Digital Commons Network^™

Isolated Mobile Malware Observation, Augustine Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The idea behind Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) it that personal mobile devices can be used in the workplace to enhance convenience and flexibility. This development encourages organizations to allow access of personal mobile devices to business information and systems for businesses operation. However, BYOD opens a firm to various security risks such as data contamination and the exposure of user interest to criminal activities. Mobile devices were not designed to handle intense data security and advanced security features are frequently turned off. Using personal mobile devices can also expose a system to various forms of security threats like malware. …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perception Of Data-Driven Instructional Leadership And Their Sense Of Efficacy And Anxiety For Data-Driven Decision-Making, Jarvis J. Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between teachers’ perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. Additionally, the research study examined if teachers’ school level (elementary or secondary) influenced their perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. The researcher utilized a correlational research design and correlational/regression analysis to conduct this study based on the theoretical framework of Bandura’s social learning theory. The researcher surveyed 300 full-time certified educators in a rural school district located in the southeastern United States using the …

A Meta-Assessment Of An Institution's Administrative Assessment Processes, Cynthia Groover

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many institutions establish assessment teams to assist faculty in developing their knowledge of and confidence in conducting academic program assessment, and some extend these teams to address administrative and student affairs assessment as well. These teams may function as more formal distributed leadership models, as described by Spillane (2006), or they may be less formal groups with little or no leadership roles. Regardless of their level of formality, these teams are often used to implement other resources such as rubrics, peer review, and feedback, but the effectiveness of these resources and processes is not commonly reviewed through an intentionally designed …

The Exertion Of A Choice: An Ecofeminist Vision ~ Aesthetic, Embodied, And Connected Learning, Sharon M. Eswine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I build upon Darwin’s (1859/1964) metaphor of the complex biological tangle of a river bank - plants, birds, insects, and earth - to paint a picture of transformative learning as aesthetic (Dewey, 1934/2005; Eisner, 1998, 2002b; Greene, 1995, 2001; Liston, 2001), and embodied (Dewey, 1958; Johnson, 2007; Shusterman, 2006), and thereby connected to the learner’s life experience, including his/her/their ecological, cultural, and historic situatedness. I call this complication of Darwin’s metaphor the ecofeminist tangled bank. For my purposes, an ecofeminist theoretical framework provides a means of analyzing oppressive conceptual frameworks that perpetuate hierarchy and domination, and which …

Characteristics Associated With Local Health Departments’ Completion Of Community Health Assessment, Community Health Improvement Plan, And Strategic Planning, Abraham Deng Ater

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Local health departments engage in community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning to systematically monitor health, identify risk factors, and to set strategic priorities to improve population health outcomes. Successful completion of these three processes within the last five years is also paramount as they are required for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. The main purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of local health departments that are associated with completion of community health assessment, community health improvement plan, strategic planning, and accreditation processes. This cross-sectional study drew data from the 2016 NACCHO profile of …

Custom Windows Patching Methodology - Comparative Analysis, Brent Michael Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Windows Server Update Services has been a common mainstay among organizations with a heavy footprint of Windows operating systems since it was originally released as Software Update Services in 2002. While the product has grown in scope, the primary allure remains the same: WSUS offers organizations greater control over the patches that are released to their environment and saves bandwidth by allowing a centralized device to download and offer patches to internal clients rather than having each of those clients download the content they require from the Internet. Unfortunately, the product has a structural limitation in that it lacks the …

Determining Skin Temperature Differences Between Three Cold Compression Modalities, Madison S. Mccarthy

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Background: Cold and compression are common therapeutic interventions used in the treatment of acute musculoskeletal injuries. Cryotherapy uses extreme cold to decrease cell metabolism and pain following injury. Compression works to decrease overall blood flow and control edema. The benefit of combining cold and compression is to increase the rate and depth of the temperature drop, while utilizing the effects of both modalities. Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine if a crushed ice pack was as effective as newer cold compression technology to decrease skin temperature. A crushed ice pack was compared to the PowerPlay and Game …

Chipping Through Time: The Evolution Of Lithic Spatial Organization At The Bridge River Pithouse Village, British Columbia, Ethan P. Ryan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Archaeological investigations at Housepit 54 within the Bridge River site have, to date, exposed 15 discreet floors primarily dating to ca. 1500-1000 cal. B.P. In this thesis, the spatial distributions of lithic artifacts from every floor are examined. Questions will be addressed specifically towards formation processes and the potential relationships between the patterning of lithic distributions as they relate to hearth-centered activity areas or domestic areas and fluctuations in estimated population. In addition, this thesis explores spatial organization as a cultural trait or concept that can be transmitted through time. Using the same methodological and theoretical approach for each floor, …

Using Multiple Environmental Tracers To Investigate The Relative Role Of Soil And Deep Groundwater In Stream Water Generation For A Snow-Dominated Headwater Catchment, Isabellah V. Von Trapp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this study, seasonal fluctuation of environmental tracers in stream flow, soil water, and deep bedrock groundwater were used to constrain the role of deep bedrock groundwater in streamflow generation for a mountainous headwater catchment. Synoptic measurements of stream discharge, ²²²Rn, specific conductivity and major ion concentrations were measured throughout the water year over a 5 km reach of Cap Wallace Creek in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Montana, U.S.A. with the intention of understanding groundwater – surface water interactions across spatial and temporal scales. Stage measurements were continually recorded at seven stilling well locations along the reach. Discharge measurements …

Universal Design For Learning In Online Credit Recovery: Do Course Features Impact Achievement?, Robert I. Squires

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This experimental study investigated whether the addition of course features based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework impacted achievement in an online English 1A credit recovery course offered by a state virtual school in the Western United States. An alternative format for completing course mastery assignments and eText support tools (ReadSpeaker and TextAid) were added to an existing version of the course. Writing prompts were also included in the alternative mastery assignments. Credit recovery students were randomly enrolled by school personnel into control and treatment sections of the English 1A courses using the enrollment mechanism of the school’s …

Structural And Aerodynamic Design, Procedure And Analysis Of A Small V-Shaped Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, Odari J. Whyte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last two decades there has been a renewed interest in Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. This turbine configuration though unpopular for large-scale generation has found a niche market in the way of offshore energy harvesting. However, offshore wind has its challenges. In this thesis a detailed comprehensive study of a proposed V-shaped vertical axis turbine rotor is performed in order to examine its structural and aerodynamic characteristics. The design met and exceeded the safety parameters establish for test bed operation, showing a factor of safety of 1.87 with regard to fatigue stress response. A satisfactory fatigue stress design life …

Digital Forensic Tools & Cloud-Based Machine Learning For Analyzing Crime Data, Majeed Kayode Raji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science in which we can recreate past events using forensic tools for legal measure. Also, the increase in the availability of mobile devices has led to their use in criminal activities. Moreover, the rate at which data is being generated has been on the increase which has led to big data problems. With cloud computing, data can now be stored, processed and analyzed as they are generated. This thesis documents consists of three studies related to data analysis. The first study involves analyzing data from an android smartphone while making a comparison between …

Investigating The Causes And Cures For Unclear Scholarly Writing, Marlene Ingrid Mahony

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation investigated possible causes and cures for unclear scholarly writing. For this study, a stipulative definition of unclear scholarly writing, or “academese,” is that the language tends to be vague and verbose. The problem, according to the included literature, is that people who use or accept vague language have less academic, social, professional, and civic power. Academese, some say, can detach readers and that can accordingly diminish collective exchange. Because higher education is meant to share knowledge, promote agency, and prepare students to communicate powerfully within and beyond the university, this study researched the causes and cures of …

Exploring Factors Influencing The Willingness To Communicate Among English-As-A-Second Language University Students, Chi-Fang (Michelle) Chang

Doctoral Dissertations

This present study anchored its inquiry in English oral communication and learning English as a second language. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that influence the willingness to communicate (WTC) of ESL university students from the perspectives of both the students and their oral communication professor. Since the 1980s, WTC among ESL university students has attracted increasing attention because helping them communicate authentically is essential. WTC is correlated with overall English language proficiency because of its equal weight with the other language skills. Therefore, ESL students have targeted WTC as a vital skill. However, research on …

Use Of Multimedia Games For Biology Vocabulary Instruction, Ian Murray

Doctoral Dissertations

Vocabulary knowledge is considered fundamental to learning. However, students typically find learning scientific vocabulary quite difficult, and that is especially true for biology vocabulary. Games are well established as effective tools for vocabulary instruction. Multimedia instruction is likewise recognized as aiding vocabulary learning. To date, however, there seems have been little examination of the use of multimedia games in biology vocabulary instruction. This study, therefore, compared the effectiveness of digital multimedia games and traditional instruction in teaching biology vocabulary.

A two-group, quasi-experimental study was carried out over the course of 61 days. Participants were a convenience sample of 10 high …

School Leaders' And Educators' Perceptions Of Ignatian Identity At Jesuit Cristo Rey Schools, William Bludgus

Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilized a mixed-methods, embedded multiple-case study approach; school leaders and educators were invited to complete the study’s survey, and three in-depth interviews were conducted at each school. The six Jesuit, Cristo Rey schools in the study were those, which are solely sponsored by the Society of Jesus, and which have existed for at least eight years. The study’s survey instrument, the CRIGNIS, is an adaptation of the Jesuit Schools Network’s IGNatian Identity Survey; each item of the CRIGNIS was validated for alignment to one of the ten “distinguishing criteria” from What Makes a Jesuit High School Jesuit? (Jesuit …

What Do We Really Know About Grit? A Multivariate Statistical Investigation On The Construct Validity Of Grit, Christine M. Collaco

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to collect evidence on the construct validity of grit using convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity principles. To accomplish this purpose and extend previous research on grit, college students from two schools completed an instrument comprised of a cognitive ability test, and a questionnaire. The questionnaire was comprised of existing and multiple measures of grit, interest, self-efficacy, locus of control, and conscientiousness along with a number of college success measures. Structural equation modeling was used as the primary statistical analysis technique. Factor analysis, correlation analysis, and path analysis were also used.

First, the results …

Policymaking And Paid Family Leave: Revitalizing The Family Medical Leave Act Of 1993, Jasmeer Basi

Doctoral Dissertations

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) applies to all public agencies, public schools, private elementary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. It is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. However, the FMLA has proven to be ineffective in meeting the …

Three Essays On Public Information And Security Prices., Chen Gu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation includes three essays examining the role of public information in financial markets. The first essay examines informed trading before natural gas inventory announcements. Natural gas futures prices start moving in the “right” direction about 90 minutes before the announcement. The empirical results show that the difference between the median forecast of analysts with high historical forecasting accuracy and the consensus forecast can be used to predict inventory surprises and some of the pre-announcement drift. Because both individual analyst forecasts and consensus are available to Bloomberg subscribers prior to official release time, our results suggest that informed trading before …

Pacap Expression In An Auditory Neurocircuit Relay Center, Matthew N. Segil

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

Pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a small pleiotropic neuropeptide found throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. It binds with highest affinity to its complementary receptor, pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating polypeptide receptor 1. Using PACAP-Cre transgenic mice, an adeno-assisted viral construct was injected into the diencephalon for Cre-dependent expression of mCherry fluorescent protein in PACAP-expressing neurons. We observed red mCherry fluorescence in PACAP expressing neurons in the suprageniculate (SG) thalamic nucleus, a component of the auditory sensory pathway. The nucleus receives afferent fibers from the deep layers of the superior colliculus (SC) and sends axonal projections to various targets including …

Seeking Asylum Across The International Boundary: Legal Terms And Geopolitical Conditions Of Irregular Border Crossing And Asylum Seeking Between The United States And Canada, 2016 - 2018, Sarah E. Barrett

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

This thesis explores the acute surge in the irregular border crossings of asylum seekers across the International Boundary into Canada between late 2016 to early 2018. The goal of this project is to compile an account of the legal terms and geopolitical conditions that act to generate and shape this migration. The trajectory of this research necessitated study of the evolving nature of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States as well as the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) and its legal controversy. I explore how both respectively act to produce and structure these trends in irregular border …

88.9: A Documentary Poem Examining Whiteness At The University Of Vermont, Addison Campbell

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

This project is located at the joining of the two fields of documentary poetry and critical race and ethnic studies, specifically that of whiteness. The University of Vermont is a predominantly white institution in a predominantly white state. Though traditionally the docupoet is incidental to the project, in 88.9 I explore the social phenomenon of whiteness by engaging with the political forces that are simultaneously insidious and explicit at UVM. To give this project balance, I also interrogate my own personal role not only as a student, but also as a white woman and a Vermonter. 88.9 is my attempt …

Iterative Exponential Growth Through Manipulation Of Sulfide Oxidation States, Tyler Jacob Jaynes

UVM College of Arts and Sciences College Honors Theses

Discovering methods to produce polymers of precisely defined length and sequence has been an age-old vexation for synthetic chemists. Classical polymerization techniques such as step growth and chain growth tend to produce inexact polymer sequences with broad ranges of molecular weights. Other techniques, such as solid state peptide synthesis, that allow construction of sequence defined oligomers, grow at a sluggish, linear rate. This research aims to explore a contemporary technique, iterative exponential growth (IEG), which utilizes a convergent/divergent strategy to grow oligomers of exact sequence and size in an exponential fashion. Specifically, we aim to use nucleophilic aromatic substitutions as …

Production Of Synthetic Spider Silk, Ryan Matthew Hekman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Spider silk is a material that both has impressive mechanical properties and is also environmentally friendly. Though there are limitless potential engineering applications for such materials, industrial production of spider silk has proven to be challenging. Farming silk from spiders, as is done with silkworms, is not a viable option for large-scale production of spider silk due to the venomous and predatory nature of spiders. Here, an attempt is made to express synthetic spider silk minifibroins heterologously in Escherichia coli, to purify the recombinant spidroins from cell lysate, and to spin them into artificial fibers through a biomimetic process. Silk …

A Case Study On The Perceived Impact Of Elementary School Departmentalization On Teacher Math Self-Efficacy, Rich Thomas Haley Iii

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative case study of three elementary teachers that currently teach at a school implementing a departmental structure in Northern California. Data was gathered by interviewing each participant individually and is presented in the form of a narrative for each participant. The purpose of this study was to explore the math self-efficacy of elementary teachers who teach in a school implementing a departmental structure. The research addressed the following question: How does a departmental structure influence the experiences, perceptions, and self-efficacy of elementary teachers as each relates to mathematics instruction? The results of this study demonstrate that, …

Increasing Blacks' Representation And Utilization On The Bone Marrow Registry: An Action-Oriented Needs Assessment, Indria Gillespie

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action-oriented needs assessment was to ascertain the knowledge, motivation, and culture (KMC) needs of Blacks regarding joining the Be The Match bone marrow registry and participating in the bone marrow donation process. This needs assessment will be utilized to lay the foundation for an educational and research based nonprofit organization, Angels In Disguise, that I developed. This study will also be used to inform the bone marrow registry of the KMC needs of the Blacks who participated in this study. The data collection came from nine observations, four post-observation surveys, five donor interviews, two prototype development …

Aphasia Couples Therapy: A Case Study Of Conversational Coaching For A Man With Conduction Aphasia, Adriana Joma

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the understanding of the effects of aphasia couples therapy (ACT) in a person with conduction aphasia. ACT is a social therapeutic approach that involves facilitating conversations between the person with aphasia (PWA) and their spouse, or caregiver. The participants in this study involved one pair. The dependent variables included conveyance of main concepts, use of intentional gestures, reflections and summary statements per conversation. Miscellaneous measures were also counted and analyzed including the PWA’s frequency of paraphasias, fillers (e.g. um, uh), and disfluencies. Baseline sessions involved the PWA watching a video clip, …

Family Child Care Providers' Perceptions Of Quality Of Training In The Early Head Start Program, Carmen Zuleyma Hercules

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In order to give children quality child care, child care providers need appropriate training and coaching to develop effective teaching practices. Compared to center-based educators, family child care providers tend to have less education and training and offer fewer educational experiences. The purpose of this study was to investigate how family child care providers perceived the quality of Early Head Start training to support professional development, and to identify what professional areas and experiences or activities providers deemed crucial to their professional-development training. Bandura’s (1997) social-cognitive theory described the way people learn from each other, and identified four factors—mastery experiences, …

Investigations On Cancer Cell Biological Effects Of Cdk8 Inhibitor Q-12, Zhixin Lu

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, protein kinases have been intensively investigated as targets to treat neoplastic diseases. Many protein kinase inhibitors not only have therapeutic potential but are becoming invaluable reagents for the study of cell signaling.

We aspired to use our Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8 inhibitor, Q-12, as a probe for biomarker discovery for CDK8 inhibitor sensitive tumor types. Q-12 shows potent inhibition of cell viability and induction of apoptosis process in some triple-negative breast cancer and colorectal cancer cell lines in vitro. Western blot results indicate that the reduction of STAT1 phosphorylation could be a robust indicator of CDK8 …

Bimetallic Complexes: The Fundamental Aspects Of Metal-Metal Interactions, Ligand Sterics And Application, Michael Bernard Pastor

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Metal containing complexes have been used to catalyze various organic transformations for the past few decades. The success of several mononuclear catalysts led to transition metal catalysts used in pharmaceuticals, environmental, and industrial processes. While mononuclear complexes have been used extensively, bimetallic systems have received far less attention. Bimetallic or polynuclear sites are commonly found in metalloenzymes that perform elegant transformation in biological systems, underlying their significance. Inorganic chemists take inspiration from nature and design model bimetallic complexes to further study this cooperativity effect. A bimetallic platform offers many structural and functional differences such as the identity of the metal …