Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Anti-Social Behaviour On Dublin Bus Routes, Kevin Scott

Dissertations

The area under investigation was the phenomenon of criminological behaviour occurring on Dublin Bus Routes. Research questions were based around: 1) what anti-social behaviour is occurring on buses, 2) when is this behaviour occurring, 3) who is perpetrating this behaviour and 4) how is anti-social behaviour on buses being tackled? Two problematic bus routes and one control route were selected based on geographic spread and the comparative ratio of criminal incidents involved (the 78A, 77 and the control case: 46A). A statistical analysis of existing information from Dublin Bus surrounding anti-social behaviour on these routes was conducted. The researcher then …

Probing Spin, Charge And Lattice Coupling In Manganites, Zhiqiang Chen

Dissertations

Complex oxides such as the manganites exhibit an intimate coupling of the electron spin, charge and lattice degrees of freedom. The characteristic feature of these materials is the existence of a ground state topology with many closely lying minima. The system can be switched from one minimum to another by the application of external parameters such as strain, temperature, magnetic fields, or electrical fields. These materials thus exhibit large responses to these external parameters and can be used as novel sensors in data storage and other applications. Understanding the couplings will have an impact on the fundamental science of highly …

Ionic Liquids As Additives For Biodegradable Polyactic Acid, Ku-Il Park

Dissertations

In this study, two ionic liquids (IL) with different anions (decanoate, tetrafluoroborate) but with the same phosphonium based cation were evaluated as potential plasticizers and lubricants for polylactic acid (PLA) and also for their effects on its hydrolytic and thermal degradation. Both ILs at 5wt% were well dispersible and partly miscible with PLA as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray scattering, SEMIEDX, and glass transition temperature, T_g, characterization, as well as from solubility parameters calculations.

The effects of the IL containing a decanoate anion were more pronounced on lubrication and degradation as evidenced by reduced melt viscosities …

Degradation Of Polylactic Acid In The Presence Of Microsize And Nanosize Fillers, Quyuan Zhou

Dissertations

Polylactide (PLA)-cationic (montmorillonite, MMT) and anionic (hydrotalcite, HT) clay micro- or nanocomposites based on semicrystalline and amorphous polymers and unmodified and organomodified as well as calcined or non-calcined clays at 5wt% concentration are produced by melt mixing. Depending on the clay type, presence of organomodifiers and calcination, micro- or nanocomposites are produced, as confirmed by XRD and SEM analysis.

Unfilled polymers and their composites are subjected to isothermal degradation in air at 180°C and 200°C. Degradation rate constants are calculated from novel equations incorporating IV. Results show that the thermal degradation rate constants of the amorphous PLA and its composites …

The Role Of Teachers In School Safety, Leslie Lee Brown

Dissertations

This study examined teachers' perceptions of their abilities to effectively respond to crises on their school campuses. Teachers were surveyed in numerous southeastern states in contrasting demographic areas. Much of the literature addressed acts of violence, natural disasters, and threats of terrorism in schools. Past literature designates urban areas as places where violence has been a more prevalent element of everyday life. Current evidence shows that school shootings and natural disasters can occur anywhere. This shows that planning, practicing, and preparing for crises events are imperative no matter the demographic area in which a school is located. However, there is …

The Emotional Intelligence And Resilience Of School Leaders: An Investigation Into Leadership Behaviors, Aileen Thompson Bumphus

Dissertations

Recent research suggests that leadership in schools and emotional intelligence are related. Furthermore, resiliency has been researched and found to be linked to successful leadership. As a result of these findings and the researcher's own professional experiences, it is speculated that emotional intelligence, resilience, and school leadership may be highly related factors in how one leads a school. The study of this three-factor relationship has been virtually overlooked in the research on school leadership and might prove useful in the recruitment, identification, development, and retention of effective school leaders.

A study of the emotional intelligence, resilience, and leadership of public …

A Metamorphosis Of Thought: Parent Education Based On Transformative Learning Theory In A Title I-Funded Middle School, Ayanna Lichelle Shivers

Dissertations

Section 1118(e)(2) of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 encouraged public schools to conduct and evaluate parent education programs to assist with closing the achievement gap. In an effort to combat the existing problem, the researcher engaged in a mixed-methods study to address four research questions.

A comparative-quantitative study, using the Middle School Parent Perception Survey, was conducted to determine if there were statistically significant differences in perceptions of parents whose children attended Title I funded and non-Title l-funded schools in the following areas—barriers to parent involvement, their ability to assist their children with schoolwork, and the support …

Rhetoric With Humor: An Analysis Of Hispanic/Latino Comedians' Uses Of Humor, George Pacheco Jr.

Dissertations

Hispanic/Latino comedians' use of humor as argument is a rich environment to study. The relationship between the comedian (as the joke teller) and the audience (as the receivers of the joke) creates an environment where many topical boundaries fall, and the comedian is free to express him/herself without fear of persecution or ridicule. More specifically, this setting allows the comedian to use the platform as joke teller to communicate arguments to the audience through humor. Comedians who use humor rhetorically often communicate arguments about well-known stereotypes freely because audiences attend shows expecting to laugh.

Using Kenneth Burke's (1959) perspective by …

Islamism, State Control Over Religion And Social Identity: Turkey And Egypt, Alper Y. Dede

Dissertations

In post Cold War politics, as a powerful alternative to the authoritarian "status-quo" regimes of the Muslim World, Islamism has become among the most critical political issues as various Islamist movements increasingly challenge governments for more political reforms, democratization, and greater participation and in the political process.

The current debates on Islamism, though useful, often emphasize the issues of security, democracy, or stability. However, they seem to overlook the importance of processes and the mechanisms of Islamism as well as how Islamists' concerns for preserving their Islamic social identity (Muslimness) and government control over religion contribute to their politicization. Thus, …

Zeolite-Based Nanosized Ti02 Photocatalytic Paper For Antimicrobial Barrier And Toxin Passivation In Packaging: Design, Synthesis And Characterization, Seonghyuk Ko

Dissertations

This dissertation describes comprehensive studies, including design, preparation, characterization and evaluation, to develop an innovative zeolite-based nanosized TiO2photocatalytic paper for disinfection and disintegration of organic toxins.

A novel paper with high photocatalytic performance was successfully prepared using natural zeolite (clinoptilolite)-based nanosized TiO2 photocatalyst in a microparticle retention papermaking system. Photocatalytic material, from its sol-gel derived TiO2 colloids to its anchoring onto zeolite, has been designed, prepared and characterized. Prior to photocatalytic papermaking, the characteristics of sol-gel synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles from colloidal to nanopowder were investigated with various initial sizes of colloidal nanoparticles synthesized in the range of 2.5±0.1 nm and …

A New Rough Wall Layer Modeling For Turbulent Flows Using The Brinkman Equation, Meng-Huang Lu

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Organizational Effectiveness, Wesley A. Martz

Dissertations

If organizations are to survive and achieve long-run viability, they must be effective. Yet organizational effectiveness evaluation has been limited by a variety of factors--especially the ambiguity surrounding the concept of organizational effectiveness itself. The long-established approaches used by organizational theorists to define organizational effectiveness have emphasized different perspectives with respect to the organization type and degrees of importance of the various constituency groups comprising the organization. Moreover, definitions of the organization and organizational effectiveness have focused primarily on the dissimilarities among organizations and their constituencies, conceding efforts to identify commonalities . This has led to increased fragmentation of the …

Representations Of Latin-American Immigration To Spain In The Late Twentieth And Early Twenty-First Century Narrative And Cinema, Alicia Arribas

Dissertations

As migration movements are becoming more common in our global community, Spain, traditionally an emigrant country, has attracted large numbers of immigrants. This dissertation explores the way in which late twentieth and early twenty-first century narrative and cinema construct discursive representations of Latin American immigration in Spain. The works studied include selections from three anthologies of short stories: Lavapiés, Inmenso estrecho and Inmigración, emigración e interculturalidad ; the novels Salsa by Clara Obligado, Madre mía, que estás en los infiernos by Carmen Jiménez, Las obras infames de Pancho Marambio by Alfredo Bryce Echenique and Nunca pasa nada by José Ovejero; …

Unwanted Sexual Experiences: Preliminary Development And Validation Of A Behavioral Analog Measure For Risk Perception, Response Appraisal, And Response, Robin M. Carter-Visscher

Dissertations

Based on research findings indicating that sexual victimization is a prevalent problem on college campuses and has significant consequences for victims, researchers have examined the effectiveness of sexual assault education programs on reducing incidents of sexual victimization and have found programs to be unsuccessful. Other researchers have begun to investigate behavioral factors associated with risk for sexual victimization in order to better understand mechanisms of sexual victimization and revictimization before developing and implementing interventions. One hypothesis that has received increased attention in recent years is that women with a sexual victimization history may have deficient risk perception and effective responding …

Social Work Field Instructors' Perceptions Of On-Line Training, Denise E. Dedman

Dissertations

Social work has recently identified the field placement as the signature pedagogy of the profession, yet little has been done to identify the best means of training field instructors to supervise students in their field placements. This study addressed attitudes and perceptions of social work field instructors regarding on-line training in their roles. While previous studies of university social work program field placement directors had been conducted, there exist no broad studies of the field instructors' perceptions. Some earlier qualitative studies of field instructors identified time constraints as a significant issue in their willingness to continue accepting interns. This, along …

Gifted Education Exposure In Introductory Special Education Texts: Quantitative Text Content Analysis, Sandra Kay Hansen Wentworth

Dissertations

This present study was designed to examine and compare 10 introductory special education textbooks used in mandatory introductory special education courses. The percentage of text devoted to gifted education chapters in comparison to specific learning disabilities, behavior disorders, mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, and speech/language/communication disorders was explored for statistically significant differences. Paired samples t tests were conducted to analyze the data. A statistically significant difference was found between the coverage of gifted education and autism spectrum disorders among the 10 examined texts. No other significant statistical findings were found between various exceptionalities among the 10 examined texts. The prevalence …

Health Anxiety And Cognition: Chronic Awareness Of Health Concerns Or Situational Activation Of Latent Dysfunctional Assumptions About Illness?, Desmon Craig Mitchell

Dissertations

Rationale: This study investigated if health anxious individuals have chronically aroused illness-related concerns or if these concerns remain latent, only to be activated when first primed by illness-related stimuli. To test these alternatives this study examined whether participants, with varying levels of health anxiety, differed as to their (a) performance on an emotional Stroop task that included health-related words, (b) memory tasks (free recall and recognition tasks), and (c) the participants' dream content, after either being exposed, or not exposed, to an illness-related trigger. Hypotheses: If illness concerns are chronically activated in health anxious individuals, then participants will perform worse …

Identification Of Two Distinct Glutaminyl Cyclase Isoforms In Drosophila Melanogaster, Amanda Thigpen Parker

Dissertations

Sequence analyses revealed two putative glutaminyl cyclase genes in Drosophila melanogaster with greater than 60% amino acid sequence identity to previously identified glutaminyl cyclase in humans. Expression, purification, and characterization of both putative proteins revealed two enzymatically active glutaminyl cyclase enzymes. Comparison of the Drosophila melanogaster glutaminyl cyclase enzymes to the published human glutaminyl cyclase revealed the enzymes were very similar. The Km values obtained were identical to those of human glutaminyl cyclase for three different substrates tested. However, the Drosophila glutaminyl cyclases demonstrated lower turnover numbers. Both Drosophila glutaminyl cyclase isoforms were inhibited by imidazole, imidazole derivatives, and metal …

The Impact Of Gender Socialization On Women?S Learned Technological Helplessness And Its Andragogical Implications, Joy Elise Harris

Dissertations

This research investigated a proposed construct of learned technological helplessness (LTH) in female adult learners, which is believed to be impacted by socialization into traditional gender roles, teacher modeling, and age. A two-pronged approach was used to examine women?s attitudes and beliefs about their abilities to use technology as a learning and personal productivity tool. Participants were females, over age 18, on two campuses of a public Midwest research university. Prior to the primary research, a pilot study (n=204) was undertaken for the purpose of creating a teacher modeling instrument, which measured how teachers model the use of technology. The …

Synthesis Of Α-Hydroxy And Fluoro Phosphonates And Cyclic Ether-Containing Natural Products, Nongnuch Sutivisedsak

Dissertations

A number of important classes of natural product (eg. amphidinolide C, (-)-centrolobine, etc) contain common structural features of tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans. This study involved the development of stereoselective mothods for the synthesis of tetrahydrofurans and tetrahydropyrans including the application of allylic hydroxy phosphonates and their derivatives as chiral, non racemic building blocks for the synthesis of biological active molecules. The enantiomeric excess of non racemic α-hydroxy phosphonates and carbonate derivatives prepared via the asymmetric Pudovik reaction can be improved by kinetic resolution. Both chemical and enzyme catalysts were utilized in the kinetic resolution of phosphonates. Enantioselective acylation of a variety …

Mechanistic Studies Of Specific Dna Cleavage By Pvuii Restriction Endonuclease, Xie Fuqian

Dissertations

PvuII restriction endonuclease is a homodimeric protein which recognizes and cleaves the palindromic sequence (CAG?CTG) in the presence of Mg(II) ions. Starting with PvuII as a model system, pKa calculations with crystallographically defined metal ligated water are applied to PD?D/ExK motif metallonucleases in order to investigate the activation of nucleophile in metal dependent DNA hydrolysis. These results establish the electrostatic contributions of the metal ions and the conserved Lys in lowering water pKa. The calculated pKa values of metal ligands have been used to simulate the pH dependence of Mg(II) binding to PvuII. The bell shaped pH-rate profile is dissected …

Disruptive Effects Of Aβ Oligomers To The Radial-Arm Maze Performance Of Rats, Kineta Lynn Morgan-Paisley

Dissertations

Converging lines of research have implicated a causal relationship between oligomers of amyloid-β and the cognitive impairments associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, very few studies have provided direct experimental evidence of this relationship and none of those studies have used an established model of working memory. The present study used an established model of working memory, the radial-arm maze, to examine the effects of amyloid-β oligomers on the memory of two groups of rats. The experimental group received ICV injections of the culture media (CM) of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells transfected with a human mutation of APP containing …

The Effect Of Substrate Properties On Print Attributes For Gravure Printing - From Proof To Press, Yu Ju Wu

Dissertations

Gravure is the major printing process used for publication printing. In gravure printing processes, color proofing is for the purpose of checking the color to ensure that it is as desired. There is no doubt that paper properties have significant effects on the image reproduction for either printing or proofing processes. In order to achieve uniformity of printing and obtain good color reproduction performance, it is important that the all paper properties are well defined and controlled. This study investigates the correlations between paper properties and print quality/color reproduction for gravure publication printing and ink jet printing used in digital …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Catalytic Application Of Gold Nanoparticles, Junhyung Kim

Dissertations

Properties of nanometer-sized gold(Au) particles, especially those that are protected by a monolayer coating of thiolate ligands, called 'Monolayer Protected Clusters' (MPCs), are of rigorous multidisciplinary interest for their potential applications in catalysis and electronics due to their variation with size.

In larger core diameter sizes (>1.5nm) AuMPCs show metallic behavior as observed from electrochemical measurements. On the other hand, sub-nanometer ([approximate]1.1nm) AuMPCs exhibit molecule-like electronic behavior which is typical of Au38 nanoparticles. The various alkane chain thiols(C4 S-C12 S) capped Au38 MPCs have been examined with independent analytical tools, producing a remarkably consistent picture of these materials.

The …

Online Teaching Self-Efficacy Of Nurse Faculty Teaching In Public, Accredited Nursing Programs In The State Of Michigan, Kristi Adair Robinia

Dissertations

Nurse educators are being challenged to adapt to rapidly changing educational and health care environments. Higher education is under pressure to facilitate more web-based learning courses to reach wider markets of students. Nurse faculties are also being pressured to incorporate more technology into theory courses as a possible solution to a looming nation-wide nurse and nurse faculty shortage. Some faculty have enthusiastically embraced the new technology behind online teaching, while others remain concerned about online teaching effectiveness and course quality.

The purpose of this study was to examine variables that affect nurse faculty self-efficacy levels and participation in online teaching. …

Appropriation Of Privacy Management Within Social Networking Sites, Catherine Dwyer

Dissertations

Social networking sites have emerged as one of the most widely used types of interactive systems, with memberships numbering in the hundreds of millions around the globe. By providing tools for their members to manage an ever-changing set of relationships, social networking sites push a constant expansion of social boundaries. These sites place less emphasis on tools that limit social boundaries to enable privacy.

The rapid expansion of online social boundaries has caused privacy shockwaves. Privacy offline is enabled by constraints of time and space. Online, powerful search engines and long term digital storage means private data have no expiration …

Production Of Nanocrystalline Rdx By Ress : Development And Material Characterization, Victor Stepanov

Dissertations

The aim of the present work was to address the hazardous vulnerability of energetic materials to accidental initiation. An improved form of the explosive RDX with a significantly reduced sensitivity to stimuli including shock and impact was sought. The direction of this research was to investigate the effect of RDX crystal size reduction down to nano-scale dimensions on the sensitivity characteristics. Although size reduction of energetic crystals has been demonstrated often to result in a sensitivity reduction, the effect at the nano-scale particle size has not been investigated.

To generate nanocrystalline RDX a recrystallization process was developed based on rapid …

Optical Properties And Carrier Transport In Si/ Si1-Xgex Nanostructures, Eun Kyu Lee

Dissertations

Defect-free epitaxial growth of Ge on a ~4 % lattice-mismatched single-crystal Si substrate is achieved using reduced dimension nanoscale heterostructures, where efficient structural relaxation might occur due to an enhanced adatom migrations and high surface-to-volume ratio. For development of novel electronic or optical devices based on these novel structures, understanding of their electrical and optical properties is crucial. This study explores the optical properties and carrier transport in two different types of Si/Si _1-xGe _xnanostructures: Ge nanowires (NWs) forming nanoscale heterojunctions with Si substrates and multilayers of SiGe clusters embedded into a Si matrix.

Micron-long Ge nanowires grown …

Micro, Meso And Macro Materials Processing Using High-Speed Liquid Projectiles, Veljko Samardzic

Dissertations

The objective of this research is developmentof aknowledge base of materials processing by the impact of high-speed liquid projectiles. The work involved experimental study of generation and applications of high-speed liquid projectiles. The projectiles were generated by the launchers, which used gunpowder as an energy source. The experiments were carried out at the low (O.35g of the powder), middle (1.2g) and high (10g to 70g) levels of energy consumptions and at several different launchers modification.

Experimental investigation of effect of gun powder mass on energy of projectile was conducted for ductile and brittle targets. An array of experimental …

Dynamics Of Online Chat, Mihai Moldovan

Dissertations

Millions of people use online synchronous chat networks on a daily basis for work, play and education. Despite their widespread use, little is known about their user dynamics. For example, one does not know how many users are typically co-present and actively engaged in public interaction in the individual chat rooms of any of the numerous public Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks found on the Internet; or what are the factors that constrain the boundaries of user activity inside those chat rooms. Failure to collect and present such data means there is a lack of a good understanding of the …