The additive and synergistic effects of a parent-peer model in the development of child antisocial behavior from the ages of 5 to 7 was examined. Participants included a community sample of 267 children at kindergarten entry, 134 boys and 133 girls. Participants’ mean age was 5.3 years at the start of data collection (fall of kindergarten), with final data collection in the spring of first grade (mean age 7.2 years). Multi-method, multi-informant methods were used to examine skilled and unskilled parenting, as well as peer processes, including coercion, rejection, and deviancy training to the development of overt and covert antisocial behavior. Both ineffective parenting and deviant peer processes were related to chronic levels of covert and overt antisocial behavior, but peer processes contributed in a stronger fashion. However, only ineffective parenting processes reliably predicted individual differences in children’s growth in overt and covert antisocial behavior. These results support the notion that interventions may need to target social processes in multiple settings, to include parents and peers, and perhaps teachers. Further implications for prevention and intervention are discussed. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

This research considers a multiple multivariate linear regression model with a parameter matrix some of the rows of which are constrained by synchronized order restrictions. The test on the homogeneity of the parameter matrix is considered. Under the assumption that the common variance covariance matrix is unknown, an ad-hoc test statistic is proposed by replacing the unknown covariance matrix with its estimate in a likelihood ratio test statistic. The deterministic and probabilistic properties of the test statistic are studied. It is shown that the family of ad hoc tests share the same alpha level critical values and follow the same distribution for computing their p values. A sufficient condition is established for other tests to enjoy these properties and to be more powerful. Two examples of such more powerful tests are provided. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics

The goal of this study was to explore the community assets and strengths identified by African American youth that can contribute to positive youth development, taking into consideration the lived experiences and meanings for youth and their cultural characteristics. This study used a semi-participatory approach and a mixed methods design that included survey, focus groups and photovoice. The data obtained through each method was analyzed separately and collectively, in order to contrast and compare the different data sets. The findings suggest that some individual and community assets and strengths identified by African American youth were similar to other assets and strengths that other models of positive youth development and African American youth development have identified. The findings also suggest the dynamic function of some assets. The discussion focused on that dynamic function that some community assets have in moderating and/or mediating the presence and effect of other individual and community assets. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

Due to current economic conditions, aircraft are being operated to their design life and often beyond. In order to assess the true condition of these aging aircraft structures, structural teardowns have become more common over the past decade. Teardown data fidelity is highly dependent on the processes developed and implemented to gather the data; therefore, improper procedure selection often results in the destruction or degradation of teardown findings. Incorrect implementation of procedures also occurs during teardown programs and frequently results in increased scatter in the teardown data, which leads to difficulty interpreting the data and applying the results to the fleet. No detailed teardown planning process currently exists that incorporates lessons learned from previous programs. Common problems have occurred in recent teardown programs resulting in increased costs, schedule, and capacity requirements, and likely degradation or destruction of teardown data due to the lack of a defined process. A universally accepted teardown planning process would drastically reduce, or eliminate, these recurring problems. This research provides a step-by-step process for planning and executing a structural teardown program with the goal of minimizing or eliminating problems encountered during past teardown programs. The developed process defines four steps to plan and three steps to execute a structural teardown. Each of these seven steps provides specific recommendations to avoid common pitfalls of previous teardown programs. Four case studies of previous and ongoing teardowns are discussed and the methods implemented are compared to the proposed teardown process to assess potential improvements when using the proposed method. Costs of the proposed process are also compared to costs of the case study teardown programs to weight technical benefit versus increased cost. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Pressure fluctuations associated with turbulent boundary layer have been a prominent issue over the past few decades. In order to simulate pressure fluctuations beneath a turbulent boundary layer, a numerical investigation was performed in the current study. Four different turbulence models were employed to calculate the pressure and velocity fluctuations. A new approach of direct numerical simulation (DNS) was developed, as well. The proposed DNS scheme was hybrid of sixth-order weighted compact scheme (WCS) and modified weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme, which is called modified WENO-WCS scheme (MWWS) hereafter. A variety of benchmark problems were investigated to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed numerical scheme. Several empirical/semi-empirical mean square pressure models and single-point wall-pressure spectrum models were investigated to compare mean square wall pressure values. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes based on Spalart-Allmaras (RANS-SA) and Delayed detached-eddy simulation based on Spalart-Allmaras (DDES-SA) turbulence models showed agreement with the Lowson, Lilley and Hodgson, and Goody models. Shear stress transport (RANS-SST) and DDES-SST models showed agreement with the Lowson, Farabee and Casarella, Lilley and Hodgson, and Goody models. The MWWS scheme was in agreement with Lowson and Goody models. Five single-point wall-pressure spectrum models were investigated and compared with numerical results. In low frequency region, results obtained by DDES-SA model and MWWS scheme were in agreement with the Goody model, while RANS-SA, RANS-SST, and DDES-SST turbulence models showed agreement with the Robertson model. In High frequency region, all investigated numerical methods were in agreement with the Goody and Efimtsov (1) models. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering

Skin cancer affects many people worldwide and is life threatening without treatment. People with light skin, genetic diseases, and high exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are at a high risk of developing skin cancer. Once developed, skin cancer can spread to the rest of the body, including organs inside the body. If the cancer is established, it is difficult to control and treat. Skin cancer is diagnosed by the depth at which it has spread below the skin. Conventional treatments such as creams and lotions treat only the outer skin surface, while cancer below the skin is allowed to thrive. Treating only the outer layer and not the inner layer of skin can make it difficult to diagnose cancer because the severity of it can be hidden. The ideal treatment is to treat cancer from the inside out. Administering common cancer medicines means killing healthy cells as well as cancer cells; therefore, developing a drug delivery system (DDS), which can be injected into the body and release medicine at an engineered rate and location, is needed. In this thesis, a special drug delivery system is proposed—one that lessens the toxicity of a therapeutic agent from an intraperitoneal (IP) injection by reducing diffusion of that injection into sensitive areas of the body. This DDS uses both magnetic forces to hold it at the affected location and also a protein, encapsulated into the DDS, to reduce an immune response. The protein can also encourage uptake of the DDS into the cancer cell where the DDS releases the therapeutic agent. It is shown that this DDS is successful in treating cancer, and no toxic effects were found, which makes this treatment a possible alternative to conventional therapies. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this research is to better understand the sequencing and timing of changes in parenting behaviors engendered by PMTO, and the transactional interaction among those changes. Focusing on the treatment group, the increases in positive parenting at 12 months post baseline facilitate better subsequent monitoring and lower subsequent levels of coercive parenting, and lower levels of coercive parenting facilitates better monitoring. In terms of ensuring more effective and efficient interventions, it appears that PMTO's current curriculum of introducing positive parenting skills prior to effort to reduce coercive parenting is congruent with the sequencing of changes in parenting found in this study. This supports the idea that positive parenting is a core, prerequisite process for other changes. Skill building focused on positive involvement in the home, skill encouragement, and problem solving are parenting practices taught earlier in PMTO than practices aimed at improving monitoring. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

The Latino population represents the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Schools across the U.S. are experiencing growing numbers of Latino and mixed ethnicities. School districts are being challenged to provide English language resources to assist all children in obtaining quality learning experiences. In addition, the need for cultural support and advocacy from their public schools is necessary. By learning how to better understand Latinos, school districts can strengthen their relationships with this culture by considering how these families interact with the schools. In an attempt to better comprehend the worlds that Latino families negotiate daily, the Funds of Knowledge framework served as a lens to understand every day practices and ways of knowing what occurs in Latino family homes. Social Capital was the second theoretical lens used in order to view and understand the social networks utilized by Latino families on a regular basis. This study indicated how schools have a unique vantage point and obligation in understanding children and families that they serve. The findings clearly showed the significant funds of knowledge and social capital needs found within three Latino households in southwestern Kansas. First, Las Familias was the most impressive factor; these families possessed an intense attitude of togetherness. Second, the Latino parents understood English quite well but were too embarrassed to speak it. And last, the young people from these families navigate two worlds every day. At home, the Mexican culture is present; outside the home, American values and customs are everywhere. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership

Scientific study of dogmatism began over fifty years ago with the establishment of the first scale and its criterion related validity. Now measured by a more psychometrically sound scale dogmatism has been linked to intolerance, egocentrism, and an unwillingness or inability to understand opposing viewpoints. Moral conviction derives from a separate literature base, but like dogmatism, has been linked to intolerance. The combination of high-dogmatism and high-moral conviction could have a profound effect on decision making related to social justice, thereby impacting others. An on-line survey measured whether participants would vote yes or no for gay marriage in Kansas and yes or no for the mandated teaching of creationism in public schools, and provided scales for moral conviction and dogmatism. It was hypothesized that dogmatism, moral conviction, and consideration of the opposition viewpoint would discriminate voting on both issues. Support for both hypotheses was found in two significant discriminant functional analyses. For both issues participants scoring higher in measures of dogmatism and moral conviction also gave less consideration to the opposition view in deciding how to vote. Present research offered support for a relationship between dogmatism and religiosity and established correlations between moral conviction and dogmatism. If people who are particularly dogmatic and also think a given issue is moral are less likely to consider other viewpoints even in decisions that would impact those others, implications for justice are dire. Future research may aim at ensuring more tolerance in lawmaking through interventions aimed at educating around moral issues or reducing dogmatism among those highest in dogmatism. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology

Many research studies have established that playing action video games can lead to visual attention and perception benefits for the player. This dissertation pioneers the use of custom designed video game levels to determine if a single aspect of action video game play has specific effects on the player. In the following studies, specific aspects of action video games can indeed be isolated and thus potentially used as training tools for targeted perceptual benefits. Experiment 1 demonstrates that just two hours of training in a custom designed video game world that emphasizes friend vs. foe discrimination benefits players’ ability to focus on relevant visual information, and leads to marginally decreased flanker interference and marginally improved filtering capacity. Experiment 2 examines the beneficial effects of dispersed vs. narrowly focused attention in a second custom designed video game world. After two hours of game play, players in the dispersed attention condition significantly increased their visual working memory capacity and ability to allocate attention to peripheral items. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology