The LAIR at East Texas A&M
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Drawing on the Benefit of Trauma-Informed Care and Vicarious Resilience: Exploring the Impact of Participating in a Trauma-Informed Professional Development Event
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the impact of participating in a trauma-informed professional development event and how implementation promoted the development of vicarious resilience in teachers as they learned how to support students’ ability to cope. Teaching in a trauma-informed manner and fostering vicarious resilience among educators significantly impacts student well-being and in promoting safer and more supportive learning environments. The offered professional development focused on trauma sensitive classrooms and positive relationships to improve teachers\u27 self-efficacy in supporting traumatized students, highlighting the importance of explicit training in trauma-informed practices to create an empathetic educational environment. School leaders benefited from this study as it allowed them to gain insight into the specific needs teachers had around trauma-informed classrooms so that future professional learning could be developed in accordance with the Texas Administrative Code. Furthermore, the study contributed valuable information to educational leaders and other professionals on the importance of social-emotional learning, resiliency, and trauma-informed care
Self-Advocacy for Students with Mental Health Diagnosis in Higher Education
No full textThe purpose of this research study was to understand the role of self-advocacy for students with mental health conditions (SWMHC) by exploring their perspectives. Participants in this study were enrolled students at a public 4-year university within the United States who were registered with student disability services, have a mental health diagnosis, and received accommodations. To further examine this, I utilized an online demographic form, a pre-reflection document, semi-structured interviews, and a post-reflection document to collect data. Test et al. (2005) have developed a self-advocacy framework that specifically focuses on individuals with disabilities. This framework emphasizes the need to understand several components in relation to self-advocacy for the disability community. Test et al.’s framework is best served to further analyze students with disabilities’ experiences at the university level. For the current study, I utilized Test et al.’s self-advocacy framework. The literature review showed that there was limited information and the current research surrounding self-advocacy focuses mainly on students with learning disabilities and does not consider other types of disabilities. With a lack of scholarly research in this area and the significance of self-advocacy for the success and retention of students with disabilities in college, I sought to study the role of self-advocacy for students with mental health conditions. The results of this research study showed that themes that emerged throughout each participants experiences were the role of self-advocacy, knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication, leadership, the role of student disability services, success within higher education, and barriers within higher education. The findings of this research study revealed that the components of self-advocacy explained in Test et al. (2005) framework play an integral role in the experiences of SWMHC enrolled in higher education
Effect of Treated/Untreated Recycled Aggregate Concrete: Structural Behavior of RC Beams
No full textUsing recycled concrete aggregates from construction and demolition wastes on structural concrete is a sustainable solution to reduce the consumption of natural resources and the detrimental effects of concrete production on the environment. This paper has collected much data from the literature to study fresh, mechanical properties and durability of concrete made of treated/untreated recycled aggregate (RA). Furthermore, the flexural and shear behavior of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) beams was studied. This study discussed the distinctions and similarities between reinforced RAC beams and reinforced natural aggregate concrete (NAC) beams. The results of this review’s analysis clearly show that reinforced RAC beams with different RAC ratios perform structurally on par with or slightly worse than reinforced NAC beams, demonstrating the viability of RAC for structural applications. Emphasis is placed on carefully choosing and adjusting material models for recycled aggregate concrete. Ultimately, guidelines for future inquiries in this field are delineated and deliberated upon. The review will be advantageous for academics and professionals who aim to acquire a comprehensive comprehension of the behavior of RAC beams. It addresses several practical concerns connected to the numerical modeling of these components, which have not been adequately covered in existing literature
Assessing Energy Mutual Funds: Performance, Risks, and Managerial Skills
No full textThis study investigates the risk-adjusted performance of energy equity mutual funds across a 23-year period, employing the Cumulative Wealth Index (CWI) to gauge their long-term performance relative to benchmark indices. Despite inherent volatility due to the energy sector’s cyclical nature, these funds consistently outperformed benchmarks based on monthly returns, showcasing resilience amid market fluctuations. However, challenges emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, with notable improvements post-vaccination. Utilizing a multi-factor model, the research highlights the interconnectivity of energy equity mutual funds with broader market movements and systemic factors. Despite their primary focus on the energy sector, these funds exhibit sensitivity to larger market trends, rendering them susceptible to market dynamics. Additionally, an assessment of portfolio manager expertise reveals some proficiency in security selection post-vaccinations against COVID-19
Experiences of Undergraduate Women Participating in Computer Science and Factors Contributing to Their Persistence
No full textDespite efforts to attract and retain women in the field of computer science (CS), there continues to be a disparity between women and men pursuing and persisting in college CS courses and degrees. This study examined the problem of women’s lack of persistence in the area of CS and seeks to learn more about their attitudes, perceptions, and confidence in the field. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to understand the factors that lead women to enroll in a CS course and their unique experiences in the course. Interviews were conducted with eight women college students who had completed at least one CS college course. Lent et al.’s (1994) social cognitive career theory (SCCT) was the lens through which this study was viewed. This theory guided design of the interview questions for the study related to participants’ prior experience, social support, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. Their narratives provided understanding into the social and cultural circumstances that led them to enroll in a CS course and what contributed to their persistence. The researcher’s hope is that the data collected provided useful insight to program leaders involved in attracting and retaining women in this difficult-to-fill industry
Understanding The Impact of LGBTQIA+ Young Adult Novels in a High School English Language Arts and Reading Classroom
No full textThe purpose of this study was to gauge the effects of offering LGBTQIA+ novels to students in an English Language Arts and Reading high school setting. Most novel options for students come from old books available in the school’s book closet consisting of antiquated stories offering little in the way of diversity. Students are more likely to be engaged in their reading if they can see themselves in what they are reading. By reading about someone different from them, students can feel a sense of empathy toward others. This case study incorporated a poetic analysis of 13 postgraduate high school students from various North Texas high schools. Students were to choose one of the LGBTQIA+ novels from a list, read the selected novel, and answer questions about their reading experience. Offering diverse books was a way to test these assertions and see if students felt empathy toward others after reading about their experiences. Another study goal was to check if students were more likely to be engaged in reading and receive a sense of intrinsic otivation after reading these books
Contact Zones: Interfaces, Surveillance and Consciousness in William Gibson’s The Peripheral
No full textThis dissertation examines William Gibson’s novel The Peripheral (2014) through the lens of Mary Louise Pratt’s concept of the “contact zone.” I argue that this approach provides a new entry point to examining power hierarchies, fictional technological interfaces, surveillance studies, and consciousness by interrogating the novel’s themes specifically and Gibson’s work more generally. Gibson’s Peripheral serves as a meaningful work situated at the intersection of these themes, depicting the ways in which these contact zones affect the characters and their stories, while reflecting broader realities of power interactions between people, technology, and neo-colonialism. Using his novel as a core “interpretive interface,” I examine these themes in other fictional works to demonstrate the applicability of the contact zone in other examples of science-fictional narratives
The Effects of Playing Pokemon Go During the Covid-19 Pandemic
No full textThis thesis aimed to examine whether one’s mindset in greater benefits of playing a popular location-based video game, Pokémon Go, on social connectedness, physical well-being, and cognitive processing lead to greater engagement in Pokémon Go in the midst of a global pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) notes that, COVID-19 transmission occurs from inhaling virus particulates in close proximity to one another, making isolation one of the best forms of viral control. In a similar fashion to most facets of current life, even exergames has undergone temporary changes to accommodate government level lockdowns. Niantic (2020a, 2020b), the company producing Pokémon Go, has made it easier to play their game while being isolated at one’s home, through temporary app updates that ease movement restrictions. Laato et al. (2020), stated that overall, the changes that Niantic made to Pokémon Go were well received by the player base. There is some evidence that demonstrates the beneficial effects of playing the game (e.g., Kaczmarek et al. 2017; Ruiz-Ariza et al., 2018). The proposed thesis will assess college students’ beliefs in the effects of Pokémon Go prior to the experiment. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the following two conditions: a) mindset about the benefits of playing Pokémon Go; b) no mindset. Participants‘ activities on the video games and physical exercise will be monitored over an 8 weeks period. At the end of the 8 weeks, participant’s social connectedness, physical wellbeing and cognitive processing will be assessed
Energy-Resolved Threshold Collision-Induced Dissociation of Zinc(II) Ternary Complexes of Alternative Metal Binding Peptides with Nitrilotriacetic Acid
No full textEnergy-resolved threshold collision-induced dissociation (TCID) of negatively- charged [amb+Zn(II)+NTA]− ternary complexes were studied for how they competitively dissociated into the products [amb+Zn(II)]− + NTA or [NTA+Zn(II)]− + amb, where NTA is nitrilotriacetic acid, to determine an alternative metal binding (amb) peptide that exhibits similar characteristics to the commercially used His-tag in the purification of recombinant proteins. The ternary complexes contained one of the amb5 peptides with the primary structures acetyl-Aa1-Aa2-Gly3-Pro4-Aa5-Gly6- Cys7, where the amino acids Aa1 and Aa2 are the potential metal binding sites of His, Asp or Cys and Aa5 is either Tyr or Gly. The results described here focus on four heptapeptide sequences named; amb5C (acetyl-His1-Cys2-Gly3-Pro4-Tyr5-Gly6-Cys7), amb5S (acetyl-Asp1-His2-Gly3-Pro4-Gly5-Gly6-Cys7), amb5V (acetyl-Asp1-His2-Gly3- Pro4-Tyr5-Gly6-Cys7) and amb5Y (acetyl-His1-Cys2-Gly3-Pro4-Gly5-Gly6-Cys7). Reaction cross sections (RCS) of the ternary complexes will be determined using the Beer’s law that quantifies the interaction of the ternary complex to form the products as a function of center-of-mass collision energy. The RCSs will also be modelled using the molecular dynamics program CRUNCH to extract the thermochemistry of the reactions. Collision cross sections (CCS) of the reactant and product ions are determined to help select conformers from PM6 calculations that are used in the CRUNCH modelling
African American Males\u27 Perspective on The Role of a Student Mentorship Organization\u27s Influence on Academic and Social Integration in College: A Phenomenological Review
No full textThis qualitative phenomenological research study sought to explore African American male students’ perception of the Successful Teaching Relative to Overcoming Negative Generalities (S.T.R.O.N.G.) MENtoring program’s influence on their academic and social integration. As African American male students continue to experience lower graduation rates than their counterparts in college, assessing how a mentorship organization established for African American male students impacts their college experience is vital. This research study sought to discover (a) the Successful Teaching Relative to Overcoming Negative Generalities (S.T.R.O.N.G.) MENtoring program’s impact on African American male students’ academic and social integration in college, and (b) African American male students’ perception of their involvement in the Successful Teaching Relative to Overcoming Negative Generalities (S.T.R.O.N.G.) MENtoring program. The literature review provided historical knowledge on African American male students’ interactions and involvement in organizations established for students as well as their academic and social integration in college. Then, the phenomenological method was used to observe African American male students’ shared experiences in the Successful Teaching Relative to Overcoming Negative Generalities (S.T.R.O.N.G.) MENtoring program and their perception of the organization’s impact on their academic and social integration