Digital Commons Network^™

Molecular And Genetic Analysis Of Soybean Cdc2 Related Sequences, Natalia Taranenko

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Parallel Approaches For The The Vehicle Routing Problem, Benjamin Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Estimating The Largest Singular Values/Vectors Of Large Sparce Matrices Via Modified Moments, Sowmini Varadhan

Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Small Town In The Global Economy : A Case Study Of Development And Resistance In A Southern Appalachian Industrial Center, Christopher Warren Baker

Doctoral Dissertations

This project provides an critical interdisciplinary case history of development in Hamblen County, Tennessee from settlement to the present. Hamblen County represents a successful rural industrial center in the Tennessee Valley. The main goal is to understand how the global economy, the state, local elites, and community resistance combined to shape development and growth over this time period. The time periods covered coincide with phases of the global economy. Few studies of Appalachian communities look at the link between local development in the context of the changing global economic system. As such, this project offers a micro and macro approach …

The Aqueous Alteration Of Cm Carbonaceous Chondrites, Lauren B. Browning

Doctoral Dissertations

The first multi-parameter scaling procedure for determining the relative degree of aqueous alteration that individual CM carbonaceous chondritic meteorites experienced is introduced. Modal proportions and average phyllosilicate compositions from 9 CM falls define 3 progressive alteration indices that are then used to identify 3 additional alteration trends based on whole-rock chemical data obtained from the literature. The proposed parameters produce a self-consistent order for the relative extent of alteration that the analyzed samples experienced, while the identified correlations themselves suggest constraints on asteroidal conditions during the alteration process. Sulfide rinds are ~10 μm thick coatings of fine-grained sulfides and phyllosilicates …

Instructional Strategies For Teaching About Culture In Grades Six Through Eight, Lesia C. Lennex

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the instructional strategies and cultural content within middle school social studies. classrooms. A survey of twenty-two multipart questions was mailed to ninety-four teachers and five intern teachers in grades six, seven, and eight of one urban system in East Tennessee. Respondents were asked to describe their educational preparation, personal backgrounds, and present school environment as well as specific instructional strategies used for teaching about other cultures.

The survey consisted of seven multipart questions with Likert-type responses, eleven multipart questions in which participants were asked to provide information regarding content instruction and educational …

The Third-Person Effect And Attitudes Toward Freedom Of Expression, Mark A. Paxton

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the third-person effect and its relationship to support for freedom of expression. Previous research has found substantial support for the existence of the third-person effect, a theoretical approach in which people tend to believe that they are largely immune to media messages but that other people are much more susceptible; that is, media messages don't affect "me" or "you," but they affect "everyone else." A number of researchers have speculated that this third-person effect could explain censorship; people believe others are adversely affected by media messages, so they want to restrict expression to protect them from these …

Growth Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, And Spoilage Microorganisms On Green Beans Affected By Salt, Antimicrobials, Modified Atmosphere Packaging, And Storage Temperature, Wei Tan

Doctoral Dissertations

Growth and survival of Listeria monocytogenes. Salmonella typhimurium, and spoilage microorganisms in minimally processed green beans as influenced by modified atmosphere packaging, storage temperature, salt treatment, and antimicrobial dips were investigated. Green beans were snipped, washed, dipped in a chlorine solution (200 ppm), and soaked in a 20% NaCl solution for 20 min. Green beans were inoculated with 10³-10⁴ CFU/g of L. monocytogenes Scott A or S. typhimurium, packaged in plastic bags under air or vacuum, and stored at 5,10, or 15°C. Growth of L. monocytogenes, S. typhimurium, and spoilage microorganisms (mesophilic aerobes, psychrotrophs, coliforms, …

An Examination Of Railroad Capacity And Its Implications For Rail-Highway Intermodal Transportation, David Bruce Clarke

Doctoral Dissertations

After many years of decline in market share, railroads are now experiencing an increasing demand for their services. Service intensive intermodal transportation seems to be an especially promising market area. Since the historic decline in traffic has been accompanied by a reduction in network infrastructure, however, the railroads' ability to handle sizable traffic increases, at least in the short term, is in question. Since rail transportation is critical to the domestic economy of the nation, and is increasingly important in international logistics channels, shortfalls in railroad capacity are not desirable.

The published literature on railroad capacity is relatively sparse, especially …

Adsorption, Dissipation And Movement Of Fluometuron And Norflurazon In Three Southeastern Soils, William Thomas Willian

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies were conducted in 1992 and 1993 to evaluate the adsorption, dissipation, and movement of fluometuron and norflurazon in three soils representative of the cotton growing regions of the southeastern United States. Field experiments were established in Jackson, Tennessee; Stoneville, Mississippi; and Griffin, Georgia on areas which had no fluometuron or norflurazon exposure for three years prior to plot establishment. The studies utilized a randomized complete block design and treatments were replicated four times in tilled areas.

Fluometuron and norflurazon were applied preemergence (PRE) at 1.7 kg ai ha^-1 broadcast. Soil samples were obtained in one of two ways: …

Atec: The Aerodyanmic Turbine Engine Code For The Analysis Of Transient And Dynamic Gas Turbine Engine System Operations, Glenn Douglas Garrard

Doctoral Dissertations

A new one-dimensional, time dependent aerothermodynamic mathematical model and computer simulation of the gas turbine engine has been developed and is introduced herein. The Aerodynamic Turbine Engine Code (ATEC) simulates the operation of the gas turbine engine by solving conservation equations, expressed as one dimensional, time dependent Euler equations, with turbomachinery source terms. By incorporating both implicit and explicit equation solvers, transient simulations of the gas turbine engine can be conducted efficiently while maintaining the capability of simulating dynamic events such as compressor stall. ATEC can also be used to address dynamic events or steady-state processes to model both on- …

Comparison Of The Effect Of Instructional Versus Industry-Specific Computer Simulation On Students Learning In A Front Office Management Course, Mohamed Abdul-Ghani

Doctoral Dissertations

A survey was administered to assess the current and future state of academic computer use in teaching front office management courses, and to evaluate the degree of importance educators of these courses placed in various features of educational software. In addition, an instructional or industry-specific computer simulation program was integrated in a front office management course for undergraduate students. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if there were any differences in students' knowledge of the subject matter, attitude toward computers, and ability to transfer the learned skills to another industry-specific software, which could be attributed to the usage …

Elastic-Plastic Fracture Toughness Determination Under Some Difficult Conditions, Kang Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

The J_Ic value and J-R curve have been widely used to characterize elastic-plastic fracture behavior in modern engineering practice. Their determination has been standardized. To Determine the J_Ic value and the J-R curve using the ASTM standard test methods, three measurements, load, displacement and crack length, must be obtained simultaneously from the test. This may sometimes be difficult or even impossible due to the restrictions of test equipment, adverse environments, test conditions or test arrangements.

Recently, a method of normalization has been introduced by Landes and his group as a convenient way for J-R curve determination. This method …

The Effect Of School Size And The Interaction Of School Size And Class Type On Selected Student Achievement Measures In Tennessee Elementary Schools, Kenneth Earl Nye

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze student academic achievement in reading and mathematics for grades K through 3 to determine if there was a school-size effect. This study further analyzed whether the school-size effect differed across the three class types: small (S), regular (R), and regular with aide (RA), to which students had been assigned. Several null hypotheses were posited regarding the effect of school size and interaction of the school-size effect with each of the three class types on the academic achievement of students.

This study of school size benefited from having an extant database of information …

An Analysis Of Study Abroad Administration At U.S. Colleges And Universities, Trevor Nelson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the organizational structures and practices that appear to characterize successful study abroad operations in U.S. colleges and universities. The researcher was also interested to know if these differ from the organizational structures and practices of less successful operations. Institutional members of NAFSA: Association of International Educators affiliatied with the Section on U.S. Students Studying Abroad (SECUSSA) were surveyed by means of a questionnaire. A total of 348 usable questionnaires (a 52.6% response rate) were returned from universities and four year colleges which were then placed into four groups-large private, smallprivate, large public …

Capitalism, Regional Development, And Place Formation: An Analysis Of The Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1860-1900, John Edward Benhart

Doctoral Dissertations

The full importance of investment and capital as a driving force in American life and the development of landscapes is only beginning to be understood by mainstream American geography. The regional approach, important in testing theories and uncovering linkages in life processes has the potential to contribute to the understanding of how capitalism shapes landscapes. It is perhaps in the formation of regional economies and landscapes that capitalism most thoroughly influences the worlds in which people live; it determines their housing, their jobs, their environs. This dissertation examines the impact of different phases of capitalism on the Upper Tennessee River …

Dropping A Line Into A Creek And Pulling Out A Whale: A Phenomenological Study Of Six Teachers' Experiences Of Their Students' Stories Of Learning, Mary Kathryn Kramp

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a study of six college teachers' narratives of their experiences of their students' stories of learning. These six teachers took part in a two year project supported by Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), in which participants created opportunities in their courses for their students to tell their stories of learning, thereby allowing their students to self-assess their learning and senses of self as learners. Their students' stories became a context for these teachers to reflect upon their teaching and senses of self as teachers. Results of the FIPSE project showed they made significant changes in …

A Human Factors Evaluation Of Retroreflective Markings For Freight Cars, Robert Estel Ford

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop guidelines and recommendations for the design of retroreflective marking systems to enhance the conspicuity of rail cars at night. Specifically, the research provided human performance data that can be used to design marking systems for any large object that needs to be detected by motorists in a low contrast environment. Three methods were used generate and evaluate marking systems that were believed capable of enhancing rail car conspicuity. First, a group of human factors and transpor-tation engineers used the Nominal Group Technique to generate 10 retroreflective rail car marking systems, three of …

Transport Of Aquatic Contaminant And Assessment Of Radioecological Exposure With Spatial And Temporal Effects, Ying Feng

Doctoral Dissertations

A comprehensive study of the radioecological exposure assessment for a contaminated aquatic ecosystem has been performed in this dissertation. The primary objectives of this research were to advance the understanding of radiation exposure in nature and to increase current capabilities for estimating aquatic radiation exposure with the consideration of spatial and temporal effects in nature. This was accomplished through the development of a two-dimensional aquatic exposure assessment framework and by applying the framework to the contaminated Chernobyl cooling lake (pond). This framework integrated spatial and temporal heterogeneity effects of contaminant concentration, abundance and distribution of ecosystem populations, spatial- and temporal-dependent …

Group Size And Social Behavior In A Temperate Spider, Anelosimus Studiosus (Araneae: Theridiidae), Robert Emmett Furey

Doctoral Dissertations

Spiders in the Anelosimus studiosus species group with the largest geographic distribution are quasisocial, showing true cooperative behavior. Furthermore, the geographic range of quasisocial behavior in this group is correlated with annual precipitation while temperature seems to be of secondary importance. Anelosimus studiosus shows behavior exhibited by the most advanced social spiders, fulfilling the three classical conditions of spider sociality: interattraction, tolerance and cooperation. Interattraction in A. studiosus was found as a tendency to aggregate, based on both lab tests and field observations. Tolerance for conspecifics was directly observed in both field and lab colonies. Cooperation, like tolerance, was found …

Construct Validation Of Three Early Memory Probes : Assessing Dependency, Transitional Relatedness, And Ego-Relatedness With The Early Memories Test, James Christopher Fowler

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study the construct validity and clinical utility of three early memory probes are investigated. Early memory probes assessing themes of dependency, transitional relatedness, and ego-relatedness were empirically validated by comparing memory scores to construct specific content scales from the Rorschach Test, as well as theoretically and empirically derived behavioral ratings. Sixty-five psychiatric patients and their therapists participated in the study. Results demonstrated moderate to strong correlations among the early memory scores and the Rorschach scale scores, thus demonstrating good concurrent validity. Two of the three early memory probes (dependency and transitional relatedness) were significantly correlated with therapist ratings …

An Investigation Into The Comparability Of Hypothetical And Actual Markets For An Environmental Public Good, David Michael Fletcher

Doctoral Dissertations

Currently two methods are commonly employed to estimate the value of an environmental resource. These are the travel cost method and the contingent valuation method. This dissertation empirically examines whether the hypothetical nature of the contingent valuation method produces a hypothetical bias. The results of this dissertation indicate that hypothetical methods, such as the contingent valuation method, may indeed systematically overestimate the value of environmental public goods due to the presence of a hypothetical bias.

Supplier Certification : Utilization And Value In The Purchase Of Industrial Transportation Services, Brian J. Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations

Transportation purchasing has become a strategic activity that serves as a cornerstone for JIT programs and global sourcing/selling initiatives. As a result, transportation managers are faced with the daunting task of simultaneously reducing inventory levels, increasing service levels, and controlling costs. They need the ability to identify strong carriers, evaluate their performance, and build strong relationships with those of the highest quality. One strategy with the potential to identify exceptional carriers is supplier certification. This research filled a void in the literature regarding the application of certification to the purchase of industrial transportation services. Carrier certification was analyzed through an …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experience And Expression Of Anger Among Women With Cardiovascular Disease And Breast Cancer, Gayle Stubbs Garrison

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the relationship between the emotion of anger and physical illness among women with cardiovascular disease and breast cancer using a phenomenological approach. Participants for the study included 10 women with cardiovascular disease and 10 women with breast cancer. The women in this study ranged in age from 44 to 75 years of age, and the time that had elapsed since diagnosis ranged from 7 months to 31 years. Participants were interviewed in-depth about their experience of anger. Each was asked to respond to the following question: "Please think of some times when you have …

Preparative Ion Exchange Chromatography Of Proteins From Dairy Whey, Steven Jay Gerberding

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to develop preparative liquid chromatographic methods for the separation of the four major proteins and lactose from dairy whey. Experiments using a new commercial anion exchange resin were carried out to determine the optimum conditions for initially separating the proteins alpha lacta-lbumin, beta lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin, and immunoglobulin G from a sweet dairy whey mixture. The separation was accomplished with simultaneous step elution changes in salt concentration and pH. It was found that the anion exchange step was most effective in separating beta lactoglobulin from the feed mixture. Following the anion exchange separation, …

A Sudden Feast : The Domestic Life And Poetry Of Emily Dickinson's Prose, Anna Dunlap Higgins

Doctoral Dissertations

This New HIstoricist-based study examines the relationship among Emily Dickinson's prose, her poetic vision, and the domestic life. Chapter one provides an overview of three strands of Dickinson scholarship: the history of commentary on the poetic nature of the letters, the criticism that speaks of Emily Dickinson's life at home, and the scholarship that focuses on Dickinson and domesticity. Ultimately, my work brings these three approaches together, an investigation of the domestic woman poet's life and experience of poetic insight as they are revealed in the poetic passages of her letters. Chapter two examines the link between nineteenth-century ideals about …

The Administrative And Educational Practices Of Shared Governance In Baccalaureate Nursing Programs In The State Of Tennessee, Mary Lynn Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the practices of shared governance leadership in approved baccalaureate nursing programs in the state of Tennessee and to identify the skills and experiences that graduate nurses need to function in health care organizations that practice shared governance. Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed through the use of a Leadership Survey and semi-structured interview guide. These instruments were specifically developed from leadership characteristics and dimensions defined in the literature and research questions to address the study. Eight schools of nursing in the state of Tennessee participated in the survey phase of data collection. …

Retailing Merger And Acquisition Activity 1973-1992 : Pre-Acquisition Conditions And Post-Acquisition Performance, Linda M. Cushman

Doctoral Dissertations

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have played a fundamental role in changing the face of the retail industry over the past two decades. The FTC and others have listed five motivating factors behind M&A activity, including a desire for profitability in the form of returns, acquisition of undervalued companies, increasing sales growth, and effective utilization of resources. A study of over 450 retail firms (acquiring, targets, and nonactive between 1973 and 1992) was conducted to test for pre-acquisition conditions and post-acquisition performance. A total of eleven variables internal to the individual firm, including market-to-book value, firm size, cash flow, earnings per …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Experience Of Being Labeled, Traci Lynn Clayton

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a thematic description of what individuals are aware of during their experiences of being labeled. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze the transcribed interviews of twelve participants who discussed various situations in which they experienced being labeled. A thematic analysis of the data produced four focal themes: 1) Fit; 2) Limits and Possibilities; 3) Visible and/or Different; and 4) Accepted or Rejected by Others. The four themes appeared meaningful in a context of interpersonal relationships in which the person defines" Who I Am." This study greatly extends our understanding of the …

Domestic Love In The Poetry Of Jorge Guillén, Patrick Clay Conley

Doctoral Dissertations

Scholars have long recognized that love is the central theme of Jorge Guillén's poetry. Following Luisa Perdigó's assessment that the source of love in Guillén's masterpiece, Cántico, is an intimate human one, we show that the domestic character of this love provides the structure for Cántico and subsequent works. This study examines the domestic cycles of Cántico through the literary vehicles of the Genesis account and a modified Neoplatonism, light expressed as being, which is the principal symbol in Guillén's work. The stages of domesticity: the founding of a home, courtship, marriage, loss of a mate, the birth of children, …