Digital Commons Network^™

Educational Technology Integration And High-Stakes Testing, Tracy Demetrie Daniel

Dissertations

Determining if the investment in educational technology will improve student achievement is complicated and multifarious. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of teacher technology integration on student achievement as measured by the Mississippi Subject Area Testing Program (SATP) and to explore the relationship between technology integration and other factors (a teacher’s age, gender, computer self-efficacy, and technology training).

This non-experimental, quantitative study included 106 secondary school teachers from six school districts in Mississippi. The respondents completed a questionnaire based on their SATP course (Algebra I, Biology, English II, and U. S. History) teaching experiences. This study …

An Examination Of The Perception Of Special Education Teachers In The Mississippi Delta Toward Their Transition Competencies, Vickie Elaine Curry

Dissertations

Transition from high school to post-school activities is recognized as a serious challenge for students with disabilities (Shandra & Hogan, 2008; Wehman, 2006). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (2006) outlines the development of the IEP and transition plan as an essential task. However, the preponderance of secondary special educators lacks self-assurance in the ability to address students’ transition desires (Prater, Sileo, & Black, 2000). Little is known about how special education teachers proffer transition services to students with disabilities and the scope to which teachers are equipped and pleased with the services they provide. This quantitative descriptive study …

Clam (Corbicula Fluminea) As A Potential Sentinel Of Human Norovirus Contamination In Freshwater, Xunyan Ye

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate and validate the use of the clam Corbicula fluminea as a sentinel of human noroviruses (HuNoV) contamination in freshwater. The first specific aim was to develop a new method to extract HuNoV RNA from contaminated bivalves (e.g. oysters, clams) that would be much faster than existing methods. The procedure developed includes an initial total RNA extraction using TRI Reagent, followed by HuNoV RNA concentration and purification using biotinylated probe-capture technology. HuNoV RNA is finally detected by real-time RT-PCR. Using bivalve homogenates spiked with HuNoV, 100 PCR detection units of the virus was …

Voice Of A Fifth-Year High School Student: An Exploration Of The Journey To Achieving A Diploma, Joan L. Bludorn

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Look Inside Firefighter Families: A Qualitative Study, Catherine Phillips Carrico

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Among Self-Esteem, Romantic Attachment, Gender, And Safe Sex Behaviors In Emerging Adults, Erica L. Hope

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Male Counseling Students' Perceptions Of Female Clients, Peers, And Faculty, Jody L. Huntington

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Exploring The Relationship Between Personal Trauma, Gender, And The Experience Of Vicarious Trauma Among Counseling Professionals, Kristin Danielle Kushmider

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Response Of Riparian Areas Of The Shortgrass Steppe To Anthropogenic Disturbance And Assessment Of Students' Changed Understanding Of Ecosystem Reclamation Through Experience, Michael Henry Schiebout

Dissertations

Most vegetation communities are in some way impacted by humans. This dissertation is composed of a series of studies aimed at understanding how the shortgrass steppe in northeastern Colorado responds to human disturbance. Specifically, it addresses the impact of gravel mining on a riparian area of the shortgrass steppe and its response to reclamation efforts. In addition, the impact of cattle grazing on the shortgrass steppe was investigated using exclosures. Studies concerning competition of noxious weeds present at the reclamation site were also conducted, both in the field and greenhouse. Finally, a qualitative study was completed addressing how student understanding …

Social Involvement, Existential Awareness, And Perceived Vulnerability In Older Adults, Maria Zarlengo

Dissertations

The current study explored perceptions of old-age vulnerability by seniors as well as separate and combined effects of social involvement and existential awareness on the level of perceived vulnerability to aging. Two hundred and forty four seniors participated in the study. The data were collected with the use of a 101-question survey based on three published measures plus demographic questions. The dependent (criterion) variable was the vulnerability to old age measured by the Perceived Vulnerability Scale (PVS). The explanatory (predictor) variables included the degree of social involvement measured by the Social Provisions Scale (SPS) and the level of existential awareness …

The Effects Of An Educational Intervention On The Aging Knowlege Of Graduate Counseling Students, Damien Gent Dotson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of an educational intervention on the aging knowledge of graduate counseling students. Overcoming misconceptions, such as positive and negative stereotypes about older adults, is essential for graduate counseling students to be effectively trained to work with the aging population. Educational interventions have been found to be the most consistently effective way of increasing aging knowledge and helping individuals overcome ageist beliefs rooted in faulty aging knowledge. For this study, it was hypothesized that a comprehensive educational intervention (approximately 2 hours in duration) would increase overall aging knowledge, increase aging and …

Shaping Attitudes Towards Psychological Services, Lisa M. Bobby

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Asking Latino Students: Strategies To Improve Dual Credit High School – Community College Bridge Programs, Ana L. King

Dissertations

This study explores and identifies factors that contribute to Latino students’ enrollment and persistence in the first two years of a 2+2+2 program (high school – community college – university). As community college leaders attempt to reach the fastest growing, youngest minority group in the United States (Passel, Cohn, & Lopez, 2011), questions emerge on how to create and implement an effective high school to college bridge program. The research focused on discovering insights and gaining understanding from the perspectives of Latino students participating in the high school years of a 2+2+2 bridge program. This qualitative inquiry situated in the …

Decision-Making Following Sexual Assault: Reporting Decisions And Exposure To The Criminal Justice System, Ryan Michael Walsh

Dissertations

Violent crimes represent significant costs to society and survivors; costs which include mental health conditions which may emerge afterward. Victims of sexual assault are at particularly heightened risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Breslau, Davis, Andreski, & Peterson, 1991). Although Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) is available to assist with healthcare costs for some individuals who report the event to police (NACVCB, 2009), many crimes are not reported. Theories of crime-reporting behavior suggest that victims decide whether to report crimes to police through the use of a “cost-benefit analysis” (Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 1988, p. 25). Little research, however, has been …

Analysis Of The Condition-Specific Regulation Of Puf3p Activity And Puf3p-Mediated Translational Repression Of Mrna In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Melanie A. Miller

Dissertations

The Puf family of proteins regulates aspects of eukaryotic development such as embryonic development, and memory formation by promoting translational repression and/or degradation of targeted mRNAs in the cytoplasm. Yeast Puf3p regulates mitochondria biogenesis and function by modulating the stabilities of nuclear-transcribed mitochondrial mRNAs in response to different carbon sources. Dextrose simulates rapid Puf3p-mediated degradation of its mRNA targets via decay complex recruitment. Ethanol, galactose, or raffinose promotes stabilization of mRNA targets, as Puf3p-mediated decay activity is severely inhibited or abolished. In this work, I have established that carbon source-induced inhibition of Puf3p activity is not due to decreased transcription …

Evaluating The Pragmatic Analytical Reading Level Instruction Framework: A Mixed Methods Research And Development Case Study, Katherine Elizabeth Bradarich

Dissertations

In light of the escalating literacy demands of the 21st Century workplace, and the reality the adolescent literacy rates remain stagnant despite considerable focus on them, there appears to be a need for translation of the role that reading comprehension plays in the growth of literacy of adolescent learners. A framework that recognizes the inherent complexities of reading at the secondary school level and provides a systematic and targeted means for flexible instruction to remediate the reading comprehension deficits of a diverse population of struggling adolescent readers was developed. The Pragmatic Analytical Reading Level Instruction (PARLI) framework integrates the essential …

The Essence Of The Distributed Leadership Experience Of A High School Literacy Coaching Team: A Phenomenological Study, Nancy Spaniak

Dissertations

This is a phenomenological study of a high school literacy coaching team’s experience during the 2010-2011 school year, the first year of its existence. As a distributed leadership organizational routine, the practice of literacy coaching was adopted by a large suburban high school to promote its initiative to infuse literacy strategies into every teacher’s classroom instruction. The purpose of the study was to uncover the essence of the literacy coaching team’s distributed leadership experience in order to elucidate the effect of distributed leadership on developing the literacy coaching initiative in general, and the literacy coaching team members as leaders in …

Contribution Of The Mnr2 Protein To Magnesium Homeostasis In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Nilambari Prafulla Pisat

Dissertations

Magnesium is an essential metal nutrient with diverse roles in biology. To maintain the optimal function of key biological processes, intracellular Mg2+ concentration is tightly regulated. Despite the importance of this process however, relatively little is known about mechanisms of Mg2+ homeostasis in eukaryotic cells. An understanding of homeostasis starts with defining the function of key transport proteins that allow the passage of Mg2+ ions across the membranes. Yeast geneticists have identified four proteins from Bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) involved in regulating the accumulation of Mg2+ within the cell (Alr1 and Alr2) and within the mitochondrial compartment (Mrs2 and Lpe10). …

Predictors Of Academic Success For Optometry Students, Robert S. Buckingham

Dissertations

Optometry school admissions are very competitive. With more applicants than available slots, admission committees must choose those students whom they feel will be successful graduates. Previous studies in the health profession schools have demonstrated that the predictors of academic achievement are preadmission science grade point average (GPA), preadmission cumulative GPA, and standardized entrance tests. However, with the advent of the Optometry Centralized Applications Service (OptomCAS), no research could be found on the predictors of success as it relates to those variables. This study, therefore, evaluates the ability of these variables to predict the GPA and graduation of students in the …

The Perception Of Adult Learners Concerning Their Satisfaction Of Their Educational Experiences In A Midwestern Community College, Constance L. Mccallum

Dissertations

In the United States, over 90 million adult students, aged 25 years or older, are engaging in post-secondary studies (Stokes, 2006). Adult learners are the fastest growing segment in higher education and this trend is expected to continue into the future (Benshoff & Lewis, 1992). This expanding influx of adult learners into colleges and universities has required post-secondary educational institutions to provide for the special needs, desires and expectations of their adult learner populations (Nesbit, 2001). Therefore, this study examined the relationship between adult learners’ educational experiences and their satisfaction levels with their educational experiences by recognizing the differences within …

California School Nurses' Knowledge, Attitude, And Intention To Participate In Sexuality Education, Maria G. Matza Phd, Msn, Rnc

Dissertations

A critical need exists to provide adolescents with sexual health education as demonstrated by our nation's position in having the highest adolescent pregnancy rates among all the developed nations. The critical need is further pronounced by California's changing demographic profile of young Latinos who are projected to be the majority in 2042 and continue to demonstrate higher pregnancy and birth rates than other racial and ethnic groups. Currently, there is limited evidence to confirm if California's students are receiving sexual and reproductive health as required by law, nor is there evidence to link school nurses as teachers or consultants in …

Factors And Health Promoting Behaviors That Influence Maternal And Infant Outcomes In Older Pregnant Thai Women, Supawadee Thaewpia Phd, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

This dissertation summarizes research conducted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing degree from the Hahn school of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of San Diego. The results of the dissertation research are organized as three discrete papers. Article one is entitled; "Reliability and Validity of Thai Translations of Instruments Measuring Psychosocial Factors and Health Promoting Behaviors among Older Pregnant Thai Women." This article describes the dissertation research study in which the selected instruments were piloted at an antenatal clinic in Thailand. The article determines the instruments' ability to examine perceived benefits, perceived …

Optical And Electrochemical Properties Of Monolayer Protected Gold Clusters Modified With Fluorophores, Mary Sajini Devadas

Dissertations

My research focused on the synthesis, characterization and the investigation of the optical and electrochemical properties of monolayer-protected quantum-sized gold clusters. Significant research attention was focused on the solution phase optical and electrochemical properties of these clusters. Highly monodisperse Au clusters with different types of ligands were successfully synthesized with sizes varying from 1 nm to 13 nm. These preformed gold clusters were modified with fluorophores and pseudo-rotaxanes for developing better nonlinear optical materials for sensing and biological imaging purposes. We have tried to focus on the interaction of the outer ligand shell, made up of –S-Au-S-Au-S- bonds, with the …

Optical And Electrochemical Sensors For The Detection Of Metal Ions And Nerve Gas Mimics Via Fluorescein And Coumarin Derivatives, Fasil Adefris Abebe

Dissertations

Trace element detection of metals, for example, iron, Copper and zinc, are important in biological systems and in the environment. Many of us are aware that our cells contain metal ions that are “tied” up in proteins. However, chelatable or “free” trace elements can also be found in small quantities, and can have a negative impact on our bodies. Despite the increasing surge in developing sensors for metals and nerve gas agents, efficient detection still remains a challenge. Among the various sensors developed so far, fluorescence sensors play an important role due to their simplicity. I design fluorescein-based chemosensors for …

Identification And Characterization Of Suppressors Of Hopm1; A Plant Pathogen Effector Of Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato Dc3000, Vanessa Revindran

Dissertations

We have created a yeast model system to study the action of the plant pathogen effector HopM1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Pseudomonas syringae, causative agent of bacterial speck in tomatoes, utilizes the type III secretion system to shuttle the effector proteins into the host cell.

When expressed in yeast, HopM1 is lethal on solid media at 21°C, but not at 30°C and 37°C. The same temperature sensitive ability of HopM1 to cause death on solid media is also observed in liquid. As demonstrated by SDS PAGE-Western blot analysis, HopM1 protein is present at 21°C, 30°C and 37°C. At 21°C, a full-length …

The Impact Of Guided Imagery On Sleep Quality In Mothers Of Preterm Infants, Linda M. Schaffer Phd, Mn, Rn

Dissertations

Background: Mothers who have given birth to preterm infants are at an increased risk for impaired sleep. Evidence based interventions are needed to assist mothers in improving their sleep quality as few are available. Purpose: Guided by the transactional framework of Lazarus and Folkman (1984), the purpose of this study was to: describe maternal and infant factors which influence sleep quality, examine the relationships between depression, anxiety, stress, social support, to sleep quality, and describe the influence of a R-GI intervention on sleep quality among a sample of mothers whose preterm babies were admitted to NICU. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, …

Single And Multiphase Mixing In Partially Filled Stirred Vessels, Shilan Motamedvaziri

Dissertations

In many industrial applications, mixing vessels have a liquid height-to-tank diameter ratio, H/T, equal to, or larger than 1. However, there are many instances where this ratio is lower than 1, as in all those cases in which the vessel is either emptied or filled. Even when H/T<1, sufficient agitation must still be provided in order to attain the desired process objectives. When the impeller submergence is reduced as a result of lowering the liquid level, the fluid dynamics of even a single-phase stirred liquid can become quite complex, with different regimes possibly existing depending on the geometric characteristics of the system (such as impeller clearance, liquid height, or liquid submergence above the impeller). The objectives of this work were to study in detail the hydrodynamic changes that occur when H/T is decreased, and to determine the minimum liquid levels and the critical impeller submergence for different impeller off-bottom distances, impeller diameters and agitation speeds where adequate mixing process can still be achieved, both in a single liquid phase and in solid-liquid suspensions.

Flat-bottomed, baffled vessels (5L, 12L, 20L and 170L) equipped with a single disk turbine (DT) of four different sizes placed at five different impeller off-bottom clearances were used here to study the system's hydrodynamics and related mixing phenomena. A number of experimental tools were used to analyze the systems under investigation, including: …

Consequences Of Stochastic Mrna Synthesis In A Gene Regulatory Pathway, Khyati Shah

Dissertations

Gene expression is a stochastic process, with elements of randomness present in both transcription and translation. This stochasticity results in cell-to-cell variation in the amounts of gene products, mRNAs and proteins, and is observed in organisms ranging from bacteria and yeast to higher eukaryotes. Randomness in the activation and inactivation of a gene is the preliminary cause of this variation. At the level of proteins, these variations are buffered compared to levels of mRNA, due to the longer lifespan of proteins. Nevertheless, there is substantial variation observed at the level of proteins, resulting in phenotypic diversity among genetically identical cells. …

Terahertz Wireless Communication, Ke Su

Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to explore Terahertz (THz) wireless communication technology. More specifically the objective is to develop and characterize several THz communication systems and study the effect of atmosphere propagation through fog droplets and dust particles on THz communications.

For demonstration, a THz continuous wave (CW) photomixing system is designed. Terahertz signals are phase encoded with both analog ramp signals and pseudorandom binary data, transmitted over a short distance, and detected. The limitation of transmission bandwidth, low single to noise ratio, vibration effects are also analyzed. In order to study and compare propagation features of THz links …

Design And Implementation Of A Cyberinfrastructure For Rna Motif Search, Prediction And Analysis, Dongrong Wen

Dissertations

RNA secondary and tertiary structure motifs play important roles in cells. However, very few web servers are available for RNA motif search and prediction. In this dissertation, a cyberinfrastructure, named RNAcyber, capable of performing RNA motif search and prediction, is proposed, designed and implemented.

The first component of RNAcyber is a web-based search engine, named RmotifDB. This web-based tool integrates an RNA secondary structure comparison algorithm with the secondary structure motifs stored in the Rfam database. With a user-friendly interface, RmotifDB provides the ability to search for ncRNA structure motifs in both structural and sequential ways. The second component of …