Digital Commons Network^™

Using An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Summer Students In The Evaluation Of Student Health Services., Candice Cline Duvernois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hitherto, students have not evaluated the importance and performance of services provided by the student health service (SHS) at East Tennessee State University. An evaluation could provide valuable feedback to providers and administration.

In 2001, there were 944 student visits in the summer sessions. Approximately 256 students were offered a survey containing an Importance-Performance scale of which 151 (59.0%) responded. The I-P scale rates the importance students place on healthcare services and the performance of the SHS in delivering services (i.e., patient satisfaction).

Based on mean scores, students reported high importance, high performance on urgent care, pharmacy and patient education. …

Image Compression By Wavelet Transform., Panrong Xiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital images are widely used in computer applications. Uncompressed digital images require considerable storage capacity and transmission bandwidth. Efficient image compression solutions are becoming more critical with the recent growth of data intensive, multimedia-based web applications.

This thesis studies image compression with wavelet transforms. As a necessary background, the basic concepts of graphical image storage and currently used compression algorithms are discussed. The mathematical properties of several types of wavelets, including Haar, Daubechies, and biorthogonal spline wavelets are covered and the Enbedded Zerotree Wavelet (EZW) coding algorithm is introduced. The last part of the thesis analyzes the compression results to …

Electronic Books: An Overview Of The First Two Generations., Todd O. Doman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The electronic text reading device, or e-book, is an idea that has reached the implementation stage. Technology has only recently made possible the production of a device to challenge the printed book’s dominance as the media for information transmission. These microprocessor-based devices are attempts to exceed the limitations of printed texts while retaining their strengths. Two generations of these devices, and the companies that created them, have reached the marketplace.

This thesis provides a short history of electronic text readers and gives an overview of the first and second generations. The issues that will affect the adoption of the e-book …

Magmatic Enclaves And Evidence For Magma Mixing In The Oak Point Granite, Deer Isle, Maine, Usa, Ben Johnston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Coastal Maine Magmatic Province (CMMP) consists of over 100 post tectonic plutons with ages varying from Silurian to Carboniferous. Predominately, plutons are either felsic or mafic with little intermediate material. Several plutons within the CMMP show evidence for direct interaction of contemporaneous mafic and felsic magmas. These are classified as Mafic and Silicic Layered Intrusions (MASLI), a specific group of plutons with characteristics indicative of mafic magma replenishment into silicic magma chambers. While the Maine coast contains several MASLI type plutons, other plutons in the CMMP contain less definitive, more cryptic evidence that suggests interaction of mafic and silicic …

An Analysis Of The Academic Success Achieved By Five Freshman Cohorts Through A Community College Developmental Education Program., Nancy K. Gray-Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The challenge of underprepared students' entering America's colleges and universities is not new. Because of their "open door" policies, community colleges are more likely to enroll students who are not college prepared. This retrospective study focused on the performance of students who had completed required developmental education courses compared to the performance of students without developmental requirements. The study examined developmental education success measures for five cohorts of first-time degree-seeking freshmen each tracked for a six-year period enrolled at Walters State Community College located in Tennessee.

The success measures compared included grade point averages earned in college-level mathematics and English …

Physiological And Cognitive Factors In Asthma And Panic Disorder: Application Of The Cognitive And Dyspnensuffocation Fear Theories, Diana M. Dorhofer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, the relationship of anxiety with asthma has been investigated in the psychological literature, revealing that individuals with asthma are more likely to develop panic disorder than are individuals without asthma (e.g., Carr, 1998). Two theories (dyspnedsuffocation fear theory and cognitive theory) have been used to explain how asthma symptoms are affected by panic attacks or panic disorder. The present study examines both theories, as well as a hypothesis developed by Carr (1 998) that suggests that the presence of panic disorder in individuals with asthma may lead to better lung functioning in response to stressful stimuli than for individuals …

Validation Of A Sun-Exposure Questionnaire For Adolescent Girls, Jennifer L. Cobb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sunlight is a major contributor to an individual's vitamin D status. Determinants of sun exposure have been used in conjunction with dietary data to study the effect of sunlight on bone health of elderly populations. Sun-exposure questionnaires to assess vitamin D status have not been utilized or tested in populations of children in the United States. This is the first questionnaire, used in accordance with vitamin D research, to be tested against an objective measure of sun exposure and to account for diurnal variation in ultraviolet B (UVB) ray strength. The objective of this study was to develop and validate …

Characterization Of Chitosan Films For Cell Culture Applications, Michael Katalinich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chitosan (β-(l,4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose) is a naturally occurring, abundant biopolymer exhibiting desirable biomaterial properties of biodegradability, low toxicity and good biocompatibility. These properties indicate the suitability of chitosan as a surface for mammalian cell growth. The goal of this thesis is to explore the potential for using chitosan as a surface for NIH 3T3 fibroblast attachment and growth. '4 standard, reproducible film-formation technique, based on other researchers techniques was established. The reproducibility of this technique. through characterization of the physical and chemical properties of these films, was good. The attachment and growth of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts on chitosan films and controls was …

A Molecular Investigation Of Absorption Onto Mineral Pigments, Brian J. Ninness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pigment suspensions are important in several processes such as ceramics, paints, inks, and coatings. In the wet state, pigments are combined with a variety of chemical species such as polymers, surfactants, and polyelectrolytes which produce a complex colloidal system. The adsorption, desorption, and redistribution of these species at the pigment - aqueous solution interface can have an impact on the behavior in both the wet state or its final dried state. The goal of this work is to establish a molecular picture of the adsorption properties of these pigmented systems. A novel in situ infrared technique has been developed which …

Cold-Temperature Adaptation Of Muscle Creatine Kinase From An Antartic Teleost (Chaenocephalus Aceratus), Paul Winnard Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The white muscle of Chuenocephulus aceratus, an Antarctic teleost of the Channicthyidae family, has a compromised glycoiytic capacity and this fish cannot depend on glycolysis for rapid ATP generation For C. aceratus, creatine kinase (CK) and phosphocreatine (PCr) reserves comprise the metabolic pathway that may supplement and overcome this deficiency in energy transduction. Two conditions, low glycolytic capacity and evolution in a chronically cold habitat (-1.86°C), give us reason to believe that C. aceratus muscle CK (MMCK) has been subjected to strong selective pressure. Thus, the hypothesis of this thesis is that MMCK fiom C. aceratus white muscle …

Characterization Of Biochelators, Membrane Redox Systems, And Quinone Reductases From Wood Degrading Basidiomycetes, Weihong Qi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biodegradation of wood by brown rot fungi is dependent upon a non-enzymatic system involving Fenton chemistry. Iron biochelators with molecular weights lower than 1kD are important components in this process. Phenolate biochelators drive a hydroxyl radical generating Fenton reaction by reducing ferric iron. Biochelators may be mineralized or alternately, in some cases oxidized biochelators may be regenerated via a quinone redox cycle. Electron donors for this postulated regeneration have not been identified. Extracellular cellobiose dehydrogenase has also been found to drive the Fenton reaction by generating ferrous iron and hydrogen peroxide. This research compared the production of biochelators and the …

Evaluating Shade Bias In Insect Trap Catch And Assessing The Short- And Long-Term Impacts Of Herbicide Application In Regenerating Clearcuts On Flowering Plant Communities, Kathryn M. Georgitis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regenerating clearcuts are commonly sprayed with a broad-spectrum herbicide, Glyphosate, to suppress regenerating hardwoods that outcompete the more desirable softwood species. Although the direct effects of herbicide application are minimal, the resulting changes in vegetation have raised concern over its indirect effects on wildlife. On the other hand, clearcuts are high in plant diversity, which may provide beneficial resources for Hymenoptera in the clearcut area and the adjacent forest stands. To assess the short- and long-term impacts of herbicide application on insect communities, comparisons between stands of various ages and treatments are necessary. Insect traps provide one efficient method for …

Finding Poetry In Nature, Tammis Coffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Finding poetry in nature is a project about cultivating receptivity and curiosity to the experiences of the natural world. It is about using language imaginatively to deepen a responsiveness and respectfulness towards nature. The project is allied with movements in Environmental Education and Language Arts Education that address sense of place and "place-based" education. My discoveries take the form of a literature review, a set of facilitation techniques, and samples of my own nature writing. An exploration of a sense of place is enriched by actively integrating four different perceptual paths. Attentiveness to sensory and imaginative impressions as well as …

Relationships Between Oceanographic Satellite Data And Alexandrium Distributions In The Gulf Of Maine, Remy Martin Luerssen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An examination is made of the qualitative and quantitative relationships between satellite derived sea-surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll patterns and the distribution of Alexandrium, the toxic dinoflagellate species responsible for HABs in the GOM. Daily images coincident with five ECOHAB survey cruises in 1998 and 2000 are composited over each cruise period to create mean patterns for each sample period. Contours of surface Alexandrium cell concentrations are superimposed on the images as well as images showing the strength and location of SST frontal zones to examine qualitative relationships. Results indicate that high concentrations of Alexandrium are located primarily in the …

Effects Of An Increasing Harbor Seal Population On Changes In Sites Used For Pupping, Nikolina Guldager

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aerial survey data from 198 1 to 1997 of an increasing harbor seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) population in Penobscot and Blue Hill bays, Maine, were used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of use of pupping sites by mother-pup pairs. Pupping sites refer to haul-out sites where pups were observed during surveys, and are assumed to be used consistently from birth to weaning. Sites with pups were spatially clustered to remove spatial auto-correlation, reduce temporal variability and provide biologically cohesive and independent sample units. Spatial, temporal and habitat analyses were completed for 2 spatial scales: individual sites and …

The Relationship Between Rheology, Application Method, And Final Coating Structure, Basant Galal Dimetry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paper is coated to improve the printability and the visual properties. The factors that determine the coating structure are important because the structure determines the physical, optical, and printing properties. This work focuses on determining a relationship between the rheological properties of the coating, the application method, and the final coating structure. Coatings with different polymers and pigments were characterized in terms of steady shear and viscoelastic properties. These coatings were applied onto plastic film and paper with a laboratory rod coater, a spray coater, and a high-speed blade coater. The final coating structure after drying was characterized in terms …

Detection Of Insulin Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, And Interleukin-6 On Individual Mouse Embryos By Immuno-Polymerase Chain Reaction, Kun Xu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three series of experiments were conducted to: 1) optimize the conditions for the production of pUC19 plasmid and of biotinylated pUC19 fragments; 2) optimize the conditions for the production of protein A-streptavidin chimera (chimeric protein); and 3) detect soluble antigens [bovine serum albumin (BSA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] and membrane-bound antigens [insulin receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr)] of mouse embryos by immuno-polymerase chain reaction (I-PCR). The first experimental series, which included bacterial culture, chimeric protein purification, and chimeric protein functional experiments, was performed to investigate the effects of IPTG (isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside) induction time and temperature, bacterial culture medium, and protein …

Study Of Conidia Production And Transmission Of Beauverza Bassiana (Balsamo) Vuill. In Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa Decemlineata), Silvia Fernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is an investigation of:( 1) mortality of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), under different modes of exposure to the pathogen Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., (2) host and environmental factors affecting sporulation, production, and viability of B. bassiana conidia from infected cadavers of CPB larvae, and (3) transmission of the disease in CPB populations. The research leads to an improved understanding of the process of transmission of B. bassiana in CPB populations. This may enhance its use as a biological control agent for this pest insect. The highest rate of mortality of CPB larvae (77 percent) …

Genomic Organization Of Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus, Trent Rector

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) is an emerging pathogen of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The development of an effective ISA virus vaccine is a high priority for salmon producers in the U.S. and elsewhere. The process of developing a recombinant vaccine requires complete genetic characterization of the virus. Toward this end we have cloned, sequenced and determined the organization of the eight segments of single-stranded RNA from ISA virus isolate CCBB. The virus was grown in cell culture and purified by density gradient ultracentrifugation. Viral RNA was isolated from purified ISAV and used in the construction of two different …

Modeling Intersections Of Geospatial Lifelines, Ramaswam Hariharan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modeling moving objects involves spatio-temporal reasoning. The continuous movements of objects in space-time captured as discrete samples form geospatial lifelines. Existing lifeline models can represent the movement of objects between samples from most likely location to all possible locations. This thesis builds on a model called lifeline bead and necklace that captures all the possible locations of moving objects. Beads are 3-dimensional representations of an object's movements and a series of beads form a necklace. The extent of finding the possible locations is constrained by the speed of movement of the objects. Intersections of lifelines occur when two or more …

Evolution Of Sprague Neck Bar, Machias Bay, Maine, Rebecca A. Nestor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sprague Neck Bar is a recurved barrier spit located in Machias Bay, Maine. Principle geomorphic features associated with Sprague Neck Bar include bedrock, coastal bluffs, till in grounding line (the Pond Ridge Moraine) and washboard moraines, mudflats, sand and gravel beaches, and a salt marsh. Sprague Neck Bar is attached to the western end of the Pond Ridge Moraine (Sprague Neck) and extends northward toward the head of Machias Bay for 845 meters before the system recurves to the southeast for 232 meters. The recurve system forms a broad tidal flat with evidence for northward and eastward migration of the …

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nest success is the most important demographic parameter influencing rates of population change of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo si1vestris) and many variables operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales may influence whether a nest is successful. Most studies of nest success and survival of turkeys have occurred in forested or agricultural landscapes; variables influencing nest success have not been studied in suburban landscapes. My objectives were to: 1 ) quantify survival and reproductive parameters of eastern wild turkey hens in the suburban environment of southeastern Connecticut and compare results to studies conducted in other northeastern states; 2) …

Nonmarket Valuation And Land Use: Two Essays, Robert W. Paterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research presented here consists of two essays that describe applications of non-market valuation techniques to current land use issues. The individual studies were designed to address important methodological and policy issues, respectively. In the first essay, Geographic Information System (GIs) data are used to develop variables representing the physical extent and visibility of surrounding land use/cover features in a hedonic model of a rural/suburban housing market. Three equations are estimated to determine if views affect property prices, and, further, if omission of visibility variables leads to omitted variable bias. Results indicate that the visibility measures are important determinants of …

Coherence And Historical Understanding In Children's Biography And Historical Nonfiction Literature: A Content Analysis Of Selected Orbis Pictus Books, Sandip Leeanne Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate a selection of children's historical nonfiction literature for evidence of coherence. Although research has been conducted on coherence of textbook material and its influences on comprehension there has been limited study on coherence in children's nonfiction literature. Generally, textual coherence has been seen as critical in the comprehensibility of content area textbooks because it concerns the unity of connections among ideas and information. Disciplinary coherence concerns the extent to which authors of historical text show readers how historians think and write. Since young readers are apprentices in learning historical content and conventions …

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation By Novel Bacteria Isolated From Burrow Sediments Of Marine Benthic Macrofauna, Wai Ki Chung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are significant environmental pollutants and represent a severe health threat. Many cosmopolitan areas including coastal environments are heavily impacted by PAH. This research investigates the isolation of PAH-degrading bacteria from burrow sediment of marine benthic macrofauna and their potential in bioremediation. Macrofaunal burrow sediment is biogeochemically distinct from bulk sediment and has high microbial activities. Samples were collected from a local uncontaminated cove and PAH degradation potential was measured by incubating sediment slurries with exogenous PAH. Burrow sediments from two polychaetes and a mollusc showed significantly higher PAH degradation potential than the bulk sediment. The degradation …

Anthropogenic Influences And Meteorological Effects: How They Are Changing The Sand Beaches In Southern Maine, Heather W. Heinze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although sand beaches in southern Maine comprise only a small segment of the coastline, they are economically important to the state. From September 1999-March 2001, volunteers made monthly topographic profiles along nine beaches in southern Maine to monitor changes. The volunteers used the Emery Method of beach profiling to take simultaneous measurements at spring low tide. The beaches are significantly different with respect to physiography, incident wave energy and direction, available sediment supply and extent of development. An average of the profiles for each category demonstrates that the undeveloped beaches experienced regular seasonal fluctuations and a consistent berm elevation from …

A La Découverte D'Une Perle Francaise: L'Identité De Marguerite De Valois Définie Par Son Choix De Références [Discovering A French Pearl: Marguerite De Valois' Identity As Defined By Her Choice Of References], Jenifer Ann Branton-Desris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Marguerite de Valois reveals a self-portrait through the references found in her writings. Whether the references are in the third person, the second person (the addressee), or the first person (the “self’), Marguerite always chooses references which reflect several of her own personnality traits. By studying the precise references found in each of these categories, it is possible to develop a self-portrait of this sixteenth-century queen. An analysis of the references found in all of Marguerite de Valois’s writings is the focus of this study. Her writings include the Mémoire iustificatif pour Henri de Bourbon, the Discours docte et …

Gametogenic Cycles Of Marine Mussels, Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus, In Cobscook Bay, Maine, Aaron P. Maloy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mytilus edulis species complex includes three smooth-shelled blue mussels, M. edulis (Linnaeus 1 75 8), M trossulus (Gould 1 850), and M galloprovincialis (Lamarck 18 19). When any two of theses species occur sympatrically, hybridization and backcrossing of hybrid and parental genotypes is evident. Despite introgression of genes between taxa their genetic integrity is maintained. To test the hypothesis that a temporal variation in species-specific spawning times is the mechanism limiting hybridization and maintaining genetic integrity in a M edulis and M. trossulus hybrid zone in eastern Maine, mussels were sampled on monthly to semi-monthly intervals throughout 2000 from …

Autoimmunity, Immune Deficiency And Cancer: Multiple Roles Of The Protein Tyrosine Phosphate Shp-1, Melissa J. Joliat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of a large number of mutant mice used in immunological research, the "motheaten" mouse was the first model of a specific protein tyrosine phosphatase deficiency. Mice carrying one of two allelic mutations at the "motheaten" locus have severe systemic autoimmunity and immune dysfunction as a result of mutations in the hematopoietic-cell phosphatase (Hcph) gene, which encodes the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1. Studies using "motheaten" (me/me) and "viable motheaten" (me^v/me^v) mice have increased the understanding of numerous signaling pathways in immune and hematopoietic cells. A number of studies on SHP-1 function …

The Effects Of Temperature On The Survival, Growth And Development Of Larvae Of Two Blue Mussel Species (Mytilus Edulis And Mytilus Trossulus), Susan Hayhurst

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Factors affecting the distribution of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus in the Gulf of Maine are of great interest because of the blue mussel's economic and ecological importance. Genetic surveys of blue mussel populations indicate that eastern Maine represents the southern distributional limit for M. trossulus but that M. edulis is common throughout the Gulf of Maine. Because hydrographic features in the Gulf of Maine confound temperature variation and larval dispersal patterns, the relative importance of these potential range-limiting mechanisms cannot be ascertained from the distribution of adult mussels. Given that larvae are more vulnerable than adults to temperature extremes, …