Digital Commons Network^™

Free Products Of Operator Spaces And Free Markov Processes, Mingchu Gao

Doctoral Dissertations

Certain (reduced) free product is introduced in the framework of operator spaces. Under the construction, the free product of preduals of von Neumann algebras agrees with the predual of the free product of von Neumann algebras. This answers a question asked by Effros affirmatively. An example is presented to show that the C*-algebra reduced free product of two C*-algebras may be contractively isomorphic to a proper subspace of the operator space reduced free product of the two C*-algebras.

Free Markov processes are also investigated in Voiculescu's free probability theory. This highly non-commutative notion generalizes that of free Brownian motion and …

Development Of Hydraulic Relationships For Estimating In-Bank River Discharge Using Remotely Sensed Data, David Michael Bjerklie

Doctoral Dissertations

An evaluation of river hydraulic data currently or potentially available from satellite and other remote platforms was completed, and a set of discharge estimation models proposed that can use the remotely sensed information to estimate discharge with reasonable accuracy. Reasonable accuracy is defined as within +/-20% of the observed on average for a large number of estimates. The proposed estimation models are based on the Manning and Chezy flow resistance equations, and utilize combinations of potentially observable variables including water-surface width, maximum-channel (or bankfull) width, mean water depth, mean maximum-channel depth, mean water velocity, and channel slope. Both statistically and …

Examining The Role Of Social Capital In Community Development: How The Creation Of A Land Trust Set A Small Town On The Path To Sustainability, Lynda A. Brushett

Doctoral Dissertations

Theoretical constructs of social capital and sustainable community development are examined through the lens of the lived experience of a small Vermont town. A case study of the community's land use planning history from the 1960's through to the present assesses the actions and relationships among individuals and institutions engaged in civic efforts to achieve environmental, economic, and social balance in development decision-making. The role of a land trust and its members as a community system changing variable---a self-organized institutional response to the concerns of citizens to the unsustainable development of their community---is evaluated. Findings describe the process whereby social …

Inclusion In Physical Education For Students With Severe Disabilities, Michelle Anne Grenier

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the effectiveness of inclusive physical education for two third grade students with severe disabilities utilizing a social constructionist framework. In the first class, one student was identified as having significant language based challenges. The second class included a child with severe cerebral palsy.

Four levels of relations were identified: systemic relations, group relations, conjoint relations and internal others. Each focused on specific areas within the school and the classroom that contributed to the construction of disability. Data were collected from three primary sources: interviews, participant-observer, and document review. Boyzaitis's (1998) five-step process was utilized in …

The Advantage For Name -Designated Characters During Reading, Kelly A. Peracchi

Doctoral Dissertations

When two characters are mentioned in a text, one referred to by a title (e.g., professor) and one referred to by a proper name (e.g., Christopher), the character referred to by the name is more accessible in memory. Although there has been a lot of research documenting the advantages that name-designated characters have over title-designated characters, most of it has done so using very short texts. The experiments reported in this dissertation utilized longer passages of text to examine whether certain variables that are known to affect accessibility, such as order of mention, number of mentions, elaboration, and distance, will …

Beam Spin Asymmetry Measurements In Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering, Gagik Gavalian

Doctoral Dissertations

Beam Spin Asymmetry (BSA) is studied in the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) using CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab and longitudinally polarized electron beam with 4.8 GeV energy. This asymmetry is directly proportional to the imaginary part of the scattering amplitude, which relates it to the Generalized Parton distribution functions. Reaction ep → epX is studied. A fit to the line shape of the missing mass squared distribution of (ep) is used to extract the number of single photon final states in each kinematical bin for both helicities of the beam and for the helicity sum. DVCS beam spin asymmetry …

Effective Elastic Properties Of Two -Dimensional Solids With Inhomogeneities Of Irregular Shapes, Jindrich Novak

Doctoral Dissertations

This work investigates the effective elastic properties of two-dimensional solids with inhomogeneities of various shapes. We develop a special procedure to evaluate the contribution of irregularly shaped inhomogeneities to these properties. The method can also be used to investigate the stress concentrations around the inhomogeneities. The procedure is based on the analysis of a representative volume element. We express the contribution of each inhomogeneity to the overall moduli of the composite in terms of the compliance contribution tensor. To calculate the components of this tensor, we devise a method that combines analytical and numerical approaches: Kolosov-Muskhelishvili complex variable technique and …

Factors Restricting Recruitment Of Ascophyllum Nodosum L (Le Jolis), Paula K B Philbrick

Doctoral Dissertations

Ascophyllum nodosum dominates a wide zone on the shore. Juveniles occur high in the zone where canopy is continuous and grazing animals few. Settlement could account for the restricted range if it were enhanced under canopy or on the upper shore. Settlement was monitored under canopy and in the open at four shore levels during spring 1983. Propagules settled everywhere. Settlement does not restrict plant establishment. Germlings caged and not caged were placed under canopy and in the open through the zone to evaluate the effects of animals and the physical environment (shore level x frond cover) on survival and …

Multiple Steady Solutions And Bifurcations In The Symmetric Driven Cavity, Kahar Bin Osman

Doctoral Dissertations

The symmetric driven cavity with sinusoidal forcing for two- and three-dimensions is considered. Results are obtained via numerical computations of the Navier Stokes equations with constant density. The numerical integration is a splitting method, using the Crank-Nicholson method for linear terms and the second-order Adams-Bashforth method for the non-linear terms. Spatial derivatives are evaluated with finite differences, and matrix equations are treated with SOR by lines. The results show symmetric solutions for low Reynolds numbers and asymmetric solutions for higher Reynolds numbers. Subcritical bifurcations are observed for two-dimensional flow. Unsteady flow behavior occurs at higher Reynolds number. Three-dimensional simulations for …

Wealth And Social Responsibility: A Study Of Philanthropy In Southern New Hampshire And Southern Maine, Susan A. Lord

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a study of individual philanthropists and their beliefs and practices of philanthropy in southern New Hampshire and southern Maine. It examines the patterns and social structures of philanthropy in these areas, looking particularly at issues of class, culture, social capital, and civic participation.

Based on in-depth interviews conducted with 40 wealthy philanthropists in 2002 and 2003, the study findings suggest that I uncovered a population of philanthropists that had not been studied before. These sample philanthropists are not simply using their wealth to maintain the status quo and perpetuate their position in society, as past studies have found …

Teaching Not Knowing: Reflections On A Writing Practice, Terry A. Moher

Doctoral Dissertations

Donald M. Murray (1994) proposes that the practice of teaching composition engages us in a process of "teaching not knowing." In this inquiry, I draw from theories in composition, psychology, epistemology, ethics, and communication to portray and describe this practice in my high school classroom. Studying my students' writing processes and our interactions in writing conferences, I describe a philosophical stance that approaches teaching writing as improvisational, dialogic and relational. This reflection explores the conditions and attitudes which enhance our capacities to teach writing processes and adopts discourse outside of composition theory that may inform our practices in teaching writing. …

Reaching Beyond Compliance: Obstacles To Integrating Sustainability Into Decision -Making Processes In An Institution Of Higher Education, Julie Newman

Doctoral Dissertations

There are emerging opportunities for institutions of higher education to respond to current environmental and public health crises. By setting institutional examples and modeling for others how to prioritize sustainability as a grounding framework for decision-making, institutions of higher education have an opportunity to facilitate society's transition to a more sustainable future. Sustainability principles stem from an international consensus that the pursuit of economic viability as an end in itself, conditioned by a neo-classical model of economics, does not maintain or enhance ecological health and human well-being. There are a number of universities worldwide who are making an effort to …

Analysis Of Signal Output By The Ethylene Receptor Etr1 From Arabidopsis, Xiang Qu

Doctoral Dissertations

Ethylene is one of the most important plant hormones and regulates many processes during plant growth and development. In Arabidopsis, the ethylene receptor family consists of five members: ETR1 and ERS1 have a functional histidine kinase domain and form subfamily 1; members of subfamily 2, including ETR2, ERS2, and EIN4, possess a highly diverged histidine kinase domain predicted not to be functional. To analyze signal output by the ethylene receptor ETR1 from Arabidopsis, mutant-based approaches were taken. Initially, the role of the proposed signal output region of ETR1 in ethylene signaling was examined. For this purpose, the ability of mutant …

Linking Focus And Context In Three-Dimensional Multiscale Environments, Matthew D. Plumlee

Doctoral Dissertations

The central question behind this dissertation is this: In what ways can 3D multiscale spatial information be presented in an interactive computer graphics environment, such that a human observer can better comprehend it? Toward answering this question, a two-pronged approach is employed that consists of practice within computer user-interface design, and theory grounded in perceptual psychology, bound together by an approach to the question in terms of focus and context as they apply to human attention. The major practical contribution of this dissertation is the development of a novel set of techniques for linking 3D windows to various kinds of …

Contributions To Predicting Contaminant Leaching From Secondary Materials Used In Roads, Defne S. Apul

Doctoral Dissertations

Slags, coal ashes, and other secondary materials can be used in road construction. Both traditional and secondary materials used in roads may contain contaminants that may leach and pollute the groundwater. The goal of this research was to further the understanding of leaching and transport of contaminants from pavement materials. Towards this goal, a new probabilistic framework was introduced which provided a structured guidance for selecting the appropriate model, incorporating uncertainty, variability, and expert opinion, and interpreting results for decision making. In addition to the framework, specific contributions were made in pavement and embankment hydrology and reactive transport, Bayesian statistics, …

Shifting Worlds: Leading Educational *Change In A Quantum Universe, Mary O Douglas Singer

Doctoral Dissertations

The twentieth century theories of quantum physics and chaos theory in mathematics have had an impact across disciplines, but in many ways educational leaders have been trapped in the old Newtonian paradigm. The conceptual portion of this study bridges the paradigms to suggest new ways to view school leadership for the twenty-first century, using New Science constructs, systems thinking, and leadership concepts of business writers Senge (1990) and Wheatley (1992). It argues that such business models are appropriate for school organizations, and builds a conceptual model of a quantum principal who may participate in creating change through transformation (Burns, 1978) …

Interracial Dating Among College Students: Cultural Norms And Partner Violence, Carolyn Field

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines three important issues for race relations in the United States today using a sample of college students: interracial dating patterns, attitudes towards interracial dating, and dating violence among same-race versus interracial couples. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, African American/White couples make up less than 1 percent of all married couples in the U.S. Rates of intermarriage for Hispanics and Asians in the U.S. are much higher. Using a sample of college students (N = 1174) from two Historically Black Universities and three Predominantly White Universities, results indicate that attitudes towards interracial relationships differ by race, but …

Perceptions Of Eighth-Grade Mathematics Teachers Of The Impact Of The Maine Educational Assessment On Instructional Practices, Mary Christine Runge

Doctoral Dissertations

The purposes of this study are (a) to examine the perceptions of eighth grade mathematics teachers in the state of Maine concerning their classroom instructional and assessment practices and the influence on their students' scores in the MEA tests and (b) to determine if there is a relationship between community social/economic levels and student achievement on the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) mathematics tests. The survey instrument consisting of a mailed questionnaire designed for this study contained 86 Likert scale items that measured teachers' beliefs regarding the following resource 1 indicators: awareness and use of MEA resources, content area knowledge, instructional …

The Venetian Blind Effect: Contrast Disparity Modulation In Irradiation Stereoscopy, Eugene T. Filley

Doctoral Dissertations

In Experiment 1 we measured contrast disparity thresholds for the perception of slant in the venetian blind effect for a square-wave carrier spatial frequency of 3.14 c/deg and square-wave modulation spatial frequencies of 0.26, 0.39, 0.79, and 1.57 c/deg.

In Experiment 2 we increased the spatial frequencies. We measured contrast disparity thresholds for the perception of slant for a square-wave carrier spatial frequency of 5.24 c/deg and square-wave modulation spatial frequencies of 0.33, 0.65, 1.31, and 2.62 c/deg.

In Experiment 3 we returned to the spatial frequencies of Experiment 1 but used sine-wave modulation. We measured contrast disparity thresholds for …

A Loss Of Will: "Arminianism," Nonsectarianism, And The Erosion Of American Psychology's Moral Project, 1636--1890, Russell D. Kosits

Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of "the will" dominated American moral psychology for nearly three centuries. To possess a will was, among other things, to be made in the image of God and to have moral responsibility. College textbooks, as tools of moral inculcation, conveyed this moral psychology from the seventeenth to the early twentieth century. A significant shift occurred in college psychology textbooks during the 1930s: the topic of will was being removed as a chapter heading---never to return. By the end of the decade, American psychology had lost its will.

What explains this "loss of will" in American psychology? From a …

Asian American Perspectives On College Student Experience: An Interpretive Narrative, Linda Chen Einsiedler

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a socio-cultural study examining contemporary Asian American college student experiences at a private liberal arts residential college in the rural Northeast United States. This project utilizes a grounded theory approach designed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The findings include a narrative interpretation that considers emotional experiences and social behaviors as sub-consciously held internalized identity beliefs.

This project details psychological and social dimensions of shared Asian American experiences with insights into individual interpretive perspective frameworks shaped by community cultures. This study describes a distinctive Asian American identity that conjoins ethnicity with racial self-identity. Variables in ethnic identity, …

The Role Of Frontal Cortical-Basal Ganglia Circuits In Simple And Sequential Visuomotor Learning, Kathleen R. Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations

Imaging, recording and lesioning studies implicate the basal ganglia and anatomically related regions of frontal cortex in visuomotor learning. Two experiments were conducted to elucidate the role of frontal cortex and striatum in visuomotor learning. Several tasks were used to characterize motor function including: a visuomotor reaction time (VSRT) task, measuring response speed and accuracy to luminance cues; simple stimulus-response (S-R) learning, measuring VSRT improvements when cues occurred in consistent locations over several trials; and a serial reaction time (SRT) task measuring motor sequence learning. SRT learning was characterized by incremental changes in reaction time (RT) when trained with the …

Corporal Punishment As A Determinant Of Developmental Outcomes: Longitudinal And Process Models, Matthew K. Mulvaney

Doctoral Dissertations

There were two goals of this research: (1) to establish that normative corporal punishment has an impact on children's mental health and the parent-child relationship and (2) to identify intrapersonal variables that determine the impact of this parenting behavior. The first study examined the influence of corporal punishment across infancy and early childhood with longitudinal analyses performed on data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. The results suggest that corporal punishment does have a direct, unique impact on children's mental health and on the mother-child relationship. For the second study, a college sample was studied …

Arthur Raper: Modern Realist In The New Deal South, Louis Mazzari

Doctoral Dissertations

Arthur Raper was a progressive sociologist and controversial voice for racial and social equality in the South during the 1920s and 1930s. Son of a white, North Carolina farm family, Raper became allied with modernist voices at Chapel Hill and the University of Chicago. Raper's research was widely discussed through the region and greatly influenced Southern race relations in the years leading to the civil rights movement.

Raper was the first white southerner to look critically and scientifically at the causes of racial violence. The Tragedy of Lynching (1933) was reviewed in hundreds of Southern newspapers and discussed throughout the …

The Relative Impact Of Childhood Stressor Domains On Young Adult Depression And The Mediating Role Of Social And Personal Resources, Paul A. Muller

Doctoral Dissertations

Numerous studies have documented the harmful effects of childhood exposure to adversity on adult psychopathology. The relative impact of different types of stress, however, is less certain. Moreover, while there is very good evidence that childhood exposure to adversity does increase the likelihood of experiencing psychopathology, less is known about the mechanisms through which this happens. It is my hypothesis that childhood adversity exhibits effects on psychological distress in young adulthood, at least in part, through its damaging impact on the development of social and personal resources---specifically, by affecting a reduction in family support, peer support, self-esteem, and mastery. Further, …

Ocean Color Modeling: Parameterization And Interpretation, Hui Feng

Doctoral Dissertations

The ocean color as observed near the water surface is determined mainly by dissolved and particulate substances, known as "optically-active constituents," in the upper water column. The goal of ocean color modeling is to interpret an ocean color spectrum quantitatively to estimate the suite of optically-active constituents near the surface. In recent years, ocean color modeling efforts have been centering upon three major optically-active constituents: chlorophyll concentration, colored dissolved organic matter, and scattering particulates. Many challenges are still being faced in this arena. This thesis generally addresses and deals with some critical issues in ocean color modeling.

In chapter one, …

Self-Efficacy And Allocation Of Effort During Reading Among Older And Younger Adults, Danielle D. Gagne

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent research in social cognition suggests one's self-efficacy beliefs regarding one's cognitive abilities can influence the effort expended on cognitive tasks (Bandura, 1989; 1997; Cavanaugh & Greene, 1990; Dunlosky & Hertzog, 1998), which may affect performance. This project was conducted to examine the relationship between age, self-efficacy beliefs, text difficulty, resource allocation to text comprehension processes, and memory for text. 82 younger adults and 74 older adults completed the Metamemory in Adulthood Questionnaire (MIA; Dixon, Hultsch & Hertzog, 1988), Reading Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (RSEQ), and Media Consumption Habits Questionnaire. Using the on-line word-by-word moving window method, participants read 24 two-sentence passages …

Fire Dynamics In Amazonia, Manoel Cardoso

Doctoral Dissertations

Fires are major disturbances for ecosystems in Amazonia. Because of their short time scale and strong links to biogeochemical cycles, fires significantly affect fluxes and stocks of carbon and nutrients, change air composition, and modify ecosystems structure and functioning. Fires are strongly related to land-use, land-cover and climate conditions. Because the increasing development of the region, these factors have been changing and leading to different patterns of fire activity. Thus it is very important to understand the dynamics of fires in the region and to develop models that can project their potential changes. To contribute in all these subjects, we …

Syntheses Of Mono- And Diamide Cross -Bridged Cyclens And Syntheses Of Bifunctional Chelators Based Upon Cross -Bridged Tetraamine Macrocycles, Yijie Peng

Doctoral Dissertations

The syntheses of two diamide cross-bridged cyclens (22 and 23) and three monoamide cross-bridged cyclens (24, 25, and 26) are presented. Metal (Li(I), Zn(II), and Cu(II)) coordination studies of 26 are also presented. Evidence suggests that ligand 26 forms intermolecular complexes through the oxygen of an amide with Li(I), Zn(II), and Cu(II), and 26 could form complex with Li(I) through the nitrogen of an amide.*.

Appropriate cross-bridged tetraamine macrocycles are promising bifunctional chelators (BFC). Improved synthesis of one BFC (36) is presented, alternative synthesis of one BFC (39) is also presented, the synthesis of a precursor of one BFC (42), …

The Influence Of Urbanization On Runoff Generation And Stream Chemistry In Massachusetts Watersheds, Brian A. Pellerin

Doctoral Dissertations

The conversion of forested and agricultural land to suburban and urban landscapes is a dominant land use change dynamic in the United States and has implications for watershed hydrology and water quality. Here I evaluate the effect of integrated landscape features (e.g., percent residential or developed) and watershed-scale attributes influenced by urbanization on stream nutrient concentrations in headwater catchments in Massachusetts. In addition, I evaluate the importance of surface versus subsurface flow paths during rainfall events in stormflow generation in a small urban catchment. The percentage of residential land explains 52% of the variability in mean annual nitrate (NO3) concentrations …