Exploring the Complexities of Latino Immigration to the United States: I\u27m so much smarter in Spanish.

The goal of this thesis is to first provide a greater understanding of the barriers Latino immigrants face in the United States and whether these barriers differ based on factors such as biological sex, age, education and employment statuses, country of origin, and length of residency in the United States. Second, this thesis will highlight Latino immigrants’ resiliency and how they attempt to overcome these barriers in hopes of achieving success and well-being. Third, this thesis will discuss what types of assistance, if any, Latino immigrants have found most helpful in contributing to those areas of success and well-being they have experienced in the United States. Fourth, and finally, this thesis will conclude with policy recommendations the United States should follow in order to ensure that Latino immigrants are treated with fairness and equality, not only for their own success but also so that they may continue to contribute to the United States, enriching its diversity and allowing the country to thrive in a variety of domains

The Impact of Import Competition on CEO Emotions: Insights from Earnings Conference Calls 2012-2020

Based on our analysis of the transcripts of both the CEO speeches and Q&A sessions from the U.S. S&P 500 and S&P 600 corporations between 2012 and 2020, we have found a substantial correlation between the sentiment expressed in these speeches and the import penetration faced by the firm. We identify 4 main findings: firstly, facing accelerated import competition from China, US firms have expressed more negative sentiments toward topics related to China. Such a deterioration in tone becomes more significant during the Q&A session. Second, large companies, that have closer business relationships with China, have shown larger shifts in attitude toward import competition from China. Third, the sentiment of CEOs turns to be more negative, as they take on more firm responsibilities, being older in age, and when their firm has higher annual stock returns. Fourth, the punitive trade tariffs and other trading policies cause CEO sentiment to worsen with regard to imports from China, especially after the trade war

Clearing Up Counterfactuals: The Decades-Long Historiographical Debate

Do some historians truly know what is best when staying away from counterfactuals, or are other historians right in using them with confidence? I will be uncovering the origin of this disagreement, exploring both sides of the debate, and explaining historians’ approaches and attitudes toward counterfactuals in order to reveal the pitfalls and potentials of the technique

Academic Cheating and Stressors at the University Level

The purpose of this study was to examine why academic cheating occurs. Prior studies have investigated students’ reasons for their academic cheating, and this study aimed to further this research by trying to determine variables that might influence the behavior. A total of 56 Assumption University undergraduate students participated. Self-report measures included the Survey on Academic Dishonesty (SAD) (McCabe & Trevino, 1997), the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983), and a measure of self-control (Tangney et al., 2004). In addition, a novel probability discounting task was created as a second measure of academic cheating. This task assessed participants’ likelihood of cheating across various probabilities of getting caught, in both a classroom and an online setting. The results showed a significant positive correlation between academic cheating and stress and a significant negative correlation between stress and self-control. There was also a significant correlation between the classroom probability discounting task and academic dishonesty, self-control, and the online probability discounting task. These results suggest that stress is an important factor in academic dishonesty. The data also support use of the novel probability discounting task as a measure of academic cheating in university settings

The Role of Active Student Responding in Higher-Education Classrooms

Active student responding (ASR) is a collection of common teaching strategies used by educators that are recognized to increase the accomplishments and opportunities of students in a variety of ways. Previous research has assessed the role of active student responding in kindergarten through high school classrooms; however, no comprehensive literature review has assessed the effectiveness of ASR with post-secondary education classrooms (i.e., undergraduate and graduate students). This review assessed the effectiveness of four active student responding systems (e.g., guided notes, student response systems, response cards, and choral responding) on activity grade, test scores, class grade, grade point average, and student engagement. This review also assessed the overall quality of each article using quality indicators as done in Common et al. (2020). Overall, research supports the effectiveness of ASR in post-secondary education, but the quality of this research varied greatly across these qualitative measures

The Complexity Behind the Genetics of Autism Spectrum Disorder

It is suggested that more than 600 genes are associated with ASD. Given the high number of potential ASD-linked genes and that the disorder is a complex spectrum, categorization of the ASD-linked genetic alterations will be useful in the attempt to determine a pattern that can ultimately assist in developing genetic risk factor analysis for the disorder. This thesis aims to analyze the possible cellular and molecular mechanisms that are impacted by such ASD-linked gene alterations and how they may give rise to ASD behaviors. By making this connection, this thesis aims to shine a light on the plausible cellular mechanisms which give rise to ASD behaviors. Should a connection to genes involved in these mechanisms persist with more trials/evidence, it would set the stage for reformation of therapies and treatments for individuals on the spectrum, as early intervention services can be provided even earlier and thus patients may make more effective and more rapid progress if a genetic screening process is indeed developed

Telling a Story Through Posters: A Comparison of Nazi and Soviet Propaganda Posters during World War II

The time around World War II saw an increase of countries using propaganda to spread their message, the result of which can be seen even today with modern advertising. During the war these countries had to convince their populations to support their militaries in both victories and defeats. Despite the differences between the fascism in Nazi Germany and the communism in the Soviet Union, many of these propaganda posters have some overarching similarities that can be connected. Some of which can be seen in their depictions of the enemy and with their call back to nationalism. To gain a better understanding of the importance of propaganda usage during World War II, this thesis will be discussing the said similarities and differences in propaganda posters from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union

Social and Emotional Learning in the High School Classroom

The focus of my project was to answer the following question: How can social-emotional learning strategies be implemented for all students at the high school level to assist students in developing social-emotional competencies? To answer this question, I used two main sources of information: (1) a review of literature that is relevant to this topic, and (2) interviews with high school teachers who interact directly with students daily. The end goal of this project was to create a resource for teachers using information collected from both sources to make SEL accessible to students in the high school classroom

The Use of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Ligament and Tendon Repair

The studies in this review have shown that VEGF increases tensile strength, decreases inflammation, and increases vascularization. In studies using exogenous VEGF, it was found that VEGF increases collagen type III fibers, which increases biomechanical strength, and improves graft revascularization. From the research, it can be concluded that endogenous injection of VEGF is more beneficial than exogenous due to endogenous not causing laxity of the connective tissue. VEGF is beneficial when compared to normal post-operative results due to it decreasing the duration of symptoms and decreasing healing time. Using VEGF injection treatments, patients can return to pre-injury activity at a higher rate than those not using VEGF treatment. Together, these studies show that the use of VEGF in tendon and ligament healing should be further utilized in future therapies

Ever Ancient Ever New, Liturgical Development at Vatican II: October 1963 (Oh what a Council!)

The primary focus of this thesis will be liturgy, specifically how the liturgical movement of the twentieth century influenced the writings of the Council document Sacrosanctum concilium and how the document was implemented after the Second Vatican Council