Digital Commons Network^™

An Online Statistics Course From Faculty And Students' Perspectives: A Case Study, Ruth Best

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Faculty at a private college in the northeastern United States found students lacked prerequisite mathematical skills and were unable to transfer quantitative reasoning skills to upper level business courses. Guided by Mezirow's transformative learning theory and Knowles' approach to self-directed learning, this study examined how undergraduate students learn statistics online. The purpose of this qualitative embedded case study was to examine faculty and students' perspectives about the online statistics course design and delivery while exploring possible barriers to students' learning. Data collection occurred by review of course documents and the learning management system. Archival data generated questions for semistructured interviews …

Health Care Leaders' Experiences Of Electronic Medical Record Adoption And Use, Joseph B. Weagraff

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) technology systems of meaningful use has been slow despite the mandate by the U.S. government. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies used by health care leaders to implement EMR technology systems of meaningful use to take advantage of federal incentive payments. Diffusion of innovation theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 6 health care leaders from a military installation in the Southeast United States. Data were analyzed using software, coding, and inductive analyses. The 3 prominent themes were patient, provider, and champion. Alerts …

A Comparison Of The Utility Of Craniometric And Dental Morphological Data For Assessing Biodistance And Sex-Differential Migration In The Pacific Islands, Brittney A. Eubank

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Genetic analysis of maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA and the paternally-inherited Y-chromosome yield contrasting pictures of movement of peoples into the Pacific Islands. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is a matrilocal residency pattern practiced by early Pacific settlers, in which Melanesian men were brought into settler communities to intermarry with local women, yielding a higher intrapopulation variance and lower interpopulation variance exhibited in males compared to females. This research investigates the possibility of sex-differential migration in the Oceanic populations of Easter Island, Fiji, Guam, Mokapu, and New Britain through analysis of biodistance based on dental morphological trait frequencies and craniometric measures …

Human Shields And Redistribution Of Prey Species Complicate The Utility Of Protected Areas As Ecological Baselines, Wesley Sarmento

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A key goal of protected areas is the conservation of biodiversity, an aim that garners increasing public support through positive experiences. Increasing visitation, however, can come at the cost of reduced ecological integrity. A fundamental conundrum is that if parks are to serve as our most pristine places, then we must understand how our presence alters species interactions. Species redistributing closer to people is of growing management concern both in and out of national parks because of 1) human safety, 2) animal health, and 3) ecological consequences. Across parks drivers of distributional change are often dissimilar, and include movement to …

Monitoring Biodiversity Of San Francisco Peninsula Grasslands Using Lepidoptera As A Bioindicator, Jonathan B. Sifuentes-Winter

Master's Projects and Capstones

San Francisco Peninsula grasslands have seen an influx of non-native invasive species starting in the 1500’s, threatening ecological stability by reducing biological diversity. To combat these invasive species, multiple public agencies have begun to adopt an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. This ecologically-based approach to pest management utilizes three controversial techniques, which are presently used or are under consideration for use on the San Francisco Peninsula: herbicide application, conservation grazing, and prescribed fire. In this paper, I will evaluate the use of the taxa Lepidoptera as a bioindicator of biodiversity to assess the environmental impacts of these techniques. The application …

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Scholarships Awarded To Mcnair Scholars, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Using Foraminifera Shell Geochemistry To Test Proxies For Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Catherine Hudson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Paddling A Trail, Erin Jennings Gilleece

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Paddling A Trail documents construction of the first water trail in Arkansas. The 15 minute film is narrated by Arkansas Canoe Club Conservation Chair Debbie Doss. It follows Doss, and other volunteers as they mark the Wattensaw Bayou Trail in Hazen, Arkansas. The film is co-narrated by Kristen Bartlow of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The footage was shot over three days, in two different locations. These were the White River in Northwest Arkansas and Wattensaw Bayou in Hazen, AR. The film illustrates the positive role trails can have on the environment and local economies. More importantly, the film …

The Vascular Flora Of Wayne County, Mississippi, Daniel M. Mcnair

Master's Theses

The vascular flora of Wayne County, Mississippi, was surveyed from 2013–2015, and the species of native and naturalized plants are listed. In total, 1,135 species were identified from field collections, previously collected herbarium specimens, and field observations. These belong to 556 genera and 165 families. Four of these species represent first recorded occurrences in the state of Mississippi: Blyxa aubertii Rich., Gomphrena serrata Pav. ex Moq., Isoetes valida (Engelm.) Clute, and Polypogon interruptus Kunth. GPS coordinates are given for important collection sites representing the diversity of plant communities in the county. All voucher specimens from the survey are deposited in …

Understanding How Synthetic Organic Chemistry Graduate Students Navigate Scifinder, Lindsey Whitfield Cain

All Dissertations

Students pursuing a Ph.D. degree are expected to contribute research to their field, for which the success depends, in part, on their ability to find, interpret, and use scholarly information from the primary literature. However, studies from the information sciences show that graduate students from a variety of fields, including the sciences, frequently struggle to comprehensively search their respective dissertation topics because of insufficient prior content knowledge and lack of guidance from their disciplinary community. This body of literature is consistent with the results of my previous research of chemistry graduate students’ laboratory decision-making processes. Specifically, that study showed their …

Time Distortion In Bierce's "One Of The Missing" And Uroshevic's "Ракописот Од Китаб-Ан" ("The Manuscript From Kitab-An"), Kalina Maleska

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her article "Time Distortion in Bierce's 'One of the Missing' and Uroshevic's 'Ракописот од Китаб-Ан' ('The Manuscript from Kitab-An')" Kalina Maleska examines the relationship between literature and astronomy in the context of time. The two stories share several common elements: they explore the possible manipulations of time in unexpected and extraordinary ways and come close to certain scientific explorations of time. For "One of the Missing," Albert Einstein's theory of relativity provides an interesting foundation for understanding Bierce's treatment of time. For The Manuscript of Kitab-An, the speculations of time travel starting from the Einstein-Rosen concept of the black …

The Relationship Of Childhood Stress To Adult Health And Mortality Among Individuals From Two U.S. Documented Skeletal Collections, Late 19Th To Early 20Th Centuries, Rhonda Coolidge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the association between social inequality and poor adult health is well established, the mechanisms by which inequality is translated into poor adult health are less clear. Increasingly, evidence suggests that many adult health problems and health disparities have their origins in early life; the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis provides an explanatory mechanism linking adverse early life conditions with permanent structural or functional changes that increase the risk for disease. This hypothesis is consistent with bioarchaeological research noting reduced lifespan among individuals exhibiting signs of childhood stress.

The principal aim of this dissertation is to contribute …

A Localized Approach To The Origins Of Pottery In Upper Mesopotamia, Elizabeth Gibbon

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry And Stable Isotopes In Assessing Ancient Coastal Peruvian Diets, Theresa Jane Gilbertson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores a cross-cultural analysis of the dietary signatures of four coastal cultures of prehistoric Peru. A combination of elemental analysis based on portable x-ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF), testing trace elements presented in 209 individuals’ skulls representing the Nazca (38), Cañete (33), Lima (40), and Moche (98) valleys and/or cultures of the first millennium AD, is weighed in conjunction with isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) to analyze human bone collagen and bone apatite derived from a portion of the individuals represented in the Nazca, Cañete, and Lima cranial samples.

Evidence from the results of both tests are weighed using …

Assessing Clustering In A Social University Network Course, Orgeta Gjermëni

UBT International Conference

A collection of data is gathered from surveys held in a Spring Course of the Economic Faculty in the University “Ismail Qemali” of Vlora, Albania. The data set for each student contains the names of the other students through which he/she have a “social relationship”. This relationship includes frequent communications, discussions on exercise solutions, and sitting usually close to each other in the class. We have constructed. At the end of the course, a final network based on this type of relationship. We are particularly interested on the clustering coefficient of this network and assessing it’s “significance”, in the sense …

Comparison Of Otolith-Based Growth Rates And Microchemistry In Red Drum Before, During, And After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Brock Charles Houston

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout reached the Gulf of Mexico coast in the summer of 2010 and potentially exposed species living in those areas to toxic chemicals. The purpose of this study is to examine otoliths from Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) for evidence of oil exposure that could be related to reduced growth rates. Because otolith growth and somatic growth are directly related, differences in annulus measurements can indicate differences in annual somatic growth, which is a good indicator of overall fish condition, and translates into changes in survival and lifetime reproductive potential. This study assessed variation …

2015 Program, Office Of Academic Affairs

Programs

A university is more than an amalgamation of several colleges. It also is an organization which celebrates the full richness of faculty contributions including those vital and exciting contributions in research, scholarship and creative activity within their disciplines. These contributions come in many forms: journal articles, book chapters, monographs, art works, music compositions, performances of many varieties and a host of others. Funded research contributions are similarly varied. Through such activities, faculty members stay at the growing edges of their fields, and in so doing, they enrich their intellectual lives as well as those of their students.

Once again, I …

Cave Management And Restoration Efforts At Coronado National Memorial, Hereford, Az, Jessica M. Garcia, Stephanie Kangas, Ryan Janway, Tess Wagner

National Cave and Karst Management Symposia

No abstract provided.

Sustainability@Bsu - Fall 2015, Center For Sustainability, Bridgewater State University

Center for Sustainability Magazine

No abstract provided.

Arboretum Annual Report 2014-2015, Glenn Dreyer

Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 57 Number 1, Fall 2015, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

24 - ART HAPPENING HERE Inside the Edward M. Dowd Art & Art History Building. Illustration by Harry Campbell. Words by Steven Boyd Saum.

28 - CALL HER A WORLD CHAMPION And call them America’s Team. Julie Johnston ’14 and the Women’s World Cup. By Ann Killion.

34 - A WILD GENEROSITY The energy and genius of Steve Nash ’96 on the court. By Brian Doyle.

37 - BELIEVE IN US An oral history of a 1993 NCAA playoff game that became an upset for the ages. By Jeff Gire and Harold Gutmann.

40 - CHANGE THE GAME Pope Francis …

An Analysis Of Biodiversity, Sustainability, And Ecotourism In The Vo.I.M.Ma Community Managed Forest, Andasibe, Madagascar, Catherine Knowlton, Charlotte Walton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The concept of eco-tourism as a culturally sensitive, ecologically beneficial alternative to traditional vacations is a fairly new idea. While on the surface it seems positive for everyone involved, there are complexities in the relationships between all parties. This study explores the ties between the community forest, the tourists, and biodiversity (specifically endemic lemur populations) in the VO.I.M.MA Community Managed Forest. This study found that the community forest model is sustainable, based on the criteria of protecting biodiversity and satisfying customers. To truly promote a sustainable business model in the future (ecologically as well as economically), the center could improve …

Conservation For Whom?: The Struggle For Indigenous Rights In Sagarmatha National Park, Jake Sivinski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since its creation in 1976 Sagarmatha National Park has been the subject of a great deal of internal scrutiny by the regions indigenous Sherpa Inhabitants. Since their arrival in the Khumbu valley some four centuries ago, the Sherpa people have held a deep respect for their land and have practiced a highly organized and effective form of environmental stewardship which they refer to as Yul-Tim. At its core Yul-Tim relies on the authority of certain village members to make and enforce rules within the community: a practice that has been greatly undermined by creation of SNP. While SNP has had …

Characteristics Of Geoffroy’S Tamarin (Saguinus Geoffroyi) Population, Demographics, And Territory Sizes In Urban Park Habitat (Parque Natural Metropolitano, Panama City, Panama), Caitlin Mcnaughton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Metropolitan parks are an important refuge for wildlife in developed areas. In the tropics, land conversion threatens rainforest habitat that holds some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. This study aims to investigate the characteristics of Geoffroy’s tamarin (Saguinus geoffroyi) population, demographics, and territory size in a highly urbanized forest habitat (Parque Natural Metropolitano (PNM), Panama City, Republic of Panamá). Studies of animal response to modified habitats are important as development continues worldwide. S. geoffroyi is an ideal species to study for this purpose due to the species’ tolerance to habitat disturbance. This particular park is …

Wildlife Crime And Other Challenges To Resource System Resilience, Patricia Anne Raxter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Although wildlife crime has exploded in Africa over the past decade —“commercial poaching” now kills an estimated eight percent of the continent’s elephant population each year—some governments have proven more successful than others at protecting wildlife and preserving habitats. To explain this variation, this study examines how the policies of three states (Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana) have enhanced or undermined the resilience of the continent’s elephant ecosystem. Using the social-ecological system framework, the study illustrates how each state’s changing practices have either exacerbated the stresses wrought by wildlife crime or successfully protected local populations from poaching. The study finds that …

A Multilevel Analysis Of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Effect On Preterm Births In Georgia, Usa, Wei Tu, Jun Tu, Stuart H. Tedders

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Publications

This study estimates the neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) effect on the risk of preterm birth (PTB) using multilevel regression (MLR) models. Birth data retrieved from year 2000 and 2010 Georgia Vital Records were linked to their respective census tracts. Principle component analysis (PCA) was performed on nine selected census variables and the first two principal components (Fac1 and Fac2) were used to represent the neighborhood-level SES in the MLR models. Two-level random intercept MLR models were specified using 122,744 and 112,578 live and singleton births at the individual level and 1613 and 1952 census tracts at the neighborhood level, for …

Homo Naledi, A New Species Of The Genus Homo From The Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa, Lee Berger, John Hawks, Darryl J. De Ruiter, Steve E. Churchill, Peter Schmid, Lucas Delezene, Tracy Kivell, Heather Garvin, Scott Williams, Jeremy Desilva

Dartmouth Scholarship

Homo naledi is a previously-unknown species of extinct hominin discovered within the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This species is characterized by body mass and stature similar to small-bodied human populations but a small endocranial volume similar to australopiths. Cranial morphology of H. naledi is unique, but most similar to early Homo species including Homo erectus, Homo habilis or Homo rudolfensis. While primitive, the dentition is generally small and simple in occlusal morphology. H. naledi has humanlike manipulatory adaptations of the hand and wrist. It also exhibits a humanlike foot and lower …

Faculty Fellows 2015-2016, Place

PLACE Historical Documents

This document provides biographies of PLACE faculty fellows at Linfield College for 2015-2016.

Late Quaternary Speleogenesis And Landscape Evolution In A Tropical Carbonate Island: Pango La Kuumbi (Kuumbi Cave), Zanzibar, Nikos Kourampas, Ceri Shipton, William Mills, Ruth Tibesasa, Henrietta Horton, Mark Horton, Mary Prendergast, Alison Crowther, Katerina Douka, Patrick Faulkner, Llorenç Picornell, Nicole Boivin

International Journal of Speleology

Kuumbi Cave is one of a group of caves that underlie a flight of marine terraces in Pleistocene limestone in eastern Zanzibar (Indian Ocean). Drawing on the findings of geoarchaeological field survey and archaeological excavation, we discuss the formation and evolution of Kuumbi Cave and its wider littoral landscape. In the later part of the Quaternary (last ca. 250,000 years?), speleogenesis and terrace formation were driven by the interplay between glacioeustatic sea level change and crustal uplift at rates of ca. 0.10-0.20 mm/yr. Two units of backreef/reef limestone were deposited during ‘optimal’ (highest) highstands, tentatively correlated with MIS 7 and …