Digital Commons Network^™

A Representation Of Selected Nonmanual Signals In American Sign Language, Jerry C. Schnepp

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Computer-generated three-dimensional animation holds great promise for synthesizing utterances in American Sign Language (ASL) that are not only grammatical, but believable by members of the Deaf community. Animation poses several challenges stemming from the massive amounts of data necessary to specify the movement of three-dimensional geometry, and there is no current system that facilitates the synthesis of nonmanual signals. However, the linguistics of ASL can aid in surmounting the challenge by providing structure and rules for organizing the data.

This work presents a first method for representing ASL linguistic and extralinguistic processes that involve the face. Any such representation must …

The Roles Of Fgf And Wnt Signaling During Maxillary Barbel Regeneration In The Zebrafish (Danio Rerio)., Robert J. Duszynski

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) maxillary barbel is an integumentary sense organ that contains skin, glands, pigment cells, taste buds, nerve fibers, blood vessels and a putative lymphatic. Like other zebrafish organs, the maxillary barbel can regenerate most of its tissues after amputation. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that control this regeneration. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and wingless (Wnt) signaling are required for the control of zebrafish caudal fin regeneration; due to the similarities between the fin and the maxillary barbel, these regulatory networks may play a role in barbel regeneration as well. In this study, …

“Perennial Growth” In A Shrinking City: A Case Study Of Urban Agriculture Policy And Planning In Cleveland, Ohio, Elizabeth S. Schuering

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Shrinking cities in the United States have undergone massive physical transformations in the wake of significant population loss and economic decline. In particular, these cities are challenged by the growing presence of vacant land and the need to find new policy and planning strategies for managing this land. This paper examines the role of urban agriculture as one such strategy within the local context of Cleveland, Ohio. This paper presents an analysis of the city’s growing urban agriculture movement with a focus on municipal policies supporting the practice of urban agriculture, including eighteen interviews with individuals knowledgeable about the development …

Chromosome Malorientation Precedes Nondisjunction During Female Meiosis I, Shane Gillies

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Meiosis is a specialized form of cellular division in which the gametes are formed. During female meiosis I, homologous chromosomes must coorient to opposite poles to ensure proper segregation, otherwise nondisjunction can occur which would form aneuploid gametes. The recent discovery that chromosomes do in fact congress prior to metaphase I arrest in Drosophila requires a reexamination of the mechanisms behind nondisjunction. To do this, a series of altered disjunction (ald) mutant alleles generated by imprecise excision of a P element in the 5’ UTR were compared through a genetic nondisjunction assay and cytological examinations for the chromosomes' …

Effect Of Iron And Sodium Chloride On Biofilm Development Of Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia, Rudy F. Martinez

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging worldwide, opportunistic respiratory pathogen that is associated with a significant case-fatality ratio in immunocompromised patient populations and has the ability to cause serious infection in cystic fibrosis patients. Populations of S. maltophilia are able to produce biofilms, which complicates these infections and provides resistance to antimicrobials. Factors such as ferric chloride (FeCl3), and sodium chloride (NaCl) have been shown to inhibit the biofilm development of another respiratory pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, without affecting culture growth. The effect of FeCl3 and NaCl on P. aeruginosa biofilm formation has been well studied and characterized, but little is known …

The Wage Gap Revisited: An Investigation Of Salary Request Differences Among Black-White And Male-Female Workers, Andrea L. Briggs

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This study examined wage gaps in the workforce and discussed explanations for why these gaps exist. Specifically, this study investigated the differences between men and women and Blacks and Whites in the amount of salary requested for a new job. Current worker data from an international job board was examined. Workers were Black or White males or females, who were at least 25 years of age and had at least one full-time job. Only annual salary data was used in analysis. When controlling for education and experience, results supported the hypotheses predicting current salary differences between Whites and Blacks and …

Security Misread: A Critical Analysis Of Ukraine's Debate On Nato, Andriy Levytskyy

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

While the benefits and positive aspects of Ukraine's possible membership in NATO are known and widely discussed from the standpoint of looking for the ways to guarantee Ukraine's security, the negative aspects, associated with the incorporation of Ukraine into broader capitalist and liberal-democratic space of North America and Europe, are largely unknown and remain unquestioned. This thesis aims at a critical study of Ukraine's possible Euro-Atlantic integration and develops an argument against Ukraine's incorporation into NATO. My argument is that by joining NATO, Ukraine may well become predisposed to undertake a course of action that will not serve the interests …

Eve Disordered: The Relationship Of Feminine Happiness And Hierarchy In Paradise Lost, Jennifer Mccafferty

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Milton's Eve falls into sin when she attempts to upset the hierarchy by and for which she has been created, an attempt which offends on multiple levels. Her choice to disobey God's command violates her position in respect to him, and her desire to attain knowledge - a defining characteristic of masculinity in Milton's universe - encroaches on Adam's position while degrading the defining characteristic of her femininity - her beauty. However, an analysis of the simultaneously contractual and companionate marriage model that appears in Paradise Lost, paired with an appreciation for the historical context for Milton's depiction of the …

Residence Hall Sense Of Community In Physical And Technology-Based Spaces: Implications For Alcohol-Related Attitudes And Behaviors, Benjamin C. Graham

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Social experiences such as sense of community (SOC) and peer norms have the potential to influence attitudes and behaviors around a host of wellness-related issues. Social interaction, facilitated by the rapid growth of communication technology, in addition to the enduring need to interact in physical space, represent important community features. College residence halls are of interest to community psychology and other fields, as they are highly interactive, technologically-rich contexts where communities occur. Peer norms having a strong relationship to students’ perspectives and choices around alcohol. Less understood is the role that SOC plays, and the forms of social interaction that …

In Their Own Words: A Qualitative Analysis Of Relational Resilience In The Lives Of Gay, Bisexual, And Questioning Male Youth, Rodrigo Torres

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation project adopted a phenomenological and qualitative methodology in order to conduct a secondary cross-case analysis of a subset (N = 20) of previously transcribed interviews with same-sex attracted (SSA) male youth (i.e., self-identified gay, bisexual, and questioning (GBQ) male youth in order to explore and learn about growth-promoting relationships in their lives. The theoretical lens adopted for this effort was Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT). In constructing this study, the author was interested in learning whether the five key conceptual features of growth- promoting relationships, as posited by proponents of RCT (i.e., supported vulnerability, mutual empathic involvement, relational awareness, relational …

Politics, History, Critique: An Interpretation Of Kant's Political Philosophy In Light Of His Critical-Regulative Method., Dilek Huseyinzadegan

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation offers the following three benefits with regard to a renewed interpretation of Kant's political philosophy:

1)I will demonstrate that Kant's essays on history and politics are not dogmatic, unimportant, or of minor significance, but employ a critical principle of teleology, following on the critical-regulative method developed in the Critique of Pure Reason and the Critique of Judgement.

2) Such a holistic and systematic reading of Kant's historico-political writings will reveal that Kant's political philosophy cannot be construed as a mere extension of his moral theory. There is a distinction between how Kant theoretically justifies his normative assumptions about …

The Internet’S Influence On Environmental Awareness, Jessica Vandrick

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

This paper examines the influence that the mass media have had on environmentalism issues since the early 1960s, and how the convergence of media on the Internet has changed the way environmental topics are communicated to and perceived by the public. For the purpose of this paper, mass media refers to all media technologies which are used for mass communication including radio, television, newspapers, the Internet, and films. Using BeGreenWeb, a web site about environmentalism, as a case study, this paper will examine the role of media in environmental awareness and how the Internet can be used effectively to inform …

An Analysis Of Two Education Reform Policies: Obama's Race To The Top And Promise Neighborhoods Programs, Alecia S. Person

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

In this analysis, I examine the relationship between neoliberalism and public education in order to provide context for the education policies laid out by the obama administration, specifically focusing on Race to the Top and Promise Neighborhoods. I will discuss how market discourse and shifts in the political climate have made way for a neoliberal education agenda based on privatization, strict and punitive assessments and accountability practices, and standardized high-stakes testing. A portion of this paper will analyze education policy documents and related literature to identify policy trends and give historical context to current national education policy reform agenda. This …

Framed By Privilege: Perpetuating And Resisting White Supremacy In White, Middle-Class Parenting, Kelly Brianne Baldwin

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Parenting is a primary site for the socialization of young children, including socialization around issues of race and racism. Giving careful attention to the implications of a socially privileged racial status, this study draws on the personal narratives of three White, middle-class, heterosexual mothers living in Chicago to improve understanding of White, middle-class parenting around issues of race and racism and to critically examine the ways parenting practices relate to larger social Discourses in the United States that perpetuate or disrupt White supremacy. When parenting around issues of race and racism, mothers adherent to White supremacy typically abandoned parenting strategies …

The Roma Of Romania, Oana Oprean

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

In order to meet the strict conditions of EU membership, Romania was required to undertake drastic reforms in its political and economic systems. European Council in Copenhagen, in June 1993, identified as the Copenhagen Criteria for Memberships: Political Criteria, Economic Criteria and Ability to assume the obligations of membership. However, what the EU failed to do is guide the Eastern European countries along in the process of how they were to fulfill the Copenhagen Criteria.

The Disclosure Process Of An Invisible Stigmatized Identity, Jessica Hudson

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This study tested a model of the antecedents to disclosure of an invisible stigmatized identity. The antecedents to disclosure included characteristics of the specific stigma, individual level factors, environmental factors, and perceived consequences of disclosure. Four invisible stigmatized identity types were selected: mental health problems, learning disability, low social class background, and lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). A total of 254 undergraduate college students completed an on-line survey including questions about the disclosure of their identities and the various proposed predictors to disclosure. The best fitting models included the identity combined model, the mental illness only model, and the LGB …

"From Backburner To Forefront: Critical Recollection And Commitment To Literary Community In Women Beat Memoirs", Katelyn Cunningham

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

“I became aware of a problem when I was introduced to the Beats. I thought, ‘Where are the women? There must be some.’ There were, of course, but that notion required some digging, for these women are often only mentioned briefly when reading of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William Burroughs. However, while frequently overlooked or forgotten, the women of the Beat generation have made a public name for themselves after the time of the movement. Embracing and gaining insight from their past experiences, writers Diane diPrima, Brenda Frazer (formerly known as Bonnie Bremser), Joyce Johnson, and Hettie …

Analysis Of Protein Secondary Structure Via The Discrete Wavelet Transform, Timothy E. Vanderleest

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This project develops a secondary structure prediction approach that uses the discrete wavelet transform. In order to use the wavelet technique, we convert the primary amino acid sequence of the protein to a numerical signal using the hydrophobic tendencies associated with the amino acids. The data used in this project consists of both a + B and a/B proteins coming from the Structural Classification of Proteins (SCOP) protein database. This data provides both protein primary sequences and secondary structure locations. In total, 13,435 individual proteins and nearly 15,511 unique protein subunits are analyzed. We use three different experimentally determined hydrophobicity …

Genetic Differentiation Of A Sympatric Lake-Resident/Anadromous Species Pair Of Threespine Stickleback In Mud Lake, Alaska, Cory J. Drevecky

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The formation of new species is responsible for all the biological diversity we see on Earth. This process of speciation is not yet fully understood and is most often studied by comparing individuals of closely related species. The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, a fish species complex found in marine and coastal freshwater environments of the northern hemisphere, has become a model species used to study speciation. Many morphological and genetically divergent forms within this complex have adapted to freshwater conditions. Studying the mechanisms that allow stickleback to adapt to freshwater conditions has provided much insight into the process of speciation. …

Evla Imaging Of Methanimine And Hydrogen Cyanide In Arp 220, Matthew R. Rickert

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

We present observations of the 5289.8MHz$1{10}\rightarrow1_{11}$ transition of the pre-biotic molecule methanimine(\meth) and the 6731.9 MHz J=5 direct $|$-type transition in the vibrationally excited($\nu_2=1$) state of hydrogen cyanide(HCN) toward the nearest Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy, Arp 220, taken with the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) in A configuration. The 5289.8 MHz \meth\ line was detected in emission toward the western nucleus, but not toward the eastern nucleus. The 6731.9 MHz HCN line was detected in absorption toward the western nucleus, but not toward the eastern nucleus. Both of these are new results from the observations reported in this thesis, and are …

Posttraumatic Distress As Experienced By Adolescents: Traumatic Stress Through Adolescent Eyes, Andrea Saul

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation expands research regarding the types of stressors associated with PTSD among adolescents. The study utilized a broad sample of youth who were specifically queried regarding traumatic stressors and their perception of risk of death or serious injury associated with these experiences in order to examine the current DSM-IV PTSD criteria A. The impact of other significant life stressors generally recognized to fall outside the PTSD A1 criterion but that may be perceived or experienced as traumatic through the developmental lens of adolescence were also explored. The inclusion of multiple types of trauma and indicators of repeated trauma allowed …

Beyond The Prototypical: Developing A Behavioral Screening Tool Of Same-Gender Male Intimate Partner Violence., Marco Armando Hidalgo

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, intimate partner violence (IPV) is estimated to be among the top three health issues impacting gay and bisexual males. Previous studies of IPV prevalence in this population result in epidemiological inconsistencies largely due to unreliable measurement. Behavioral tools employed in research and in clinical settings often apply a heterosexist and prototypical model to IPV screening; thereby, failing to contextualize occurrences of violence in a same-gender IPV relationship. Despite the estimated impact of IPV among gay/bisexual men, no known literature has attempted to create a behavioral screening tool that accounts for contextual factors in same-gender relationships characterized …

Writing A Feminist Ethnography: A Comparative Analysis Of Iranian Women's Stories Of Resistance And Agency In Iran And America, Tanja B. Messing

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this project works against the stigmatization of Middle Eastern women in the West by examining women's experiences of resistance and agency within the diaspora and in Iran. Through a feminist ethnographic analysis of Iranian women's narratives, I work against Western stereotypes as a way to problematize the assumption that immersion in Western culture "saves" Middle Eastern women from their supposed cultural and religious "victimization." The focus of my inquiry is centered on four issues, or themes, of analysis, which are: everyday acts of resistance, subversion, and negotiation, issues of dress, household dynamics, and women's values and self-expression. …

Broader Impacts And Framing The Google China Internet Issue: A Comparative Study Of Newspaper Coverage In China And The United States., Chun Zhou

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

On January 12, 2010, Google closed its official website in China due to China’s Internet censorship policy. After the announcement, the manner in which Google should operate appropriately in the Chinese mainland was discussed widely in Chinese and U.S. media. This research examines how four newspapers, two U.S. and two Chinese, framed the Google China Internet issue: the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and the People’s Daily and the 21st Century Business Herald. While previous framing studies often focused on influence from cultural or political factors that might cause differences in how countries framed news …

Deceptive Affection In Romantic Relationships, Hailey Gillen

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

Feeling affection is a key component of romantic relationships, and affectionate communication is associated with a myriad of positive relational benefits; but what happens when that communication is not an honest reflection of an individual’s true feelings, but instead is used deceptively? The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the relationship between frequency of deceptive affection and: an individuals’ beliefs about deception, frequency of deception, and the relational qualities of commitment and satisfaction. Results indicated no relationship exists between the frequency of deceptive affectionate message (DAM) use and an individual’s beliefs about deception, though, a negative relationship was …

Effects Of Teacher Factors On Expectations Of Students With Adhd, Lauren J. Legato

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to inform the literature on teacher variables related to expectations for students with ADHD. The study examined the relationships among teachers’ knowledge about ADHD, self-efficacy, and their expectations about how ADHD behaviors affect the child, the classroom environment, and the teacher’s own well-being. Results indicated self-efficacy was positively related to teachers' knowledge of ADHD. Teachers with higher knowledge also tended to have higher self-efficacy; however, it remains unknown whether one is causally related to the other. No significant relationships were found among teachers' knowledge of ADHD or their self-efficacy and expectations for problems. Finally, unlike previous …

U.S. Immigration Law: Children As A Unifying Means To Immigration Reform, Sarah J. Flagel

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to evaluate U.S. immigration law and policy in light of their observable impact on children. My purpose is to review and assess the efficacy of current family reunification law specifically as regards minors: its clarity or ambiguity, consistency in application, and its effects on respect for the rule of law and just consequences. Section one addresses normative dimensions of justice including the legal notion that a punishment meted out should be proportionate to the crime of the perpetrator, the idea of consistency as a necessary though insufficient aspect of justice, and the importance of understanding the complexities …

The Dependence Of Suspension Viscosity On Particle Size, Shear Rate, And Solvent Viscosity, Marc Pavlik

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The relative viscosity of a mono-disperse suspension of glass particles can vary drastically depending on a number of factors, including but not limited to the angular velocity, the size of particles, the volume fraction of the suspension, and the solvent viscosity of the host. Several models have been proposed in the literature describing the relative viscosity as a function of concentration. This study will use volume concentrations of 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, and 50% with solvent viscosities of 3017-2924 cP ±5 cP, 1265-1211 cP ±3 and 571-555 cP ±1 cP in a concentric cylinder geometry. Suspensions of 26 μm …

Social Contract Theory, African American Slave Narratives, And The Reconstruction Of Early Modern Conceptions Of Political Freedom, Cavin Robinson

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Can the concepts and ideas concerning freedom and bondage found within African American Slave narratives be read as political philosophic claims? How would one position the perspectives on liberty and liberalism found in slave narratives within the nexus of the history of political philosophy? It is my view that the arguments contained in the slave narratives are substantial enough to warrant the claim that they are philosophic in nature and that any serious critique or analysis of western conceptions of freedom from the enlightenment to modernity that does not address them can be considered incomplete. Within the history of political …

The Central American Free Trade Agreement: Effects On Labor In The Maguila Sector, Cristina M. Lucero

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The rapid expansion of free trade has challenged workers rights in Central America. Unions are continuously deprived of customary support and resources to enforce their rights, especially in the maquiladoras. The expansion of maquila production has often been accompanied by an informal agreement between corporations and governments that do not serve to protect workers’ rights. Police and military routinely patrol factories and free trade zones (FTZs) to deter union organizing and women are constantly subjected to sexual harassment. In order to help address labor violations, trade agreements like the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) includes workers’ rights provisions in …