Digital Commons Network^™

Constructing Identity In Place : Celia Thaxter And The Isles Of Shoals, Deborah B. Derrick

Student Work

This study explores rhetorical constructions of place and self in the non-fiction narratives and letters of Celia Laighton Thaxter. Thaxter was a 19th century poet, journalist and writer who grew up on the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. Widely published in her day, Thaxter was one of the foremothers of American nature writing. This study considers the significance of place in relation to Thaxter’s development as an individual and as a writer. The study finds that the Isles o f Shoals provided a foundation for Thaxter’s personal and professional identities. Thaxter’s relationship with the Shoals was …

A Causal-Comparative Study To Determine Differences In Levels Of Awareness Of Racism Among Graduate Counseling Students, Sarah C. Wiegman

Student Work

The present study examined the differences in levels of awareness of racism among graduate counseling students. The researcher examined the hypotheses that there would be a significant difference in levels of awareness of racism between those who completed the Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations class and those who did not, as well as, there would be a significant relationship between levels of awareness of racism and number of credit hours completed in the counseling education program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. One hundred and six participants (91 female and 15 male) ranging in age between 22 and 57 …

Uncovering The Storytelling Power Of Communication: Applying Walter Fisher's Narrative Theory To Three Presidential Crisis Speeches, Sharon Dowell

Student Work

This study applies Walter Fisher’s narrative theory of communication to a rhetorical analysis of three presidential crisis speeches: President George W. Bush’s speech on September 20, 2001 after the terrorist attacks, President Franklin Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech on December 8, 1941 and President Bill Clinton’s Oklahoma City bombing speech on April 23, 1995. The speeches were analyzed to discover the accuracy of the theory, why the speeches were successful and if they supported the case for a presidential crisis communication genre. Three main conclusions resulted from this rhetorical analysis. First, the theory was verified as accurate because it defined the …

Interactive Topographic Web Mapping Using Scalable Vector Graphics, Peter Pavlicko

Student Work

Large scale topographic maps portray detailed information about the landscape. They are used for a wide variety o f purposes. USGS large scale topographic maps at 1:24,000 have been traditionally distributed in paper form. With the advent of the Internet, these maps can now be distributed electronically. Instead of common raster format presentation, the solution presented here is based on a vector approach. The vector format provides many advantages compared to the use of a raster-based presentation. This research shows that Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) is a promising technology for delivering high quality interactive topographic maps via the Internet, both …

Colombia's Rural Communities: Displacement, Plan Colombia And Alternative Models, Jasney Cogua

Student Work

The objective of this thesis is to determine whether or not Plan Colombia effectively addresses the problems and needs of rural Colombia. The classical views of Marx, Lenin and Chayanov, the Theories of Development and the postulates of neoliberal ideology are discussed as the theoretical context within which Plan Colombia emerged. This thesis was derived through a process of archival research, interviews (N=8) and direct observation and participation in peasant demonstrations, which occurred primarily during the summer of 2002. A general review of Colombian rural development models (haciendas, plantations, Import Substitution Industrialization, agrarian reform, Export Promotion Stragies and neoliberal postulates) …

Terrorist Attacks Of September 11,2001: Examination Of The Visual Agenda Set By Time And Newsweek, Paula Hoffman Hall

Student Work

This study examines the visual agenda relevant to the attacks of September 11, 2001, presented by media sources; Time and Newsweek magazine. Photographs immediately following the attack, six months later, one year later, and eighteen-months later, were observed in this study. The research produced a total of 493 photographs. Images were coded for the primary subject, portrayal, perspective, topic, and location. Crosstabs and Chi-square tests were run, and the data collected was used to answer the central research question and sub-questions developed with the assistance of past research. Significant differences in the visual agenda between Time and Newsweek magazine were …

News Fit For Teens?: A Content Analysis Of Channel One, Mary Mcnamara Coyle

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to analyze the content and style of the 12-minute Channel One broadcasts seen by 8 million teenagers in their classrooms each day. Following a review of relevant literature concerning Channel One, the researcher recorded 163 shows aired during the 2000-2001 school year. From these shows, the researcher chose a sample of 46 Channel One broadcasts from which 150 stories were analyzed according to type of story, topic of story, source occupation, the ethnicity and gender of the anchor and reporter, location of the report and the use of file tape and/or photos or maps. …

He Said, She Said: Gender, Sources And Affiliation In Two Mid-Western Daily Newspapers, Kathleen Ann Tewhill

Student Work

Sources have been the lifeblood of journalism. Information from government official, experts, eyewitnesses, victims, celebrities or even ordinary citizens has flowed though the veins of news stories carrying messages to readers since the newspaper began. Sources have infused articles with shape and substance. They have fleshed out details of a story and added character and credibility to news accounts and features. Without sources, potential stories have shriveled and died.

On Gene Prediction By Cross-Species Comparative Sequenced Analysis., Rong Chen

Student Work

The availability of large fragments of genomic DNA makes it possible to apply comparative genomics for identification of protein-coding regions. We have conducted a comparative analysis of homologous genomic sequences of organisms with different evolutionary distances and found the conservation of the non-coding regions between closely related organisms. In contrast, more distance shows much less intron similarity but less conversion on the exon structures. We sought to illuminate the impact of evolutionary distances on the performance of our gene-finding program based on the cross-species sequence comparison. Based on our finding and training of data sets, we proposed a model by …

Apd: The Multifunctional Antimicrobial Peptide Database And Analysis System., Zhe Wang

Student Work

As of late 2003, more than 500 antimicrobial peptides have been reported. However, the majority data of the antimicrobial peptides are scattered in the literature. In order to better understand the structure-function relationship of these peptides, and antimicrobial peptide database and analysis system (APD) was established based on an extensive literature search. The database contains detailed information for 525 peptides (498 antibacterial , 155 antifungal, 28 antiviral, and 18 antitumor). Based on the database, the system also provides database query, statistical data, prediction and peptide design functions. APD provides web-based interfaces that allow users to visit the system via a …

Woody Plant Communities Of The Iowa Loess Hills: Expansion From 1855 To 2000, Extant Composition, And Ecological Succession., Melanie I. Trecek-King

Student Work

The Loess Hills of western Iowa are a unique geologic landform historically covered by scattered bur oaks in a matrix of mixed-grass prairie. Since European settlement, however, woody plant encroachment has altered the ecosystem and presently endangers the last substantial prairies remnants in Iowa. Aerial photographs from 2000 and General Land Office field survey notes from the 1850s documented an increase in woody Plant cover from 7% in 1855 to 25% in 2000 for three centuries in the Loess Hills region of western Iowa. Woody Plant species composition along a lowland-ridge-top coenocline on both north and south aspects in centrally …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Technology Professional Development In A Suburban School District, Victoria Ann Kaspar

Student Work

The purpose of this survey study was to explore teachers' perceptions of technology professional development. Data were gathered by using an online survey sent out electronically to randomly selected teachers in a suburban school district. Statistically significant differences in teacher's perceptions of technology professional development were found between middle and high school teachers and among the teachers with varied technology experience. Some of the other demographic variables studied included age, gender, school subject taught, years of teaching experience, and technology course topic.

Changes In Student Teachers' Perceptions Of Stress During The Student Teaching Semester, Connie L. Schaffer

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in the perceptions of stress during the student teaching semester. The pervasive theory regarding the changing stress of student teachers was developed by Fuller (1969). Fuller's developmental conceptualization theory involved three stages of concern or stress: (1) pre-teaching, non-concerns, (2) early-teaching phase, self-concerns and task concerns, and (3) late concerns, impact concerns. This study examined self-concerns, task concerns, and impact concerns and expanded the Fuller (1969) model to also include personal and career concerns.

Intimacy In Relationships: A Content Analysis Of Dialogue In Romance Novels., Susan K. Scheef

Student Work

Shelby met Alan at a party. They spoke briefly, mostly out of convenience. From their conversation thought, it would seem to others that they were old friends. It would not be the last time Shelby would see Alan. They would continue to meet, even though they had different ideas about wanting a relationship. They would talk about their past, but Shelby would not feel comfortable revealing part of hers. Eventually as they spent more time together, their family and friends began voicing their opinions on how Shelby and Alan should pursue their relationship. Even with all the pressure, it was …

The Effects Of Self-Efficacy And Locus Of Control On The Sexual Behaviors Of College Females, Michelle Noah

Student Work

This research examined the relationship between self-efficacy, locus of control, and sexual behaviors among college females. The research null hypotheses suggest that; 1) There is no correlation between self-efficacy and responsible sexual behaviors, and 2) There is no correlation between locus of control and responsible sexual behaviors. Questionnaire data were collected from 109 undergraduate females at a Midwestern University. The sample was primarily Caucasian (89%), heterosexual (96.3%), and single (73.4%) with a mean age of 23 years. An investigator designed questionnaire, adapted in part, from the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (RIELC), The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and a …

A Study Of The Factors Related To The Successful Merger Of Information Technology Departments Within Local Government, Angela Patton

Student Work

This study focuses on the merger process of Information Technology (IT) departments within local government. The research that exists indicates that local government mergers, in general, have a high rate of failure. In addition, the political, managerial, cultural, and behavioral aspects that impact these mergers are ignored. The importance of computers to the departments/agencies housed within local government has made the IT departments a critical part of the local government structure. This study looks at the problems faced by the merging IT departments within local government in order to gain a better understanding of this process and to increase the …

Variables Associated With The Likelihood Of Adopting A Policy Of Hiring Nonsmokers Only Among Nonprofit Organizations In Omaha, Nebraska, Jillian M. Golden

Student Work

To address the costs associated with employees who smoke, some organizations have adopted a policy of hiring nonsmokers only or may be considering such a policy. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible relationship between the degree of likelihood of adopting a policy of hiring nonsmokers only and four variables (type of service, number of employees, size of yearly budget, and the level of smoking policy). A written, mail-out/mail-back survey was sent to 130 nonprofit organizations in Omaha, Nebraska. Of the 130 participants in this study, 97 (75 percent) returned the survey. Descriptive statistics were calculated for …

Newspaper Coverage Of Animal Abuse, Lara Jasmine Imbrock

Student Work

The abuse of animals is an important social issue. Animals play a vital role in society, serving as companions and service animals for people. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to evaluate Midwest newspaper coverage of animal abuse in 1993, 1998, and 2002. The theories of social construction of reality, agenda setting, and priming were used to examine the effects of media coverage of animal abuse. Results showed that animal abuse has received increased coverage over the years.

Preservice And Inservice Elementary Educators Knowledge Of Elementary Song Repertoire., Terra S. Marsden

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice and inservice elementary educators' knowledge of elementary song repertoire and their confidence with leading selected songs to students. Participants (N=42) in this study were undergraduate elementary education majors and graduate students (non-music majors) enrolled in music education course. Graduate participants involved in this study had just completed their first year of teaching. Participants were surveyed to determine their knowledge of song material and confidence in song leading, with 25 songs randomly selected from the "Get America Singing...Again!" Volumes I and II, published by Music Educators National Conference (MENC, 1996). Results indicated …

A Study Of The Factors Related To The Successful Merger Of Information Technology Departments Within Local Government, Angela Patton

Student Work

This study focuses on the merger process of Information Technology (IT) departments within local government. The research that exists indicates that local government mergers, in general, have a high rate of failure. In addition, the political, managerial, cultural, and behavioral aspects that impact these mergers are ignored.

The importance of computers to the departments/agencies housed within local government has made the IT departments a critical part of the local government structure. This study looks at the problems faced by the merging IT departments within local government in order to gain a better understanding of this process and to increase the …

Variables Associated With The Likelihood Of Adopting A Policy Of Hiring Nonsmokers Only Among Nonprofit Organizations In Omaha, Nebraska, Jillian M. Golden

Student Work

Tobacco use in the U.S. is the cause of approximately 440,000 deaths annually and is the leading preventable cause of death. Smoking can result in death due to cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Smoking can also result in death due to cancers such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis, and other deaths including diseases among infants and bum deaths (American Cancer Society, 2003). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that due to smoking, the cost of medical care and lost productivity added up to approximately $157 billion each year …

A "Maximal Tree" Approach For Scheduling Tasks In A Multiprocessor System., Haiying Sun

Student Work

The problem of scheduling tasks across distributed system has been approved to be NP-complete in its general case. When communication cost among system processors is not considered, polynominal-time optimal algorithms for solving scheduling problem are exit only in three special cases. In attempting to solve the problem in the general case, a number of heuristics have been developed. These algorithms intend to reduce the input task graph to one of the special cases and then optimal scheduling can be obtained accordingly. In this paper, we study all these heuristics, and present a improved heuristic --- “Maximal Tree graph approach for …

Commercialism In Public Schools: A Study Of The Perceptions Of Teachers And Administrators On Accepting Corporate Advertising, Gerard Jude Kowal

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding the acceptability or unacceptability of corporate advertising in their schools, particularly about the acceptability or unacceptability of commercial advertising outside the school building, inside the school building, and inside the classroom.

Spatial Data Mining Using Branch Grafted R-Tree., Priyanka Dubey

Student Work

Spatial data mining is a process of extraction of implicit information, such as weather patterns around latitudes, spatial features in a region, et., with a goal of knowledge discovery. The existing spatial data mining methods typically identify a specific datamining task for knowledge discovery. An example of a mining task may involve finding weather patterns in the northwestern region of U.S.A. To find such weather patterns one could employ an existing data structure, such as a B+ tree followed by the analysis of the mined weather data for knowledge discovery. This is a typical top-down approach of identifying a task, …

The Motif Of Human Flying In Children's Literature, Kathleen M. Hinman

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine works of children's literature that included humans that could fly, and to further examine the reaction of students who were exposed to the specific works. Twenty-six books were studied and the results were compiled using qualitative procedures. The data that were examined in the study of the books included reviews and editorial commentaries from many sources and the researchers own notes, taken during the reading and studying of the books identified by this research. The research conducted with the literature details the patterns and similarities that can be found in the cross …

Children's Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities: The Effects Of Inclusion And Contact., Melissa E. Hall

Student Work

Examining differences in attitudes is important in developing appropriate interventions to promote successful inclusion of children with disabilities into regular education classrooms. This study evaluated the effects of inclusion and contact on children's attitudes toward hypothetical peers with disabilities. One hundred children in the fourth and sixth grades were recruited from three inclusive schools in Nebraska and were administered the Peers Attitudes Toward the Handicapped scale. The classroom teachers reported on the amount of time that the child(ren) with disabilities spent daily in the regular education classroom, which was broken down into the amount of time spent in social and …

Graph-Theoretic Approaches To Cluster Protein Sequences., Zhu Liu

Student Work

Finding homologous proteins (or cluster of homologous proteins) is a very important, since this information is required for nearly any further analysis of proteins. Two sequences are said to be homologous if they derive from a common ancestor. Generally, sequence similarity provides the base for the homology. There are several approaches to cluster proteins based on their homology. But very few methods involve graphic algorithms. In this project, five graph-based algorithms are implemented to cluster proteins. The five algorithms are finding strongly connected components (SCC) algorithm, finding partially strongly connected components (PSCC) algorithm, graph coloring algorithm, merging algorithm, random merging …

Genuine Populist: William V. Allen In The United States Senate, 1893-1901, David W. Hoelscher

Student Work

This study examines the United States Senate career of Nebraska Populist William Vincent Allen (1893-1901). A relatively neglected figure in Populist historiography, Allen has been the subject o f widely divergent opinions on the part of those historians who have commented on his place in the movement. The dominant view reflected in the published literature is that Allen, who was elected with the help of Democratic votes in the Nebraska legislature, was, ideologically and politically, more of a Democrat than a Populist. On this view, Allen’s principal policy concern was promoting the cause of free silver coinage, and his primary …

Designing Sustainable Communities And Creating A Sense Of Community: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of One Organization's Vision Of The Future, James L. Leighter

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to examine a discourse of sustainability. Proponents of particular environmental and development practices use the term sustainability in a variety of contexts in order to signify a variety of preferred states for the planet, and descriptions of a relationship between natural and man-made environments. I argue that this term should be studied in places where people are talking about, promoting, teaching and negotiating its meaning. Because sustainability discourse is ultimately concerned with places and times that are removed from the immediacy of the present, Fantasy Theme Analysis (FTA) is an ideal methodology for studying …

The Determinants Of Policing Unfounding And Prosecutorial Case Rejections In San Diego, California Sexual Assault, Cases, Elizabeth M. Keller

Student Work

The vast amount of research that has been done on sexual assault in the past thirty years has yielded a great amount of knowledge about the phenomenon of sexual assault and the way the criminal justice system responds to it. One hypothesis that emerges from this literature is that certain cases of sexual assault may be treated differently by police and prosecutors because of characteristics of the victim, the suspect, or of the case itself. This study tests that hypothesis, using data collected by the San Diego Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit over a multi-year period in the 1990s. This …