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Item A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Bias Modification for Intermittent Explosive Disorder(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-08)Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), characterized by recurrent aggressive outbursts, has a chronic and debilitating course. There are few efficacious treatments for IED, and none that meet the criteria of “empirically supported,” highlighting the need for novel IED interventions. IED is associated with socioemotional information processing difficulties, including over-attentiveness to threatening information (attention bias) and the tendency to attribute hostile intent to others (interpretation bias). Evidence suggests treatment targeting these cognitive biases (cognitive bias modification; CBM) can reduce anger and aggressive behavior, though this has yet to be examined in an IED sample. The present study assessed the efficacy of CBM for the treatment of IED via a pilot randomized controlled trial. Participants diagnosed with IED were randomized into either (1) a four-week (8-session) computerized CBM (n = 22) or (2) a dose-equated computerized placebo intervention (Placebo; n = 22). In the CBM condition, the tasks are aimed at modifying attention and interpretation biases through reinforcing non-hostile responses, whereas in the placebo condition, task contingencies equally favor hostile and non-hostile responses. Participants completed measures of aggression, anger, attention and interpretive biases, emotion regulation, and life satisfaction at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment, as well as a one-month follow-up. Though CBM was superior to placebo in decreasing interpretative biases, CBM did not outperform the Placebo condition in reducing aggression or attention biases. However, only participants in the CBM condition exhibited significant improvements in anger, hostile attribution bias, emotion dysregulation, and life satisfaction over time. These findings provide limited support for the use of CBM in treating anger and related symptoms in IED.Item Teaching with Conversational AI: Exploring Human-AI Collaboration and the Beliefs and Experiences of Language Teachers(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-08)While generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT have become increasingly accessible in education, their classroom use, particularly for speaking instruction in second language education, remains underexplored. Most existing research has emphasized learner autonomy and out-of-class applications, overlooking the teacher’s evolving role in facilitating AI-supported instruction. Yet, as language learning is inherently social and interactional (Long, 1996; Vygotsky, 1978), understanding teacher-AI collaboration is critical. Further, as Baker (2016) argues, the intelligence in AI-supported education should ultimately reside in the teacher, not in the system. This highlights the importance of investigating how language teachers actively shape their roles when working with conversational AI tools in the classroom.This multi-paper dissertation addresses these gaps through three interrelated studies. Grounded in sociocultural theory and interaction theory, the research explores how language teachers engage with conversational AI tools in speaking-focused classrooms. Study 1 presents a systematic review of empirical studies, identifying gaps in understanding how conversational AIs and human teachers collaborate. Study 2 uses social network and content analysis to investigate teacher-AI interaction in classrooms using Google Assistant. Study 3 draws on multiple-case study methods to examine how three teachers with diverse backgrounds implemented ChatGPT for speaking instruction in a community-based language program. Findings across studies show that GenAI reshapes, rather than replaces, teachers’ instructional roles. Teachers employed varied facilitation strategies and adapted to affective and contextual constraints while maintaining pedagogical authority. These practices were shaped by teachers’ prior experiences, technological familiarity, and participation in structured, reflective professional development. Together, the findings contribute to theory and practice by illustrating conversational AI as a dynamic, co-mediating agent in language classrooms, where teacher agency remains central to meaningful integration. Future research should continue to explore and expand understanding of how teachers engage with emerging AI systems, how orchestration unfolds in multi-agent learning environments, and how AI-mediated instruction can be designed to support human-centered design and context-responsive pedagogy across diverse learning contexts.Item Contact metamorphism accompanying dike injection in Surprise Valley, CA, USA(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-08)Contact metamorphism along dikes involves alterations in mineralogy, cementation, and porosity that can significantly affect mechanical and hydrological behavior, influencing subsequent deformation and fluid flow. It may play a key role in modifying host rock properties that control the mechanism of heat transfer and determine whether a dike will freeze or breach the surface and erupt. In Surprise Valley, CA, dikes are extensively developed and coincide with hot springs and basin-bounding and intra-basin extensional faults, indicating their important role in basin dynamics. The changes in physical properties of the Oligocene volcaniclastic (Tovu) rock that hosts dikes in the Hays Canyon Range are documented by detailed maps of their geometry, variation in color and resistance to weathering, and alteration measured along transects by mineralogical analysis via thin section and x-ray diffraction, chemical analysis by x-ray fluorescence, textural analysis by thin section, and measurement of physical properties including density, strength via Schmidt rebound number (SRN), and magnetic susceptibility (MS). The dikes have a basaltic composition, rich in plagioclase, pyroxene, and olivine, with trace magnetite and reach thicknesses up to ~25 meters and lengths up to ~1000 m. The composition indicates a likely solidus temperature of 1100°C. This analysis focuses on alteration associated with a dike 25 m thick with median density of 2917 to 2934 kg/m³, effective porosity of ~1%, SRN of 62 to 65, and magnetic susceptibility 5.12 to 8.83 (10-3 SI). The host rock consists of pyroclastics, including glass shards and zeolites (heulandite and/or clinoptolilite), basaltic rock fragments, and microliths of plagioclase feldspar, quartz, pyroxene, and sanidine. Alteration is zoned, with pervasive change in mineralogy, texture, porosity, density, strength, and magnetic susceptibility within the first few meters from the dike resulting from partial melting, destruction of zeolite, and compaction facilitated by high temperature creep forming a foliation, then a sharp transition to a zone of mild alteration extending ~20 m from the dike. The host rock is characterized by a median density of 1959.6 kg/m³ (range 1664-1715 kg/m³) corresponding to a median effective porosity of 13.49% (range 14.6-17.16%), Schmidt rebound number median of 49 (range 39-61), and magnetic susceptibility median of 2.6 10-3 SI (range 1.83-3.86 10-3 SI). In contrast, the highly altered zone adjacent to the dike is characterized by median density of 2251.7 kg/m³ (range 2030-2152 kg/m³) corresponding to median effective porosity of 3.89% (range 1.48-9.88%), Schmidt rebound number median of 64 (51-70), and magnetic susceptibility average of 5.36 10-3 SI (range 2.3-11.3 10-3 SI). The moderately altered transition zone is characterized by median density of 2245.7 kg/m³ (range 1787- 2152kg/m³) corresponding to median effective porosity of 4.63% (range 7.2- 13.56 %), Schmidt rebound median of 55 (range 50-60), and magnetic susceptibility average of 2.99 10-3 SI (range 2.5-4 10-3 SI). These results demonstrate that the intruded dike alters the physical properties of the volcaniclastic host rock by increasing density +15%, decreasing effective porosity by -71.2%, increasing Schmidt Rebound by +30.6%, and increasing magnetic susceptibility +109%. A 1-D crustal heat flow model indicates that at the time of dike intrusion 8-3 Ma, host rock temperature was 100-60°C at a burial depth of ~1300 m to 300 m. Heuristic models of the heat transfer require persistent magma flow in the dike to achieve partial melting of the fine-grained matrix and destruction of the early formed zeolites within ~3 to 5 m of the dike contact. Reduced porosity and isolation of pores in this zone would reduce permeability, which favors conductive heat transfer and restricts volatile movement critical to preventing the dike from freezing and promoting eruption. This restriction may have played a critical role in preserving heat in the dike and maximizing the temperature rise of the wall rock. At the same time, high porosity and permeability further out would favor advective heat transfer that minimizes temperature rise and disperses the few volatiles exchanged, thus minimizing metasomatism and alteration.Item ANALYSIS OF THE INTERKINGDOM MICROBIOME ASSOCIATED WITH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ENDODONTIC INFECTIONS: A CROSS- SECTIONAL STUDY(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-08)Endodontic infections develop when bacteria from the oral cavity infiltrate the pulp through breaches in enamel and dentin, leading to inflammation, necrosis, and apical periodontitis. Primary infections are dominated by anaerobic bacteria including Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, and Prevotella while secondary infections often involve gram-positive facultative anaerobes like Enterococcus faecalis. Fungi, particularly Candida albicans, have also been implicated. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has transformed microbial analysis, enabling detailed profiling of bacterial and fungal communities through 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing, respectively However, most studies have focused primarily on bacterial populations, with only a few that characterized the mycobiome or assessed both domains simultaneously. The potential interkingdom interactions between bacterial and fungal taxa whether synergistic or antagonistic remain poorly understood. This study addresses these gaps, this study sought to characterize both the bacteriome and mycobiome in primary and secondary infections, while exploring the potential interkingdom interactions in both types of infection. Methods Sixty-three patients were recruited: 30 with primary endodontic infections (infections occurring in teeth with necrotic pulps and no prior endodontic treatment), 30 with secondary/persistent infections (infections in previously treated teeth where the root canal system has been reinfected or the initial infection was not completely eliminated), and 3 negative controls undergoing extraction for orthodontic reasons. Root canal samples were collected using files and paper points under sterile conditions. DNA extracted from the samples was subjected to dual amplicon sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA (V1–V3) and ITS2 regions to profile bacterial and fungal communities, respectively. Taxonomic assignment and diversity analyses were performed using QIIME2, Phyloseq, and Microbiome Packages in R. Differential abundance analysis was performed using MaAsLin2. Results Beta diversity analysis revealed significant compositional differences in bacterial communities between primary and secondary infections (PERMANOVA, p = 0.001), whereas fungal community structure was more conserved across groups. Alpha diversity metrics, including Shannon and Chao1 indices, did not significantly differ between infection types for either domain. Both primary and secondary endodontic infections were dominated by strict anaerobes, including Propionibacterium, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Parvimonas, Porphyromonas, Pyrimadobacter, Fretibacterium and Olsenela. However, secondary infections still showed enrichment of gram-positive facultative anaerobes, such as Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus vestibularis, Rothia mucilaginosa, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Corynebacterium accolens compared to primary infections. Fungal communities in both primary and secondary infections were primarily composed of Candida, Malassezia and Cladosporium species but secondary infections showed significantly higher relative abundance of Malassezia globosa (novel variants 94.5%, 96.6%) and Candida dubliniensis Interkingdom correlations were identified for primary but not secondary infections including positive associations between fungi and strict anaerobes including Prevotella oris, and Parvimonas micra, suggesting potential synergistic interactions. Conversely, negative correlations were observed between fungi and several facultative species such as Streptococcus infantis and Lactobacillus gasseri, suggesting competitive exclusion or antagonism in secondary infections. Conclusions This study provides the first simultaneous characterization of the bacteriome and mycobiome in primary and secondary endodontic infections using next-generation sequencing. The identification of distinct bacterial profiles anaerobe-dominated communities in primary infections versus gram-positive facultative anaerobes in secondary infections alongside conserved yet compositionally varied fungal communities, underscores the ecological divergence between infection types. Notably, the detection of significant bacterial-fungal correlations, particularly involving Cladosporium and strict anaerobes, suggests that specific fungal taxa may participate in synergistic interactions that contribute to the persistence and biofilm resilience of endodontic infections.Item Using Gender Reforms as Foreign Policy Tools: The Case of Saudi Arabia(Temple University. Libraries, 2025-08)Once known for being the only country in the world that banned women from driving, 2015 saw a dramatic shift in the Kingdom’s gender policies. The Saudi state went from enforcing restrictive gender laws to preaching messages of women’s empowerment and passing gender reforms that granted Saudi women rights they never dared to dream about. Although these reforms, compared to the gender policies of other states, might not seem noteworthy, they were unexpected for Saudi Arabia. For a country where Wahhabi beliefs have long been central to government and society, these recent gender reforms counter the Kingdom’s traditional stance as a Wahhabi establishment. Additionally, the speed at which the reforms were passed was shocking, as the structure of the Saudi government, where princes claim their own fiefdoms, often results in policy fragmentation, discourages dramatic policy reversals, and makes any state-level policy change extremely difficult. Through counterfactual analysis, my dissertation studies why these gender reforms have been passed. Although these reforms are motivated by both domestic and international pressures, this study focuses on the international reasons behind this liberalization, finding that these reforms are used as tools by the regime to achieve foreign policy objectives.