High School Peer Counseling: Understanding the Impact of a Systemic Training Incorporating Bowen Concepts

Peer counseling programs benefit peer-to-peer relationships in schools through students providing active support for one another. Literature shows that peer counseling programs are effective with adolescents, especially in school-based settings. Bowen family systems theory is a model that focuses on the importance of emotional and relationship systems. Differentiation of self, a key concept in Bowen systems theory, is described as the balance between emotional and intellectual functioning; the higher the level of differentiation, the less likely one is to experience emotional and social difficulties. This dissertation I explored the potential for training high school senior counselors from a Bowenian perspective. A project called the Archimedean peer counseling program trained 32 high school senior peer counselors in Bowen family systems theory. This study used a mixed methods approach to understand the following research question: To what extent did participation in the Archimedean peer counseling program increase overall differentiation of self among high school senior counselors, as measured by pre- and posttest scores on the differentiation of self-inventory (DSI), an instrument used to measure fusion between emotional and intellectual functioning. In addition, scores for the DSI subscales (emotional reactivity, taking an I position, reactive distancing, and fusion with parents), and archival quantitative data were examined. Paired samples t-tests were conducted to assess mean differences in baseline and posttest DSI scores. A thematic analysis of qualitative data in the form of student reflection papers, journal entries, and personal communications with school administrators was also conducted. Results from this study help to illustrate the utility of Bowen family systems theory training in the context of an adolescent peer counseling program

Substrate Gating of Contact Resistance in Graphene Transistors

Metal contacts have been identified to be a key technological bottleneck for the realization of viable graphene electronics. Recently, it was observed that for structures that possess both a top and a bottom gate, the electron-hole conductance asymmetry can be modulated by the bottom gate. In this letter, we explain this observation by postulating the presence of an effective thin interfacial dielectric layer between the metal contact and the underlying graphene. Electrical results from quantum transport calculations accounting for this modified electrostatics corroborate well with the experimentally measured contact resistances. Our study indicates that the engineering of metal- graphene interface is a crucial step towards reducing the contact resistance for high performance graphene transistors.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Dietary folate intake of firefighters in Metro-Dade county and their risk for cardiovascular disease

The purpose of this study was to show variations of folate intake, folate food sources, and diet by age, gender, and ethnicity in Metro-Dade Firefighters and to also determine the prevalence of obesity, physical inactivity and history heart disease. Low folate status may play a role in cardiovascular risk via its effect on homocysteine metabolism. Firefighters (n=127) recruited from randomly selected fire stations completed food-frequency and socio-demographic questionnaires. Significantly (p\u3c.05) more African-Americans failed to meet at least 75% of the dietary reference intake (DRI) for folate than whites or Hispanics. There were significant differences in protein, vegetable, and meat intakes between age groups. Almost 78% of firefighters were overweight (BMI≥25). There were significant (p\u3c.001) differences in BMI among ethnic groups. Older firefighters reported significantly (p\u3c.05) more CVD risk factors than younger firefighters. Metro-Dade firefighters were found to be similar to the general US population in that most of the risk factors, overweight and obesity, high fat intakes, and low folate intake were modifiable and diet related

Analysis and characterization of graphene-on-substrate devices

The purpose of this MS Thesis is the analysis and characterization of graphene on substrate structures prepared at the Birck Nanotechnology Center-Purdue University/IBM Watson Research Center-N.Y., and characterized under low-field transport conditions. First, a literature survey is conducted, both in theoretical and experimental work on graphene transport phenomena, and the open issues are reported. Next, the theory of low-field transport in graphene is reviewed within a Landauer framework. Experimental results of back-gated graphene-on-substrate devices, prepared by the Appenzeller group, are then presented, followed by an extraction of an energy/temperature dependent backscattering mean free path as the main characterization parameter. A key conclusion is the critical role of contacts in two-probe measurements. In this framework, a non-self-consistent Non Equilibrium Green\u27s Function method is employed for the calculation of the odd and even metal-graphene ballistic interfacial resistance. A good agreement with the relevant experimental work is observed

Speaking of Justice

The senior speech theme for senior communications in the Spring 2019 Senior Seminar course at ONU is Justice. Justice was selected by Merriam Webster as the 2018 word of the year. Their reasoning for this choice included that (t)he concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice. In any conversation about these topics, the question of just what exactly we mean when we use the term justice is relevant, and part of the discussion. Discerning justice has been a foundation of every culture and civilization and has seldom been imagined without controversy and tension. Each of our speakers will offer a unique position speech on the theme of justice, forwarding a clear thesis supported by scholarly evidence

Speaking of Justice

The senior speech theme for senior communications in the Spring 2019 Senior Seminar course at ONU is Justice. Justice was selected by Merriam Webster as the 2018 word of the year. Their reasoning for this choice included that (t)he concept of justice was at the center of many of our national debates in the past year: racial justice, social justice, criminal justice, economic justice. In any conversation about these topics, the question of just what exactly we mean when we use the term justice is relevant, and part of the discussion. Discerning justice has been a foundation of every culture and civilization and has seldom been imagined without controversy and tension. Each of our speakers will offer a unique position speech on the theme of justice, forwarding a clear thesis supported by scholarly evidence