Digital Commons Network^™

Atmospheric Microbial Community Sampling System For Varying Altitude Collection, Kenneth David Domingue

Masters Theses

The study of airborne microbial communities in the vertical atmosphere is an area of research in which very little data has been collected and analyzed. Developing a vehicle to house biological sampling equipment that collects, and mitigates contamination is required by a team of biology researchers to perform sampling of atmospheric microbial communities. This study uses a sampler box that is attached to aerostatic vehicles: zero pressure balloons and tethered balloon/kite structures. Zero pressure balloons are used for sampling at altitudes above 150 m above sea level, and tethered balloon/kite structures are used for sampling at 30 m and 150 …

Development Of Empirical And Virtual Tools For The Study Of Bicycle Safety, Brent Kostich

Masters Theses

Bicycles have been used as a form of non-motorized transportation for several hundred years. Recently, their use in the transportation realm has been reinvigorated because of growing population densities and efforts to improve environmental sustainability. However, a large deterrent for public use of the bicycle is concern over its level of safety in the transportation environment. The goal of this thesis is to develop two complementary research tools that advance the study of bicycle safety factors.

First, an instrumented probe bicycle (IPB) is constructed from the ground up. The bicycle is outfitted with an array of sensors that are integrated …

A Comparison Of Concerns Related To Internship Preparation: A Survey Of International And American Music Therapy Students And Professionals, Fei Wang

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the different perceptions of internship between International and American music therapy students and professionals. There were 465 participants enroll in this study, and divided into four groups base on their own identification. Group AI (American Interns, n1=50), Group II (International Interns, n2=12), Group AP (American Professionals, n3=353), and Group IP (International Professionals, n4=50). The different perceptions include (a) primary criterion when choosing internship, (b) most confident areas when entering internship, (c) most want to improve during internship, (d) perceived strength related to internship preparedness, (e) primary concerns/worries related to internship preparedness. The …

Evaluation Of Swarm Nodes For Proximity Sensing On Construction Sites, Mohamed Ahmed Madi Binalhaj

Masters Theses

One of the key requirements for the successful delivery of construction projects is the access to critical information regarding the proximity of construction resources. Such information offers opportunities for enhancing quick decision making regarding the progress of activities and construction site safety. Emerging sensing systems such as swarm nodes promises to provide this real-time proximity information. However, little is known regarding their performance on construction sites. This thesis presents an evaluation of the performance of swarm node systems in the construction industry. The objective of the research was to establish the accuracy of the proximity sensing system in both static …

A Study On The Impact Of Instruction Set Architectures On Processor’S Performance, Ayaz Akram

Masters Theses

The recent advances in different instruction set architectures (ISAs) and the way those ISAs are implemented have revived the debate on the role of ISAs in overall performance of a processor. Many people in the computer architecture community believe that with current compiler and microarchitecture advances, the choice of ISA does not remain a decisive matter anymore. On the other hand, some researchers believe that this is not the case and they claim that ISAs can still play a significant role in the overall performance of a computer system. Novel heterogeneous architectures exploiting the diversity of different ISAs have been …

English Language Learners’ (Ells) Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (Stem) Course-Taking, Achievement And Attainment In College, Qi Shi

Journal of College Access

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002, the present study examined the effects of demographic variables, high school math course-taking and high school GPA on ELL students’ STEM course-taking, achievement and attainment in college. Regression analysis showed female ELL students were more likely to take more STEM courses and get higher GPAs in STEM, but less likely than males to earn a STEM college credential. Race was found to be a significant predictor of STEM GPA and attainment. The number of years taking trigonometry and pre-calculus in high school and high school GPA were predictive of the number of …

Increasing College Access Through The Implementation Of Naviance: An Exploratory Study, David Christian, Amy Lawrence, Nicole Dampman

Journal of College Access

High school counselors play a key role in increasing students’ access to college. With increasing student-to-counselor-ratios as well as demands on their time, school counselors often lack the ability to provide adequate college counseling. In this article, we explored how school counselors can use educational technology, specifically the online program Naviance, to supplement college counseling in an effort to increase college access for all students. Results showing that students who logged in to Naviance more frequently had higher college application rates indicated that Naviance is an appropriate way for school counselors to promote college access.

The Effects Of Purpose Orientations On Recent High School Graduates’ College Application Decisions, Gitima Sharma, Jungnam Kim, Julia Bryan

Journal of College Access

Using the 2002 Educational Longitudinal Study database, the authors examined the different types of purpose orientations amongst a nationally representative sample of adolescents and the effect of these purpose orientations on high school graduates’ college application decisions. Results indicated four types of purpose orientations: career, interpersonal, altruistic, and self-oriented purpose orientations. Only career purpose orientation was positively related to high school graduates decision to apply for college. Implications for school counseling and research are discussed.

Perils And Pitfalls Of Ot Research In A Foreign Country: A Reflection, Brenda S. Howard

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Occupational Therapy In Primary Care: Structures And Processes That Support Integration, Brenda Koverman, Lydia Royeen, Mary Stoykov

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Few studies have outlined the processes and structures needed to develop and integrate occupational therapy into a primary care provider’s office setting. This paper focuses on implementation of the clinic model of occupational therapy in primary care and is intended to address the deficiencies in current literature, including detailed program development steps. Barriers identified in the 8-week pilot program and the successful development of a reimbursable occupational therapy service in primary care will be discussed. The results of the implementation of occupational therapy in primary care are positive. The providers have accepted and embraced the distinct value of occupational therapy …

Interprofessional Primary Care: The Value Of Occupational Therapy, Sue Dahl-Popolizio, Oaklee Rogers, Sherry Lynne Muir, Jennifer Carroll, Lesley Manson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The authors explore the training and expertise of occupational therapists and the cost benefit of the strategic use of occupational therapists as members of the interprofessional primary care (PC) team. PC practices can optimize successful and cost-effective patient care delivery, outcomes, and access to care by using interprofessional care teams and allowing physicians to off-load patients whose issues relate to routines and habits and do not require diagnostic or prescriptive intervention. This, and the occupational therapist’s ability to obtain reimbursement for his or her services, demonstrates that this professional can be an invaluable addition to the integrated PC team. The …

The Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program: Occupational Therapy’S Imperative Role In Interprofessional Education, Jeannine Nonaillada, Natalie C. Gangai, Chrysanne Eichner, Rosario Costas-Muniz

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

This paper will expound on the findings discovered from efforts made by including an occupational therapist on an interprofessional education initiative charged with developing content to enhance knowledge of geriatrics for health care providers, community-dwelling older adults, and caregivers in medically underserved areas. We will describe the actions of the interprofessional team and present data about the impact of collaborative, systematic input on one educational program taught primarily by the occupational therapist. We will then describe the personal and professional growth opportunities experienced by the occupational therapist on this initiative, and impart the challenges faced and provide recommendations to overcome …

Cio Updates - 07/2017, Office Of Information Technology

Tech Talk

• Warning - Phishing Scam
• Information Technology Acquisition Policy and IT product review process
• Digital badges
• Wireless printing
• Ransomware
• Scholarship hoax
• Single Number Reach
• Lasers?
• Student food bank

15-03 Real Time Bicycle Simulation Study Of Bicyclists' Behaviors And Their Implication On Safety, Valerian Kwigizile, Jun-Seok Oh, Raed Hasan, Cole G. Villalobos, Aous Hammad Kurdi, Anil Shaw

Transportation Research Center Reports

The main goal of this study was to build a bicycle simulator and study the interaction between cyclists and other roadway users. The simulator developed was used in conjunction with Oculus Rift googles to create a virtual cycling environment. The virtual riding environment contained roadway infrastructures and features such as intersections, crosswalks, bicycle lanes, shared-lanes, etc. It also contained both motor vehicles and pedestrians that interacted with cyclists. The rider’s perception and reactions to different situations were investigated based on their performance during four virtual simulation scenarios with an electroencephalogram (EEG) readings. In addition to the results on interactions of …

15-02 Estimating And Enhancing Public Transit Accessibility For People With Mobility Limitations, Jun-Seok Oh, C. Scott Smith, Rostam Qatra, Mohammad Al-Akash

Transportation Research Center Reports

This two-part study employs fine-scale performance measures and analytical techniques designed to evaluate and improve transit services for people experiencing disability. Part one puts forth a series of time-sensitive, general transit feed system (GTFS)-enhanced employment accessibility models that account for multiple transportation modes, categories of functional limitation and design characteristics of existing public transit infrastructure. Model results shed light on the degree to which a medium-size city’s public transit system addresses the gap between a theoretical continuum of rider capacities and the physical demands required to achieve mobility and access to employment. Our research finds that an individual’s combined physical …

Rural Women And The Land Question In Zimbabwe. The Case Of The Mutasa District, Bigboy Toro

International Journal of African Development

Zimbabwean rural women make significant contribution to agriculture and are the mainstay of farm labor. Although they do the majority of agricultural work, men, for the most part, continue to own the land, control women’s labor and make agricultural decisions supported by patriarchal social systems. Women’s access to land is usually through their fathers, husbands, brothers or sons. This has made it difficult for women to gain equal access to land under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). Findings indicate that there are a number of challenges and constraints that are experienced by rural women under the FTLRP, which …

Sub-Regionalism Within The African Union: Does It Enhance Regional Integration?, Sandra Ochieng'-Springer

International Journal of African Development

The African continent renewed its commitment to regional integration in the post-1990s period in keeping with the global changes at the time. As part of this revitalization, the Organisation of African Union was transformed to the African Union which has broader aims, and sub-regionalism was also embraced with the establishment of regional economic communities that act as stepping stones to greater regional integration. Both continental and sub-regional efforts have placed emphasis on economic integration with states as key players in the integration projects. The relationship between these two groupings is complex as the AU, which is meant to coordinate the …

China And Post-Millennium African Economic Development Strategy As A Non-Zero-Sum-Game, Paul Milkias

International Journal of African Development

This paper will probe Africa's and China’s historical trajectory regarding economic development. It analyzes China's and Africa's creative leap, particularly since the millennium, into a new paradigm, a new way of economic relationship totally different from that with the West. The focus is on analyzing China’s heavy economic investment in Africa based on the assumption that the relationship is mutually beneficial rather than being exploitative as some scholars suggest. The hypothesis draws from Decision Theory’s concept of a Zero-Sum Game. It is understood that in a two partnered non-zero sum game theory, one partner’s gain or loss does not necessarily …

International Journal Of African Development, Vol. 4, Issue 1

International Journal of African Development

Complete issue of International Journal of African Development, Volume 4, Issue 1 - Fall 2016.

A Defense Of The Unrestricted Kantian Moral Saint, Richard Szabo

The Hilltop Review

In this article I provide a defense for the worthiness of the moral paradigm of unrestricted Kantian Moral Sainthood from criticisms raised by Susan Wolf. She claims that actually achieving the ideal would result in undesirable moral fanatics with underdeveloped nonmoral characters that none of us would want to be like and so we should not aspire to this ideal of Moral Sainthood. My defense’s main thrust appeals to the impossibility of human beings achieving the demands of the ideal in the actual world in order to avoid Wolf’s objections. Because we can never become unrestricted Kantian Moral Saints (i.e. …

Balancing Of Production Line In A Bearing Industry To Improve Productivity, Sudharsan Sridhar, Balthilak Anandaraj, Santhosh B

The Hilltop Review

Line balancing addresses the issues of balancing production or assembly line and it generally minimizes the idle time for all the events and the combinations of workstations. Factors such as lack of materials, design changes in the product, labor position may also be needed for line balancing. We approached the industry and proposed a heuristic solution solving in two different platforms, by rearranging the existing tasks over the work stations, so that the idle time of the machines are reduced to minimum and the other is by using Timer Pro software where grouping of similar kind of activities are to …

The Impact Of Monetary Policy On Banks’ Risk-Taking: Evidence From The Post Crisis Data, Nardos Moges Beyene

The Hilltop Review

This study investigates if expansionary monetary policy actions have an impact on banks’ risk taking after the financial crisis. Using time series data from December 2008 to April 2016 from the banking sector, the paper finds no evidence of any impact by asset related expansionary monetary policy actions while credit crunch and expected economic conditions are found to have a significant effect on banks’ risk taking decision. These results imply that the risk-taking channel of monetary policy has been ineffective after the fed funds rate reached the zero lower bound.

Frequency And Nature Of Elementary School Teacher-Student Interactions, Thomas Ratkos

Dissertations

Schools are a social environment. Students are learning how to interact with others, both peers and adults outside their immediate family. The classroom teacher is an important part of academic instruction but also with respect to socialization. Teachers and students form a relationship, the quality of which is both important and varied. Students are an active part of that relationship; their behavior changes the way their teachers perceive and act toward them. Past studies have shown that teacher-student relationships are correlated with academic success, student behavior problems, disciplinary consequences such as suspension and expulsion, and school dropout. The present study …

Modelling Student Misconceptions Using Nested Logit Item Response Models, Mustafa Yildiz

Dissertations

Student misconceptions have been studied for decades from a curricular/instructional perspective and from the assessment/test level perspective. Numerous misconception assessment tools have been developed in order to measure students’ misconceptions relative to the correct content. Often, these tools are used to make a variety of educational decisions including students’ achievement level, instructional method effectiveness, and curriculum related achievement progress. These tools have included qualitative and quantitative assessment methods.

The quantitative analysis of misconceptions has mostly relied on classical test theory methods of test construction related to total raw score, percentage of correct responses, and/or percentage of misconception responses. More recently, …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Self-Management Program With A Peer-Mediated Praise Procedure, Sean P. Field

Dissertations

Research has shown self-management to be a powerful tool that can assist students in establishing and maintaining a range of targeted behaviors including increasing academic performance, increasing independence, and the reduction of problem behavior. However, researchers continue to seek means to implement self-management programs that further increase independence for the student as well as promote greater generalization of established skills. One potential means of achieving this is through the use of peers, as they may allow for greater access to reinforcement. Additionally, the use of peers allows for the reduction or removal of additional demands on teachers and classroom staff. …

Depending On Sex? Tongue, Sieve, And Ladle Shaped Pendants From Late Iron Age Gotland, Meghan P. Mattsson Mcginnis

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

Artifacts of female dress such as brooches and pendants have long been objects of interest to scholars of late Iron Age /early medieval Scandinavia. They figure in dating and tracing stylistic developments, and their presence is often (controversially) used to help assign gender to burials. There are three types of pendants which constitute a type of feminine adornment unique to Viking Age Gotland: the so-called tongue, sieve, and ladle pendants. The purpose of this paper is to examine these pendant types and the possible symbolic and magical functions behind their forms and manner of use, and how these functions intersected …

Je Cuidoie Avoir Bien Fait: Saintré And The Rules Of The Game, Catherine Blunk

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

In Antoine de La Sale’s fifteenth-century work Jehan de Saintré, a point of rupture in the amorous relationship between Madame des Belles Cousines and Saintré is initiated when this young knight decides to organize and participate in an emprise (a late medieval tournament) without notifying her or asking for permission from the king of France. In this article I will show that that by failing to secure royal authorization before organizing an emprise, Saintré commits a more serious error than often acknowledged in the scholarship about this text. This is important, because many scholars read this scene as …

Learning To Die In London, 1380-1540, Wendy A. Matlock

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Imagining The Parish In Late Medieval England, Janelle Werner

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

“Clamor Validus” Vs. “Fragilitas Sexus Feminei”: Hrotsvit Of Gandersheim On The Agency Of Women, Caroline Jansen

Masters Theses

Hrotsvit of Gandersheim has generated interest among scholars of gender and sexuality due to her status as a woman and writer of Latin legends, epics, and plays in the Ottonian Empire. As the only prominent female playwright of her time, Hrotsvit presents an intriguing, complex treatment of female characters and their sexuality, particularly her plays, which rework both well-known lives of female saints and the tropes of the Roman playwright Terence’s comedies. One issue that has not been fully addressed, however, is the gendering of the heroines populating Hrotsvit’s plays—while some scholars refer to the characters as “overcoming femininity” others …