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The Adaptation Of 3d Video Game Production Techniques To The 2d Game Play Mechanics Of The Beat-Em-Up Genre, Donald Roeder May 2012

The Adaptation Of 3d Video Game Production Techniques To The 2d Game Play Mechanics Of The Beat-Em-Up Genre, Donald Roeder

All Theses

In this paper, we address some of the technological issues and shortcomings that led to the recession in popularity of the Beat 'em up video game genre. In particular, we adapt current technological advances and apply them to 3D video game development to mirror the mechanics of the 2D Beat 'em up genre. We describe our assembly-line approach to 3D asset production that permits quick development of multiple and varied characters and environments. Our approach to 3D camera placement provides the same viewpoint used in the 2D game approach. We have developed various scripts to streamline the animation process. In …

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Subsurface Characterization Using Ground-Penetrating Radar In A Hydrologically Active Vadose Zone, Adam Mangel May 2012

Subsurface Characterization Using Ground-Penetrating Radar In A Hydrologically Active Vadose Zone, Adam Mangel

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Three experiments were conducted to measure the ability of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to non-invasively determine water content while simultaneously resolving depth to wetting fronts, buried objects, and stratigraphic boundaries during dynamic hydrologic conditions. This is particularly appealing as GPR can provide dense spatial coverage for vadose zone characterization where traditional invasive measurements are costly, destructive, and time-consuming. The vadose zone was replicated using a tank filled with 1) homogeneous river sand, 2) homogeneous river sand with an embedded land mine surrogate, and 3) homogeneous river sand with an embedded layer of silica flour. These systems were subjected to controlled irrigation …

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Building Non-Profit Communities Online: A Case Study Of A Hospital Facebook Page, Mary Parker May 2012

Building Non-Profit Communities Online: A Case Study Of A Hospital Facebook Page, Mary Parker

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Businesses and organizations are increasingly using online communities to extend brand loyalty from the real world to the virtual world of consumers and other key stakeholders. However, the return on investment for launching an online community can only be realized when appropriate audiences are attracted and interact. This two-phase research study explores a recently launched online community representing a rural hospital in South Carolina. This thesis includes a literature review, in-depth description of the methodology I used, results of a survey and textual analysis of a Facebook page, and a discussion of best practices and future suggestions. I hope that …

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Female Intercollegiate Athletes' Travel Behavior, Travel Needs And Motivations On Sporting Aimed Tours, Zsofia Bende May 2012

Female Intercollegiate Athletes' Travel Behavior, Travel Needs And Motivations On Sporting Aimed Tours, Zsofia Bende

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ABSTRACT
Sport tourism is a collection of several niche markets (Bull & Weed, 1999) that provides a diverse field of study. The popularity of sport tourism related research has increased in the past two decades (Gibson, 2004). Studies have mainly covered the analysis of mega events, economic impacts, destination management issues, and recreational sport tourism and spectatorship (Higham & Hinch, 2009). Research on the niche market of elite and intercollegiate athletes has been largely ignored. With the growing number of competitions (Costa, Glinia, & Drakou, 2004) and popularity of college athletics (Zgonc, 2010); there is a significant travel flow of …

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Finding Multi-Centers: Using Crowd-Sourcing Technologies To Define Communities Of Landscape Architecture, Geoffrey Taylor May 2012

Finding Multi-Centers: Using Crowd-Sourcing Technologies To Define Communities Of Landscape Architecture, Geoffrey Taylor

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This paper presents findings from website-based analytics identifying social and geographic topic hotspots within the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. Three crowd-sourced surveys are utilized to record thousands of user's topic interests and pinpoint locations on a global scale. Topics include projects, research, visualization, sustainability, and competitions within architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. The surveys also identify user locations, topics of interest, day and time of contact, social sharing, and user demographics. The goal of the research is to understand the online social structure and responses of groups involved with developing the built environment. These professionals …

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The Cinematic Essay: Argumenative Writing And Documentary Film, Zachary Snow May 2012

The Cinematic Essay: Argumenative Writing And Documentary Film, Zachary Snow

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The cinematic essay, also known as the essay film, is an extension of the documentary genre which replaces the impossible task of objectivity with a more subjective, argumentative approach. The existence of this form arguably dates back to the birth of the documentary, but certainly encompasses more recent endeavors like Errol Morris' investigative work, the experimental features of Chris Marker, and the political exposes of Michael Moore. Until the recent growth in digital technology, which has decreased the financial burden associated with the cost of film stock and other aspects of production, essayistic cinema was mostly created by professional filmmakers, …

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The Degree Of Peer Influences On Children's Food Choices At Summer Camp, Erin O'Neill May 2012

The Degree Of Peer Influences On Children's Food Choices At Summer Camp, Erin O'Neill

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Research has shown that peers influence each other in social situations. With childhood obesity becoming more prevalent in society, studying the influence peers have on their friends eating behaviors is important. National campaigns and laws have been promoted for the changing of food standards in schools but not recreation programs. Through direct observations of the foods children choose while amongst friends, the degree to which peers influence other children during a mealtime setting at camp is analyzed. When conducting research to test whether peers influenced children's food choices, noting the societal reasons and atmospheres in which children choose meals with …

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Players' Performance Index For Major League Soccer, Joel Correll May 2012

Players' Performance Index For Major League Soccer, Joel Correll

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This paper analyzes player compensation and team finances within Major League Soccer's 2007 season by calculating salaries with respect to the player's marginal revenue product and performance parameters. The player's performance index is a calculated overall value which takes into account variations of weighted in-game actions. This performance index is tied together with a player's marginal revenue product to determine their actual economic value with respect to their 2007 rating. The paper concludes that on average, Major League Soccer as a whole compensates players based on the team's marginal revenue product, and not the individuals. The study also finds clear …

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Analysis Of The Relationship Between Sweetener Properties And Variations In Both Functionality And Final Product Characteristics, Danielle Lynn May 2012

Analysis Of The Relationship Between Sweetener Properties And Variations In Both Functionality And Final Product Characteristics, Danielle Lynn

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Scientific research and media attention regarding possible health concerns related to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) consumption has led to a negative consumer perception of this ingredient. Therefore, the baking industry, which commonly uses HFCS as a sweetener, needs to identify appropriate replacements. Even though invert sugar (IS) is nutritionally similar to HFCS, its use in product formulations would allow HFCS to be removed from ingredient lists. Light agave nectar (LA) and amber agave nectar (AA) are two potential replacement ingredients, with the added benefit of low glycemic indexes for products targeting the diabetic community. This study was designed to …

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Information Technology (It) Identity: A Conceptualization, Proposed Measures, And Research Agenda, Michelle Carter May 2012

Information Technology (It) Identity: A Conceptualization, Proposed Measures, And Research Agenda, Michelle Carter

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With increasing embeddedness of information technologies (IT) in organizational processes, and services, individuals' long-term IT use has become instrumental to business success. At the same time, IS research has illustrated that under-utilization by end-users often prevents organizations from realizing expected benefits from their technology investments. Because individual use is the critical link between technology investments and enhanced organizational performance through IT, in recent years, information systems researchers have begun to focus attention on the post-adoption phases of technology assimilation. The overarching goal of this relatively new research stream is to understand factors that influence individuals' attempts to use IT to …

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Surface Modifications Of Capillary-Channeled Polymer (C-Cp) Fibers For Applications In Highly Selective Separations, Jennifer Pittman May 2012

Surface Modifications Of Capillary-Channeled Polymer (C-Cp) Fibers For Applications In Highly Selective Separations, Jennifer Pittman

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High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is a key component in the purification and separation of biological samples. Stationary phases in HPLC are generally silica based porous particles or monoliths designed with high surface area and high capacities in mind. However, in the field of macromolecule separations, specifically proteins, the porous based stationary phases have inherent issues that include slow mass transfer, high operating back pressures, and analyte carryover. Recent research has looked to non-porous polymeric materials as stationary phases in HPLC to overcome these challenges. Specifically, fibrous based polymer stationary phases exhibit significant benefits for macromolecules that include improved mass …

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Marketing In An Automobile Dependent Society: An Analysis Of Consumer-Oriented, Industry-Produced Advertising Material, John Ridout May 2012

Marketing In An Automobile Dependent Society: An Analysis Of Consumer-Oriented, Industry-Produced Advertising Material, John Ridout

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Despite the best intentions of public policy to cure societal ills, for the individual American consumer, the solution to the problem of automobile dependence is simple: buy an automobile. Consumers are alleviating societal pressure of not having a car rather than focusing on the negative impacts of vehicle usage after the purchase. Marketing and advertising play an important role in portraying how the public views transportation. Marketing reinforces automobile dependence and automobility by creating images and messages that say the norm of American life requires an automobile; therefore, marketing creates, controls, and reinforces values within the automobile consumer culture. Addressing …

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Jump-Starting Youth Community Leadership: An Evaluation Of A Leadership Development Program For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Ally Youth, Elizabeth Diaz, Joseph Kosciw May 2012

Jump-Starting Youth Community Leadership: An Evaluation Of A Leadership Development Program For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Ally Youth, Elizabeth Diaz, Joseph Kosciw

Journal of Youth Development

The GLSEN Jump-Start National Student Leadership Team, a leadership development program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and ally youth designed to promote direct action community organizing and community engagement. This article examines the benefits of the program for youth’s socio-political development. Data came from a multi-year evaluation that examined changes over time (baseline, immediately post-program, and one-year follow-up) in community engagement between a program group (n = 103) and a comparison group of youth (n = 47). Results indicate that the program may support LGBT and ally youth’s socio-political development and have positive implications for their development as community …

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Youth Worker Reasoning About Dilemmas Encountered In Practice: Expert-Novice Differences, Kathrin Walker, Reed Larson May 2012

Youth Worker Reasoning About Dilemmas Encountered In Practice: Expert-Novice Differences, Kathrin Walker, Reed Larson

Journal of Youth Development

This study examines one aspect of youth worker expertise, the ability to appraise and respond to the dilemmas of practice encountered in youth programs. To understand how expert youth workers differ from novices in their reasoning about these dilemmas, a sample of expert and novice practitioners read vignettes of dilemma situations and described their appraisals of the situations and how they might respond to them. Quantitative analyses confirmed four hypothesized differences between the two groups. Experts identified more considerations in the situations and generated more possible responses. Experts’ responses were also more likely to be youth-centered and address multiple considerations. …

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Cuprate Mediated Allylic Substitutions On Vinylepoxides And Conjugate Additions On 2-Pyridones, Yaxin Huang May 2012

Cuprate Mediated Allylic Substitutions On Vinylepoxides And Conjugate Additions On 2-Pyridones, Yaxin Huang

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Regioselective control in allylic substitution reactions of vinylepoxides is difficult due to the competition between SN2- substitution and SN2'- allylic substitution pathway. Although excellent SN2'/SN2- and anti/syn- ratios were achieved by CuCN derived organozinc cuprates on 4,5-epoxy-2,3-enoates, application of this methodology to the vinylepoxide, trans-1-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-2,3-epoxy-4-hexene, is explored. Dialkyzinc reagents mediated by catalytic amounts of CuCN provide excellent regio-(SN2'/SN2) and diastereo-(olefinic E/Z and anti/syn-) selectivity with n-Bu, Et and t-Bu ligands, while reduced E/Z and SN2'/SN2- ratios were achieved with aromatic ligands (e.g., furyl and Ph). The assignment of regio- and stereoisomers were achieved by alternative syntheses of the authentic compounds. …

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A Computational Pipeline For Mci Detection From Heterogeneous Brain Images, Lin Li May 2012

A Computational Pipeline For Mci Detection From Heterogeneous Brain Images, Lin Li

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The aging population has increased the importance of identifying and understanding mild cognitive impairment (MCI), particularly given that 6 - 15 % of MCI cases convert to Alzheimer's disease (AD) each year. The early identification of MCI has the potential for timely therapeutic interventions that would limit the advancement of
MCI to AD. However, it is difficult to identify MCI-related pathology based on visual inspection because these changes in brain morphology are subtle and spatially distributed. Therefore, reliable and automated methods to identify subtle changes in morphological
characteristics of MCI would aid in the identification and understanding of MCI. Meanwhile, …

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Expert System Based Approach For Material Selection Of Automobile Body-In-White Structural Panels Using Numerical Ranking And Sustainability Indices, Ahmad Mayyas May 2012

Expert System Based Approach For Material Selection Of Automobile Body-In-White Structural Panels Using Numerical Ranking And Sustainability Indices, Ahmad Mayyas

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The goal of this work is to establish a set of quantifiable measures for design for sustainability (DFS) that can be applied to automotive applications in terms of environmental, social, economic and technical aspects. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was made in order to develop a methodology that can evaluate different body-in-white designs in terms of major sustainability aspects. Besides the complete life cycle analysis, environmental impacts and cost factors will be analyzed over vehicle's entire life-cycle (fuel extraction and refining, Pre-manufacturing, Manufacturing, Use, and
Post-use stages). The considered material options include: conventional steel, high strength steel, aluminum, magnesium, …

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Chief Student Affairs Officers' Interpretation And Implementation Of The Minimum Legal Drinking Age And The Amethyst Initiative: A Discursive Policy Analysis, Rebecca Caldwell May 2012

Chief Student Affairs Officers' Interpretation And Implementation Of The Minimum Legal Drinking Age And The Amethyst Initiative: A Discursive Policy Analysis, Rebecca Caldwell

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High-risk drinking is an endemic health and safety issue for college campuses in the United States (U.S.). While public health officials have recommended various models for campus alcohol prevention efforts, in 2008 a group of college presidents recommended a controversial strategy: reconsidering the U.S. minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). The primary purpose of this study was to explore how Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAOs) describe the impact of the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) on high-risk drinking and alcohol-related issues on college and university campuses. The secondary purpose was to describe the impact of the Amethyst Initiative (AI), the aforementioned …

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Applying Visual Attention Theory To Transportation Safety Research And Design: Evaluation Of Alternative Automobile Rear Lighting Systems, Scott Mcintyre May 2012

Applying Visual Attention Theory To Transportation Safety Research And Design: Evaluation Of Alternative Automobile Rear Lighting Systems, Scott Mcintyre

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This experiment applies methodologies and theories of visual search and attention to the subject of conspicuity in automobile rear lighting. Based on these theories, this experiment has four goals. First, it is proposed that current research methods used to investigate rear lighting are inadequate and a proposed methodology based on the visual search paradigm is introduced. Second, demonstrate that current rear lighting on automobiles does not effectively meet the stated purpose of regulators. Third, propose a more effective system for increasing the conspicuity of brake lamps. A fourth goal is to validate and extend previous simulator research on this same …

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The Influences Of Syndication On Broadcast Programming Decisions, Christina Whitehead May 2012

The Influences Of Syndication On Broadcast Programming Decisions, Christina Whitehead

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Syndication is a major factor in the market for television programming. These papers analyze the effects of the off-network syndication market on prime time programming decisions that are made by broadcast networks. The first paper investigates the effects of the off-network syndication (rerun) market on the optimal number of seasons for a prime time television series. The theoretical model predicts that syndication could potentially either increase the number of seasons if the price elasticity of demand for syndication is elastic or vice versa. The empirical analysis consists of a duration model and estimates the effects of first run ratings and …

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Nature-Based Recreationists' Perceptions Of Climate Change And Attitudes Towards Climate Change Mitigation In Natural Environments, Matthew Brownlee May 2012

Nature-Based Recreationists' Perceptions Of Climate Change And Attitudes Towards Climate Change Mitigation In Natural Environments, Matthew Brownlee

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Novel biophysical impacts from a rapidly changing climate are influencing resources in many parks and protected areas that host nature-based recreation. In addition to climate impacts, renewable energy initiatives (e.g., wind farms) aimed to mitigate climate change are increasingly converging with nature-based recreation areas. Climate impacts and climate change mitigation efforts in nature-based recreation areas have the capacity to influence individual and collective experiences, attitudes, and potentially behaviors. However, little is known about nature-based recreationists' interactions with climate-influenced resources, and how these interactions may influence perceptions of climate change and attitudes towards mitigation efforts. This dissertation addresses this lack of …

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An Investigation Of Trypanosoma Brucei Hexokinases: Localization, Oligomerization, And Inhibition, April Joice May 2012

An Investigation Of Trypanosoma Brucei Hexokinases: Localization, Oligomerization, And Inhibition, April Joice

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Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. The parasite inhabits multiple environmental niches including the bloodstream of the mammalian host and the mid-gut of the tsetse fly vector. While in the bloodstream of its mammalian host, the organism depends solely on glycolysis for production of ATP. My studies focus on the first enzyme in glycolysis, hexokinase.
T. brucei has two hexokinases, TbHK1 and TbHK2 that are 98.5% identical at the nucleotide level. The hexokinases are expressed in the glycosomes of both procyclic form and bloodstream form parasites. Glycosomes are peroxisome-like organelles …

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Biology, Histopathology, And Improvements In Axenic Culture Of Labyrinthula Terrestris, Causal Agent Of Rapid Blight Of Cool-Season Turfgrasses, Kirthi Kiran Yadagiri May 2012

Biology, Histopathology, And Improvements In Axenic Culture Of Labyrinthula Terrestris, Causal Agent Of Rapid Blight Of Cool-Season Turfgrasses, Kirthi Kiran Yadagiri

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Rapid blight is a disease of cool-season turfgrasses caused by Labyrinthula terrestris. Disease symptoms include water-soaked lesions, yellowing and browning of foliage, and coalescing patches of dead turf. L. terrestris belongs to a group of marine microorganisms in the kingdom Chromista (also known as Stramenopila). Morphological characteristics of Labyrinthula spp. include spindle-shaped vegetative cells that move in an ectoplasmic network. The biology and pathology of L. terrestris is not clearly understood; therefore, the ultrastructure, life cycle, and histopathology of L. terrestris were investigated. In addition, improvements in axenic culture and long-term storage methods were made to better culture L. terrestris. …

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Further Investigation On Magnetically Induced Subsequent Fault And Study On Electromagnetic Scattering Of Objects Buried Below A Random Rough Surface, Haiyan Yang May 2012

Further Investigation On Magnetically Induced Subsequent Fault And Study On Electromagnetic Scattering Of Objects Buried Below A Random Rough Surface, Haiyan Yang

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This dissertation contains two subjects: further development of numerical
technique for the analysis of magnetically induced subsequent fault (MISFault) in overhead power lines and its implementation into a software upgrade; and first-phase of study on the electromagnetic scattering from objects buried below a random rough surface making use of the multidomain pseudospectral time domain (PSTD) method and Monte-Carlo simulation. An initial electric fault can result in strong magnetic torque on the overhead power line conductors, which will make them swing and may bring them to close proximity or in contact with one another, causing a subsequent fault. In Chapter 2, …

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Nanopillar Based Electrochemical Biosensor For Monitoring Microfluidic Based Cell Culture, Rajan Gangadharan May 2012

Nanopillar Based Electrochemical Biosensor For Monitoring Microfluidic Based Cell Culture, Rajan Gangadharan

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In-vitro assays using cultured cells have been widely performed for studying many aspects of cell biology and cell physiology. These assays also form the basis of cell based sensing. Presently, analysis procedures on cell cultures are done using techniques that are not integrated with the cell culture system. This approach makes continuous and real-time in-vitro measurements difficult. It is well known that the availability of continuous online measurements for extended periods of time will help provide a better understanding and will give better insight into cell physiological events.
With this motivation we developed a highly sensitive, selective and stable microfluidic …

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An Exploratory Study Of The Five Cs Model Of Positive Youth Development Among Indiana 4-H Youth, Abby Robinson, Levon Esters, Aryn Dotterer, Renee Mckee May 2012

An Exploratory Study Of The Five Cs Model Of Positive Youth Development Among Indiana 4-H Youth, Abby Robinson, Levon Esters, Aryn Dotterer, Renee Mckee

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to explore the levels of positive youth development (PYD) among Indiana 4-H club participants. Questionnaires were collected from a convenience sample of [State] youth (n = 453). Findings indicated that youth who participated in the 4-H program reported significantly higher total positive youth development than those who had never participated in 4-H. Youth who participated in the 4-H program also reported significantly higher scores on four of the Five Cs of PYD (Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring). The findings of this study contribute to the Developmental Systems Theory by confirming the role that 4-H …

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Using Geographic Information Systems To Analyze Accessibility In The West Bank, Jacob Elliott May 2012

Using Geographic Information Systems To Analyze Accessibility In The West Bank, Jacob Elliott

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With the recent failure of another highly publicized peace talks, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a polarizing and contentious geopolitical crisis. Following the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of 1967, the West Bank and its substantial Palestinian population have lived under Israeli occupation. In response to the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising), lasting from1987 to 1993, the Israeli military imposed varying degrees of regulations to limit Palestinian mobility within the West Bank. The mobility constraints, most notably in the form of checkpoints, roadblocks, and physical obstructions, dramatically increased in volume and scale during the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005. …

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Is It You, Me, Or Am I Just Too Good? An Examination Of Behavioral Intentions And Recreation Activity Persistence, Austin Hochstetler May 2012

Is It You, Me, Or Am I Just Too Good? An Examination Of Behavioral Intentions And Recreation Activity Persistence, Austin Hochstetler

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ABSTRACT
Personal causation has been the subject of scholarly inquiry for some time. The theory of planned behavior attributes behavioral intentions to influences of subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Behavior may be influenced by the pressure of important others, personal feelings toward the behavior, and people's perception of performing a behavior with ease. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's confidence in his or her ability to perform a given behavior that leads to a specific outcome. This study explored the connection between behavioral intention and activity persistence via an adapted model of the theory of planned behavior by …

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Cultural Sustainability Of A Post-Industrial Brownfield In Wanzhou China: Maintaining Cultural Value Through Brownfield Redevelopment, Yi Zhang May 2012

Cultural Sustainability Of A Post-Industrial Brownfield In Wanzhou China: Maintaining Cultural Value Through Brownfield Redevelopment, Yi Zhang

All Theses

The post-industrial brownfield, generally regarded as one type of brownfield, is defined as an industrial property that remains abandoned or underutilized in part because of environmental contamination. In China, more and more post-industrial sites are abandoned because of changes to city land use, often becoming an obstacle for healthy city growth. This phenomenon places more concerns on brownfield redevelopment in China. Chinese professionals in landscape architecture can borrow some methods and techniques for addressing brownfields from more developed countries. While the brownfields in China share some similar characteristics with those in developed countries, they also have some specific features. For …

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Detroit's Field Of Dreams: The Grassroots Preservation Of Tiger Stadium, Rebecca M. Long May 2012

Detroit's Field Of Dreams: The Grassroots Preservation Of Tiger Stadium, Rebecca M. Long

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From 1987 until the time of this writing, several grassroots organizations have fought for the preservation of Detroit's Tiger Stadium and its historic field. The goal of this thesis is to chronicle those efforts, examine how these organizations fit into the history of preservation movements, and delve into what continues to draw people to this historic site: its `power of place.' In order to accomplish these objectives, this thesis will detail the history of the site from its storied time as the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers from 1896-1999, up to the preservation efforts which have been the …

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