Masters Theses
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ItemThe Missionary Colonist: Narrative Authority in Representing the Subaltern(Middle Tennessee State University, 2022)This thesis explores various questions about narrative authority by exploring missionary narrative tropes and how these tropes are contested in the work of contemporary novel-ists who attempt to challenge the dominant narratives that portray subaltern groups. Mis-sionaries have often dominated the narrative authority that speaks about the peoples they encounter and the morality of their cultures. Missionaries open the door to Western ide-ology, create a physical presence that then justifies an imperial presence that allows Western power to seize control. The missionary emphasis on Western education and in-doctrination furthers their impact on these communities as not only is their land taken, their doctrines and ideologies are shifted. Novels such as Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions offer alternative perspectives by granting voice to subaltern peoples in an attempt to challenge the dominant narratives controlled by missionary perspectives. This thesis attempts to understand how these accounts are heard and understood and to high-light the continuance of limitation to subaltern speech.
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ItemTHE EFFECT OF COVID-19 ON CARDIAC REHABILITATION ATTENDANCE RATES AND ITS POTENTIAL EFFECT ON REOCCURING MYOCARDIAL INFARCTIONS AND MEDICAL CARE COSTS IN THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE AREA(Middle Tennessee State University, 2022)Cardiac rehabilitation is a vital source of therapy after a patient experiences a myocardial infarction. Cardiac rehabilitation aides in decreasing the risk of having a reoccurring myocardial infarction. The purpose of this study is to determine the changes in CR enrollment rates, dropout rates, and completion rates from pre lockdown to post lockdown. The secondary purpose of this study is to predict how these changes will affect potential increases in myocardial infarctions (MI) and hospital costs within the region. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities shut down for weeks at a time and patients were unable to attend cardiac rehabilitation. Enrollment rates, completion rates, and dropout rates were compared between pre COVID-19 shutdown and post COVID-19 shutdown. Medical care costs were also estimated due to a potential increase in myocardial infarctions due to the shutdown. Out of the eight hospitals that were contacted, two facilities met the criteria and chose to participate. Results showed a significant decrease in enrollments (F(1,34) = 43.18, p= .000) and completion rates of a cardiac rehabilitation program (F(1,34) = 5.374, p= .027). The estimated increase of myocardial infarctions over the 16 month post shutdown period was 33.1 with an associated increased cost of $626,829.10. Since the shutdown from COVID-19, the Greater Nashville region can potentially see an increase in recurrent myocardial infarctions and an increase in medical care costs. A push for an increase in participation in a CR program will need to be addressed in order to alleviate the influx of heart attacks in the next few years.
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ItemLittle Lies: A Look at Misinformation in Recording Industry Public Relations(Middle Tennessee State University, 2022)Public Relations (PR) is a means of strategic communication centered on building relationships between an organization and its publics. The field of PR has a complex history, with frequent ties to propaganda. Historically, journalism and PR have had a contentious relationship, but as newsrooms face economic pressures, journalists have begun to rely more heavily on PR-subsidized material. While the use of misinformation as a PR tactic is publicly decried by professionals in the field, its use in the field is still prevalent, giving misinformation ample opportunity to make its want into the news through subsidized information. This thesis uses gatekeeping theory to examine PR and journalism communications surrounding two newsworthy events in the music industry to determine how corporations release information and how that information is covered by journalists. Using critical discourse analysis, two newsworthy events in the music industry are examined to identify uses of misinformation by corporations.
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ItemEffects of Oxytocin Administration on Social Behavior in Male and Female Mice(Middle Tennessee State University, 2022)Oxytocin has been well used in animal studies to determine its role in social behavior. However, the route of administration between studies often differs posing challenges in generalizing results. Additionally, oxytocin has been found to differentially affect male and female animals. The current study aims to compare routes of administration of the same dose of oxytocin and its effects on social and anxiety-like behaviors across male and female mice. Adult C57BL/6J mice were chronically pretreated with saline or oxytocin (12 μg) for 14 consecutive days, a dosage previously shown to alter prosocial and anxiety-like behavior in mice. Mice received either intranasal (i.n., 12 ml, 6 ml per nostril) or intraperitoneal (i.p., 120 ml) administration. On the fourteenth dosing day, mice completed the elevated plus maze (EPM) followed by the three-chamber sociability task (3C), and the free dyadic social interaction (FDSI) in a 24-hour completion cycle. General and social anxiety-like behaviors, social preference, and social novelty were coded utilizing Noldus EthoVision XT and human coders. Our results suggest that female and male mice have differing anxiety-like and social behavior after OT treatment, and that male mice are more susceptible to stress and behavioral changes depending on the route of peripheral administration route. These findings suggest that sex differences and route of oxytocin administration play an intricate role in anxiolytic and sociability behavior modulation.
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ItemPerceptions of Broken Promises in the Workplace(Middle Tennessee State University, 2022)ABSTRACT The present study explored psychological contract breach and, intentionality on organizational outcomes. Two independent factors were manipulated: intentionality of psychological contract breach– intentional and. unintentional – and type of psychological contract breach – flexible working hours and. compensation. Four scenarios were created to evaluate interactions of intentionality and type of psychological contract breach by measuring job satisfaction and turnover intention ratings. Participants were randomly presented with one out of the four scenarios and answered psychological contract breach, job satisfaction, and turnover intention questions. Findings suggested that the type of psychological contract breach had a significant effect on satisfaction and turnover intentions. Participants were more likely to have lower job satisfaction ratings and higher turnover intention ratings if the presented scenario related to compensation rather than flexible working hours. A 2 x 2 ANOVA revealed no significant interaction between intentionality and type of contract breach when measuring turnover intentions and job satisfaction. Intentionality did not have a significant relationship with job satisfaction or turnover intentions.