Digital Commons Network^™

Cadmium, Chromium And Lead In Environmental Samples : Speciation And Determination, Hsing-Hui Yu

Dissertations

Heavy metals are important contaminants in many environmental media. This work focuses on the improvement of current methods for water and sediment analysis for three metals, cadmium, chromium and lead. Batch ion exchange was used for water speciation and a microwave assisted sequential extraction scheme was developed for sediment characterization. The developed methods were applied to a group of environmental samples.

The exchangeable species of these metals in water were preconcentrated on ion exchange resins. These include the bioavailable free ions and weakly complexed ions. Metals sorbed on particles and strongly complexed ions, less bioavailable, were eliminated. The method was …

Automatic Document Classification And Extraction System (Adoces), Xuhong Li

Dissertations

Document processing is a critical element of office automation. Document image processing begins from the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) phase with complex processing for document classification and extraction. Document classification is a process that classifies an incoming document into a particular predefined document type. Document extraction is a process that extracts information pertinent to the users from the content of a document and assigns the information as the values of the “logical structure” of the document type. Therefore, after document classification and extraction, a paper document will be represented in its digital form instead of its original image file format, …

A New-Generation Class Of Parallel Architectures And Their Performance Evaluation, Qian Wang

Dissertations

The development of computers with hundreds or thousands of processors and capability for very high performance is absolutely essential for many computation problems, such as weather modeling, fluid dynamics, and aerodynamics. Several interconnection networks have been proposed for parallel computers. Nevertheless, the majority of them are plagued by rather poor topological properties that result in large memory latencies for DSM (Distributed Shared-Memory) computers. On the other hand, scalable networks with very good topological properties are often impossible to build because of their prohibitively high VLSI (e.g., wiring) complexity. Such a network is the generalized hypercube (GH). The GH supports full-connectivity …

Indoor/Outdoor: Poems, Jeffrey Greer

Dissertations

The poems in this manuscript can be sorted into two distinct, but compatible, categories. First, a series of narrative poems attempt to challenge Edgar Allen Poe’s dictum that an American poet cannot successfully write a poem longer than 100 lines. These poems approach coherent subjects through disjunctive forms. There is non-linear and linear movement in these poems that meander along in an attempt to capture a witnessed scene along with the action of making sense of that witnessing. There is a process of breaking the familiar and coherent down into something strange, then reconstituting it again into something newer and …

Demon Possession And Exorcism In The Context Of Divine Providence In Luke-Acts, Charles Badu Yeboah

Dissertations

The dissertation examines the nature and function of demon possession and exorcism within the context of divine providence in Luke-Acts. Chap. 1, after defining the subject and purpose of the study, lays out the dissertation's methodology, constraints and relevance. Chap. 2 provides a survey of the state of scholarship on demonology in the New Testament. Chap. 3 discusses the backgrounds against which Luke's account of demonic possession and exorcism have been understood by prior scholarship. Chap.4 and 5 are devoted to the exegetical analysis of the demonic stories in Luke-Acts. Chap 4 examines stories of Jesus' encounter with the demoniacs …

Web-Based Courses In Higher Education: Creating Active Learning Environments, Marilyn Ruth Eggers

Dissertations

Problem. As more and more adults seek to continue their education, alternate methods of course delivery Will be required to meet their needs. Web-based courses allow students to learn at times and places that are convenient for them. There is concern, however, about whether or not such courses can create effective, active learning experiences, and whether or not knowledge can be socially constructed in online interactions. In order for higher education to provide exemplary online courses, it is important to identify necessary elements and instructional strategies to create virtual learning environments. The goals of this study were to determine …

The Relationship Between Afrocentric Worldview And Marital Satisfaction In African-American Couples, Ganz E. Ferrance

Dissertations

Problem. It has been argued that many of the theories attempting to explain African-American culture derive from a Eurocentric framework, and thus paint a negative and pathological picture of the African-American family and community. What is needed is research examining African-American family life which holds Afrocentric culture and beliefs as its foundation. Consequently, this study is an attempt to investigate the relationship between Afrocentric cultural consciousness (Afrocentric worldview) and marital satisfaction of spouses of African descent.

Method. This study used a correlational and ex post facto research design involving surveys to assess the relationship between the dependent variable …

Genuflect, Gentlemen And Other Stories, Matt B. Mullins

Dissertations

Genuflect, Gentlemen is a novella-Iength work of fiction in which Dan Mooney, a recovering drug-addict and former rock star, has a religious awakening that inspires him to write a journal as an attempt to find meaning in his past. This journal, a soapbox for Dan’s newly realized philosophies, focuses primarily in his troublesome experiences as a student at an all-boys Catholic boarding high school; it is essentially Dan’s version of the “story” of those years just before his fame when music was replacing religion as the center of his spirituality. The ultimate conclusion Dan reaches through the reconsideration of that …

De-Emphasizing Grade-Level Identities: A Case Study Of Mathematics Instruction In An Intermediate Elementary Multiage Classroom, Kevin Oconnor

Dissertations

This is an interpretive study that investigates the nature of the issues, dilemmas, and successes of planning and implementing a mathematics program with minimal reference to grade-level designations in a multiage classroom setting of fourth—and fifth-grade students.

The study focused on how one teacher conceptualized, designed, and structured a mathematics curriculum. An analysis of over 60 hours of interviews conducted over six months revealed a teacher who integrated her knowledge of elementary mathematics with her knowledge and practice of teaching and learning theories, mathematical understanding, curriculum perspectives, and classroom management. This integration is explained through a conceptual framework of the …

Resource Colonialism And Native Resistance: The Mining Wars In Wisconsin, Linda Marie Robyn

Dissertations

In recent years powerful multinational mining corporations have attempted to mine various minerals found on Indian lands in the northern region of Wisconsin. These lands are currently protected from corporate incursion by treaties between the Chippewa people and the United States government. The Chippewa are using the treaties as an obstacle to corporate access to their lands and to protect their lands from the environmental devastation that will occur from proposed mining ventures.

This case study utilizes a power-reflexive method to analyze the power of the state to control rich mineral resources known to be on reservation lands. Under examination …

Automatic Analysis Of Electronic Drawings Using Neural Network, Yi Shi

Dissertations

Neural network technique has been found to be a powerful tool in pattern recognition. It captures associations or discovers regularities with a set of patterns, where the types, number of variables or diversity of the data are very great, the relationships between variables are vaguely understood, or the relationships are difficult to describe adequately with conventional approaches.

In this dissertation, which is related to the research and the system design aiming at recognizing the digital gate symbols and characters in electronic drawings, we have proposed: (1) A modified Kohonen neural network with a shift-invariant capability in pattern recognition; (2) An …

Mdma And Learning: Effects Of Acute And Neurotoxic Exposure, Thomas P. Byrne

Dissertations

In two experiments, the effects of MDMA were examined on the acquisition of lever-press responding by rats exposed to procedures in which water delivery was delayed by 0, 10, or 20 seconds. In the first experiment, naive, water-deprived rats received an intraperitoneal injection of MDMA (0, 1.0, 3.2, or 5.6 mg/kg) prior to one experimental session. Response acquisition was observed under all conditions at all drug doses. MDMA increased both response rates and reinforcers earned in a dose-dependent fashion, but only when reinforcement was immediate. Under conditions of delay, MDMA had no effect on the number of lever presses emitted …

A Computer/Tutorial System Compared With A Workbook/Tutorial System For Presenting Instructional Material To At-Risk Elementary School Students, Vincent O. Hodge

Dissertations

Two different ways of presenting instructional material and reacting to students’ responses were compared. One, taking advantage of several features of multimedia instruction involved a desktop computer and various computer-presented consequences of correct and incorrect responses (largely chosen by the student). The other consisted in presenting the same instructional materials (the SRA primary curriculum) in a workbook form with tutors' comments and praise as the main form of response consequence. The two methods were compared with respect to various measures of student and system performance, including student accuracy (percent correct responses), types of errors, amount of correct response repetition (over-responding), …

Laterality Of The Perception Of Computer Presented Written Sexual Words By Right-Handed Males And Females, Randall W. Stewart

Dissertations

The right hemisphere of males has been shown to possess a greater capacity for accurate perception of emotional non-verbal material (pictures) than the left hemisphere. The same is true for females, but with a smaller difference between the two hemispheres. Some previous research has partially confirmed these relationships using tachistoscopic presentation of emotional words. The present study, using briefly exposed computerpresented sexual words, compared perception accuracy with respect to a sexuality rating of clearly sexual and clearly non-sexual words, in the right versus the left visual field, and with males versus females. As with previous research using verbal stimuli, the …

A Kierkegaardian Understanding Of Self And Society: An Existential Sociology, Chris L. Jakway

Dissertations

In examining the history and development of existential sociology, it becomes clear that in its initial phases it was not intended to oppose traditional sociological research, but to complement it. I intend to show that the contemporary chasm between the methodologies can be narrowed with a reconsideration of their common roots in the work of G.H. Mead and the symbolic interactionists. Existential sociologists today offer a practical synthesis that combines that theoretical heritage with philosophic ontology dating back to the writings of Soren Kierkegaard.

My conceptual goal is reveal how the existential philosophy of Kierkegaard, while not irrational or solipsistic, …

Disruption Of The Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of (+)-3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (Mdma) By (± )-Mdma Neurotoxicity: Protection By Fluoxetine, Thomas B. Virden Iii

Dissertations

It is well established that repeated, high doses of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) result in the long-term depletion of serotonin levels and destruction of serotonergic terminals in various locations in the brains of a variety of species. Further, it is also well known that concomitant injections of the serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, prevents this deterioration. It has recently been noted that such MDMA neurotoxicity disrupts stimulus control in rats trained to discriminate MDMA from saline in a drug discrimination procedure (Schechter, 1991a).

In order to extend Schechter's findings to the optical isomers of MDMA and to explore the potential of fluoxetine …

Being Alone: The Experience Of Elderly Homebound Females, Sharon Davis Burt Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Elderly women comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the population in the United States. This growth is due in large part to increasing longevity, and a woman's life expectancy has now reached 79 years. However, along with those added years comes an increase in morbidity and a greater likelihood of living alone. This study describes the life experience of a specific group of elderly women, those who are homebound and living alone. When elderly women are included in research, the same combination of descriptors used for the participants in this study has not been incorporated. Consequently, while much …

A Sense Of Entitlement To Self In Relationships: An Elaboration Of Attachment And Feminist Object Relations Theories, Suzanne Elaine Wolfe

Dissertations

Many women who present for psychotherapy with symptoms of depression and/or anxiety describe a common pattern of involvement in current and past nonmutual relationships. This phenomenon is described and explored in light of a new conception of entitlement. It is proposed that one’s sense of entitlement is a relative relational position along a continuum from overentitlement through healthy entitlement to underentitlement, and that these women are often underentitled in their adult relationships. Their relationships are often with overentitled others, and they may hold internal convictions that their place in relationships is to be underentitled. A particular pattern contributing to underentitlement …

An Analysis Of Fecal Coliform Bacteria As A Water Quality Indicator, Janet Heyl Vail

Dissertations

The focus of this study is to assess the efficacy of fecal coliform bacteria as a microbiological water quality indicator. The scientific and educational context of fecal coliform bacteria is explored through analysis of large sets of water quality data, focused field monitoring projects, and review of commonly used resources for school-based and volunteer water-related studies. Analyzed data sets include long term sampling (10 years), multiple sites, daily samples, storm event samples, and other parameters monitored in parallel with bacteria. Special attention is given to data sets from Kent County, Michigan. A background reference site in Michigan unimpacted by humans …

Penitents Or Prostitutes ?: The Narratives Of Fallen Women In Defoe,Richardson, And Fielding, Beth Martin Birky

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Empire, Race And War: Black Participation In British Military Efforts During The Twentieth Century, Michael Scott Healy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Religious Educator As Rabbinic Disciple: A Theology Of Teaching, Larry J. Huiras

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Electrophysiological Effects Of Acute Thyroid Hormone Exposure On Atrial Myocytes, Jon Paul Fiening

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vh Gene Usage In Vha2 Allotype-Producing B Cells From Mutant Alicia Rabbits, Anusorn Boonthum

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Values In Psychotherapy: A Philosophical Analysis Of The Normative Assumptions In Freud's Psychoanalysis, Sullivan's Interpersonal Theory Of Psychiatry And Frankl's Logotherapy, Sally R. Kowalkowski

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comic Elements And Their Effect On Meaning In George Meredith, Ford Madox Ford, And D. H. Lawrence, Helen Vincenza Garvey

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Secondary School Teacher Attitudes Toward Instructional Technology Use In The Context Of Motivation Theory, Timothy G. Sassen

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cloning And Characterization Of A Novel Ion Channel, Jung-Ha Lee

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Baltar Sexual Identity Inventory, Female Form: A Multidimensional Measure Of Sexual Identity, Joseph F. Baltar

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Giants Among Us : A Study Of First-Generation College Graduates, Sandria D. Rodriguez

Dissertations

No abstract provided.