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Exploring Differences In Clinical Judgments Of Dangerousness Of North Carolina Psychiatric Inpatients : Utility Of The Hcr-20 Risk Assessment Scheme, Adeirdre Lacheryl Stribling

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of clinician ratings of dangerousness among psychiatric inpatients by utilizing the structured HCR-20 Risk Assessment Scheme. The study is based on archival records of patients committed to a North Carolina psychiatric hospital due to being found incompetent to proceed to trial, not guilty by reason of insanity, or detained due to exhibiting exceptional dangerous behavior in the community or while hospitalized. The individuals were chosen for the study because they had at least two completed HCR-20 risk assessments of historical, clinical, and risk management factors of dangerousness. Patients (N=52) were …

Alternative Trading Systems' Impacts On Depth And Informed Trading, Timothy Shawn Strother

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of Alternative Trading Systems (ATS) on depth and the probability of informed trading (PIN). The probability of informed trading and VNET, a metric of depth that determines the net directional volume necessary to induce a price change or return, are estimated for volume-matched samples of New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq listed firms. Trade and quote data are obtained for two time periods before, and two time periods following, the introduction of trading in decimals on January 29,2001 and April 19, 2001 for the NYSE and Nasdaq, respectively. The data are used to estimate …

The Ability Of Earnings Management Models To Detect And Predict Public Discovery Of Accounting-Fraud, Samuel Lockhart Tibbs

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze and compare: 1) the ability of competing aggregate accrual and frequency distribution models to detect extreme earnings management, i.e. accounting-fraud, and 2) the ability of a composite model to predict accounting-fraud using only prior period information. Studies have used various models to detect earnings management in circumstances in which, a priori, some management is likely to exist. Events with incentives to manage earnings analyzed include issuing securities, maintaining positive earnings or an upward earnings trend, increasing an earnings-based bonus, increasing subsidies during import relief investigations, or decreasing penalties during antitrust investigations. However, …

Ethnic Differences Using Behavior Rating Scales To Assess The Mental Health Of Children : A Measurement Equivalence Study, Edgar H. Tyson

Doctoral Dissertations

Cultural competence in measurement has become increasingly important in child welfare and juvenile justice systems where disproportionate numbers of children and families from diverse ethnic groups are served. However, there is a present gap in the literature regarding the assessment of children from different ethnic groups using behavior-rating scales. This study examined the cross-ethnic measurement equivalence of the SAC (Glisson et al, 2001) using a sample that included 562 African American (AA) and 692 Caucasian-American (CA) children. These data were part of a three panel longitudinal survey of families referred to juvenile court in one state. Specifically, baseline and first …

An Examination Of Eighth And Twelfth Grade Students' Mathematics Achievement In Relation To School Locale, County Location, Looping Status, Ses, Grade And Class Size, And Access To Upper-Level Mathematics Courses In Tennessee, Joseph Jeremy Winters

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, this study was conducted to examine the status of mathematics achievement in rural schools in Tennessee. The second purpose of this study was to understand the presence and effects of the educational practice of looping in terms of secondary level mathematics. In order to thoroughly investigate these topics, other potentially confounding variables were examined for their effects on students' mathematics achievement. Five instruments were used to examine the mathematics achievement of eighth and twelfth grade students from Tennessee during the 2001-2002 school year. The Algebra 1 Gateway Test and the Mathematics Section …

Composts, Biofumigation, Dazomet, And Integrated Treatments Influence Southern Blight, Yield, And Microbial Community Composition In Plasticulture Tomato Production, Martin T. Lyons

Doctoral Dissertations

Plasticulture vegetable production is an important agricultural industry in the United States. Advantages of utilizing plastic mulch in combination with trickle irrigation and fertigation include weed control, water conservation, erosion prevention, and avoidance of disease by restricting contact of vegetables with contaminated soil.

Southern Blight, caused by the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc., represents one of the major disease threats to tomato crops in the southeast United States. Integrated pre-plant soil treatments that can reduce pathogen propagule numbers and reestablish a balanced soil microecology have potential as effective, sustainable disease control strategies.

The soil treatments investigated in this study were …

Assessment Center Construct Validity : Establishing Expectations Based On The Dimension Activation Theory, Michelle A. Bush

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of assessment center dimension ratings within the confines of an extended trait activation theory. Specifically, previous findings of high within exercise rating correlations have led researchers to conclude that ratings are affected by halo. Conversely, the extended trait activation theory suggests that high correlations are a function of the different levels of activation potential for various dimensions rated in a given exercise. For dimensions having stronger activation potential, it is expected that high levels of between subject rating variance will evidence discriminant validity. However, it is expected that dimensions …

Photoproduction Of The K⁺K⁻(1750), Ryan Edward Mitchell

Doctoral Dissertations

While photoproduction has often been advertised as an important environment in which to study light meson spectroscopy, solid experimental results are sparse. In fact, beyond the relatively straightforward photoproduction of the p, w, and ¢ mesons, the few results of exclusive photoproduction that do exist are poorly understood, and several, perhaps, have even been misinterpreted. After extensively reviewing the sometimes tenuous history of the exclusive photoproduction of the "p'(1600)," the "w1r0(1 2 50)," the "w(1650)," and the "K+ K-(1750)," new results from the E 8 31/FOCUS photoproduction experiment at Fermilab are presented which address the interpretation of the K+ K-(1750). …

The Relationship Between Self-Directed Learning Readiness And Resilience Among Graduate Students, Mary Glenette Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-directed learning readiness and resilience among graduate students. A convenience sample of 148 graduate students was selected from three departments in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Participants were administered the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) developed by Guglielmino (1977), the Resilience Scale (RS) developed by Wagnild and Young (1987), and a demographic questionnaire to describe the sample. A significant positive correlation was found between SDLRS and RS mean scores (r = .61; p < .001). Other findings inc1ude positive correlation's with self-directed learning readiness and the resilience factors: personal competence and acceptance of self and life. Another positive correlation was found between self-directed learning readiness and age, that is, as age increases, SDLRS scores tend to increase. Significant regressions were found using the total RS scores and age. Tota] RS scores and age tend to explain 39.2% of the variability in the SDLRS. However, the personal competence factor of the RS explained 43.4% of the variability in the SDLRS. Recommendations for future research inc1ude replicating this study with diverse populations of graduate students in terms of racial identity. Research is also needed in self-directed learning readiness and resilience with other adult populations from community groups. Research is needed with different instruments that measure selfdirected learning readiness and resilience because most research on resilience has focused on children and there is a need to develop more research on resilience among adults. Finally, qualitative research is needed to provide a different perspective from the population through interviews.

Development Of Hydroxyl Free Radical Chemistry For The Surface Mapping Of Proteins, Joshua Shane Sharp

Doctoral Dissertations

In order to rapidly probe the structure of proteins in solution, a protocol for chemical modification of solvent accessible amino acid side chains was developed, and the sites of modification were determined by mass spectrometry to describe the surface of the protein. The knowledge gained about side chain solvent accessibility allowed the critical evaluation of structural models for the proteins examined, allowing incorrect models to be rejected and more likely models to be proposed. Methods were developed using either Fenton chemistry or photolysis of hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals in situ. The oxidation chemistry of these radicals with the …

An Investigation Of Personality Correlates Of Small Business Success, Kimberly Sue Owens

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to empirically examine the relationship between personality characteristics and small business success. A cluster of 14 personality variables were examined using a work-based measure of personality, the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), adapted for small business owners. Small business success was operationally defined in terms of financial and personal dimensions of success. The two criterion variables assessed were business performance and work satisfaction. It was hypothesized that business performance and work satisfaction are positively related.

One hundred forty-seven small business owners completed the web survey. Correlational analyses revealed personality characteristics were significantly related to …

Elucidation Of The Players And Events Regulating The First Meiotic Division In Mouse Spermatocytes, Amy Lynn Inselman

Doctoral Dissertations

Meiosis is the process that ensures the continued propagation of new organisms and is a source of genetic variability within a population. During meiotic prophase many dynamic rearrangements occur in the nucleus of the cell. These rearrangements include homologous chromosome pairing, recombination, synaptonemal complex breakdown, chromosome condensation and spindle assembly. The regulatory mechanisms behind these complex processes at the G2/MI transition have not been completely elucidated, preventing our complete understanding of the processes. The purpose of this work is to provide new insight to the events and players involved in the regulation of the G2/MI transition in mouse spermatocytes.

Part …

Factors Directing The Rna-Dependent Rna Polymerase Jump During Discontinuous Transcription In Coronaviruses, Hung-Yi Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

It has been 23 years since it was learned that coronavirus subgenomic messenger RNAs are unusual among virus messenger RNAs in that they are 5' and 3' co-terminal with the plus-strand RNA viral genome. Although it is generally agreed that the co-terminal structure is the result of a discontinuous transcription process whereby the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) jumps in a high-frequency (sequence) similarity-assisted manner (resembling copy-choice recombination) from a donor to an acceptor RNA strand, it is not known what mechanisms direct the Rd.Rp to jump. Here, with the use of a bovine coronavirus minireplicon (a defective interfering RNA), it …

The Effects Of The Facts Workshop On Faculty Attitudes Toward Community College Students With Learning Disabilities, Rob Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the FACTS workshop on faculty attitudes toward community college students with learning disabilities. The Attitudes Toward Students with Leaming Disabilities Survey was used to measure faculty attitudes toward LD students before and after the FACTS workshop, a researcherdesigned training intervention. The study examined responses from 264 faculty members from 7 different community colleges in western North Carolina using an experimental group (n = 214) and a control group (n = 50). The study was guided by two hypotheses. Hypothesis 1 (HO1) was that there would be no significant differences …

“A Hybrid Method For Selecting Scheduling Schemes In A Manufacturing Environment, Panagiotis Martinis

Masters Theses

Scheduling is defined as the allocation of resources, machinery or people, to accomplish specific tasks over a certain time-slot. Scheduling is one of the most important functions within an industrial system. Throughout a successful scheduling policy, the utilization of resources is optimized and goods are produced on time to meet demand, the basic elements that contribute to the welfare of the business. Simultaneously, scheduling has always been one of the most difficult and challenging tasks given the dynamic nature of the industrial environment. Under certain circumstances, it is often required revision of existing schedules. The action of revising existing schedules …

Tax Structure And Political Support: Equity-Related Goods Taxation., Jonathan Mckernan

Masters Theses

We focus this paper on a political economic question, What determines the U.S. states’ sales tax treatment of equity-related goods? We consider a good to be “equity related” when its consumption is essential to survival. States sometimes choose to tax these goods uniquely, often exempting them from the sales tax base. The equity-related goods for this paper are food, clothing, water, electricity, household fuel, and natural gas. All these goods are for home consumption. This question is relevant to the larger issue of how tax structure evolves or is determined. We test the theoretical explanation of tax structure determination that …

Design Of A Wide-Swing Cascode Beta Multiplier Current Reference, Bradley David Miser

Masters Theses

This thesis presents a study of the design of a wide-swing, cascode β multiplier current reference to be used as a biasing circuit. The current reference has been fabricated in a 0.5mm CMOS technology. First, a review of wide-swing cascode current mirrors and current-source self-biasing is covered. Then, the process of designing a current reference that is both wide-swing and has high output resistance is presented. Simulation and measurement results from the current reference are detailed. Improvements upon the current reference are also suggested.

A Simulation Based Approach For Determining Maintenance Strategies, Vasanth Murthi

Masters Theses

Manufacturing organizations are continuously in the mode of identifying and implementing mechanisms to achieve a competitive edge. To this point manufacturers have recognized the critical role of equipment in the productivity of manufacturing operations. With the current trend of manufacturers attempting to lean out their production processes, primary and auxiliary equipment have become even more important to manufacturers as measured by productivity, quality, delivery, and cost metrics. As a result of the focus on lean manufacturing, maintenance management has found a new vigor and purpose to increase equipment capacity and capability. However, the most proactive maintenance strategy is not always …

Performance Of Bit Error Rate And Power Spectral Density Of Ultra Wideband With Time Hopping Sequences., Joseph Martin Peek

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on several modulation methods for an ultra wideband (UWB) signal. These methods are pulse position modulation (PPM), binary phase shift keying (BPSK), on/off key shifting (OOK), and pulse amplitude modulation (PAM). In addition, time hopping is considered for these modulation schemes, where the capacity per time frame of time hopping PPM is studied using different spreading ratios. This thesis proves that with the addition of time hopping to all types of modulated UWB signals, the performance of power spectral density improves in all aspects, despite the increase of data per time frame. Note that despite the increase …

Screening Of Mutant Arabidopsis Thaliana And Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii For Their Potential Use As Phytosensors In 2,4,6 Trinitrotoluene (Tnt) Contaminated Environments, Nrupali Patel

Masters Theses

Plant biotechnology is a diverse field that is expanding from agricultural research towards environmental applications. The focus of this project was to exploit vegetative effects, such as photosynthesis and growth in genomic model organisms Arabidopsis thaliana and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) with a goal to develop biomonitoring systems. Plants and algae have evolved with various biochemical pathways that have the potential to be exploited for the use of sensing explosives and chemical warfare agents in soil, water and air. The first part of the project involved characterizing the effects of TNT on germination and early seedling development of wild-type …

Modeling Of Corrugated Graphite Foam Heat Exchangers, Timothy Henry Norton Jr.

Masters Theses

A new manufacturing process was recently developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the production of graphite foam. The high thermal conductivity and heat transfer area of the foam make it desirable for thermal management applications such as compact heat exchangers. The heat transfer capabilities of the foam are especially useful in internal forced convection applications. However, due to the very low permeability of graphite foam, pressure-drop is very high compared to other porous media, and pressuredrop reduction schemes are necessary to ensure its practical application. Pressure-drop reduction can be achieved through the strategic machining of graphite foam into …

Parameter Study On Topology Optimization Of Constrained Layer Damping Treatments, Rohan Vinay Pai

Masters Theses

This study investigates the optimal topology of a constrained layer damping treatment involving viscoelastic materials under a static load for different boundary conditions in order to maximize the damping loss factor for the first vibrating mode of the base structure. Different parameter studies are carried out for the two boundary conditions and conclusions are drawn based on the loss factor results and the novel topologies that emerge from these optimization results. The novel topologies are then used to interpret shapes that are more reasonable to manufacture. Tremendous improvement in the loss factor (up to 1250%) is obtained by topology optimization …

Current Assessment And Future Prediction Of Forest Cover Change In Cumberland And Morgan Counties, Tennessee: A Modeling Technique, Jeffery David Strickland

Masters Theses

Determining the relationship between human disturbance of the environment and natural forest change is critical for sound natural resource planning. Improved land cover modeling techniques that incorporate geographic information systems and statistical models are needed to assist in this analysis. Continued forest fragmentation due to increasing population and urbanization has created a growing interest in forest protection for the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. Specifically, Cumberland and Morgan Counties have seen unprecedented population growth over the last two decades, resulting in fragmentation of forestland. This study developed a model to determine the probability of exurbia development and its resulting forest fragmentation. …

A Current Analysis Of Retail Provision Within Metropolitan Areas Of The Southeastern United States, William Archibald Albaugh

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to ascertain the factors governing a metropolitan area's (MSA's) retail provision and to determine the degree of influence these factors imposed upon the particular metropolitan area. This thesis was an extension of earlier research performed on randomly selected cities throughout the United States. For this analysis, I selected 78 metropolitan areas, comprising all census-designated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MS As) in the Southeastern states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. I utilized the National Research Bureau's 2003 Shopping Center Directory as the predominant source of data to determine …

(Re)Imagining An Urban Identity : Knoxville And Its 1982 International Energy Exposition, Jennifer Bradley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the changing perceptions of identity in relation to urbanity in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 1982 International Energy Exposition was the pivotal event in this study, a study that spanned roughly a century of Knoxville urbanization. This study was done through primary sources such as city plans, energy studies, and programs of city revitalization, restoration, and beautification. The primary sources used were then compared to traditional urban and environmental historiographies to establish a sense of where Knoxville fit in. The research revealed that Knoxville mirrored much of Southern trends in urbanization until 1982. The …

Lanthanide Separations Using Rate-Controlled Solvent Extraction, Angela Denise Brooks

Masters Theses

In this study, certain trivalent lanthanide ions (Nd+3, Sm+3, Eu+3, D/3, Tm+3, and Yb+3) along with Sc+3 and Y-3, were complexed with DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) and extracted into a water-immiscible kerosene layer containing DEHP A ( di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid). Data were collected by measuring the cation content of the post-extraction aqueous phase via atomic emission. The purpose of this study was to investigate the kinetics and separation efficiencies in the extractions of binary mixtures via non-equilibrium solvent extraction and to compare these results with equilibrium results. In addition, mixture data were compared to results obtained from studies of extractions containing a …

Effects Of Economic Transition On Income, Occupation, And Racial Distributions In Birmingham, Alabama 1970-1990, Kendrick James Curtis

Masters Theses

Manufacturing no longer constitutes the predominant economic activity in advanced economies. This leading role has been replaced by the provision of services. As economies experience increasing concentrations in service sector occupations, one must consider the effects such alterations have on the intraurban distributions of occupation, income, and race. The link between economic restructuring and increased sociospatial inequality in global cities has been subject to recent study. Changes at other levels of the urban hierarchy have not been addressed. To examine effects in a middle tier metropolitan area, Birmingham, Alabama was selected as the site of my research. Though an important …

Structure Function Studies Of Sml1, An Inhibitor Of Dna : Synthesis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Lezlee Turner Dice

Masters Theses

Smll is a protein found in yeast that is implicated in regulating ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and is a member of the Rad53/Mecl cell cycle checkpoint pathway. RNR catalyzes the reduction of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. This action is the ratelimiting step of DNA precursor synthesis. 5ml 1 has been shown in other studies to bind to Rnrl, of yeast, thereby inhibiting the reduction activity when DNA synthesis is not required (Zhao, X., Mueller, EGO., and Rothstein, R. ( 1998)). The project presented here utilizes recombinant, truncated mutant forms of Smll and site-directed mutants to investigate the oligomerization and phosphorylation of Smll. …

Nano-Mechanics Of A Micro Cantilever Beam Excited By Interactive Atomic Forces, Lee Peter Doane

Masters Theses

The objective of this research was to predict the dynamic behavior of a microcantilever tip, commonly used in atomic force microscopes. This was done by examining the horizontal force component of the forces between one atom on the tip of a microcantilever and a single row of atoms lying within an adjacent surface. This model does not include an energy dissipation mechanism between the moving atom on the tip and the surface atoms. The system is conservative and therefore the interactive forces cannot be considered as true friction. The atomic force microscope (AFM) is typically used to measure friction at …

Combination Of Pca And Dwt Features From Hyperspectral Images For Skin Tumor Detection, John Thomas Fletcher

Masters Theses

In this paper, the detection of skin tumors using hyperspectral fluorescence images of poultry carcasses is investigated. Skin tumors are not always visually obvious. The visual region of the spectrum may be too limited to meet all the requirements so that the tumors may be accurately classified so the multiple bands from hyperspectral imaging may be of some use. Each of the hyperspectral fluorescence images will consist of 65 spectral bands ranging from 425 nm to 711 nm. Multiple detection schemes will utilized to provide adequate classification rates. Principal component analysis PCA) and discrete wavelet transforms (DWT) are utilized to …