Digital Commons Network^™

Attitudes Of Employers Toward Exceptional Students (Ages 14-17) In Vocational Education Programs, Eunice A. Ervin

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate attitudes towards exceptional education students participating in vocational employment internships within Prince William County public high schools.

Availability Of Tuition Assistance Funding Effects On Educational Pursuits, Geneva M. Dooley

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to investigate how the availability of tuition assistance funding effects the educational pursuits of marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico during fiscal years 2013 and 2014.

Socioeconomic Status And Study Abroad: Participation, Academic Performance, And Graduation, Steven Douglas Bell

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Research into retention, academic performance, and degree completion of study abroad program participants positively correlates with the assertion of Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, Whitt, and Associates (2005) that study abroad is a high-impact educational activity. Literature on study abroad participation, academic performance, and graduation status is limited. This quantitative study adds to the literature on study abroad, and specifically examines to what extent participation, academic performance, and graduation at four and six years for study abroad students differ by socioeconomic status.

The Change Process And Sustainability: The Experience Of School Administrators, Heidi R. Brezinski

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions and experiences of school administrators with change initiatives in their district to reveal the factors necessary for sustainability of effective change. The study was established on research concerning organizational change and change sustainability. For the purpose of this study, the research on organizational change was examined, while utilizing a lens of Michael Fullan’s Model for Change and Eight Elements of Sustainability. In this design, the perceptions and experiences of the school administrators within Coastal City School District were examined based on a 10-year timeframe of change initiatives within the district. …

Energy As A Factor For Turkish - Russian Rapprochement, Saltuk Bugra Karahan

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation started with a simple question: What was the main source of Turkish-Russian rapprochement seen generally after the end of the Cold War, specifically within the last 15 years (2001-2015)? A review of the literature on the subject revealed three explanations for Turkish-Russian rapprochement: (1) Perception of the U.S. as a threat in the Black Sea and Caucasus region, (2) Deterioration of Turkey’s relations with the West, and (3) Turkey’s need for energy. Thus came the main question for this work: To what extent does Turkey’s need for energy play a role in Turkish-Russian rapprochement? Although each of the …

Employee Opportunism In Two Early Modern British Trading Companies, Robert Franklin Unger

History Theses & Dissertations

The English East India Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company were the most prominent of a score or more of seventeenth and eighteenth century joint stock European trading companies whose merchants conducted their trading activities around the globe. The extraordinary distances and length of time that separated the London directorate committees of both companies from their distant employees was perhaps their greatest managerial challenge. Neither company could directly supervise their employees at their remote trading concessions, whether it was India and the East Indies for the East India Company or sub-arctic North America for the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Because of …

An Evaluation Of Game Fiction-Enhanced Training: Using Narrative To Improve Trainee Reactions And Learning, Michael Beaumont Armstrong

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Gamification is growing in popularity in instructional contexts like education and workplace training, but it is unclear which game elements are specifically conducive to improve learning outcomes. Narratives, which represent one way the game element “game fiction” is commonly implemented, have been used to improve learning outcomes over expository texts in the context of psycholinguistics, whereas the Technology-Enhanced Training Effectiveness Model (TETEM) proposes that certain individual differences impact the relationships between technology-enhanced training and learning outcomes. From this theoretical basis, this study gamified a training session with game fiction in order to improve reactions to training and learning over the …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Tick Parasitism Rates In Birds Of Southeastern Virginia, Erin Leigh Heller

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The coastal region of southeastern Virginia is one of the largest urban areas along one of North America’s migratory flyways. Because hundreds of avian species use this flyway, understanding factors affecting birds and their health is of paramount concern. Within this region, 14 species of ticks have been documented, all of which may serve as vectors of mammal (including human) pathogens. By sampling birds at sites of varying levels of urbanization within the coastal southeastern urban matrix, I studied the relationship between ticks and their avian hosts, and how this relationship varies seasonally. Mistnets were set-up at five permanent sites …

New Engineering Approaches To Arrhythmias And Myocardial Infarction, Frency Varghese

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we present new engineering approaches to several important cardiac diseases. Chapter 1 considers the dynamics of arrhythmias. The most dangerous arrhythmias are reentrant arrhythmias, including ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. During these arrhythmias, there are one or several rotating excitation waves present in the heart. Because of their shape, these waves are called scroll waves; their center of rotation is a one-dimensional curve called the filament. Filaments largely constrain the configuration of a scroll wave but are much simpler, so much effort has gone into describing scroll wave dynamics in terms of the dynamics of their filaments. …

Numerical Studies And Optimization Of Magnetron With Diffraction Output (Mdo) Using Particle-In-Cell Simulations, Alireza Majzoobi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The first magnetron as a vacuum-tube device, capable of generating microwaves, was invented in 1913. This thesis research focuses on numerical simulation-based analysis of magnetron performance. The particle-in-cell (PIC) based MAGIC software tool has been utilized to study the A6 and the Rising-Sun magnetron structures, and to obtain the optimized geometry for optimizing the device performance. The A6 magnetron is the more traditional structure and has been studied more often. The Rising-Sun geometry, consists of two alternating groups of short and long vanes in angular orientation, and was created to achieve mode stability.

The effect of endcaps, changes in lengths …

Relationships Among Student Identity Development, Sense Of Community, And Academic Adjustment In Community College Distance Learners, Lorrie Coe-Meade

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Student identity development is an important aspect of college life for traditional age college students and may influence learning. Sense of community in online courses may also promote learning. A non-experimental, correlational research design was used to determine how student identity development and sense of community independently and together predict academic adjustment. Traditional-age students, 18-25, from ten rural-serving, suburban-serving, or urban-serving community colleges in a Southeastern state in the United States who had taken distance learning courses and a minimum of twelve credits were administered three survey instruments during spring or fall semester. The Student Developmental Task & Lifestyle Assessment …

Synthesis, Characterisation, Electrochemical, And Spectroscopic Studies Of Cobaloximes: Unique Clues Of Cobalt(I) Species In Various Solvents, Michael John Celestine

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

With the dwindling amount of fossil fuels in the world’s reserve is said to run out in the future. The use of alternative fuels such as hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources. One source is the use of first row transition metal complexes that can harness the power of the sun to reduce protons to hydrogen. In this thesis we investigated a well-known hydrogen evolution catalyst in a quest to understand the behavior of different oxidation states that occur during the catalytic cycle.

In an attempt to synthesize a binuclear ruthenium(II) complex, [{Ru(phen)2}2{µmes(1,4-phO-Izphen)3}](PF6)4, as a possible photosensitizer for the …

Diabetes Status, Predisposing, Enabling, And Oral Health Illness Level Variables As Predictors Of Preventive And Emergency Dental Service Use, Sabha Alshatrat

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between diabetes and dental service use. This study addressed the question of whether individuals with diabetes are more or less likely to utilize dental services, measured in terms of preventive and emergency services during the past year. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the contributions of diabetes status to dental service use, relative to the contributions of Andersen and Newman Framework of Health Services Utilization dimensions (predisposing, enabling, and illness variables) in predicting dental service utilization during the past year using a nationally representative sample from a 2001-2002 National …

Residential Segregation In Norfolk, Virginia: How The Federal Government Reinforced Racial Division In A Southern City, 1914-1959, Kevin Lang Ringelstein

History Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines how Norfolk, Virginia maintained residential segregation between the years 1914, when the city passed its first segregation ordinance, and 1959, when it received the All-America City Award for its massive slum clearance projects. By focusing on federal government initiatives in Norfolk, it shows that Norfolk’s leaders used the federal government’s assistance to map, analyze, and remove the city’s African American slums. Ultimately, it highlights the central role the federal government played in perpetuating residential segregation in Norfolk and how it opened a space for Norfolk’s leaders to act on their prejudice.

This thesis demonstrates that in the …

'Home Was Congo': Refugees And Durable Displacement In The Borderlands Of 1,000 Hills, Erika Frydenlund

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

As forced migrants linger at the borders of the world’s conflicts, refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rwanda remain in camps where they have waited for ‘durable solutions’ to their geographic and political existence for nearly two decades. Protracted displacement such as this results from processes at the local, state, regional, and international levels, with consequences reverberating each of these levels, including insecurity, expenditure of already limited resources, and strained interstate political relationships. As refugees’ stays extend to increasingly long periods of time, situations once assumed to be temporary take on a semblance of permanence. Forced displacement increasingly …

Risk Factors For Military Sexual Trauma: Pre-Military Trauma, Psychological Adjustment, Combat Exposure, And Alcohol Use At The Time Of The Trauma, Brittany Hollis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Military sexual trauma (MST) is a serious and understudied problem in the military. It may be a particularly important problem for women who have experienced pre-military trauma (i.e., childhood physical or sexual abuse). This study examined the role that premilitary trauma plays in the development of poor psychological adjustment (i.e., depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms) and whether psychological adjustment mediates the relationship between pre-military trauma and MST in a sample of 169 military women recruited from the community. Combat exposure and alcohol use at the time of the trauma by the victim, were examined as potential moderators of the relationship …

Dwelling In Time, Dwelling In Structures: Disintegration In World Politics, Jan Adam Nalaskowski

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aims to propose a general theory of disintegration. This subject is not treated directly by some theoretical accounts and mistreated by others. European integration theories are fashioned to explain the greater integration process while game-theoretic approaches to withdrawals and secessions, even if treating disintegration directly, fail to include critically responsible factors. This dissertation offers a constructive criticism of both accounts. Since neither turning integration theories symmetrically around nor direct, game-theoretic assessment of disintegration help to provide sufficient explanation, it is suggested that the problem of symmetrical reversal and rational conduct must be revised.

Disintegration fails to follow the …

Wildlife Crime And Other Challenges To Resource System Resilience, Patricia Anne Raxter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Although wildlife crime has exploded in Africa over the past decade —“commercial poaching” now kills an estimated eight percent of the continent’s elephant population each year—some governments have proven more successful than others at protecting wildlife and preserving habitats. To explain this variation, this study examines how the policies of three states (Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana) have enhanced or undermined the resilience of the continent’s elephant ecosystem. Using the social-ecological system framework, the study illustrates how each state’s changing practices have either exacerbated the stresses wrought by wildlife crime or successfully protected local populations from poaching. The study finds that …

Source-Specific Molecular Signatures For Light-Absorbing Organic Aerosols, Amanda Susan Willoughby

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Organic aerosols (OA) are universally regarded as an important component of the atmosphere based on quantitative significance as well as the far-reaching impact they have on global climate forcing and human health. Despite the acknowledged importance, OA amounts and impacts remain the largest uncertainties regarding radiative forcing estimates. Incomplete chemical characterization of aerosol organic matter (OM) and a lack of concrete source apportionment is a major source of this uncertainty. The primary focus of this study is to provide much needed molecular details regarding ambient OA from key emission sources, and establish links between molecular and optical properties.

Complete chemical …

Dental Consumers' Perceptions Of Dental Hygienists With Visible Tattoos, Amanda Brooke Verissimo

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if visible tattoos affected the perceptions of dental consumers toward the professionalism and credibility of dental hygienists.

Methods: An 11 item, IRB approved investigator designed survey was administered online to 203 subjects invited to participate via a commercial web source. Surveys were randomized according to respondents' birth month. Participants viewed one of three photographs of a dental hygiene model wearing short-sleeved scrubs without a tattoo, with a large sleeve tattoo on the arm or with a small tattoo on the wrist. Participants scored each photograph on a 5-point Likert scale based …

Using Eye And Head Movements As A Control Mechanism For Tele-Operating A Ground-Based Robot And Its Payload, Kathryn C. Hicks

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

To date, eye and head tracking has been used to indicate users' attention patterns while performing a task or as an aid for disabled persons, to allow hands-free interaction with a computer. The increasing accuracy and the reduced cost of eye- and head-tracking equipment make utilizing this technology feasible for explicit control tasks, especially in cases where there is confluence between the visual task and control.

The goal of this research was to investigate the use of eye-tracking as a more natural interface for the control of a camera-equipped, remotely operated robot in tasks that require the operator to simultaneously …

Comparing Nutrient Recovery Via Rapid (Flash Hydrolysis) And Conventional Hydrothermal Liquefaction Processes For Microalgae Cultivation, Caleb Richard Talbot

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Algal biofuels have the potential to provide a scalable source of renewable fuels in the near future. The high nutrient use in algae cultivation and its recovery and recycling is one of the challenges that may limit the scalability and sustainability of algal biofuels. The present study evaluates the use of Hydrolysate obtained after Flash Hydrolysis (FH) of Scenedesmus at 280 C as a nutrient source for microalgae cultivation. FH Hydrolysate nutrient recycling was compared with low temperature batch Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) nutrient recycling. Oocystis and Scenedesmus were cultivated using Hydrolysate as a partial phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N) source. …

Dna Repair Deficiency In Huntington's Disease Fibroblasts And Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Peter Anthony Mollica

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Mutant huntingtin protein (mhtt)– the protein responsible for cellular dysfunction in Huntington’s disease (HD) –is a product of an expanded trinucleotide repeat (TNR) cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) sequence in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene. The pathology of HD has been extensively researched; however, the mechanism by which the disease-causing TNR expansions occur in somatic cells remains elusive. Interestingly, HD has often been referred to a ‘DNA repair disease’, even though DNA repair dysfunction in situ has not been identified. We hypothesized that presence of the mhtt protein affects the expression of DNA repair genes used to address DNA repair, ultimately …

Resiliency Of Community College Students With Adverse Childhood Experiences, Laura Elizabeth Brogden

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as defined by Drs. Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda are prevalent in the general population of the United States. These childhood traumas are strongly related to risky behaviors and poor health outcomes. The results of childhood stress may influence students at community colleges. This study of community college students with identified adverse childhood experiences will describe their perceived experiences in community colleges as they relate to their success and completion. This study is done in a framework of resilience in order to identify factors which may be influential in students’ progress and completion. Keywords: community college, …

Institutions Of Higher Education And Cultural Heritage Tourism: A Case Study Of The Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, Terence Michael Gilley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The southwest region of Virginia has an unstable economy, which cycles through periods of growth and decline. The strategic plans for southwest Virginia propose cultural heritage tourism as a sustainable industry for economic development of this rural region. Institutions of higher education provide education and training for a qualified workforce and community service. This qualitative, single case study on The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail examines the roles of institutions of higher education with regard to cultural heritage tourism for sustainable community and economic development in rural areas. The data sources for this study are the administrators of …

Examining The Factors Related To Bisexual Individuals' Preference For Future Parenting Partner, Laurin Beth Roberts

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although a notable amount of research has examined sexual minority parents and their families over the last decade, very little literature has focused on bisexual parents. Most of the research emphasis has been placed on parenting by lesbian women and gay men, with parenting by bisexual individuals often being subsumed by these categories. There is currently a lack of understanding of what factors contribute to bisexual individuals’ preference for gender of their future parenting partner. Because of this, the current study examined the factors related to parenting partner preferences of bisexual students. Forty-seven bisexual individuals completed a series of questionnaires …

The Effects Of Task Criticality And Target Modality On A Simulated Battlefield Search Task, Julie A. Hanson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Warfighters must rely on lengthy instruction manuals when asked to perform tasks in critical environments. These instruction manuals are predominantly written in text and rarely include images. Several theoretical frameworks, including the Pictorial Superiority Effect, posit images to be more effective forms of instruction for short-term memory recall tasks. It is unclear whether pictures are superior forms of instruction for use in tasks with potential life-threatening consequences. Recently, studies have attempted to define and manipulate task criticality to determine the effects a critical scenario may have on operator performance. Findings have been equivocal, perhaps because of the ambiguity associated with …

Employee Behavioral Intention And Technology Use: Mediating Processes And Individual Difference Moderators, Robert Conrad Brusso

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Considering the substantial amount of time and organizational resources that are involved in the development and implementation of end-user technology (e.g., communication software platforms, social networking sites) within organizations, it is imperative to understand the factors that best predict use of end-user software. Although technology acceptance models, grounded in broader theories of behavior, do exist, these models fall-short in determining the most proximal antecedents of actual behavior. Currently, the majority of the research in the information technology arena posits behavioral intention as the most proximal antecedent of technology use. Behavioral intention does explain variance in use, but this relationship has …

Comparing Implicit And Explicit Measures Of Sex Guilt In Predicting Sexual Behavior, Delaram Asadzadeh Totonchi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sex guilt is a generalized expectancy for self-mediated punishment for violating or anticipating violating standards of proper sexual conduct. Our current knowledge about sex guilt is primarily achieved through using explicit measures, particularly the widely used Mosher Sex Guilt Inventory. Research has shown that explicit sex guilt can predict many sexual behaviors such as sexual activity, number of sexual partners, and condom use. Responses on explicit measures, however, are influenced by dissimulation and social desirability, especially when assessing socially sensitive domains such as sexual attitudes. The present study hypothesized that adding implicit sex guilt as a second predictor to the …

Multiple Point Constraint (Mpc)-Based Variable Node Super-Element, Mohamad Eftekharjoo

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The multiple point constraint (MPC)-based variable node element is introduced in this study to handle mismatched meshes between sub-domains in finite element analysis. The MPC-variable node element is a collection of a group of elements. The compatibility condition along the interface boundary is imposed along the edge of these elements through Lagrange multipliers. The Elimination method is then used to remove the effects of the dependent nodes in these elements to produce a single MPC-based variable node element. The derived variable node elements are applied to solve two plane strain problems in order to validate the accuracy of the proposed …