Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Teacher Perceptions, Implementations, Barriers, And Benefits Associated With The Missouri Reading Initiative, Paula Suzanne Roberts

Dissertations

Reading is an essential skill taught during elementary academic years. The Sunny Day School District recognized the need of locating a reading program tailored to effectively meeting the instructional needs of students. A preliminary question was, “how do we increase the reading achievement of all our students?” In response to this instructional concern, the Sunny Day School District decided to implement the Missouri Reading Initiative (MRI), a state program created to assist teachers with scientifically research based reading instructional strategies. This study addressed the problem of a lack of a program evaluation for the MRI program as implemented within the …

Computer-Based Versus Paper-Pencil Modes Of Administration United States Government End Of Course Exams: Student Cumulative Grade Point Averages As Predictors Of Success, Barbara A. Ryan

Dissertations

Beginning with the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, states were required to use data to monitor and improve student achievement. For high schools, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education chose End of Course Exams (EOC) to demonstrate levels of student achievement. The policy changed from school choice of paper-pencil or computer-based testing to mandated computer-based testing. This study examined whether this decision best demonstrates the level of student mastery. Using high school EOC test scores for United States Government exams as the independent variable and high school cumulative grade point average (CGPA) as the dependent variable, the …

Music Education In America: A Content Analysis And National Perspective Of Standards-Based Outcomes For K-8 General Music, Joseph A. Alsobrook

Dissertations

The aim of this study was explore and measure desired results that are fundamental and essential to standards-based accountability and comprehensive musicianship for students in K-8 general music classes. Using a clustered sample of state achievement standards aligned with the National Content Standards for Music Education (n = 16), an exploratory content analysis was conducted. Qualitative analysis was employed to identify desired results as fundamental, or basic, elemental, or underlying; qualitative analysis and measurement was employed to identify fundamental desired results as essential, or frequent among 50% or more of the sample. Sub-samples were also analyzed for equivalent-forms reliability.

The …

High School Curriculum Tracks As Determinants Of Post-Secondary Outcomes: A Study Of Track Mobility And Its Effects, William Morrison

Dissertations

Despite scores of studies that have shown that tracking and ability grouping perpetuate the academic achievement gap that exists in the United States, the practice continues. The reason for this persistence is a confluence of educational, social, and political factors. As tracking will continue as practice for the foreseeable future, research must help to identify the best and worst of tracking practices so that its negative effects are minimized and positive effects maximized. Oakes (2005) has identified five common elements of tracking policies and practices: extent, pervasiveness, flexibility, mobility, and locus of control. Of these elements, it is my contention …

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Two Models Of College Summit Programs In An Urban School Setting, Wanda Davis

Dissertations

The inclusion of college preparation programs promote and forecast academic success in postsecondary studies among individual at-risk, African American urban high school students. Past research has shown ongoing, college acceptance, performance, and graduation gaps between at-risk, African American urban high school students when compared to affluent, Caucasian suburban high school students. The College Summit program is designed to help close this gap. The study compared two models of the College Summit Program in one urban school setting. The study evaluated the effect that pre-college preparation activities had on these dependent variables: completion of postsecondary planning activities, end-of-year GPA, awards of …

A Z-Based Formal Framework And Comprehensive Toolkit For The Extraction And Analysis Of Object-Oriented Design State Space And Structural Metrics, Raouf Alomainy

Dissertations

The syntax-based (structural) software metrics are quantitative measures of programs. They have been used to predict various software quality factors. There are many studies on software structural metrics over the years. However, these metrics lack a formal foundation that explains the nature of measurement. The objective of this research is to propose a Z-based theoretical framework for the extraction of object-oriented (OO) design state space and structural metrics to help guide and improve the design and development of software systems using mathematically rigorous methods. To show the framework works, we selected several representative categories of syntax-based metrics that measure different …

Building Trip Generation Models From National Database For Medium Sized Communities, Mary Catherine Dondapati

Dissertations

Freight data is propreitery and it involves high cost to acquire relevant freight data. Due to this reason freight was often excluded in travel demand modeling or included implicitly. The changing preference in the mode of transportation of freight to trucks, puts more truck traffic on the roadways. The implicit inclusion of freight in travel demant models does not do justice to the freight trips accounted for truck. The knowledge of freight data has led to exclusive freight demand modeling. The national freight database like TRANSEARCH is propreitery but is available at both aggregated and disaggregated level. On the other …

A Quantitative Model Of Relative Ethical Violation For Use In Military Decision-Making, Gregory S. Reed

Dissertations

As the embodiment of rational cause-and-effect, game and decision theory methods dominated the second half of the 20th century and continue to flourish today. Machine ethics, a very nascent field, involves developing machines (either as tangible hardware or as mathematical or logical models) with ethics codified as principles and procedures, in turn allowing them to consider ethical "cause-and-effect" of potential actions. A model known as the Metric of Evil (the "Metric") was first conceived by a branch of the United States Army, primarily intended for use by the Army itself. The Metric was inspired by a perceived gap in military …

Validating And Generating Realistic Routes For Individual Human Characters In Virtual Urban Terrain, Gregg Thomas Hanold

Dissertations

The automatic generation of movement routes for autonomous computer controlled entities in virtual environments is an essential and ubiquitous task in simulations of many types and applications. Practically all existing route planning algorithms, many of which are implementations of either the well-known A* algorithm or variants of it, generate routes that are optimized for some route attribute, such as length or movement time. In this research an algorithm is developed that generates routes that are not optimized but are instead realistic, where realism is defined as similarity to routes generated by humans. Before designing the realistic route planning algorithm, four …

Detailed Methodology For Determining Torque Limits To Maximize Preload For High-Strength Threaded Fasteners, D. Andy Hissam

Dissertations

High-strength threaded fasteners are an amazing product of engineering, and one of the most common methods of making structural attachments. They are frequently used in structural joints because of two important features: such fasteners allow disassembly and reassembly of the joint, and they can generate high clamping loads called preload. To achieve the full benefit of threaded fasteners, the initial preload must be maximized. The benefits of high preload are well documented and include improved fatigue resistance, increased joint stiffness, and better resistance to vibration loosening. For joints in shear, preload resists relative motion, or slip, of the clamped members. …

Numerical Modeling Of Multi-Component Spray Evaporation Process, Omid Samimi Abianeh

Dissertations

The overarching goal of this study is to develop a mathematical methodology for finding a fuel surrogate mixture composition and implementing computationally effective models that can predict the evaporation of multi-component fuel droplets/spray using a multidimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code. A new concept for modeling fuel surrogate is initially developed. Following this, a multi-component fuel droplets/spray coalescence model that builds on previously developed models is derived. Finally, a multi component fuel evaporation model is developed. All the sub-models are implemented for the first time in a multidimensional CFD code, and results are shown to be in good overall agreement …

Numerical Simulations Of Plasma Dynamics Using The Flowfield Dependent Variation (Fdv) Method, Bassem Girgis

Dissertations

The Flowfield Dependent Variation (FDV) method is a generalized numerical method for solving the partial differential equations that govern fluid dynamics, heat transfer, as well as multi-physics scenarios involving external electric and magnetic fields, and shock-turbulent boundary layer interactions. A unique feature of the FDV method is that most of the currently available Finite Difference Method (FDM) and Finite Element Method (FEM) computational schemes can be obtained from it as special cases. For this reason, the FDV method has the potential for application to a broad range of problems in science and engineering. The principal objective of this dissertation is …

Modeling And Analysis Of An Articulated-Winged Micro Air Vehicle For Gust Mitigation, Adetunji Y. Oduyela

Dissertations

Articulated micro air vehicles are a class of micro air vehicles comprised of a main center body attached to outer wings on both sides. As in the case of a single rigid micro air vehicle, the center body and the attached bodies in the articulated case are all responsible for the generation of aerodynamic forces and moments during flight resulting in a multibody system. While many approaches have been taken in the literature to model the system of equations resulting from such a complicated multibody system, this dissertation presents an approach based on a Newton-Euler multibody dynamics formulation where the …

Sub-Pixel Spatial Resolution Interferometry, James Theodore Mooney

Dissertations

There is a growing need for an increase in the spatial resolution of interferometric surface measurements of precision optics. This research presents a new method for meeting this need. The improvement is necessary because of evolving surface figure and micro-roughness requirements for higher quality optics and optical systems, demand for larger optics, and recent advancements in deterministic polishing. These three topics will be discussed and their relationship to increased spatial resolution will be described. A solution that increases the spatial resolution using interlaced stitching will be presented. In this process, multiple interferometric measurements are made as the optic under test …

Analytical Evaluation Of The Trajectories Of Hypersonic Projectiles Launched Into Space, John David Stutz

Dissertations

An equation of motion has been derived that may be solved using simple analytic functions which describes the motion of a projectile launched from the surface of the Earth into space accounting for both Newtonian gravity and aerodynamic drag. The equation of motion is based upon the Kepler equation of motion differential and variable transformations with the inclusion of a decaying angular momentum driving function and appropriate simplifying assumptions. The new equation of motion is first compared to various numerical and analytical trajectory approximations in a non-rotating Earth reference frame. The Modified Kepler solution is then corrected to include Earth …

Discerning The Physical Properties Of Gamma-Ray Bursts Via Time Resolved Analysis With Physical Spectral Models, J. Michael Burgess

Dissertations

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic events in the Universe but the processes that generate their observed gamma-ray emission remain unknown. Much of what is known about these processes comes from fits of the empirical Band function to the photon spectra of GRBs. However, very little information about the emission mechanisms can be derived from these empirical fits because extrapolation of fitted Band parameters to physical photon models is often degenerate due to the similar shapes of these models. In this work, physical models of high-energy radiation mecha- nisms are numerically implemented into a data fitting framework in order …

Analysis Of Solar Lyman-Alpha Scattering In The Heliosphere, Brian Fayock

Dissertations

Computational models of the global heliospheric interaction with the local interstellar medium have evolved to include very fine and complex physical details. While these models began from theory, the observations and measurements of various spacecraft have been able to provide comparisons to simulations over time, resulting in corrections, adjustments, or additions to certain aspects, and thus a better understanding of the problem. One aspect of great interest is the interaction of neutral hydrogen within the heliosphere. Its inclusion into models is quite complex and still in need of verification. The results of our model are able to provide such a …

Biologically Inspired Energy Manager Design For The Greatt Residential Microgrid, Wen Fang

Dissertations

A biologically inspired method, involving the design of an energy manager, for coordinating the operation of a hybrid renewable residential micro-grid is presented. Flexible optimization procedures that minimize the cost of renewable distribution generators based upon the climate and location of the load profile have been developed and modeled in simulation. A novel design of a dual channel converter system and its control system forms the distributed energy storage (DES) system that features the capability of balancing the power flow in the micro-grid (even in the grid-off mode). The proposed energy management system utilizes a back propagation neural network in …

Cfd Analysis And Design Optimization Of Flapping Wing Flows, Martin Alexander Jones

Dissertations

The main objectives of this research work are to perform the CFD analysis of the 3-D flow around a flapping wing in a gusty environment and to optimize its kinematics and shape to maximize the performance. The effects of frontal, side, and downward wind gusts on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rigid wing undergoing insect-based flapping motion are analyzed numerically. The turbulent, low-Reynolds-number flow near a flapping wing is governed by the 3-D unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations with the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. The governing equations are solved using a second-order node-centered finite volume method on a hexahedral mesh that …

Relationship Of Peer Mentoring To Academic Success And Social Engagement For First Year College Students, Brenda O. Mitchell

Dissertations

A correlational explanatory research design examined the relationship between peer mentoring, academic success and social engagement of first year college students participating in a peer mentoring program at a research one university in the southeastern United States. One hundred thirty-eight participants from the peer mentoring program responded to a Peer Mentoring, Academic Success and Social Engagement (PMASSE) questionnaire created and pilot tested by the researcher; the PMASSE had a Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.95. Peer mentoring was the independent variable and academic success and social engagement were the dependent variables. Three primary theoretical frameworks were utilized: social constructivism, theory of …

A Mathematical Modeling Framework For Phlebotomist Scheduling And Blood Draw Assignments In Laboratory Medicine, Laquanda T. Leaven

Dissertations

Laboratory services in healthcare delivery systems play a vital role in inpatient care. Studies have shown that laboratory data affects approximately 65% of the most critical decisions on admission, discharge, and medication. Laboratory testing accounts for approximately 10% of hospital billing. Reducing laboratory costs would contribute to reducing total healthcare cost, which is one of the major goals for the U.S. healthcare delivery system. This research focuses on improving the performance of the hospital laboratory in a large hospital system. The intention of this study is to identify and then optimize the most critical stage to improve the entire laboratory …

Use Of Sweet Potato To Develop A Medium For Cultivation Of Lactic Acid Bacteria, Saeed A. Hayek

Dissertations

This study investigated the use of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) as a basic component to develop a medium for cultivation of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Extract from baked sweet potatoes was used to form a sweet potato medium (SPM). SPM was supplemented with 4 g/L of each nitrogen source (beef extract, yeast extract, and proteose peptone #3). Lactobacilli MRS was used as a control medium. Ten LAB strains were used to determine the suitability of SPM serving the growth of LAB. Our results showed no significant (p < 0.05) differences in the optical density, maximum specific growth rates, and bacterial populations between MRS and SPM. SPM also maintained higher pH values throughout the incubation period compared to that in MRS. The cost of SPM was 47% less than the cost of MRS. Further step was taken to determine the suitability of SPM serving LAB enzymatic activity. LAB strains growing in SPM showed relatively higher β-glucosidases, acid phosphatase, and phytase activities and lower a-glucosidase compared to that in MRS. Strains of L. reuteri showed the …

Multiphase Hydrodynamics In Steady And Pulse Jet Mixing Systems, Ibraheem R. Muhammad

Dissertations

The goal of the present study is to evaluate the mixing performance of jet mixers in both liquid and solid-liquid mixing processes. Jet mixers have been studied for decades for its uses in liquid blending and solid-liquid mixing applications. In solid suspension processes, jet mixers can be just as useful if not more useful than conventional impeller mixers. However, there is a lack of phenomenological models that exist. The erosion and subsequent suspension of solids beds, as well as the suspension of a low concentration of solid particles must be better understood. The specific objectives were to develop analytical, experimental …

Adoption Of Green Building Practices And Rating System In Kenya: Potentials And Barriers, Peter Khaemba

Dissertations

This research study was undertaken to identify (a) green building rating attributes that could be adopted for Kenya, and (b) barriers to initial adoption of green building practices and a green building rating system in Kenya. The study was primarily built on the premise of select rating and adoption attributes in existing green building standards, especially Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). A pilot phase of the study was conducted using a combination of focus groups and personal interviews. The pilot findings became the basis of a questionnaire that was utilized to survey a sample of 608 registered building …

Exploring The Role Of The Principal In Elementary Teacher Retention And Migration As Perceived By Elementary Teachers In Rural School Districts Of North-Central Pennsylvania, Diana L. Barnes

Dissertations

Problem. Teacher migration and attrition are costly to educational institutions and negatively impact students' education. Teachers migrate to other positions and/or leave the profession for different reasons. Research of literature indicated that one influence on the teacher's decision to migrate to another position or to leave the profession is lack of principal support. This sequential mixed-methodology study explores elementary teachers' perception of the relationship between principal support and teacher retention and migration in the rural elementary schools of north-central Pennsylvania.

Method. To explore the role of the principal, this sequentially mixed-methodological study used a focus group to identify elementary teachers' …

The Rich Chemistry Of Cyclotriveratrylene (Ctv) And Ct-Inspired Reactions: Anthracenes With Organic Light-Emitting Diode (Oled) Applications And The Discovery Of Cascade Reactions, Samuel Sarsah

Dissertations

Cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) is a supramolecular scaffold with applications in host-guest chemistry, analytical detection, drug delivery and liquid crystals. We have discovered that CTV rearranges to a highly functionalized anthracene derivative that is ideal for the synthesis of 9,10-disubstituted anthracene derivatives that are useful for the construction of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Several diaryl anthracene derivatives have been synthesized and analyzed, and were found to have excellent electroluminescent properties, including one analog that exhibits an exceptionally high quantum yield. Red, green and blue are the primary colors needed for full color display, but blue fluorescence emitting organic compounds used in OLEDs …

The Mother Of Chaos And Night: Kant's Metaphilosophical Attack On Indifferentism, Matthew Allen Kelsey

Dissertations

Kant positions the Critical philosophy as a response to the crisis of metaphysics - a crisis that is still with us. But his diagnosis of that crisis in terms of a struggle between dogmatism, skepticism, and indifferentism is given short shrift in the secondary literature, despite its promise to help us understand Kant's claim that transcendental philosophy represents a radical alternative to these philosophical modi vivendi. After a consideration of Kant's remarks on what philosophy is in general, I argue that all four of these mutually-exclusive ways of philosophizing are best understood as metaphilosophical stances: ways of conceiving of the …

Mothers' Nonstandard Work Schedules And Young Children's School Readiness, Kelly Haas

Dissertations

As the United States continues to move toward a 24/7 global economy, there is an increasing demand for employees to work outside of the traditional 9-to-5 weekday work schedule. However, scholars have only recently begun to address how these types of work arrangements may shape young children's development. The overarching goal of this study was to examine whether mothers' nonstandard work schedules were associated with preschool-aged children's early reading and mathematics skills and externalizing behavior problems. The current study investigated whether these linkages were especially salient for some groups as opposed to others. Specifically, the moderating roles of mothers' work …

Modeling Decision Making In Trauma Centers From The Standpoint Of Complex Adaptive Systems, Castanon De Policarpo

Dissertations

This research examines complex clinical decision-making processes in trauma center units of hospitals in terms of the impact of complexity on the medical team involved in the trauma event. The science of complex adaptive systems together with human judgment theories provide important concepts and tools for responding to health care challenges in this century and beyond. Clinical decision-makers in trauma centers are placed in urgent and anxious situations that are increasingly complex, making decision-making and problem-solving processes multifaceted. Under stressful circumstances, physicians must derive their decision-making schemas (―internal models‖ or ―mental models‖) without the benefits of judicious identification, evaluation, and/or …

Quantitative Analyses Of Acceptable Noise Level For Air Conduction Listening, Bankole K. Fasanya

Dissertations

This study was conducted to develop quantitative models for Acceptable Noise Level (ANL) under air conduction (AC) listening conditions. Experimental results on the effects of frequency bandwidths on ANL under two listening conditions involving earphones and loudspeaker (sound field) with high and low frequencies and babble noise and white noise revealed: (a) there are statistically significant interactions among the background noise types, the background noise frequency bandwidths and signal source; (b) background noise and noise frequency bandwidths have effects on listener discriminability bias toward the noise and the signal intensity; (c) different listening conditions had different ANL thresholds; and (d) …