It is posited that self-conception disparity is the amount of difference between an individual's ideal self-conception and his or her real self-conception. Such a postulation arises directly from the literature wherein the self-concept is conceptualized as a multitude of self-conceptions an individual has. During the evaluative phase (i.E., the comparison of the ideal self-conception against the real self-conception), an image (self-image) of one's self is evoked. This self-image is associated with an affective response referred to as self-Esteem. Two methods of computing self-conception disparity are compared and contrasted: (a) the often-used subtraction-Absolute Value Method and (b) a ratio method based on the work of James (1890) conceptualizing self esteem as the quotient of one's successes to his or her pretensions. Results of the study indicate that the two methods share only a minimal amount of common variance, thus suggesting that they are either not measuring what they purport or that they may be accounting for different phenomena relative to self-esteem. In comparing the two methods for their ability to predict common external variables that have been correlated with self-esteem, the results indicate that the Ratio Method accounts for a greater proportion of the variance than does the Subraction-Absolute Value Formula. While more research is certainly needed to ferret out the question regarding which method of calculating self-conception disparity is of greatest utility, the results of this study suggest that the Ratio Method appears to lend itself more accurately to conceptualizing the nature of self-conception disparity.

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The question of why there is gender disparity in the field of theatre design continues to be an issue that has been widely debated in the field of theatre; scholars such as Tish Dace argue that workplace environments and family support are two of the main reason women leave the field of design. However, there are works, articles, arguments and perspectives that have not been adequately addressed regarding why the issue of why gender disparity in theatrical design still exists. My thesis addresses the issue of gender disparity in theatre design with special attention to the underlying issues that exists. Specifically, in my project, I will be looking at the history of women in the workforce, and women in theatrical design in order to show the severity of gender disparity that still exists in theater design. I will discuss harassment and gender discrimination and juxtapose them against growth and job security of women in theatre design. I argue that gender disparity in theater design fields still exists today, preventing women from growing and maintaining a job in this field. In conclusion, this project closely examines gender disparity of Women in theater design, shedding new light on this issue and acknowledging the effects it has on the industry of theatre, while also, presenting some viable solutions to this very important issue.

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Head and neck cancer (HNC) is one of the top ten cancers in the world, and is caused by tobacco use, alcohol consumption and Human Papillomavirus (HPV). HPV associated HNC patients have improved survival rates compared to non -HPV associated HNC patients. This improved survival is due to HPV- positive tumors favorable response to chemotherapy and radiation. The literature has shown that there is a racial disparity in survival rates between Caucasians and African Americans, with African Americans having poorer survival rates. The aim of this study is to determine if the racial disparity among HNC patients is due to a difference in HPV prevalence between races. HPV prevalence in HNC was assessed by a meta-analysis of published articles (30/247) that reported race specific HPV prevalence. We also conducted a pooled analysis in which authors that assessed HPV in HNC were invited to submit their datasets. Meta-pooled prevalence estimates revealed that 20% of African American HNC patients had HPV-positive tumors, compared to 44% in Caucasians. However for both African American HNC patients and Caucasian HNC patients there was low to moderate heterogeneity between the studies (Q-test p-value = p < 0.001, I2 = 18.87%, and p= 0.008. I2 =65.47% respectively). The prevalence of HPV in African Americans was 60% and in Caucasians it was 39%. African Americans had a risk of oropharyngeal cancer that was no different from Caucasians (OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 0.53-3.62) but had an increased risk of death from oropharyngeal cancer (HR: 2.39, 95% CI 1.03-5.55) compared to Caucasians. The results of the pooled analysis does not support the concept that African Americans HNC patients have a lower prevalence of HPV, but substantiates the notion that African Americans have worse survival than Caucasians. However, these are preliminary results as the pooled analysis is still being conducted, the inclusion of more datasets in the analysis could alter these preliminary findings. / Public Health

Body size is one of the most fundamental quantifiable traits of living or fossil organisms, and understanding it in various temporal and spatial contexts can offer key insights into the process of evolution. This volume examines body size of eukaryotes and its correlates in various temporal and spatial contexts in three distinct studies. The first study investigates the relationship between parasitism and body size of modern bivalve hosts. Individuals of Protothaca staminea were extensively parasitized (86%) by two types of trace-producing parasites. The only significant relationship between parasitism and body size was that spionid mudblister infested clams from one environment were slightly, yet significantly, smaller than their non-infested counterparts. The most obvious pattern regarding body size was that clams from a lagoon were significantly larger than clams from a tidal creek. This size discrepancy could be related to environmental stress, durophagous predators, differing hydrodynamic conditions, or the comparison of differing cohorts. Even though there was no discernible impact of trematode parasitism on bivalve body size, their traces were abundant and easy to identify. Investigators of body size in the fossil record should be aware of these organisms and their possible ramifications for body size studies. The second study, using Quaternary terrestrial gastropods from the Canary Islands, tests the hypothesis of limiting similarity, the idea that two closely related species will alter their size/morphology in order to minimize competition. By integrating amino acid geochronology, stable isotope estimates, and morphometric techniques I was able to more adequately test whether limiting similarity is an evolutionary process or a transient ecological phenomenon. The first prediction of limiting similarity, character displacement, was confirmed. The second prediction of limiting similarity, character release, was not confirmed. It appears that changing climate at the end of the Pleistocene may be responsible for the body size trends, but intraspecific competition likely played a secondary role in the evolution of body size of Theba. The third study addressed the history of body size and morphological disparity of the first 1.3 billion years of acritarch history. The results reject the idea that acritarch body size increased monotonically through the Proterozoic; in fact they displayed non-directional fluctuation. Acritarch body size decreased significantly following the first appearance of Ediacara organisms and gradually rose during the Cambrian. Morphological disparity increased a half billion years before the first taxonomic radiation. Morphological disparity decreased significantly during the snowball earth events and upon the first appearance of Ediacaran organisms suggesting multiple events of selective extinction in the Proterozoic biosphere. Disparity then increased in step with the diversification of acritarch and metazoans through the Cambrian suggesting ecological links between the two groups. Ecological processes, whether extrinsic abiotic processes or biotic interactions, influence the body size and evolution of organisms at wide range of spatial and temporal scales. / Ph. D.

This thesis makes several contributions to improve our understanding of the Neoproterozoic Paleobiology. In chapter 1, a comprehensive quantitative analysis of the Ediacara fossils indicates that the oldest Ediacara assemblage "the Avalon assemblage" already encompassed the full range of Ediacara morphospace. A comparable morphospace range was occupied by the subsequent White Sea and Nama assemblages, although it was populated differently. In contrast, taxonomic richness increased in the White Sea assemblage and declined in the Nama assemblage. The Avalon morphospace expansion mirrors the Cambrian explosion, and both may reflect similar underlying mechanisms. Chapter 2 describes problematic macrofossils collected from the Neoproterozoic slate of the upper Zhengmuguan Formation in North China and sandstone of the Zhoujieshan Formation in Chaidam. Some of these fossils were previously interpreted as animal traces. Our study of these fossils recognizes four genera and five species. None of these taxa can be interpreted as animal traces. Instead, they are problematic body fossils of unresolved phylogenetic affinities. Chapter 3 reports stable isotopes of the Zhamoketi cap dolostone atop the Tereeken diamictite in the Quruqtagh area, eastern Chinese Tianshan. Our new data indicate that carbonate associated sulfate (CAS) abundance decreases rapidly in the basal cap dolostone and δ34SCAS composition varies between +9â ° and +15â ° in the lower 2.5 m. In the overlying interval, CAS abundance remains low while δ34SCAS rises ~5â ° and varies more widely between +10â ° and +21â °. δ34Spy is typically greater than δ34SCAS measured from the same samples. We propose that CAS and pyrite were derived from two isotopically distinct reservoirs in a chemically stratified basin. Chapter 4 studies δ13C, δ18O, δ34SCAS, and δ34Spy of the Zhoujieshan cap carbonate that overlies the Ediacaran Hongtiegou glaciation. The Zhoujieshan cap dolostone shows positive δ13C values (0 â 1.7â °). δ34SCAS shows rapid stratigraphic variations from +13.9 to +24.1â °, probably due to relatively low oceanic sulfate concentrations. δ34Spy shows a steady stratigraphic trend. Thus, the δ34SCAS and δ34Spy trends are decoupled from each other. The decoupling of δ34SCAS and δ34Spy trends suggests that CAS and pyrite were derived from different sulfur pools, which were probably due to the postglacial basin stratification. / Ph. D.

This dissertation consists of three essays in Health Economics relating to the recent challenges in the U.S. The first essay studies the impact of retirement on subsequent health and investigates the mediation effect of social network in the relationship between retirement and health. Findings reveal that retirement adversely impacts physical and mental health outcomes and a considerable portion of these effects are explained by social network changes post-retirement. In particular, shrinkage in the size of social network post-retirement deteriorates physical health and increases depression in retirees. In the second essay, we assess the differential effect of social distancing on the daily growth rate of COVID-19 infections in the US counties by considering the spatial pattern of COVID-19 spread. We also conduct a comparative analysis of the effect on urban versus rural counties, as well as low versus high socially vulnerable counties. Our analysis illustrates that a high level of social distancing compliance is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to achieve the largest impact at curve flattening, whereas moderate-compliance is enough in reaching the peak marginal impact in rural regions and counties with low social vulnerability. In the third essay, by combining multiple data sources, we investigate how racial disparities in access to healthcare contribute to the disparity in COVID-19 infections and mortality in black versus white sub-groups. The multilevel analysis demonstrates that a higher probability of having health insurance significantly reduces disparity in COVID-19 mortality in black sub-group while it has no impact on the disparity in whites. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation uses various quantitative methods to investigate policy-relevant questions regarding the recent challenges in the U.S. economy. In the first chapter, we explore how the physical and mental health of individuals changes by retirement. The results show that retirement decreases physical health while increases depression and anxiety. We also analyze how social network changes after retirement might cause changes in the health of retirees. We find that retirees may experience worse physical and mental health than non-retirees due to losing some of their relationships after retirement. In particular, the loss of contacts increases depression and deteriorates general health. In the second chapter, we investigate how compliance with social distancing within a typical county and its neighbor counties can reduce the spread of COVID-19. We examine this question for urban versus rural counties in the US and socially vulnerable versus socially not vulnerable counties. We find a high compliance level of social distancing is needed in urban counties and in socially vulnerable areas to reach the highest impact at slowing down the COVID-19 virus spread. In the third chapter, we examine whether healthcare access inequalities (e.g., having health insurance) increase the risk of COVID-19 infections and mortality for black communities. Our results show that having health insurance decreases COVID-19 mortality in communities of color but not whites.