This study explores the role Comunidad Milpa (Milpa) plays in implementing agroecology food systems in Comunidad Pacheco, Argentina. From teaching residents about food cultivation practices, to the importance of a healthy diet and developing relationship with local agroecology producers, the method builds upon the idea of food sovereignty and self-governance. Research conducted for this study focused on obstacles residents encountered while seeking to incorporate local agroecology foods into their diet. Incentives encouraging residents to support area agroecology efforts were also investigated, as well as barriers producers experienced while marketing their products. Design methods used for the investigation included both qualitative and quantitative methods in the form of surveys and interviews with members and participants of Milpa. Data gathered through both methods resulted in identifying the perspective Milpa participants have of the organization, their food practices and choices, and obstacles food producers encounter within the community.

This dissertation aims to discover the hidden pattern and rationales behind China's South China Sea policies over the last one hundred years from the perspective of Chinese strategic culture. A historical-cultural approach is a powerful tool in uncovering deeper understandings of the Chinese way of policy making and strategy on issues such as the South China Sea. The key research questions include: first, is there any historical legitimacy in China's sovereignty claim over the South China Sea islands? Second, do Beijing's South China Sea policies in various periods have any regularity or pattern, and how did they serve China's grand strategies at the time? By utilizing extensive Chinese and English primary sources and other sources, this study conducts a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the South China Sea issue from the framework of Chinese strategic culture.

The objectives of the present dissertation were: (1) determine the relationships between time use in physical vs social leisure activities (PLA - SLA), and cognitive vs emotional leisure activities (CLA - ELA) by older adults age cohort (60-69, 70-79 and 80-plus yrs.); (2) ascertain the role of sex in moderating the relationship between time use in PLA-SLA and CLA-ELA by older adults age cohort; and (3) assess how employment status mediates the relationship between time use in PLA-SLA and CLA-ELA by older adults age cohort with moderation by sex. Secondary data was obtained from the 2019 American Time Use Survey database. Applying a cross-sectional design, data were analyzed using a linear regression model in SPSS version 27 and PROCESS Macro with Hayes Model 1 and 59. We identified the extent of the conditional indirect moderation effect of sex and the indirect employment status mediation effect moderated by sex in the relationship between PLA-SLA and CLA-ELA by older adult age cohorts. An index of moderated mediation was used to test the significance of each effect. The 80-plus yrs. cohort SLA time use was greater than in PLA across cohorts. Sex moderation showed a stronger effect in men by substantially decreasing their …

This research contributes valuable contextual information to the study of Karol Szymanowski's little-known song cycle Seven Songs to Poems of James Joyce, op. 54 (1926), providing a reliable, comprehensive reference for singers and scholars. In this research, I establish separate historical contexts for James Joyce's Chamber Music and Szymanowski's settings of the poems in op. 54. Using these established historical contexts, I then analyze Joyce's poems and Szymanowski's text settings, focusing on their styles and aesthetics. Szymanowski reorders the seven selected poems, creating a new storyline related to—but different from—the original. Where Chamber Music presents a chronological emotional arc, Seven Songs presents a roller coaster-like storyline, achieved by flashing back and forth between the protagonist's past and present. I demonstrate how Szymanowski's newly-created, complex storyline fits both the surface and deeper meanings of each poem, using specific musical elements to enhance emotional conflicts in the texts. I conclude with a detailed analysis of the relationship between the text and music of this song cycle, serving as a performance guide. I hope that my analysis and complete performance of this cycle will reignite interest in Szymanowski's music outside of Poland, especially in countries where English is the native language.

The Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph - Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS) is the largest uniform, homogeneous survey of its kind, covering 260 quasars at 1.5 ≤ z ≤ 3.5. This unique survey, coupled with data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), enables new investigations into redshifts, supermassive black hole masses (MBH), and accretion rates at high redshift through spectroscopic coverage of important rest-frame UV-optical emission lines. The importance of this survey is highlighted in the fact that the optical emission lines provide more reliable measurements of these quasar parameters than their UV counterpart. With such a unique sample compiled here, I construct prescriptions to calibrate these quasar parameters derived from rest-frame UV emission lines to those derived from rest-frame optical emission lines. These prescriptions provide important insight into how these parameters depend on redshift and are potentially biased as we look out further into the universe. Additionally, all the work completed with this sample will help shape our understanding of how these quasars and their host galaxies co-evolve over cosmic time.

Limited research exists regarding the experiences and perspectives of parents of highly and profoundly gifted children. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences and perspectives of parents of highly and profoundly gifted children in developmental and cultural contexts. Semi-structured interviews were followed by thematic analysis regarding parental efficacy and parents' perceived support in parenting and educational communities to provide rich insights and to illuminate the voices of parents. In seeking academic and/or social emotional support, parents join groups designed to connect parents with experts in the field of gifted education and parent advocates of gifted children. A purposive sample was selected from parents who are members of networks and organizations serving profoundly gifted students. A self-report survey was distributed to parents enrolled in networks and/or organizations serving gifted students and parents of gifted students (e.g., SENG, Davidson Institute). Participant interviews were transcribed and qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis. A qualitative descriptive analysis identified areas in which parents of highly and profoundly gifted children express the need for support within developmental and cultural contexts. Implications from the study aim to bring attention to the lived experiences of these parents to inform educators, counselors, and communities of parents' …

The evaluation of the transition experiences of veterans to civilian life was conducted. The military to civilian transition (MCT) framework along with theories covering organizational, identity, and systems streams of research situated the study. A mixed methods approach was conducted in two phases: a 28-item survey and 1.5-hour interviews, which helped contextualize and explain survey findings. The multiple regression procedure examined the relationship among three variables: person-organization fit, military identity, and organizational commitment with military identity was included as a moderator. Results indicated a positive relationship between person-organization fit and organizational commitment. Contrariwise, results indicated military identity's relationship between the variables was found to be not statistically significant. Although the moderation effect of military identity was not found to influence the relationships, interviews with veterans indicated a strong connection to their military identity. Veterans shared negative and unpredictable transition stories, positive transition stories, feelings of isolation, and held prevailing military goals, while reporting a lack of backing from support agencies. Veterans perceived differences between the military and civilian environments, veteran turnover and organizational commitment were found to connect and military values and military identity were found to have connections as well. Recommendations for improving military to civilian setting transitions for …

The purpose of this study was to determine which principal leadership behaviors are associated with higher levels of teacher engagement. The conceptual framework guiding this study was based on the behaviors associated with four specific leadership styles: transformational, shared, instructional, and transactional. This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to identify teacher perceptions of prominent leadership behaviors of each campus principal. Data related to teacher perceptions of their principal's leadership behaviors was gathered through use of a Qualtrics online survey. The distributed survey was adapted from three published surveys: MultiFactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) and Shared Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ). Engagement scores were identified through use of the district's annual Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey. The sample for this study was identified from 2,000 teachers working at one of 38 campuses in the district. The number of teachers who participated in the survey regarding their campus was 540, and 20 of the 38 campuses had a minimum of 10 participants. Upon identification of leadership behaviors, a campus profile was developed to compare their campus engagement scores to answer the research questions. Based upon each campus profile, trends were identified to determine high yield leadership behaviors for raising …

Past research demonstrates that participants who label themselves as ‘victims' experience worse trauma-related outcomes than those who label themselves as ‘survivors.' Self-labeling in trauma research is typically measured using a dichotomous measure where participants choose either victim or survivor, but this construct may be better conceived as more continuous. The current study assessed self-labeling as a possible continuous construct and explored its predictive validity. To capture self-labeling as a continuous construct, we created and utilized a new scale, the Trauma Self-Labeling Measure. Two hundred eleven participants completed a battery of questionnaires to measure self-labeling and four trauma-related outcomes: posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, anxiety, and resilience. When tested on the continuous trauma self-labeling measure, an overwhelming number of participants chose in-between victim and survivor (78.9%) which suggests self-labeling is better assessed using a continuous measure than dichotomous. However, correlation analyses revealed that the continuous self-labeling measure was not significantly correlated to the four trauma-related outcomes, whereas the dichotomous self-labeling, continuous victim, and continuous survivor measures were. When conducting post-hoc analyses, we found an unexpected positive correlation between the continuous victim and survivor self-labeling measures. This unexpected positive correlation suggests that self-labeling is not a singular construct, as previously assumed, but …

Helmut Friedrich Lachenmann is a German composer of contemporary music. In his 1980 work for piano, Child's Play, Lachenmann develops one of his own signature concepts, musique concrète instrumentale, in which he uses the "standard" (not prepared) piano in non-conventional and innovative ways to explore new sounds and techniques. This dissertation is a pedagogical study that provides a teaching guide for educators who would like to use Child's Play as an introduction to some of the sounds and techniques of contemporary music for their late intermediate students. In order for educators to effectively guide their students through Child's Play, they should understand the sonorities of musique concrète instrumentale as well as the extended techniques it requires. This dissertation addresses those needs through three principal means. First, it introduces Lachenmann's musique concrète instrumentale and classifies the various sonorities into three types: descriptive, contrasting, and extended. Second, it analyzes and discusses technical elements in the cycle, including notational considerations, pedaling, and sound effects. Last, the dissertation provides pedagogical suggestions to help students master these technical elements. By studying and playing this piece, students not only become intimately familiar with some of the many sounds they are able to produce on the piano, …

Narcissism is currently being redefined as a multidimensional construct. While some researchers hold that narcissism remains a unidimensional phenomenon, others have suggested that bi- and tridimensional conceptualizations may better represent the construct as well as align more succinctly with the experiences of individuals with varying levels of narcissistic traits. Also, since the latter conceptualizations offer a broader assessment of narcissistic tendencies, they may provide greater accuracy in identifying differing narcissistic phenotypes (e.g., malignant vs vulnerable). Given the variety in conceptualizations of narcissism, it remains an open area as to how their respective domains are associated with various risk factors and behavioral outcomes, particularly within antagonistic forms of narcissism. This thesis explored the multidimensional approaches to defining narcissism and examined the associations between narcissistic traits and attachment style, self-concept, self-esteem, emotion regulation, and aggression. Also, the current study explored how differences in college degree (business vs. psychology) and gender may influence the expression of narcissism and associations with attachment style. Overall, the study provides results relevant for a tridimensional view of narcissism and adds to the literature on narcissism's link with factors involved in personality pathology, gender, and choice of college degree.

The superline has one even and one odd coordinate. We consider the Lie superalgebra of contact vector fields on the superline. Its tensor density modules are a one-parameter family of deformations of the natural action on the ring of polynomials on the superline. They are parameterized by a complex number, and they are irreducible when this parameter is not zero. In this dissertation, we describe the annihilating ideals of these representations in the universal enveloping algebra of this Lie superalgebra by providing their generators. We also describe the intersection of all such ideals: the annihilator of the direct sum of the tensor density modules. The annihilating ideal of an irreducible non-zero left module is called a primitive ideal, and the space of all such ideals in the universal enveloping algebra is its primitive spectrum. The primitive spectrum is endowed with the Jacobson topology, which induces a topology on the annihilators of the tensor density modules. We conclude our discussion with a description of the annihilators as a topological space.

Unipolar depression is a leading cause of disability and overall burden of disease for millions of individuals across the world. Depressive symptoms (e.g., depressed mood, anhedonia, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, difficulties concentrating, etc.) can drastically affect an individual's life leading to occupational, social, and personal impairment. Past research shows significant ethnic and racial differences in depression rates and treatment. Moreover, previous literature has also begun to explore the multidimensional nature of depression, investigating its occasion-like (or episodic) and trait-like (or stable) factors. However, prior studies have not explored differences in occasion and trait depression by race or ethnicity, nor have they explored these questions in nurses, a group that faces substantial workplace stressors. To redress these gaps, the current study investigated trait and occasion depression in a large sample of nurses (N = 390) tracked across 12 months and aimed to understand whether trait versus occasion rates of depression differed by racial and ethnic minority status. Findings indicated substantially more trait depression (65.93%) than occasion depression (34.11%) across the year in nurses. However, there were no significant differences based on racial and ethnic minority status. Results highlight the importance of understanding depression as a much more stable aspect of an …

The purpose of this study, through an analysis of the literature review of general scholars in the field of school poverty, equity, efficiency, and student achievement results, was to determine whether economic disparity had a direct statistical significance to student achievement gaps. Specifically, identification of the five socioeconomic tiers using the economic blocks, as defined by the Texas Education Agency, and their corresponding STAAR student achievement results were examined in a border city urban school setting were used to determine if educational achievement disparity existed and whether there was a statistical significance in performance to the identified socioeconomic tiers. Through an analysis of student achievement data of an urban school district, the study established null hypothesis and examined the difference in student achievement between the subsequent five economic tiers, as defined by the Texas Education Agency. Specifically, the study examined if there were differences in student achievement outcomes from each of the five socioeconomic tiers and the statistical significance between the socioeconomic tiers. Furthermore, a deeper analysis was sought to determine the most significant impact in learning loss was determined between economic tiers. The analysis sought to validate the State Compensatory Education funding model in a single district as established …

Adolf von Henselt (1814–1889) was one of the most renowned German pianists and composers of his day. The majority of his compositions are for the piano, one of his most successful being the set of Piano Études, Op. 2. It consists of twelve etudes, each of which is designed for developing a particular technique. Henselt's etudes are as demanding as Chopin's and Liszt's, so this pedagogical guide is designed for advanced-level students. Henselt uses many finger extensions and stretches larger than an octave, which may be difficult for smaller hands to play, but proper flexibility and relaxation should enable all students to play them. This dissertation describes the specific technique for six selected etudes and provides exercises to help students learn each technique effectively. The selected etudes—Nos. 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 11—were chosen to cover all three technical levels of less-advanced, advanced, and very advanced as well as a variety of musical styles and technical challenges.

The aim of this quantitative study was to explore the connection between self-perceived cultural proficiency among school leaders and the discipline gap for Black students in high schools in North Texas. The study sought to achieve this by (a) identifying the level of cultural proficiency perceived by school leaders, (b) examining the disciplinary rates of Black students in each participating high school, and (c) exploring how school administrators' beliefs regarding cultural proficiency impacted the disciplinary rates of Black students on their campuses. To assess their implementation of cultural proficiency practices, Hine's cultural proficiency leadership framework was utilized. The study found a significant positive correlation between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of out-of-school suspensions for Black students, while a negative correlation was observed for White students. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the total cultural proficiency score and the number of in-school suspensions for Black students, while no statistically significant correlation was found for White students. The participants in the study met three criteria: (a) working at a 5A or 6A UIL-identified campus in North Texas, (b) having at least 9% of the student population identified as Black and African American, and (c) serving as school leaders …

The Hochschild cohomology of an associative algebra records information about the deformations of that algebra, and hence the first step toward understanding its deformations is an examination of the Hochschild cohomology. In this dissertation, we use techniques from homological algebra, invariant theory, and combinatorics to analyze the Hochschild cohomology of skew group algebras arising from finite cyclic groups acting on polynomial rings over fields of arbitrary characteristic. These algebras are the natural semidirect product of the group ring with the polynomial ring. Many families of algebras arise as deformations of skew group algebras, such as symplectic reflection algebras and rational Cherednik algebras. We give an explicit description of the Hochschild cohomology governing graded deformations of skew group algebras for cyclic groups acting on polynomial rings. For skew group algebras, a description of the Hochschild cohomology is known in the nonmodular setting (i.e., when the characteristic of the field and the order of the group are coprime). However, in the modular setting (i.e., when the characteristic of the field divides the order of the group), much less is known, as techniques commonly used in the nonmodular setting are not available.

Sequential single-axis vibration testing strategies often produce over-testing when qualifying system hardware. Multi-axis excitation techniques can simulate realistic service environments, but the hardware and testing strategies needed to do so tend to be costly and complex. Test engineers instead must execute sequential tests on single-axis shaker tables to excite each degree of freedom, which the previous two decades of vibration testing literature have shown to cause extensive over-testing when considering cross-axis responses in assessing the severity of the applied test environments. Traditional assessments assume that the test article responds only in the axis of excitation, but often significant response occurs in the off-axes as well. This paper proposes a method to address the over-testing problem by approximating a simultaneous multi-axis test using readily-available, single-axis shaker tables. By optimizing the angle of excitation and the boundary condition through dynamic test fixture design, the test article can be tested using a Single-Input, Multiple-Output (SIMO) test in a way that approximates a Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO) test. This paper shows the proposed method in simulation with a 2D finite element box assembly with removable component (BARC) model attached to springs with variable stiffness. The results include quantified test quality assessment metrics with comparison to …

Hateful content and offensive language are commonplace on social media platforms. Many surveys prove that high percentages of social media users experience online harassment. Previous efforts have been made to detect and remove online hate content automatically. However, removing users' content restricts free speech. A complementary strategy to address hateful content that does not interfere with free speech is to counter the hate with new content to divert the discourse away from the hate. In this dissertation, we complement the lack of previous work on counterhate arguments by analyzing and detecting them. Firstly, we study the relationships between hateful tweets and replies. Specifically, we analyze their fine-grained relationships by indicating whether the reply counters the hate, provides a justification, attacks the author of the tweet, or adds additional hate. The most obvious finding is that most replies generally agree with the hateful tweets; only 20% of them counter the hate. Secondly, we focus on the hate directed toward individuals and detect authentic counterhate arguments from online articles. We propose a methodology that assures the authenticity of the argument and its specificity to the individual of interest. We show that finding arguments in online articles is an efficient alternative compared to …

Enterprises have focused on mechanisms to track insiders who may intentionally exceed and misuse their authorized access. However, there is an opportunity to understand why a trusted individual would want to exploit the trust and seek information with the intent of a malicious outcome. The detection of insider rogue or nefarious activities with information to which a user is already authorized is extremely difficult. Such insider threats require more deliberation than just considering it to be a problem that can be mitigated only by software or hardware enhancements. This research expects to help gain an early understanding of antecedents to such information behavior and provide an opportunity to develop approaches to address relevant character traits which could lead to a higher propensity of information misuse. This research proposes a theoretical framework and a conceptual research model to understand the antecedent factors to opportunistic information-seeking behavior of individuals. The study follows the three-essay format. Essay 1 explores the scholarly literature published about insider behavior to understand information behavior and proposes the theoretical framework for the study. PRISMA methodology was used for the thematic literature review. Essay 2 is a quantitative study of 424 university students surveyed using an online instrument for …

This study showcases the perceived affordances of learning management systems (LMS)in the private sector and in the non-academic public sector. The qualitative study consisted of 9 interviews of industry professionals. The semi-structured interviews captured current practices of how LMS were utilized within their organization as well as the perceived benefits that their organization obtained by utilizing an LMS. The findings showcased that the affordance category with the highest overall frequency was Operations Management 3. The affordance type with the highest overall frequency was Operational Process OM3, and the code with the highest overall frequency was Professional Development OD1-OL.

I present spectroscopic measurements for 260 sources from the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph–Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS). Being the largest uniform, homogeneous survey of its kind, it represents a flux-limited sample of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasars at 1.5 < z < 3.5. A combination of the GNIRS and SDSS spectra covers principal quasar diagnostic features, chiefly the C IV λ1549, Mg II λλ2798, 2803, Hβ λ4861, and [O III] λλ4959, 5007 emission lines, in each source. The spectral inventory is utilized primarily to develop prescriptions for obtaining more accurate and precise redshifts, black hole masses, and accretion rates for all quasars. Additionally, the measurements facilitate an understanding of the dependence of rest-frame ultraviolet–optical spectral properties of quasars on redshift, luminosity, and Eddington ratio, and test whether the physical properties of the quasar central engine evolve over cosmic time.

Design and development of novel one-step reactions that produce nitrogen-containing scaffolds is an invaluable area of chemistry due to the abundance of these moieties in natural products and biologically active molecules. Discovering novel methods using uncommon substrates and rare earth metals to access these significant scaffolds present a challenge. Over the course of my doctoral studies, I have designed, developed and optimized novel reactions by using rarely known substrates and rare earth metals that have afforded important nitrogen-containing scaffolds. The products obtained allow access to otherwise long-to-synthesize molecules and expeditious construction of biologically active molecules.

Indigenous communities around the world are losing their languages at accelerating rates to the effects of the climate crisis and global capitalism. To preserve samples of these languages facing endangerment and extinction, samples of language use (e.g., audio-video recordings, photographs, textual transcriptions, translations, and analyses) are created and stored in language archives: repositories intended to provide long-term preservation of and access to language materials. In recent years, archives of all kinds are considering their origins and audiences. With the emergence of the community paradigm of archiving framework, the roles of archivists, communities, and institutions are under re-examination. Language archives too are reflecting this trend, as it becomes more common for speakers of Indigenous languages (also known as language communities) to document and archive their own languages and histories. As the landscape of language archiving expands, we now see increased emphasis on the re-use of archival material, particularly to support language revitalization—efforts to increase and maintain the use of the language. There are calls for language documentation (and, by extension, language archiving) to prioritize revitalization efforts. This dissertation is a case study of one language archive collection: the Boro Language Resource in the Computational Resource for South Asian Languages (CoRSAL) archive. …