Development and Validation of the Masculine Honor Aggression Socialization Scale (MHASS)

Mathis, Kimberly Dawn ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Alliant Internatio 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale that measures how masculine honor aggression is socialized from parent to child. Masculine honor is a construct derived from the culture of honor theory and suggests that men from certain cultures, such as the American South, are expected to defend against perceived threat or insult, even if this defense requires the use of physical aggression (Saucier et al., 2016). Further, Cohen and Nisbett (1994) suggested that Southerners are more likely to support the socialization of violence in raising children, such as the expectation that male children should fight back when bullied. Research shows that males in culture of honor states are at greater risk for school violence (Brown, Osterman & Barnes, 2009) and self-harm (Osterman & Brown, 2011) than non-honor states and show reduced help-seeking behavior (Brown, 2016). Using an online sample (N = 302), we developed a unidimensional scale of masculine honor aggression that assesses how often (e.g., never, sometimes, most of the time) parents socialize, or communicate aggressive statements, to their sons related to conditions of perceived threat or provocation. The MHASS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .93), convergent validity with measures of parental attitudes toward use of aggression and trait aggression, divergent validity with measures of self-esteem, mental help seeking, and social desirability, and construct validity with a comprehensive measure of masculine honor beliefs. The MHASS allows masculine honor aggression to be examined as an important factor in understanding the motivations, development, and transmission of aggressive behavior.

Institutional transformation and learning at The Community College of Baltimore County: A case study

Mathis, Margaretta Brede The University of Texas at Austin 2006 해외박사(DDOD)

The purpose of this study was to research the institutional transformation, organization and student learning occurring at The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), located in Maryland, to increase the success of all students, and close learning and attainment gaps between African American and White learners, to prepare them for careers and civic engagement within a multicultural society and a global, knowledge-based economy. A mixed methodology was used, including qualitative methods informed by quantitative data. Multiple methods and data sources were incorporated, including: a case study (CCBC was the unit of analysis); an embedded case study (CCBC's Closing the Gap [CTG] Initiative was the sub-unit of analysis); secondary data analysis of CCBC student outcomes; observations; and archival document analysis. An open-ended protocol was developed for interviews with 14 senior leaders of the college. Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) served as the principal method for data collection and analysis; four IQA focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of representatives from among college administrators, deans, faculty, and students; a Student Persistence, Learning, and Attainment: A Community College Inventory was gathered from nonstudent focus group participants. This inventory, and the researcher's work with Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count (a national initiative to improve student success), served to help frame the questions for the study. The interplay of principles from the learning college (O'Banion, 1997) and Achieving the Dream were explored relative to the college's learning-centered vision, its commitment to diversity, and its CTG Initiative. Using an IQA protocol, interviews were held with 25 additional CCBC representatives including administrators, deans, and faculty. The focus groups and individual in-depth interviews were performed to elicit perceptions pertaining to the key factors contributing to CCBC's institutional transformation and learning to improve student outcomes and close gaps in achievement and attainment. They provided insights on the meanings and timbre of each affinity, and their placement in an institutional transformation system that was developed.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Cognitive Ability, and Psychosocial Functioning

Mathis, Maleia Loma Linda University ProQuest Dissertations & The 2019 해외박사(DDOD)

A qualitative analysis of program implementation, needs, and available services for language minority populations, as perceived by school administrators, teachers, and the community: A phenomenological approach

Mathis, Sandra Pierce The George Washington University 2003 해외박사(DDOD)

An increasing number of language minority (LM) students in the Tidewater region of Virginia serves as the catalyst for this research. The findings can: (1) contribute to the increasing attention given to cultural diversity issues in twenty-first century schools in America; (2) be utilized by school administrators to improve programs for language minority populations; (3) lead to improvements in administrative and teacher preparedness; (4) enable school administrators to meet the statewide demands for improvement in student assessment results and graduation requirements; (5) assist in creating students as productive citizens—able to compete in the global marketplace; (6) contribute to a broad base of knowledge necessary to ensure a more inclusive society within our schools, communities, and the world at large. This study investigates: (1) the needs of LM students, (2) available services provided for LM students, and (3) factors that assist or obstruct the implementation of educational programs for LM students in the Tidewater Region of Virginia. The research design was qualitative in nature. The methodology employed in this study was a phenomenology. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from key personnel in five school divisions in the Tidewater region of Virginia experiencing an increase in LM populations. A document protocol was also used with each informant to gather data pertinent to the implementation of educational programs for LM students. Major findings for this study indicate that: (1) There is much difficulty in obtaining special education services for LM students but not gifted and talented services; (2) there is a lack of parental involvement; (3) LM students do not participate in extracurricular activities at school; (4) LM students are often lonely and feel left out of the American school environment; (5) central administration is uninvolved in programming for LM students; (6) overall, the building level principals are uninvolved; (7) values and beliefs play a key role in program implementation; (8) LM students do not drop out of school.

Dynamic localization of Fus2p

Mathis, Joanna Marie Princeton University 2005 해외박사(DDOD)

Fus2p is a protein required for cell fusion during mating in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In fus2 matings, intervening cell walls are not degraded and cells accumulate as prezygotes. Time-lapse microscopy of Fus2p-GFP revealed unexpected dynamic localization during mating. In pheromone-responding cells (shmoos), Fus2p showed four sites of localization: (1) nuclear, (2) mobile cytoplasmic, (3) stable, immobile cortical puncta, and (4) unstable cortical puncta. Time-lapse studies suggested that Fus2p was initially nuclear, but became concentrated at the shmoo tip. In wildtype pre-zygotes, Fus2p localized to the cell fusion zone, dilating as a ring during fusion. Fus2p localization was dependent on both actin and Fus1p. Cells treated with latrunculin-A failed to show Fus2p movement, and Fus2p was localized more broadly as a cap at the shmoo tip. In a fus1Delta strain treated with latrunculin A, Fus2p neither moved nor localized. The results suggested that actin is required for Fus2p transport, whereas Fus1p is required for cortical anchoring. Consistent with the dependence on actin, Fus2p localization was impaired in polarity mutants (bni1, pea2, and spa2). Fus2p was also mis-localized in rvs161 mutants specifically defective for binding to Fus2p. Nevertheless, in all of these mutant prezygotes, Fus2p localized to the cell fusion zone. These results, and the behavior of an epitope-tagged form of Fus2p, imply that a separate prezygote-specific signal for localization exists. Dynamic localization of Fus2p also reflects critical regulatory events during mating. First, localization depends on pheromone concentration; Fus2p was exclusively nuclear at lower levels of pheromone, and in matings to partners producing inadequate levels. Second, Fus2p ectopically expressed in vegetative cells was nuclear, but localized to the shmoo tip in response to pheromone. Third, Fus2p remained nuclear in fus3 shmoos (FUS3 encodes the MAP kinase in the pheromone response pathway). Finally, after cell fusion, Fus2p returned to the nucleus. These results suggested that Fus2p is activated in the nucleus and that nuclear export occurs in response to pheromone. Relocalization to the nucleus after cell fusion may sequester excess Fus2p. In sum, Fus2p, a critical component of the mating pathway, localizes dynamically in response to extracellular signaling and intracellular cell polarity determinants.

Concurrent teacher and leadership professional development in Algebra I: Shared instructional leadership and instructional program cohesion

Mathis, Laurie Mae The University of Texas at Austin 2004 해외박사(DDOD)

Over the years, significant curricula reform and professional development efforts designed to improve teachers' abilities to implement standards-based mathematics curriculum and instruction have been enacted, with Algebra I teachers receiving significant attention. These mathematics professional development efforts, however, have largely ignored the central role of the school principal and school instructional leaders in mathematics education improvement. This study utilized a multiple case study format to examine the potential usefulness and benefits of professional development where both the high school principal and Algebra I teachers were concurrently engaged in coordinated professional development activities. The primary purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the perceptions of high school principals and lead Algebra I teachers to determine which aspects of concurrent professional development they perceive as critical to their work in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. This study provides a descriptive account of participant perceptions of concurrent professional development components and the importance of the professional development components. Two themes emerged from the interviews. Participants viewed the concurrent professional development as assisting them in attaining the following: (1) the development of a shared vision for the Algebra I program and (2) the emergence of instructional program coherence. Furthermore, within the context of the concurrent professional development setting data revealed that: (1) instructional leadership exists as a shared function, (2) instructional leadership actions stemmed from the tools produced within the concurrent professional development, and (3) shared instructional leadership created the emergence of Algebra I program coherence. The results of this study indicate that participants found value in the components of concurrent professional development that united instructional leadership tasks and instructional program coherence indicators. Results of the study suggest that concurrent professional development activities incorporating instructional leadership tasks and instructional program coherence indicators can serve both principals and lead teachers to improve their Algebra I program.

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Evaluation of Ruthenium Pincer Catalysts in CO2 Hydrogenation

Mathis, Cheryl L The University of Utah ProQuest Dissertations & Th 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

The development of cost-effective, efficient, and selective catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO2 and CO2-amine adducts to alternative fuels is a desirable target for renewable energy. While a healthy number of catalysts have been developed for the purpose of producing fuels such as methanol and formic acid, thorough thermodynamic and kinetic analyses to correlate catalytic performance with structural features such as pKa, Keq, and hydricity (ΔGH-) are rarely reported. Additionally, catalysts are often subjected to optimization studies that present a double-edged sword: turnover number (TON) to maximize product formation is achieved; however it is all the more difficult to compare catalysts’ inherent hydrogenation ability as no unified set of conditions is used.In the pursuit of understanding how structure impacts reactivity, a series of four catalysts varying in their ligand structure were studied. All ligands have the base structure ‘PNX,’ where X can represent either nitrogen (diethylamine or pyridine) or phosphorous and the central N is either an aliphatic amine or aromatized pyridine. These ligands around bound to ruthenium in a pincer fashion to give complexes of the general form (R2PNX)Ru(H)(Cl)(CO), which can be deprotonated to yield the active precatalysts, (R2P*NX)Ru(H)(CO). Using the dearomatized/ deprotonated precatalysts, reactivity with substrates H2, CO2, and various HX species present in catalysis were determined via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), and infrared (IR) spectroscopies. The equilibria of each substrate was measured to obtain Keq as a function of temperature. The ease of deprotonation of (R2PNX)Ru(H)(Cl)(CO) was determined by UV-Vis and was used to determine pKa. Hydrogen equilibria in combination with pKa was used to determine ΔGH-. Finally, high-temperature high-pressure hydrogenations were conducted using identical conditions to compare the four PNX catalysts.In an additional project, the attempted synthesis of four MRI contrast agents, ‘N3’ and ‘N6’ pyridine complexes of iron and cobalt revealed protodeboronation of a pinacolborane moiety under oxidative conditions.

Attitudes of Michigan State University students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and those not in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources regarding diversity

Mathis, Christopher Clomus, Jr Michigan State University 2000 해외박사(DDOD)

The researcher's purpose in this study was to determine the attitudes regarding diversity held by College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and non-College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (non-CANR) students at Michigan State University. Subjects for the study were selected MSU undergraduates in the CANR, the Eli Broad College of Business, the College of Education, and the College of Engineering. The study population included 220 students enrolled in selected undergraduate classes during the 1997–98 academic year. Data were collected through the use of a survey instrument, which was administered in specific classes with permission from the professors. This four-part Likert scale survey contained 98 items to measure students' attitudes regarding diversity issues, inclinations, how they perceived and defined diversity, and demographic information. Using SPSS/PC+ (IBM Version 8.0), the researcher used descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) to summarize the data pertaining to demographic characteristics of the respondents. Combined descriptive analyses were run on items grouped according to issues or common themes, establishing mean scores for each topic/theme. A <italic>t</italic>-test and one-way analyses of variances (ANOVA) were used to determine whether any significant differences existed between CANR and non-CANR students in terms of their attitudes regarding diversity. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient was .89 for the survey instrument. Major findings were that (a) CANR and non-CANR students indicated that they were least comfortable interacting with mentally disabled people, (b) females and non-CANR respondents tended to be more positive toward the seven specific aspects of diversity (sexual equality, multilingualism versus English only, interaction with minorities prior to college, rural versus other communities, cultural pluralism versus assimilation, comfort with differences, and need for diversity) than were males and CANR students, and (c) the majority of CANR and non-CANR respondents said they would like to work in mixed communities.

Behavioral and chemical ecology of ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and their natural enemies in dynamic coffee agroecosystems

Mathis, Kaitlyn A University of California, Berkeley 2015 해외박사(DDOD)

Social insects rank among the most ubiquitous and ecologically dominant terrestrial animals on Earth. Complex communication and social organization are two defining features of social insect societies and ants, in particular, have evolved extensive systems of chemical communication. In both natural and agricultural systems, including coffee agroecosystems, ants are important predators and often have strong and complex effects on pest species. In this dissertation, I explore how chemical communication plays a role in dynamics between ants and their natural enemies within these coffee agroecosystems, to gain a better understanding of both how ants utilize their own chemical communication systems and how natural enemies of ants take advantage of these systems to exploit ants. In the first dissertation chapter, I review the literature on chemical and visual cues that one natural enemy of the ant, the phorid fly, uses to successfully parasitized its host ants. Phorid fly parasitoids that use ants as hosts often require the use of multiple cues, ranging from general to highly specific, to home in on an ideal host. Here I outline the five common steps in which phorid flies use cues: (a) host habitat location, (b) host location, (c) host acceptance, (d) host discrimination and (e) host regulation. I then discuss our current understanding of how phorid flies use each of these steps to successfully parasitize ant hosts. Finally, I examine the wide variety of strategies and cues used by a multiple species of phorid flies within three separate genera (Apocephalus, Pseudacteon, and Neodohrniphora) and discuss future directions within this field of study. In the second dissertation chapter, I investigate the role of Azteca ant cuticular hydrocarbon cues as a short-range cue for a suite of Pseudacteon spp. phorid fly parasitoids commonly found within coffee agroecosystems. Here I describe the hierarchy of cues Pseudacteon spp. phorid flies use to successfully identify Azteca host ants. I use behavioral observations in the field to show phorid flies are attracted to two cryptic Azteca taxa, but will only attack Azteca sericeasur (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). To test whether the phorid flies are able to distinguish between the two Azteca taxa using their cuticular hydrocarbons, I first document and compare the cuticular hydrocarbons of two cryptic Azteca taxa using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Using cuticular hydrocarbon transfer experiments with live ants from both Azteca taxa, I identify the cuticular hydrocarbons of Azteca sericeasur as a short-range host location cue used by Pseudacteon lasciniosus (Diptera: Phoridae) to locate the ants. In the third chapter, I describe two new species of Myrmedonota (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) that are also natural enemies of Azteca sericeasur ants. Here I record this genus of beetle in Mexico for the first time, and describe M. xipe and M. shimmerale for the first time. This chapter also documents that both Myrmedonota species will aggregate towards agitated ants, to prey on Azteca sericeasur and these species will form mating swarms, either with no apparent landmark or in the vicinity of ants. My fourth chapter examines the role of the beetle, Myrmedonota xipe, in Azteca ant-phorid fly interactions. Here I use pheromone bioassays to show that M. xipe is attracted to a component of A. sericeasur alarm pheromone. In the field experiments, I determine that the beetles are able to locate parasitized ants as prey items but not healthy ants. In choice tests in the lab, I also show that beetles will preferentially attack parasitized ants over healthy ants. Analysis of the choice tests also indicates that the aggression in parasitized ants is so reduced that beetles are essentially able to eat these ants alive without interruption. These results suggest that, although beetles are predators of the ants, by preying primarily on ants harboring phorid fly eggs, the beetles may also provide indirect positive effects for the ant colonies as a whole. In my final dissertation chapter I examine the variation in cuticular hydrocarbon blends of three species of arboreal twig nesting ants, Pseudomyrmex simplex, Pseudomyrmex ejectus and another Pseudomyrmex sp. (referred to as PSW-53) commonly found within the coffee agroecosystems of Southern Mexico. In this study, I examined whether variation in the ecology and social structure of these species is reflected in the variation in their cuticular hydrocarbon profiles. I tested the hypothesis that the more abundant species with higher nest densities exhibit lower cuticular hydrocarbon variation. The results showed that worker ants of abundant P. ejectus and P. simplex from the study site exhibit significantly lower variation in cuticular hydrocarbon profiles than workers of the rare ant species P. PSW-53. Our study reinforces the idea that examining cuticular hydrocarbon profiles can provide insight into the colony structure of social insects. Overall, the results from my dissertation provide insight into the complex interactions between ants and their natural enemies, particularly shedding light on how these interactions are facilitated through the use of ant pheromones as cues and signals. The ants and their natural enemies that I focus on in my dissertation are also important players within the greater coffee agroecosystems in which they inhabit, and this body of work is thus critical for understanding how their network of interactions involving ants and their natural enemies may impact coffee pest control.

Threading dislocation reduction in III-V films: Theoretical modeling and experimental methods

Mathis, Sheila Kathleen University of California, Santa Barbara 2000 해외박사(DDOD)

Heteroepitaxy remains the most efficient and successful way to integrate materials with the same crystal structure but different lattice constants and optoelectronic properties. The purpose of this work is to understand the processes of strain relaxation and subsequent threading dislocation (TD) reduction through modeling and experiment. The interpretation of these data is made according to a previously published model that is based on dislocation reactions.<super> 1,2</super> These reactions are the sole mechanism for threading dislocation reduction in III–V epitaxial films.<super>3</super>. Gallium nitride, with no available substrate even close to the lattice-matched condition, has a unique microstructure that develops as a result of initial island growth. Dislocation densities on the order of 10<super>9</super>–10<super> 10</super>/cm<super>2</super> are routinely measured in GaN grown on sapphire. Dislocation reduction in these hexagonal films is extremely slow, and it is shown in Chapter II that film thicknesses on the order of a substrate thickness are required to reduce threading dislocation densities to a low (10<super> 6</super>/cm<super>2</super>) level. A model is developed to treat the reduction of TDs in (0001)-oriented films that explains the non-saturating TD density in GaN. Screw dislocation behavior is shown to strongly affect the dislocation density falloff with thickness. Threading dislocation reduction in low-temperature-grown GaAs (250–350°C) and InGaAs was known to be more efficient than in high-temperature-grown GaAs (580°C). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to study the microstructure of GaAs grown on InP substrates at temperatures between 250 and 580°C to determine the mechanism by which TD reduction was enhanced. While a high level of arsenic antisite defects [ASGa] may affect the TD density at temperatures below 300°C, they do not account for the improved dislocation reduction. When dislocations are generated at high temperature, the TD density on the (111)A and (111)B planes is asymmetric. In Chapter III, it is shown that at low temperature, the TD density is symmetric between the (111)A and B planes. The symmetric distribution of TDs leads to a greater TD reaction probability and enhanced TD reduction with growth thickness. A model is developed to explain the greater TD reduction based on enhanced reaction probability. An engineering approach to reducing threading dislocation densities in compressively strained thin films makes up the remainder of the thesis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). <super>1</super>A. E. Romanov, W. Pompe, G. Beltz and J. S. Speck, <italic> Phys. Stat. Sol. B</italic>, <bold>198</bold>, 599 (1996). <super>2</super>A. E. Romanov, W. Pompe, G. Beltz and J. S. Speck, <italic>Phys. Stat. Sol. B </italic>, <bold>199</bold>, 33 (1997). <super>3</super>A. Rockett and C. J. Kiely, <italic>Phys. Rev. B</italic>, <bold>44</bold>, 1154 (1991).