This thesis contains three manuscripts addressing the application of stochastic processes to the analysis and solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) in mathematical physics.
In the first manuscript, one dimensional diffusion and Burgers equation are considered. The Fourier transform of the solution to each PDE is represented as the expected...
The research and analysis presented in this dissertation illustrate how individuals enact lived religion as they seek to navigate social inequalities. The enactment of lived religion involves directing attention towards orientations. I use the term orientations in the sense articulated by Ahmed (2004), to allude to how bodies are situated...
Since the late 1990s accelerated growth in health care spending coupled with a cost shift of health insurance from employers to employees has created an increased financial burden for many families. Past research suggests that financial burden due to out-of-pocket (OOP) health care costs limits access to health care and...
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) samples report elevated rates of substance use and substance use disorder compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts across a wide variety of substances (Connolly & Gilchrist, 2020; Krueger et al., 2020; Rice et al., 2019), in part due to the experience of minority stress....
In this work, I address foundational concerns at the interface of institutions, governance structure, transaction costs, and efficiency in public-private contracting. Following transaction cost economic perspective, I build and justify the theoretical models explaining that institutions may affect the economic performance of public-private contracting through the effect of transaction costs....
Behavioral self-regulation has emerged as an important predictor of academic success as early as preschool. Few studies, however, have examined ways to improve children's behavioral self-regulation in preschool, prior to formal school entry. This dissertation includes two studies examining a pilot intervention using classroom games to improve behavioral self-regulation with...