https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/1 2026-04-18T23:32:12Z https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10226 Personality and Cardiovascular Stress Reactivity: A Comparison of the Cold Pressor and Mental Arithmetic Tasks Leavitt, Mackenzie Stress reactivity, defined as an exaggerated response to stressors and impaired poststressor recovery, significantly influences the connection between stress and health, particularly cardiovascular health. A wide body of literature has identified personality traits strongly associated with stress reactivity, namely trait neuroticism from the Five-Factor model of personality. Evidence suggests that individuals scoring highly in this personality construct are more likely to have exaggerated stress responses and experience more severe stress-related health problems. In the current study, participants (N = 700) completed an inventory of the Five- Factor model of personality along with medical questionnaires to assess eligibility for stress assessments. Eligible participants (N = 93) completed baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiratory recordings. Participants then underwent continuous ECG/respiratory recording while completing two separate stress tasks: a mental stress task (MST) and a cold pressor task (CPT), each task followed by a second and third ECG/respiratory recording period. In light of the literature reviewed in chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4, I hypothesized that participants scoring more highly in trait neuroticism would exhibit decreased measures of vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV) and increased measures of sympathetically mediated HRV during baseline and would exhibit increased stress responses to both stress tasks. Further, I hypothesized that the MST would induce greater stress responses than the CPT and that the task type would moderate the relationship between trait neuroticism and HRV measures of cardiovascular stress. Results revealed that there was no consistent relationship between baseline HRV and trait neuroticism, except for LF-HRV which was associated with greater neuroticism. Results also showed that there was a task difference such that LF-HRV was higher during the CPT compared to the MST. There was no moderation effect of the task type on the relationship between neuroticism and HRV. Notably, stress appraisal was associated with increases These results are discussed in terms of both the transactional model of stress and coping and the neurovisceral integation model. 2026-04-17T00:00:00Z https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10225 Problems in Commutative Algebra and Functional Data Analysis Gaubatz, Nicholas This dissertation consists of three papers spanning two areas of mathematics and statistics: combinatorial commutative algebra and functional data analysis. The first paper examines the weak Lefschetz property (WLP) for Artinian algebras arising from hyperplane arrangements associated to graphs. In particular, we study the Artinian Orlik-Terao algebra of graphic arrangements and investigate when it satisfies WLP. We provide classifications for several families of graphs, including forests, cycle graphs, and all graphs on five vertices. We also identify structural features that force Lefschetz behavior. The second and third papers lie in functional data analysis (FDA) and focus on regression problems with functional inputs. The second paper develops a unified, measure-theoretic framework for regression, showing that several classical functional and multivariate regression methods can be interpreted as estimating a common underlying object with respect to different measures. Within this framework, we conduct a comprehensive simulation study comparing classical methods and two types of modern functional neural networks, identifying settings in which different approaches perform well. The final paper studies the Tecator spectrometric data set and extends existing functional neural network methods, previously defined only for single scalar responses, to the multiple scalar response setting. We review existing approaches in the literature, most of which treat responses separately or only consider one response, and we develop models that jointly predict multiple responses. Our results demonstrate the advantages of joint modeling and highlight the effectiveness of functional neural network methods in this context. Together, this work contributes new theoretical results to commutative algebra and provides a unified perspective, empirical analysis, and modern methodological extensions in functional data analysis. 2026-04-16T00:00:00Z https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10224 Preservice Teachers’ Experiences with Sport Education: An Occupational Socialization Approach Correia, Fabian Sport Education has become one of the most well-researched and effective teaching curriculum models (Hastie and Wallhead, 2016). The model emphasizes developing competent, literate, and enthusiastic sports participants by fostering skill acquisition, sport-specific knowledge, and personal growth (Siedentop et al., 2019). This, in turn, helps students become skilled sports participants, understand the sport's content, and grow into successful players, leading to lifelong physical activity. To successfully implement Sport Education, one must be well-versed in all the components of the model. Kinchin (2006) found that preservice teachers become most familiar with Sport Education by first being exposed to the model as students, seeing it in practice, and then teaching it. This study employs an Occupational Socialization Theory approach, guiding students through five distinct phases of Sport Education, akin to Glotova (2011), who conducted four Action Research cycles to achieve comprehensive education and progress her students through the Sport Education Model. The forms of socialization presented by Lawson (1983) include acculturation, professional socialization, and organizational socialization, which were then linked to the study's cycles. These cycles included Learning Sport Education, Practicing Sport Education, Learning to Teach Sport Education, Planning a Sport Education Season, and Teaching Sport Education. By tracking their progress from introductory lectures to the development and implementation of Sport Education units, the study aimed to capture pivotal moments that contribute to successful engagement or decisions to continue using Sport Education. The purpose of this study was to introduce preservice physical education teachers to the Sport Education model and examine how they experience, understand, and implement it. This study utilized a qualitative methodology, collecting both real-time and reflective accounts from preservice teachers to capture the pivotal moments when the Sport Education model “clicked” for them. These rich narratives shed light on the diverse factors influencing their decisions to adopt, adapt, or potentially abandon the model in future practice. Notably, all participants reported strong intentions to implement Sport Education after completing their teacher education program. Yet, these intentions were tempered by authentic challenges encountered throughout the course. As preservice teachers engaged in progressively deeper roles participating, assisting, developing, and leading Sport Education, they gained a firsthand understanding of the micropolitics, administrative barriers, and variability in student age and skill that characterize real-world teaching environments. Their confidence levels fluctuated: initially high, then stabilizing or dipping as new challenges emerged, before rising again as the model's tangible benefits became evident through classroom experience. The study highlights that while enthusiasm for Sport Education is strong among preservice teachers, sustained confidence and successful implementation require authentic, scaffolded experiences and awareness of the complexities inherent in educational practice. 2026-04-16T00:00:00Z https://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/10223 Entre lo autóctono y lo extranjero: La identidad de Usmaíl en Usmaíl de Pedro Juan Soto Hughes, Audeliz Este trabajo analiza la novela Usmaíl de Pedro Juan Soto como una representación simbólica del proceso colonial vivido en la isla de Vieques bajo la presencia estadounidense. A través de una lectura estructurada en tres capítulos, la tesis examina cómo la relación entre Chefa y Mr. Adams marca el inicio de la colonización y establece los símbolos fundamentales del dominio imperial. Luego, estudia las consecuencias de la invasión mediante la apertura de la base militar, las expropiaciones de tierra y la división del pueblo viequense, enfocándose en el conflicto identitario del protagonista híbrido. Finalmente, se analiza la relación entre Usmaíl y Cisa como un espacio donde se reproducen las tensiones coloniales, culminando en la condena personal y colectiva que atraviesa tanto el personaje como la isla. En conjunto, el trabajo demuestra cómo la novela articula el abuso, la dependencia y la resistencia que caracterizan la experiencia colonial de Vieques. 2026-04-16T00:00:00Z