance and clarity. The collected data was analyzed for level of expert consensus using both item and scale content validity indexes with percentage of agreement ≥78% determining achieved consensus. Findings: All twenty-six items obtained item content validity. The instrument reached excellent scale-content validity index, scoring 1 when calculating average and universal agreement. Three items were revised based on comments from the expert panel. Keywords: cardiothoracic surgery, extubation, ventilator hours, length of stay, ICU hours, cardiac surgical procedures, heart surgery, airway extubation, mechanical ventilators, wean protocol, quality, outcomes, content validation, protocol development, evidence-based practiceD.N.P., Nursing Practice -- Drexel University, 201
Analysis of the Profitability, Liquidity and Capital of Small and Large Banks in the United States
No full textWe analyze the profitability, liquidity and capital structure of small and large banks in the United States in three essays. In the first essay, we study the impact of the Basel III liquidity constraints by focusing on different conditional profitability spectrums or quantiles. Our results highlight that liquidity regulations should be tailored based on the bank size and on the relative profitability of each bank. We also find that the Basel III liquidity constraints have successfully made the entire financial system less prone to an industry-wide liquidity crisis while hardly impacting the profitability of banks. The second essay explains that the apparent non-consensus in the bank liquidity literature regarding whether banks hoarded liquidity during the 2007-2009 financial crisis is due to wrongly focusing on aggregate loans and deposits or on a single type of loans or deposits instead of focusing on the series disaggregated by type and maturity level. Accurately understanding bank liquidity supply informs policy makers to become more specific by shedding light on how different types of loans and deposits are affected differently when market conditions tighten. In the third essay, we find that out of the four factors widely identified in the literature as determinants of a bank’s capital structure, namely, the market-to-book ratio, collateral, profitability and size, only profitability remains significant when we account for the cross-section dependence of errors in the data. The three factors that we retain as determinants of bank leverage are retained earnings, non-interest expenses and profitability. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for the cross section dependence of the errors in the data when studying the capital structure of U.S. banks.Ph.D., Economics -- Drexel University, 201
Essays in Corporate Finance: Recent Trends and Implications
No full textThe goal of this dissertation is to better understand recent trends in U.S. financial markets. The first essay examines whether trade liberalization contributed to the recent decline in U.S. public listing rates and increase in industry concentration. Drawing on heterogeneous firm models of trade, I argue that trade liberalization can lead to within-industry reallocation of market shares by disproportionately harming small firms. I empirically test this hypothesis using a differences-in-differences econometric strategy and find that the "China trade shock" led to i) a decline in public listing rates and an increase in concentration ii) by disproportionately harming small firms iii) that were unable to offshore production and remain competitive against Chinese imports. Stock price reactions to the policy change and threat of reversal by President Trump bolster this interpretation. These findings suggest that public companies today are older, larger, and garner a higher portion of industry revenues, in part, because of fundamental changes in the global competitive landscape. The second essay documents the loosing of financial covenants in syndicated loan agreements over the last twenty years. The loosening of covenants is widespread among all types of borrowers and loans and accompanies an increase in loan spreads over the period, suggesting that the trend reflects fundamental changes in the costs and benefits of tight covenants. The final essay explores how creditors use these control rights to influence corporate outcomes. Following a covenant violation, creditors use their bargaining power to tighten acquisition restrictions and limit acquisition activity, particularly deals expected to earn negative announcement returns. Firms that do announce an acquisition while in violation of a covenant earn 1.8% higher stock returns, on average, with the effect concentrated among firms with weak external governance. These results suggest that creditors provide valuable corporate governance that benefits shareholders by reducing managerial agency costs.Ph.D., Business Administration -- Drexel University, 201
Television 2.0: Buying and Selling in a Connected World
No full textThe researcher attempted to analyze the problem of rapid technology changes in video consumption as well as audience fragmentation and how advanced TV technologies are overcoming those obstacles. The researcher surveyed a panel of experts using the Delphi Method in order to create a consensus on the state of advanced TV and if its applications were being utilized in media buying. Conducting an interview with an executive responsible for advanced TV at a media company and surveying a panel of nine media buyers accomplished this. The goal of advanced TV for media companies is to be able to build content scale in order to increase viewers and monetize targeted household impressions instead of being bought based on age/gender demographics. The results of the study found that while media companies are deploying advanced TV products, it has not become a technology that is used by a majority of media buyers. The interview with the executive revealed that at his company, the sales team was not even being asked to actively sell their advanced TV products, which could explain why buyers are not utilizing it. While this is just the strategy used by one company, media buyers still seem to be lacking an education on advanced TV and how it can help them demonstrate to clients the ability to target their customers and measure key performance indicators and not just use television for broad reach. Media companies are continuing to consolidate and scale and as they continue to push advanced TV products; this could change the perception of buyers. Advanced TV is still in the early stages and there is more research to be done on the topic.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201