Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Consumer’S Willingness To Pay For Environmental Certified Hardwood Products, Meng Li

Masters Theses

This study examines Tennessee and Pennsylvania consumers’ market participation for environmentally certified hardwood products (oak table, oak shelving board, oak chair), obtains potential premiums paid for selected hardwood products, determines the effects of scope of certification and demographics on premium amounts, and builds profiles of consumers who are willingness to pay the premium for certified hardwood products.

A pretest survey taken in Tennessee was used to construct premium ranges for the main field survey. Analysis of the main field survey conducted in rural and urban areas of Tennessee and Pennsylvania is based on the results of the logistic model, descriptive …

A Low Power Cmos Microluminometer And Transmitter For Bioluminescent Bioreporter Integrated Circuit (Bbic), Mo Zhang

Masters Theses

This thesis is a study of the design of a low power CMOS microluminometer and transmitter for bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit (BBIC). A BBIC sensor chip with lower consumption was fabricated in the 0.35μm CMOS process. This design was an improvement over a previous BBIC [1]. The previous BBIC was designed using a different CMOS process (0.5μm) and a different CAD tool (Magic). This thesis work involves redesign of the chip in 0.35μm CMOS process using Cadence design tool with improvement for power dissipation. Larger resisters are used instead of several small resisters, which were placed between power supply and …

Guiding Development : An Analysis Of Zoning And Four Alternatives, Caitlin Doyle Cottrill

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the benefits and weaknesses of traditional zoning as they pertain to guiding urban development. This analysis was followed with an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of four alternatives to traditional zoning to determine in what ways they mitigated the negative effects of zoning while maintaining its beneficial aspects. Based upon these evaluations, a decision matrix was created to provide for a concurrent examination of the ways in which each technique was successful in serving the purposes of the criteria. Finally a set of recommendations was provided to improve the regulatory guidance …

Reduction Of Cure-Induced Stresses In Thermoset Polymer Composites Via Chemical And Thermal Methods, Brett Hardin Franks

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses three different experiments in which we examine in-cure residual stresses in carbon/epoxy thermoset polymer composites. Throughout this research the Cure Induced Stress Test (CIST), developed at UT, has been used. The CIST is a unique experimental procedure in which the effect of polymer volume change on fiber stress is determined by monitoring the change in fiber load. In the first part of the research, we addressed the role of fiber-matrix interface on the fiber-load measurement. For this purpose, the CIST experiments were conducted with as-received and Teflon-coated fibers. The Teflon coating was intended to weaken the fiber-matrix …

The Anxiety Behind Gynocriticism : Contemporary Application Of Gilbert & Gubar's The Madwoman In The Attic, Stuart Allen Morris

Masters Theses

Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's 1979 critical study The Madwoman in the Attic, with its gynocritical approach to the fictions of nineteenth-century women writers and the anxieties those writers faced, has garnered much critical attention since its publication—both positive and negative. As feminist criticism has expanded and branched off into several new disciplines, the idea that women writers formed a kind of literary community through the way in which they incorporated their anxieties into the fictions they created has been challenged by subsequent critics. This study examines that critical disapproval and seeks to demonstrate why Gilbert & Gubar's approach is …

Darkness, Fire, And Pain : Finding Strength Through Endurance In Mildred Haun's The Hawk's Done Gone And Other Stories, Viki Dasher Rouse

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to point out the literary importance of Mildred Eunice Haun, born in 1911 in Hamblen County, Tennessee. Haun provided an authentic depiction of Appalachian life, having lived in the hills of East Tennessee until she moved to the home of her aunt and uncle in Franklin in 1 927 for the purpose of attending high school and college. My research for the thesis included perusing Haun's personal papers located in the Vanderbilt Library Special Collections, interviewing personal acquaintances from the literary world, and searching for criticism of Haun' s texts. During her years at …

The Mountain Folk Of Rugby, Tennessee: An Archaeological And Historical Study Of The Massengale Home Site (40mo146), Kimberly S. Pyszka

Masters Theses

The town of Rugby, Tennessee was established in 1880 as an utopian colony for the middle and upper class "second-sons" of England. However, the English colonists were not the first to settle in this remote area. Settlement began in the 1820s with the earliest settlers being farmers who lived off the land producing virtually everything they needed to survive. One of these early families were the Massengales, who first owned land in the future Rugby area in the mid-1820s.

In an attempt to learn about the Massengale family, archaeological testing was conducted at their home site, located a short walk …

Liminality : Edge And Threshold, Jonathan David Cothern

Masters Theses

Architecture, through multiplicity and depth, can bring a fuller understanding to our complex human condition. Literal liminality is a tangible event associated with the bodily transition between, or with simultaneous occupation of, two dissimilar locations. These locations may be separated by a boundary or space. Intellectual, or conceptual, liminality is the simultaneous acceptance of two dissimilar notions or beliefs, a difficult "composite conclusion." Contradictory readings of the same object or space separate these impressions. Both modes of understanding may be supported physically, and more specifically, architecturally. The architectural enterprise, as an art, may literally, that is formally/spatially, advance intellectual liminal …

News Media Framing Of Women's Issues : Images Of Voluntarily Childless Women, Kimberly Anne Cowart

Masters Theses

This study examines the theory of media framing and its effects on American culture. Frames generated by the news media can have significant influence on how social issues are perceived by the public, and can also have extensive impact on government policy and cultural norms. The images of voluntarily childless women in the U.S., as presented by the news media, served as the policy issue. A Frame Mapping computer program was used to analyze the text of selected Associated press (AP) news stories to identify specific media frames about voluntarily childless women. The Frame Mapping process designated key terms and …

Northern Red Oak Regeneration In Oak And Pine Stands : Long-Term Effects Of Mechanical Competitor Removal And Short-Term Effects Of Prescribed Fire, Jason Paul Hartman

Masters Theses

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) stands in northern lower Michigan are maturing on intermediate quality sites formerly dominated by mixed red pine (Pinus resinosa) and white pine (Finns strobus) forests. White pine and red maple (Acer rubrum) regeneration has been more prevalent than oak regeneration in oak stands throughout several forest regions of eastern North America. It has been hypothesized that the absence of wildland fire is supporting greater components of red maple in the present oak/pine stand type than in presettlement stands.

Maintaining the current oak resource has become a priority …

Effects Of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D₃ On Adipocyte Differentiation, Kimberly Ray Causey Coenen

Masters Theses

Several recent reports from this laboratory demonstrate a regulatory role for intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]₁) in modulating lipid metabolism in both human and murine adipocytes, with increased [Ca²⁺]₁ coordinately stimulating lipogenesis and inhibiting lipolysis, thereby expanding lipid mass. Further, we have recently demonstrated that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D₃ [1,25-(OH)₂-D3] stimulates adipocyte membrane vitamin D receptor (mVDR)-mediated rapid Ca²⁺ influx into adipocytes, resulting in the stimulation of lipogenesis and inhibition of lipolysis. However, increasing [Ca²⁺]₁ in the early stages of differentiation inhibits human adipocyte differentiation, whereas increasing [Ca^{2+ …}

Effects Of Nitrogen And Calcium Fertilization On Yield, Flavonolignans, And Anti-Teratoma Activity Of Greenhouse Grown "Silybum Marianum", J. Lena Horst Warren

Masters Theses

Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn. plants were grown in a bag culture system in a greenhouse on the University of Tennessee campus during the Spring of 2001 and the Fall of 2001. For the Spring 2001 experiment, calcium concentration was altered to produce three nitrogen to calcium ratio treatments. For the Fall 2001 experiment, nitrogen concentration was altered to produce three nitrogen treatments. Plant samples were analyzed for anti-teratoma activity in a modified potato-disc bioassay and for chemical composition using capillary electrophoresis. Ca:N ratio treatments had no effect on seed yield (15 g/ plant) or raw plant extract activity. However, nitrogen …

Investigation Of The Geologic Controls On Rockfall Hazard Potential In Tennessee, Christopher J. Vandewater

Masters Theses

Rockfall from roadcuts are a major hazard and pose problems for transportation agencies across the country. In the context of rockfall hazard management, however, no consensus exists about the role of geology in assessing rockfall hazard. This study investigates the role of geology through two approaches: (1) Eighty roadcuts in central and eastern Tennessee were evaluated with the geologic character component of the Tennessee Rockfall Hazard Rating System (RHRS), which is a revision of the geologic component of the National Highway Institute (NHI) RHRS. Scores for both RHRS's were compared to evaluate improved reproducibility, accuracy, and sensitivity of scoring for …

Ideology, Community And Demography : Explaining The Link Of Violence Against Human And Nonhuman Animals, Lisa Anne Zilney

Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines the role of ideological, community, and demographic variables in explaining the link between violence against human and nonhuman animals. Based on analysis of special populations such as battered women or prison inmates, current literature links violence against animals to later aggression against humans, suggesting all forms of abuse are connected in a larger network of violence. Through the test of three hypotheses, this study examines these relationships among a randomized sample, and ascertains an incidence rate of animal abuse. First, the graduation hypothesis explores whether individuals engaged in violence against animals as youth, progress to violence against …

The Community Development Credit Union : Evaluating Its Success In Improving The Urban Community, Justin Scott Evans

Masters Theses

This study examines the fundamentals, operations, and performance of community development credit unions (COCUs) in urban communities throughout the Great Lakes region. It incorporates a system for evaluating their operation as well as an analysis of traits that can be linked to CDCU effectiveness. The two-pronged approach to the study begins with an evaluation matrix that utilizes a collection of criteria designated as performance benchmarks. Data collected via mail survey for each of the nine case studies are passed through the matrix, producing scores that provide a basis for comparison in the analysis section where a set of criteria is …

The Sin Of Synecdoche : David Quammen's Epistemology And Literary Science Journalism, Jason Brian Gorss

Masters Theses

Journalists face a difficult task. They must report events with objectivity and context to help readers make informed decisions. Literary journalists add to their burden by trying to mingle reporting with artfulness, while still maintaining credibility with their audience. Literary journalists who write about science have yet another audience to keep in mind: the scientific community. They must maintain the respect and trust of scientists by accurately explaining their research and the scientific process. How can a science writer balance these competing demands of creativity and credibility? David Quammen, an essayist who has written extensively about science and the natural …

"That Spirit Of Chivalry" : Tennessee And Indiana Volunteers In The Mexican War, Tyler Vincent Johnson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the motivations that inspired Tennessee and Indiana volunteers in the Mexican War of 1846-1848. Letters, diaries and journals, memoirs, and contemporary newspapers were examined to determine the reasons that drove men to volunteer and motivated them throughout their tours of duty in Mexico. Archives in Indianapolis, Indiana; Nashville, Tennessee; and Knoxville, Tennessee were searched to discover as many sources as possible in order to give a broad foundation to the conclusions. Findings revealed two primary groups of motivations: personal and corporate (or collective). Personal reasons involved volunteers' respect for martial courage, their …

Coastal Zone Management : Strategies For Improving U.S. Coastal Zone Management, Ryan James Kallem

Masters Theses

The purpose of my thesis was to make policy recommendations and create an inter-jurisdictional strategy for improving U.S. coastal zone management. The primary methodology through which I gathered information was a coastal community survey. In the survey, questions were asked pertaining to the following: 1) the current state of the local coastal environment-what are the chief problems, and have they been addressed, 2) what policies at the local, state, and federal levels have been successful/least successful in the respective communities-which policies do you recommend, 3) how strict/flexible are the state and federal governments in allowing communities to develop their own …

An Investigation Of Social Support, Beliefs About Substance Abuse, And Religiosity, Melissa Lacoste

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among social support, religiosity, and substance abuse. Recent research suggests that a connection exists between substance abuse and a variety of factors that include religiosity and social support. While existing research suggests a link between social support and both religiosity and substance abuse, no single study has explored the relationship among these three factors. Moreover, the research on substance abuse has centered on usage-related issues rather than on participant beliefs about substance abuse. The goal of this study is to extend previous research by expanding our understanding of the relationship …

The Bryoflora Of Falls Branch Falls, Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, Usa, Sarah Marie Noble

Masters Theses

The bryophytes of Falls Branch Falls were sampled over two field seasons, 2000-2001. Falls Branch Scenic Area lies within the Citico Wilderness of Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee, USA. One thousand eight hundred seventy one (1871) record entries from 707 samples collected contained 49 families; 91 genera and 145 species representing 79 mosses; 65 liverworts and one hornwort. This study resulted in 7 6 new Monroe County bryophyte records. Bryophytes were sampled/inventoried within the riparian, spray and other wet zones of Falls Branch Falls, Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee. Environmental factors of substrate, moisture level and light intensity …

Revitalization Of Urban Waterfronts In Port Cities : The Case Of New York And Boston, Francisca Ramalhosa

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to study urban revitalization in old port areas in the United States, which for various reasons are no longer used for port activities, specifically the cases of New York and Boston. In the 1960s, changes in port technology and transportation systems led to major transformations in port activities. Waterfronts that for years were used exclusively for port activities were now vacant. In this context, New York and Boston are two major port cities that succeeded when planning for their waterfronts. This thesis studied the major technological changes that led to vacant harbor land and …

Stimulators Of Aβ Aggregation Identified Through Drug Screening, Matthew Sega

Masters Theses

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by extensive deposition of amyloid plaques in the brain. These plaques contain an amyloid fibril core that is formed through self-aggregation of the P-amyloid peptide (AP), a proteolytic product of amyloid precursor protein (APP). AP aggregation is currently thought to play a causative role in the development of AD, and thus is an attractive target for potential therapeutics. A library of pharmaceutically active compounds (LOP AC) was screened for potential inhibitors of AP aggregation using a 96 -well microplate assay. No inhibitors were found in the library, but, surprisingly, several compounds exhibited …

Extended High Frequency Hearing And Speech Delay Of Unknown Origin, Mandi C. Stutsy

Masters Theses

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to examine hearing in the extended high frequency range in children with speech delay of unknown origin. Specifically, the study asked the questions, do children with speech delay of unknown origin have reduced hearing acuity in the extended high frequencies, do children with speech delay of. unknown origin and who have not acquired the high frequency sounds (Is/ and /z/) have reduced hearing acuity in the extended high frequencies, and/or do children with speech delay of unknown origin and a history of otitis media have reduced hearing acuity in the extended high …

Integrons : Antibiotic Resistance Gene Capturing Systems And Their Prevalence In Bacteria Associated With Animals, Paul Dennis Ebner

Doctoral Dissertations

Antibiotics and antibacterials can be classified based upon how they are produced. Compounds referred to as true antibiotics are products of one microorganism that inhibit the growth of another microorganism, while compounds referred to as antibacterials may have the same activity, but are usually produced synthetically. Antibacterials may be simple chemical alterations of an antibiotic, as in the case of tetracycline, or they may be entirely synthetic, as in the case of fluoroquinolones. In terms of their systemic use in animals, both types of compounds are used in the same fashion, thus the difference is mainly one of semantics. As …

An Individual- Based Model For The Toxic Algae Species Pseudo-Nitzschia Multiseries, Maria Siopsis

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1987 an outbreak of a previously unobserved disease occurred in Canada and was traced back to the toxin domoic acid produced by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries. Since then, fisheries closures due to domoic acid have occurred worldwide. Pseudo-nitzschia species produce domoic acid under nutrient stress, including low silicon or phosphorus under high nitrogen conditions. However, it is still unclear what conditions cause the dangerously high levels that have sometimes been observed. We present an individual-based algae model detailing the physiology of an algal cell with a focus on nutrient and energy flows to delineate the causes of domoic acid …

Court-Referred Youths' Views Of Their Own Psychopathy : "What's The Problem?", Jessica Lynn Von Herbulis

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between youth with psychopathic tendencies, their externalizing behaviors problems, and personal narrative coherence and richness. Participants were referred by the juvenile court system to an observation and assessment program and included 33 youth (ages 10-17 years) and their parents. The following measures were collected: Child Behavior Checklist, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Psychopathy Screening Device, and a Personal Narrative Interview. Youths and parents were in agreement in judging the youths' externalizing problems and the youths' impulsivity, but not the youths' callous/ unemotional traits. Parents were consistent among themselves in judging associations …

The Role Of Planning In Shifting From Conflict Management To Conflict Resolution : A Case Study Of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Heather A. Wakenshaw

Masters Theses

The violent history shared between Catholic and Protestant ethnic/religious groups in Northern Ireland has deteriorated the trust between both communities and public institutions. This conflict is most acute in Belfast, Northern Ireland's urban center, where 'peace lines' have been constructed to divide the two conflicting ethnic/religious groups. Planning agencies have struggled having to plan around the confines of conflict. These measures have resulted in managing conflict, and as a result it has been difficult for these agencies to resolve long term planning problems. In addition, planning agencies have relied on technical analysis and in doing so have inadvertently ignored deeper …

The Relationship Between Aggression And Work Performance Among Temporary Employees, Brenda Faye Wolf

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study explored the impact of gender, race, education level, arrest record, marital status, and aggression on work performance among temporary employees over a 90-day evaluation period. The sample consisted of 144 temporary employees from a professional temporary service who were all placed in entry-level production positions in an industrial company located in the southeastern United States. Predictor data were collected from these employees during their registration process with the professional temporary service, and performance data were obtained from the industrial company following a 90-day probation period. Results from this study indicated that there was no significant …

Doing Gender: How Stories In An Organization Help To Create And Maintain Gender, Linda Jurczak

Masters Theses

This study examines how stories told within an organization help to create and maintain gender within that organization. It focuses on similarities and differences of stories told by males and females in the organization, particularly whether stories indicate a unified culture and if stories indicate a common perception of the rise of men and women through the ranks. Four locations of a major chain of national travel centers participated in the study. Qualitative research methods were used to gather data about the organizational culture, specifically, one Southeastern location was observed and nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted resulting in 136 stories. …

Effect Of Surface Treatment On The Conductivity Of Polyurethane-Carbon Composites, Leina Barros Tocchetto

Masters Theses

The effect of plasma surface treatment on the mechanical and electrical properties was investigated by comparing untreated particulate carbon filler and treated carbon filler in a polyurethane matrix. For achieving this goal, samples of the composites were prepared with different percentages of carbon fillers (0 – 50 wt %) and conductivity measurements, dynamic mechanical analysis, mechanical properties, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to determine the effect of surface modification and concentration. The conductivity measurements showed that the percolation threshold was shifted to lower concentrations of carbon as compared to the predicted value especially for the untreated carbon …